Episode LXXXII: 2012 in Review

Hope you had yourself a jingle belly, holly jolly, white winter wonderlandy merry little Christmas!  Mikey and d$ are back again to finish up 2012 with our special year in review... its The Deucecast Episode LXXXII: 2012 In Review...

In this episode, we dish out the best in music for the year, first with Mikey's terrible tastes and crappy bands, and then with d$'s great choices, both critically acclaimed and loved by audiences worldwide (much like The Deucecast itself). 

The guys kick off the show with topics like Doc McStuffins... kid Christmases... James Bond 50 Blu Ray set... Star Wars... Mikey's sickness... d$'s head-to-head battle with the flu... JJ Abrams and Star Wars... The Walking Dead losing producers... Disney's Limited Time Magic... and Real Men of Genius.'

A discussion of 2012 includes Whitney Houston's death... Gotye... The Olympics... Brit Rock... The Walking Dead... and Disney purchasing Lucasfilm

A longer movie discussion gets on the favorite movies of the year, including The Master... The Avengers... Skyfall... Brave... The Hunger Games... and Emily Blunt's multiple appearances on the list!  Plus, d$ gives his Top Ten Favorite Movies He Hasn't Seen Yet, and a list of all 82 movies he's seen this year.

Demi Lovato gets her due, and the return of a much missed, much loved "Watch"! 

Episode LXXXI: Emmet Otter's Podcast Christmas

Welcome back to The Deucecast. This week it's Mike & Shawn. Dave had an appointment to get his back hair waxed.

We tie up our Christmas episodes with a conversation about our favorite Christmas TV Specials including Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, Mickey's Christmas Carol, and Shawn's personal favorite A Garfield Christmas. We also make sure to mention all the Rankin Bass nonsense to respect what certainly would be Dr. Earl's wishes.

Mike does his final Christmas Music Minute of 2012 by playing some crowd pleasing "Weird Al" tunes like "Christmas At Ground Zero" and "The Night Santa Went Crazy."

During the show Mike reflicks "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and the abomination that was Dave's Netflix assignment "Holiday in Handcuffs." Shawn also reflicks and gushes over the latest Denzel movie "Flight."

Last but not certainly not least Conan O'Brien brings you a special Star Wars message.

Join us next week for our special year in review episode where we'll hopefully celebrate the Mayans being wrong.

Episode LXXX: I'll Come Pod For Christmas

Episode LXXIX: A Podcast Carol

Merry Christmas!!  Its December again, and its time for Mikey and d$ to convene and discuss all the news that's fit to pod...

On this episode of The Deucecast: A Podcast Carol, we dive right in with our Drink O'the Week, Bubble Up!  Like Merle Haggard says, "We'll all be drinking our free Bubble Up and eating that rainbow stew..."

Mikey talks about his concert going experiences this week, including The Great Book of John... Bunny Austin... and some other bands that no one cares about... and the wretch continues with his Crappy Christmas Music Crap segment, with Matthew Mayfield. 

d$ discusses the busy work week and his kid's 1st birthday party... the game this past week... and the guys dish on random topics like usual...

A new Christmas movie game is introduced and sort of played, sort of stumbled through... and The Big Three gives Favorite Anti-Christmas films, including Die Hard... The Ref... Gremlins and more...

Also, a great discussion on the downfall of Blockbuster Video... and then the Star Wars sequels trilogy upcoming... Corey Feldman's Star Wars hopes... the new Test Track at Epcot... Jamie Foxx gets electrified in The Amazing Spiderman 2... Under the Dome hits the TV... and Mikey discusses "Steel Magnolias" at length, plus the latest Nic Cage debacle on film known as Stolen.

Oh, and everyone loves The Demi Lovato Tweet of the Week!

Next Week:  The Deucecast Episode LXXX: Pod Come Home For Christmas, we give you The Big Five Favorite Christmas Tunes... Mikey has more holiday music... and d$ dishes out a jingly jangly Buried Treasure!

Ep LXXVIII: Podcast on 34th Street

It's the downhill slope to Christmas!  We kick off the Christmas season with a quick one-shot salute to 90s music, including Mikey playing a bunch of crap no one has heard of and no one cares about, and d$ playing some awesome music that you will love to hear over and over!

We dish on your odds of winning that Powerball Lottery.. drink some Jic Jac Blue Raspberry Soda... discuss our favorite sodas of the past, like Coke II and Apple Slice and Tropical Pepsi... Bo Jackson's venture into the pie business... and what we would do with 70 million dollars...

The 90s music features such tripe as AIR... Spacehog... and Supergrass... and such awesomeness as Inner Circle... Sheryl Crow... Blind Melon... and d$'s favorite Mariah Carey song of 1994...

More topics of conversation include Disney's new Jack Sparrow attraction... there are Star Wars and rumors and Star Wars yet to come... Waterworld's remake (?!)... the casting on Days of Future Past... Joseph Gordon Levitt's new role, maybe... Girl Meets World... some movie called "Take This Waltz"... Refliktions on movies like "Killer Elite"... "The Grey"... "Rio"... and d$'s review of "Immortals".

You know those movies that you see when you are flipping channels, and no matter where they are in the movie you'll stop and watch it from that point until the end?  That's our Big Three!  Movies we watch when we see them on tv... movies with Seagal... Titanic... Die Hard 2 - Die Harder... and of course, Nic Cage is well represented.

And lest we forget... Demi Lovato's inspiring Tweet of the Week...

Next week... Mikey starts his Christmas Music Exodus... and our Big Three Anti-Christmas Films! That's on The Deucecast Episode LXXIX:  A Podcast Carol

DeuceGiving 2012

Because, in the South, anything done two years in a row makes a tradition.... we at The Deucecast are proud of our annual tradition of giving thanks in a special episode called DeuceGiving... and we call it DeuceGiving 2012, not just DeuceGiving '12... because in 100 years, we don't want this year's DeuceGiving to be confused with DeuceGiving 2112, right?  Right.

Before we get to the DeuceGiving of it all, we dish on such topics as... Mikey's daughter turning 2... the crazy weekend of college football and Steak N Shake...

Mike's Crappy Music rolls on, discussing cover songs of classic hits by Michael Jackson... Oasis... INXSand.. Leonard Cohen (!). 

Of course, what would our annual DeuceGiving be without our thanks to... Audible.com... and tacos... and Max's Deli... and The Avengers, plus more fantastic, heartfelt appreciations. 



A rousing discussion on the difference in David Keith and Keith David...

Episode LXXVII: Live and Let Pod

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of James Bond we at The Deucecast come together to talk about our favorite James Bond flicks including but not limited to Goldfinger, Goldeneye, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Casino Royale (with cheese), and the Double-0 Kid.

Mike brings us his favorite Bond music of all time and Dave wonders why Tina Turner wasn't mentioned.

We welcome back former co-host Matt yet again because we are itching for some Seagal News.

The Roundtable is chalk full of Star Wars, Disney, and movie news. In the on going saga that is the Movie Watch Challenge Mike requests Dave watch the latest Tarsem flick Immortals and Dave requests Mike watch the latest piece of crap he can come up with called Against the Dark .

Join us next week as we bring you our 2nd Annual DeuceGiving Episode. We'll talk about the things we're thankful for in 2012.

Dr. Earl's Pearls

Merriam-Webster defines wisdom as accumulated philosophic or scientific learning. We at The Deucecast feel as if wisdom can only be garnered through allowing those more intellegent than ourselves to impart their knowledge upon us. We therefore present you a very special Best of Episode we like to call Dr. Earl's Pearls. Listen and you may just learn something.

Episode LXXVI: [Disney/LucasFilm Mania!] Splinter of the Podcast's Eye

It's late at night; you're in bed but not asleep. Long-lingering questions from the back of your mind drift forward...

"Does blue look the same to everyone?"
"Why did I eat that right before I got in bed?"
"What exactly is the purpose of The Deucecast? What is its raison d'être?"

Now we have a definitive answer for at least one of those questions. With the sale of LucasFilm to Disney, it's the story this podcast was made for, and it's all-hands-on-deck at The Deucecast Studios as we spend this week tearing into that news and all its possible ramifications. Enjoy the nerdgasm that is had on this episode featuring Mike, Dave, Rhett, and joining us remotely, special guest former co-host Matt. What are the odds on previous cast members showing up in the next trilogy? Is it possible the ".05" of the $4.05 billion sale price was to ensure midichlorians are never mentioned again? And where in the world are we with the maquettes?!?! Listen along for possible answers to these and more, and let us know what you think!

Disney Buys LucasFilm

The press release announcing the sale of LucasFilm and its enterprises, including the entire Star Wars Universe, its franchises, its businesses and its stories, to The Walt Disney Company... Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light and Magic will now be owned by Disney.

Updated: We've added our Super Special Star Wars Episode to this post. It was recorded on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Enjoy the nerdgasm that is had on this episode featuring Mike, Dave, Rhett, and special guest former co-host Matt.

Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.

Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.

“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm.

“It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and “evergreen” Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.

Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney’s global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.

The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.

Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm’s legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world’s top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney’s strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.

The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney’s very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company’s unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney’s portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company’s ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world’s highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.

The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.