Birthdays This Week! Joanna celebrated her 26th birthday on November 9 (and she laments that this does not prevent her from overusing the word "awesome"). Happy Birthday! to Lynn and Neil of Borderline, who also celebrate their birthdays this week. Also, on November 15, BB Mama celebrates her big 5-0!

Random Fandom of the Week We talk about why we love Hobbits. Links: Tolkien Gateway Wiki, The Encyclopedia of Arda, Hobbits at the Encyclopedia of Arda, Hobbits at the Thain's Book, Hobbit Birthday Celebrations, A Quiz Concerning Hobbits

What's on the (You)Tube? Sam and Gollum discuss taters: What's Taters, Precious? (You Keep Nasty Chips!) and What's Taters, Precious? Remix.

The AudioPhile Reviews Joanna reviews Escape Pod.

From PenPals to Podcasts Mom shares her love of C.S. Lewis and his writings, specifically, his "Collected Letters." Joanna also enjoys his work, particularly "The Chronicles of Narnia."

Livin' the Life in South Texas We talk about some of the local cuisine here in South Texas, including homemade tortillas, tamales and other authentic Tex-Mex Recipes. We mention one of our favorite local restaurants, La Iguana.

Give A Little Bit Mom discusses the plight of children on Native American reservations, and promotes an organization which is dedicated to helping them: Native American Emergency Relief.

In the News Flores Man was recently discoverd on an island in Indonesia. For more information on Homo floresiensis click here.

Funky Food The Road to Turducken and Turducken WikiPedia Entry.

Have You Heard? Joanna received her Internet-only edition of Josh Groban's new album, "Awake," in time for her birthday! In a future show, Joanna will talk in-depth about the music of Josh Groban. Watch an Amazon exclusive in-studio performance and interview with Josh Groban.

Mom was very happy to learn that the artist formerly known as "Cat Stevens" is now releasing a new album, his first in almost 30 years. After converting to Islam, he chose the name Yusuf, and under this name he is releasing "An Other Cup" on November 14, 2006. Watch his video interview at the Amazon page for "An Other Cup". Listen to "Peace Train" and other music by Yusuf here.

Random Fandom Feedback Thanks to everyone who left a comment or sent an email to us this week!

Artist of the Week Artist: Brobdingnagian Bards Song Titles: "Hobbit Happy Birthday Song" and "Like Hobbits in a Mushroom Field" Links: The Brobdingnagian Bards' Official Website, Brobdingnagian Bards' MySpace Page, Brobdingnagian Bards at the Podsafe Music Network Thanks to the Brobdingnagian Bards for generously allowing us to play their music on Random Fandom.

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Labels: C.S. Lewis, Cat Stevens, hobbits, J.R.R. Tolkien, josh groban, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Yusuf