We've got a SUPERSIZED Pop Rocket for our first-ever Friday release, so strap yourselves in! This week, Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, and Margaret Wappler are joined by TV powerhouse Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, co-creator and executive producer of the Lifetime drama UnREAL.
The crew discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's new Showtime series Who Is America. Not unlike his previous series, Da Ali G Show, which aired on HBO in the early aughts, Cohen continues his controversial schtick of interviewing people in character while trying to get them to humiliate themselves all for our viewing pleasure. They draw the connections between Cohen's comedy and Sarah's show UnREAL. The fourth and final season of UnREAL recently came out on Hulu.

Jonathan Gold

First, the crew pays tribute to the late, great Los Angeles food critic Jonathan Gold. Gold was the city's unofficial ambassador whose reviews propped up great restaurants on the verge of going out of business, gave a spotlight to forgotten histories, but more than anything taught Angelenos to be less afraid of their neighbors.

The Pop Rocket Seal of Approval

Two weeks ago Guy created the Pop Rocket Seal of Approval and quickly submitted its first nomination: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. This week we had enough of a quorum to hold our first-ever vote. Guy, Margaret, and Karen each weigh in with the pros and cons of awarding this prestigious honor to The Rock, and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro comes in hot with her own opinions (but no voting rights). Will The Rock earn Pop Rocket's first ever Seal of Approval? Find out!

With Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, Margaret Wappler, and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro.

That's My Jam:

Margaret - Demi Lovato - Sober.

Karen - Lisa Loeb - Stay (I Missed You).

Sarah- Nina Simone - Ain't Got No, I Got Life (Live).

Guy - Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey - The Middle .

You can let us know what you think of Pop Rocket and suggest topics in our Facebook group or via @PopRocket on Twitter.

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Produced by Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org. Edited by Shana Daloria.

Oh My Oprah! This week is chock full with wonderful goodies for your ears to snack on! It's our second aka last pledge episode for the #MaxFunDrive, so this is your last chance to consider making a donation to the amazeballs Maximum Fun Podcasting Network! Up first is a Minority Korner fan favorite Korner: Movie Review Korner! James and Nnekay review Eddie Murphy's beautiful masterpiece, Vampire in Brooklyn, which includes so much that Nnekay AND James have a hard time wrapping their brains around. Just to name a few surpries: Cobras, bad and multiple wigs, Angela Basset screaming her head off, bad Jamaican accents, and John Witherspoon. Nnekay covers some of the injustice Actors of Color specifically Kal Penn have to deal with during casting, and james bring his Oprah-ish Lessons on how to break free of limits and steps on how to reach the potential your truly deserve. And lastly we have the second part of the non bonus episode portion of our interview with Ashley Nicole Black from Full Frontal with Samantha Bee! She talks about women in comedy, what it's like to work on TV, and the RNC. So hang on tight, put on your Angela Basset Pants By Basset Pants on to get comfy and Enjoy the show!

Links!

http://jezebel.com/kal-penn-reveals-the-racist-roles-hollywood-wanted-hi...

We are not reporting from the RNC- because that would be dangerous for us. We are still internationally recording, and James has a bird's eye view of all the crazy Republican politics, safely from Europe. Let's talk about the terrifying circus that is the Republican National Convention. Nnekay speaks about a hashtag near and dear to her heart #LoudBlackGirls, and it's celebration, and empowerment of Black women to be themselves. James is going to myth bust some gender and race stereotypes, and we need to have a very important conversation about white on white crime. This week's Quizlet Korner might actually be legit. Did Stevie Wonder go crazy at a concert? Is Grand Theft Auto taking place at a Pride Parade? Are Homosexuals lacing fireworks with chemtrails to turn everyone gay?! Find out!