Dean is back home in Birmingham, Michigan. Phil is at home in Los Angeles. They connect via Zoom to discuss the fire damage Dean witnessed while he was in L.A. last week, as well as his ongoing and evolving thoughts regarding Captain America: Brave New World which he caught up with on a flight. Phil has thoughts about the recent Mickey 17, and about the current theatrical releases Caught by the Tides and Friendship. The talk then turns to the business of show and the recently announced/ongoing breakups of media conglomerates Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast/NBC Universal. Finally, in “Celebrity Deaths”, a character actor on the brink of big fame, a chart-topping singer of 1960s hits, and a legendary jazz singer and pianist all get remembered, and Phil corrects something Dean said last week in remembering the great Brian Wilson, as well as offering something he recently learned about beloved television star Loretta Swit (who was remembered a couple weeks back).

Making every Monday night merry and bright since before many of you were even born, your friends in podcasting and broadcasting hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Christmas. Unless you don’t celebrate Christmas, in which case, Dean and Phil hope you are having an awesome Monday! Among the many topics to be enjoyed in this week’s audio stocking stuffer are an honor being bestowed upon one of the most important directors of “The X-Files”, the brilliance of actors Jamie Foxx and Mahershala Ali, two of the best Christmas films of all time (and both are brand new theatrical releases!), animated superhero movies, Netflix movies, a UK Northern Soul legend, a star of TV’s “Route 66”, and the Detroit art scene.

A cold open about the horror classic (?) Phantasm gets the ball rolling on a fascinating, funny, free-wheeling conversation between Dean and Phil about such topics as Dean’s forthcoming creative endeavors, Phil’s stressful experience judging a costume competition, the ongoing Los Angeles city council scandal and the difference between “representing” and “reflecting”. A message from someone very close to Dean about the most recent Palme d’Or winner at Cannes leads to a spirited appreciation of the comedy in Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend and a message from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) leads to hilarious stories about Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre and to a discussion of the very first episode of the new season of “Documentary Now” (a parody about Werner Herzog)! Kanye West’s ridiculous claims about Django Unchained and the onslaught of criticism directed at the new season of “The Crown” get examined before your friends in podcasting (and broadcasting) offer up a very lengthy, (and way too short!) celebration of the “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, Loretta Lynn.