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"Tired of ordinary television?"

In this (mostly) television-related episode Jeff and Will are joined by the Shelf’s resident TV dorks Kathleen Corrigan and Ian MacIntyre, as well as TV critic Kat Angus of Dose.ca’s excellent TV Casualty Podcast. The group discusses their favourite returning shows, shows they are looking forward to in 2011, the state of television in Canada, and even find time to challenge one another to ridiculously obscure TV trivia. TV! TV! TV!

The show was recorded live at the Artful Dodger Pub in Toronto, so apologies in advance for the minor background noise.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 5 Season 2 (52 MB, MP3, 1:08:40)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — “Threshold” by Beck
• 0:28 — Introductions
• 2:35 — HBO’s Game of Thrones
• 5:35 — The Showcase Review & CityTV’s Baby Blue Movies.
• 7:45 — Californication, Entourage, Shameless
• 13:56 — Episodes, Skins, Big Love, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Dexter
• 28:38 — Canadian TV Industry, Republic of Doyle, The Odyssey, Less Than Kind
• 38:18 — The Office, Dragon’s Den, Insecurity, The Good Wife, Parks & Rec
• 57:18 — Andrew Garfield and the new Spider-Man film.
• 1:00:50 —The group pick their favourites and quiz one another.
• 1:07:44 — Outro and suspect editing.
• 1:08:15 — “Threshold” by Beck

The Shelf rings in the new year by waxing nostalgic about 2010′s best and worst games and movies, and talk about what we’re looking forward to in 2011. Will and Zack are joined by Emily and our old friend Lucas for this best/worst of ought ten show. The episode also has the distinction of being the only podcast you’ll ever hear successfully segue between Gaspar Noé’s brutal Enter the Void and Pixar’s heartwarming Toy Story 3. To read more of our favourites be sure to check out our recently published “Best of 2010″ lists.

What were your favourites of 2010? What are you looking forward to in 2011? Comment and let us know.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 4 Season 2 (52 MB, MP3, 1:14:50)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — “Super Inuit (Live)” by Holy Fuck
• 1:50 — Games of 2010: Snakes & Lattes and obscure board games, Halo: Reach, Darksiders, Red Dead Redemption, Fragile Dreams
• 8:55 — Split/Second, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Metroid: The Other M
• 16:00 — Bayonetta, Fallout: New Vegas
• 19:10— Indie Games: Minecraft, Angry Birds, VVVVVV, Super Meat Boy, Limbo, Amnesia: The Dark Descent
• 27:20 — Films of 2010: Enter the Void, Toy Story 3, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
• 37:46 — The Social Network, Black Swan, Rubber, Jackass 3-D, TRON: Legacy, True Grit
• 51:15 — HBO’s Game of Thrones, Thor, Green Lantern, Captain America
• 1:01:50 — Hayao Miyazaki’s Ni no Kuni, Catherine, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD
• 1:06:20 — Nintendo’s 3DS, Mortal Kombat, Portal 2
• 1:13:00 — Outro
• 1:14:10 — “The Parachute Ending” by Birdy Nam Nam

Jeff, Will and Zack hit up the Toronto Underground Cinema last week for Son of Kung Fu Fridays and ended up recording a post-fu podcast with some of the guys from the Chinatown theatre. For this episode we were joined by returning guest Peter Kuplowsky, Underground manager and amateur Van Morrison impersonator Alex Woodside, and Morgan White, creator of the The Rep — the excellent web-series based on the theatre.

We had a blast recording this show, and we hope it shows. Big thinks to the fine gentlemen at the Toronto Underground Cinema for hosting us.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 3 Season 2 (67 MB, MP3, 1:13:00)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — “Caravan” by The Band (feat. Van Morrison)
• 0:26 — Convention Fan Portraits
• 1:10 — Intro (also known as the Zack Kotzer Medical Report)
• 4:26 — Son of Kung Fu Fridays: Ip Man 2 and Score: A Hockey Musical
• 10:25 — Enslaved and Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
• 16:58 — Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
• 20:25 — Parker: The Outfit and AMC’s The Walking Dead
• 24:30 — Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
• 29:14 — Netflix and HBO’s The Wire
• 32:10 — “6V6 LA” by The Meters
• 32:38 — What’s on at the Toronto Underground Cinema
• 43:10 — Fallout: New Vegas
• 47:22 — Zack and Peter catch the night bus
• 49:57 — KFC’s Double Down
• 53:32 — Dork shelves, brat packs and tangential discussions
• 1:04:50 — A special surprise for listening this long… Password Required
• 1:08:51 — Outro
• 1:25:38 — “Alex (Stolen Script)” by Ghostface Killah
  

Discussed:

• Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, Fallout: New Vegas
• Parker: The Outfit, Alpha Flight
  
• Ip Man 2, Score: A Hockey Musical, The Walking Dead, The Wire

Jeff and Will are joined by new contributor Jesse and our friend Emily for this super-sized edition of the Dork Shelf Podcast. It has been a while since our last show, so we have a lot of catching up to do. We recap Fan Expo and the Toronto International Film Festival, talk about the games, films and comic books that have been entertaining us on the commode, and some of the many amazing dorky events happening in Toronto over the next few weeks.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 1 Season 2 (62 MB, MP3, 1:26:15)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — Intro
• 0:20 — “Casio Bossa Nova” by Holy Fuck
• 0:32 — Saved by the Bell and playing catch up
• 3:01 — Toronto International Film Festival 2010 Recap
• 18:41 — Devil and the state of M. Night Shyamalan’s career
• 25:38 — Reviews and Snabba Cash
• 27:05 — Fan Expo 2010 Recap
• 38:49 — “Genesis” by Justice
• 39:18 — Episode 2: A New File
• 39:55 — Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
• 43:47 — Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
• 46:40 —3D Dot Game Heroes and Minecraft
• 50:56 — Toronto Hand Eye Society, TO Jam and TO indie games scene
• 52:36 — Nuit Blanche and the Arcadian Renaissance
• 56:55 — Halo: Reach
• 1:06:23 — Game difficulty and Doom for the iPhone
• 1:09:34 — Digital comics and convention merch deals
• 1:16:30 — Upcoming dorky events, site changes and outro
• 1:25:38 — “I Feel Like Funkin’ It Up (Extended Mix)” by Rebirth Brass Band

Discussed:

• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Minecraft, Halo: Reach, Doom
  
• Cave of Forgotten Dreams, The Illusionist, Trust, Waiting for “Superman”, Film Socialism, 127 Hours, Super, Insidious, Snabba Cash, Devil

Zack joins Jeff and Will for his first Dork Shelf Podcast. The first half of the show finds the three talking about Transformers games both old and new, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the reasons they prefer certain consoles over others. After the break—and after Will and Zack have had a few—the three dorks switch their attention to film and television. They rant about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World having its world premiere in Montreal, and they rave about HBO’s Treme, despite the fact that it’s actually kind of boring. The group then proceeds to make fun of Will because he saw the new Twilight movie and thankfully move on to discuss Cyrus and Toy Story 3.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 1 Season 2 (49 MB, MP3, 112:23)
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Listen:

Programme:

• 0:00 — Thames TV ident and snooty British intro
• 0:30 — “Casio Bossa Nova” by Holy Fuck
• 0:56 — Awkward Canadian intro and info for new listeners
• 3:31 — Transformers: War for Cybertron
• 10:10 — Super Mario Galaxy 2
• 18:24 — Which consoles you play and why?
• 27:20 — “Let’s All Go to the Lobby”
• 28:45 — Scott Pilgrim vs. The World premiering in Montreal
• 35:45 — HBO’s Treme
• 44:25 — New Adult Swim Shows: Frankenhole, Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule
• 49:50 — Cyrus
• 53:32 — The tween girl version of Will reviews The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
• 1:00:50 — Toy Story 3
• 1:12:10 — “Odessa” by Caribou

Discussed:

• Transformers: War for Cybertron, Super Mario Galaxy 2, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, God of War 3, 
  
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Cyrus, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Toy Story 3
• Treme, Frankenhole, Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule

In this video game spectacular, Will, Jeff and Lucas are joined by their gassy, yet charming friend Max to discuss the glut of video games that were offered by developers over the past month or so. They also talk about the demos they have been playing, the games they’re looking forward to and some of the awesome events happening in Toronto over the next few weeks.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 17 (26 MB, MP3, 37:57)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — “White Lines” by Grandmaster Flash
• 1:36 — The February Game Glut
• 2:40 — BioShock 2 and its developers
• 9:47 — Just Cause 2 Demo
• 15:08 — God of War 3
• 20:50 — “Can’t See Straight” by Woodhands
• 21:27 — Splinter Cell: Conviction Demo
• 29:26 — Our friend Max belches his way onto the show
• 32:08 — Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes HD
• 33:12 — Upcoming Events: U of T Video Game Design Playtesting Day, Wizard World Toronto Comic Con, Akira Kurosawa’s 100th Birthday
• 37:24 — “Trust Me (feat. RaSoul)” by Miles Jones

Discussed:

• BioShock 2, Just Cause 2, God of War 3, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes HD
  
• University of Toronto Video Game Design Playtesting Day, Wizard World Toronto Comic Con
• 2k Marin, Digital Extremes, Ubisoft, Capybara Games
  
• Jordan Thomas, John Palamarchuk, Akira Kurosawa
  

Will, Jeff, Lucas and Noah sit down to discuss the Oscar nominations, the return of Lost, Mass Effect 2, Star Trek Online and its effects on social lives, Iron Man’s suit redesign and what people can expect from Iron Man 2.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 16 (44 MB, MP3, 64:54)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — “The CN Tower can work it out (Final Fantasy ft. Q-Tip)” by Tor
• 2:26 — Academy Award nominations
• 19:20 — Lost Season 6 Premiere
• 24:49 — Dorky television and franchise cross-pollination
• 28:42 — “Royal Flush (Instrumental)” by Big Boi ft. Andre 3000 & Raekwon
• 29:26 — Mass Effect 2
• 42:31 — Star Trek Online and Martin Luther King Jr.
• 52:43 — Iron Man redesign, Iron Man 2 and The Avengers
• 46:15 — “Cousins” by Vampire Weekend

Discussed:

• Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Star Trek Online
• The Avengers, The Invincible Iron Man, Captain America
• Lost, The Hurt Locker, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Star Trek, Iron Man 2

Will, Lucas, and Chris talk about what they’re looking forward to in 2010, mostly video games.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 15 (32 MB, MP3, 46:52)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — “Casio Bossa Nova” by Holy Fuck
• 2:30 — Comics and Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire
• 9:00 — BioShock 2, Deus Ex 3, and ten-year titles
• 19:40 — Mass Effect, continuing game stories and characters
• 29:30 — “Go Shoppin’” by Bran Van 3000
• 33:00 — Melville and his narcissists
• 37:30 — Clash of Heroes and Dark Messiah
• 46:15 — “Boxcutter Emporium Pt. 2″ by Sixtoo

Discussed:

• BioShock 2, Deus Ex 3, Mass Effect 2, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
• Scott Pilgrim, Transmetropolitan, A Song of Ice and Fire
• Game of Thrones, Avatar, Jean-Pierre Melville

Idhren's "Favourite Jeans"

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 14 (37 MB, MP3, 50:45)
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Programme:

• 0:05 — “Soft Revolution” by Stars
• 3:30 — Trine and class warfare in TF2
• 10:00 — System Shock, franchises, and Arkane’s Arx
• 14:00 — Jeff on DC’s 2010 comics: Earth One
• 27:20 — “Öngyilkos Vasárnap” by Venetian Snares
• 27:55 — Batman’s lost in time; Krypton is orbiting Mars
• 35:00 — Talk about Mongols
• 39:15 — On Avatar
• 53:00 — “Killed by a Horse” by Buck 65

Discussed:

• Trine, Team Fortress 2: War!, System Shock, Arx Fatalis
• Earth One, Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne, War of the Supermen
• Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea, Mongol, Avatar
• Jay Pinkerton, J. Michael Straczynski, “Still your favourite MILF!”

The triumvirate is back for this sixth prime-numbered episode, almost none of which was recorded behind glass. The dorks find themselves deluged with games, fatigued by comics events, and infected with empathy—but it’s all good.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 13 (35 MB, MP3, 50:30)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — “Blood Line” by iTAL tEK
• 2:30 — On Assassin’s Creed II
• 9:00 — Comics event fatigue, twisted back-stories
• 21:10 — Branagh’s Thor
• 29:30 — “Dundas, Ontario” by Manitoba
• 30:00 — Summary of Winterbottom’s Code 46
• 32:00 — Xbox Live, Modern Warfare 2
• 46:45 — Significant others’ gaming; Peter Hyams
• 49:10 — “Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts” by Wolf Parade

Discussed:

• Assassin’s Creed II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Wii Sports Resort
• Everyone Poops, Green Lantern, Blackest Night, Dark Avengers
• Thor, Code 46, Outland, Capricorn One

To celebrate the DVD and Blu-ray release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Jeff, Joel, Lucas and Will discuss all things Transformers. From the original 80′s cartoon and comics to the toys and the recent live-action films we’ve got our giant shape-shifting alien robot bases well covered.

Download: Dork Shelf Podcast 12 (29 MB, MP3, 42:30)
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Programme:

• 0:00 — Segue from the last podcast
• 0:30 — “Another Life” by Kano
• 1:30 — Transformers movies, comics, TV show
• 28:15 — “Theme from Transformers” by Russell Lieblich
• 29:00 — More about Transformers
• 41:45 — “Flaming Heart” by Meat Puppets

Discussed:

• Nothin’ but Transformers