Greetings, Programs!

Sith with us and enjoy the first new Star Wars home video release in years!  The Force Awakens has hit the shelves and promotional displays at various stores in various forms (differences in packaging, not in the discs) and most of us have picked up our copy (or, in the case of some of our friends, a copy of each version), put it into our DVD/Blu-Ray players, and enjoyed the movie (again) and the bonus features.  In the TechnoRetro Dads STAR WARS SCRAPBOOK, shazbazzar and JediShua recount all the various home video releases and play a round of “need ‘em, got ‘em” with all the versions sitting on our shelves.

In the NEWS, another “Star” franchise is in the works.  SuperFriend Jeremy the Spider-Pan from The Neverland Podcast let us know that Shawn Levy (Real Steel, Night at the Museum) is set to direct a remake of 1984’s Starman (a favorite of ours).  Beymax is coming to your TV screen in a Disney XD Big Hero 6 series, Warner Brothers’ Animaniacs are on Netflix, and Dungeons & Dragons tries to find success on the silver screen as producer Roy Lee (The LEGO Movie, The Ring) promises a Guardians of the Galaxy styled film with The Lord of the Rings look.

But the biggest NEWS this week is Star Wars. The highly-anticipated Rogue One trailer is finally released, The Force Awakens comes home, and the ‘Dads talk about the Rebels season finale. With Rex, Maul, Anakin, and Ahsoka, this stellar episode of Rebels measured up to the standard set by The Clone Wars and leaves the question of  “The Fate of Ahsoka” up to interpretation…for now.  JediShua and shazbazzar revisit Ahsoka’s past (with our very first reactions to her departure from the Jedi Order three years ago) and reach their conclusions about her current status.

Building on last week’s comments about Star Wars arising from Lucas’s desire to make a Buck Rogers movie, shazbazzar corrects his former assertion and points out that it was Flash Gordon that George Lucas intended to make. However, the sound effects mentioned in last week’s episode are in both of those classic serials from the 1930s.  

“The FlashBuck Menace” is filled with memories of the past and hopes for the future with loads and loads of Star Wars talk. If you like what you hear, tweet all about it (#TechnoRetro), post on Facebook, and rate/review the show on iTunes and Stitcher.  You can even leave us a voicemail at (209) TR-TRDad (209)878-7323 or record a message on your computer or phone and send us an electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  Be sure to take this month’s cereal challenge and let us know whether TRIX are just for kids.

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As those of us who didn’t purchase the digital download of Star Wars: The Force Awakens last Friday while away the hours until tomorrow, shazbazzar and JediShua recall Star Wars comics from 1986 — specifically the Droids comic books.  These bi-monthly continuations of Nelvana’s Droids cartoon (which sadly lasted only one season), were the final breaths of Star Wars in pop culture before the infamous “dark times” of the mid-late ‘80s.

The future is in the NEWS with tomorrow’s BluRay release of The Force Awakens, a 2019 release date for Indy 5, and an amazing holoportation device that is coming closer to the present than the far away dreams of tomorrow!  But we may have to wait for the 25th century to resolve the question of rights to Buck Rogers in court.  

PLUS:  Bike-riding FEEDBACK from EarBuds has been pouring in for two weeks on Twitter, Facebook, and via electronic-M.  So let your animalistic desires loose as you get down and dirty with the TechnoRetro Dads’ zany zoo.

We love to hear from our EarBuds! If you like what you hear, tweet all about it (#TechnoRetro), post on Facebook, and rate/review the show on iTunes and Stitcher.  You can even leave us a voicemail at (209) TR-TRDad (209)878-7323 or record a message on your computer or phone and send us an electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  Be sure to take this month’s cereal challenge and let us know whether TRIX are just for kids.

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Mysteries abound in this NON-LINEAR release of TechnoRetro Dads.  Loyal EarBud and SuperFriend, Chris Hamilton (Star Wars Kidscast) recently uncovered evidence that suggests the TechnoRetro Dads podcast is a knock-off of a 1930’s radio show entitled The Fathers of Henceforth and Whenceforth.  A record from 1932 reveals striking similarities to the ‘Dads’ program, including discussions of childhood toys, looking to the future, a freaky obsession with cereal, and perhaps most shocking of all…one of the hosts is named “Shua”!  Shenanigans!

But that’s not the only mystery afoot, EarBuds.  No!  JediShua and shazbazzar have gone missing and it’s up to the TechnoRetro Kids to find them.  In a nearly tragic turn of events, shazzyLuke (shazzy reptiles) and shAbbeyzzar accidentally take off for High Adventure and “Light the Sky on Fire” in the ‘Dads’ DeLorean and are joined by JediAri and Little A’s for a millennia-spanning adventure in just over fifteen minutes (no salamanders were harmed in the process).

Discover the truth behind the controversy in this SPECIAL BIRTHDAY EDITION of TechnoRetro Dads with special thanks to Chris Hamilton of Star Wars Kidscast, Glen Nelson, Brian Rabeuse, and Dave Connelly of High Adventure, and special vocal artist Rebecca Hofmann.  

We love to hear from our EarBuds! If you like what you hear, tweet all about it (#TechnoRetro), post on Facebook, and rate/review the show on iTunes and Stitcher.  You can even be like Chris and leave us a voicemail at (209) TR-TRDad (209)878-7323 or record a message on your computer or phone and send us an electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  

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Greetings, Programs!  

Wake up from your sugar rush slumber to some great news and other noise from TechnoRetro Dads.  JediShua is living large with his summer plans (in spite of having a snow day in the middle of Spring Break) while shazbazzar bemoans the popular squishy Easter treats: Peeps. So whether you’re losing your sweet tooth or overdoing the jelly beans this week, you’re sure to find something to satisfy your craving for fun with your EarBuds with TechnoRetro Dads. 

In the NEWS:  We get out the correction tape on The Tick, a Dad documents his family’s struggle with his son’s terminal cancer in a video game,  and casting continues for Ready Player One (for better or worse), and the writer of The Martian has a short story added to the official RP1 canon. 

Tom Hanks and Shelley Long experience the joys of home ownership and remodeling in the 1986 film, The Money Pit…and it isn’t as easy as HGTV makes it look week after week.  In the classic physical comedy stylings of Tom Hanks, this movie may not win a major award, but the fun memories flow freely as the ‘Dads remember this movie from thirty years ago.

But it goes back even further, as shazbazzar brings his… not-quite-a Mr. Microphone down from the attic to broadcast his voice on any FM radio.  The premise was better than the presentation for little shaz in 1979, though, when his generic wireless microphone failed to achieve the same effects (and results) of the Mr. Microphone advertised on television. 

And, with the release of Batman v Superman, we reveal the winner of the “Battle of the Bowls” in this month’s cereal challenge.  Our EarBuds’ taste buds were seriously challenged with the task of choosing one over the other in the categories of crunch, flavor, appearance, and more.  

We love to hear from our EarBuds! If you want to leave us a voicemail, be sure to call us at (209) TR-TRDad or record a message on your computer or phone and send us an electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  

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Greetings, Programs!  

Spring is here and the ‘Dads are a bit feverish to get outside and play in the warm sunshine.  Take a trip back to the carefree days of riding your bike with your friends from morning till night as shazbazzar and JediShua recall the bicycles of their youth.  Whether it was a Schwinn, Huffy, Murray, Free Spirit, or Kent, a bicycle was a two-wheeled ticket to freedom — even if you were restricted to simply riding around the block.  Bicycles could become anything you imagined, from horses to cars to X-Wings or TIE Fighters, and as we got older, our bikes carried us to friends houses, movie theaters, and even Carter Caves!  With the weather getting warmer, it’s time to get out your bike and ride.

PLUS: Entertainment is the NEWS this week!  Indy 5 has been announced with an expected release date in 2019 (since Spielberg is tied up in the OASIS with a certain futuristic film at the moment), shazbazzar speculates on Tim Burton’s anticipated sequel to Beetlejuice, and JediShua reveals Amazon’s plan to resurrect The Tick with Patrick Warburton, whom shazbazzar somehow confused with that guy who played Brisco County, Jr. and starred in Army of Darkness. 

Astronaut Scott Kelly stars in the TechnoRetro Dads’ SCIENCE LESSON as we discover the effects a year in space has on the body, as well as the impact of returning to Earth after twelve months away from gravity.  One impressive fact: you’ll come home taller than you were when you left!

Be sure to participate in the Battle of the Cereals with Batman v Superman cereals in this month’s TechnoRetro Cereal challenge on our Facebook page.  And if you want to leave us a voicemail, be sure to call us at (209) TR-TRDad or record a message on your computer or phone and send us an electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  

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Greetings, Programs!  

Are you ready for an hour and pi minutes of great music to celebrate Pi Day on the 14th of March?  The choices on this very special episode will make you deliciously dizzy with some favorites, both old and new, informative and quirky.  Let’s go!  

From Archimedes to Einstein and beyond, the songs are spinning on our record players Monday with numbers that will go on and on and on and on in a most irrational way on this week’s TechnoRetro Dads.  If you want to get in on the fun and add the full versions (or official versions) of these songs to your TechnoRetro turntables (digitally, of course), you can click on the links below to purchase them on iTunes. 

"Pi Song" (Mr. R)

“Roundabout” (Yes)

“American Pie” (Don McLean)

“Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” (Jay & The Techniques)

“You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” (Dead or Alive)

“Round and Round” (RATT)
“Custard Pie” (Led Zeppelin)

"Pi" (Ari Zizzo)

“Circle of Life” (DConstructed)

“Circumference” (Breakage)

“Wild Honey Pie” (Beatles)

“Will It Go Round in Circles?” (Billy Preston)

“What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round?” (Monkees)

“Circles” (Captain & Tennille)

“Pi Song” (Bryan Oden)

“Geometry” (PBS Kids)

“Circumference (It Just Makes Sense)” (Rhythm, Rhyme, Results)

“Circles” (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians)

“The Circle Is Complete” (High Adventure)

Don’t forget to voice your opinion in the Battle of the Cereals with Batman v Superman cereals in this month’s TechnoRetro Cereal challenge on our Facebook page.  And if you want to leave us a voicemail, be sure to call us at (209) TR-TRDad or record a message on your computer or phone and send us an electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.  

JediShua and shazbazzar will return next week with 77 minutes of NEWS, CEREAL, SCIENCE, and more next Monday.  Until then, plug in your EarBuds and sing along until you remember the first hundred or so digits of pi.

Greetings, Programs!  

Time passes by so quickly when you’re immortal.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been thirty years since the sword-clashing battle between Connor MacLeod and the Kurgan ended with Clancy Brown losing his head and Christopher Lambert winning the Prize.  Crowned with rock anthems and ballads by Queen, Russell Mulcahy’s 1986 classic stand-alone film ushered in decades of sequels, series, and controversies with Highlander, the story of a Scottish boy with a French accent who just wouldn’t die.  Instructed by Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez, an Egyptian with a Scottish accent, Connor MacLeod squared off against the Kurgan, a Russian with an inexplicable American accent way back in the 16th Century.  It’s a tale that spans the centuries and continues to thrill fantasy fans today.

Michael Nipp from The Deucecast Movie Show joins shazbazzar and JediShua for a glimpse of the kind of magic that made Sean Connery, Christopher Lambert, and Clancy Brown the Princes of the Universe in an imaginative game of life and death where the Prize is the ability to grow old and die. 

But that’s not all there is to this week’s TechnoRetro Dads!  Starlog Magazine makes the  NEWS with a complete digital collection of past issues online.  PLUS: JediShua shares a cereal recipe for National Cereal Day that’s sure to be an Escape that’s both cheerful and fruitilicious.  And don’t forget to join in the Battle of the Heroes in the Batman v Superman Cereal Challenge this month!

In the SCIENCE LESSON, a real-life Solar Sail is almost ready for it’s maiden voyage among the stars…or at least to the space surrounding our planet.  Find out how you can get involved in the next wave of space travel before it gets off the ground.

With musical memories and international versions of a cult classic, today’s TechnoRetro Dads is 77 minutes of energy that might make you lose your head…figuratively speaking, of course.

Greetings, Programs!  

What happens when mortal enemies are stranded alone in a life-threatening hostile environment?  Will they overcome their animosity towards each other in their efforts to survive?  Will they choose to take their chances on their own?  Will they continue their fight against one another in spite of their common plight?  Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr. explore the possibilities in 1984’s Enemy Mine as a human and a Drac choose temporary tolerance over continued animosity in a story that shows how enemies can become true friends when they are put in a position in which they must rely on each other for survival.  More recently, a human and a Lasat explore the same story as Agent Kallus and Zeb from Star Wars Rebels forego their long-standing battle in order to survive being marooned on a Geonosian moon in last week’s, “The Honorable Ones”.  This week, shazbazzar and JediShua revisit the somewhat forgotten movie from their youth as well as take a brief look at its similarities with the latest episode of Rebels.

On this “Leap Day” episode of TechnoRetro Dads, the ‘Dads explore the solar reasons for having an extra day added to the calendar almost every four years, revealing some truths (and some possible “false facts”) about Leap Year that you may not know, making sure to provide all EarBuds with opportunities to wow their co-workers and friends with mostly unimpressive trivia.  (After all, most of us won’t be around to see the next time there isn’t a Leap Year on its regular 4-year schedule in 2100.)  

But there is some NEWS that may be significant to children of the 70s and 80s.  Funko makes a return to The Dark Crystal, Bill the Cat goes solo with his own picture book, Mondo makes Madballs, a young MacGyver is presented his first Erector Set, and Wade Watts is cast for Ready Player One.     

Most importantly, TechnoRetro Dads satisfy their sweet tooth cravings around the campfire with Kellogg’s SMORZ and Malt-O-Meal’s S’mores cereals.  Jeremy the Spider-Pan from The Neverland Podcast submits a guest review as Armando sends in a S’mores cheesecake recipe and several EarBuds send in their thoughts about the marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker tasting (?) cereal in this month’s cereal challenge.

Topped off with Doc Brown’s discovery of a ninth planet in our solar system (yep, the same Doc Brown that challenged the planetary status of the last ninth planet in our solar system, Pluto) in the SCIENCE LESSON, this episode is one that won’t be repeated for at least four years!

Don’t skip your 77-minute bowl of TechnoRetro goodness as you start your Leap Day.  It’s sure to get your extra day off on the right foot — or left foot — whichever you prefer.

Hey, Hey, all you Monkees!  

It’s hard to believe, but The Monkees have been in our collective consciousness for fifty years!  Way, way back in 1966, a nifty comedy featuring four Ben Frank types trying to make their way in a world overpopulated by bands of all shapes, sizes, sounds, and silly names.  And even though TechnoRetro Dads shazbazzar and JediShua weren’t around when the show premiered in color on NBC, they remember The Monkees from their youth through records, reruns, and their very first rock concert (not The Monkees’ first concert, obviously, the ‘Dads’ first concert).

This week on TechnoRetro Dads, SuperFriend Richard Woloski (Skywalking through Neverland, Talking Apes TV) lends his expert opinions on the “Pre-Fab Four” for 77 minutes of going bananas with good times, trivia, and tunes as they gush in their fandom for the four musical primates as they celebrate the ingenuity of inventing a band for a TV show and ending up essentially launching a musical career that has spanned six decades with fans of all ages. 

But it’s not all talk.  JediShua and Richard get their chance to prove their expertise as shazbazzar quizzes them Jeopardy-style with Monkee-centric categories like “THAT GIRL”; “COLORS”; “EVERY ‘DAY’ IS GETTING BRIGHTER”; “LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION”; “STATUS SYMBOL LAND”; and “THEY’RE ANIMALS!” Find out who is the big winner in this less-than-impressive imitation of the game show where you ask the questions.  

What was your experience with The Monkees?  Did you have a favorite song or memorable episode?  Let us know by tweeting us @TechnoRetroDadds or sending us an electronic-M to podcast@technoretrodads.com. PLUS: Don’t forget to chime in on our February Cereal Challenge by eating “SMORZ” cereal and reviewing it in our poll on Facebook.  We’ll be talking all about the chocolatey, marshmallowy, graham-cracker cereal next week on TechnoRetro Dads.   

Have a Pleasant Valley Monday with 77 minutes of fun with TechnoRetro Dads as you wake up and take on the day. We guarantee your smiles will be brighter and your Head will be filled with songs from a long time ago that are as good today as they were in the late ‘60s! Share and spread the love!

Greetings, Programs!  

Hopefully you remembered to find a Valentine over the weekend, but today we change gears just a bit to cut loose with some Presidents to the tunes of Kenny Loggins with Footloose.  JediShua and shazbazzar take a TechnoRetro look at the dance movie that made Kevin Bacon in 1984.  While the ‘80s music and feel of the film are undeniably dated, the generation-gap, small town versus big city story is as real today as it was 32 years ago.  So kick off your Sunday shoes this Monday morning and turn up the fun with TechnoRetro Dads.

As always, though, there’s much more to this episode as the ‘Dads reveal upcoming releases: a new Monkees album, Armada makes its paperback debut, and more movie dates change — specifically, Ready Player One and The Flash.  Also in the NEWS, Voltron returns with a new series on NetFlix, and shazbazzar and JediShua make an appearance on Rebel Force Radio.

Kellogg’s makes an appearance in CEREAL NEWS with recipe ideas, specifically a tropical concoction we renamed “Krispies Colada”.  Don’t hesitate to send us your cereal recipes via electronic-M to podcast@technoretrodads.com.    

In celebration of the end of football season, the ‘Dads pull out some bubble gum machine helmets from the ATTIC and reminisce about some favorite (and not-so-favorite) helmets they had.  One question lingers, though: Will these helmets fit 12” figures from the ‘70s and ‘80s?  

It’s a blend of new and old as the kids get a day off from school on this Presidents’ Day.  So sit back for a rousing round of “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” with TechnoRetro Dads.

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