Pop Culture Footnotes

2020 was kind of a rough year for a lot of people. We at PCF wanted to look at some of the things that brought us joy in 2020, so please join us for the Thank Party for this year!

We're back from our hiatus! We're spreading a little Christmas cheer by talking about holiday favorite Christmas Vacation. Is it the best Christmas movie for 2020? Yes, yes it is.

It's decade in review time at Pop Culture Footnotes! Join Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew as they go through their favorite books, albums, TV shows, and movies of the last decade. It's time for an adventure!

'Tis the season for some awesome/real bad Christmas movies! Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew are joined by Whitney to discuss Christmas movies that come from Hallmark, Lifetime, Freeform, and Netflix and their tropes. Find out which are most worth watching on this episode!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew chat about their favorite (and least favorite) Christmas songs by era. Look for two special guests joining the pod this week! I mean, they're at the very beginning, you won't have to wait long.

It's the 100th Episode spectacular! As voted by you, the listeners, we are covering the Lord of the Rings novels and movies. Join Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew as they comb through the iconic series while reflecting on the past 100 episodes. One pod to rule them all!

Before you see The Rise of Skywalker, make sure you take a listen to Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew dish about the Star Wars prequels! They talk the uninspiring romance, the flat dialogue, and all the crushes they had on actors. Let's try listening, that's a good trick!

We compose the podcast of the night this week as Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew dive into Andrew Lloyd Webber and his arguably biggest hit, Phantom of the Opera. They chat about theories, music, and the lesser-known yet recently-released sequel to Phantom, Love Never Dies. Get ready, they have got some opinions!

It's that time of year again! Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew get together to share the pop culture things they're grateful for this year.

Come with us if you want to learn! Before your Dark Fate is decided, listen to the hosts talk the Terminator Franchise! The good, the bad, the self-parodies, and everything else. It's so good, you'll be back.

To celebrate the arrival of Doctor Sleep, your favorite hosts take a trip to the Overlook Hotel to explain how Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film became a classic (and why Stephen King hated it). Come watch with us...forever....and ever....and ever.

You poor unfortunate souls chose your favorite Disney villain songs, and we're here to share the results. Plus, Shannon, Andrew, and Courtenay share their picks. And in Shannon's words . . . HELLFIRE!!!

We shambled through zombies, we bleh-ed through vampires . . . now we get mummies under "wraps." Join us as we discuss the real-life process of mummification and the origins of the mummy monsters we all know and love.

Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew are your own personal golden compass on this episode. We walk you through the entire His Dark Materials series so you're prepped for HBO's upcoming series.

We're not podcasting here with you, YOU'RE podcasting here with us! Join Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew as they dive in to Alan Moore's Watchmen graphic novel, as well as the 2009 Zack Snyder film. You won't believe that we have a preference!

Who could forget that time a Russian prince flirted it up with Maggie Smith? Because we didn't. We catch up on all the upstairs and downstairs drama from the Crawley household and recap this "soap opera with accents" so you're ready to see the film.

They say it’s the golden age of television—but who is going to take home the gold? We may not know whether voters love Fleabag as much as Courtenay and Shannon, but the PCF team will make sure you know about this year’s Emmy-nominated comedies, dramas, and limited series.

Praise be! Before Margaret Atwood's sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, PCF takes you on an alarming trip through the dystopian world of Gilead, as portrayed in the '85 novel and the Hulu series. And remember...nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

Extra, extra! There was so much news following the D23 convention last week, it couldn't be recapped in our usual episode format.

Fire up those Letters to Cleo albums, dust off your hacky sacks, and get a totally radical makeover because we are about to party like it's 1999! This episode, we discuss some of our favorite teen movies from the pre-Y2K era.

Can you say nostalgia? Great! This week, we're revisiting some of our favorite childhood cartoons from the titan of kids entertainment: Nickelodeon. So sit down in your list'ning chair and listen to this podcast!

Look at the big brain on you, coming here for Pop Culture recaps. This week, we fill you in the hit indie film of the 90s, Pulp Fiction. Plus, catch our review of Disney's live-action remake of The Lion King.

Showdown time! You voted, now we discuss. Listen as we argue for our favorites, crown our ultimate winner, and reveal the winner of our social media fan bracket! Which Disney song will reign supreme?

Join us as we take a little break from pop culture–footnoting this week and play a little game called "KEY-Words with Friends." We test our memories of past episodes by trying to guess the film from the keywords on its IMDB page. How much do YOU remember?

Haven't seen Spider-Man: Far From Home yet? We got you with this brief overview of Spider-Man's comics, alternate-dimension doppelgangers, TV shows, & movies. Basically, it's everything you need to know before you head to the theater, plus a little extra.

We’re excited to bring you this recap of 90s romance sensation, The Notebook. We unearth some ground-breaking truths you won't hear anywhere else, so be sure to tune in!

Not sure what you need to know going into Toy Story 4? Well, you've got a friend in us! This week, we sit down to talk about how Toy Story changed the animated film game and share all the plot details you need to enjoy the latest installment.

Are you recognizable only as deja vu, and dismissed just as quickly? Pop Culture Footnotes rolls up with the black Ray-bans on, just in case you've been neuralized and forgotten the MIB franchise. We're the first, last, and only line of defense against any questions you have going into MIB: International.

Move over, Elvis. There's a new King in town. Join us this week as Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew talk about the most famous kaiju of all time, the King of the Monsters, Godzilla!

You're about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous podcast whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop, our episode on The Twilight Zone...featuring our friend, Beto!

We at Pop Culture Footnotes are getting geared up for the release of Detective Pikachu this weekend. And what better way to get pumped up than by having Andrew explain the worldwide phenomenon of Pokémon? Take a listen!

We’re coming back with a bang with our review of Avengers: End Game and our recap of 1999 Best Picture winner, Titanic. Queue the Celine Dion music!

We're starting the new year strong with this year's summary of the Academy Awards. Join Courtenay, Shannon, and David Stauffer of the Brave Little Podcast as we go over the 2019 Best Picture nominees.

Should old pop culture be forgot and never brought to mind? Certainly not! That's why Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew have come together this week to bring you a recap of the biggest pop culture moments from 2018. Happy New Year, everyone!

Happy Holidays from all of us here at Pop Culture Footnotes! To celebrate, we're covering a longtime holiday pop culture favorite: Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Yeah, we covered a ballet. We classy like that.

Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight and dance by the light we shed on Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life? Join Courtenay, Shannon, and this week's guest Andrew as we dive into what makes this movie such an iconic part of the holidays.

In every pod that must be done, there is an element of fun. Finding that fun was a snap this week, thanks to our guest Shannon. Join your practically perfect hosts as we explain everything you need to know about Mary Poppins before the new movie comes out!

We're getting ready for the release of Mary Queen of Scots this month with a little history refresh. What was the deal with that king with all the wives? Are Bloody Mary and Mary Queen of Scots the same person? Is Elizabeth I officially our hero? Let us be your Tudor tutors, with answers to all this and more on this week's episode!

It's a bright cold day in November and the clocks are striking...one, I guess. With the recent elections and all the politics talk, we figured the time was right to cover the oft-referenced George Orwell classic, 1984. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving! We at PCF have a lot to be grateful for & we're celebrating those things this week—along with our motley crew of guests. Thanks again to Tana, Heidi, Genevieve, Whitney, Lenore, Andrew, Erin, Mikayla, & all our other contributors!

Yo Adrian! This week, we have Brittney on to discuss the Rocky franchise with us! Cue listening to "Eye of the Tiger" on repeat.

Don't stop us now because Courtenay, Shannon, & guest David Stauffer are going to "take you out tonight" with some facts & info about '80s rock band, Queen. Come join us on this bicycle race & we will rock you. Bohemian Rhapsody.

If you're like us & want to make Halloween stretch as long as possible, we've got just the thing for you. Shannon & Courtenay run amok, amok, amok, amok & even take a quiz to find out which Sanderson sisters they are. Happy Halloween!

What makes a vampire a vampire? Can they handle direct sunlight? Are they susceptible to stakes, garlic, and/or decapitation? Tana helps us get to the bottom of it all as we discuss various pop culture depictions of vampires.

This episode, we're celebrating the spookiest of holidays by talking about legendary filmmaker John Carpenter—creator of horror classics like Halloween and The Thing. OOOoooooooOOOO!

Join us for this very special episode, in which Shannon and our guest, Whitney, indulge Courtenay's taste for all things NASA! Be sure to listen so you know what's up before you go see First Man this weekend!

We're joined by our children's literature expert Heidi to talk about children's author Roald Dahl. We discuss the life, work, and impact of this great man and share some of our top favorite moments from his books.

To be or not to be? That is the question—at least according to William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This week, we're joined by Erin to discuss the tragedy of the Prince of Denmark, as well as notable adaptations, parodies, and references.

What happens when you strand 15–16 people on a beach & make them compete for a million dollars? Reality TV gold, that's what. Join Courtenay, Shannon, and guest Genevieve as we discuss the grandpappy of all reality shows: Survivor!

This week, Courtenay and Shannon talk about the Emmys. We explain how the awards work, who the major nominees are this year, and who we think will win. Place your bets now!