Pop Rocket

May 24 2019 228 ep. 61 mins 26.5k

Pop Rocket Podcast artwork

Weekly discussion of the culture we all love to love. Join host Guy Branum and panelists Wynter Mitchell, Karen Tongson, and Margaret Wappler for smart, funny and sometimes sweary chat about everything great in entertainment. Combining comic, journalistic, academic and digital media expertise, the Pop Rocket team will keep you up-to-date on what's most exciting in pop culture.

Society & Culture Comedy

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The Final Episode

May 24 2019 73 mins

**Warning - this episode contains lots of tears** For the final episode of Pop Rocket, the panel convene to give listeners one last All About, one last Jam, and they look back at the past four and a half years, and all the various milestones they’ve shared with one another and their listeners while doing the show--marriages, deaths, birth, book deals, finding a new home, and so m

Ep 224 - What’s in the Cards for the Pop Rocket Panel w/ The Oracle of LA

May 17 2019 82 mins

**Angelenos: Tonight (May 17th) at 7pm Guy and Karen will have a conversation about Why Karen Carpenter Matters at Book Soup in West Hollywood.** In this penultimate episode, the Pop Rocket panel seeks guidance from The Oracle of LA, Amanda Yates Garcia. Each panelist pulls a card from the Oracle’s tarot deck, and gets an individual reading. What’s next for everyone? The answer

Ep 223 - Charlie Says with Screenwriter Guinevere Turner

May 10 2019 66 mins

This is the first of our three final episodes, and we’re joined by screenwriter Guinevere Turner (American Psycho,Go Fish) whose latest film Charlie Says just came out today, May 10th. As “budding cult-ologist” MagWaps notes, “if you think you’ve heard everything on the Mansons, trust me, this movie takes a different view.” Having grown up in a cult, Guinevere was able

Ep 222 - Game of Thrones w/ Laura Krafft & Sarah Kessler

Apr 26 2019 70 mins

First off, you're welcome Game of Thrones fans. This is a super-sized Pop Rocket loaded with theories, speculation, and yes, even love. While Wynter and Karen were away, Margaret and Guy tapped two die-hard fans for a full-on discussion of the series and their thoughts now that the first two of the last six episodes have aired. Assembled in the studio this week: Guy "I've read all

Ep. 221 - The New Negroes & Black Sketch Comedy

Apr 19 2019 52 mins

This week Wynter and Karen chat with Ellington Wells, a comedian and writer on Comedy Central’s brand new sketch show The New Negroes with Open Mike Eagle and Baron Vaughn. The panel takes a look at how black sketch comedy has involved and Wells tell us what Robert Townsend TV special inspired Vaughn to create a show with a similar sensibility. All Abouts Wynter: No Good Nick Kar

Ep. 220 - Killing Eve & the Asian Woman with Amazing Hair

Apr 12 2019 62 mins

**ANNOUNCEMENT: The nomination process is now open for the next Pop Rocket Seal of Approval. This quarter we’re looking for veterans with a large body of work who have been underappreciated and haven’t received the acclaim that their body of work and stellar character deserve. If you want to submit a name, you must call and leave a message on Guy’s mom’s voicemail to tell u

Ep 219 - 1991 in Music

Apr 05 2019 59 mins

Take a trip down memory lane with Wynter, Karen and Margaret as they revisit 1991 in music. If you’ve ever been curious what song was playing when Karen experienced her first same sex kiss, tune in. If you grew up in the nineties, this episode will bring you back to that moment in time. If you spent your formative years in the aughts, and want to experience the 90s vicariously th

Ep 218 - Jordan Peele’s Us

Mar 28 2019 69 mins

Pop Rocket’s come early this week! Alonso Duralde guest hosts for this, our second week of the MaxFunDrive. The deadline for supporting this show is fast upon us, so if you haven’t yet become a new or upgrading member, do it now! Go to our donation page. You can donate while listening to this special Thursday edition of the show. This episode has something for everyone--sapphic

Ep. 217 - Pop Rocket Goes to USC to Teach the Kids Why Pop Culture Matters

Mar 22 2019 68 mins

It’s the first live episode of Pop Rocket. Professor Karen Tongson invited the panel to give a lesson on why pop culture matters, with a focus on the past decade. You’ll learn what pop culture of the 2010s will last, and what culture won’t be remembered. Plus we’ll hear from some of Karen’s students, including a special jam brought to the show by Clayton. You won’t want

Ep. 216 - Lady Vengeance: From Bobbit and Beyond

Mar 15 2019 57 mins

In honor of Women’s History Month, the panel lives vicariously through women who sought revenge, from Lorena Gallo (formerly Bobbit), to Thelma & Louise. They touch on their favorite films centered around women seeking revenge...or, perhaps more accurately, justice. All Abouts Margaret: Uncover: Escaping NXIVM Karen: “Operation Varsity Blues”, aka the college admissions scand