Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

Well, the 93rd Academy Awards happened, it seems. The ratings for this once-celebrated award show took a nosedive, and we think we know why. We’ll discuss the issues this last broadcast had, we’ll briefly talk about the winners of each category (and not have Best Picture as the last category, for some reason), and we’ll tell the Academy what they need to do to recover some of the dignity they once had (and perhaps gain some viewers). Plus, we’ll announce the winner of our Baconsale ballot contest, and reveal a monumental moment in Baconsale history. Sudden wolf howl! Press play!

Listener, a new age has begun, an age of 300 episodes of Baconsale! We were unable to do an anniversary show last year, which meant that Spencer retained his title of The Listener for an extra season, but now he’s going to have to defend his throne against two worthy contestants: Scott and Brandon. And you can play along as we quiz our guests on things like Kent’s movie ratings, Joel’s celebrity impressions, and Zack’s dramatic readings of TV theme songs. Press play to join us on our self-indulgent journey of podcasting and pop culture as we talk, laugh, and snack on individually wrapped treats.

Who’s up for a downer? Whether you realized it or not, the 93rd Academy Awards are this Sunday, and Baconsale is making our predictions as to who is going to win each of the 23 categories in what might be the lowest-viewed ceremony of all time. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the films, most people haven’t, and we’ll describe them to you. Though, all the nominees seem to be angry or depressing this year, so we need Baby Yoda to help us through these difficult times. Will Mank make bank? Does Promising Young Woman show promise? Will Nomadland find a place to stay? Will the hearts of the Academy turn to The Father? Press play to find out! Plus, you could win an Amazon gift card by going to Baconsale.com or our social media pages and filling out our official 2021 Oscars ballot. We’re accepting submissions until April 25.

What’s that loud roar in the distance? Oh no! It’s Godzilla! (Gojira?) On this episode of Baconsale, we’re talking about the King of Monsters, and we have two kaiju enthusiasts joining us in the Baconcave. Nicole & Kris are going to help guide us through the history of this primeval champion. And Kent, Joel & Zack each watched a handful of these movies in preparation, so they’re ready to discuss the other giant creatures that Godzilla has encountered throughout the years, highlights & lowlights, and the potential future of the franchise. Press play to join us on this educational and destructive journey!

A movie with giant monsters punching each other and featuring podcasters who change the world? We’re in! But did we enjoy the latest installment in the MonsterVerse? Visual effects have definitely improved since the last time these two titans met, and the human storylines are just as unimportant. Plus, as per usual, the first part of this Godzilla vs. Kong BaconBit is spoiler-free, and we’ll give you plenty of warning before we enter spoiler territory, so even if you haven’t seen the movie, you can still listen. Roar really loudly, beat your chest with your fists, and then press play.

Hello! Or should we say Hello? This episode of Baconsale consists of 22 mini musical match-ups between popular songs with the same titles, including such hits as “Crazy,” “The Power of Love,” “It’s My Life,” and “Shout.” Kent and Joel are deciding which songs should be the default on your Amazon Echo, or which one should be erased from existence, depending on who you talk to. We confuse each other at times regarding which tune we’re talking about, but we hope to keep things clear for you, and we hope you enjoy our terrible falsetto singing and occasional dolphin noises. Press play to hear how to pronounce Sarah McLachlan in Kent’s native language.

Here comes the podcast Baconsale, hoppin’ down the bunny trail. Hippity-hoppity, tiering candy today. On this episode, we’re putting all our cards and our candy on the table regarding Easter treats. We’re ranking chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, Cadbury eggs, Peeps, Jordan almonds, Robin Eggs, and more. Plus, we’re even eating some of these sweets as we’re recording. Please pardon Kent’s chewing noises, Joel’s unconscious obsession with peanut butter, and Zack’s chocolate bottom. Press play to join us on our springtime sugar high!

Now we heard there was a secret cut  That Snyder made and it pleased Kent, but  You don’t really care about the background, do ya?  It goes four hours, this Justice League  We watched it all, with some fatigue  But will it make Kent Dunn cry hallelujah?  Listener, it’s finally here. Press play to cue the ancient lamentation music and hear our review of The Snyder Cut.

The year was 2021, and Baconsale was discussing movies that had never been released in theaters. Whether it was due to financial issues, creative differences, or just some really terrible ideas, these productions didn’t make it to the big screen, even though some money and/or significant time was spent on them. Kent and Joel are each going to present five film pitches to Zack, and then he’s going to decide if their demise was justified, or if they deserve another chance. Who knows? One day this episode may be out of date because one of these duds might actually get produced & distributed. Press play to hear about silly sequels, awful adaptations, and impossible ideas.

No More Mr. Nice Guy, it’s time for Baconsale to Do It Again. We’re going to finish our 70s music bracket and declare who are the ultimate rock Heroes. It’s a Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy come true as we Take It to the Limit with each match-up, sometimes picking a band based on nothing More Than a Feeling. Do You Feel Like We Do? And even though we Ramble On at times, we Fly Like an Eagle through this second half of our classic rock tournament and hopefully bring some Joy to the World. Think this is going to be a Landslide victory? You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet. Press play! And print out your own advanced bracket at Baconsale.com.

Who’s been watching every Marvel thing? It’s been Baconsale all along! And on this BaconBit, we’re reviewing the Disney+ series WandaVision. Have you been part of the zeitgeist? Did you watch it week to week or binge-watch it all in one sitting? Or could you not care less about Wanda Maximoff & Vision’s relationship in the MCU? Kent, Joel, and Zack will be giving our spoiler-free thoughts & opinions for the first part of this episode, and we’ll give you a clear warning when we move into spoiler territory, so even if you haven’t watched it yet, you can still listen. Press play to discover the chaos magic that is a Baconsale review.

The Boys are Back in Town! It’s time for Baconsale to Listen to the Music of the 1970s. We Will Rock You as we take a Walk on the Wild side and discuss some of the greatest classic rock bands of all time. Much like many songs from the 70s, we go on a little long in this episode. Don’t feel Paranoid, though, we’re not going to Rock and Roll All Nite. Kent, Joel, and Zack are taking a Slow Ride on this tournament and only completing the first round. It’s Live and Let Die as some artists are going to have to Surrender, and there will be some Sweet Emotion as some of your favorite bands take the Stairway to Heaven. But hey, Love Hurts sometimes. Press play, but Don’t Fear the Reaper. And print out your own 70s bracket at Baconsale.com and play along with us!

Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney’s latest animated feature, is available on Disney+ with Premier Access, but is it worth the extra cost to see early? That’s the question we’re answering today on this BaconBit. Kent has seen this film twice, Joel has seen it once, and Zack has seen it 0.5 times. We’re each going to give our spoiler-free review first, and then we’ll let you know when we’re going to start talking spoilers for this movie so you can listen even if you haven’t seen it yet. We may not know how to pronounce the protagonist's name correctly, but we certainly have our opinions about this movie. Press play to unleash the power of Heart, Fang, Spine, Tail and Talon!

***SPOILER ALERT!*** In this episode, Baconsale is discussing spoiler etiquette for movies and TV shows. And as the spoiler prophets that we are, we’re going to teach you how to carefully navigate an increasingly online community and avoid ruining big twists or major plot points. Our guidelines are intended for both the spoiler and the spoilee as we give suggested timelines, educate you in Spoiler L.A.W., and propose punishments for breaking the official rules. Press play, but be warned: we give away the entire plot of The Little Mermaid (1989) during this process.

Ventas servitas! On this episode of Baconsale, we’re discussing a character from a popular book series whose name is Harry—a dark-haired orphan who’s also a wizard…but it’s probably not the magical Harry you’re thinking of. We’re talking about Harry Dresden. Steven Ross is a big fan of The Dresden Files and he’s joining us today to raise awareness about the novels. Steven has read (or listened) to all of the books, Joel has read a handful, Kent read the first one just for this episode, and we’ve intentionally left Zack in the dark so he can be the everyman and make sure we don’t get too far into the Nevernever. Toot-Toot! Press play!

Hi-ho, listener! It’s time to play the music and light the lights, because on this episode of Baconsale, we’re talking about the Muppet films. We’ve watched ten Muppetational movies and we’re going to rank them from worst to best. Joel is still a kid at heart and loves almost everything the Muppets have done, whereas Kent has grown a little more cynical as he’s gotten older, and Zack thinks that all the films (and this episode) are about 20 minutes too long. Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection—the lovers, the dreamers, press play.

Last time Baconsale talked about romantic comedies, it went off without a Hitch, so we (Love) Actually decided to do it again! We’ve come up with just under 13 (Going on 30) categories to showcase some of the most popular rom coms of all time. Plus, Zack, our personal Wedding Singer, is also going to quiz Kent and Joel on their knowledge of these movies. And with romantic steak street tacos on the line, the stakes have never been higher. We’ll discuss Julia Roberts (to see if She’s All That), which films left us Sleepless (in Seattle), and which actors look Pretty (in Pink). CORAL! Press play to help us determine what is “peak Streep.”

A lot has changed since our last Sundance film festival recap, including the festival itself. This year, film geeks around the world streamed (strom?) indie movies from the comfort of their own home, making snide remarks to an empty room. Kent watched 26 of these films in six days! His brain is fried, but he’s ready to give us some highlights (and lowlights) of what he saw, including reviews of Prisoners of the Ghostland, CODA, Eight for Silver, On the Count of Three, Mass, In the Earth, The Sparks Brothers, Cryptozoo, and John and the Hole. Press play to hear about the college draft for film buffs.

Baconsale is ready to pop a lot of trouble because, once again, we’re going to rank popular tabletop games. From ancient Mesopotamia to the 2000s, we’re including such favorites as Uno, Chutes & Ladders, Boggle, Taboo, Chess, Checkers, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Ticket to Ride, Cranium, and Blokus. As we move along the board, we’ll talk about the history of these games, discuss unusual versions (Body Boggle, anyone?), and we’re surprised by a musical number that makes the tough guys tumble. Kent and Joel agree way too much, Zack isn’t sorry about going his own way, and we just hope you roll the dice and tier each party game along with us. Press play to turn the crank, and snap the plank, and boot the marble right down the chute!

Wow. Who could have predicted everything that happened last year? Baconsale tried and, believe it or not, we actually got a few things right! So, once again, we are going to attempt to read the tea leaves for the coming year. We’ll forecast celebrity breakups, predict “sexy” Halloween costumes, discuss new fast food meat alternatives, guess sporting event winners, warn of reptilian takeovers and, of course, predict box office flops & talk about movies we’re looking forward to this year (if they actually come out). Plus, with so many lunch bets on the line, the stakes have never been higher. Press play start a wi-fight!