Popspotting

Back in October, we took a quick look at four new fantasy shows, including "American Horror Story" on FX. Now that we're eight episodes in, we take a deeper look at one of the darker shows on television. The series managed to make a strong first impression, but have co-creators and producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk been able to sustain a solid story? Does "American Horror Story" strike the right balance between mind-bending mysteries and satisfying answers?

Today for Movie Monday, we explore an unusual family tie. We start with "Moon," the feature directorial debut of Duncan Jones. Then, we revisit "The Prestige," a magical film that features the acting talents of Jones' dad, David Bowie. Both movies may have you questioning reality as you revel in some outstanding performances. Sam Rockwell shines in a part created just for him, while Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman face off in a battle to rule the stage.

It’s Black Friday, and Feedback Friday! At least here on Popspotting, there are no lines, and the fun is free. Our listeners chime in on the music of 1974 (and 1972 and 1987 and 1988), and share their guilty pleasures, including “Top Chef” and “The Sing-Off.” We’ve got some TV and book talk as well. Finally, Al reminds us that video games are distressingly underrepresented on our podcast. It’s going to be up to Al and other gamers out there to keep us up-to-date!

Forget the Great Pumpkin. We've got the great Maggie Mack (@ilea02) joining us for our Thanksgiving episode. Maggie is the host of Maggie's World, and co-host of both Girls Night In Radio and The West Wing Podcast. She's a pop culture fan (who loves Harry Potter in particular) and a preschool teacher.

Music is once again the focus of Wildcard Wednesday, but thanks to a suggestion from Daniel in Boston, there's a twist: He challenges us to name our favorite Broadway shows. While we're not experts in the world of musicals, we do love showtunes, and give the topic our best shot. A lot of obvious picks, perhaps, but with stories that illustrate why we feel a personal connection to each.

In the past week, "Fringe" on FOX saw its fall finale, not to return until January 13, 2012, and the FX biker gang series "Sons of Anarchy" gave us a 90-minute episode to set the stage for the last three episodes of Season 4.

For Movie Monday, we preview a Thanksgiving release we're not ashamed to admit that we were really looking forward to, movie critic cred be damned. After a 12 year break, "The Muppets" return to the big screen, led by Jason Segel and Amy Adams.

The Popspotting voicemail line saves the day for Feedback Friday. First, two unlikely shining stars from "The Descendants." While George Clooney and Hawaii shine, two listeners remind us where else we might have seen Shailene Woodley and Matthew Lillard. Then a solid defense of "Once Upon a Time" and the second season of "The Walking Dead." NBC, however, gets no love. On the musical side, we get an impromptu serenade from Daniel, and another solid music recommendation from dear Geoff.

Joining us today for PopTalk & Trivia Thursday is podcaster, actor, and all-around supergeek Heath Solo (@HeathActor), a.k.a. Heath Centazzo. Heath is the host of The Film List podcast, a graduate of Syracuse University, and a big fan of Steve McQueen. He tells us about Cameron Crowe's documentary "Pearl Jam Twenty," "Prime Suspect" (before NBC announced it was dropping the show midseason), and the new-and-improved Blu-Ray release of the "Star Wars" movies.

Turnabout is fair play. After celebrating Jen's tenth 29th birthday in August with a countdown of her favorite songs of 1972, this week we both share five picks each for great songs of 1974.

For TV Tuesday, we take a look at the pilot of AMC's latest original series, "Hell On Wheels." Then, Jen brings us up to speed on the Food Network reality cooking show, "The Next Iron Chef."

Leonardo DiCaprio takes on yet another larger-than-life historical figure in Clint Eastwood's new biopic, "J. Edgar." The film follows the career of the FBI's first and most infamous director, J. Edgar Hoover, who held his position and influence through several presidents, from 1935 through his death in 1972. He built the agency into an investigative powerhouse, but burned many bridges along the way, surviving largely through the shrewd collection and use of secret files he kept on every powerful person in the country.

This week's Feedback Friday finds a number of fans for ABC's "Once Upon a Time." We also touch on "Chuck," back with what may be its final season on NBC. From BBC, "The Fades" gets a thumbs up, and "Sons of Anarchy" hooks another addict. And from Switzerland, our friend Anna introduces a podcast devoted to "The West Wing."

Today's guest is W. Axel Foley (@WAxelFoley), a filmmaker, podcaster and educator. He is a frequent co-host on "The Film List" with Heath Solo, and one of the four (or more) hosts of "Podtourage."

On the rare occasion Facebook goes down, global productivity goes up. (This is not a proven fact, but it sounds right.) The Internet is a wonderful, nearly magical tool, but its primary use seems to be to waste time. So in honor of procrastinators everywhere, we both share our five favorite online time wasters. And to make things interesting, we excluded social networking sites.