Tag Archives: pop music

The Toy Department – Episode 349

  By toyAdmin | June 16, 2023 - 2:34 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 348, Madden and Kolsky get into the difficulties of the moving process — especially for weird old semi-hoarders — before locking into the pop culture of the week:

  • The second episode of HBO’s Idol (6:50) and how at least one of our hosts is done with it, and neither think it’s working very well at all, largely due to the presence and mediocrity of Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd)…
  • The British drama Somewhere Boy (16:40) and how it creates some extra curiosity with its storytelling style, but still may not have enough to keep the guys interested…
  • Apple TV+’s new Tom Holland show The Crowded Room (19:20) and how it uses similar style of storytelling but to better effect…
  • The new Eva Longoria-directed film Flamin’ Hot (27:15) and how it tells an inspiring story in a fun way…
  • Peacock’s new show Based on a True Story (34:05) and the appeal of its lead actors — Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets (44:45) and their incredibly charming superstar Nikola Jokic…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (52:50), including: the return of Black Mirror on Netflix, the return of The Bear on Hulu, Boots Riley’s new show I’m A Virgo and Idris Elba’s Hijack on Apple TV+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 348

  By toyAdmin | June 10, 2023 - 3:03 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 348, Madden and Kolsky are working on a Saturday, one at home and one in a hotel suite with an old man and a toddler (sorry for any weird audio stuff) but it doesn’t deter them from discussing:

  • The season finalé of Top Chef: World All-Stars (2:30) and how it ended essentially where our hosts expected, with an awful lot of good cooking on the way there…
  • HBO’s new Sam Levinson series The Idol (20:10) and how it wasn’t necessarily as provocative as expected in the first episode, but does have some intense moments of sexuality and some interesting things to say about the life of a young, female pop star…
  • The big wave surfing docu-series 100-Foot Wave (28:05) and the pure insanity of the pursuits of its main character Garrett McNamara, along with the wonder of watching people ride a mountain of water…
  • ESPN’s The American Gladiator Documentary (32:35) and how director Ben Berman basically gives the viewer two fascinating and well-told documentaries for the price of one…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Finals (39:20), which appear to be headed to an early conclusion, but that does not mean the Miami Heat don’t deserve credit for their accomplishments…
  • Homework for next week (49:35), including: revisiting The Idol after Episode 2, the movie Flamin’ Hot on Hulu, the British drama Somewhere Boy (also on Hulu), the Peacock show Based on a True Story and the Tom Holland show The Crowded Room on Apple TV+… and perhaps some NBA Finals talk as well!

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The Toy Department – Episode 56

  By toyAdmin | February 9, 2017 - 12:41 am | Uncategorized
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Episode 56 finds a struggling Derek Madden trying to soldier through his post-Super Bowl depression, with Matt Kolsky doing his best to talk him off the ledge as they discuss:

  • Super Bowl LI’s dramatic and disappointing twist (right from the jump) and Madden’s continuing attempts to process the soul-crushing result…
  • With the Super Bowl in the books, IT’S OFFICIALLY BASKETBALL SEASON FULL-TIME!!! Which means it’s time to talk NBA — from Carmelo Anthony trade possibilities (16:00) to Jahlil Okafor’s future potential (22:10) to whether anyone can challenge the Cavaliers in the East (24:55)…
  • Netflix’s new show The OA (36:35): Kolsky binged the whole thing over the weekend, and Madden has checked out a few episodes… Nevertheless, they’re not able to offer many conclusions…
  • The state of TV at this moment in general (41:30) and whether there’s anything particularly attention-grabbing to focus on right now… The guys uncover Madden’s strange obsession with “quality characters” and “well-designed stories…”
  • In the world of music, Japandroids have a new album (51:25) and it’s a pretty darn good listen if you don’t heap the weight of the world in expectations onto it…
  • Homework for this week: both Madden and Kolsky will watch FX’s new TV show Legion, and Kolsky tries to get Madden to let go and enjoy some hot John Wick action (56:05)…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 55

  By toyAdmin | February 2, 2017 - 12:25 am | Uncategorized
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Episode 55 is OFFICIALLY the longest Toy Department podcast episode OF ALL TIME!!! (and by OFFICIALLY we mean that it felt super long and we didn’t bother to actually check) It may also be the BEST Toy Department podcast episode of all time, so don’t miss a minute as Derek Madden & Matt Kolsky dive into:

  • A few minutes on Russell Westbrook, the Thunder and the first half of the NBA season (1:30)…
  • Last week’s homework assignment – an episode of ABC’s Black-ish (6:30) specifically Episode 12 of Season 3, entitled “Lemons,” which deals with the aftermath of the recent presidential election… FAIR WARNING – THIS PORTION OF TODAY’S EPISODE MAKES A SIGNIFICANT DETOUR OUTSIDE OF THE TOY DEPARTMENT!!!!
  • One of the most-discussed albums of early 2017 – Culture, by Migos (20:15)… Kolsky has officially become a die-hard Migos fan, and Madden is prepared to tolerate that, at least…
  • Another major music topic, specifically the pop/EDM group The Chainsmokers (28:45) and how Madden views some criticism of them as unfair… Which takes them down a road of more general pop music discussion (40ish)…
  • The new Amazon show Sneaky Pete (43:25) – with thoughts on the show, its star Giovanni Ribisi and also the lead character’s resemblance to one of Kolsky’s favorite short stories, Roald Dahl’s The Hitchhiker (which you can read online here: http://www.netprof.pt/Ingles/PDF/TheHitchhikerb.pdf)…
  • SUPER BOWL LI!!! Madden’s favorite football team is actually playing in this game (52:50), so with special focus and dedication the guys discuss some favorite goofy prop bets (56:45) and then dive a little deeper into the game itself with football bets (1:15:00).

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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The Toy Department – Episode 19

  By toyAdmin | April 27, 2016 - 9:50 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 19, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky waste no time before going deep into a Prince tribute. After paying proper tribute to the Purple Gawd, they move on to another pop superstar with a discussion of Beyoncé and her Lemonade release (24:00) which leads some debate about what a pop star really is in the modern music world (around 48:00). Then some quick-hitters to finish the show: Game of Thrones Season 6 premiere reaction (57:15), the #MoreThanMean video and its important message about women on sports twitter (1:08:20) and the foul ball segment on HBO’s Real Sports (1:16:25).

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 11

  By toyAdmin | February 18, 2016 - 12:34 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 11, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky get right into the thick of things with a Kanye West deep dive… All jokes aside, there’s a lot to get into with Mr. West – from his music to his internet behavior, he is nothing if not interest-worthy! Then it’s a little bit of a sports injection with a brief discussion of the Duke/UNC rivalry and college sports in general (40:30), before closing with some TV talk (48:50) as the winter/spring season starts to kick into gear!!

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes (and you really should), just CLICK HERE!!  We are also part of the Google Play library of podcasts (and hopefully will have a link to that soon)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 10

  By toyAdmin | February 11, 2016 - 1:50 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 10, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky start with a quick post-Super Bowl debrief – did Kolsky survive? How did his dumplings turn out? (that’s a literal question) Then it’s the Great Coldplay Debate (9:00) as the gentlemen stake out their positions and duke it out. After probably too much of that (though not as much as existed on the original recording) the topic shifts to movie talk with a breakdown of the Oscar-nominated Spotlight (33:50), followed by a brief discussion of the Grammy’s and other assorted music stuff (42:00). Finally, a strong close where a purported tease to next week turns into a short conversation about JJ Redick’s new podcast (46:30).

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes (and you really should), just CLICK HERE!!  We are also part of the Google Play library of podcasts (and hopefully will have a link to that soon)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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The Toy Department – Episode 3

  By toyAdmin | December 16, 2015 - 9:35 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 3 of The Toy Department, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky follow a standard intro with a dive into this week’s biggest pop culture phenomenon — STAR WARS!!!! Then they slip in some sports with a discussion of Steph Curry and the Warriors, and their effect on pop culture and basketball (12:00) before turning to broader cultural concerns by discussing Google’s most trending topics from 2015 (28:30). Then Madden gives Kolsky a 2015 Pop Music Lyrics Quiz (39:30) with a brief discussion of Drake afterwards (49:30) that alludes to additional future processing of the Drake phenomenon. Finally it’s a brief discussion of general issues and future plans (51:00) before saying goodbye (possibly for the last time in 2015… POSSIBLY)!

Oh, and if you want to subscribe via iTunes (and you really should), just CLICK HERE!! 

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