Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #56

Irish bar rules on this PCR. No religion. No politics just rants.

Trump vs. Rosie O'Donnell
Tyson vs. State Of Arizona
Lindsay Lohan vs. Booze

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #55

The president has released his plan to salvage Iraq. I weigh in. This one's a doozy!

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #54

Trying out a new shorter format with a pair of rants. First up, that awful smell in New York City today. Next, the Dems take over the House of Representatives and it will (unfortunately) be business as usual.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #53

Must end the year (and maybe the podcast altogether) with a rant. It's been an awfully crappy end of the year. I had a flood in my apartment and am getting the shaft from my condo association. Cingular wireless won't let me buy a new phone (the Samsung Blackjack) unless I fork over $25 more a month for a new data plan.

Of course some celebrity rants. Should we really feel sorry for Miss USA (picture at left) Tara Conner? This dunce couldn't last 30 days in New York without filling her nose up with coke. Some role model. Thanks Donald!

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #52

Where have you gone Michael Richards? Not a question that too many people will have to ask given recent events.

It is the most miserable time of the year. As Christmas nears, people get petty. Going deeper into debt. Fighting over stupid Elmo dolls and video game systems. Getting depressed over relationships. Sadly, we have to touch on the dark side of the Christmas season.

And speaking of Christmas. When did it become a crime to say, "Merry Christmas" or to have a "Christmas Party". Sometime between 1980 and 1990 I think.

Plenty of celebrity breakup news. Plus Madonna buys a kid.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #51

Find out how this woman just might be able to save the world from the likes of Paris Hilton, Kim Jong Il and George Clooney.

Plus, rants on the media coverage of the Amish school shooting. More business travel miseries.

A bit on the Korean nuclear test and how the U.N. will be ultimately useless in assisting with the disarming of this or any other madman on the face of this earth.

Lovely ambience provided by Urbansnake.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #50

Does this man look like a criminal? Poor Mel Gibson, another misunderstood celebrity. Ditto Lindsay Lohan and Boy George. Oh to be wealthy, drunk and famous.

Celebrity breakups abound. Dave and Carmen. Kate and Chris. Shannon and Travis. And that dunce kid of Dr. Phil will be next.

How about them commercials? I'm sick and tired of sweat botox, colon cancer tests, erectile dysfunction meds and just about every other hokey snake oil that marketers can dream up.

And what of the has beens like Robert Wagner, Dan Marino and Zora pushing useless garbage like diet TV dinners and reverse mortgages. Oh great, I get to sell my home out right from under myself for $300 per month.

The recent restrictions on liquids and creams on airplanes goes way to far. Let's go after the people committing terrorist acts and leave my jello pudding alone!

Finally, I weigh in on the Israel - Iran...er...Hizbollah conflict. Could Mike Wallace please retire...NOW?

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #49

Greetings from Asbury Park. The place is a dump. A variety of circumstances have lead me to ask the following question.

Is the American dream a lie? Is it a myth? We see failure all around us.

Towns like Asbury Park, NJ have gone from once thriving resort villages to desolate, post-apocalyptic nightmares that even Chuck Heston would avoid.

And stars are falling all over the place. Like Star Jones and Christie Brinkley. Maybe there's only darkness at the top if you get there.

And maybe Michael Moore is right about American being a crappy place to live. Or does he just hate America?

Tune in to find out.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #48

In my second life Angelina Jolie would adopt me I'm sure.

Can you handle sixty minutes of ranting action? Somehow I think CBS doesn't feel this is a threat to the real thing. They're full of it anyway. That show is only about 45 minutes when you factor in the commercials.

SHOW NOTES

• $40,000 Podcast Studio. No joke.
  
• My airplane seating fears. www.seatguru.com
• Traveling with the family
• Unholy trifecta of Hollywood females
• Angelina Jolie
• Britney Spears
• Jennifer Aniston
• Net Neutrality. Who will pay for the growth of the internet?
• Zarqawi Dead!
• U.S. Soldiers charged with murder.
• WTC Memorial Disgrace
• Second Life? How about getting a first life.
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #47

Don't call it a comeback! I've been here for over a year.

Let's call this episode, "How Opal Mehta Got Busted, Got Outed and Got Dumped." The gal on the left, Kaavya Viswanathan, is the young author of a book that has found to be plagiarized from a couple of other books. What else is new.

The birth of Suri, celebrity pregnancies, bad 9/11 movies, gas prices and illegal immigration on the docket as well.

...Link to the real Flight 93 Story...

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #46

We move from George Clooney to Tom Cruise this week on the PCR. What's up with this dude? He's responsible for censoring a really funny and very irreverent cartoon called South Park. I even hear that he got a director to edit an indie film that contained a nudie scene with his paramour Katie Holmes. This is all alleged of course, but in the world of Tom anything is possible.

Plenty of other celebrity foolishness this week including Sharon Stone's return to full frontal nudity at 48 and a raft of celebrity divorce announcements.

Finally, because I don't want to be outdone by major news organizations I'm weighing in on the French Employment Riots and the Moussaoui Terrorism Trial.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #45

What a lousy couple of weeks fighting with people over year old health care bills! Plus that stupid lawsuit that CBS is waging against Howard Stern. Will the big media players ever learn? And George Clooney proves he's out of touch with the real world once again. Then gets into a brawl over a blog post.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #44

Couldn't let February end without another attack of the PCR. Ever controversial and always infuriating, I'm tackling some of the hot topics of the day on this rant.

SHOW NOTES

• 2008 Winter Olympics - Arrividerci Torino
• Bad NBC Coverage
• Bode and Jacobellis Flop
• Hail the flying tomato!
• Celebrity Action
• Breakup - Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong
• Screwup - George Michael and Lee Tamahori
• Iraq violence flares...and the media loves it. Ugh!
• Special Bonus - Yale Welcomes Taliban.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #43

Plenty to rant about this week. I got my hands on some Howard Stern content without having to lay down bucks for a Sirius receiver and subscription. And I've been listen to David Lee Roth in the morning and via his podcast. So who wins in the battle of these celebrity titans? Tune in to find out. And I've got a few things to say about some other hot topics as well.

SHOW NOTES

• Dentist Nightmare
  
• Howard Stern vs. David Lee Roth
• James Frey - Mister Lie
• Demonizing the successful - like WalMart, Google and Oil Companies
  
• The Bin Laden truce offer
• The RIAA vs. America - The real domestic spying scandal!

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #42

This is a very revealing episode of the PCR. I'm talking about celebrity babies, in a nod to Brangelina's hot off the presses announcement, celebrity sex tapes and vanity. I reveal one of my deep, dark secrets for all the world to hear. You won't want to miss this one!

SHOW NOTES

• Intro
• Celebrity Babies
• The soon to come - Brad and Angelina
• The already here - Britney and Kevin
• The not gonna happen - Chad and Hilary
  
• Celebrity Sex Tapes
• The one that started it all - Tommy Lee and Pamela
• The one that reignited it all - Paris and what's his name
  
• The trainwreck - Tom Sizemore
• The one that never was - Ashlee Simpson
• The one they want to keep under wraps - Colin Farrell
  
• Vanity in America
• My Secret Revealed
• Sign Off
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #41

We're baaaaaaack! It's 2006 and it WILL be a crazy year. More celebrity screw ups? Yes. More media blunders? Most definitely. More run ins with crazy, ego maniacal podcasters? Oh yeah. More Michael Jackson jokes? Of course. You get the picture. Let's start the year off right by slicing and dicing some easy targets. New intro and outro music courtesy of Joe Bendik.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro
• Poor Dick Clark - and why our culture condemns old people
• Poor Lindsay Lohan - and why stupidity has become a cottage industry
• Is Tom Cruise the last icon?
  
• Poor Howard Stern - and why you can't really live on $100 million per year
• Poor you and me - and why the banks are sucking us dry
• Down with debt in 2006
• The Debtfather - Dave Ramsey
  
• Predictions for 2006
• More Celebrity Screw Ups
• The Demise of Radio
• The Rise of Portable Media
• Dead Pool - Ariel Sharon, Robert Blake, Lindsay Lohan and Gerald Ford
  
• Outro
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #40

Welcome to the final show of the year. Lots of stuff going on. I'm back from the Portable Media and Podcast Expo. I've got a few bones to pick with people who think they're celebrities due to podcasting. I recap some of the rant themes from 2005. Talk about a frustrating music symposium I attended at NYU recently. A couple of shots from my brother Vincent. He gives you his two cents on telemarketing and media coverage of storms. Two things that really get stuck in my craw. Finally, a few parting words to end the year. See you in 2006.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #39

We're back for the attack on the PCR this week. Pop culture is under fire and I'm reloading my guns!

SHOW NOTES

• Intro (00:00)
• Everyday Drudgery (01:30)
• Mini Van Drivers
• Men's Bathrooms
  
• The Apprentice (10:05)
• Four for the price of one
• How the Donald gets ahead and what he doesn't tell you
• Blocking out the light and air
  
• Boycotting Jarhead (21:04)
• Book by Anthony Swofford
  
• The military always gets portrayed incorrectly
  
• Jake Gyllenhaal is not a tough guy
• WTF does Sam Mendes (aka Mr. Kate Winslet) know about the military
  
• The Future of Media (33:20)
  
• Howard readies to make his move to Sirius
• Leading edge of a major indie media movement
  
• Established media companies are in denial
  
• Sign Off (40:00)
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #38

The guy in the picture on the left is one of the biggest idiots that you'll ever see. He happens to be the (former) CEO of a company called Savvis Communications. And in 2003 he spent $240,000 at a strip club called Scores in New York City. Now he's getting sued by American Express and he's out of a job. Good riddance!

Here's a question for you. Why is Sly Stallone going ahead with a plot for Rocky VI that puts him in the ring at 60 years old? God only knows.

Do TV shows like The West Wing and Commander in Chief accurately depict the realities of politics in the United States? Of course not and my bro will tell you why when he gives you his two cents.

Finally, Howard Stern is moaning about leaving his current gig to one where he's getting $100 million per year. I think he needs to up the dosage on his medication. No one can be pissed when they're getting a pay raise of that magnitude.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #37

Prepare yourself for another hour plus long PCR this week. It's chock full of rants on the media, celebrities and details about the scare (or podcast panic as I like to call it) that I've been accused of inciting by one foodie podcast/food product marketing company. How appropo for the month of October with Halloween coming up in a couple of weeks.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro
• New Orleans Police Beating and the Media
• The NY Yanks playoff loss can teach us something
  
• Boy George Gets Arrested (and other celebrity screwups)
• Vincent Safuto's Two Cents
• The EatFeed Saga
• New Video iPod - What about all those folks who bought the Nano?
• Sign Off

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #36

It's absolute madness this week on the PCR. I'm roadcasting as I drive to work so I can pay the damn bills. Things get pretty interesting as I:

• Rant about my neighbors
• Talk about my evacuation from Hurricane Rita
• Listen to a few minutes of Howard Stern
• Rock out to Billy Idol on Jack FM
  
• Bitch about the state of FM radio
• Revel in the celebrity screwups of Renee Zellweger and Jamie Lynn Sigler-Discala
• And beg for your donations

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #35

This week's focus will be the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I'll be talking about the myths spread in the days after the disaster, celebrities, and the media's failure to cover the full story. It's a long one, so grab a cup of coffee and get ready for some action.

Relevant Links:

New Orleans Disaster Evacuation Plan: It was located here but strangely enough has been removed from the site.

Story on the Superdome being an inadequate shelter: Click Here

Red Cross stopped outside New Orleans: Click Here

Buses, Lots of Buses:

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #34

MAYDAY! The city of New Orleans, Louisiana has sunk and several cities on the Gulf Coast have been demolished. Several hundred thousand people are refugees and it can actually get worse over the next few days. I wish it was a joke or an exaggeration but it isn't. Hurricane Katrina cut through a large swath of the Gulf Coast of the Unites States like a 145 mile per hour buzzsaw. The devasation is massive and now levee breaches in the city of New Orleans have made a bad situation much worse. Now is not the time for political sniping and ridiculous finger pointing. It's time to get off of our butts and help any way we can. I'm urging people to donate money to the American Red Cross fund for Hurricane 2005 Relief. Listen for more details on the effects and aftermath of what is turning out to be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #33

Back for the attack this week talking disease and disgraced celebrities. Plus Google continues to take over the desktop and news on the war in Iraq that you can't find anywhere else.

SHOW NOTES

• Lung Cancer, Celebrities and the Media
• Certain diseases only get attention when celebrities are afflicted
• Why should the public be any more upset over a celebrity dying from disease as opposed to a regular non-famous person?
  
• Smoking, Disease and Folks Who Smoke
• How did you get started?
• Stop now for heavens sake!
  
• Celebrity Screw Ups of the Week
• Courtney Love
  
• Eminem
• Madonna
• Dwight Gooden
• Victoria Gotti
  
• Google Shakes It Up Again
• They've added Google Talk, Google Earth, Google Video and Google Desktop in recent months
• Yahoo, AOL and MSN are probably having fits
• Can an Operating System be too far off?
  
• Get Your Iraq War Info Here
• http://michaelyon.blogspot.com
• http://www.mudvillegazette.com
  
• Sign Off
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #32

I owe and you owe so off to work we go. But not T.O. and some of the other spoiled professional sports athletes. Why is it so common that people making multi million dollar contracts are not "happy" and decide to either sit out or be a total nuisance? If you or I did that we'd be in the poor house. The bottom line is that some pro athletes need to stop crying and start playing. A little follow up on reality show madness with a new segment called Vincent Safuto's Two Cents. And I ask the age old question: Has Angelina Jolie ever made a "good" movie?

SHOW NOTES

• Intro
• No go for T.O.
  
• Reality TV Update
• Has Angelina Jolie ever made a good movie?
• Try watching Pushing Tin, Playing God, Gone in 60 Seconds or Taking Lives
• Sign Off
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #31

I'm baaaaaack! With lots to say and plenty of time to say it. It's a stripped down, no nonsense PCR. Forty five minutes chock full of rants on Rafael Palmeiro, aka Mr. Juice. It's not just about steroids, it's about vanity that's destroying our culture. More rants about TV and the entertainment industry. Even as reality shows galore fail, the networks and mainstream entertainment outlets still pump the same crap down our throats. And a story about a real nasty confrontation with a neighbor at my condo complex.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro
• Rafael Palmeiro's positive steroid test and subsequent denial
• The collapsing world of mainstream entertainment
• One crazy woman with a really big dog and a chest shaven, tattooed boyfriend/fiancee/whatever
• Sign Off
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #30

We move to a lighter tone this week on the PCR. And why not? Eighties nostalgia acts like INXS are making fools of themselves with their new reality show. Celebrities seem to get dumber every day with Jude Law doing the nasty dance with a nanny, while his kids are in the next room! And so much more. Plus, I'm still mad at Apple for keeping indie podcasters locked out of controlling our iTunes podcasts. Cablevision may have finally stopped calling me about their crappy extra services.

• Intro (00:00)
  
• Reaction to the last show (01:15)
  
• Apple can KMA (04:15)
  
• Reality Show Madness (15:10)
  
• INXS searches for a singer
• Paula Abdul dance show
• Being Bobby Brown
  
• Celebrity Ridiculousness (26:37)
  
• Jude Law does the nanny dance
• Colin Farrell is simply an idiot
• Pam Anderson - Tommy Lee III (coming to pay per view!)
• Tom Sizemore in trouble...again!
  
• Cablevision can KMA (36:00)
  
• Converting old cassette tapes (39:30)
  
• Sign Off (42:00)
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #29

It's a special PCR this week, related to terrorism and the bombings in London last week. Be warned, I've got some pretty strong ideas on this topic. It's time that we get the air cleared though. Why does the media get a free pass on spreading the word of the terrorists? Why won't the media call them terrorists? Why does the media continue to legitimize terrorists by spreading their message and reporting patently absurd theories about who was behind the London bombings? It's a sad state of affairs that we've got right now with the mass media acting as sick referees, refusing to call terrorism what it is. Now is the time to galvanize support for fighting terrorism worldwide.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #28

Andy Warhol once said that everyone would have their 15 minutes of fame. I think all of those people will now have 30 minutes on a reality show after their 15 minutes of fame. I go for the jugular once again, taking on the likes of Bob "Mr. Self Promotion" Geldof, Apple (once again), and of course a few celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. Oh and there will be a service rant or two in the mix.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro (0:00)
  
• Apple Hijacking Podcasters Media (1:22)
• Post Office Rant (6:29)
• Please sign your credit cards prior to aproaching the window!
  
• Chevrolet warranty service gripes (11:45)
• Live8 Accomplishes Nothing (18:55)
• More rock star posing featuring Bob Geldof
• Oversimplification of a very serious issue
• Britney Spears' Money Issues (27:30)
• Mrs. Federline (Yo!) needs more cash
• Lindsay Lohan - Lollipop Girl (31:32)
  
• 19 going on 40
• Sign Off (35:30)
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #27

Back to business this week with some new rants on Scientology, the deli counter, poor parenting and frustrations with Apple Computer. Plus, a random celebrity sighting and answers to people's comments about last week's show.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro (0:00)
  
• Last Week's Show Reaction (0:30)
• Tom Cruise's Scientology Rampage (5:00)
• The U.S. should hire his old publicist
• Summer in NY City (7:10)
• Celebrity Sighting - Lili Taylor
  
• Popular Cults (8:30)
  
• Scientology
• My Scientology Story
  
• The Kabbalah
• Deli Counter Woes (23:40)
• Psycho Mom at our new pediatrician's office (27:00)
• Apple Computer Rant (31:25)
• Podcasting support in iTunes is great, but they're products are closed
• Are Apple owners part of a pseudo-cult?
  
• Sign Off (35:00)
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #26

It's a rant from hell this week as your host takes some people on over a very hot topic, the bashing of America. From expatriate VCs to RSS founders to elite intellectuals, Microsoft bloggers and German rabble rousers, it's a full on KMA fest. Why the fuss? Simply put, enough is enough. The blogosphere and airwaves have become thick with anti-American and anti-Democratic propaganda from a variety of sources. And like all propaganda, it's filled with half truths and misconceptions. Prepare yourself for a very different but very necessary rant this week.

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #25

I'm back and a dad and still as p'oed as ever over the injustices of the world. Even more so now that I have yet another life to protect and take care of. And what a crazy two weeks it's been. Bob Geldof and Bono are up to their same old tricks. Can they really save Africa with music? Russell Crowe melts down at the Mercer Hotel. Oi Vey! Lisa Kudrow should not have "Comeback." The ridiculousness of 9/11 survivor cash. The Mike Tyson debacle. And much more.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro (0:00)
  
• It's true I'm a dad now, but I'm still ranting (0:30)
• Show Summary (2:20)
  
• Bob Geldof returns with his Live8 Concert (3:12)
  
• Live Aid was a bust
• Bono on the stump
• Why not have the artists donate themselves?
• Michael Jackson - Not Guilty! (15:45)
  
• Russell Crowe throws a telephone hissy fit (16:08)
  
• Cinderella Man takes the perp walk
  
• Big payday coming for the victim
• Someone please tell Russell about Skype
• Sunday (and Monday) night on HBO (20:20)
  
• Lisa Kudrow's bad comeback
• Entourage on my mind
• Final season for Six Feet Under
• 9/11 survivors gone wild (26:10)
  
• Mike Tyson gets his a$$ kicked (30:00)
  
• Good riddance dude
• Sign Off (34:00)
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #24

It's a special PCR this week as it's my last show before I become a dad for the first time. That means I'll be off the air next week. But don't worry, I'll be back in two weeks. And for now you get to hear some ranting and raving about banks, and the propensity for pushing credit cards on us. I also take aim at a music industry that continually sells us mediocrity. And an apology to folks in Australia who had the Apprentice finale spoiled by last weeks episode. Sorry mates!

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #23

It's a full on dust up in this week's PCR. I get into it with the video blog site Rocketboom in a serious manner. TV finales are in full swing here in the U.S. and we provide the highlights of The Apprentice and Deadwood season endings. Also, a follow up on my problems with The Home Depot.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro (0:00)
• Program Notes (0:30)
• The child arrives soon so expect a missed week in the near future.
• This show may contain mature content.
• Show Overview
  
• At war with Rocketboom (3:00)
  
• The Apprentice (33:05)
  
• Deadwood Update (36:45)
  
• Home Depot Woes Continued (41:30)
• Sign Off (44:37)
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #22

This week we have an extended version of the PCR. I request apologies for my use of the "C" word during the last PCR as I can't lose my only German listeners. Comments on the recent Dave Chappelle meltdown. Star Wars overkill is killing me. Doctors are pissing me off again. Why do they insist on taking us backwards in the treatment of pregnant women? And my new entertainment center experience has been less than delightful. Damn, I'm back to two remote controls again! As a bonus, my brother (the newspaper guy) joins me via Skype to discuss the latest Newsweek debacle involving (apparently false) allegations about the desecration of the Quran at Guantanamo Bay.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro (0:00)
  
• "C" Word apologies (0:50)
• Dave Chapelle goes to South Africa (3:51)
• Star Wars madness (7:15)
• What's wrong with doctors? (9:22)
• Entertainment center odyssey(15:38)
• Skype shootout on the Newsweek Quran story debacle (19:22)
• Sign Off (50:22)
  

Podcast NYC: Pop Culture Rant #21

It's Hollywood madness this week on the PCR. Paula Abdul, Tom Cruise, the RIAA, Marriott and David Mamet find their way into the crosshairs on the PCR. That's bad for most and good for some. Listen in to find out details. Also, the Deadwood update. Be forewarned, there are some bad words on this podcast, including the dreaded C word.

SHOW NOTES

• Intro
• Service Rant Follow Up
• Me to my car service, "You're fired!"
• Marriott surprises me
  
• Hollywood Madness
• Welcome to the PR Machine
• Paula Abdul Gets A Boy Toy
  
• Katie and Tom...A Sham
• Lamaze Breathing Practice
• Rage on the RIAA
• Glengarry Glen Ross
• Movie Adapted From David Mamet Play
• Back on Broadway and I'll Be There
• Have a David Mamet Film Festival
  
• The Deadwood Update
• The Boy's Dead Now
• The Bank Is Opening
• Only Two Episodes Left
  
• Sign Off