The Toy Department – Episode 79

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 78

In Episode 78, Matt Kolsky’s smoothie leads to a brief diet digression from Derek Madden before they dive into more interesting and relevant discussions of:

  • The self-inflicted death of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington (5:00)…
  • The Season 7 premiere of Game of Thrones (12:35) and the general absurdity of the whiny complaints about it…
  • The new Netflix show Friends from College (29:10) and the strangely negative reaction from critics to what seems to be a very lovable show…
  • Hot dogs (39:40) — what goes on them, what they’re for, etc…
  • Kolsky’s inability to not become a weepy mess (45:00) during heartstring-tugging entertainment…
  • Homework for next week (49:25): including next week’s Game of Thrones episode and the rapper cupcakKe… plus whatever the guys tweet about during the week 🙂

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 77

In Episode 77, Matt Kolsky’s summer of vacation has moved to Chicago, where Derek Madden finds him for a discussion of:

  • The geography of the midwest and some brief critique of assorted cities…
  • Madden’s experience at a Diana Ross concert…
  • Haim’s new album Something to Tell You…
  • The new Broken Social Scene record Hug of Thunder…
  • The new FX drama Snowfall…
  • Homework for next week: including A NEW SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES!!! (and the Netflix show Friends from College)…

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.

The Toy Department – Episode 76

In Episode 76, Derek Madden finds Matt Kolsky on vacation in sunny Portland, Oregon to chat about:

  • A check-in with the NBA’s insane free agency season (2:35) with special focus on the now-even-more-loaded Western Conference…
  • The romantic comedy film The Big Sick (29:35), its writer and star Kumail Nanjiani and some of the other excellent acting performances…
  • The action/crime adventure Baby Driver (41:25) and how well director Edgar Wright executed his unique and engaging vision…
  • Jay-Z’s new record 4:44 (53:20), how he fits into the hip hop landscape and what it reflects about his actual relationship with BeyoncĂ©…
  • The 1973 album Betty Davis by Betty Davis (1:09:35), a powerhouse of funk that neither Madden nor Kolsky had heard of two weeks ago…
  • Some homework for next week (1:14:05): the FX show Snowfall, along with whatever else Madden and Kolsky decide on during the week…
  • A couple of final thoughts on the food scene in Chicago (1:15:30), where Kolsky will be for next week’s recording…

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.