December 5, 2025 • 8 mins
Dr. Bob Thompson has the latest entertainment news including the battle on big screen between Zootopia 2 and Wicked For Good!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Standing by right now somebody who really really got that
reference Professor of pop culture at Syracuse University, doctor Bob Dobson.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
How you doing, sir, I'm doing pretty well. How about you, guys.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Well, I'm a little flabbergasted by the news that you're
sharing regarding Thanksgiving television viewing. I mean, the football thing
I get. I get the football, but the parade thing
I don't get.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, it is consistently now for the last several years,
is consistently every year the highest rated entertainment show for
the entire year that includes the Oscars and the Emmys,
basically everything but football. And football did really well this
Thanksgiving as well. It broke all kinds of records. That's
(00:41):
CBS broadcast.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I'm wondering if people just they have it on out
of because mom and Dad had it on before me.
And it's just because I haven't heard anybody, Honestly, I don't.
I haven't heard anybody since Thanksgivings they did you see this?
This flow this Usually when they're it's that kind of
you know, watching going on, people are talking about it.
(01:04):
I have heard nothing.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
You are absolutely right. I also have not heard that,
and I think it is a sense and when if
you actually sit down and watch it, and I agree
most people it's they're making dinner, They're going in and
out of the kitchen. It's social lubrication as everybody's waking
up relatives and aren't always together and all that kind
(01:28):
of thing. And if you actually ever turn up the
volume and pay attention for fifteen minutes, it is an
unbelievably bizarre broadcast. I mean, the copy is it could
come right out of nineteen fifty. I don't want to
call it bad writing, but goofy, old fashioned, the kind
(01:50):
of thing that you would have expected at the latest
maybe Regis and Kathy Lee to be saying yes, probably
more like Day Gearaway and his friends back in the fifties.
And it is these It's a bunch of lip sync performances,
marching bands. I mean, there's something so mid twentieth century
(02:12):
about it, but you know, maybe that's the appeal. What
is What are some of the most popular shows of
December with the biggest audiences are programs that were made
during the Johnson administration. Rudolph the Red Nosed Grant, Reindeer,
How the Grin Stole Christmas? It's like, as we emerge
into the holidays, and especially these densely nostalgic ones. Maybe
(02:36):
that kind of just goofy, old fashioned something we would
never in a million years watch any other time of
the year, is perhaps just with the doctor ordered to
say comfort. This isn't about the program. You said it
in a lot fewer words than I'm saying. You said
at the beginning, it's not about watching this show. It's
about it's being there because it has always been there,
(02:59):
and it's that parade is going to be one hundred
years old next year. Actually it's going to be one
hundredth parade. It's going to be one hundred and two
years old, and it's been on television since nineteen fifty three.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
I'm always a big fan of hearkening back, even if
I think you're hearkening to the wrong place. So I'll
go with it's the fact that people are doing it,
and you know, and I hope, I guess ultimately, I
hope they still do because it's a good part of
Americana and memories are always good inspiration to move forward.
The big news this morning floating around Netflix and acquiring Warner,
combined with the Netflix story that you had sent over
(03:31):
about their little issues with season five A stranger I'm
just what, are they ready to be that big?
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah, well they've they've had season and you're right, Netflix
crashed for season five. The first four seasons of Netflix
of Stranger Things were on the top ten list of
streaming the week before the new season even came out.
And of course the new season went wild. And they've
had some problems before. There was a love Blind episode
(04:00):
where they crashed the whole Jake Paul Mike Tyson thing
at trouble. But they have less trouble than they used to.
But this new story is this is really a massive acquisition.
I mean they're going to have with Warner Brothers, netflixes
(04:20):
and that includes HBO of course, So they're going to
include in their portfolio everything from you know, Friends, That'll
be theirs. That comes from HBO, Bugs Bunny That'll be theirs.
There comes from Warner Brothers, Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon
(04:41):
that's in their film library, Wizard of ozn't gone with
the wind. Warner Brothers controls MGMs film library, Game of Thrones, Sopranos, HBO.
I mean, that's a lot of from Tony soprano to
bugs Bunny is, Well, maybe that's not such a big jump.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Does it give me a reason? Though? I pay for
Netflix every month mostly for the grand kids, because I
have not streamed a program on Netflix since I think Ozark.
There's just nothing there. I'm much, I think, much more
into paramount quite frankly, when it comes to streaming long
forms to series shows.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Yeah, well they would. They would be very unhappy to
hear that, because their idea is that they've got so
much on there that no matter who you are, a
two year old, a ninety year old, whatever, that there's
something on there that you can't you can't live without. Now,
for many people, it's been Stranger Things that of course
is now going to be finished come New Year's But
(05:38):
there is that sense, I suppose everybody is at any
given moment they're running at various temperatures hot or cold
on each of the things, like for a while Apple
Plus with what Severance and the studio that was like
the hot streamer, and it does kind of move up
and down. But Netflix, I think always felt from the
(05:59):
very beginning that they had such a deep bench that
they'd always be the last one. You'd, you know, you'd
cancel the subscription, and you haven't canceled yours.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Nope, haven't canceled yet. I'm still got it out there.
As an aside. By the way, if you dip your
toe into the streaming series of land Man put it
on your list, you'll thank me.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
It's it's oh oh sure, yeah, yeah, that's getting a
lot of attention.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yes, it is something else. Zutopia versus Wicked. I guess
that's the big movie stream battle going on right now.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Yeah. I mean it's reminding me of the old Barbie
and Oppenheimer days, although I haven't seen them merge together.
But Zutopia is breaking all kinds of records. It's I
think the best highest opening global animated opening of all time.
That's globally. Uh. Here in the United States, second highest
(06:52):
Thanksgiving of all time after Mowana uh. And now if
you look at the top all the biggest Thanksgiving opening
weekends of all time, Disney has nine of those top tens.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
And the second the second, of course is now Zutopia,
which I know Utopia was a big thing, but when
I think of and wickeds in its second week, but
compared to the visibility, I mean, there were a lot
of ads for Utopia, but this Wicked for Good you
could not even if you were trying get away from it.
(07:29):
Everybody was on every late night talk show. They were
being interviewed all over the place. You opened the turned
on the Macy's Bread biggest audience of the non sports
show of the year, and who opened it. They star
of Wicked for Good singing a medley of songs. So
it was everywhere. The tie ins, the licensing. It demonstrates
(07:52):
how you know, now a movie is only the beginning.
It becomes an entire lifestyle. You can buy, you know,
the Wicked toys and sheets and eat wicked pasta, and
it's everywhere.
Standing by right now somebody who really really got that
reference Professor of pop culture at Syracuse University, doctor Bob Dobson.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
How you doing, sir, I'm doing pretty well. How about you, guys.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Well, I'm a little flabbergasted by the news that you're
sharing regarding Thanksgiving television viewing. I mean, the football thing
I get. I get the football, but the parade thing
I don't get.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, it is consistently now for the last several years,
is consistently every year the highest rated entertainment show for
the entire year that includes the Oscars and the Emmys,
basically everything but football. And football did really well this
Thanksgiving as well. It broke all kinds of records. That's
(00:41):
CBS broadcast.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I'm wondering if people just they have it on out
of because mom and Dad had it on before me.
And it's just because I haven't heard anybody, Honestly, I don't.
I haven't heard anybody since Thanksgivings they did you see this?
This flow this Usually when they're it's that kind of
you know, watching going on, people are talking about it.
(01:04):
I have heard nothing.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
You are absolutely right. I also have not heard that,
and I think it is a sense and when if
you actually sit down and watch it, and I agree
most people it's they're making dinner, They're going in and
out of the kitchen. It's social lubrication as everybody's waking
up relatives and aren't always together and all that kind
(01:28):
of thing. And if you actually ever turn up the
volume and pay attention for fifteen minutes, it is an
unbelievably bizarre broadcast. I mean, the copy is it could
come right out of nineteen fifty. I don't want to
call it bad writing, but goofy, old fashioned, the kind
(01:50):
of thing that you would have expected at the latest
maybe Regis and Kathy Lee to be saying yes, probably
more like Day Gearaway and his friends back in the fifties.
And it is these It's a bunch of lip sync performances,
marching bands. I mean, there's something so mid twentieth century
(02:12):
about it, but you know, maybe that's the appeal. What
is What are some of the most popular shows of
December with the biggest audiences are programs that were made
during the Johnson administration. Rudolph the Red Nosed Grant, Reindeer,
How the Grin Stole Christmas? It's like, as we emerge
into the holidays, and especially these densely nostalgic ones. Maybe
(02:36):
that kind of just goofy, old fashioned something we would
never in a million years watch any other time of
the year, is perhaps just with the doctor ordered to
say comfort. This isn't about the program. You said it
in a lot fewer words than I'm saying. You said
at the beginning, it's not about watching this show. It's
about it's being there because it has always been there,
(02:59):
and it's that parade is going to be one hundred
years old next year. Actually it's going to be one
hundredth parade. It's going to be one hundred and two
years old, and it's been on television since nineteen fifty three.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
I'm always a big fan of hearkening back, even if
I think you're hearkening to the wrong place. So I'll
go with it's the fact that people are doing it,
and you know, and I hope, I guess ultimately, I
hope they still do because it's a good part of
Americana and memories are always good inspiration to move forward.
The big news this morning floating around Netflix and acquiring Warner,
combined with the Netflix story that you had sent over
(03:31):
about their little issues with season five A stranger I'm
just what, are they ready to be that big?
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah, well they've they've had season and you're right, Netflix
crashed for season five. The first four seasons of Netflix
of Stranger Things were on the top ten list of
streaming the week before the new season even came out.
And of course the new season went wild. And they've
had some problems before. There was a love Blind episode
(04:00):
where they crashed the whole Jake Paul Mike Tyson thing
at trouble. But they have less trouble than they used to.
But this new story is this is really a massive acquisition.
I mean they're going to have with Warner Brothers, netflixes
(04:20):
and that includes HBO of course, So they're going to
include in their portfolio everything from you know, Friends, That'll
be theirs. That comes from HBO, Bugs Bunny That'll be theirs.
There comes from Warner Brothers, Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon
(04:41):
that's in their film library, Wizard of ozn't gone with
the wind. Warner Brothers controls MGMs film library, Game of Thrones, Sopranos, HBO.
I mean, that's a lot of from Tony soprano to
bugs Bunny is, Well, maybe that's not such a big jump.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Does it give me a reason? Though? I pay for
Netflix every month mostly for the grand kids, because I
have not streamed a program on Netflix since I think Ozark.
There's just nothing there. I'm much, I think, much more
into paramount quite frankly, when it comes to streaming long
forms to series shows.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Yeah, well they would. They would be very unhappy to
hear that, because their idea is that they've got so
much on there that no matter who you are, a
two year old, a ninety year old, whatever, that there's
something on there that you can't you can't live without. Now,
for many people, it's been Stranger Things that of course
is now going to be finished come New Year's But
(05:38):
there is that sense, I suppose everybody is at any
given moment they're running at various temperatures hot or cold
on each of the things, like for a while Apple
Plus with what Severance and the studio that was like
the hot streamer, and it does kind of move up
and down. But Netflix, I think always felt from the
(05:59):
very beginning that they had such a deep bench that
they'd always be the last one. You'd, you know, you'd
cancel the subscription, and you haven't canceled yours.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Nope, haven't canceled yet. I'm still got it out there.
As an aside. By the way, if you dip your
toe into the streaming series of land Man put it
on your list, you'll thank me.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
It's it's oh oh sure, yeah, yeah, that's getting a
lot of attention.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yes, it is something else. Zutopia versus Wicked. I guess
that's the big movie stream battle going on right now.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Yeah. I mean it's reminding me of the old Barbie
and Oppenheimer days, although I haven't seen them merge together.
But Zutopia is breaking all kinds of records. It's I
think the best highest opening global animated opening of all time.
That's globally. Uh. Here in the United States, second highest
(06:52):
Thanksgiving of all time after Mowana uh. And now if
you look at the top all the biggest Thanksgiving opening
weekends of all time, Disney has nine of those top tens.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
And the second the second, of course is now Zutopia,
which I know Utopia was a big thing, but when
I think of and wickeds in its second week, but
compared to the visibility, I mean, there were a lot
of ads for Utopia, but this Wicked for Good you
could not even if you were trying get away from it.
(07:29):
Everybody was on every late night talk show. They were
being interviewed all over the place. You opened the turned
on the Macy's Bread biggest audience of the non sports
show of the year, and who opened it. They star
of Wicked for Good singing a medley of songs. So
it was everywhere. The tie ins, the licensing. It demonstrates
(07:52):
how you know, now a movie is only the beginning.
It becomes an entire lifestyle. You can buy, you know,
the Wicked toys and sheets and eat wicked pasta, and
it's everywhere.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com