Top Plug of the Week

The second episode of FLOP TV S2 is coming up next Saturday, October 5, at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific. We’ll be discussing Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo, the movie that will have you saying “Oh what a feeling! When we’re (break)dancing on the ceiling!” along with other treats and surprises! If you want to join the fun, tickets are still available here — $7/episode, $35 for the whole six-episode season (plus ticket fees). A season pass gets you access to ALL of the episodes, even those you missed live! Following the live stream, all episodes will remain available ON DEMAND for ticket holders through the end of February 2025!

Last Chance Mailbag

We get far too many letters at Flop House HQ to answer them all on the show, so (with a nod to Top Chef) we decided to give them a last chance here in the newsletter, before they have to pack their laptops and go. Let’s answer something!

Hey Peaches,

The other night I realized that my "Carla Gugino should be in more things" stance was directly at odds with my "Mike Flanagan should make fewer (zero?) things" stance.

Do you guys have any examples of frequent collaborators where you love the worl of one, but greatly dislike the work of the other?

Keep on flopping in the free world,

Jeff in Vancouver 

Hoo boy, Jeff! It’s too bad you’re being answered here on LCM, rather than on the mothership, where Stu might give you some cover for your Flanagan-flames, but I can’t go down that road with you. I haven’t seen anything from the man that I’ve outright disliked, and several things that I’ve loved, but you didn’t ask me to litigate your personal taste (you’re entitled to it!) so let’s move on to the question.

The first thing that comes to mind? Look… I love that they appear to have a strong, adoring marriage and that they want to work together, but…

When Melissa McCarthy works with Paul Feig, we get stuff like Bridesmaids, Spy, Ghostbusters, and The Heat (I like the first half of that list better than the second, but they range from terrific to totally credible comedies). When she stretches beyond comedy, with director Marielle Heller, we get the brilliant Can You Ever Forgive Me? But when (to get back to the dangling ellipsis) she works with her husband, writer-director, Ben Falcone. We get Tammy, Life of the Party, The Boss, and Thunder Force. Oof.

I feel bad picking on them, because — like I said — they seem sweet as hell. But if MY spouse directed me in Thunder Force, then we’d BETTER have a strong marriage.

Anyway, I don’t wanna just be negative. I think Ben Falcone is a very funny comic actor — his scenes with McCarthy in Bridesmaids were a high point, for example. But I might personally prefer he focus on that for the time being, and let his muse fly on her own for a while.

Next on the Podcast!

Hear ye on main!

9/28 - Smallvember ends with a flashback discussion of 1995’s Robot in the Family, starring Joey Pants and John Rhys Davies, one of the most frenetic and irritating films in the history of the form!

10/5 - Sharlene Wellington drops by for a Missed that Movie! to tell us about 1985’s crotch-thrusting aerobics picture, Perfect, and plug her new venture, Jiggle Studio.

An Earnest Interlude

A momentary break in the laffs:

The covid and post-covid years have seen a dip in the podcast business — sudden non-commuters got out of the listening habit; live show attendance is still down out of (understandable) health concerns; and a lot of ad money’s leaving the entertainment industry as a whole. Even little, largely-unnoticed stuff like Apple changing how their podcast app works has had an outsized effect (true story: if you let a few episodes of a show go without listening they’ll automatically unsubscribe you! No thanks, Apple!) has depressed numbers even further.

A podcast I (Dan) listen to, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, always ends with an encouragement to listeners that — if you enjoy this program — please share it with at least one other person, with the host noting that “word of mouth is still the #1 way any creative endeavor can grow and keep going.” We at Flop House HQ too often forget to make a similar plea, even when 1/3 of the podcast currently has no other job (although, to quote our pal Jordan Morris’ catchphrase on a different show, “I’m workin’ on it!”).

You’ve all been extremely kind to us over the years (including many of you paying for a free show, after the fact, out of the admirable belief that folks should be compensated for work), and thank you! Please help us keep the show not only going, but growing, by helping us get new listeners, even in our podcast-old-age! If you like the show, do tell someone you think might like it too! And thank YOU so much for being our audience!

Boys on the Side

Holy moonlighting, Batman! One Flop host with no shortage of side projects is Mr. Elliott Kalan who’s writing a new run of HARLEY QUINN COMICS! We can’t wait to see what the inimitable Mr. Kalan will do with the beloved and brassy Ms. Quinn!

There’s a little movie out soon called Frankie Freako, featuring a bit of voice work from all three Flop House hosts, but mostly Stuart Wellington. It makes its NYC debut on Friday, 10/4 at the Alamo Lower Manhattan as part of Fantastic Fest, and the director is friend of the show (you may recall him from our Critters episode) Steven Kostanski. He’ll be at the Friday and Saturday screenings for a Q&A — the Friday is sold out already, but as of Flop Secrets press time, there are still seats for the Saturday, and more (Steveless) screenings thereafter!

If you just can’t get enough of newsletters, check out Dan McCoy’s Special Interests. The most recent installment was a wide-ranging essay touching on the film Urgh! A Music War, neurodiversity, the line between identifying with pop culture and toxic fandom, accepting your own changing tastes as you age, and more! Next week’s will be a lot simpler and will be all about Uncle Scrooge McDuck! It’s a wide range of topics over there at DMSI!

You Made it to the End!

Here’s a pic of Stuart hanging out before his and Dan’s recent guest appearance on JJHo at City Winery. Don’t worry — his arm’s not that long! It’s just the lens!