Random Fandom: A Podcast Devoted to Music, Pop Culture, Movies, Books, Sports and Much More!

Welcome to Random Fandom, a podcast hosted by Joanna, a twenty-something South Texan. Listen in every Friday as I share my thoughts and opinions about my favorite fandoms, including music, pop culture, books, sports, movies, and much more.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Show 47 - In the Kitchen


Welcome to the 47th episode of Random Fandom!
Hosted By: Joanna and Laurie
Click here to download this show or subscribe to automatically get all of the Random Fandom shows

Our Best Rachael Ray Impression
After a bit of inspiration from "Ratatouille" and Anthony from Paris, we decide to take you "behind the scenes" as we prepare a simple, yet delicious, meal in Laurie's spacious new kitchen.

As we prepare the food, Joanna talks about the CNN/YouTube Democratic Presidential PRIMARY debate and James Blunt's new song, "1973." We also talk about "Ratatouille" and many more random subjects.

The Menu
We used recipes from Laurie's Betty Crocker cookbook, which is a treasure trove of easy-to-prepare and homey dishes. More delightful recipes can be found at the Betty Crocker site.

The menu for our light and summery lunch:
Honey Mustard Chicken
Red Potato Salad
Seven Layer Salad
Peanut Butter Cookies

Give a Little Bit
Laurie highlights Meals-on-Wheels.

Music Credits
"Beautiful Food," by Edan.

Contact Us
Email: randomfandompodcastATgmail.com (replace AT with @)

Subscribe to Random Fandom
To subscribe to the Random Fandom podcast in iTunes, click here. Alternately, you may add the following address to your RSS reader/aggregator or podcatcher:
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Friday, July 20, 2007

Show 46 - So Fresh and so Clean, Clean, Clean


Welcome to the 46th episode of Random Fandom!
Hosted By: Joanna and Laurie
Click here to download this show or subscribe to automatically get all of the Random Fandom shows

Warning: Our Longest Show Ever!
As a result of feeling extra chatty, opinionated and...enthusiastic...this week, we've produced this hour-and-forty-two-minute-long show. Thanks for your indulgence!

Livin' the Life in South Texas
We talk about the continuing rainfall that has given us a reprieve from our normal South Texas summer weather and mention a resulting phenomenon from the extra moisture: Toad and frog populations are exploding!

Paolo and the Queen
We talk about Paolo Nutini's recent attendance of Queen Elizabeth II's reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for people who have made a significant contribution to Scottish life. Joanna also mentions the Queen's podcast.

Related: Paolo's official YouTube channel, Paolo's MySpace page, Paolo's interview on ABC's "The Mix"

Give a Little Bit
Joanna highlights Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, the UKs leading independent provider of music therapy services. Each year they provide over 30,000 music therapy sessions to children and adults in need.

The Audiophile Reviews
Joanna recommends LibriVox's New Releases Podcast.

Twitter and TV
Laurie talks about TV networks' use of Twitter.

From Pen Pals to Podcasts: Communication in Many Forms
Joanna talks about the 10th anniversary of the coinage of the word "weblog" and refers to this essay by Rebecca Blood. On a tangential note, she also mentions the CNN/YouTube co-sponsored Democratic Presidential debate to be held on July 23.

What's on the (You)Tube?
Laurie talks about the Goo Goo Dolls' video for "Before It's Too Late" and reads Robby Takac's responses to some questions regarding the making of the video.

In the News
We doubt the veracity of 10 Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature.

Word Play
The Human Brain Cloud amuses us; and we learn about the origin of everyday punctuation marks.

Two Shes in a Pod: Podcasting News & Commentary
Joanna introduces "You Don't Need an iPod," by Uncle Seth.

Have You Heard?
Laurie talks about the music of Jamie Owens-Collin, one of her favorite singer/songwriters from the '70s. She also mentions Jamie's father, Jimmy Owens.

Funky Food
Since many of our "Funky Food" items come from non-North American places, we decide to focus on funky things from our neck of the woods: We talk about Orbitz and food from the U.S. that non-Americans may consider to be unappetizing.


Comedy & a Thesaurus: A Match Made in Heaven!
Laurie talks about the "Comedy Thesaurus," a book she and Joanna want to own.

You Are Loved
Laurie shares a story about being encouraged by "You Are Loved," by Josh Groban; while Joanna is super excited about the upcoming September release of Josh's Christmas album. (Correction: The album will be released in November, according to Josh.)

Featured Band of the Week
Thanks to Black Lab for generously allowing us to play their song "The Real You" this week. Visit Black Lab's MySpace page to learn more about their music.

Contact Us
Email: randomfandompodcastATgmail.com (replace AT with @)

Subscribe to Random Fandom
To subscribe to the Random Fandom podcast in iTunes, click here. Alternately, you may add the following address to your RSS reader/aggregator or podcatcher:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/randomfandompodcast

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Friday, July 13, 2007

Show 45 - Ginormous!


Welcome to the 45th episode of Random Fandom!
Hosted By: Joanna
Click here to download this show or subscribe to automatically get all of the Random Fandom shows

Just Joanna
My mom, Laurie, is busy settling into her new place, so I'm hosting the show solo this week. We'll be back to our regular format next week.

As always, thanks for listening!
- Joanna

"Live Earth" Recap...Sorta
I truly meant to listen to the "Live Earth" concerts, but despite my best intentions, I missed them. Listen to find out why.

Fantabulous Neologisms
I talk about Merriam-Webster's new word additions to their Collegiate Dictionary and wonder about the objections to those additions by some people.

Related:
"Neologism" Wikipedia entry
A Sample Glossary from Noah Webster's "A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language"

Resources for Linguaphiles:
A.Word.A.Day
WordCraft
The Word Detective
"The Word Nerds" podcast
Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day" podcast

Music Credits
"The Presidents," by Jonathan Coulton
"Summer Days," by Dean

Contact Us
Email: randomfandompodcastATgmail.com (replace AT with @)

Subscribe to Random Fandom
To subscribe to the Random Fandom podcast in iTunes, click here. Alternately, you may add the following address to your RSS reader/aggregator or podcatcher:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/randomfandompodcast

Friday, July 06, 2007

Show 44 - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness


Welcome to the 44th episode of Random Fandom!
Hosted By: Joanna and her mom, Laurie
Click here to download the show

Yay, Liberty!
Joanna quotes the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Laurie reads "Liberty Tree," by Thomas Paine, in honor of Independence Day.

It's Raining, It's Pouring, The Old Man is Snoring
We talk about the thunderstorms that have caused much flooding across Texas and the Plains states in the past week or so.

"Concert for Diana" Thoughts
We give our impressions of the Concert for Diana and mention some of our favorite performances from the event, including Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman's duet of "All I Ask of You."

"Live Earth" to Raise Awareness
We talk about the upcoming Live Earth concerts to be held in eight cities around the world on July 6th and 7th. A live stream of all the concerts will be available here. To learn more, check out this article: Live Earth concerts spur action for environment.

Music Makes the World Go 'Round
James Blunt is set to release his sophomore album, "All The Lost Souls," in September, Joanna reports. The first single from the album is called "1973" and will be released on July 23rd.

To learn more, visit James Blunt's MySpace page and Monkey King's Book of Amazing Facts, a James Blunt fan site.

Not So Dumb, After All
Joanna raves about Dumb Little Man, a blog she discovered recently. These are some of the DLM posts that caught her attention:
39 Ways to Live and Not Merely Exist
20 Tips for More Efficient Google Searching
Over 150 Tips and Shortcuts for Gmail
Productivity Ninja: 101 Ways to Rock the Keyboard

The Audio/Videophile Reviews
Laurie talks about Robert Scoble, a blogger, video podcaster, author and new media evangelist.

Give a Little Bit
Joanna highlights The Great American Bake Sale, which benefits Share Our Strength's efforts to end childhood hunger in the U.S.

Laurie also talks about Amos Lee's support of Oxfam America's 2007 Farm Bill Campaign.

Livin' the Life in South Texas
Laurie recalls the MercyMe concert that she attended in May at the AmericanBank Center in Corpus Christi. Check out their official YouTube channel and MySpace page to hear some of their music.

Joanna shares some memories from attending the Champions on Ice tour in 2005 at the AmericanBank Center, as well.

From Pen Pals to Podcasts: Communication in Many Forms
Joanna laughs about Mo Rocca's video and text posts at AOL's News Bloggers. She also expresses her delight in finding out that Mo once wrote for "Wishbone."

Funky Food
Laurie describes this combined spoon and chopstick contraption and we wonder about these bizarre — bizarre to us, anyway! — Japanese sodas.

Featured Artist of the Week
Thanks to Abra Moore for generously allowing us to play her song, "After All These Years," this week. (Download the song for free by clicking here!) Visit Abra Moore's official site and MySpace page to learn more about her music.

Contact Us
Email: randomfandompodcastATgmail.com (replace AT with @)
You can either email us or leave a comment on the blog @ randomfandompodcast.com.

Subscribe to Random Fandom
To subscribe to the Random Fandom podcast in iTunes, click here. Alternately, you may add the following address to your RSS reader/aggregator or podcatcher:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/randomfandompodcast

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