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It's another "66" episode, which always reminds us of V66, Boston's late great 1980s music video channel. (You've all seen the documentary Life on the V, right? RIGHT?) This time we decided to party like it's 1985 and watch a bunch of music videos from the V66 era. If you want to jump on YouTube and watch along with us, VJ Kornflake's playlist is: "Obsession" by Animotion, "Invincible" by Pat Benatar, "Live is Life" by Opus (???), "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie, "Goonies R Good Enough" by Cyndi Lauper, and "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran. Or just relax and enjoy our idiotic commentary. V66 didn't last long; it was soon replaced by the Home Shopping Network, because Bostonians desperately needed cubic zirconia. But we'll keep staring at these goofy videos forever, even if Rowdy Roddy Piper only appears in some of them. Also this week: Comic book trivia with Earth Station One, a DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track panel about rabbits (?), and Happy Birthday to 80s naughty girl Samantha Fox. The V66 documentary, Life on the V!  Eric's latest short documentary, Video Visions!  Kevin is back on Earth Station One for comic book trivia!  The American Sci-Fi Classics Track bunny panel! VJ Kornflake's 1985 music video playlist: "Obsession" by Animotion  "Invincible" by Pat Benatar  "Live is Life" by Opus  "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie  "Goonies R Good Enough" by Cyndi Lauper  "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran  And our regular links... The Flopcast website!  The ESO Network!  The Flopcast on Facebook!  The Flopcast on Instagram!  The Flopcast on Twitter!  Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!  Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!  This week's promo: Double Edged Double Bill!  This week's other promo: Timestreams! 

For no good reason, the name "Johnny" is the subject of our latest Top 4 1/2 List. (Has it been a slow week around here? What do you think?) We have characters named Johnny from movies, TV, songs, and even more goofy DC comic books. There might even be a robot on the list, since Ally Sheedy assures us that Johnny 5 is very much alive. Plus: Dueling Johnny songs from Chuck Berry and Men at Work, dueling Johnny songs from El DeBarge and "Weird Al" Yankovic, Greg Brady vs. Johnny Bravo, Charlie the Tuna vs. Mr. Peanut (?), and more. Did we miss your favorite Johnny? Let us know! The best way to reach us is by canal. Just ask Johnny Canal. The Flopcast website!  The ESO Network!  The Flopcast on Facebook!  The Flopcast on Instagram!  The Flopcast on Twitter!  Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!  Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!  This week's promo: The Best Saturdays of Our Lives! 

Our examination of every "backdoor pilot" episode of The Facts of Life continues... because we know what the people want. "Brian and Sylvia" was an odd 1981 attempt at a Facts of Life spinoff series. The premise: Tootie's Aunt Sylvia is a Buffalo TV news anchor, and Brian is her husband, a hockey coach played by pre-MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson. So if you're looking for early 80s mixed-marriage jokes that have not aged particularly well, this sitcom delivers the goods. Our conversation somehow also includes Willona from Good Times, the short-lived Sanford and Son spinoff Grady, a weird Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation, suffering through Godspell in junior high, and Tootie's aunt as a space princess on Jason of Star Command. Also: Kornflake is on Earth Station One (to discuss The Commitments), Kevin is on The DragonCon Report (to discuss, you know, DragonCon), and it's World Backup Day. So back up. Kornflake on Earth Station One!  The DragonCon Report!  And our regular links... The Flopcast website!  The ESO Network!  The Flopcast on Facebook!  The Flopcast on Instagram!  The Flopcast on Twitter!  Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!  Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!  This week's promo: Earth Station Trek! 

Quick show this week (because we're exhausted), including: Kornflake at virtual MarsCon; Kornflake and Kevin in a silly new music video (from Power Salad and the great Luke Ski); baseball, blues, and spider movies with William Shatner; old TV talk (Facts of Life, Leave It to Beaver); new TV talk (WandaVision, Ted Lasso, Taskmaster); and for the first time in eight years, Kevin was right about something. MarsCon Comedy Music Track: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! "Red Beans and Rice" video by Power Salad and Luke Ski (with a cameo by your goofy Flopcast hosts)!  And our regular links... The Flopcast website!  The ESO Network!  The Flopcast on Facebook!  The Flopcast on Instagram!  The Flopcast on Twitter!  Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!  Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!  This week's promo: The Soul Forge Podcast! 

For more than 80 years, DC Comics has brought us legends like Wonder Woman and Batman... as well as sillier characters like Kite Man and Bat Mite. There's a long rich history of goofy characters at DC, and we love them all. So that's the subject of our latest Top 4 1/2 List: goofy DC characters. And we invited an expert to play along: Drew, co-host of the Earth Station DCU podcast! Our goofy list includes some Bat-villains, of course, as well as a crime-fighting chimpanzee, a teen president, a hippie mannequin, dogs in space, cab drivers in space, and more. This could have been a Top 400 List, because we didn't even get around to Matter Eater Lad, Mr. Tawky Tawny, Quisp, Bird-Boy, Mer-Boy, and all the residents of the Bizarro World. In fact, this episode just might go on forever... unless you can trick us into saying "Kltpzyxm." Drew and Cletus talk DC Comics every week on Earth Station DCU!  And our regular links... The Flopcast website!  The ESO Network!  The Flopcast on Facebook!  The Flopcast on Instagram!  The Flopcast on Twitter!  Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!  Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!  This week's promo: Metal Geeks!  This week's other promo: ESO Network Patreon! 

Twenty years ago, Kevin and Kornflake first visited the great state of Michigan for the comedy music convention Dementia 2001! (Kevin's band The Sponge Awareness Foundation performed, then quickly returned to their rightful place in total obscurity.) And our guest this week is the organizer of Dementia 2001, our old friend Blasted Bill! We're talking weird Michigan trivia with Bill, and the conversation includes the invention of breakfast cereal (all thanks to Cornelius the Corn Flakes rooster), fun with soda (or "pop," as the locals call it), Yoopers vs. Trolls, a post office that floats, painted turtles, angry dentists, Freaks and Geeks, Dave Coulier, and lots more Upper Midwest silliness. Blasted Bill is largely responsible for The Flopcast even existing (though he's understandably reluctant to admit it), so we're happy he could join us and help Michiganify the show. (Here's one more fun fact just for you: Michigan is not actually the most mitten-shaped state. That honor goes to Wyoming. Assuming you have freakish rectangle-hands. And we think you do.) The Flopcast website!  The ESO Network!  The Flopcast on Facebook!  The Flopcast on Instagram!  The Flopcast on Twitter!  Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!  Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!  This week's promo: We Be Geeks!  This week's other promo: MarsCon! 

"The Backs of Life" is our stupid new project for the stupid new year! The plan is to examine each "backdoor pilot" episode of The Facts of Life in excruciating detail. (You know backdoor pilots. It's when an episode of an existing TV show is used to introduce a potential new spin-off show. This happened on The Facts of Life... a lot.) But we're starting with a 1979 episode of Diff'rent Strokes (season 1, episode 24, "The Girls School"), because The Facts of Life itself started there as a backdoor pilot. Thrill to Mrs. Garrett making the move from housekeeper (for a rich dude) to housemother (for a bunch of crazy girls). We meet some future Facts of Life regulars (Blair with a cigarette! Tootie on rollerskates! MOLLY RINGWALD!), some girls we'd never see again (Jennifer? Laura?), and a headmaster played by the cranky guy from The Bob Newhart Show. We also get generic disco music, a frog named Leon, Dana Plato as a ballerina (sort of), Gary Coleman in a donkey costume, and another mysterious Fake Brady Girl connection. Also: More TV talk with ESO Board Silly, more Rock and Roll Hall of Fame talk with Pop Culture Cosmos, Happy 100th Episode to The 42cast, and Happy Birthday to a Cobra Kai sensei. The Flopcast website!  The ESO Network!  The Flopcast on Facebook!  The Flopcast on Instagram!  The Flopcast on Twitter!  Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!  Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!  This week's promo: Cosmic Pizza!  This week's other promo: But First, Let's Talk Nerdy! 

Inspired by the discovery of some ancient Sponge Awareness Foundation music, we're flashing back to the very early 90s - specifically, this week in February 1990. Top 40 radio was dominated by pop/R&B ladies like Janet Jackson, Expose, and (along with our hero MC Skat Kat) Paula Abdul. At the movies, your options ranged all the way from Clive Barker horror to a Disney mermaid. And a weird week of television included a Love Boat reunion movie (with Rowdy Roddy Piper!), a very special Saturday Night Live (Wayne and Garth meet Aerosmith!), episode six of The Simpsons (introducing Bleeding Gums Murphy!), and a bizarre Brady Bunch revival (with Martha Quinn and Fake Marcia!). Our beloved 1980s were just a few weeks behind us, but there was no turning back. Before long, we'd settle into a steady diet of Crystal Pepsi and Zima, and hope for the best. Also: We unveil a Flopcast project that starts next week and includes a homework assignment for you. (Most homework assignments do not involve goofy old sitcoms, but this one totally does.) The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Nerdbliss!

Longtime Flopcast listeners (those poor souls) know that every year we examine the new list of nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, even though it's stupid. But this year's list is surprisingly strong and diverse, and includes some Flopcast favorites. (Our beloved Go-Go's are way overdue for induction. And as society collapses right on schedule, we must acknowledge Devo. They warned us.) And hey, Tina Turner had better make the final cut, or we'll see you in the Thunderdome. Also: William Katt has a greatest American birthday, the Mayor of Chickentown returns to Oz, and the retro video game-style Flopcast t-shirt is suddenly a thing that exists. The American Sci-Fi Classics Return to Oz panel, with the Mayor of Chickentown! The ESO Network TeePublic store has a new Flopcast t-shirt! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Earth Station One! This week's other promo: MarsCon!

Let's wrap up our Facts of Life FlopFight, the tournament that somehow captures all the excitement of a girls' school and/or a gourmet food shop. Our combatants include the classic four Facts of Life girls (Blair, Jo, Natalie, Tootie), the lesser known Facts of Life girls (if you can possibly consider Molly Ringwald "lesser known"), and even a couple of Facts of Life guys (one of whom may have become a huge movie star). Only one shall survive; for the rest, the world never seems to be living up to their dreams. And because it's a FlopFight, this tournament involves chicken suits, submarines, candlepin bowling, ducks, and other perfectly normal competitions. Also: Happy Birthday to a Canadian pop star, Kornflake makes her DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track panel debut, and we say farewell to the legendary Cloris Leachman. The American Sci-Fi Classics Track panel on The Last Unicorn and 70s Animated Fantasy, featuring Kornflake! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Earth Station DCU!

Our latest FlopFight brings us to Peekskill, New York, home of (in '80s sitcom land, at least) Eastland School for Girls, Langley College, Edna's Edibles, and Over Our Heads. Yes, this is a Facts of Life FlopFight. We're taking the good, taking the bad, and putting the Facts of Life cast through a series of bizarre competitions in a silly tournament of our own design. Will Blair come out on top, thanks to another one of her brilliant ideas? Will Tootie roller-skate her way to victory? Let's find out. Also: Happy Birthday to the star of Kornflake's favorite goofy made-for-TV movie! Kevin is on Earth Station One to discuss the Justice Society of America! Kornflake and Jacob's album (appropriately titled I Don't Know What You're Talking About!) is now on Bandcamp! And their songs can also be heard on Manic Mondays and the MarsCon Comedy Music Track fundraiser album! Next week: Our competition continues, as suddenly we're finding out that this FlopFight is all about you. Kevin is back on Earth Station One to discuss the Justice Society of America! Hear a Kornflake and Jacob song on Manic Mondays episode 710! Kornflake and Jacob's album is now available on Bandcamp! And more Kornflake and Jacob (LIVE!) tracks are on the new MarsCon Comedy Music Track Fundraiser album! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Rusted Robot!

Let's flip through another old issue of Dynamite, the magazine all the cool kids of the 70s and 80s faithfully ordered through the school book club. (Ah, the book club... the reason your teacher had to spend half the day counting nickels...) And for no particular reason, we're looking at a 1980 issue with a cover story about Benji ("Hollywood's Top Dog"). At this time Benji was starring in a Chevy Chase movie, but would soon conquer Saturday morning TV with the bizarre dog-robot-alien series Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince. Also in this issue: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, The Fonz, Erik Estrada, Cheap Trick, Dynamite Bummers, and the true (?) story of a sea monster vs. a chicken. Plus: "What's in the Bag" makes our Kenny Rogers dreams come true, Kornflake almost fronts a cover band for a certain 80s superstar, Kevin meets a sleepy hot dog vendor, and the DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track gives us another excuse to scream about The Cat from Outer Space. Links: Another weird American Sci-Fi Classics panel: Cats in Science Fiction! The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Earth Station Who!

Okay, let's wrap up our 2020 memorial list, with everyone we lost in the second half of the longest year in history. (As with last week's show, strong beverages are strongly recommended.) Including (and this isn't the whole list): Our skeptic hero (James "The Amazing" Randi), professional old dude Wilford Brimley, the creators of Scooby Doo (Joe Ruby and Ken Spears), the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), a Mythbuster (Grant Imahara), a Bond girl (Diana Rigg), an actual Bond (Sean Connery), a bunch of classic musicians (from Fleetwood Mac, Kool and the Gang, Van Halen, The Outfield, and Midnight Oil), a couple of classic Star Wars actors (David Prowse and Jeremy Bulloch), a Gilligan's Island castaway (Dawn Wells), and... Squiggy. Plus: Kevin pesters an NBA legend and juggles Spam for Regis Philbin, Kornflake may have thrown a camcorder in a washing machine, and we recall the margarine wars of the 1970s. Because it's not nice to fool Mother Nature. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Con Guy!

Have a strong beverage standing by, because it's that time again. The Mayor of Chickentown joins Kevin and Kornflake as we recall everyone we lost in 2020, from the world of pop culture and beyond. This is a long list, including members of Monty Python, Rush, and the Pointer Sisters; the actors behind Leave It to Beaver's Eddie Haskell, Flash Gordon's Ming the Merciless, and Wonder Woman's Steve Trevor; the legendary Little Richard; and the funniest guy in the history of everything, Fred Willard. And don't worry, we didn't forget the voice of Cindy Bear, the singer of The Jeffersons theme song, the puppeteer of the Caddyshack gopher, and the president of the Hair Club for Men. And this show only covers the first half of the year. By the time we're done next week, you'll have a big gray beard, just like the late, great Kenny Rogers. Kevin will be a panelist at (virtual) Arisia, January 15-18! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Ring of Thunder!

Just in time for Cobra Kai season 3, Kevin and Kornflake take a quick spoiler-free look at seasons 1 and 2! Of course we're longtime Karate Kid fans, so we're waxing on and off about Billy Zabka (not just an 80s bully anymore), Ralph Macchio (who somehow hasn't aged since the first movie), the All Valley Tournament, Golf N' Stuff, Bananarama pancakes (it's a cruel, cruel breakfast), the Facts of Life/Karate Kid connection, and why we're naming a Boston subway station after Hilary Swank. And when you're caught up on all this Cobra Kai/Miyagi-Do action, we recommend a few more shows (about Tasmanian real estate agents, Irish schoolgirls, and crazy kids from Brockton, Massachusetts). Also, we watched a certain new movie on Christmas day, and we have a question about Wonder Woman and Waldenbooks. From Donkeys to Otters: Christmas Gets Weird (American Sci-Fi Classics panel) Earth Station DCU Episode 220: Wonder Woman 1984 And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: The 42cast!

It's our final show of 2020, so let's look back at the BEST YEAR EVER. Okay, maybe it wasn't... but we still managed to keep our goofy show flopping along by Zoom every week. (Of course we miss having Kornflake live in Chickentown Studios... but on the other hand, we're saving a fortune on coffee...) As the stupid year wraps up, we reflect on our convention appearances (all from the beginning of the year, wonder why), our podcast guests (huh, our most frequent - and most bleeped - guests were a couple of nerdy girls), and all our silly Flopcast segments (National Whatever Day, Chickens in the News, The Top 4 1/2 List, What's in the Bag, The Pudding Pages, FlopFight, Capes or Apes, and of course, new for 2020... Trapped in the House). And since it's become a beloved Flopcast tradition, we also reveal our New Year's Resolutions! (Kornflake came up with a good one. Kevin's will shock you.) So hang in there and keep being festive, kids. See you in 2021. Prepare to giggle. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Thunder Talk!

Like an unwanted box of ribbon candy from your great-aunt, here's an assortment of holiday (and non-holiday) weirdness, just for you. Flopcast superfan Arturo has another amazing "What's in the Bag" for us (and yes, chickens are involved); Flopcast superfan Lee reminds us to celebrate the career of wrestling's biggest baldest bad guy, King Kong Bundy; original Kiss drummer Peter Criss turns 75 this week (so sorry, Beth, he'll probably be out late again); the DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track recommends funny holiday songs (including singing dogs, Christmas chickens, a new one from Whitney Avalon, a classic from Niki Luparelli, and maybe a little Sponge Awareness Foundation); and our epic holiday podcast crossover event concludes with But First, Let's Talk Nerdy episode 34, as Kevin joins Martha and Brittany to scream about Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. Razzleberry dressing not included. But First, Let's Talk Nerdy episode 34 - a Flopcast crossover event! American Sci-Fi Classics Funny Holiday Songs panel! Whitney Avalon's (explicit!) new Christmas song, "WTF 2020?!" A special Christmas wish (also explicit!) from Niki Luparelli! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Pop Culture Cosmos!

Break out the nog and join us for an epic podcast crossover event! Brittany and Martha (of But First, Let's Talk Nerdy) are here for the holidays, with a Flopcast Top 4 1/2 List of Christmas cartoon characters! It's a super-fun, super-festive list, including a snowman (but not the one you're thinking of), a snow monster (yes, that one), our favorite Sombertown schoolteacher, assorted rabbits and ducks, and a couple of misfits. Also: More Hallmark movie talk, Limahl's birthday, Bobby Brady's hair, reindeer bleeps, and the Figgy Pudding Pages. And this is just part one! Tune into episode 34 of But First, Let's Talk Nerdy (available later this week) for the shocking conclusion. Is this the greatest holiday crossover since Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July? Only King Moonracer knows the truth. But First, Let's Talk Nerdy! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: The Watch-A-Thon of Rassilon!

As our holiday festivities continue, we're scrolling through a list of Hallmark Christmas movies... and fixing them. Is there any way to redeem these crazy generic holiday romantic comedies, all featuring big city career women returning to their hometowns to find true love and the meaning of Christmas? Yeah, we've got you covered, as we script-doctor these turkeys and randomly add Snow Misers, Sharknadoes, angry chickens, a certain fruit-obsessed Martian, and lots more perfectly reasonable improvements. So it's safe to turn on your TV again this month. We just saved Christmas. Grant's Advent Calendar! Strange Animals Podcast! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Double Edged Double Bill!

It's been a few months since we played that horrifying game we invented for 2020, Trapped in the House. But as we creep into the holiday season, it's time for a few rounds of Trapped in the House: Holiday Edition! We have some tough choices to make, as our homes are about to be invaded by lords a-leaping, maids a-milking, sarcastic candy, singing dogs, obnoxious Rankin Bass characters, and yes, zombies. Let's see what happens. We'll be home for Christmas. You will too. Lock the door. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Twitter! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: The Best Saturdays of Our Lives!