This week, the Cooler gang puts on their producers’ hats and offers up the next great limited series candidates. Plus, is it too early to talk Oscar 2019?

Reese Witherspoon knows her books. Her Big Little Lies Season 2 lives on the HBO horizon for 2019. She also recently shopped another limited series with Kerry Washington. Their adaptation of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere will land at Hulu with a premiere date to be determined. So that made us think… What books would we produce as limited series? We go around the Water Cooler and give our own Witherspoon-level producing picks.

But first, in TV Tidbits,  with Oscar 2018 under our belt, what does Oscar 2019 hold in store for us? Then, Margot Robbie will play Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. We check in on the hotly anticipated production. Finally, Joey and Clarence take a look at the Mindy Kaling-produced Champions and Joey and Megan review Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle In Time.

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6:32 – TV Tidbits
41:54 – Next Big Limited Series
56:22 – Flash Forward

Our Favorite Movies continues with Joey’s Volume 3 pick: The Birdcage. Plus, we review Sunday’s low-rated Oscar ceremony.

This week, we’re doing an eclectic celebration of the dance! We’re doing Fosse, Fosse, Fosse! We’re doing Martha Graham, Martha Graham, Martha Graham! Or Twyla, Twyla, Twyla! Or Michael Kidd, Michael Kidd, Michael Kidd, Michael Kidd! Or Madonna, Madonna, Madonna!… but we’re keeping it all inside. Yup, this week, we’re wrapping up February’s Our Favorite Movie entry. Joey selected 1996’s The Birdcage for our viewing pleasure. Directed by the great Mike Nichols, The Birdcage features winning performances from Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria, Gene Hackman, and Dianne Wiest. We’ll talk about the film’s story, its modern relevancy to today, and ultimately how the film resonates after 21 years.

But first, in TV Tidbits, we’re reviewing Sunday’s 90th Annual Academy Awards ceremony.

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10:29 – TV Tidbits: Oscar Edition
40:31 – The Birdcage
1:16:59 – Flash Forward

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The Cooler Gang gathers around the Water Cooler to share their predictions for Sunday’s 2018 Oscar ceremony. Plus, we reveal our Best of 2017 lists.

We’re putting the TV coverage on pause momentarily. Next Sunday marks the 90th Annual Academy Awards, and this week, we’re giving our most recent round of predictions in most races. Will nomination-leading The Shape of Water sweep the major categories? Or will more traditional Academy fare like Dunkirk take home gold? Will Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri overcome the lack of a director nomination? Or is there a surprise winner waiting in the wings? We go around the Water Cooler to opine on the probable winners, certain losers, and potential Oscar spoilers. Plus, how will Jimmy Kimmel rate on his next outing as the 2018 Oscar host?

After that, we give our much-delayed Best of 2017 lists. With Oscar giving his opinion next weekend, what are our favorite films to premiere in 2017? We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Don’t forget to catch up on Joey’s next Favorite Movie: 1996’s The Birdcage. We’ll discuss that film on next week’s podcast.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on iTunes!

6:28 – Oscar Predictions
51:04 – Best of 2017 Film Lists
1:27:06 – Flash Forward

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The Cooler Gang reviews Netflix’s latest nostalgia trip Everything Sucks. Does the show live up to its title, or is this a hidden gem?

Everything Sucks at the Water Cooler. Nope, that’s not extreme self-awareness talking. It’s Netflix’s latest throwback series – this time, the 1990s. Yup, plenty of Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, Columbia House, and grunge references abound in Everything Sucks. So, does Netflix continue its nostalgia winning streak of GLOW and Stranger Things? Or are the 1990s trickier? Does Everything Sucks live up to its title?

In TV Tidbits, we’re Marveling at the new cultural phenomenon of Disney’s Black Panther after a record-breaking February weekend. With enormous box office under its belt and a Cinemascore core rating of A+, is it even possible that the Academy could embrace the film in next year’s Best Picture race? Speaking of Best Picture, the BAFTAs threw their support behind Three Billboards. Does that shake up the race as we head into voting?

Finally, did anyone hear Fergie sing the national anthem this weekend? Apparently, everyone who did hated it. We’ll talk about the infamous renditions of the national anthem, and whether or not Fergie’s stood the awful test of time.

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

9:52 – TV Tidbits
46:42 – Everything Sucks
1:15:16 – Flash Forward

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This week, Joey and Clarence venture down ol’ Broadway to give a Spring preview and a quick look at the 2018 Tony Awards.

This week at the Water Cooler, we’re venturing into an area of pop culture on which we rarely focus – the theater. First up, we preview the upcoming late Winter/early Spring Broadway season. It’s an odd year for theater where the biggest titles aren’t your traditional musical fare. Instead, plays are bringing the biggest heat as we glide into the end of the 2018 Tony eligibility window. With that, what are the 2018 Tony front runners this far out? We make some ridiculously early predictions in both play and musical categories. Because a) we’re a pop culture podcast and b) the Tonys will be on TV. So there.

But first, TV Tidbits kicks off on a sad note as we talk about the career of character actor Reg E. Cathey, who passed this week at the age of 59. Then, Disney announced that the creators of HBO’s Game of Thrones – David Benioff and DB Weiss – would take the reigns on another stand-alone Star Wars series. Is this is good move, and does it have added, perhaps unspoken, added benefits? Finally, as we head into the last few months of the Emmy eligibility window, we ask “Where are all the great Limited Series?”

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on iTunes!

4:28 – TV Tidbits
35:53 – Broadway’s Spring and a 2018 Tony Preview
1:09:33 – Flash Forward

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This week, the Cooler gang revisits the topic of upcoming TV reboots where Murphy Brown and Cagney & Lacey follow on the stiletto heels of Will & Grace.

This week at the Water Cooler, we’re returning to our regularly scheduled program. We kick things off with TV Tidbits and the recent DGA Award winners. With The Handmaid’s Tale on a guild streak, what does this mean for Game of Thrones at this year’s Emmys? Then, yesterday’s Super Bowl featured several buzzy commercials and movie trailers. We take a look at the ones we thought made the most impact. You know, between the actual game. Also, The Cloverfield Paradox dropped immediately following the Super Bowl. Like, what the actual fuck. Plus, Uma Thurman’s New York Times editorial shocking revelations.

Then, for our main program, we’re going to revisit (ironically) a topic we’ve discussed before. TV reboots! It’s the trend that seemingly never goes away. With ABC’s Roseanne reboot threatening the airwaves, new versions of such classics as Murphy Brown and Cagney & Lacey are planned. What’s really behind all of these flashbacks? Was NBC’s Will & Grace really that well received? And what, if anything, would make these reboots a worthy endeavor?

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on iTunes!

9:05 – TV Tidbits
54:15 – Reboots!
1:14:46 – Flash Forward

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The Cooler Gang kicks back with their boots up to talk about Robert Altman’s 1975 classic, Nashville – one of Clarence’s favorite movies.

This week at the Water Cooler, we kick off Volume 3 of the Our Favorite Movies series. Clarence’s latest pick is Robert Altman’s 1975 film Nashville. The film features Altman’s trademark large cast, overlapping plot lines and dialogue, and some say a sarcastic and condescending view of human nature. Still, Oscar smiled on the film. It received nominations for Picture, Director, two bids for Supporting Actress for Ronee Blakely and Lily Tomlin, and an Oscar for Keith Carradine’s original song “I’m Easy.”

So, what about Nashville makes this a great film? What did Megan and Joey think after they saw it for the first time? We’ll talk about this and more on Our Favorite Movies Volume 3: Nashville.

But before that, we quickly review last week’s Oscar nominations. Plus, Joey gives us an update on the Fantasy Oscar pool. We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on iTunes!

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The Cooler Gang gathers around the Water Cooler following the Screen Actors Guild awards to talk surprises, hosts, and the impact on the awards race.

We’re in the midst of the big awards season push with Tuesday marking the announcement of the 2018 Oscar nominations. We start with a conversation about the recent Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild award winners in both film and television categories. How will these winners impact the Oscar nominations and, eventually, the Emmys? Then, we run through a quick preview of our Oscar predictions.

But first, we talk about the premiere of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Now that we’ve all seen it, what’s the general consensus around the Water Cooler? Is this a major Emmy player or does it pale in comparison to last year’s O.J. Simpson entry? Or is it both?

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Be sure to get ready for Our Favorite Movies Volume 3, which kicks off in one week with Robert Altman’s Nashville.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on iTunes!

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In an epic podcast, the Water Cooler gang catches up on everything in entertainment from holiday films, recent awards, and upcoming TV series.

We’re playing catch-up at the Water Cooler this week. Now that we’re all back and healthy, both physically and mentally, we’re looking at some recent film, television, and awards news we’ve yet to discuss. First, the DGA (both film and TV) and Critics Choice announced this week. On the TV side, what shows popped up at this guild award that could possibly give us a sneak peak at the 2018 Emmy nominations? Then, on the film side, how do the awards shape the Oscar race? Furthermore, how do these recent awards shape our Fantasy Oscar pool?

Then, we’re opening up the floor to a series of films and TV series we’re still finding. What’s going on with The X-Files and does anyone really care? James Franco and Aziz Ansari are the latest personalities stricken with the dreaded sexual misconduct claims. How will these claims affect their careers, and will they hurt Franco’s chances at an Oscar nomination? Finally, we catch up on some big holiday films including Call Me By Your Name and The Greatest Showman. We also preview two hotly anticipated television series: The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2 and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Be sure to get ready for Our Favorite Movies Volume 3, which kicks off in two weeks with Nashville.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on iTunes!

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This week at the Cooler, the Water Cooler Podcast gang talks Golden Globes winners in both film and television categories.

The Cooler Gang kicks off a quick reactions podcast from the 75th Annual Golden Globes Awards. We discuss the Globes winners as well as the ceremony itself. How did Seth Meyers fare as host? What were the biggest surprises? What do the Globe winners mean for future awards?

We’ll return with a regular podcast next week.

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