podcast shout out: planetary union network (the orville podcast)
Note – I am not involved with Planetary Union Network or The Orville in any way, shape or form. Simply an independent individual sharing my thoughts.
Planetary Union Network is the original, official and Twitter verified podcast for Fox’s series The Orville, a space action drama created by and starring Seth MacFarlane. Their content includes news about the show and interviews with personnel such as actors, writers or directors, all relating to The Orville.
The podcast has two co-hosts — Joe Quickle and Michael May, who combine their shared love of science fiction and hobby of podcasting. Personally, I think having a podcast for this show is a great benefit for it.
A lot of people immediately dismissed the show without watching it based on Seth MacFarlane’s previous work, which is a lot more comedy based. Having legitimate science-fiction fans show open support for The Orville only makes it stronger.
Since its debut, some of the guests who have stopped by include main cast members Scott Grimes (Gordon), Peter Macon (Bortus), Mark Jackson (Isaac) and Jessica Szohr (Talla) as well as fan favourites BJ Tanner and Kai Wener (Marcus and Ty).
On the production side, some of the major names who have joined the show – 24’s Jon Cassar, Star Trek‘s Brannon Braga and longtime MacFarlane associate David Goodman, also grace the airwaves.
To find out more, check out their website at this link or their Twitter right here. One source of listening is iTunes, which has all the episodes of the podcast to date.
reality tv shout out: alex hobern, “the circle”
Alex Hobern is an English web comedian, who rose to fame in 2018 as a contestant and eventual winner of The Circle (Season 1).
For those who are unaware, The Circle is an English reality TV show (though apparently there will be international versions) where the contestants are all staying in the same apartment building, but never meet face to face. Instead, they communicate through the show’s own social media platform, The Circle.
As there are no visual references for the players of this game, catfishing usually plays a major role in how the events unfold. Whether it’s telling a white lie or using a more flattering photo.
In Alex’s case, he spent eighteen episodes masquerading as a woman named ‘Kate’, when in reality, the lady pictured was his own girlfriend, Millie.
Due to his light-hearted, comedic background, the viewers quickly grew to like Alex as himself, as we all saw a side that his fellow competitors did not. He genuinely felt bad about deceiving the others, particularly Dan, a man presenting himself truthfully who formed a strong bond with ‘Kate’.
While in the real world, catfishing is wrong, hurtful and extremely damaging to all involved, Alex sold his performance incredibly well. Despite some suspicion of ‘Kate’, most of the eliminated players were surprised when the truth was revealed.
Since the show ended, Alex’s social media suggests he remains in contact with his fellow finalists — aforementioned Dan, the only (actual) female Sian who was honest about herself and Freddie, an openly gay man who used his own pictures but ‘played it straight’.
Much of Alex’s Instagram is comedy based so it’s a great source of amusement if you need to have a laugh. There is also plenty of nostalgia for season 1 of The Circle, now that we have entered the sophomore year as well as his thoughts on his counterparts now playing the game.
Alex, you played the game excellently and all the Catfishes since (as of writing, anyway) pale in comparison. Congratulations — your win was well deserved.
Web series shout out: the vault (2011-2013)
Disclaimer – I am not involved with The Vault in any way, shape or form thus this is not self promotion. Simply a fan sharing my thoughts.
The Vault was a web series released on YouTube between 2011 and 2013. Created by Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione, produced by Mark Cuban.
The series tells the story of a fictional game show with the same name that proves to be more challenging than originally meets the eye. Since the contestants are over a hundred college students from all over the United States, there are a wide variety of characters. However, we do not meet them all and some only briefly.
Much like Circle, which has the same writers and partial cast, the characters are on a need to know basis. We know who the important ones are, the rest are simply referred to by their room – Balloon, Jail, Soap, to name just a few.
Although the first episode of the web show was released in 2011, the fictional show’s start date was supposed to be in 2016. Unlike other projects, say, Back to the Future which depicts years ahead, five years is a short enough gap that there is no noticeable cultural difference.
Our entry point is lead character Henry (Shane Spalione), dubbed the Operator, as his room connects into everyone else’s via a headset. This device is used to introduce the other key players without having to find a reason to jump from room to room.
Henry is a very interesting character. As much as he learns about the other players in their conversations, we, the audience, also learn about Henry without him having lengthy expositional dialogue.
Henry’s relationships with the other characters grow organically as the show progresses, from complete strangers to a tight knit group that he relies on.
There’s Alex, who is introduced as a random person speaking with Henry but is in actuality the female lead; Eric, one of the first people that Henry interacts with who becomes his adviser and sounding board; Ben, a disgruntled competitor of Asian descent in a room with Fortune Cookies and ‘The King’, an arrogant, pompous player with a throne.
The show has many twists, turns and cliffhangers that left many people anxious to find out what happened next. Fortunately, I first saw the series after all episodes had been released (after hearing Circle’s Michael Nardelli mention it) and as such, effectively binged it all in one go, a process I have since repeated.
Twists, turns and cliffhangers may remind of you of another show about characters in a perilous situation — LOST. Much like LOST, the reaction to The Vault’s finale was quite divided, with some saying that it was too ambiguous and not enough long-standing questions were answered.
I enjoyed the finale. Although it would have been nice to see what happened next, not knowing is quite exciting as any number of things could have happened and we are free to debate and theorise. The characters also felt very natural and real, to the point where I was wondering ‘Did *Spoiler* actually commit suicide?’ It’s an easy show to invest in.
You can find The Vault on YouTube as well as social media links such as on Twitter and Facebook.
Podcaster/media producer shout out: jace diehl
Jace Diehl is the media producer for former Nickelodeon mainstay Butch Hartman and the co-host of Hartman’s podcast Speech Bubble, which is also uploaded to YouTube. The bio on YouTube describes Diehl as ‘the Robin to [Hartman’s] Batman.”
In the latter role, Diehl has co-interviewed a wide array of people including but not limited to: Dan Povenmire, Drake Bell, Daran Norris, Grey DeLisle, Jerry Trainor, David Henrie and Jeremy Rowley.
Most of these people have a connection to Nickelodeon in some form or another which means usually Hartman already knows the guest and Diehl is meeting them for the first time.
Despite technically working for Hartman as Media Producer, Diehl comes across more like a partner, especially in the recent editions of the podcast. He also bridges the generational gap between his co-host and some of the guests, filling in pop culture knowledge that Hartman may not know, such as the shows some former child stars were on.
Rather than just being a stoic co-host, Diehl also adds to the entertainment value of the podcast by being genuinely funny. Sometimes he’s the butt of the joke or he makes an intelligent quip.
The podcast can be found on YouTube. It’s a lot of fun to watch/listen to and some of the guests are people that were in big hits, but may not be as relevant now.
Youtuber shout out: ben/TheDCTVSHOW
Ben, otherwise known as TheDCTVshow, is a popular YouTuber known for covering content related to TV shows. As his name suggests, this mainly includes series based on DC Comics properties such as The Flash and Supergirl, which appears to be his area of expertise.
Unlike some of his contemporaries in the DCTV YouTuber field, Ben brings a unique take to his channel as a film enthusiast and critic. This allows him to incorporate the use of technical jargon when analysing trailers, for example.
Although at present I am following Ben’s content on The Flash primarily, this was not where I first came across his channel. Ironically enough, considering his name, the show with that dubious honour was Riverdale, back when everyone was guessing who The Black Hood was. His videos stood out among the others at the time that I decided to dig deeper.
While some videos or articles make plotlines up out of thin air to generate views, Ben’s videos, from what I have seen, are rooted in fact. Like his counterparts on other channels, the photography blog Canadagraphs is a frequent source for behind the scenes or filming images.
Ben has carried his aforementioned love of film over to Discussing Film, a popular culture news website which also has a YouTube channel. He currently holds the position of Head Editor and writes reviews of films “ranging from Indies to Blockbusters.”
His YouTube channel can be found here.
YouTUBER SHOUT OUT: LILYCREADS
LilyCReads is an Australian YouTuber whose content features reading and reacting to books. Hence the term, ‘BookTuber.’
I first became aware of Lily through her popular series in which she reacts to the Harry Potter books for the first time, having never read them before. This is opposite to myself, a lifelong reader and watcher of the Potter books and films.
Similarly to reactors of other shows/books, it is an interesting experience to follow someone going through the journey for the very first time.
Lily is an intelligent and insightful reader, making well-informed and educated guesses and predictions, which have been either correct or close to being accurate.
If Lily figures something out, or think she has, she would say, which makes it satisfying for the people who know whether the theory is right or wrong.
She is also unafraid to comment if a plot point or character’s actions doesn’t make sense, which some people might be considering the longevity and quite frankly, love, behind Potter.
If you’ve never seen those videos or any of her content, I recommend checking it out. Some of her other videos include a discussion on struggling to adapt to University life, which is very relateable.
Her channel name is LilyCReads, like in the title of this post.
Youtuber/author shout out: jimmy macram
I became aware of Jimmy Macram as a YouTube reactor to shows such as LOST, The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, Gotham, Westworld and Game of Thrones. His YouTube username is his own name, Jimmy Macram.
He is an intelligent and insightful reactor, who gets really invested into the shows while watching. Also, he seems to pick up the plots easily and has a made few accurate predictions about events that will happen in later episodes.
A crucial point is that Jimmy actually reacts to the shows. Some other channels just sit there quietly and calls facial expressions ‘reactions’ whereas any good example, which Jimmy is, will actually vocalise what they’re thinking.
As you may have guessed from the ordering, my favourite show that Jimmy has reacted to is LOST. It is probably my all-time top show and watching it again through the eyes of a newcomer was a fun and interesting experience.
Finally, as I have learned from research, Jimmy is also a published author with a novel titled No God In Tannam, which is available on Amazon.
YouTuber Shout Out: MovieFlame
MovieFlame, run by a gentleman named Morgan Ross, is a channel on YouTube which focuses on various films, television, books and comics and some character backstories behind them.
Disclaimer: I am not Morgan or anyone associated with MovieFlame. Simply a fan writing about something I enjoy and offering a shout out.
As of writing, the channel has nearly 800,000 subscribers. It is a very entertaining channel to watch – Morgan clearly does his research on the topics, compiles it together and combined with the skilled video editing, tells a compelling story.
The level of detail is very in-depth and even if you are a superfan of one of these topics, you will finish a video learning something that you were not aware of. Guaranteed.
I first discovered MovieFlame due to the videos being about some of my own favourite books/films such as Harry Potter, for example, which is one of my great loves.
Content ranges from recapping lives and events from the fictional histories, to reviews and rankings.
If you are in any way interested in any of those things, go check MovieFlame out.
PODCAST SHOUT OUT: THE LOST BOYS
The LOST Boys began in January 2018 and is hosted by the coincidentally named Jack Shepherd and Jacob Stolworthy, at the time both reporters for the Independent.
Jacob has been a fan of LOST since his teens and this is his eighth time watching the show. Jack has never seen LOST before and is experiencing all the craziness for the very first time, while trying to avoid decade-old spoilers.
It’s a great podcast for any LOST fan to listen to. Like Jacob, I have seen LOST many times so to experience it again through a fresh pair of eyes is quite an interesting experience.
Again, being a fan of the show, it’s fun to hear Jack make guesses and Jacob try not to give anything away.
In the year and a half since the podcast begin, the guys have interviewed three key members of LOST personnel: actress Maggie Grace (Shannon), co-showrunner Carlton Cuse and actress Evangeline Lilly (Kate).
You can find the podcast here or on iTunes by searching ‘The Lost Boys’.
YOUTUBE/INSTAGRAM SHOUT OUT: REALWORLDOFFLASH (YOUNIS Alzubeiri)
Younis, better known as World of Flash and later realworldofflash is one of the most notable and outspoken members of The Flash‘s fandom.
His Instagram page has over 126K followers and over 2000 posts pertaining to The Flash and other content, mostly connected to comic book properties such as Marvel or DC. It can be found here.
He is interactive with his followers, regularly replying to comments in his Instagram feed. Furthermore, he has formed a friendship with prominent Arrowverse YouTuber Pagey, which I would guess is due to their shared interests.
In addition to Instagram, Younis is also active on YouTube. His channel can be found here.
As well as being a fan of the Grant Gustin iteration of Barry Allen, Younis is also passionate about the character in general, posting updates on the Ezra Miller Flash movie when they become known.
YOUTUBER SHOUT OUT – ABNORMALLYADAM
AbnormallyAdam is an Australian-based reaction channel ran by a guy named, you guessed it, Adam.
Adam reacts to a wide variety of shows every week. Some examples in case you want to check him out are: Pretty Little Liars, Shadowhunters, The Flash, Riverdale and How To Get Away With Murder.
Moving away from the shows, Adam consistently comes across as a likeable guy in his videos. His emotional and over-the-top responses to certain scenes and moments have helped him stand out from people posting similar content.
As well as a wide range of ‘civilian’ fans like myself, Adam has also attracted the attention of some of the actors in the shows. Most notably, Katherine McNamara (Shadowhunters/Arrow) as well as Casey Cott and Rob Raco (Riverdale).
Watching Adam’s reaction has become somewhat of a routine for me after I watched the very same episode myself. It’s always interesting to see different people’s perspectives on things and the videos happen to be very enjoyable.
Make sure to check out AbnormallyAdam on YouTube!
YouTUBER SHOUT OUT: TAFFE316
In recent months, I have discovered a YouTuber by the name of Noah Taffe (or Taffe316), a young man from California whose main success has come from reacting to shows and other content that we Brits would know very well.
As well as his reactions, Taffe also gives an insight into his personal life. Earlier this year, a campaign was launched in an attempt to raise money to save his cat, Kitty. Unfortunately, Kitty’s illness was too severe, but this experience allowed me to see another dimension aside from simply reacting.
If you have never seen any of his content and are now thinking about checking out his channel, some of the shows he’s reacted to include The Inbetweeners, Doctor Who, Only Fools and Horses, Misfits, Father Ted, Red Dwarf, The Vicar of Dibley as well as game shows such as Taskmaster, Pointless and Deal or No Deal. Iconic soap operas such as Coronation Street, EastEnders and more have been seen in compilations.
Taffe goes into each video with an open mind. He also is honest about what he thought of the content — if there were things that he did not understand (aspects of British humour for example), he would bring it up.
Additionally, he is very analytical with the channel. If you are disappointed that a show you like only got one reaction, it is probably because the video under performed and Taffe justifiably assumed that there was not enough interest to continue.
As I have already mentioned, the channel’s name is Taffe316 if you want to check it out.
Thank you, Noah, for all the great videos!
YOUTUBER SHOUT OUT – PAGEY
Pagey, whose name you may recognise from my BobaTalks Shout Out, is a prominent DC YouTuber. He covers the Arrowverse shows as well as other properties relating to comic books, from both major companies.
Personally, I have been following Pagey since 2017. I know that because it was during the third season of The Flash and I was looking for people’s theories on who they thought Savitar was.
After watching casually for a bit, the video that fully hooked me in was speculating whether the masked villain could actually be…Ronnie Raymond, a deceased character since season 1.
That was a dark horse theory that came from nowhere. A lot of people had this thought though Pagey himself ridiculed it.
Here’s the thumbnail if you don’t believe me.
As well as enjoying his DC content, Pagey is also the YouTuber that got me into, well, … YouTubers. I had mostly used the site to listen to music or watch interviews and never fully understood the hype when people talked about their favourite Internet personalities.
Pagey became the first of regular content-makers that I now subscribe to.
Flashforward, pun completely intended, to 2019. I have been a Pagey fan for over two years and regularly comment on his videos under a different name.
He recently hit the 250,000 subscriber mark, so congratulations for that.
For anyone interested in subscribing to Pagey, his channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SmallScreenYT
YOUTUBER SHOUT OUT – BOBATALKS
One of my main TV interests right now is the CW Arrowverse which is based on DC Comics properties. If you have never watched any of those shows or comic book shows in general, you may not have heard of the individual I am writing about.
BobaTalks — Boba — is a prominent DC YouTuber – Films, TV. He covers a wide range of content such as the aforementioned Arrowverse as well as shows such as Gotham and Titans.
Disclaimer: I am not Boba nor am I in any way affialiated with him. I started this website to write about stuff I enjoy and this is no different.
From my perspective, Boba is part of what I call ‘The Big Five’ of DC YouTubers – Emergency Awesome, Pagey, AirricksReloaded and the DCTV Show are the other four. My entry point into Boba’s channel was through a ‘crossover’ with some of the others.
As of writing, he has amassed over 46000 subscribers on YouTube. A very impressive amount though unfortunately a lot less compared to some of his bigger, more widely viewed contemporaries.
His style of delivery, for me anyway, is very interpersonal, as if I am listening to him first-hand.
This is a shame. I have watched many of Boba’s YouTube livestreams and he is clearly knowledgeable about his subject area as well as being a nice guy.
He gets through a lot of questions from those watching and has a Discord server for he and his subs to interact.
As a reminder, the channel’s name is BobaTalks.