Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

Did you see In the Heights when it first premiered on stage in 2005? Or did you wait until Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical hit Broadway in 2008? Regardless, the film adaptation is in theaters now and on HBO Max, so Baconsale is ready to review it. Zack has been a fan of the music for a while, whereas Joel & Kent are new to this story. And the first part of this review is spoiler-free, so even if you haven’t seen the movie, you can still hear our thoughts on it. Piragua! There are 96,000 reasons to press play.

Gimme a break! Is Baconsale really going to spend an entire episode talking about old commercial jingles? Uh-huh! After all, we don’t want to grow up. And fresh goes better with friends fresh & full of life, which is why Kent & Joel are joined by our guest Teri, who’s more than just a “filler” for Zack. Join us as we pick short, catchy tunes for such categories as Best Toy Jingle, Most Annoying, Most Enduring, and Won’t Leave Your Head. We would apologize for the earworms, but we had to suffer through them, too. Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too? Then press play!

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Baconsale is dedicating an entire episode to the legendary British band, Queen. This classic rock group has A Kind of Magic that’s hard to explain, and we’re Under Pressure because there’s a lot of musical ground to cover, but The Show Must Go On. We’ll be starting with the history of the band, and then we’ll wait for the Hammer to Fall as we each rank our top five and bottom five Queen songs. Zack has some more controversial takes, Kent keeps talking about “the movie,” and Joel exposes some shocking subliminal messages. Keep Yourself Alive by pressing play, and Play the Game along with us.

Shhhhhh! A Quiet Place was one of Baconsale’s favorite horror films of the past decade, so they were understandably skeptical about a sequel. But will A Quiet Place Part II silence their fears? Listen as we review this movie, yet can’t seem to get any of the characters’ names right. Joel also attempts some sign language, which is always great content for an audio show. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you can listen carefully to this first part of this BaconBit, which is safe from spoilers. Watch out for bear traps, and press play!

Okay. Here’s the plan: Zack wants to steal the seven Batmobiles hidden in the Warner Bros. vaults beneath Mount Rushmore (just go with it). He’s looking to hire some professionals to help him accomplish this impossible mission. It’s up to Joel and Kent to each pick a team of characters from popular heist movies to fill traditional roles such as The Leader, The Hacker, The Driver & The Thief. Zack must then choose which group he’s going to go with. But watch out! There are a few hidden moles that could ruin Baconsale’s entire operation with their double-crossing. Press play to hear generic IMDb plot descriptions mixed with explosive action!

Listener, darling! Disney has given us another live-action origin story of one of its iconic villains, and Baconsale is here to debate whether or not Cruella’s got what it takes. We’ll discuss the performances from the two Emmas, the stylized look of the film, the elaborate camera work, the ever-present narration, and the presumably expensive soundtrack. And don’t worry, even if you haven’t seen this movie yet, you can listen to our spoiler-free review at the beginning to determine if you should see this in theaters or shell out the cash to see it early on Disney Plus. Press play to join our introductory discussion: Cruella de Vil 101.

Setting a film in the future is a risky move because, one day, the future becomes the past. And on this episode of Baconsale, we’re talking about movies such as Mad Max, Back to the Future Part II, and Johnny Mnemonic which boldly attempted to predict what the world would be like in distant years of 1985, 2015, and 2021. Our friend Ryan is here to join us in judging how accurate these movies were and to help us decide when the peak time was for certain actors. Press play to hear us keep things light & fluffy while discussing political overreach and post-apocalyptic worlds.

No matter how you slice it, a chip is delicious. And on this episode of Baconsale, Kent, Joel, and Zack are ready to rank 21 of these salty, crispy snacks for your enjoyment & irritation. We’ll first share the history of potato chips & tortilla chips, and then proceed to give some hot takes about the most popular brands (which are almost all owned by PepsiCo). We’ll talk Takis, discuss Doritos Nacho Cheese, fight about Funyuns, chat about Cheddar Pringles, frolic for Fritos, sound off about Sun Chips, and bicker about BBQ Lay’s. But what will end up in our bag of bags? Press play to find out. Just don’t lick your fingies first.

If you’re old, like Joel & Kent, then you’ll remember the days of newspapers and Sunday funnies, and this episode of Baconsale will bring about pleasant waves of nostalgia. If you’re Zack’s age or younger, well then, this will be a very educational discussion about the history of comic strips. We’ve picked answers for a dozen categories, and we’ll be reminiscing about such classic hand-drawn cartoons as Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, Garfield, Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, Dilbert, and The Family Circus. Press play to learn how amusing it is to hear someone try to describe the funny pages.

Last year, we sadly didn’t do a summer movie preview because films weren’t really being released in theaters. However, believe it or not, there ARE movies coming out during the months of May through August of this year. Or perhaps we’re just widening our scope because we’re including films released on streaming services, as well. We hope you enjoy us expressing our feelings about Emma Stone, Joel & Kent matching on too many choices, and the occasional pitch for Patreon.com/Baconsale. Press play, nebbish listener, to see what cinematic entertainment this summer season holds for you.

After a humiliating loss last time, Team JK is ready to take on Team Listener once again. This time it’s Spencer, Brandon, and Scott who are going to pit their pop culture knowledge against Joel & Kent. And with questions about chess moves, director’s middle names, Disneyland history, and Australia, it’s anyone’s game. Press play to hear who will win bragging rights for the next year.

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.