Guys Of A Certain Age

It’s the new year and The Guys are already reminiscing about the old one.  The Best Movie list was a little easier to whittle down as the usual number of movies just didn’t come out.  

But the Best TV selections made up for it, since everybody was still home streaming.  And books?  Well, Jay went out of his comfort zone and listened to an audiobook on sports (pretty broad for a band geek), and science fiction wins the day for Art and Robbie.

More spoilers  - or just a rant? - involving Art’s Arachnid Tingle, Robbie takes on the title, “Lord of the Rap”, and Jay’s already wishing for next year’s Christmas toy.  Welcome to 2022, from Guys of a Certain Age!

The Guys just can’t get enough partying as the year comes to a close, but who should they invite to the New Year’s Eve Party?  

People from all over the galaxies will want to come, but there’s only room for fifteen or so extra guests.  So they limit the invitations to Star Wars actors and actresses through the years.  Most of their picks are still living, but the Guys don’t want to be too exclusive.  Listen to see if your name is on the guest list!  Because they know all the Star Wars celebrities are listening.

In Geeks of the Week, be ready for a Hawkeye spoiler, some Star Wars news that may or may not be confirmed by one of the party guests, and a sad goodbye to a talented Monkee.  

It’s the holiday season, so hoop-de-do and dickory dock, Guys of a Certain Age are fighting the clock.  So we party when we can, and it’s our party, so we invite who we want to.  Even if they’re no longer walking the earth.  

It’s the ultimate Christmas party, and the Guys each get 5 invitations (though some honorables are mentioned).  The only criteria is that they must be actors/actresses who have played a role, major or minor, in some sort of superhero movie or show.  

And they didn’t limit it to any particular universe, or to the living, for that matter.  The guest list they came up with is sure to make a party no listener will want to miss.  If only the party could be real.  

Wherefore art thou, Art?  It seems it’s once again Art’s turn to take a break from the rigorous Guys of a Certain Age recording schedule, and Jay sort of takes over the show.  

Finally, the cord has been cut on Jay’s Netflix DVD plan and the Twitterverse went nuts.  (It was about something else, but seriously - it’s nuts on there.)  To mark the occasion, he shares the last half dozen DVDs watched via Netflix - perhaps the last DVDs ever watched … period.   Then it’s catch-up time.  Jay was intrigued by the recent discussion on a Jay-less episode about Christmas lists, cheap thrills, guilty pleasures (and we’re still talking about gifts, people) and wanted to put in his two cents.  

For the Guys’ listeners in jolly old England, Jay suggests a play in the West End involving a broken shark and three slightly inebriated actors.  Robbie stays closer to home, with the announcement of two new series coming to HBO Max.  There are far less sound effects on this episode, but the milestones abound.  Don’t miss it.  

The holidays are not all about eating, but somehow food gets invited to all the parties.  And Christmas tends to bring out special dishes that generally don’t show up the rest of the year. 

In summer there are no gingerbread beach house-building contests, it’s a slow period for Reese’s iterations, and the Candy Cane Wonder Twins take the form of Starlight Mints again.  Be it fruitcake or egg nog, everyone has their faves and their absolutely-nots.  In this episode, The Guys prepare for a pre-holiday lunch by talking about iconic holiday foods. 

But before pulling a chair up to the dessert table, Robbie heats up the kitchen with a cookbook from an iconic holiday special, Art alerts the public to a new series bound to heat up Hulu, and Jay cools things down with an announcement about a comic series from the 1990’s that, of course, he just discovered.

It’s the holiday season, and that means … a mailbox full of catalogs.  Or at least it used to. 

Yes, Amazon got in on the game this year, and some of the old favorites like Sharper Image and LL Bean still have a printer in the office, but the OG of Christmas catalogs  - Sears and Roebuck - have gone the way of the dinosaur.  In other words, it’s almost impossible to find a real one, but they are all over the internet. 

In this episode The Guys explore ancient Sears Christmas Wishbooks from days gone by (60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, because those are the decades they remember better than yesterday), thanks to a website that scanned each and every page.  In other news, we learn that Scarlett is making nice with Kevin, Netflix breaks a record, and Robbie can’t take his lightsaber to Disney.  

With Jay out this week, Robbie and Art present a list of gift suggestions in three categories: cheaper, guilty pleasure, mid-range, but more practical, and way-too expensive, extravagant gift.

Note: in most (all?) cases, these are are gifts that Robbie and Art have already received, some as "gifts" to themselves. We offer these as suggestions for that hard-to-buy-for, certain-aged Guy or Gal that may be on your gift list.

Once in a while, an actor will emerge from the pack and be all of a sudden, everywhere.  

For those in similar viewing circles to The Guys (which may be a circle of three), that actor is currently Jeffrey Wright.  Not only is he crossing comic universes with roles in both DC and Marvel creations, he’s also crossing from a voice on a scripted podcast to an animated character. He’s at home in the world of James Bond as well as Dr. Seuss. He’s not made his way into a Star Wars film just yet, but the Force is definitely with him.  

Before the break, Robbie shares what Hideaki Anno is up to these days, Jay talks another DC trailer for a sequel bound to amaze us in 2023, and Art Dogg tries to convince us that his brother Snoop has somehow fo shizzled his way into a Storm Trooper uniform.  

What better way to celebrate the Guys’ 150th episode than to visit a practically uninhabitable desert planet!  

That’s right, good listeners, it’s been that long.  And like B-Art-les and Jay-mes (and Robbie), The Guys thank you for your support.  Meanwhile, back in the desert, it’s time to talk Dune.  The new movie directed by a gentleman with a name only Art can properly pronounce has been released, and The Guys have … mixed feelings?  Listen as they talk actors, compare to previous versions, and discuss climate models.  

And if you get that far, you’ll also hear the Geeks of the Week, including a book series made into a tv show, a tv show made with book in the name, and a comic book company that came and went like the sands of Arrakis.  It’s Episode 150, and the Spice Guys are back.  

In this week’s episode The Guys use all their senses, except perhaps good sense.  Art resumes his updates from the world of DC, with all the new trailers from DC Fandome - a virtual trailer park of movies that will come out sometime before the Dawn of the next Century.  (Perhaps that’s what DC stands for?) Robbie is into reading, with a new book unveiling deep background on the setup of the MCU.  Jay unveils yet another opportunity to spend money on figurines -  that is, if you have several thousand dollars and don’t mind Tom Hiddleston staring at you all day long.  And you don’t live in the US.  

Okay, so most of the sensing so far is visual, but then they listen!  That’s right, kids!  Get out your DeCoder rings (imaybe that's what DC stands for?) and gather round the radio - or watch on HBO Max if you sold your radio at a garage sale - it’s time for the Batman Audio Adventures!  Seriously, it’s DC’s first scripted poDCast, and The Guys are pretty excited about it.  As excited as hearts of a certain age can handle, anyway.  Listen as they talk about what they listened to and think you should listen to.