The night before Thanksgiving, Dean and Phil met high atop a certain “historic building in downtown Los Angeles” for a very thoughtful conversation about gratitude, authenticity, a Japanese tea house, three restaurants in Malta, an American cemetery in Tuscany, Veterans Day, and yes, even Hall & Oates (in the return of “Lawsuit of the Week”). It’s heartfelt, its hilarious, it’s your friends in podcasting (and broadcasting) at their best.

After a brief cold open about Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Dean and Phil switch gears from the Holiday Season to “Awards Season” as they tackle a handful of this year’s award hopefuls, including Tár, Don’t Worry Darling, The Menu, Cate Blanchett and Ralph Fiennes. There is a brand new “Lawsuit of the Week” AGAIN involving the tragic Alec Baldwin-starring western Rust. An email from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) about a celebrity death will be followed by … “Celebrity Deaths”! A versatile actor, a comedy impresario, and a legendary prop comic have their lives and legacies celebrated. All that, PLUS Phil shares a hilarious account of a recent 50th high school reunion.

Dean Haglund shares news of his weekly pay-per-laughs improv show where he performs an episode of “The X-Files” live on-stage in Sydney. Phil Leirness reports on his visit to the restored, remodeled and re-opened Los Angeles landmark Clifton’s Cafeteria. Phil then gets on a soapbox about the true purpose of Thanksgiving and the true meaning of gratitude. A legend of Japanese cinema is remembered. A classic of sci-fi cinema is celebrated … And then, your friends in podcasting rush headlong into “the season of self-congratulation”, a time when award-hopeful movies are released en masse and award nominations and film critic top ten lists are announced almost daily. This week, award hopefuls like “Bridge of Spies”, “The Danish Girl” and “The Big Short” and box office blockbusters like “Spectre” are discussed and the Spirit Award nominations (for the best in independent film) are analyzed.