This week’s show is a bit of a pastiche, cut together from snippets of different conversations Dean and Phil have had these past couple weeks. So, after a hilarious “audio check” cold open, if you hear references to topics not yet covered, don’t worry, it all weaves together wonderfully by the end in what might just be one of our best shows of the year! Phil discusses the forthcoming Netflix reboot of Beverly Hills Cop and the (unwanted by the producers) role he might play in it, and whether its filming location means he lives closer to Detroit than Dean does! The subject of “soft tissue” and the importance of stretching and yoga get discussed in the wake of Phil learning about what it means to “pop a rib”. The reason firefighters carry axes gets explained. The graphic design creative explosion that was the late 70s and early 80s is the subject of a gallery exhibit at the Pacific Design Center and it leads Dean to reminisce. When he was in London, did Dean experience the magic of the Elizabeth Line? And did he get to England through the worst itinerary ever? And what exactly did he get wrong when describing the Billy Wilder failure Kiss Me Stupid? These questions all get answered and the great improv comic turned successful character actor Mike Hagerty gets remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”. And if that weren’t enough, Phil takes the time to interview Russ Haslage about his career in radio, the “wonder” of Subspace, and the history of the fine works by The Federation (and how YOU can help)!

Phil is back in Los Angeles. Dean is at home in Birmingham, Michigan, and they are unpacking the mysteries of Dean’s sleep schedule, a California town called “Chowchilla” and the US Government report on UFOs. The subject of paranoia gets get a deep dive analysis. Another of Dean’s favorite episodes of “The X-Files” gets revealed. HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” gets reviewed through comparisons with such other recent HBO procedurals as “True Detective” and “The Undoing”. Movies are back, box office is promising, and Dean and Phil celebrate the success of two new horror movies, before offering up a classic 2016 horror film from South Korea. This leads into remembrances of a major (and controversial) figure in the emergence of Korean cinema of the 21st Century, who died of Covid-19 in December. The rise and fall of a legendary attorney gets discussed in “Celebrity Deaths”, as does the legacy of one the great songwriters of the 1970’s and 1980’s. Finally, your friends in podcasting will play another couple rounds of their new Vintage Movie Ad game, this week featuring action stars of the 80’s and 90’s!

Your friends in podcasting begin with an update on what is being done to restore Phil’s eyesight, and the advice Phil has for those dealing with medical and insurance bureaucracies. They then dig into more than an hour of 20th century history, celebrating Doris Day, novelist Herman Wouk, comedian Tim Conway, architect I.M. Pei and the Arizona mining town of Bisbee.

It’s a special Top Ten show! Your friends in podcasting count down their all time favorite War Films! It’s amazing how many different sub-genres of war films, Dean and Phil discover and more than thirty films actually get discussed. Trust us – It’s totally awesome.