For our final show of 2018, we're just relaxing in the studio, enjoying our crazy black coffee, and looking back at a long strange year of Flopcasting. This year we covered a bunch of conventions (while dressed like Cloris Leachman, of course), even more concerts (yes, we saw Christopher Cross, because we're so cool), several Top 4 1/2 Lists (sometimes involving giant robots, as all lists should), and even a few old issues of Dynamite magazine (especially when they put Shaun Cassidy on the cover). Also: Kornflake's movie project, one more National Whatever Day, the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, our Fish Heads bet, the new Earth Station One: Tales of the Station anthology, a beverage mishap, and our weird new plan involving frog suits. This should have been a sitcom-style clip show, with harp music transitions, as we recall past episodes while trapped in a walk-in freezer. But it's not. Yikes, that would have taken a lot of effort to produce... and we are us. See you in the goofy new year.

It's a quick holiday music-themed show to get you through Christmas week, featuring a Top 4 1/2 List of Kornflake's favorite Christmas cover songs! (Kevin didn't bother making a list, but he did check Kornflake's list. Twice.) You'll know some of these acts (Hall and Oates make the list with their goofy holiday classic), while others may be new to you (such as Rogue Lobster, a band seemingly created just for us). The dogs singing "Jingle Bells" somehow didn't make the cut, but otherwise Kornflake has your holiday playlist ready to go; tune out your family and enjoy. Also: New holiday music from The Monkees, Barnes and Barnes, and The Dollyrots; the creepiness of mistletoe; pepper pot soup at Valley Forge; why we love Taylor Dayne, Lynne Thigpen, and Christmas chickens; and Kornflake's attempt at Whamageddon. Stay festive, kids, and maybe next week we'll wrap up the whole stupid year.

The Mayor of Chickentown joins us for one of our favorite subjects/obsessions: animated holiday specials. Seriously, we spend a stupid amount of time thinking about them all year. So this week we present a Top 4 1/2 List of our favorite supporting characters from holiday cartoons! (Not just cartoons, actually; Muppets count too.) Join us as we pit Miser Brother against Miser Brother, ponder the sleeping arrangements in Whoville, explore which versions of Jack Frost are part of the Rankin Bass shared universe, revisit our weird theories about Hermey the Elf, defend the eating habits of the Bumble, celebrate the musical genius of the Riverbottom Nightmare Band, engage in a bizarre bit of holiday matchmaking (perhaps involving a Wookiee), and much more. So even if you're a creepy winter warlock, put one creepy foot in front of the other and join us. Bring your own nog.

It's our final Flopcast movie night of the year, and Kornflake is finally suffering through the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special! (Kevin has seen it already, of course, but is doomed to repeat it again and again...) If you've experienced it too (either forty years ago on TV, or more recently on bootleg DVD), you know what's coming. Long scenes of nothing but Wookiees growling at each other! Art Carney lying to Stormtroopers! Harvey Korman as a robot, a cantina drunk, and a four-armed alien Julia Child! A Wookiee grandpa watching naughty videos! (Yikes, that part is disturbing.) A song from Jefferson Starship, because why not! The Nelvana cartoon that introduces Boba Fett! Princess Leia singing! R2D2 smoking! Harrison Ford somehow agreeing to participate! And of course, the supreme awesomeness of Bea Arthur! The whole thing is just bizarre and wrong, and we love it. Our DVD also has the original 1978 commercials, a surprising number of which are for underwear. Other commercial breaks feature the Reggie Jackson candy bar, a backward robot, cheap wine endorsed by the guy from Land of the Lost, and a weird news report about the Blizzard of '78. Hey, it's Life Day. You know what to do. Growl at your loved ones incoherently.

Gather around the Flopcast lobster trap tree, kids, because it's time for another Top 4 1/2 List! (Sorry that we've been neglecting this beloved segment since our summer robot list...) And the subject is "Geek Blind Spots," as we list all the hugely popular geeky stuff about which we are completely clueless. Warning: The Doctor Who and Harry Potter fans (that is, approximately everyone) are about to be very disappointed in us. Also, along the way, we just might share some wildly inaccurate information about Huey Lewis, Little House on the Prairie, potato chips, the Spice Girls, the Grinch, naked Twister, Gopher from The Love Boat, and what they're really doing in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It's a longer show than usual, but considering the subject, that's completely understandable.

Kevin and Kornflake ring in the holidays with our favorite 90s Boston band, Letters to Cleo! (You may recall their hit song "Here and Now," or their appearances in 10 Things I Hate About You and Parks and Recreation, or singer Kay Hanley's vocals for Josie and the Pussycats... or if you don't know them, look them up. You're welcome.) We were in the front row for Letters to Cleo's holiday homecoming shows (both of them!), and have a full report, including: Dangerously close guitar solos! Surprise guests! Opening band American Hi-Fi! Kay Hanley approving of Kevin's shirt! No one approving of Kornflake's weird coffee! (Not even Kornflake!) It was a festive time, and you should all join us next year. Bring ear plugs. Also: Thanksgiving Spam-juggling, running with lobsters and dogs, mason jars of moonshine, and a Flopcast holiday tradition... The Figgy Pudding Pages.

It's movie night in Chickentown once again, because Kornflake waited a quarter of a century to see one of Kevin's all-time favorites, 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas. So while chomping on some festive pizza pie, we watch this festive stop motion-animated classic from Tim Burton and Henry Selick, and discuss. Mentioned along the way: The cluelessness of everyone in Halloween Town, the awesomeness of Behemoth ("Bunny!"), the amazing cast (by the way, we got one of the voice credits wrong, because we are us), the allure of the turkey tree, the crowing of the skeleton rooster, Kornflake's favorite character (probably the same as Edie Brickell's), Kevin's search for Nightmare toys back in the 90s, live shadowcast and burlesque versions of the story, and our dream of remaking the whole thing using the Brady Bunch cast. (Maureen McCormick is playing Lock, Shock, AND Barrel, because Marcia Marcia Marcia.) Also: Kevin Nealon turns 65! We're hiring Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein to attempt a round of "Happy Birthday."

It's mid-November, but we're still discussing our Halloween activities. (The Flopcast is as timely as ever.) Including: Halloween parties, a Halloween concert, a Halloween wedding, underwater pumpkin carving, the worst candy, road trips through Connecticut and Vermont, jug bands, sea lions, a chicken-themed cidery, a pug-themed restaurant, a creepy bird mask, and Lili Taylor. Also: Kornflake finds a chicken-suited friend of the Flopcast at the Extra Life gaming event, and Kevin tries to survive Yacht Rock Night. (Next year we're dressing as Michael McDonald for Halloween. Please send beards.)

Grumpy old music fans, rejoice! It's time for our annual review of the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! This is a fun list, including one of Kevin's all-time favorites (Devo, at last), and one of Kornflake's all-time least favorites (sorry, Stevie Nicks). Hey, maybe this will be the year the Bay City Rollers finally get inducted, despite not even being nominated. We can dream. And speaking of beloved Scottish pop stars, Kevin finally saw Sheena Easton live in concert, and has a full report, for your ears only. (Good luck getting "Morning Train" out of your head for the next several months. You're welcome!) Also: A weird Kevin the Turkey update, a turkey-themed What's in the Bag, and an obscure aquatic DC Comics hero that Kornflake should totally cosplay.

Kevin reports from one of our favorite local geek conventions (now back in its beloved original location), Super Megafest! Including: The stars of Lost in Space and Leave it to Beaver, 80s movie buttons from Rubber Chicken Comics (Free Johnny Dangerously!), Jonathan Winters trash bags (?), and a whole lot of Britneys, compliments of Good Enough Cosplay. And of course, there was the solo acoustic concert by TV's Will Robinson, Bill Mumy... which means we have the results of our Fish Heads bet! Did Bill perform "Fish Heads," as Kornflake predicted, thus dooming the Flopcast to a winter of iced coffee? All shall be revealed. Also this week: Halloween stuff (but not much), hockey masks, Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live in Boston (hi, Grant!), a High Feather video from Blasted Bill (or should we say Broccoli Bill?), the Extra Life charity gaming event (find Kornflake and Mousey there!), and Kevin's latest appearance on Pop Culture Cosmos to complain about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Next week: More complaining about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, right here on the Flopcast.

It's National TV Talk Show Host Day, which makes us realize we don't really watch TV talk shows anymore. Let's move on. Next we have a long-delayed edition of Chickens in the News, in which an Australian chicken helps to build a sidewalk. Hey, maybe someday the guys from Air Supply will stroll down this chicken sidewalk; Australia is magical. And Kevin reports from the world of competitive running, which somehow involves bibs, mysterious coffee cakes, and chinchillas with attitudes. Next week: The results of our Fish Heads bet. Yum.

This week we conclude our look back at last month's concert by After These Messages, a weird new band (Kevin is the lead singer, sort of) that only plays TV theme songs, and may never play again. (You're welcome!) The second half of the concert included plenty of classic sitcom themes (such as Happy Days, Three's Company, Silver Spoons, and WKRP), another ridiculous duet (Family Ties), a Billy Joel cover (thanks to Tom Hanks in a dress), a Schoolhouse Rock medley, an eerily accurate Peter Brady impression, and a song that no one could possibly remember (unless they're a Flopcast listener). It was a magic night. There were no survivors. Also: We celebrate National Grouch Day, we receive a surprise turxt, and we agree upon the stakes of our Fish Heads bet. The Vegas oddsmakers must be freaking out.

That show we'd been plugging for months finally happened, and the town of Haverhill, Massachusetts will never be the same. Kevin (your Flopcast co-host) was joined by Ed (his tricky partner from The Sponge Awareness Foundation), Mike (from Vortex, Tricycle, and more), and Carl (from Duck Duck, The Shods, and even more). Together, for one night only in late September, they formed a supergroup (well, a group) known as After These Messages. And they subjected The Lasting Room in Haverhill to a silly evening of TV theme songs, performed live, along with trivia, prizes, and a killer Edith Bunker impression. Kornflake was there too, lost in the crowd of screaming superfans (well, fans) (well, humans). So this week, we run through the set list from the first half of the show and discuss. Some of our band's live versions were pretty faithful to the TV versions (The Jeffersons, Perfect Strangers, Diff'rent Strokes), while others were a bit longer, with extra verses never used on TV (Golden Girls, Growing Pains, Facts of Life). In fact, a few of these songs have unknown verses that range from weird to downright problematic (Cheers, All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore). We also tackle the eternal Gilligan's Island theme song question: "And the rest" or "The Professor and Mary Ann"? Plus: Happy Birthday to Chevy Chase (a Griswold, an Amigo, and a golfer among gophers). Next week: The rest of the After These Messages set list. It was a long night.

This week we celebrate Elisabeth Shue's birthday, and consider dressing up like a shower to take her to a Halloween dance; Kornflake reports on her August movie (we're a little late), When Harry Met Sally; there's a new Mystery Science Theater 3000 comic book, just as the Mads (TV's Frank and Dr. Forrester) visit Boston; Kevin has concert reports on synthpop legend Gary Numan (yeah, the "Cars" guy) as well as the Bust Out Boston Music Festival with Stars Like Ours, Petty Morals, and VQnC; we enjoy a delightfully chicken-themed "What's in the Bag" segment; and we look forward to Super Megafest, October 13-14 in Framingham, Massachusetts, with stars from Lost in Space and Leave it to Beaver. (Suddenly we want to see a death match between Dr. Smith and Eddie Haskell...)

It's Flopcast movie night! All year long, Kornflake has been catching up on movies she should have seen long ago. So this week we watch and discuss one of Kevin's favorite movies from back in 1991, The Commitments. (Because if you want to experience genuine soul music... you go to Ireland.) We talk about the cast (hey, there's Star Trek's Chief Miles O'Brien!), the music (could Joey the Lips really play that trumpet?), trying and failing to rent the movie at Blockbuster, scary twins, Kornflake's collection of Corrs albums (on cassette!), and the time Kevin saw the Commitments live in concert. (Which actual cast members were in the touring version of the band? You'd be surprised...) Also, listen in horror as Kornflake is attacked by a vole or a pocketbook or both. (Note: This episode was recorded way back in March, during St. Patrick's Day weekend, appropriately. We've had it on reserve since then, waiting for just the right time to share it with you. That time is now. Enjoy. Now where did you hide our Lucky Charms?)

It's our end-of-summer spectacular! (Disclaimer: May not actually be spectacular, but it's all we have...) Kornflake visits a zoo and amusement park, spends quality time with capybaras (they're giant rodents!) and weird birds (they're weird and they're birds!), appreciates elephants, gets kicked out of bounce houses, and has strong opinions about fried dough, salt water taffy, and a mysterious scary item known as "beach pizza." Meanwhile, pre-DragonCon (but we're just getting around to discussing it), Kevin and the Mayor road-trip all the way to Philadelphia for an amazing concert by Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra. (Just how obsessed with Xanadu are we? You have no idea.) While there, we are gifted with a beautiful Flash Gordon notebook from Rich's Really Cool Notebooks, and we're pretty sure it will save every one of us.

Kevin spent a long crazy Labor Day weekend in Atlanta for DragonCon, and shares a full report on our favorite convention with Kornflake and the Mayor of Chickentown! Highlights include: A Sesame Street reunion (with Luis, Bob, Gordon, and Big Bird); panels with stars from Mystery Science Theater 3000, Smallville, and all the DC Arrowverse shows; music from Tom Kenny and The Hi-Seas, and The Doubleclicks; The Newbie Walking Tours (because we like to be exhausted on day 1); the Geek Girls Run (because we still weren't quite exhausted enough); the ESO Network Meet and Greet (which may have involved pie); the science of The Last Jedi (should you barbecue your Porgs?); the Council of Michaels; late night fun with Wicked Geeky; the debut of the new book Earth Station One: Tales of the Station Volume 3 (with a weird new story by Kevin!); and a magic moment in the American Sci-Fi Classics Track room featuring the music of Bonnie Tyler. We also cover all of Kevin's panels, on subjects like Arrow, Krypton, Gotham, Flash, Classic Sci-Fi Legends, Roll-a-Panel, The Incredible Hulk, Classic Sci-Fi Court (aka The Revenge of Howard the Duck), The Cat from Outer Space (!), and Schoolhouse Rock. Now the rumor is that for the Schoolhouse Rock panel, and for the first time ever, Kevin finally wore a costume at DragonCon! But that probably isn't true. And if it is true, the costume probably wasn't weird and stupid. You shouldn't even bother searching for photographic evidence. Move along. Move along.

We're busy at DragonCon this week, but the podcast must go on! So we prepared this silly little show in advance, just for you. And what could be sillier than flipping through another old issue of Dynamite magazine? We selected an issue from 40 years ago based on the cover alone: It's Shaun Cassidy and Chewbacca, together at last. (Fun fact: Chewbacca came very close to co-starring with Shaun on The Hardy Boys, but then Parker Stevenson just nailed the audition by not being a Wookiee.) Inside the magazine we find not just articles about Star Wars and Shaun, but also Count Morbida's puzzle pages (hey, the Count has a delightful new girlfriend, Horribella), a card trick from the all-powerful Magic Wanda, Dynamite Bummers, and more. There's even a report on a jelly bean taste test, if you can stand that kind of excitement. We sure can. In fact, we were inspired to try another Flopcast taste test of our own, with a weird new bag of lobster-flavored potato chips. Now Kornflake loves lobsters... but will she love lobster chips? Listen to us chomp, and learn the shocking truth.

As usual, Kevin will be in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend for DragonCon, surrounded by 80,000 other very weird humans. This giant convention has an amazing guest list again this year, including cast members from Sesame Street, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Star Trek, Black Lightning, Stranger Things, and lots more. Musical guests include Flopcast favorites The Doubleclicks, Mikey Mason, Tom Smith, and Rhiannon's Lark. And you'll find many of our favorite writers, artists, costumers, scientists, skeptics, and podcasters, including plenty of ESO Network personnel! We break it all down for you this week, plus we run through Kevin's schedule of panels and events, on subjects like School House Rock, Lost in Space, Gotham, Arrow, and of course, The Cat from Outer Space. (If you thought DragonCon's American Sci-Fi Classics Track would overlook the 40th anniversary of the most important movie in history, you haven't been paying attention.) Please note: A few event times and locations have already changed since we recorded this show. Check the official schedule, and watch for updates from us. If you can find us, you'll get a goofy Flopcast badge ribbon! (We know that's all you really care about.) See you in Atlanta. Be sure to wear a bow tie, a chicken suit, or (ideally) both.

We have yet another retro concert report, as Kevin and the Mayor enjoyed an evening of Chicago-style (and Karate Kid-style) soft rock with Peter Cetera. (We did it all for the glory of being stuck in the mid-80s.) We also attended a screening of the new Mr. Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?, with a special guest: Mr. McFeely himself, David Newell! This inspired a silly little exercise for this week's show, as we attempt to cast a hypothetical Neighborhood of Make-Believe movie. (Do we want Wil Wheaton to play Prince Tuesday? OF COURSE WE DO.) Also: Happy Birthday to Kenny Rogers. As always, we consider ourselves honorary cowards of the county.

Our summer retro concert reviews continue as Dennis DeYoung (the voice of Styx) visits historic Lexington, Massachusetts to rock our faces and our Mr. Roboto Kilroy masks. Meanwhile, Kornflake catches up on her 2018 movie project with Steve Martin's L.A. Story, National Whatever Day almost goes into reruns, and the new list of inductees in the Podcasters Hall of Fame includes a couple of very familiar names. (Are we on the list? What do you think? Keep in mind that chickens are still not allowed to vote.)

You know what summer means here in Chickentown. Yes, it's time for our seventh (!) annual robot-themed Top 4 1/2 List. And this year's subject is... GIANT ROBOTS. We have giant robots from 1960s cartoons, 1970s television, 1980s concert tours, and more. (A certain Iron Giant may even appear on the list more than once.) Of course the greatest giant robots are from Japan... and while we skip over many of the classic Japanese robots, we do include one of the weirder examples. Look, we love robots. And when the robots rise up and conquer the puny humans (probably in about three weeks), we hope they recall our annual tribute fondly. Especially the giant robots. Also: National Bowling Day, AT-AT walkers invading Boston, Alannah Myles vs. Alana Davis, and Kornflake's movie plans for the year 2032. We will all be giant robots by then, of course.

Not sure if this has ever come up on the show before, but we're sort of obsessed with 1980s music. (Please don't tell anybody.) So your Flopcast hosts just had to check out the Retro Futura concert tour, featuring ABC, Modern English, Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go's, Tony Lewis of the Outfield, and Limahl of Kajagoogoo. It was magnificent, and it was all part of our big plan to remain trapped in the past. We also have a second concert report from that same weekend, as we witnessed the long-awaited return of Freezepop (our favorite synthpop band, of course), along with Party Bois (also crazy local favorites of ours). Plus: Rubber chickens on the soccer field, The Mayor of Chickentown talking Doctor Who on The Watch-A-Thon of Rassilon, and a chocolate chip controversy. Next week: Robots.

Okay, here at last is our full report from CONvergence! (It's a science fiction convention that's so festive, we creep all the way to Minnesota to be there every year.) Featuring: Star Trek's Marina Sirtis! MST3K's Mary Jo Pehl! Music from Feng Shui Ninjas, The Faithful Sidekicks, and legendary synthpop band Information Society! Stand-up comedy from Joseph Scrimshaw! Powerpoint Karaoke! Burlesque! (Correction: NERDlesque!) The Mos Icee Cantina room party! Pee Wee Herman and Clerks room parties! Big screaming birds from the Raptor Center! People in weird costumes! Kevin's panels on Stranger Things, Gotham, and Swamp Thing! Our bizarre new Flopcast badge ribbons (starring our favorite Martian)! And more! We're exhausted. See you next year.

Kornflake reports on FlopFest, her annual summer celebration featuring hammocks, sunburns, cover bands on trucks, and not enough vodka. She also reviews Solo: A Star Wars Story (quick version: not enough Tawny Kitaen) and visits a well-chlorinated, sea bird-infested water park. Then Kevin has concert reports on U2 (and their secret keyboardist), Jonathan Coulton (still singing about IKEA, as he should), and Aimee Mann (who treated the 80s nerds in the crowd to a 'Til Tuesday classic). Kevin also just saw Caddyshack on the big screen, so we share a little trivia from the new book Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story. (For example: The highest paid cast member was the gopher.) And we're celebrating World Snake Day. Come slither with us.

Kevin is far from Chickentown this week, hiding in Minnesota with all the cool kids at CONvergence. So we have something special instead of our regular Flopcast programming. We're flashing back to DragonCon 2017... and we're going to court. Specifically, this is Classic Sci-Fi Court, compliments of the DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track. Kevin was part of an elite dream team of delusional defense attorneys tasked with defending notoriously bad movies before a judge, jury, and roomful of giggling onlookers. And his movie was... the 1986 George Lucas turkey (well, almost)... Howard the Duck. (We do enjoy a weird challenge around here.) Up next was Fortress of Baileytude podcaster Michael Bailey to defend Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (all hail Nuclear Man!), followed by longtime Classics Track Irregular Geena Phillips with Batman Forever. (Actual quote from Geena's opening statement: "I can't defend the nipples.") You'll also hear grizzled court reporter Philip Schweier, gruff but lovable bailiff Michael Falkner, and of course, ruling over us all... Judge Joe Crowe. Were there any survivors? Let's find out. Cover yourselves, because the duck feathers are about to fly...

It's a bizarre mix of silly items this week... First we celebrate Kevin Bacon's birthday with a round or two of the Kevin Bacon game. (This game would be much easier if Kevin and Mr. T would finally star in the buddy cop movie of our dreams...) Next in our Pudding Pages segment, Kornflake fondly recalls riding in the "way back" of the family station wagon. (In a way, she's still back there...) We also have a Chickens in the News segment, which somehow involves both traffic safety and alligator wrestling. And Kevin reports on Classic Con, where he found goofy cheap old comic books (our favorite kind) featuring The Mighty Heroes, chickens, and naked people. Finally, a reminder for Minnesota people: Find us this week at CONvergence! We'll have weird Flopcast ribbons, just for you.

Watch out, fair citizens of the Upper Midwest! Kevin is creeping back to Bloomington, Minnesota for CONvergence, an amazing science fiction convention happening July 5th-8th! This year's guests include Marina Sirtis (one of our favorite Star Trek counselors), Mary Jo Pehl (one of our favorite MST3K Mads)... and a classic 80s synthpop band: Minnesota's own Information Society! (And in case you're wondering: Yes, we are officially freaking out about Information Society.) Kevin will be appearing on panels throughout the weekend, discussing Swamp Thing, Stranger Things, Gotham, and more. And we will be debuting our new Flopcast badge ribbons at CONvergence too! So come to a panel, get a weird ribbon, and be the envy of your weird friends. Also: Our dream of Krofft-themed mini-golf, a new book and podcast about storytelling from Matthew Dicks, and Kornflake's tragic obsession with parchment paper.

Are you ready for the summer? Not us... we are not exactly "outdoorsy" around here. But we do know how to hide inside with iced coffee, pizza pie, and a classic summer movie. So this week we're watching Meatballs, the beloved 1979 summer camp comedy starring Chris Makepeace (you know Chris from Mazes and Monsters) and Bill Murray (you know Bill from Ghostbusters II). Kornflake has never seen Meatballs before, so it's time for her to learn about Wudy the Wabbit, the Mystery Meat Contest, the disco hit "Makin' It," the weird sequels, and the North Star CIT sing-along (which has been trapped in our brains for decades). The conversation also drifts over to Caddyshack (and the wonderful new book about Caddyshack)... because it just had to. Plus: Despite a general avoidance of nature, Kevin went to Vermont and found two turtles, one turkey, and one folk singer (that would be Dar Williams). And we're celebrating the Day of the Gong, just as Chuck Barris would have wanted. So join us! Or don't! Because as the movie taught us... it just doesn't matter.

Not much happening here in Chickentown, and it's been a few weeks, so once again we're turning to our big crazy stack of Dynamite magazines. This time we're looking at a 1982 issue of Dynamite with a smiling Lisa Whelchel (you know her as Blair, your favorite Facts of Life rich girl) on the cover. And inside we find a shocking tell-all Lisa Whelchel interview! (Warning: The most shocking revelation is that she likes Rick Springfield.) Then thanks to a Dynamite quiz, we learn that we're awful at identifying product mascots, even when they're naked. (We did recognize those ne'er-do-wells Snap, Crackle, and Pop, who were fully clothed, thankfully.) This issue also contains a bizarre UFO story, Chewbacca's birthday, puzzle pages with Count Morbida (the freaky pink vampire), Dynamite Bummers (of course), and a pretty lame poster. Hey, 1982 was the year of Fast Times, Tron, and Pac-Man Fever (none of which are discussed in this show). 'Twas a magical time, and now you can relive it as two goofy podcasters flip through a children's magazine and giggle incessantly. You're welcome.

Kevin and the Mayor of Chickentown are back from a weird little trip to Ohio! (It's the Buckeye State, you know, named after Popeye's mortal enemy, Buckeye.) They visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (where they totally failed to get Air Supply inducted), Ratsy's Store (where they found chicken socks, Dynamite magazines, and Ratsy), and the 16-Bit Bar Arcade (where you can play Burgertime all night long). Meanwhile back in Chickentown, Kornflake prepares to bust some ghosts and/or dust on Ghostbusters Day, and in honor of the new Solo movie, we have a "What's in the Bag?" segment featuring some classic Star Wars memorabilia. (And no, it's not Bea Arthur's costume from the holiday special. But someday...)

It's a quick but action-packed show this week. First, National Whatever Day somehow involves singing telegrams, kites, and a dentist. Then in Chickens in the News, Payo the Rooster terrorizes a Miami neighborhood, and we approve. Plus: the weird tale of a missing Amazon package, a Strange Brew review (we're about 35 years behind on our movies), and very small doughnuts. Because very small doughnuts are good for you.

After a long cruel winter here in Chickentown, we finally celebrate the return of our beloved iced coffee, with our beloved coffee cubes. (This is what Kornflake waits for all year.) And while we could (and sometimes do) just talk about coffee all night, there are a few other (far less significant) items to discuss this week. We have a pair of concert reports, as Kornflake attends a Star Wars-themed Jim's Big Ego show (it was May the Fourth, you see), while Kevin and the Mayor wander up to Maine to see Canadian power pop band Sloan (it was May the Fifth, aka Cinco de Pie-o). Also: Kevin spent a long weird day enduring physical challenges, solving puzzles, forming alliances, searching for immunity idols, and stabbing everyone in the back. Listen and learn his final fate as a contestant on... Survivor: Birthday Island. (Just don't tell Jeff Probst.) Plus: Free Comic Book Day, Disco Nightwing, FuMPFeST, Classic Con, a weird game in honor of Drew Carey, and a new bonus Flopcast episode for ESO Network Patreon supporters. Now excuse us; we must return to our cubes.

This week we have three concert reports from three different states: First we creep up to Portland, Maine in search of lobsters and They Might Be Giants. Then we find two of our favorite beverages and/or bands, cider and Petty Morals, in spooky Salem, Massachusetts. And finally, in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, we are the warriors, thanks to Patty Smyth and Scandal. Also: The quickest Avengers: Infinity War review you'll ever hear, the return of The Pod of Destiny, and Straw Hat Day (which is way more dangerous than you think). And hey, this is the sixth anniversary of The Flopcast! But we're not really celebrating, and we're passing the savings on to you.

This is what happens when Kornflake chooses the subject for our Top 4 1/2 List: In honor of Cinco de Mayo (or our superior version, Cinco de Pie-o), the subject is... five. Yes, we're counting down "five" things... four and a half of them. The list includes music (Ben Folds Five was an easy pick), cartoons, comic book villains, Ally Sheedy's favorite robot, and a couple of really weird ones. (But we still missed some important "fives" -- please don't tell Tito Jackson.) This show is like a great big "high five" to the whole stupid internet, but we don't actually have to touch anybody. Also: It's World Migratory Bird Day, and we have a secret bird video. Or do we? We've already said too much.

Grab a bowl of Frankenberry, because we're flashing back to Arisia (our favorite local science fiction convention), where Kevin moderated a panel called "Cereal and Cartoons: Saturday Mornings Revisited"! Joining Kevin on the panel were filmmaker Kevin Cafferty, Andy Hicks (of the Coal Hill A/V Club podcast), and Karen (of the Foxes in the Hen House podcast)! Among the topics discussed: The Superfriends, Pee Wee's Playhouse, ALF, Captain Bob, Weird Al, Josie and the Pussycats, The Brady Kids, School House Rock, Time for Timer, Gilligan's Planet, Mr. T, Thundarr the Barbarian, Turbo Teen, Kidd Video, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Garfield and Friends, Galaxy High, Hanna Barbera, Filmation, Sid and Marty Krofft, the Friday night preview specials, the Saturday morning TV comic book ads, the continuity errors of Tom and Jerry, the horrors of candlepin bowling, and the eternal curse of Scrappy Doo. And folks, that is not a complete list. Not even close. Listen carefully, and you'll hear Kornflake and the Mayor of Chickentown in the audience too. (Warning: One of them may have been wearing a rubber chicken costume.) This was a crazy fun time, and this is why you all need to hitchhike to Boston and join us at Arisia next year. And that's one to grow on.

It's a quick show this week, but we still knock out three classic Flopcast segments for you, right before our big nap. In Chickens in the News, a rubber chicken museum is coming to Seattle (compliments of the mad geniuses at Archie McPhee), and yeah, we're sort of freaking out. Then in our Pudding Pages segment, we remember Liquid Paper, because why use autocorrect when you can clumsily paint over your mistakes and make a huge mess instead? And for National Whatever Day, we're wishing a happy birthday to Kate Pierson of The B-52s. We are pretty big fans of both rock and lobsters, so why not.

The stupid snow is melting, and we're starting to leave the house again, so we have a trio of concert reports for you this week. First, just ahead of their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Bon Jovi came to Boston to see and/or rock a million faces, including ours. (But we're even bigger fans of the opening band: our local power pop heroes, Sidewalk Driver.) Next was Juliana Hatfield, celebrating the release of her remarkable new album of Olivia Newton-John covers. (Just imagine... "Physical" and "Xanadu" performed live by a Boston alt-rock legend... it was magic. And yes, she also played "Magic.") And finally, we witnessed a surprisingly awesome show from perhaps the soft-rockiest dude in the history of soft rock... Christopher Cross. (We found him at a frighteningly smoke-filled casino in Connecticut, which is indeed located about halfway between the moon and New York City.) Also: Happy Birthday to Rick Moranis. From the Great White North to Gravedale High to Bedrock, he is our Keymaster.

Join us as we flop back 42 years and flip through a 1976 issue of Dynamite! This classic magazine for kids was a staple of school book clubs from the mid-70s through the early 90s, and we recently acquired a big stupid stack of them. For this week's show, we selected an issue of Dynamite with Fonzie on the cover, because of course we did. Inside we found a Henry Winkler interview (obviously), as well as an article about skateboarding, a weird (and probably fake) advice column, instructions for a magic trick that won't work, instructions for a gymnastics move that will kill you, an address to send a birthday card to Horshack, a celebrity look-alike contest ("Who do you look like? Cher? Edith Bunker?"), Count Morbida (a goofy pink vampire) and his puzzle pages, and of course, Dynamite Bummers. If you missed 1976 the first time (or just forgot most of it), this is your big chance to celebrate the Bicentennial, vote for Carter, and party at the moon tower. Meanwhile here in the modern world, we're celebrating National Grilled Cheese Day... but that just leads to bizarre school cafeteria memories from long ago. Okay, distant past, you win.

It's the long-awaited return of a classic Flopcast segment, the Top 4 1/2 List! And it's an extra-stupid one, because the subject is simply... Peter. Yeah, we're listing our favorite Peters from music (yikes, lots of musicians are named Peter), sitcoms (don't play ball in the house, Peter), cartoons (including a seasonally appropriate Rankin Bass special), and peanut butter brands (hint: not Skippy). Plus: We're celebrating National Read a Road Map Day (why not), and the Mayor of Chickentown joins us with a report from (Re)Generation Who, a Doctor Who convention in Baltimore, Maryland. (Was everyone at the convention named Peter? Let's say yes.)

While Kornflake was away at MarsCon, Kevin was busy with silly things too. One of our comedy music heroes, "Weird Al" Yankovic, brought his "Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour" to Boston for two shows in the same day... and Kevin showed up for both of them. This long weird day also included stand-up from Emo Philips, a round of Weird Al Jeopardy, a backstage meet and greet, and a special late night show from Al's longtime band members Jim West and Steve Jay. (Live Hawaiian guitar music, at a Harvard Square folk club, at midnight, on a Sunday? Sure, we'll be there.) Plus: A stormy night in Rhode Island with The Mads (Mystery Science Theater 3000's Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu), a Stevie Nicks tribute concert and burlesque show from Niki Luparelli, and National Make Up Your Own Holiday Day. So go ahead and make up your own holiday. It can't possibly be as stupid as ours.

Despite a delightful series of weather-related delays and flight cancellations, Kornflake has returned from Minnesota with a full report on MarsCon! It's one of our very favorite conventions, thanks to its Dementia Track of comedy music concerts, under the direction of our pal the great Luke Ski. Performers this year included Luke, Donita Smith, Marc with a C, StarF and Mattari 2600, brentalfloss, Power Salad, Devo Spice, Insane Ian, TV's Kyle and Lindzilla, the Library Bards, the Faithful Sidekicks, Beth Kinderman, Karl Brown, and Carrie Dahlby! Plus: Dementia Smackdown Wrestling, Geek Bellydancing, Boob Tree (it's a game), Use Your Words (also a game), and of course... Kornflake's Dementia Water Aerobics! Hop in the pool, kids; we like to leave our fellow geeks soaking wet and exhausted.

It's another movie-themed show, because Kornflake finally saw the latest Star Wars movie, just in time for actor John Boyega's birthday. (You know John. He plays Finn, the Stormtrooper with a heart of gold.) We also discuss Kornflake's January movie (for each month of 2018, she is watching a classic movie she should have seen years ago), Labyrinth! (Come on, it's Bowie and Muppets. Can't go wrong.) Then following a super-quick review of Black Panther, the rest of the show is all about Molly. We're gonna need 34 more candles, because our favorite Brat Packer, Molly Ringwald, just turned 50! So we're looking back at Molly's career, from Facts of Life (first season only, alas) through the John Hughes years and beyond, up to her present role as Archie's mom on Riverdale. And because Kevin just saw it, we spend way too much time on 1983's Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone. It has Molly, and Ernie Hudson, and space chickens, so we love it. There's some TV talk as well, about One Day at a Time and Red Oaks, because we also enjoy creepy 1980s mustache dudes. Don't judge us. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Molly! Next week: MarsCon.

The Mayor of Chickentown returns with a full report from the big Los Angeles Doctor Who convention, Gallifrey One! Featuring: Doctor Who actors, writers, producers, podcasters, and puppeteers! Also featuring: Panels (the Mayor participated in several), costumers (including Yip-Yips, arguably not part of official Doctor Who canon), the Master (Doctor Who AND Lee Van Cleef versions), and our beloved Los Angeles Chicken Boy statue. Also: What's in the Bag, the ESO Network on Patreon, and National Retro Video Game Day (because if your game is more recent than ColecoVision, we're not interested).

This week we open our long-neglected Flopcast Mailbag and find a Top 4 1/2 List of video games featuring chickens! It's a nice bizarre list, and the games are mostly new to us (since we stopped paying attention to anything after the 80s). But we were inspired to break out our old Atari 2600 and fire up a classic chicken game! So if you've always dreamed of listening to us play Freeway by Activision here on the Flopcast... this is your big day. Also: We're celebrating National Mulled Wine Day... with black coffee. Stay safe, kids. Don't drink and Atari.

Join us as Kornflake prepares for MarsCon (March 2-4 in Bloomington, Minnesota)! Many friends of the Flopcast from the comedy music scene will be there too! The MarsCon Dementia Track will feature performances by the great Luke Ski, Power Salad, Insane Ian, Devo Spice, TV's Kyle and Lindzilla, the Library Bards, Marc With a C, brentalfloss (your Music Guest of Honor), and many more. And be sure to get up early and get in the pool, because yes, our own Kornflake is bringing Dementia Water Aerobics back to MarsCon. Let's see if there are any survivors this time. Also this week: Pangolins, the Pudding Pages, and perhaps a skink.

It's World Hippo Day, and we're always up for a high-stakes round of Hungry Hungry Hippos... but we're still terrified by Henrietta from the New Zoo Revue. Meanwhile in this week's Chickens in the News, a weird bird known as the Bin Chicken emerges as a contender for Australia's Bird of the Year. (We assume Olivia Newton-John masterminded this whole operation.) And we also have a "What's in the Bag?" segment featuring a fine new item from our very own ESO Network! (Hint: It's time to reinstate the Flopcast Book Club.) And Los Angeles-area Doctor Who fans, beware! Our own Mayor of Chickentown will see you this week at Gallifrey One.

Join us as we celebrate 300 episodes of The Flopcast! Yes, it's been 300 long weeks of giggling about stupid things for your amusement. (And yes, this has all been part of our court-ordered community service. Yikes, that judge was merciless.) So this week Kornflake has 300 other podcasts to recommend (don't worry, she moves quickly), while Kevin flips through a stack of comic books to see how Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and other heroes celebrated their 300th issues. (The short answer: With ads for Hostess Fruit Pies, Clark Bars, and Bubble Yum.) Plus: The classic version of National Whatever Day returns (just in time for World Nutella Day!); we review the top ten countries, and the top ten US states, for Flopcast listeners (alas, they're still ignoring us in North Dakota); we have a late addition to last week's memorial show list (sorry, Sister Sledge fans); and we plug our recent appearances on Earth Station One and Earth Station DCU. Okay, time to make 300 more shows. But first... Nutella.

Once again, it's time for our annual memorial show, so we're looking back on everyone we lost in 2017, from the world of pop culture and beyond. (And once again, it's our longest Flopcast ever! We just can't help it.) Our list includes familiar old favorites from TV, movies, and music (such as Adam West, June Foray, Mary Tyler Moore, Tom Petty, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Don Rickles, David Cassidy, and Rose Marie), as well as directors, voice actors, comic book creators, game show hosts, wrestlers, and maybe a guy who could play three trumpets while hopping on a pogo stick. (Yeah, it's a long list.) In 2017, we lost Gomer Pyle, Joanie from Happy Days, Oscar Goldman from The Six Million Dollar Man, Morty from Meatballs ("Hi, Mickey!"), and Benson from, uh, Benson. But we'll get through this together. We'll settle things here, in our forum. That's what Judge Wapner would have wanted.

Kevin, Kornflake, and the Mayor of Chickentown have a full report on our weekend at "New England's largest and most diverse science fiction and fantasy convention," Arisia! Including: Kevin's panels on Riverdale and Saturday morning TV (yes, Robbie Rist was mentioned, more than once), keytar-based synthrock (and a Taylor Dayne cover!) from Minusworld, a gender-swapped Star Trek show from the Post-Meridian Radio Players, a Princess Bride shadowcast from the Teseracte Players, Geek Belly Dancing, stand-up comedy (from Wes Hazard, Srilatha Rajamani, Anthony Scibelli, Emily Ruskowski, and Nick Chambers), more panels (on Wonder Woman, A Wrinkle in Time, Hitchhiker's Guide, the movies of 1982, the year in science... and a panel about panels), Guest of Honor Mikki Kendall, Yukon Cornelius, the Mayor's new chicken suit, Kornflake singing in the swimming pool, and a wardrobe malfunction. Good job, nerds of Boston. We're exhausted.

We're creeping around a convention in Boston right now (find us at Arisia!), but we saved something special for this week's show, from a whole different convention! It's a panel from the American Sci-Fi Classics track at DragonCon 2017! Join Kevin along with Scott Viguié, Anthony Taylor, and Andrew Gaska, as they discuss... Sci-Fi TV 1977! Our science fiction options were limited back in the disco era, before a certain little movie came along and Hollywood was conquered by space ships and robots. But things were interesting in 1977, and this panel covers TV shows ranging from the classic and beloved to the obscure and problematic. Including: Space 1999, Fantasy Island, The Man From Atlantis, Logan's Run, The Amazing Spider-Man, Space Academy, Quark, Lucan (does ANYBODY remember Lucan?), and lots more. Don't you wish you could leap back 41 years and watch them all over again, on a tiny TV with poor reception and no remote? Yeah, us too...

We're in the middle of our 1990s-themed shows, so it's finally time to play the 90s Movie Game! (You may recall that we invented this goofy game last year. Check out Flopcast episodes 258 and 261 for the 80s and 70s versions.) The wacky premise is: For each year of the 1990s, we try to guess each other's favorite movie, points are awarded, and dreams of victory are crushed. For the 90s version, you can expect lots of Disney and Pixar, lots of Tim Burton, lots of Robin Williams, and lots of Kevin Smith. Maybe some Bradys and Ninja Turtles too. Will Kornflake be victorious yet again, or will Kevin's miserable losing streak finally come to an end? Let's find out. Meanwhile, if you're in the Boston area, you're probably buried in snow and ice like Arnold's victims from a certain 90s Bat-movie (that is NOT one of our favorites). But if you can possibly escape, join us January 12-15 at our first convention of the year, Arisia! But stay warm. Stay in your Yip-Yip costume.