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The Couch Latkes Podcast
EP2 - Alice Fraser
Season 1, Ep. 2
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EPISODE TWO - ALICE FRASER
In our second episode we welcome Australian comic, writer and podcaster, Alice Fraser, to our couch to schmooze about her pop culture tastes and habits. In a wide-ranging chat, we dig into the brilliance of Star Trek, the value of Xena: Warrior Princess and why stand-up comedians make such great action movie stars.
Since leaving the world of academia and corporate law Alice Fraser has been one of the hardest working, and most internationally successful Australian stand-up comics. Trilogy, her 2018 podcast series for the ABC was named the best Australian podcast by Apple, and she has garnered serious acclaim for her smart, incisive and formidable stand-up shows, The Resistance and Savage.
You can regularly catch up with Alice's wit and wisdom through her funny and thought-provoking podcast, Tea With Alice, and starting soon via a new satirical news spin-off of Andy Zaltzman's The Bugle podcast, The Last Post.
Don't forget to pencil into your calendar the Jewish Comedy Showcase 2020 on April 28th and the Sydney Jewish Writers' Festival from August 18th to 24th. Refer to Shalom.edu.au for tickets and further details.
Please join us at the Couch Latkes community on Facebook. We'd love to hear from you and further the discussion.
You can help the podcast by leaving a written review in Apple Podcasts as well as sharing it on social media.
Episode Notes:
0:46 - Fressing on the World of Popular Culture.
Recommendations: Indiana Jones 5 (due for release 09.07.21), James Mangold's best films as a director: Cop Land (1997), Walk the Line (2005), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Logan (2017) & Ford v Ferrari (2019), and Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton (1994-)
6:25 - The Maven: What Trent's consuming and why you should be too.
Recommendations: Nathan Rabin's new podcast: Travolta/Cage, Face/Off (1997), Lauren Greenfield's The Kingmaker (2019) on Stan and The Queen of Versailles (2012), Brick (2005), 500 Days of Summer (2009), Don Jon (2013), and Michael Gordon's Pillow Talk (1959) on Apple iTunes
11:45 - The Nosh: Hot Takes from the Couch Latkes Facebook Community.
Shoshana Gottlieb's humourous article: 14 Jewish Pick Up Lines Hotter Than the Burning Bush.
13:21 - Schmoozing with Alice Fraser.
Recommendations: Maria Popova's book Figuring (2019), James Thurber's book The Thirteen Clocks (1950), Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Witcher (2019), Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The Fast and the Furious Franchise, and Batman (1989),
29:00 - The Spiel: Join us on the Couch Latkes Facebook Group and share you favourite Jewish action film star.
Films sighted: The Godfather (1972), Rollerball (1975), Freebie and the Bean (1974), The Killer Elite (1975), Alien Nation (1988), Eraser (1998), Live & Let Die (1973), The Running Man (1987), Midnight Run (1988)
Trent's favourites: Harrison Ford, James Caan and Yaphet Kotto.
For the record, the least convincing Jewish action film star:
Billy Crystal playing an Italian-American New York cop in Running Scared (1986)
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7. EP 4 - Debra Aarons
37:39||Season 1, Ep. 7EPISODE FOUR - THE MARVELLOUS MRS. MAISEL with DR. DEBRA AARONS In our final episode of season one, we welcome the witty, forthright and highly knowledgeable Dr. Debra Aarons to guide us through the elaborate and dense story world of the excellent and extremely binge-able Amazon show, THE MARVELLOUS MRS. MAISEL. Debra helps unpack the truth from within the fiction and contextualise the characters and events in the evolution of stand-up comedy. Debra is a linguist from UNSW, specialising in what jokes can reveal about our tacit knowledge of language. Debra has written a book, Jokes and the Linguistic Mind (2011), exploring the art of joke-making through the lens of cognitive science, and with Marc Mierowsky writes extensively on stand-up in Jewish comedy, with particular reference to Joan Rivers and Sarah Silverman. Along, with her particular interest in Jewish comedy, Debra can make a compelling case for the value of Dad Jokes and described herself as someone with a six year-old's sense of humour. Please join us at the Couch Latkes community on Facebook. We'd love to hear from you and further the discussion. Let us know what your thoughts on the Marvellous Mrs. Maisel. You can help the podcast by leaving a written review in Apple Podcasts as well as sharing it on social media. Episode Notes: 00:30 - The Mavens: What Rob and Trent are consuming. Recommendations: Stardust Memories (1980), Meatballs (1979), Fauda (2015-) Question: Is the BBC show, McMafia (2018-) anti-semitic? 06:42 - Schmoozing about The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel with Dr. Debra Aarons 34:33 - The Spiel: Join us on the Couch Latkes Facebook Group and share your favourite Jewish stand-up comics, and your thoughts on which current comic is the successor to Lenny Bruce, Joan Rivers and Sarah Silverman.6. A Little Nosh - Brad Slabe
12:32||Season 1, Ep. 6It's a bissel more of the podcast, to satisfy your latke cravings. We hope you and all those you care about are healthy, safe, following social distancing and if necessary, self-isolation, and using their time to watch some great shows. In this tasty morsel, we dish up a little more than usual from my wide-ranging chat with Bradley in which we discuss fascinating topics ranging from the process of making stop-motion animation to finding peace in the beauty and universal truth of the Japanese philosophy, Wabi Sabi. We also find a way to tie in The Good Place and Star Wars franchise. e Pop Culture Generation Gap Next week, join us for a regular Couch Latkes Podcast episode for something a little different. Just like us, I'm sure there often times when you're watching a show and you want a little more context and understanding. Well then, for all of you who have enjoyed the three seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, or for those who haven't yet had the pleasure, we are joined by Linguistics lecturer, stand-up comedy historian and Mrs. Maisel expert, Dr. Debra Aarons. I'm currently finishing up season three of Mrs. Maisel, but if you haven't watched any of the show, don't worry, you won't be left out. Yet, if you are able to at least watch the very first episode prior to our next episode, then I'm sure you'll find our discussion with Debra even more interesting. And, please don't forget to review and rating us on your preferred streaming service. We really appreciate it. Until next week, keep sizzling.5. Pesach Special
01:56||Season 1, Ep. 5Chag Sameach from the Couch Latkes Podcast! We will be back with a new Little Nosh episode next and our full episode the week after. Until then, please stay safe, happy and healthy at this tragic, trying and anxiety-inducing time. And, in the spirit of Pesach here is a list of films that tell the story of Moses and the Exodus for you to enjoy (or not) over the next eight days of at-home festivities. The Great, Good, Bad and Terrible of Pesach Films. Ridley Scott's 2014 overblown action blockbuster starring Christian Bale as Moses, Exodus: God and Kings. Cecil B. DeMille's 1923 silent film extravaganza, The Ten Commandments, and/or his 1956 Technicolor all-star, mega-hit epic of the same name starring Charlton Heston in the most iconic iteration of Moses. The 2007 animated version of The Ten Commandments, starring Christian Slater as Moses. Even your kids will be appalled by its terrible quality. Although, it's possibly 'so bad, it's good'. 2006's The Ten Commandments - The Musical. It could be successfully argued that this film has no right to exist. On which side do you sit? The 1980 wannabe comedy, Wholly Moses! This film is totally worth watching to see an incredible cast of comedians fail spectacularly at trying to rip-off Monty Python's Life of Brian. And finally, 1998's Oscar-winning animated musical, The Prince of Egypt. If you ignore any feelings of nostalgia for the 1956 version of The Ten Commandments, this is definitely the most watchable of all of the various Exodus-based films. Enjoy! Please join us at the Couch Latkes community on Facebook. We'd love to hear from you and further the discussion. Let us know which Pesach film is your favourite. You can help the podcast by leaving a written review in Apple Podcasts as well as sharing it on social media.4. SPECIAL VIRAL EDITION - Adrian Elton
14:52||Season 1, Ep. 4For our special Covid-19 edition,we talk to Adrian Elton about what it is like to make viral sensation. Adrian is an creative provocateur, whose 2019 mock IKEA billboard went viral during the federal election campaign post-mortem. Adrian's professional website is http://adrianeltoncreative.com/ and look on our Facebook age for some of his piss takes https://www.facebook.com/Couch-Latkes-Podcast-100927528185425/ . Adrian is available for virtual weddings parties and especially bar mitzvahs.3. EP 3- Bradley Slabe
36:10||Season 1, Ep. 3EPISODE 3 - BRADLEY SLABE In our third episode we welcome the ever-thoughtful multiple award-winning filmmaker and genuine mensch, Bradley Slabe, to our couch to schmooze about his pop culture tastes and habits, and show off his awesome Seinfeld socks. In a wide-ranging chat, Bradley claims that he has Jerry Seinfeld's support in vouching for the Cosby Show, gives tips on how to achieve a greater emotional impact when making a film, and tells us what he sings along to when driving and which show makes him cry. For nearly a decade Bradley has brought his deep talent, skill and humanity to the world of animated films and television. In addition to developing content with a host of Australia's best children's TV creators, Bradley has written numerous episodes on Kitty Is Not A Cat and continues to achieve international awards, recognition and millions of viewers for his incredible film, Lost and Found. You should watch Bradley's incredible film, Lost and Found. Make sure to have a box of tissues ready. It's available via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35i4zTky9pI Please join us at the Couch Latkes community on Facebook. We'd love to hear from you and further the discussion. Let us know what your thoughts on Bradley's film. You can help the podcast by leaving a written review in Apple Podcasts as well as sharing it on social media. Episode Notes: 01:13 - Fressing on the World of Popular Culture. Recommendations: The Test: A New Era for Australia's Team on Amazon & Ramy on Stan 05:49 - The Nosh: Hot Takes from the Couch Latkes Facebook Community. Recommendations: Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix (2005-2008) 06:51 - Schmoozing with Bradley. Recommendations: Uncut Gems (2019), Manhattan (1979), Pocahontas (1995), Bluey (2018-) BoJack Horseman (2014-2020) and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (1964) Bradley Slabe's Interview on StopMotionGeek.Com: https://stopmotiongeek.blogspot.com/2018/05/interview-with-bradley-slabe-co.html Bradley and co-director, Andrew Goldsmith's interview on Tonkocast via iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tonkocast-lost-found-2018-bradley-slabe-andrew-goldsmith/id1495110230?i=1000462959346 Or, on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH8xjZzCvg0 29:20 - The Spiel: Join us on the Couch Latkes Facebook Group and share the shows and films you intend to binge. Films and TV shows Trent is planning to binge: On FOX SHOWCASE Barry (2018-) The Plot Against America (2020-) Arthur Miller: Writer (2017) On iTunes The Spirit Of St. Louis (1957). Billy Wilder's Charles Lindbergh biopic On DISNEY+ Free Solo (2018) Millions (2004) Recess (1992-2001) On AMAZON Hanna (2019) Picard (2020) Ilana Glazer's The Planet Is Burning (2020) On NETFLIX Narcos (2015-2017) Medical Police (2020) Ozark (2020) Daybreak (2019) The Spy Who Fell To Earth (2019) TV and Films that Rob is planning to binge on: Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) (Disney) 1917 (2019) (iTunes) Stand By Me (1986) (Amazon) Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)(Fetch Tv) Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (2019)(Foxtel)A Little Nosh - Alice Fraser
05:13||Season 1A Little Nosh - Alice Fraser It's a bissel more of the podcast, to satisfy your latke cravings. In this tasty morsel, we dish up some previously unreleased material from our chat with Alice in which she explains the differences between performing stand-up in Australia and the U.K. We also bring you news of latest must-watch TV show, The Plot Against America.e Pop Culture Generation Gap Next week, join us for a regular Couch Latkes Podcast episode, when we welcome the hugely talented filmmaker, Bradley Slabe. For those that want to get a taste of Bradley's incredible work, and see what moved my daughters to tears, here is a link to his highly acclaimed film, LOST AND FOUND: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35i4zTky9pI And, please don't forget to review and rating us on your preferred streaming service. We really appreciate it. Until next week, keep sizzling. The link to Daniel Fienberg's review of The Plot against America: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/plot-america-review-1281955A Little Nosh - Osher Günsberg
05:11||Season 1It's a bissel more of the podcast, to satisfy your latke cravings. In this tasty morsel, we dish up a some previously unreleased material from our chat with Osher in which he talks about the pop culture generation gap. We also share exciting news about Jewish Australia actor, Ashley Zukerman and bring you the latest from the Couch Latkes Facebook group about the controversy surrounding the new Amazon show, Hunters.e Pop Culture Generation Gap Next week, join us for a regular Couch Latkes Podcast episode, when we welcome the brilliant stand-up comic, Alice Fraser. And, please don't forget to review and rating us on your preferred streaming service. We really appreciate it. The link to the response of David Weil, creator/showrunner of Hunters, to the Auschwitz Memorial's criticism of his show: https://deadline.com/2020/02/auschwitz-memorial-hunters-amazon-prime-nazi-hunters-1202866536/ The link to Shoshana Gottlieb's review of Hunters: https://www.shalom.edu.au/blog/2020/03/01/hunters/ The link to Ashley Zuckerman's big news: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/succession-breakout-ashley-zukerman-star-nbc-drama-langdon-12821621. EP1 - Osher Günsberg
35:58||Season 1, Ep. 1EPISODE ONE - Osher Günsberg In our inaugural episode we welcome guest, Australian multi-media icon Osher Gunsberg to our couch to schmooze about his life in showbiz, being a dad to a sixteen year-old and a newborn, and to nosh on his pop culture tastes and habits. In a wide-ranging chat, we dig into who's better Mel Brooks or Woody Allen, who would be his ideal Jewish parents from pop culture, and discover the one pop culture habit that Osher truly regrets. Osher Günsberg has been a regular face and voice in Australia's homes for over two decades, most recognisably as the host of Australian Idol, the Bachelor and Bachelorette, the Masked Singer. Yet, Osher is a true renaissance man, also noted for his photographic work, his writing, his years as a popular radio presenter, his social activism, and his podcasting endeavours, Better Than Yesterday and Dadpod. Don't forget to pencil Shalom's Sydney Jewish Writers' Festival into your calendar from August 18th to 24th. Refer to Shalom.edu.au for further details. Please join us at the Couch Latkes community on Facebook - see https://www.facebook.com/groups/2344571892308215/ We'd love to hear from you and further the discussion. You can help the podcast by leaving a written review in Apple Podcasts as well as sharing it on social media. Oh, and watch out for some adult language when Osher gets excited. Episode Notes: 00:24 - Fressing on the World of Popular Culture. Recommendations: Parasite (2019), Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (2019), The Irishman (2019) & Jojo Rabbit (2019) 03:25 - The Nosh: Hot Takes from the Couch Latkes Facebook Community. Recommendations: Indebted (2020-), Get Shorty (2017-), The Secret of Our Cities (2017) & Adam Pally 05:59 - The Maven: What Trent's consuming and why you should be too. Recommendations: Jim Carrey's Kidding (2018-), Weeds (2005-12), The Brink (2015), I'm Dying Up Here (2017-18) & Cold War (2018) 09:01 - Schmoozing with Osher Gunsberg. Recommendations: Blazing Saddles (1974), Spaceballs (1987), Boy (2010), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), The Deuce (2017-19), The Blindboy Podcast, Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-), Fawlty Towers (1975-79), Back to the Future (1985), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) & Lenny Bruce 36:48 - The Spiel: Join us on the Couch Latkes Facebook Group and build your own best and worst Jewish pop culture families Trent's list: BEST WORST MUM · Daisy Werthan (Driving Miss Daisy) · Sadie Millstein [Sheldon's mum in Oedipus Wrecks] (New York Stories) BEST WORST DAD · Noah Levenstein [Jim's Dad] (American Pie series) · Howard Ratner (Uncut Gems) BEST WORST SISTER · Alexis Rose (Schitt's Creek) · Monica Green (Friends) BEST WORST BROTHER · Jack Rosenthal (Crimes & Misdemeanors) · Henry "Doc" Levy (Marathon Man) BEST FRIEND OR NEIGHBOUR · Gerald "Coop" Cooperberg (Wet Hot American Summer · Murray Bauman (Stranger Things)