Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, A Quiet Place, Children of a Lesser God, Saturday Night Live, P!nk – IP 118

This week we have a proverbial pop culture hat trick with a trifecta of TV, Film and Music covered in our episode.

It may seem like there was not a time before you knew Cardi B existed – but she’s just released her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, and we’re telling you what we think of it- plus sharing our thoughts on her SNL performance (and her SNL ‘announcement’).

We review the number one movie of the week, A Quiet Place and the broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God and discuss how each portrays its hearing impaired characters.

And Amita talks about the swinging time she had with P!nk at Madison Square Garden.

Plus the Big Sell!

And we tell you why the time is NOW to become a member of the Maximum Fun podcast network!

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

And of course you can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Spring 2018 Pop Culture Preview, Max Fun Drive – IP 117

In honor of the Max Fun Drive- we are proud to present our Spring Pop Culture Preview! We’ll share some inside info on the highly anticipated TV, Film and Music due out this Spring. And to help us out- our special guests – the hosts of  Long Distance POPcast and JoJCast also share their picks!

Spring is no longer the season to bide your time while you await the big summer blockbusters and concert tours. Some of the most innovative and surprising pieces of pop culture are about to slide into your earbuds and onto your television and movie screens and we’ll tell you what cannot be missed!

Spring is also the time to support your favorite podcasts by becoming a member of Maximum Fun! We’ll tell you the glory (and gifts) that await you if you decide to become a member or renew your membership.

Take a look below at all of the upcoming pop culture packed into this special podcast!

Music

Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer

Elton John Revamp

Lake Street Dive

 

Movies

Tully

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami

Ocean’s 8

 

Television

Patrick Melrose

Lost in Space

Being Serena

Howards End

The Handmaid’s Tale

My House

 

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

And of course you can also find us on MaximumFun.org

RuPaul’s Drag Race, Deadpool 2 Trailer, Lena Waithe in Vanity Fair – IP 116

We have more pop culture stuffed into this episode than RuPaul has catchphrases. Almost!

This week we sashay our way into the world of RuPaul’s Drag Race. We discuss the show’s increasing popularity and shed some light on the surprising demographic that has made the show bigger than ever after ten seasons on the air.

Then, we react to the new Deadpool 2 trailer  – Amita’s here for the humor and action; Sean’s here for the MCU’s first openly bisexual hero (and the ensuant fantasies he provokes).

Plus, we preview the new Vanity Fair profile of writer/producer/actor Lena Waithe and discuss what her current success says (or doesn’t say) about the future of Hollywood.

And it’s a musical Big Sell as Sean sees Amita’s Kali Uchis Sell and raises her one Leon Bridges.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

You can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Atlanta Season 2, Avengers: Infinity War trailer, Saturday Night Live, Wolverine Podcast – IP 115

This episode is the ultimate pop culture to do list for the week!

DO listen to our review of the second season of Donald Glover’s series, Atlanta. We discuss whether the show overcomes the dreaded sophomore season slump.

DO hear our reaction to the latest trailer for Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. Who will live and who will die? We share our guesses and also estimate how much screen time Doctor Strange will get since he is sharing the screen with 8,000 other heroes.

DO NOT feel any jealousy as Sean tells you what it was like to attend a taping of Saturday Night Live.

DO wonder whether Amita will enjoy Sean’s Big Sell from last week – the new podcast, Wolverine: The Long Night. And also find out which heroes they think should be next to have their own podcast. The inspiration for Sean’s answer can be found in this amazing comic written by Greg Pak.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

You can also find us on MaximumFun.org

A Wrinkle in Time, Jessica Jones, Sade, Meshell Ndegeocello, Carousel, Vulfpeck – IP 114

This week’s episode of Inside Pop has the following Inclusion Rider: Our 114th episode must celebrate the creativity and diversity of women in film, music and television.

The show begins with a review of Ava DuVernay’s epic adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. Amita discusses what she most loves about the film and Sean questions whether the film’s box office performance and overall reception was affected by the phenomenon that is Black Panther. Amita also shares some of the insight she got from Ava herself at DuVernay’s Times Talk last week.

Then, Amita and Sean rejoice over Sade’s new song, ‘Flowers of the Universe’ (Amita loves this remix of the song).

Next, the Pop Insiders move on to TV and Sean provides a spoiler free review of the second season of Marvel’s Jessica Jones. Will he convince Amita to give the show a try? Stay tuned.

The co-hosts also review Meshell Ndegeocello’s new new album of covers, Ventriloquism, which touches their Gen-X hearts with innovative and emotional covers of songs from the 80’s and 90’s including Prince’s “Sometimes it Snows in April”, Force MD’s “Tender Love” and Janet Jackson’s “Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun)”.

Plus, Sean talks about seeing the new revival of the musical Carousel on Broadway starring Renée Fleming and Joshua Henry (his Instagram is a must follow if you love soulful acoustic versions of songs from Hamilton and of course you love that) and discusses the challenges of enjoying a musical from the 50’s that has domestic abuse as a main plot point.

And the Big Sell returns from its month long sabbatical with a bang! Hear Sean’s review of Vulfpeck. And guess which new podcast he’s selling to Amita? The answer will NOT surprise you!

As promised – Sean’s favorite Mama tribute song.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

You can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Oscars 2018 Special – IP 113

Inside Pop’s annual Oscars wrap up is here! Listen to get our take on the fashion, the snubs, the rightful victories, the highlights and the awkward moments. We’ll rate Jimmy Kimmel’s performance as host and also discuss our favorite musical performances of the night.

Who was the presenter that left Sean speechless? Which acceptance speech made Amita stand-up and cheer? Listen to this special Oscars episode to find out!

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

You can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Queer Eye: An Interview with Queer Eye Producer James Barker – IP 112

In this special Producer to Producer episode, we interview friend of Inside Pop James Barker about one of the most popular shows currently on television, Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye. James produced multiple episodes of this season and he gives us a behind the scenes look at the making of this pop culture phenomenon.

Listen to hear:

  • How hundreds of hours of footage got edited down into 8 brilliant episodes.
  • The differences between the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and this new version.
  • How producers captured the heartfelt moments that have America sobbing
  • An update on fan favorite AJ
  • And James’ tips on a few special things to look for while watching this series.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

You can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Black Panther Box Office records, Janelle Monae, Musicians turned Actors, Vulfpeck – IP 111

We can’t help but discuss Black Panther again- from the shattered box office records to the worldwide reaction-
Wakanda Forever!

Plus, Christmas came early with the 30 second teaser trailer for Janelle Monae’s latest ’emotion picture’ Dirty Computer. We speculate on when we’ll get new music from Monae, and some of the themes in the trailer.

Then, we discuss musicians who became actors- some successfully and some…not so much.

And Amita gives her review of the Atlantic article about Black Panther Costume Designer Ruth Carter and sells Sean on a feel good funk album from the band, Vulfpeck.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

You can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Black Panther Special, Hamilton’s Hamildrops – IP 110

From the moment the Black Panther cast took a group selfie at Comic Con the anticipation and expectations for this film began to grow; and over the past year the buzz has reached a fever pitch (especially for these two podcast hosts). Well, the film has arrived and Inside Pop is devoting this episode to everything Wakanda!

We share our review of the film (just moments after seeing a special screening) and discuss the highlights and the themes that most resonated with us.

Then we review the soundtrack for the film which is curated by Kendrick Lamar and features Lamar, Sza, 2 Chains, Jorja Smith and Khalid.

The only way we would divert from our Black Panther deep dive is to review last week’s Hamilton related Big Sell.

And Sean ends this episode with a Black Panther related Big Sell which he hopes will help Amita appreciate the film even more than she already does.

Wakanda Forever!

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

You can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Super Bowl, Justin Timberlake, This Is Us – IP 109

It’s the day when Pop Culture fans and Sports fans join forces to create what feels like a national holiday! In this episode, we dive into the Superbowl and discuss:

  • The pre game turn up in Philly that Sean experienced first hand
  • Justin Timberlake’s Halftime performance (guess which Inside Pop co-host couldn’t even bring himself to watch the entire thing)
  • The Prince tribute that should’ve happened

Then, we seamlessly segue into a review of Timberlake’s latest release, Man of the Woods.

Plus, Amita reviews one of the most heartbreaking hours on television, the post Super Bowl episode of This Is Us.

And finally in the Big Sell, Amita reviews an essay on Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri. And speaking of sports – she pitches a softball to Sean with a Hamilton inspired Big Sell.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

You can also find us on MaximumFun.org