Lumpia and Latkes

Holiday Spectacular

'Tis the season for...blackface and spiders? Christmas traditions vary the world over and we try to wrap our minds around some of the most unusual and some downright controversial. Mitch and Jay tell the story of Hanukkah in all new ways with the help of ChatGPT: "The Hilarious Eight" and "Willy Wonka-bee and the Eight Crazy Nights" at "The Coffee Table". "This, Ya Call News?" also goes Christmas as Mitch finds the legality of vehicle lighting and Jay has a Christmas gift for the heart. Merry Christmahanukkwanzaa, everyone!

Going, Going, Almost Gone

"You remember that thing from that place with the stuff and the people from back in the day? Good times. Good times." Time marches forward with or without us...as well as places and things. We have a discussion of things we believe to be on the path of the dinosaur (extinct) in our "Topic of the Week". Mitch reads about schoolin' from "Mind Over Matters" and Jay has a classic Christmas tale with a twist at "The Coffee Table". In "This, Ya Call News?", Mitch reports on "The Goatman" and Jay has soup.

Sale On Sales

"As with every Thanksgiving dinner, let's start by each stating what we are most thankful for. Jimmy?" "I'm most thankful for the great deals we can all get only at Walmart tomorrow with guaranteed doorbusters and savings galore!" "Me too, son. Me too." This conversation never happened in real life, but it's what corporate America wants. Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Cyber Week/Prime Day is our "Topic of the Week". 2 new books take their place on "The Coffee Table": Mike Nelson's "Mind over Matters" and Leland Gregory's "Stupid History". We wrap up with "This, Ya Call News?": Jay has a report on Gamestop's "Trade Anything Day" and Mitch has a report on a casino ghost contest.

Movie Round Up

*Movie Spoilers In This Episode*
 
"Two Thumbs Up?"...maybe...maybe not. Mitch and Jay trade off movies to review ala Ebert and Roeper: Jay reviews "Highlander" (1:57) , Mitch reviews "Knives Out" (23:25), and both of us review "Tremors" (32:25). At "The Coffee Table", we tackle a case of suspected fakes in archaeology for "Further Five Minute Mysteries" and we talk about doing "To Do" lists. We wrap up this episode with Mitch reading about a robot fail and Jay reading about lost mail in "This, Ya Call News?".

Reboots And Remakes: Why No One Likes Them

Why does Hollywood do when they run out of fresh ideas or need easy money? Time to make a reboot or remake! For our "Topic of the Week", we discuss the (generally) unsound idea to redo a beloved intellectual property and many examples of Hollywood's failures. At "The Coffee Table", we deal with dead bodies in a parking lot and the taboo of the "Easy" button. We wrap up this week with a story on a car sale gone wrong read by Mitch and another story of beauty salon woes read by Jay for "This, Ya Call News?".

AI: Yay Or Nay? Pt 2

"We're out of job." *Cue Jeff Goldblum* "Uh, don't you mean EXTINCT?" Special guest Brian joins us for the second part of our discussion on AI: job security or the (possible) lack thereof as well as Hollywood's take on "progress". At "The Coffee Table", can we get 2 right in a row for "5 Minute Mysteries" as we crack open "Further Five -Minute Mysteries" by Ken Weber. We also dare to ask "How are you?". In "This, Ya Call News?", Mitch has "Reese's" from Halloween and Jay has one of many examples of bad parenting.

AI: Yay Or Nay? Pt 1

After a short hiatus, we are BACK! In this episode, we welcome another of our coworkers: Brian to the show as our guest. The topic for this week is a doozy that you just cannot avoid: Artificial Intelligence. There is so much to say, we broke it down into 2 episodes and this is part 1. With Brian's help, will this be the first "5 Minute Mystery" we actually solve? Also, Mitch reads about self-worth/self-doubt at "The Coffee Table". To take us out, Mitch has the makings of a new "Netflix" movie and Jay does "Spirit Halloween" in "This, Ya Call News?".

All Hallows' Eve

Happy Halloween! 'Tis the season for ghosts aplenty! Mitch and Jay tackle All Hallows' Eve by recounting scary movies and their trick-or-treating days. At "The Coffee Table", Jay reads another "5 Minute Mystery" and Mitch speaks on the concept of earning. So far, we are 0.5 out of 3--will this new mystery put us at 1.5? To wrap up the week, Mitch has a new take on school fundraising and Jay reads a report of a gas leak in "This, Ya Call News?".

Slip It In Game

Yes, you read that title right. This "Topic of the Week", we wanted to try to play a game that was on clearance at "Kroger" and (an iteration) was used in the South Korean variety show "Running Man": "Slip It In". Mitch and Jay use random phrases/words/sentences in ad-libbed stories and attempt to guess each other's slips. At "The Coffee Table", Jay reads another "5 Minute Mystery" and Mitch has an excerpt on warranties. Closing out this episode, Jay has old bread and Mitch found the answer to your high grocery bills in "This, Ya Call News?".

Unethical Life Hacks

Is bending the rules to get ahead in life wrong or is it just playing the game in a system rigged against us? Mitch and Jay have a list of "Unethical Life Hacks" that we mostly do not recommend. At "The Coffee Table", Mitch has a lesson on lessons and Jay has another "5 Minute Mystery". Wrapping up this episode, Jay has more inexplicable emojis and Mitch talks Vegas for "This, Ya Call News?".