Die 1000 Glotzböbbel vom Dr. Mabuse (4½ Stars)

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The film takes place in 1960 in Stuttgart and the neighbouring town of Leimerstetten. The dialogue is in the South German dialect known as Swabian. Inspector Krass is puzzled by a series of murders. The clues point to Dr. Mabuse, but he can't possibly be the killer, because he died 30 years ago. He gets closer to the case when a woman called Sabine Hirrlinger attempts to kill herself by jumping from the window of the Hotel "Zum güldenen Grasdackel". She's a model for the advertisements of a radical new invention, the Internet.

The killer is trying to gain control of the Internet for his own nefarious plans. Various millionaires gather in the hotel, attracted by the Internet's potential to change Swabian life.

This is a film for anyone who says that Germans don't have a sense of humour. The film is thin on action, but there's humour from beginning to end.

Inspector Krass is distracted from the case by having to read about the Kehrwoche. It's a typical German custom that in an apartment building the residents have to take turns in cleaning the staircases and the area in front of the building. It's done throughout Germany, but nobody takes it as seriously as the Swabians.

Normally I don't like seeing people smoke in films, but this scene in the police headquarters is hilarious. Everyone at the table is smoking. I'm surprised there was any oxygen left in the room.

Infinity Pool (4 Stars)

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I wanted to see "Infinity Pool" on Wednesday, but when I arrived at the cinema they told me it had been cancelled at short notice. It couldn't be shown because they didn't have a key for the film. They used the English word "key", not "Schlüssel", so I assume it's a technical term. They rattled off a list of alternative films I could watch. No, I didn't want to watch "The Whale", "Empire of Light" or "Tehran Taboo". I'm not someone who goes to the cinema to watch a random film. It's not my style.

So I returned today. They've found the key.

James Foster and his wife Em are on holiday in a resort on the island country Li Tolqa. He's a novellist whose only book was a success, but after six years he's lacked the inspiration to write another book. He's hoping that the holiday will give him the ideas he needs for a new novel, but the resort is dull and generic.

They meet a Swiss couple, Alban and Gabi Bauer. Gabi says that she loves his book. The next day they leave the holiday resort and drive to the beach. Alban is too drunk to drive back, so James drives. Due to faulty headlights he doesn't see a man crossing the road. He runs him over and kills him. He wants to call the police, but Gabi warns him that Li Tolqa's police are corrupt and won't treat him fairly. He drives back to the resort, but there must have been witnesses, because he's arrested the next day.

James is taken to the police station. He's told that the penalty for killing someone is death at the hands of the dead person's oldest son. He'll be killed the next day. The only alternative is an offer for tourists. For a large sum of money, the accused person can be cloned, and the clone will be executed in his place while he watches. It's a perfect clone, identical in body and memories, so James' clone will think he really is James.

The next day James is led into a room to watch the execution. His clone is tied to a post. The dead man's 13-year-old son stabs him to death. He's not an experienced killer. He has to stab James' clone 33 times in the stomach before he's dead.

Em wants to leave the island as quickly as possible, but James decides to remain to get ideas for his next novel. He pretends that he's lost his passport, so Em leaves without him. Gabi and Alban invite him to meet three of their friends. They were all sentenced to death in previous years, but they were so fascinated by watching themselves die that they return every year and deliberately commit crimes. They want James to join their exclusive club.

No, that long description wasn't spoilers. It's only an introduction to the film's premise. Now the real story begins. It's a psychedelic kaleidoscope of sex and horror. "Infinity Pool" is an unsettling film. I can't guarantee that you'll like it, but you'll never be able to forget it.

Emmanuelle in Space: The Meaning of Love (2 Stars)

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This is the sixth and final film in the "Emmanuelle in Space" series. It's a weak ending to an otherwise enjoyable hexalogy. In the film Tasha is writing a report of what she discovered on Earth, and the aliens sit discussing their experiences. This gives the film the format of an anthology. The film is divided into three acts, easily distinguished by the beginning of new conversations, but the content of the three acts overlaps.

---

Act 1: Tasha's Report and Discussions

Tasha is writing a report about her experiences on Earth, in particular her experiences in the third film. We see short excerpts of her erotic adventures. Emmanuelle and Haffron sit with her to talk about her report. Haffron's words lead to more excerpts from the previous films. I found this annoying when I was watching the film. I spent more time trying to remember which films the excerpts came from than actually enjoying the sex scenes. Even so, it was difficult to enjoy them. They were spoilt by annoying voiceovers.

Interestingly, there were also new scenes, obviously outtakes from the previous films. Most of them involved Haffron. There was a scene that showed Haffron's first meeting with Emmanuelle, which should have been included in the first film. We see him mostly with other women, not Emmanuelle herself. It's also amusing to see a scene of Haffron and the slave girls from the fifth film. It's a highly erotic scene, but it makes no sense in the chronology of the adventures n Earth.

Emmanuelle and Haffron

---

Act 2: Flashbacks and Fantasies

Tasha sits having fantasies about her time on Earth. She wishes that she had acted differently in some situations. Emmanuelle uses an alien headset to enter her mind and enjoy the fantasies with her.

Kara has a fantasy about having sex with Haffron in the ship, surrounded by the other aliens. This is the best new scene in the film.

Theo talks to Emmanuelle about his experiences on Earth, and scenes from the first film are shown.

In the previous films the aliens look out of the window at Earth. In this film we see other planets. Where are they going? It's not clear. But Emmanuelle says that it's time for her to leave the aliens and return to Earth.

Emmanuelle and Theo

---

Act 3: Raymond's adventures

In this act we see reports of the adventures of Haffron and Raymond on Earth. The flashbacks to Haffron's adventures are taken from the second film and the fourth film. Raymond's adventures are all new, because we've never seen him having sex on Earth. The two men talk about jealousy. The subject was already discussed in the fourth film, when Emmanuelle claimed that jealousy is a natural result of being in love, but here it's discussed in more detail.

The aliens have said on several occasions that Earth is the only planet where the inhabitants wage war and kill one another. Emmanuelle says that jealousy is the cause of war, and so wars only take place because of love. That's a controversial viewpoint.

The aliens invite Emmanuelle to return with them to their planet. They say she'll have to change her appearance, because the human shape looks terrifying to their people. In the fourth film Emmanuelle said that she didn't even want to look like another woman, so it's obvious that she doesn't want to look like a lizard. She says that she'll be sad not to see Haffron again, but she has to return to Earth.

She's transmitted to a pier overlooking a beautiful beach. I'm curious where it is. It must be either in France or Ireland, the two filming locations of the series. On the pier she sees a man who looks identical to Haffron, and they become lovers.

This is an unsatisfying conclusion to the series for two reasons. First, it's so artificial. How could a man who looks identical to Haffron be on the pier as a pure coincidence? Secondly, it contradicts everything that Emmanuelle taught the aliens, especially Haffron. She always told them that love is about what's inside, not the appearance.

Farewell to the aliens.

I'll miss them all, especially Theo.

I'll miss Emmanuelle as well, but at least Krista Allen is still on Earth.

Smallville 2.16 - Fever

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Click here to watch the podcast.

The episode begins with Jonathan Kent fixing a pipe under the sink. This is where Martha Kent hid the spaceship's key in a tin of flour in the episode "Insurgence", so she needs to put it somewhere else. She takes it into the storm cellar, where the spaceship itself is kept. She digs a small hole and puts the flour tin in it. While she's digging there's a small cloud of green spores, presumably contaminated by the meteor rocks. She inhales the spores. When she goes back into the house she passes out.

Jonathan and Clark take Martha to the Smallville hospital, where she's treated by Dr. Helen Bryce. She tells Jonathan that Martha's baby is healthy, which is a shock, because he didn't know she was pregnant. On the contrary, he'd always thought she was incapable of bearing children.

Dr. Bryce reports the illness to the Disease Control Agency. They send a doctor who informs Jonathan that it's an unknown disease, so his farm has to be quarantined and thoroughly searched. Clark rushes back to the farm at super-speed and loads the ship into a truck. While in the storm cellar, he also inhales the spores. Pete offers to store the ship in his house, but while they're driving Clark gets sick and drives the truck into a ditch. He wants to pull the truck out, but he's lost his super-strength. Clark and Pete can barely pull the truck out together.

The agents of the Disease Control Agency find the flour tin in the storm cellar. They also find the octagonal key. Jonathan pretends he doesn't know what it is, and it's taken for examination. In hospital, Martha tells Jonathan that when the spaceship was activated on the day of the tornado (the episode "Tempest") she was bathed in a blast of light from the ship. She says that she felt healed, and this was the moment when she became able to get pregnant. As for hiding the key, she was afraid that Clark might use the spaceship to leave Earth forever.

Clark collapses at home. Dr. Bryce examines him and says he should be in hospital, but Jonathan refuses and says he should remain at home. Dr. Bryce wants to take a blood sample. Jonathan agrees, as long as she examines the blood herself and tells nobody about it. When she examines the blood in hospital she's shocked by what she sees.

Martha's condition has worsened. She's not expected to make it through the night. Jonathan thinks the spaceship might heal her, but the DCA has taken the key. He breaks into the army base where the items from the farm are being stored. Martha is pronounced dead at 2:17 am. A few minutes later Jonathan arrives at the hospital with Clark. He puts the key in the spaceship, and it rises up in the air. It lets off a blast of light, as it did in "Tempest". This heals Clark, and it brings Martha back to life. It's a miracle.

It's also a miracle that no doctors, nurses or patients were looking out of the windows and saw the spaceship. And what about the other people in the hospital? Were they also healed? The episode's writers evidently didn't think about it. It's a puzzle to me, and Michael Rosenbaum also mentioned it the podcast. Screenwriters aren't perfect. I just don't understand why the director or even the actors didn't talk about it when they were filming the episode.

There are a few sub-plots in the episode. Chloe writes a letter for Clark in which she declares her love for him. She reads it to him when he's lying at home sick, but he doesn't hear it. At least Chloe has a new car, a red Volkswagen beetle. It looks too cool for words.

Lana is deeply affected by seeing Clark ill. She forgives him for treating her badly in the episode "Rush".

Lex has a present for Helen. Is it an engagement ring? That's what I expected, and it's what any woman would expect under those circumstances. No, it's a key to his mansion. He wants her to move in with him. That's not a very romantic gesture, but it's the most we can expect from a man like Lex.

Lex has also bribed a junior doctor from the DCA to give him Martha Kent's medical file.

Now to the podcast itself. Michael and Tom sit and talk about various things, not always Smallville. Michael has a pet hate: he doesn't like films that are too long. The second Avatar film is over three hours long. He remembers the good old days when films lasted 90 minutes. He hasn't seen "The Way of Water" yet, and he won't watch it in the cinema. He'll watch it at home, eventually. I doubt he's ever watched "Love Exposure", a four hour masterpiece. I have a saying:

"A good film is never too long. A bad film is never too short":

One of the callers asked Tom how he was able to lie still while Allison Mack (Chloe) was reading the letter to him. The answer is simple: he didn't. While there was a close up of Chloe's face, Tom wasn't in the room. It would have distracted her. She was reading the letter to herself.

I'm always happy when Tom remembers details of an episode. It's disappointing when he says that he forgot everything.

It was Ryan's 35th birthday the day before the podcast was filmed. Happy belated birthday!

Michael, Tom and Ryan agreed that "Fever" isn't one of the best episodes. The acting was good, but they didn't like the story. I wonder what the screenwriters would think if they listened to the podcast. "You're shitting on our script!"

Once more, my thanks to Michael, Tom and Ryan for a wonderful podcast. I'm getting much more enjoyment out of "Smallville" than when I first watched it 15 years ago.

The Talon is the place to be. They even have concerts. But who's Steadman?

That's Steadman. They're okay, I guess. Pleasant enough music, easy listening at a charity concert, but forgettable. Their sound reminds me of Radiohead. They appeared on a lot of television programmes in the early 2000's, but it wasn't enough to make them a household name. They split up in 2005.

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Marvel 1976.09 - Daredevil #137

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Daredevil #137

Title: The Murder Maze strikes twice!

Writer: Marv Wolfman

Artist: John Buscema

Villain: Jester

Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Heather Glenn

John Buscema continues as artist this month. A note on the letters page tells us that he's filling in for Bob Brown because Bob is sick. There's no clue what the sickness is, but anything that lasts more than two months must be serious.

The crowd has become a lynch mob and is about to hang Daredevil. What's his crime? Does it matter? He manages to escape and goes to the district attorney's office to discuss his next steps. Not that the decision is difficult: find the Jester! Before he does that he goes back to his apartment to let Heather know he's still doing well.

There's another television broadcast from President Ford, telling the populace that (unnamed) super-heroes and the police have teamed up to attack the banks on Wall Street.

Daredevil follows some crooks to the Jester's lair. After a short fight, Daredevil is knocked out by gas. The crooks are sensible; they say that Daredevil should be shot. The Jester prefers to have fun; he throws the unconscious Daredevil into his Murder Maze.

The title says that the Murder Maze strikes twice. That's because the crook called Jefferson died in the maze in the previous issue.

Daredevil wakes up and makes his way through the maze. It leads from one trap to another, each deadlier than the previous one. Daredevil gets out by cheating. Instead of going forwards, he heads back the way he came and breaks through the entry door. The Jester flees, but Daredevil catches him in the street.

Daredevil appears on television to tell everyone that the Jester was responsible for manipulating the news. He says that people shouldn't blindly accept everything they're told, they should compare different news sources and decide for themselves. That's good advice. After the broadcast there's a news flash that the Hollywood actress Karen Page, Matt's former girlfriend, has been kidnapped.

Masha and the Bear 2.1.3 - Growing Potion

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This episode was first broadcast on 5th June 2013.

Bear is in the garden measuring his vegetables. He expects his carrots to be 20 centimeters. Isn't that the name of a song?

His tulips are even worse. Look at the way they're drooping. It's bad enough being small, but anything that's small and floppy is good for nothing.

So Bear heads into his laboratory. I bet you never knew he's a scientist.

But there's no peace for Bear. The door bursts open, and in comes Masha with her baby. She wants to know if the pig has grown since last year.

Bear measures the pig. Yes, she's grown.

Then it's Masha's turn. She hasn't grown at all. 

Bear has to get back to work. He tells Masha to stay out.

Bear's formula has worked. The tulip is standing tall and proud. No more floppy flower.

Bear goes back into his garden to apply the liquid to his other flowers. But Masha has seen what he's doing. She wants to be bigger as well, so she takes the glass and pours it over herself.

She grows and she grows until she's too big to leave the house.

Bear squeezes back in and mixes another potion.

This one shrinks the tulip. It's not as impressive, but at least it still stands upright.

He applies the new liquid to Masha. Look how small she is! Poor little girl!

Suddenly she starts to grow again!

She keeps on growing.

Masha is too big for our world.

Luckily the effect is only temporary. She shrinks back to her normal size.

Masha checks herself against the chalk mark on the door.

She never wants to get any bigger. She'll be a little Russian girl forever.

The End.

Die Hard (5 Stars)

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The Stuttgart Nights festival begins tomorrow. What better way to get into the mood than to watch "Die Hard" yet again?

The last time I watched it I couldn't think of anything new to write about it. This month I'll just give the film's death count.

Twelve of the terrorists die. We only see ten of them die on screen, but we're told that two others die in the explosion that John McClane causes in the elevator shaft. Of the 13 terrorists, the only survivor is the hacker, Theo.

Four civilians are killed. That's two security guards and two hostages.

We don't see any policemen die, but I assume the death count is six. That would be four FBI agents in a helicopter crash and two other policemen when their car is destroyed by a rocket.

That's a total of 22 deaths. The official Die Hard fan site says there are 23, because one additional terrorist dies. I'll have to check carefully next time I watch it. The error is probably mine.

Success Rate:  + 3.6

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Marvel 1976.08 - Daredevil #136

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Daredevil #136

Title: A Hanging for a Hero!

Writer: Marv Wolfman

Artist: John Buscema

Villain: Jester

Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Heather Glenn

We've jumped a bit since last issue. At the end of Daredevil #135 we saw the Jester capturing Daredevil as he was escaping prison. Now we're told that Daredevil has killed the Jester. There's no flashback to how it happened. He's just dead. I'm sorry, Marv, but this is bad storytelling.

The Jester's body is shown in the morgue. He's already been pronounced dead, but the district attorney has requested a second examination. His body bursts into flames.

Daredevil is back in prison. Or rather, he never left prison. We're told that what we saw happening in the last three pages of Daredevil #135 was a television news broadcast. Maybe there was a slight clue. In the final panel Foggy and Heather were watching everything on television, although it seemed real in the previous three pages. Again, this is poor storytelling.

Blake Tower now knows that everything is a fake. The events shown on television didn't happen, and the Jester isn't dead. He orders Daredevil's release from prison.

The Jester creates a new television broadcast: President Gerald Ford announces that the New York police have gone insane and are killing civilians. He says he's sending in troops to deal with the situation, but until they arrive he calls on New York's citizens to take up arms against the police. Super-heroes, especially Daredevil, are also classified as criminals. 

The Jester has assembled an army of crooks and is encouraging them to carry out mass robberies while the chaos ensues. They should give him 50% of their loot, of course.

Daredevil tries to stop a robbery, but the crowds turn against him. He's knocked out. The Jester arrives to arrange a hanging.

The best thing about this issue is John Buscema's artwork. I've been enjoying Bob Brown over the last few months, but John Buscema is special. It's difficult to describe my feelings about him. His artwork isn't spectacular, but he never makes a mistake. Whatever he draws perfectly expresses the intentions of the writer. A lot of artists like to show off their skills. Not John Buscema. He works for the writer, not for himself, and his artwork emphasises the story. I'm not sure if I've expressed myself clearly. I like to compare him with Steven Spielberg. If you look at my top films list, you'll see that he didn't direct any of my top 10 films, but what I can say about him is that he never makes a bad film. If I go to see a new Spielberg film in the cinema, I shan't be disappointed. John Buscema never disappoints me.

VFB Stuttgart Season 2022 Match 29

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Augsburg – VfB Stuttgart

Date: 21st April 2023, 8:30 pm

Result: 1 – 1

So what was VfB Stuttgart doing while I was in the cinema watching "Talk to me" on Friday evening? The away match against Augsburg was drawn. I've read articles in which it's said that every point Stuttgart wins in their relegation battles is a victory. I disagree. One point isn't enough. Stuttgart needed three points in this game and failed to get them. One point per game will leave Stuttgart in the cellar. VfB needs to win the next two games against Mönchengladbach and Hertha. I hardly need to say that a loss against Hertha would be disastrous.

1.	Bayern München	59
2.	Dortmund	57
3.	Union Berlin	52
4.	RB Leipzig	51
5.	SC Freiburg	50
6.	Leverkusen	44
7.	Eintracht Frankfurt	42
8.	Mainz	42
9.	Wolfsburg	40
10.	Mönchengladbach	36
11.	Köln	32
12.	Werder Bremen	32
13.	Augsburg	30
14.	Hoffenheim	29
15.	VfL Bochum	27
16.	VfB Stuttgart	25
17.	Schalke 04	24
18.	Hertha	22

Smallville 2.15 - Prodigal

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Click here to watch the podcast. If you're not already doing so, I suggest that you subscribe to the channel Talkville Podcast. I know that increasing the number of subscribers is only the slight change in a number, but it'll let Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling know that one more person is appreciating their podcast.

This is an episode that starts off with a bang. A young man is playing poker in a Chinese gambling den. He's cheating with the help of someone in an adjoining room spying on the other players' cards and electronically relaying what they have to his partner. It's the same sort of trick that's used the James Bond film "Goldfinger". The cheating is uncovered, and everyone tries to kill the man, but he escapes. When he runs into the street, Lex Luthor pulls up in his car and tells him to jump in. The man asks why, and Lex replies, "I'm your brother".

It's the most exciting opening scene in "Smallville" so far.

The young man is Lucas, a son that Lionel Luthor gave up for adoption. He was previously mentioned in the episode "Lineage" as the illegitimate son of Rachel Dunleavy. Lex's motives in searching for him aren't purely brotherly love. Lucas has just turned 18, and a family contract states that any son of Lionel will be given 10% of Luthorcorp's shares on his 18th birthday. That's a strange clause for a contract, whether family or business. What's important is that in combination with Lex's shares, Lex will have a controlling share of Luthorcorp, enabling him to oust his father.

But Lionel Luthor is a skilled tactician. He offers Lucas $10 million for his shares, so Lex can't rely on his help. Lionel freezes Lex's bank accounts, leaving him penniless. He was silly that he didn't have at least a few thousand dollars cash in his safe. Lionel orders Lex to leave the mansion. Everything that Lex used to own, including the Talon, is given to Lucas.

I admit that I don't fully understand this. Lionel already had the majority of Luthorcorp, and he already bought out Lexcorp in the episode "Suspect", so couldn't he have done this to Lex any time without waiting for Lucas?

In a sub-plot, Clark answers the ad for a part time job at the Talon. He must be very insensitive to do this after he hurt Lana Lang in last week's episode. In fact, it was only last night in Smallville time. The rose is still in the waste paper basket where Lana threw it at the end of "Rush".

But let's get back to the main story. Lex is now homeless, so he turns to Jonathan Kent for help. He asks if he can have a room in the farm. Once more, this is strange. Couldn't he have asked his girlfriend Helen Bryce for a bed? She would have been only too happy to take him in. Apart from this, why is Jonathan so fast to accept Lex into his home? They've had heated arguments more than once in the recent past.

Despite being slightly illogical, it helps the story to see Lex at the Kent farm. Lex proves that he's a hard worker, getting up early to do chores. This impresses Jonathan, who says that he could be a good farmer.

In this episode we find out that Lionel Luthor is no longer blind. He says he's been able to see for about three weeks. How many episodes is that? He's been pretending to still be blind, because he can find out more about people. When dealing with a blind man they're not as likely to hide what they're doing. They let their guard down.

One of Lucas' old acquaintances, possibly the man who was helping him cheat at poker, ambushes him at the Talon and attempts to shoot him. Clark saves Lucas, knocking some bullets out of the air, then leaping between Lucas and the remaining bullets. Lucas didn't see what happened, because his back was turned, but he's puzzled that Clark could move so fast. When he asks Lionel about it, Lionel merely replies that Clark is an unusual young man.

The would-be killer is arrested when trying to leave Smallville, but he dies while in police custody. Somebody evidently wants to stop him talking, someone who's wealthy enough to buy off the police. Lionel Luthor is the obvious suspect. Lex thinks that Lionel wants Lucas out of the way.

The next day there's a confusing scene in the Luthorcorp headquarters. Lucas is holding Lex prisoner. He's tied to a chair. Lucas has a gun, but he says he wants Lionel to shoot him. He gives his father a gun, then holds a gun to Lionel's head to force him to act. Lionel refuses to shoot Lex. Unknown to them, Clark is hiding in an overhead air vent. Clark uses his heat vision to burn Lucas' hand and make him drop his gun. Lionel uses the opportunity to shoot Lucas, but his gun is loaded with blanks. Lucas picks up his gun and reveals that it's also loaded with blanks.

Lex and Lucas planned this show, but what is it supposed to prove? Did they want to see if Lionel was prepared to shoot Lex? I don't understand what it was all about.

The next day Lionel gives Lex his company back in exchange for Lex keeping quiet about Lucas. Keeping quiet about what? About Lionel having a son? About Lionel trying to have Lucas killed? Probably not the latter, because Lionel never admitted it. Lex says that Lucas is now under his protection, but what's strange is that we never see him again. His absence for the next eight years of the series is unusual.

Getting back to the Clark-at-the-Talon sub-plot: Lana fires him because he walked out in the middle of his shift. Maybe he could have kept his job if he'd told her that he has to leave sporadically in order to save the world. For Clark it's more important to keep secrets than to keep a job.

Tom Welling has remarkably good memories of this episode, even though he admits that he never watched the episode when it was completed. He remembers the scene where he blocked bullets to save Lucas, in particular the advice from members of the crew about how to make it look good. He also remembers that it's an episode in which Michael Rosenbaum appeared a lot as Lex Luthor.

There's a lot of semi-off-topic chatter in the podcast. They talk about how Paul Wesley's role as Lucas was his springboard for becoming the main character in "Vampire Diaries". They say that the CW network was famous for having young, good looking characters. So Paul Wesley is good looking? Not as far as I can tell. He's not my type. He looks like another actor in the line of dopey love-sick vampires that started with David Boreanaz. Michael thinks that even though Paul Wesley had to audition for "Vampire Diaries", he had preferential treatment as an actor with CW experience.

There's no guest star in the podcast, but Al Gough is on the phone for seven minutes. He calls himself Talkville's third host. Ryan Tellez sat up in shock when he heard that.

Michael has no lack of praise for Smallville's fans, the ones he meets at comic conventions. They know the series inside out, although he and Tom have trouble remembering the smallest details. It's hardly surprising if they haven't watched the episodes themselves. That's something I don't understand. If I'd been the star of a television series, I'd want to watch every single episode as soon as it was completed. I'd want to know if I'd made any goofs in front of the camera. Actors (and musicians) are their own toughest critics.

Maybe I should write more about the podcast itself in my future reviews. It's so enjoyable, although it's not so much what's said, it's the way that it's said. I have the feeling that Tom and Michael are having a private party with their friend Ryan, and viewers like me are spying through the keyhole.

The best place for a party is the Talon. Live music to make you want to dance.

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