Here’s a quick bonus for our valued listeners…

Notes follow after the jump.

Original air date: 5/13/12
Total run time: 1:56:00
File size: 55.7 MB

George Lucas gets revenge on his neighbors
Cancelations/renewals
Fringe (season 4 finale)
Game of Thrones
Awake
Grimm
Community

Sherlock
Eureka
May the 4th be with you (but really the 25th) – margaret thatcher
“supermoon” nonsense
========================

Marriage Equality
* Obama endorses
* Dems go all in
* The politics of it all (including the value of contrasts)
* Romney to the right of Bush/Cheney (and starts talking about flip-flops)
* Biden starts debate (followed by cabinet secretaries)
* North Carolina steps backwards

2012
* Dick Lugar loses in Indiana
* A ‘vicious’ incident from Romney’s past
* Romney discovers his love of Bill Clinton

Capitol Hill
* House GOP pits Pentagon vs. poor
* Senate GOP blocks student-loan bill

Pentagon report: DADT repeal going ‘very well’

SPSST
1. Mitt Romney, Republican presidential hopeful
2. Rush Limbaugh, radio-show host
3. Richard Mourdock
4. Steve Doocy, Fox News host
5. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

Very sorry this took so long to post! It’s been a super-busy week for me with work-related stuff. Better late than never! Pre-show notes follow after the jump…

Original air date: 5/6/12
Total run time: 1:55:42
File size: 55.5 MB

Avengers (S&E also saw Thor and Captain America this week)
AO Scott/Sam Jackson kerfuffle
Fringe (with a Season 5 on the way!)
Game of Thrones
Grimm
Community
Awake
Sherlock season two airs in the U.S., starting tonight
Eureka
Cabin in the Woods — profitable

========================

Economy
* Monthly job totals
* Quarterly GDP number
* UK slips into a recession (and the connection to US politics)

2012
* Obama formally kicks off re-election bid, new theme (“Forward”)
* Romney and the limits of transactional politics
* Remember when Romney was governor? He doesn’t
* Richard Grenell’s ouster (when bigotry meets cowardice)
* Gingrich quits (and Shep Smith reacts)

What to watch this week
* Amendment One in North Carolina
* Lugar vs. Mourdock in Indiana

Broken governance
* The Mann/Ornstein thesis
* Why bipartisanship never stood a chance

Counter-terrorism
* The bin Laden mission, one year later
* Why it’s a touchy subject for Romney
* Adis Medunjanin’s conviction

The Heartland Institute puts up some billboards
* Then changes its mind

SPSST
1. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.)
2. John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
3. Jim Hoft, right-wing blogger
4. Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.)
5. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)

Pre-show noted follow after the jump.

Original air date: 4/22/12
Total run time: 1:57:10
File size: 56.2 MB

Fringe
Game of Thrones
Grimm
Community
Awake
Touch
Sucker Punch (Steve caught it on HBO)
Prometheus android alphabet scheme
Planetary Resources set for big announcement Tuesday

========================

2012
* Already shaking the Etch A Sketch on immigration policy
* Romney makes the case for Landon/Knox ’36
* Romney at Liberty University
* House Republicans start power struggle with Romney
* Romney already selling access to an “inaugural retreat”
* Meet Richard Grenell, Romney’s new foreign policy spokesperson
* VP watch: Rubio doesn’t want it; McConnell runs ads; Christie’ listening; Bush wouldn’t rule it out

Capitol Hill
* Senate GOP kills “Buffett Rule”
* McConnell rebuffs Boehner on spending levels
* Cantor open to tax hikes on the poor
* Fight over student loan interest rates looming
* House GOP passes “Small Business Tax Cut Act”

The Bishops vs. House GOP leaders

Herman Cain’s “Army of Davids” doesn’t show up

SPSST
1. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)
2. Sandy Rios, Fox News contributor
3. Pat Robertson, TV preacher
4. John Raese (R), Republican U.S. Senate candidate in West Virginia

Pre-show notes follow after the jump…

Original air date: 4/15/12
Total run time: 1:54:24
File size: 54.9 MB

Cabin in the Woods – having its horror cake and eating it too
Fringe
Game of Thrones (renewed for third season)
Syfy’s Being Human (season finale)
Grimm
Community
Awake
Touch

========================

2012
* Santorum ends his campaign
* “War on women” takes center stage
* Sixth anniversary of “RomneyCare” (and why Romney won’t talk about it)
* VP short list (and those who don’t want to be on it) – august november
* Bush weighs in, un-ironically, on taxes and economic policy

Buffett Rule debate
* GOP knows it’s against it, but doesn’t know why
* It’s not raising a tax; it’s closing a loophole
* Senate vote on deck

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D), super hero

SPSST
1. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.)
2. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.)
3. Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.)
4. Bill Donohue, head of the far-right Catholic League
5. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.)

Pre-show notes follow after the jump…

Original air date: 4/8/12
Total run time: 1:55:13
File size: 55.3 MB

Fringe
Game of Thrones
Syfy’s Being Human
Community
Awake
Green Lantern (caught it on HBO)
Everyone go see The Cabin in the Woods on Friday
bad guys in SF really bad?
Last chance for Artifice pre-order ($33,000 and counting)

========================

Job numbers
* Far short of expectations
* Silver linings

2012
* Romney cruises to easy wins in Wisconsin, Illinois, and DC
* Romney’s “I’m rubber, you’re glue” problem
* Gingrich is not Santorum’s problem
* A scheme afoot in Texas?

Obama’s forceful rejection of Ryan plan

The GOP’s “war on women”
* Priebus and caterpillars
* Murkowski gets it

Judge Jerry Smith’s 5th Circuit tantrum

SPSST
1. Rick Santorum, Republican presidential candidate
2. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa)
3. Erick Erickson, CNN contributor and conservative blogger
4. John Derbyshire, conservative columnist and National Review writer
5. Sean Spicer, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee

Pre-show notes follow after the jump…

Original air date: 4/1/12
Total run time: 1:58:05
File size: 56.7 MB

Fringe
Alcatraz season finale
Syfy’s Being Human
Community
Awake
Touch
Game of Thrones returns
Mass Effect 3
Netflix passes on Terra Nova
Takei’s April Fools gag
Total Recall trailer out today

========================

SCOTUS and ACA
* Pre-argument expectations
* What the various days were all about
* “Limiting principles”
* RNC manipulates audio
* The two constants in health care polling

Capitol Hill
* House approves Paul Ryan budget plan
* Senate protects oil industry subsidies
* House GOP’s economic pivot: from assigning blame to taking credit (and how this relates to “the ’96 strategy)
* Crisis averted on highway funding

2012
* Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, George H.W. Bush all endorse
* Why Romney won’t give voters specifics
* Gingrich effectively quits
* Santorum, Gingrich open to VP slot
* Santorum visits a jelly bean company
* Santorum loses his cool with NYT reporter
* Tuesday’s primaries: Wisconsin, Maryland, D.C.

Paul Ryan and the Brass
* Ryan accuses military leaders of dishonesty
* Gen. Dempsey was not amused

Hot Mic brouhaha

SPSST
1. Newt Gingrich, Republican presidential candidate
2. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)
3. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
4. Ohio state Treasurer Josh Mandel (R), a U.S. Senate candidate

Sorry for the delay getting this episode posted. Per-show notes follow after the jump.

Original air date: 3/25/12
Total run time: 1:53:18
File size: 54.4 MB

Fringe (season 5 or a comic)
Alcatraz
Walking Dead season finale
Syfy’s Being Human
Community
Awake
Touch
Mass Effect 3
The Hunger Games
Prometheus trailer/website
Artifice Kickstarter

========================

2012
* Romney cruises in Illinois and Puerto Rico
* Santorum wins easily in Louisiana
* Etch A Sketch
* Jeb Bush backs Romney
* Why Jim DeMint’s support matters
* When Romney liked higher gas prices
* Romney credits Bush with preventing depression
* Why Santorum “doesn’t care” about unemployment
* How not to compete for the youth vote

Paul Ryan’s House Republican budget plan
* What a mess
* Ryan isn’t a serious person
* Romney backs (to Dems’ delight)

Health care
* 2nd anniversary of the Affordable Care Act
* Supreme Court arguments begin tomorrow
* Embracing the “Obamacare” label (against my wishes)

Trayvon Martin killing
* Obama comments

Rep. Rick Crawford names his price for surtax

SPSST
1. Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate
2. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.)
3. Craig James, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Texas
4. Geraldo Rivera, Fox News commentator

Pre-show notes follow after the jump…

Original air date: 3/18/12
Total run time: 1:55:50
File size: 55.6 MB

Bill’s SXSW Adventure
* Cabin in the Woods (4/13/12)
* Safety Not Guaranteed
* Kurtzweil, Sterling, Rosenberg, Plait, comedy with Raffles

Walking Dead
Syfy’s Being Human
Grimm
Community
Awake
Touch
Terra Nova canceled
Alcatraz (Bill saw one!)
Prometheus teaser

========================

Economy
* Job numbers
* RNC’s amusing reaction

2012
* Mississippi and Alabama primaries
* Gingrich’s future
* Romney going after Planned Parenthood
* Romney: “We’re in recovery mode”
* Santorum to go after porn if elected
* Romney’s all-Fox strategy
* Obama’s documentary

Capitol Hill
* Flurry of activity in the Senate
* A possible government shutdown?

1. Sarah Palin, former half-term governor of Alaska
2. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.)
3. Rick Santorum, Republican presidential candidate
4. Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate
5. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.)
6. Gov. Tom Corbett (R) of Pennsylvania

…about Return of the Jedi.

Pre-show notes follow after the jump.

Note that Bill and several of the regular chatters will be at the SXSW Interactive & Film conference in Austin next week, which means we’ll be off next Sunday, but it also means that anyone in Austin who wants to have a meet-up should email Bill and he’ll try and organize something fun and informal.

Original air date: 3/4/12
Total run time: 1:53:54
File size: 54.7 MB

SF visionary Ralph McQuarrie dead at 82
Awake
Walking Dead
Peter Weyland TED Talk
Kevin Drum is all kinds of wrong

SXSW PSFR meet-up?

Walking Dead
Syfy’s Being Human
BBC’s Being Human
Grimm
True Blood loses Alan Ball
New releases this week: Game of Thrones, Mass Effect 3

========================

2012
* Romney’s good week (electorally): wins Michigan, Arizona, Wyoming, and Washington
* Romney’s bad week (rhetorically): flubs Blunt Amendment, NASCAR event
* Romney tax plan heavily favors the rich
* Santorum says JFK speech makes him want to “throw up”
* Super Tuesday just a couple of days away

Senate defeats Blunt Amendment

Limbaugh attacks Sandra Fluke
* Intense blowback
* Advertisers balk
* Obama reaches out to Fluke
* A rare apology
* Larger point: gender gap to get bigger

Olympia Snowe retires
* Shakes up 2012

Energy policy
* From tire gauges to algae

U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull
* Racist email causes scandal
* Faces misconduct review

Marriage equality reaches Maryland — sort of

SPSST
1. Rick Santorum, Republican presidential candidate
2. Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate
3. Rush Limbaugh