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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Lauren and Nicole are joined by actress and comedian Jessica McKenna (Off Book: The Improvised Musical) for some more Lord of the Rings memes and parodies! The three take a peek at Aragorn's text messages, compare Saruman to a shampoo bottle, and watch Orlando Bloom himself imitate a popular song entirely based around a single Legolas line from the films. Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: The voting is over. It's done. Warner Bros. padding out the Hobbit films Are you on your phone while Théoden mourns? Saruman the shampoo bottle Aragorn's DMs Trilogy Recap Rap They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard "Hobbits to Isengard" but it's Orlando Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
It's about that time again! In Part 2 of Lord of the Rings fanfiction, Lauren and Nicole are joined by graphic novelist and writer, Molly Ostertag, to get weird, goofy, creepy, and super cute with a fresh batch of fics. This round of fanfics truly runs the gamut of genres and moods. From the antics of Peepee the small stupid hobbit, to Lady Gollum's pursuit of rings and love, to (of course) some Sam and Frodo slash, there's sure to be a little something for everyone here. Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: The LOTR-themed military spy satellite Fan Fics: The Very Secret Diary of Gandalf the Grey The Mellon Chronicles Excerpt A Royal Wedding Night Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Now that they're out of the woods of the challenging and bizarre Lord of the Rings animation trilogy, Lauren and Nicole suddenly find themselves... in more woods. Fan-made woods, that is! Joined by writer Eva Anderson (Comedy Bang! Bang!, You're The Worst), the three take a detour into the popular 2009 Lord of the Rings fan film, The Hunt for Gollum. Eva holds nothing back as she tells the tale of her break in at a magical, now defunct place known as Hobbiton, USA, and even reveals a certain precious someone she has tattooed on her. The three ponder what film and TV universes they would make their own fan films about, Nicole dishes out a hot take comparing fan-made Arwen with the Peter Jackson version, and Lauren just wants to get to the bottom of who is in the bag when Gollum is captured and wriggling around in it. "Internet, tell us who's in that bag!" Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Watch The Hunt For Gollum here Sean Connery could have been Gandalf Article about Hobbiton, USA Witness the Gollum diorama in Hobbiton Trivia from IMDb Trivia from Fandom.com Trivia from Wikipedia Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
The third and final pillar of the Lord of the Rings "animation trilogy" has been vanquished by Lauren and Nicole, with the aid of fellow Headgum podcaster, comedian and musician Miel Bredouw (Punch Up the Jam, Camp Unplug). The trio dive deep into this 1980 musical television film version of The Return of the King and decry the ugliness of all the characters (except Éowyn, who is super hot), note the ableism against Frodo masked under an awful folk tune, and ponder what it is about this franchise that keeps fans returning to these films time and time again. Okay, maybe not returning to this one specifically, but, yeah... Also, it finally happened, Lauren tells us how she recently dropped her first Lord of the Rings reference in real life! Are you happy now? She's very upset about this. Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: The Gollum fish Trivia from IMDb Trivia from TvTropes.org Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Trudging ever onward through the deep cuts of the LOTR franchise, Lauren and Nicole bring along comedian and talk show host Michelle Collins (The Michelle Collins Show, Midnight Snack with Michelle Collins) to experience and help piece together the trippy and sometimes terrifying Ralph Bakshi animated film from 1978, simply known as The Lord of the Rings. The three begin on common ground, airing out their mixed opinions about this film and fawning over Gandy and how much of his, um, Gandy-ness could fill his wizard cap. But then a tussle breaks out as Nicole throws more shade on Gollum, and Michelle comes to his aid! In the end, they all put aside their differences and try to decipher where Peter Jackson is from. He's Australian, right? Or... British or something? Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Sean Astin announces 4K HD release of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies Mick Jagger seriously wanted to play Frodo More news on the nudity/sex rumors in the Amazon series Trivia from Fandom.com Trivia from MovieMistakes Trivia from ScreenRant Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Actor and comedian Oscar Montoya (Spanish Aqui Presents, Inside The Disney Vault) joins Lauren and Nicole to begin the hosts' first foray into the world of animated Lord of the Rings content, starting with the American musical television special from 1977, The Hobbit. Oscar brings his obsession for animation along with him to explain his love for this movie, draw comparisons between this film's style with Disney's, and whether he thinks this story warrants more than the 77 minutes this animated version of The Hobbit offers (looking at you, 9 hour live-action versions...). The three break down the differences between this version and the Peter Jackson trilogy, and suss out which one comes out on top! Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Article on Amazon series nudity rumors Trivia from IMDb Trivia from Fandom.com Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Welp, we were sort of wrong to think there would be a lot of insights into the world of The Lord of the Rings in store for us with the 2019 biopic, Tolkien. But though it was a dry well to draw from, Lauren and Nicole still managed to enjoy some thought-provoking conversations with actor and writer Mike Castle (Brews Brothers, Clipped) around the concepts of separating the art from the artist, whether spoilers for a story are a good or bad thing, and the glamorization and embellishments that biopics often indulge in. The trio even display their most pretentious voices possible to set the record straight on this film with some snooty fact-checking! Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Miniature Hobbiton Display Fact Check article 1 Fact Check article 2 Trivia from IMDb Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
After finishing both Peter Jackson trilogies, Lauren and Nicole are ready to decompress, have a laugh, and perhaps even learn a thing or two in this episode of Newcomers all about the memes, parodies, and other bits and bobs that have cropped up over the years surrounding the Lord of the Rings franchise. Joined by actor, comedian and podcaster Paul Scheer (The League, Black Monday, How Did This Get Made?), the three will navigate all sorts of hilarity, ranging from comparisons between Gandalf and Betty White, to oddly relevant and topical jabs at peoples' responses to COVID-19. Later, Paul will introduce Lauren and Nicole to the deepest of deep cuts: rare footage of another well-known pointy-eared hero of pop culture singing a ballad for our dear Biblo, er... Diplo, er... Bilbo Baggins! Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Amazon's Lord of the Rings production article Betty White and the Balrog Normal People vs. People with COVID-19 Let Boromir borrow it Some form of Selfish Denethor and the Tomato A Simple Walk Into Mordor Veggietales - Lord of the Beans "Frodo, Don't Wear the Ring" "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Actor, writer and podcaster Zach Reino (A.P. Bio, Off Book: The Improvised Musical) joins Lauren and Nicole to close out the rollercoaster that has been the Hobbit trilogy with a deep dive into The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. With Zach's musical prowess, the three work together to devise the greatest LOTR musical ever, with one idea just being Bilbo asking/singing for his stuff back from his neighbors the whole time. They also do their actual very best to decipher who all five of the armies are, and to comprehend how Benedict Cumberbatch could have possibly provided a motion capture performance for a gigantic dragon. Stick around to find out if Lauren regrets her fulfilled wish of some dwarves being killed off! Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: GameRant article on the Gollum video game Benedict Cumberbatch's MoCap session as Smaug Trivia from MovieMistakes.com Trivia from IMDb Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Moving on to what the trio will summarize as "The Dead Man's Chest of The Hobbit series", Lauren and Nicole are joined by writer and entertainment reporter Karen Han to shake off the liquid gold and hash out what they just experienced in the second installment of The Hobbit series, The Desolation of Smaug. The three note the dramatically different portrayals of violence between the first and second movie, consider if a romantic interest's DISinterest in your favorite movies is ever a dealbreaker, and confess their struggle to feel invested in any of these characters unless they look like celebrities they know, or are Bilbo, sometimes. Kind of. Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Amazon TV series news article by Radio Times Trivia from Warped Factor Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Moving on from the acclaimed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and buckling in for an all new (and again, very long) adventure, Lauren and Nicole are joined by comedian/writer/actor Jon Braylock (Astronomy Club, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) to begin The Hobbit prequel trilogy, starting with An Unexpected Journey. The three ponder how on earth Peter Jackson was able to stretch out a short children's book into the three-pronged behemoth the film adaptations became, while also learning that it was an absolute nightmare to create. We also learn about Lauren's early history with The Hobbit, where as a child she performed, as she describes, "as one of those three disgusting, naked things" in one of her first ever plays. Later on, we hear why Nicole thinks Sauron and Saruman should be called Carl and Gary instead. Hopelessly mixed emotions abound with this first installment of The Hobbit trilogy! Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Article on The Hobbit's production chaos Trivia from IMDb Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Having just finished their first watch through of the acclaimed Peter Jackson trilogy, Lauren and Nicole are joined this week by author, speaker and writer, Preeti Chhibber, to spend some time exploring the world of The Lord of the Rings fanfiction. The trio navigate stories of varying excitement and severity, discovering their limits in both directions, from too tame to WAY too much. And, of course, they've written a few stories of their own. It's time to make things weird all over again with this new franchise! You knew this was coming... Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Orlando Bloom interview Preeti's article on (and picture of) Sidharth Malhotra, Indian Elf Fan Fics: The Steward's Sons A Little Care My Birthday Present Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Lauren and Nicole are joined by writers and LOTR fanatics Gaby Paiella (GQ) and Callie Beusman (The Cut) to close out the final installment of the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King. The four of them venture fearlessly into topics of conversation such as who in the Fellowship has Big Dick Energy, why Callie thinks the Director's Cut is the only way to go (it has a lot to do with a particularly goofy-looking orc), the continued dissection of how the film creates such extreme illusions of size and proportion in characters, pondering why this franchise gets such universal acclaim versus all the backlash Star Wars constantly receives, and also, "Who the f*** is the Witch King!?" Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: "Which Lord of the Rings Characters Have Big Dick Energy?" article Gaby's article on Vanessa Hudgens' Lord of the Rings themed birthday party Trivia from IMDB Trivia from MovieMistakes.com Trivia from Mental Floss Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Helping Nicole and Lauren make sense of and, dare we say, enjoy, Peter Jackson's second installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, is Mary Holland (Comedy Central's Robbie / Jedi Temple Challenge). Listen in as they hash out points of varying importance such as how flawless Gandalf the White's new hair is, the finer details of Elven love and aging, the baffling games the films play on our perception of characters' sizes, and Mary's command of the Elvish language. Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Trivia from Screen Rant Trivia from Mental Floss Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
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Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
Nicole and Lauren embark on their epic journey across Middle-earth, discussing the first installment of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring. Your hosts can't do it alone, though. Jon Gabrus (The High & Mighty, The Action Boyz) returns to the pod to guide his friends through the first steps of their quest. And if you thought the #1 fuccboi nerded-out hard with Star Wars, you've heard nothing yet. Nothing. Sure, they discuss the plot, but that's secondary to the important stuff: Who in the Fellowship is a daddy? What are they smoking in those pipes? Why do the wizards have a breakdance fight? What are any of these characters' names? Why is everyone white? Where the hell is Gollum? Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover. Sources for this episode: Fellowship of the Ring Trivia from IMDB Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fm
Newcomers: The Lord of the Rings, with Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer
with Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus
Sometimes we miss things. For Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus, those things are most every deeply popular sci-fi or fantasy series out there. In Season 1, Nicole and Lauren got a crash course in Star Wars. For Season 2, they’re venturing into The Lord of the Rings. Join Nicole and Lauren as they get to know the ins and outs of elvish, hobbit feet, and some all powerful ring.