Some Recommended Podcasts

Over the past year or so, I've taken to listening to podcasts quite a bit. There's some fun, informative, funny stuff out there, but there's also a lot of crap. So with that said, these are my favourite few podcasts, though I'm sure there are many out there I have yet to discover.

Major Spoilers/Critical Hit/Top Five
These three are lumped together because they're all run by the same site, and feature the same hosts (with a couple of extra in Critical Hit). Major Spoilers is a podcast about comic book news and reviews, and has led to me reading a lot of stuff I might not otherwise have found, as well as helped me with last year's christmas shopping. Critical Hit is an actual play D&D podcast, and is not only an interesting story with a great DM, but inspired me to start a regular game up with some friends. Top Five is exactly what it sounds like; a show in which the hosts give their top five in the episode's chosen topic. What makes these three shows great is the hosts, they're knowledgable about the subjects, have a good presence and personality behind the mic, and are usually pretty funny to boot. I recommend giving any of these three shows a look over at Major Spoilers.

Filmsack
Join Scott Johnson (of Extra Life fame), and his fellow hosts Brian Ibbott, Brian Dunaway, and Randy Jordan as they mine the very depths of film entertainment. Each week, they pick a film (usually from Netflix, though as the UK lineup to Netflix is different from the US one, it doesn't make a difference to me) and watch it, they then discuss it at depth, often going off on random tangents. The podcast is great for film fans, and it's obvious that the hosts are all film buffs, but it's also a funny show with lively and enjoyable hosts. Check it out here.

The Nerdist
This podcast, hosted by Chris Hardwick, is generally based on interviews with various celebrities, nerd icons, and interesting people. Interview might be the wrong word though, as they feel more like a conversation, and often wander off in odd directions. Worth a listen due to a great lineup of guests, and some really interesting stories (such as the time Penn Jillette, of Penn and Teller fame, once wrestled a naked little person in a pool of corn starch). Find it here!

Talking Toons
Talking Toons is hosted by Rob Paulsen, voice of Pinky, Yakko, two of the Ninja Turtles, and a whole host of other characters. It focuses on interviews with his friends in the voice acting industry, and has had some really interesting and funny guests. The behind the scenes stuff is fascinating, the guests are interesting, and since they're all his friends, the tone of the show is very relaxed. Check it out over at Rob's site.

Hypothetical Help
Another Scott Johnson podcast, this time with co-host Turpster. The two of them answer three listeners requests for advice on almost any situation each show. The advice is often funny, sometimes tongue in cheek, and surprisingly also manages to be sound advice, most of the time. I like that this podcast does something different, and the hosts have great chemistry. Check it out here!

Those are my picks, and I urge you to go give them a listen. If you have any podcasts you enjoy, please give them a shout-out in the comments, I'm always looking for new podcasts to feast my ear-tongues on.