For your consideration, here is episode ten of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. As this podcast has moved away from being the sports-heavy discussion that it started out to be and has become more a reflection on things I’ve seen and done and thought about in my life,...

For your consideration, here is episode nine of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. We’ve just moved through the Easter period, a time when Christians all around the world celebrate the resurrection of God’s son and signifies the most important event of their faith. It...

For your consideration, here is episode eight of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. Easter is upon us again, and as we have reached the period where more people are excited about their four day weekend than anything else that surrounds the concept, let’s have a...

For your consideration, here is episode seven of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. Over the years, it seems to have become increasingly easy for movie makers looking to make a quick buck to do one of two things, rather than seek out original ideas in order to make a...

For your consideration, here is episode six of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. How many of you remember “We Are the World”? Better yet, how many of you KNOW “We Are the World”? In this day and age it’s a reasonable question. On top of that, how many remember “Do...

Welcome back to a new episode of "Helen & Bill Do Retro Cinema", the episodes of this podcast where Helen and Bill take on the roles vacated by David and Margaret and bring you the reviews that matter... on movies from the past that no doubt you have all seen before. Today's episode features the five films that were nominated for Best Picture at the 76th Academy Awards in 2004, all released in 2003. So why not tune in to hear what these two cinefiles think about: SEABISCUIT LOST IN...

For your consideration, here is episode five of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the weekly rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life, where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. Taylor Swift fever has hit Australia, and for the past week it has been impossible to get past it. From watching the first ever Superbowl where the actual teams playing were the sideshow...

Welcome back to a new episode of "Helen & Bill Do Retro Cinema", the episodes of this podcast where Helen and Bill take on the roles vacated by David and Margaret and bring you the reviews that matter... on movies from the past that no doubt you have all seen before. Today's episode features the five films that were nominated for Best Picture at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003, all released in 2002. So why not tune in to hear what these two cinefiles think about: THE HOURS CHICAGO THE...

For your consideration, here is episode four of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the daily rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. Today I converse on how, having been subjected to six straight weeks of non stop ads telling me all about the returning shows on the commercial networks while watching the cricket, the...

For your consideration, here is episode three of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the daily rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. Today I reveal just how I use music in my life to retain my sanity in different situations, and discuss just how much music is involved in my day-to-day life. The way that certain songs...

Welcome back to a new episode of "Helen & Bill Do Retro Cinema", the episodes of this podcast where Helen and Bill take on the roles vacated by David and Margaret and bring you the reviews that matter... on movies from the past that no doubt you have all seen before. Today's episode features the five films that were nominated for Best Picture at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002, all released in 2001. So why not tune in to hear what these two cinefiles think about: GOSFORD PARK MOULIN...

It's the return of Josh and Bill, and they indeed do talk a lot of crap, and today it has been recorded for a podcast episode. Why not stop by as these two buffoons of news offer you the following important discussion points: 1. Tetris has been defeated! And no one really knew that was a thing! But we discuss the worldwide implications. 2. Dogs eating homework? How about dogs so smart they avoid having to go on a plane by eating a passport! 3. Steamboat Willie starring a cartoon mouse...

It has been a lengthy spell of eating and drinking over the Xmas and New Year period, but Helen and Bill are back for the next episode in their series of Retro Cinema, where they take on the roles vacated by David and Margaret and bring you the reviews that matter... on movies from the past that no doubt you have all seen before. Today's episode features the five films that were nominated for Best Picture at the 2001 Academy Awards, all released in 2000. So why not tune in to hear what these...

On today's episode of The Casual Mankadder, we attack and discuss three current points of contention in the world of Australian cricket. Firstly, we preview the start of the Test series and discuss the chances of both Pakistan and Australia in the First Test in Perth and the series overall, and whether Pakistan's less than full strength squad is a match for Australia's bully boys on home turf. Secondly, we discuss the recent bust up of Mitch Johnson's comments on the David Warner retirement...

After a lengthy delay for a reworking of the format (and for Helen to stop watching Gilmore Girls and The Crown), Helen and Bill are back for the next episode in their series of Retro Cinema, where they take on the roles vacated by David and Margaret and bring you the reviews that matter... on movies from the past that no doubt you have all seen before. Today's episode features the five films that were nominated for Best Picture at the 2000 Academy Awards, all released in 1999. So why noy...

On todays episode of The Casual Mankadder, we preview the upcoming 13th edition of Australia’s Big Bash League. Despite the dwindling ability to attract the top flight short form cricketers from around the world, the BBL still showcases the best talent that Australian domestic cricket has to offer as they look to force their way into the national setup. Today we’ll take a look at each team's squad, and assess just where they stand in the pecking order for this season's competition. I will...

For your consideration, here is episode two of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the daily rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. Today's discussion points include my recent catch-up of TV viewing, including the second season of "Loki", the first of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials, and the reality show based...

On today's scintillating episode of The Casual Mankadder, we discuss the current Australia Test summer and the fact that the red ball game should already be well underway with me watching in the Metal Cavern with beer and chilli chips, and instead it won't be until mid-December that we see that first day of the First Test. The cons pile up and we look at them all. Following that we take a dive into the whole new world of disputed catches, and how the current plethora of batters standing their...

There has been a lot of talk in recent times about the so-called failure of blockbuster films at the cinema, that they have failed to take in the kinds of first weekend box office returns that they were expected to, or were EXPECTED to. The movie doesn’t seem to get judged on how good it is anymore, it's just how much money it makes in its first week of release at the cinema. So why is this happening? Why is it all about that first week reaction to people paying their money and stampeding to...

On today's episode of The Casual Mankadder, we take a look at two quite amazing incidents that have occurred in the 2023 World Cup over the past couple of days. Firstly we discuss the first ever incident of a player being dismissed 'timed out' in an International match. We look at the timeline of what occurred, talk about why it happened, and the various options that COULD have been taken by all parties involved and why in the long run they did not. Secondly, last night's match saw arguably...

For your consideration, here is the debut episode of "It's a Ponderous Life", the place where I offer you the daily rantings of a middle aged man trying to come to grips with life where the wife and kids all have their own lives that don't require me, and I get fist shakingly annoyed at the world as I see it. Today's discussion points include my sudden onset of the symptoms of Mondayitis, and just what could be the root cause of this occurrence. Then we can have a few thoughts on Melbourne...

On today's edition of The Casual Mankadder, England supporters and websites have finally accepted that their team can no longer reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, something all other cricket watchers worked out two weeks ago. With a week left of the preliminary rounds of the longest World Cup in existence, we discuss the likely semi-final match up rather than wait for the commentators to actually say it. Following this we have a look at the state of New South Wales cricket, as they find...

Om today's edition of The Casual Mankadder, we take a look at the demise of England from this year's World Cup tournament, and not only bathe in the joy that comes with such a situation, but take a look at a couple of the glaring errors made on the selection front that have contributed to the poor showing of 'Dad's Army'. Then we also have a look at Australia's week, and how two wins in two matches papers over the obvious flaws in their campaign, and what they may have to do in order to not...

On today's episode of The Casual Mankadder, we sweep back to the World Cup in India, and discuss just how many losses a team can suffer before they find themselves eliminated from the semi-final race, and why that means England cannot afford any more slip ups if they want to retain their title. Then we head back to Australia, and your host comes up with a radical plan to implement in the back half of the summer once David Warner has finally left the building, and we try to build the perfect...