The Nick D Podcast on Radio Misfits

Latest Episodes:

Nick D – Monica Eng, Axios News & Class Reunions Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

Nick catches up with Monica Eng from Axios to talk through the stories she’s been covering lately. They get into Governor J. B. Pritzker’s push for new nuclear power facilities in Illinois, ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and the annual joy of Paczki Day. Monica also shares thoughts on the new production of “Hamnet” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, her first experience trying a Dirty Soda, and highlights from a recent trip to Puerto Rico.

Later, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick for a loose, funny catch-up that turns into a debate about traditions that might be past their expiration date. The handshake gets questioned, and class reunions get a full breakdown, complete with stories and strong opinions. It’s news, food, travel, and a little social commentary, all rolled into one easy conversation. [Ep 431]

Nick D – Jim Ryan, Music Talk, and Murders on Valentine’s Day Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Nick welcomes Forbes music journalist Jim Ryan back for another round of concert stories and backstage encounters. They talk about recent shows including the Lemonheads at Thalia Hall and Sons of the Silent Age at Metro, then swap stories about run-ins with Flavor Flav of Public Enemy, Chip Z’Nuff of Enuff Z’Nuff, and Al Jourgensen from Ministry. They also look ahead to upcoming tours and vent about just how expensive concert tickets have become.

Esmeralda Leon joins in to talk about the weirdness of Valentine’s Day, how they spent the weekend, and why the holiday lends itself so easily to horror movies. That leads into a deep dive on ridiculous 80s slasher films, including My Bloody Valentine, and a continuation of their conversation about celebrity pranksters, with Tom Cruise and Ben Affleck added to the mix. It’s music talk, holiday skepticism, and horror nostalgia, all rolled into one. [Ep 430]

Nick D – Erik, Steve, The New Movies and Friday the 13th! Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

Nick is joined again by film critics Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy for a packed round of new movie reviews. They break down the latest take on Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, the chaotic sci-fi satire Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die with Sam Rockwell, and the thriller Crime 101 featuring Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry. They also weigh in on the animated sports comedy Goat, with plenty of agreement, disagreement, and side tangents along the way.

Esmeralda Leon jumps in later for a spirited conversation about Friday the 13th superstitions, which quickly turns into a deep dive on Jason Voorhees and his most memorable kills. There’s a firm stance taken on the fact that he absolutely did not take Manhattan, along with a playful breakdown of how Jason and Freddy Krueger operate very differently and why those differences fuel their long-running feud. It’s movie talk with a side of horror nerdery, exactly as it should be. [Ep 429]

Nick D – Dan Fienberg, TV Talk and More Celebrity Pranksters Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

Nick welcomes Dan Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter back for another wide-ranging TV catch-up. They talk about how Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline stole the show on the latest SNL, why the new version of The Muppet Show works so well, and take a moment to remember the recently lost Catherine O’Hara. The conversation also takes a sharp turn into Super Bowl territory, breaking down the game, the commercials, and reactions to the Bad Bunny halftime show.

Esmeralda Leon jumps in for a joyful detour that turns into an unapologetic love letter to Arby’s, from the Half-Pound Beef and Cheddar to the Black Cow and the magic of Horsey Sauce. From there, things spiral into stories about celebrity pranksters, with Quentin Tarantino, Billy Dee Williams, and George Clooney all getting their due. It’s TV talk, fast food passion, and famous troublemakers, mixed together exactly the way this show likes it. [Ep 428]

Nick D – Nell Minow The Movie Mom, & Lisa Zane is Back! Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

Nick welcomes back Nell Minow, better known as The Movie Mom, for a wide-ranging conversation that moves easily from Washington politics to movies. They talk through what’s happening in DC, run through several new film releases, look ahead to the upcoming Academy Awards, and take a moment to remember the remarkable career of Catherine O’Hara. It’s the kind of discussion that blends smart analysis with genuine affection for the art form.

The show then shifts gears when Nick’s longtime friend Lisa Zane drops by. She talks about her upcoming photography exhibition opening next week at Eskell, along with her music, her recent appearance at the Flashback Weekend Horror Convention, and life in Chicago. Along the way, she shares a few great movie stories, including the small detail that she once killed Freddy Krueger.

It’s a relaxed, fun conversation that mixes movies, art, friendship, and just enough horror trivia to keep things interesting. [Ep 427]

Nick D – For The People, Feb ’26 Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

Herb Weisbaum is back just in time for tax season, and he comes loaded with advice that actually matters. We talk through smart tax-time tips, how the AI boom has quietly pushed up the price of computers and phones, and the ways marketers are getting sneakier when it comes to kids. Herb also puts me on the spot with a few questions from the College of Knowledge quiz, which goes about as well as you’d expect.

Car Guy Tom Appel from Consumer Guide Automotive joins in to cover what’s happening on the road right now. We get into Tesla’s ongoing struggles, the best-selling convertibles of 2025, what might be the worst-looking Cadillac ever made, Mazda’s move upmarket, and why car payments feel downright brutal these days.

We wrap things up with fresh rounds of StarSpotter and MysteryShow, keeping the mix of useful info, car talk, and nonsense exactly where it belongs. [Ep 426]

Nick D – Erik & Steve, A Sundance Wrap-Up, and What’s Real? What’s Fake? Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

Nick welcomes Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy back fresh from Sundance with stories, opinions, and plenty to argue about. They break down what they saw at the festival, including early reactions to upcoming releases like the Courtney Love documentary Courtney Love, Olivia Wilde’s new comedy The Invite featuring Edward Norton, Penélope Cruz, and Seth Rogen, and a film with the refreshingly subtle title of The Shitheads. A few new wide releases also get reviewed, along with a look at how the box office shook out over the weekend.

Esmeralda Leon joins Nick later as the conversation wanders into everything else rattling around their heads. They talk about the return of Scrubs, the enduring stupidity of Morning Zoo prank calls, and the exhausting feeling of living in a world where it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s fake. Somewhere along the way, rabid chimpanzees ripping people’s faces off come up, which feels about right for the times. [Ep 425]

Nick D – Dan Fienberg, TV Talk and Crazy Casting Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Nick catches up with Dan Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter for another round of TV talk, starting with a few standout documentaries from Sundance and the latest run of SNL episodes. From there, Dan digs into a busy slate of new shows, including Memory of a Killer starring Patrick Dempsey, The Beauty from Ryan Murphy, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins with Tracy Morgan, and a new spinoff from the Game of Thrones universe.

Esmeralda Leon joins Nick later as the conversation shifts into what they have been watching lately and quickly veers into some truly baffling casting choices. They revisit moments like Angelina Jolie playing the mother of Colin Farrell and the long tradition of actors in their twenties and thirties somehow passing as high school kids. It’s a mix of sharp TV insight, shared viewing notes, and plenty of head shaking over casting decisions that still make no sense. [Ep 424]

Nick D – Marnie Shure, The Oscar Nominations, and More Bad Talk Shows Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

Nick kicks things off by diving into the 2026 Oscar nominations, running through his predictions and unloading on the snubs and head-scratching choices that immediately set him off. There’s praise where it’s earned, frustration where it’s deserved, and plenty of strong opinions about how the list shook out.

Marnie Shure returns to talk food, fear, and a little chaos. She brings along her monthly Horror Report with thoughts on 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, plus a handful of food stories worth paying attention to. The two also talk about the upcoming Mortified live show and take on the important work of taste-testing Nerds Juicy Gummy Clusters, with results that are taken very seriously.

Esmeralda Leon joins later as the conversation drifts back into the strange world of forgotten celebrity talk shows. Names like Harry Connick Jr. and Fran Drescher come up, before landing on Chevy Chase and what might be the worst talk show idea ever put on television. It’s Oscars, horror movies, candy, and bad TV decisions, all wrapped into one very on-brand conversation. [Ep 423]

Nick D – Tom’s Theater of Trash and Forgettable Talk Shows Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

Nick is joined by former radio producer and longtime movie obsessive Tom Hush for the debut of what instantly feels like a dangerous new segment, Tom’s Theater of Trash. The two dive headfirst into the world of gloriously bad and forgotten films, starting with Tom’s love for the sharksploitation oddity Jaws 5: Cruel Jaws. That spirals into a conversation about the history of the subgenre, the fine art of stealing footage, why low-budget filmmaking can be charming, and exactly how Sharknado managed to miss the entire point.

Later, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to clean out the voicemail bag and wander into the graveyard of celebrity talk shows no one remembers, including brief, strange detours hosted by Martin Short and Zach Galifianakis. Things wrap up with shared memories of attending tapings of The Jenny Jones Show, which were exactly as chaotic and ill-advised as you would expect. It’s trash cinema, forgotten TV, and bad decisions, all handled with pride. [Ep 422]

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