Sofa King Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 740: Conan O’Brien: Born for Late Night Jan 01, 2024

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the career of the one and only Conan O’Brien. Conan went from utterly unknown to become one of the all-time greats of late night television. He had a major feud with Jay Leno (who screwed him out of his dream job), but nothing could dampen his impact on American comedy. From amazing remotes to unbelievable characters (I’m looking at you, Masturbating Bear), his late night shows were among the best. We talk about his crazy pranks he pulled at Harvard, his podcast, and even his classic moments with Norm McDonald. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_O%27Brien https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/conan-obrien https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/conan-obrien/bio/3030386650/ https://histlit.fas.harvard.edu/people/people/alumni/conan-obrien https://www.universallifechurchministers.org/celebrities/conan-obrien https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-conan-obrien/jacob-shelton https://www.cracked.com/article_37683_60-conan-obrien-trivia-tidbits-on-his-60th-birthday.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpIEyn9G6_8&t=371s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKmadR4Ye54&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-MJy7w69EU

Episode 739: Saturday Night Live: Fifty Years of Funny Dec 21, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we say a hearty “Live from New York…It’s Saturday Night.” That’s right. We talk all things Saturday Night Live. This American television institution has been responsible for discovering some of the most important comic voices over the past five decades. It has been a bastion for counter culture, political satire, musical discovery, and dicks in boxes. It was created by Lorne Michaels who has succeeded in keeping the show somehow relevant, fresh, funny, and on the air all these years. Whether you like old school SNL like the Blues Brothers or dig Michael Che and Colin Jost, we’ve got you covered. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/saturday-night-live-debuts https://snl.jt.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorne_Michaels https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/harry-shearer-interview-simpsons-spinal-tap-b2456903.html https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69730/facts-about-saturday-night-live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEKul4088ug https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Saturday_Night_Live_cast_members https://ew.com/music/sinead-oconnor-pope-photo-snl/

Episode 738: Mary Kay Letourneau: Convicted Cougar Dec 15, 2023

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On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the ultimate case of forbidden love—the story of Mary Kay Letourneau. Letourneau was made (in)famous in the late 1990s when she had a love affair with a student of hers named Vili Fualaau. Why would this propel her to the heights of tabloid fame? Because she was 35, and he was only 13. She gave birth their first daughter while still awaiting trail for child rape, and she broke the rules of her parole and got pregnant by him again almost the instant she got out of prison. So, how long did she serve time? How long did they stay together? How did marijuana cause them to get a divorce? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/crime/mary-kay-letourneau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kay_Letourneau https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/mary-kay-letourneau-may-december-true-story-1234918355/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/obituaries/mary-kay-letourneau-dead.html https://www.crimelibrary.org/criminal_mind/psychology/marykay_letourneau/1.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RezOEn0daNU https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/mary-kay-letourneau-vili-fualaaus-interview-inspired-film/ https://facts.net/celebrity/39-facts-about-mary-kay-letourneau/

Episode 737: Derinkuyu: The Underground Empire Nov 09, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we look at the amazing underground city of Derinkuyu. This tomb of a city is in modern day Turkey and dates back thousands of years. Nobody is sure when they started building it, but at its peak, it held a sustainable population of 20,000 people. It held its own food stores, animal farms, churches, wine makers, you name it. It had giant stone doors that no attacker could budge, and it was used over the centuries by multiple cultures and religious groups. In fact, it wasn’t fully abandoned until the early 1920s and rediscovered by accident in the 1960s. If you like the cities of the dwarves and underground catacombs, this one is for you. Visit Our Sources: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220810-derinkuyu-turkeys-underground-city-of-20000-people https://sometimes-interesting.com/derinkuyu-the-underground-cities-of-cappadocia/ https://tomorrow.city/a/elengubu-derinkuyu-underground-city-thousands-of-people https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/derinkuyu-turkey-underground-city-strange-maps https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derinkuyu_underground_city

Episode 736: Sacha Baron Cohen: The Delightful Doppelganger Oct 31, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the many lives of Sacha Baron Cohen. He won awards as Ali G and took over the world as Borat, all through his unique style of comedy. Sacha Baron Cohen develops humor that plays off the prejudice, politeness, and ignorance of people. He takes shots at celebrities, politicians, racists, and an anti-Semites in the most scathing way possible. He even took down Rudy Giuliani in a now infamous scene with his fake daughter. If you don’t know his work, what the hell’s wrong with you?!? He’s a master of comedy, and we spit all his facts for you on this episode. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/actors/sacha-baron-cohen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacha_Baron_Cohen https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/sacha-baron-cohen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Baron-Cohen https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/553524/facts-about-sacha-baron-cohen https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/richest-comedians/sacha-baron-cohen-net-worth/ https://www.adl.org/resources/news/sacha-baron-cohens-keynote-address-adls-2019-never-now-summit-anti-semitism-and-hate https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/sacha-baron-cohen-the-man-behind-the-mustache-249539/#ixzz3qN0WPVcv

Episode 735: Move Bombing: West Philadelphia Burned and Razed! Oct 12, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we take a look an activist group called MOVE, and how they were eventually assaulted, murdered, and bombed by Philadelphia police via helicopter in the 80s. MOVE started out as a strange group that people considered one part Black Panthers and one part green-loving hippies. They fought for social justice and justice for all living beings, black, white, animal, you name it. But they were loud, and they swore through megaphones, and they had weapons. Some say they were an innocent activist group who was persecuted by the police. Others say they were a dangerous cult, and that the Philly police pulled a Waco on them. Give it a listen, learn the facts of the MOVE bombing, and judge for yourself! Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOVE_(Philadelphia_organization) https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/8/8/20747198/philadelphia-bombing-1985-move https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_MOVE_bombing https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/stories/move-osage-avenue https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/saying-her-name https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1054&context=jmurj https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X03ErYGB4Kk https://leavingmove2021.blogspot.com/

Episode 734: Mars: The Future of Humanity? Sep 28, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk the red planet, Mars. There is a lot to unpack here. I mean, yes, it is super cool that errors in interpreting early photos led us all to think Mars was covered in canals and highways. This lead to fiction such as The War of the Worlds. But more than that, Mars has always been an important symbol to humanity. For early humanity, it was a mystery—a star that was a red and had a funky orbit. For modern humanity, it is a curiosity, one which we spend billions of dollars on, sending probes and satellite cameras to help unlock its secrets. So, what is the atmosphere and surface of mars like? Can we make it livable? Why should we want to? What is Elon Musk’s big plan for red neighbor? Listen, laugh, learn! Get yo’ ass to our sources: https://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/mystique/history/early/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Mars_observation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_canals https://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars https://news.usc.edu/173755/mars-human-history-culture-usc-experts-2020-launch/ https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/ https://www.spacex.com/human-spaceflight/mars/ https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-ready-mars-humanity-ready https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=921VbEMAwwY&t=1s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cydonia_(Mars)#%22Face_on_Mars%22

Episode 733: Tim Burton: Godfather of Goth Sep 22, 2023

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the most unique visionaries in all of Hollywood, Tim Burton. It’s hard to even start with his biggest hit since there are so many—Batman, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. His movies aren’t just financial blockbusters, they are cult favorites, adored by millions. His visual style, animation, and soundtracks are just as iconic as some of his characters. Come along as we take a look inside the mind of a maestro. Visit our Sources: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000318/bio/ https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/tim-burton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton https://www.ranker.com/list/fascinating-facts-about-tim-burton/collin-flatt https://vocal.media/geeks/25-facts-about-tim-burton-and-some-of-his-movies https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/directors/tim-burton-net-worth/ https://chrislacy1990.medium.com/revisiting-princes-batman-1989-retrospective-tribute-ed09e692be02#:~:text=While%20assembling%20a%20rough%20cut,convinced%20Burton%20to%20contact%20Prince.

Episode 732: Archimedes: The Warrior Scholar Sep 19, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the ultimate brain baller, Archimedes. He was born in 287 BC, but he was a genius the likes of which the world has seldom known. The cool stuff was his machines. He created giant claws that could scoop attacking ships out of the sea, advanced catapults, ballista that could throw whole trees, and allegedly a heat ray that set ships on fire, as well as the world’s first analog computer. But his real genius was in mathematics. He is said to be one of the all-time greats, a thousand years or more ahead of his time. The inventions and discoveries of Archimedes make him one of the smartest humans in the history of the species. Visit Our Sources: http://archimedespalimpsest.org/about/history/archimedes.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v86Yk14rf8 https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/archimedes-archimedes https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/archimedes-ancient-greek-genius-ahead-his-time-003690 https://explorable.com/archimedes-war-machines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism

Episode 731: Annie Palmer: The White Witch of Rose Hall Sep 12, 2023

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we go back in time to a story of murder, voodoo, torture, and sex. This is the story of Annie Palmer, the White Witch of Rose Hall. The year is 1820, and an 18 year old Annie marries the wealthy owner of Rose Hall. However, he is abusive to her, and she learned dark voodoo from her nanny, so he’s killed with a mix of poison and dark magic. From there she goes off the rails, killing more hubbies, having sex with slaves, torturing people, and being a medieval-style crazy woman bent by dark magic and power. But, why do some skeptics say none of the story is true? What parts can history prove? Did she really kill slave babies just to use their bones in ritual? Who is the sorcerer Takoo, and how does he help in her undoing? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://medium.com/@karennordhus/annie-palmer-the-white-witch-of-rose-hall-81b434be4a2e https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Witch_of_Rose_Hall https://www.thepalmsjamaica.com/annie-palmer-white-witch-rose-hall/ https://www.gonomad.com/1103-annie-palmer-the-white-witch-of-jamaica https://jamaicatravelandculture.com/destinations/st_james/rose-hall/annie-palmer.htm https://theculturetrip.com/caribbean/jamaica/articles/who-is-the-white-witch-of-rose-hall https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/annie-palmer-white-witch-rose-hall-008837 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fJtU-_5osQ&t=636s

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