Nerd Lunch

Every podcast has to have a guilty pleasures episode and this week we finally do our take.  Joining us for the confessions is our favorite strange kid, Rondal Scott.  Who enjoys the worst reality TV show?  Who likes an emasculating rom-com?  Who revels in cheesy flicks from an 80s action star?  Listen for these revelations and so much more.  In our Nerd To-Dos Jeeg reads a book, Pax plans a Movie Man-athon, CT keeps buying digital comics, and Rondal plans an epic run of SNL viewing.

The Atomic Geeks Podcast is no more, but this first installment of the TAG Network Crossover lives on when Pax and Jeeg visited with Christian and Andrew and talked about Geek Mashups.

Nerd Lunch's second entry into this year's [expletive] TAG Network Summer Crossover Series features a whole cast of guests. CT is joined by both Michael DiGiovanni and [expletive] Michael Downs from the Atomic Geeks and Kristin Rielly from the Geek Girls Network and they have a big ol' [expletive] discussion about Doctor Who. Who was the best [expletive] Doctor? The best [expletive] companion? And find out what the phrase "those garbage cans have terrible voices" means. This week's Nerd To-Dos features talk about Batman, G.I. Joe and the relaunch of a new [expletive] website. Find your [expletive] sonic screwdriver and download now!

Pax, CT, Shawn Robare, and TAG Irregular Mark Dury provide our take on expanded universes. We discuss our favorite EUs from Star Wars to the Buffyverse, talk about what works or doesn't work in EU, and offer up some properties we wish had EU. When we're done here, be sure to check out this week's episode of The Atomic Geeks podcast for even more speechifying on EUs. Our Nerd To-Dos feature a Formula 1 racing documentary (huh?), new TMNT toys, more Planet of the Apes, and some Dark Knight Rises.

We're joined this week by Pax's longtime buddy Dr. Mike for an in depth discussion and/or thrashing of Star Trek Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis. Find out what we think of the HMS Pinafore, F. Murray Abraham, clones, B-4, and the infamous Enterprise bridge joystick. We also offer up suggestions on how these, er, gems could have been polished. In our Nerd To-Dos, we hear about an upcoming Dr. Who episode of Nerd Lunch, a can't miss Ben & Jerry's flavor, Pax's mini-review of MIB 3, and the Dawn of the Jedi comic book.

Pax is vacationing in the Phantom Zone, so Aaron Nix from Movie Hodge Podge and Matt Ringler of Schlock Treatment join Jeeg and CT for this week's episode. Each of us choose one person and one pop culture item to erase from existence and then discuss the consequences of that removal.  We go for the jugular with some of these, but luckily it's all hypothetical... as far as you know.  Our Nerd To-Do's feature a follow-up on Pixar's Brave, somebody named Richie Brockelman, Atomic Robo, and one nerd's quest to watch the original Star Trek movies for the first time.

Rob Graham settles into the fourth chair this week and we do another round of Give That Guy Some Work.  This time around we put together one TV show and one movie using actors and actresses that aren’t getting the exposure they deserve.  Our Nerd To-Dos include a Star Trek novel, the Sherlock TV series, Pixar’s Brave, a vampire hunter, and Planet of the Apes.

We gather around the lunch table this week with Steve from foodjunk.wordpress.com.  On the menu is a discussion of our favorite salty snack foods from chips to pretzels to crackers.  We can't seem to agree on many snack food picks, but perhaps we'll concur on favorite high blood pressure medicines in a later episode.  In our Nerd To-Dos, we hear about Steve's run through the Godzilla movies, CT's third viewing of The Avengers, Pax's review of Solomon Kane, and Jeeg's glacial progress through Angel and Farscape.

It's a three way dance as Pax, CT, and Jeeg plan out 48 hours of a nerd weekend.  Where would we go?  What would we do?  What would we eat?  Listen to find out if our perfect weekend looks more like The Hangover or Weekend at Bernie's.  This week's Nerd To-Dos are a who's who of sci-fi franchises with nods to Prometheus, Planet of the Apes, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Because the people demanded it, one more round of Would You Rather questions with Jeeg, CT, Pax, and Andrew Bloom. Actually nobody demanded it, but the conversation does include more Mark Dury talk and that alone is worth a listen.

The Atomic Geeks very own Andrew Bloom takes over the fourth chair this week and runs Pax, Jeeg, and CT though a little game of Would You Rather.  The questions cover topics that are fun for all ages: the Nerd Lunch crew dying in various ways, the Nerd Lunch crew killing various pop culture heroes, the Nerd Lunch crew in ambiguously gay situations, and CT’s beard.  The only question remaining is would you rather keep reading this description or listen to the episode already?

This week CT and Jeeg have to soldier on without the Nerd Lunch ironman, Pax, who has been kidnapped by our arch-rival Valley High.  But it’s all right, ‘cause we’re saved by the bell and two returning guests:  Aaron Nix of Movie Hodge Podge and Jay from The Sexy Armpit.  We spend the episode reminiscing about our favorite moments, the most attractive female cast member, and Casey Kasem’s epic Cosby sweaters.  Be warned, it’s such a lovefest that we're not even fazed by the fact that the show also sounded the death knell of Saturday morning cartoons.  In our Nerd To-Do’s, we  get some love for TV’s Dallas, Sherman Hemsley, Taco Johns restaurants, and the Back to the Future iPad game.

Doug Frye from the Schlock Treatment podcast signs on as the fourth member of an elite commando unit with Jeeg, Pax, and CT.  Our mission is to determine if the 1980s GI Joe cartoon still holds up. Listen to find out if the Joes can defeat the most lethal foe of all, Father Time. In our Nerd To-Dos we hear about Keifer Sutherland's debut in the D&D universe, the Solomon Kane movie (again), novel writing, and the arrival of some nerd progeny.

Perhaps the Internet's leading expert on TV crossovers and the founder of Poobala.com, Thom Holbrook, joins us for a great episode this week. We discuss what makes a crossover great, run down some of our favorites, and then propose some crossovers we wish would happen.  Our conversation is a roll call of great TV from Bob Newhart to The Bionic Woman to The Drew Carey Show to Mork and Mindy.  OK, maybe great isn't the best description.  In this week's Nerd To-Dos, we get our first genealogy related to-do, a re-commitment to comic book reading, and more Avengers items (it might take us awhile to get over that one, folks).

Shawn Robare rides his stunt motorcycle over from Branded in the 80s to join us for a discussion of the original trilogy of Muppet films: The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan.  We start with our personal histories with the Muppets and where they fit into our nerdom. Then we step through each movie taking a look at the playhouse style setup, plots, music, puppetry/effects, and favorite scenes.  In addition to some pre-Avengers talk brought to you through the magic of Internet time travel (check out episode 36, people); this week’s Nerd To-Dos feature a box of magic surprises for CT, more soda can collecting, and one nerd’s quest for movie novelizations.

Join us for a very special episode of Nerd Lunch all about the blockbuster that is Marvel’s The Avengers. In a double barreled conversation, CT and Pax chat after hitting the theater in Florida while Jeeg and original Nerd Luncher PLee offer their post-screening assessment from Illinois. Is it the best of the Marvel movies? Is it the best superhero/comic book movie ever? Is it the greatest achievement in the history of mankind? Remove your Asgardian helmet with the giant horns, pop in those earbuds, and find out.

Pax and Jeeg welcome CT back from his sojourn in the wilderness and guest Robert Zerbe from To The Escape Hatch for a discussion of real life issues that can dampen one's enjoyment of nerdy things. Celebrity meltdowns, marketing oversaturation, obnoxious product placement, annoying theater patrons, and more make our lists. This week's Nerd To-Dos features a lot of Avengers talk, e-readers, Doritos, and the last (?) of CT's Young Justice updates.

Jeeg and Pax welcome a tag team of guests, Atomic Geek Mike Downs and Jay from The Sexy Armpit, for a no holds barred conversation about WrestleMania. We cover our favorite matches, celebrity appearances, commentating team, and more. In the words of Gorilla Monsoon, "It's a donnybrook!". Our Nerd To-Dos this week include Mötley Crüe as well as a motley crew of KISS, Mr. Rogers, Teen Wolf, and Zantac 75.

While CT is away on a vision quest, Pax and Jeeg bring in Jeremy from Geek Chunks to discuss kung fu movies (and one samurai movie) from the last 20 years or so. After touching on our introductions to the martial arts genre and the grandaddy of them all, Enter the Dragon, we talk about the 90s kung fu resurgence led by Jackie Chan, the crossover appeal of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and some of our recent favorites from Donnie Yen, Tony Jaa, and Michelle Yeoh. Finally, we channel our qi power into some Nerd To-Dos covering Avengers opening weekend, Sliders, and Wrath of the Titans.

Our old buddy Fitz returns to the show for our companion piece to Episode 148 of The Atomic Geeks, "Geek Dads!". We spend the first part of the show talking about our upbringing and the formative experiences that made us nerds, geeks, dorks, and poindexters. After that we briefly touch on how we hope to raise the next generation of nerds. In our To-Dos this week, we learn about Fitz's initiative to crowdsource toy shopping, hear CT's latest update on his quest for Young Justice action figures, and get a mini-review of "Return to Oz" from Pax.