Tag Archives: Kyrie Irving

The Toy Department – Episode 331

  By toyAdmin | February 10, 2023 - 3:52 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 331, Madden and Kolsky do a quick debrief on their long time apart before shifting into gear to discuss:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (1:40) where we seem to be past the halfway point of TJ’s Final and there are LOTS of incidents and accidents to discuss…
  • A quick check-in on The Last of Us (33:40) to acknowledge the excellence of Episode 3…
  • Peacock’s new Natasha Lyonne vehicle Poker Face (35:10) and how her charm carries the viewer to an awful lot of fun…
  • Hulu’s superpower show Extraordinary (38:45) and how it really is extraordinarily enjoyable, with excellent writing and some delightful young unknown performers…
  • Apple TV+’s Bill Lawrence/Jason Segel joint Shrinking (44:05) and how the combination of its two creators makes for an oddly enjoyable cocktail, plus — Harrison Ford…
  • The Netflix rom-com You People (51:30) and how there’s not much Rom and Eddy Murphy is largely wasted but it’s not so terrible in the end…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl LVII (1:00:55) and the recently passed NBA Trade Deadline (1:05:10)…
  • Homework for next week (1:16:25), including: four movies — TÁR (streaming on Peacock), Wakanda Forever (streaming on Disney+), Meet Me in the Bathroom (streaming on Showtime and Paramount+) and Somebody I Used to Know (streaming on Amazon)… and OF COURSE the last episode (we think) of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department – Episode 306

  By toyAdmin | June 30, 2022 - 11:16 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 306, Madden and Kolsky are sneaking in a late-night Thursday recording before they each go on (very different) vacations, so it’s right into:

  • The penultimate episode of The Challenge: All-Stars 3 (1:50) and how it sets up for a very exciting finalé (despite the unforgiven transgression of the previous episode)…
  • The new Apple TV+/Maya Rudolph show Loot (19:15) and how it’s a delightful comedy with a heart that really lets its lead actress shine…
  • The 90-minute dick joke Beavis & Butthead Do the Universe (23:25) and what reason there was for making this film besides Paramount+’s thirst for “new” content…
  • The Disney film Rise (28:20) and the absolutely unbelievable and wildly inspiring story of the Antetokounmpo brothers…
  • The return of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building (35:50) and how the show remains very enjoyable, though it might not have a particularly long shelf life at its current speed…
  • Some thoughts on a turbulent week in the NBA (40:50) and potential destinations for Kevin Durant after his trade request in Brooklyn…
  • Homework for Friday, July 22 (1:01:30), including: the end of The Challenge All-Stars 3 and the beginning of the newest entry in the franchise – The Challenge USA on CBS… Have a great summer break, everybody!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 248

  By toyAdmin | February 16, 2021 - 11:40 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 248, Madden and Kolsky settle in for a movie-heavy episode covering:

  • The excellent new film Judas and the Black Messiah (1:50) and all the things that made it both a tremendous achievement and a difficult watch…
  • The New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears (22:15) and the disturbing celebrity culture that contributed to her current predicament…
  • The light-hearted To All The Boys: Always and Forever (45:40) and how both guys had fun but are pretty much done with this particular series of films…
  • A few thoughts on NBA All-Star (53:25), specifically on the unfortunate unlikelihood of Zach Lavine’s candidacy for the Eastern Conference team…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (1:02:45), including: the new NBC sitcom Young Rock, the new HBO Max miniseries It’s A Sin, the Netflix film I Care a Lot and the Hulu movie Nomadland… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 172

  By toyAdmin | July 3, 2019 - 1:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 172, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky briefly discuss their recording circumstances before jumping into the real meat:

  • The new Amazon series Too Old to Die Young (1:20) and how it really fails to come together in a meaningful way or show any particularly redeeming qualities…
  • Showtime’s new Roger Ailes show The Loudest Voice (11:35) and how its pilot delivered all the goods…
  • An extended NBA conversation (18:50) covering the free agent machinations and some thoughts on the teams that made big changes…
  • A brief conversation about USWNT soccer (55:25) trimmed down to NOT include senseless bickering about Landon Donovan’s ability (or lack thereof)…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:05), including: the new Aziz Ansari stand-up special on Netflix, Years and Years on HBO, the premiere of the American version of Love Island and — again — maybe seeing the movie Yesterday in theaters…

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The Toy Department – Episode 90

  By toyAdmin | October 17, 2017 - 11:11 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 90, Matt Kolsky and Derek Madden bravely fight through a Skype failure at Madden’s Minneapolis studios to break down:

  • Kolsky’s disappointment with the critically-acclaimed Blade Runner 2049 (2:00) and the state of film criticism…
  • Madden’s experience at the Imagine Dragons show (11:40) and the merits — or lack thereof — of backloading your concert set list…
  • The season premiere of Mr. Robot (17:10) and the split feelings of the hosts…
  • HBO’s The Deuce (22:40) and why you should stick with it, even if the lack of major plot developments have you concerned…
  • Showtime’s new comedy White Famous (31:20) and where its first two episodes fail and succeed…
  • The new St. Vincent album MASSEDUCTION (40:35) and all the things that make Annie Clark a star…
  • The start of the NBA season (45:25) and how it’s going to be a great one despite the championship being somewhat of a foregone conclusion…
  • Homework for next week (1:14:10) including: Beck’s new album Colors, the new Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs film Battle of the Sexes, and new Netflix series Mindhunters and American Vandal…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 79

  By toyAdmin | July 26, 2017 - 9:12 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 79, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky take you behind the scenes of the Toy Department’s pre-production and schedule-planning, and mention Kolsky’s new gig with the SF Examiner before jumping all over:

  • A season wrap-up for Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale (2:30) and how the show successfully built to a thrilling ending…
  • Season 7, Episode 2 of Game of Thrones (10:40) and whether an exposition-heavy episode should be subject to criticism…
  • The announcement of Confederate, the new HBO Show from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (24:15) and the public response to the concept of a show that imagines the South winning the Civil war…
  • The new, almost-universally-lauded Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk (33:30) and why almost everyone is wrong about it…
  • HBO’s Dr. Dre & Jimmy Iovine documentary series The Defiant Ones (48:00) and just how completely it tells the story of those two music giants…
  • The Kyrie Irving drama with the Cavaliers (1:03:35) — what’s going on in Cleveland? And does it make sense for anyone?
  • Homework for next week (1:23:20): listening to the rapper CupcakKe (after Derek failed to do so last week), listening to the new Nine Inch Nails EP Add Violence, and watching the new movies Atomic Blonde and Girls Trip…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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