Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – "Hot Releases" Segment

Episode Date: September 9, 2025
Segment Focus: New entertainment releases (games, TV, music) and pop culture banter
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Brett Vesely, Dick Toledo (Kyle)

Episode Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness centers on the “Hot Releases” segment, where the crew reviews and riffs on notable new video game, streaming series, and music releases of the week. True to form, hosts John, Brady, Brett, and Kyle keep the tone light, irreverent, and playfully self-deprecating, meandering into off-topic jokes and pop culture rants as they deliver their takes.

Key Discussion Points & Segment Timestamps

1. Banter: Group Chats, Privacy, and Out-of-Context Messages

(01:11 – 06:40)

• The hosts open with humorous takes on texting and email etiquette, reflecting on the dangers of old digital correspondences resurfacing (“God forbid someone gained access to your emails. Boy, is that the truth.” – Johnny, 02:33).
• They share listener stories, like a listener’s embarrassing typo about "six-year-old" vs. "60-year-old," leading to jokes about court evidence and infamous trials.
• Heavy moment: A Marine listener’s group chat turned dark when a member was discovered to be a criminal. The crew pivots quickly back to levity to keep the tone up.

Notable Quote:

“Just go back and watch Johnny Depp try to explain his text with Paul Bettany about killing Amber Heard... Did you write that? Yes, I did. What did you mean by that? We were kidding.”
— Johnny (03:01)

2. Hot Releases – Video Games

Borderlands 4
(08:30 – 09:34)

• Brett introduces Borderlands 4, emphasizing its “mayhem-fueled looter shooter” style and its “billions of weapons, outrageous enemies, and intense co-op action.”
• Game is on preorder, available Friday, all platforms.
• John, tongue-in-cheek: “How much is a game now? 60 bucks. Still, that's about the same they've always been.” (09:13)
• Brief discussion on subscription game services and Brady staring at a frozen screen (“Brady's just staring at a frozen screen there.” – Johnny, 09:34)

Notable Moment:
Playful ribbing on Brady for zoning out during video game chat.

3. Hot Releases – New TV & Streaming Series

(10:02 – 12:55)

• Only Murders in the Building – Season 5 (Hulu)
  The crew jokes about how five years of constant murder should be a dealbreaker for tenants. “Wouldn’t you just move? Five seasons of murder in your building." (10:21)
• The Girlfriend (Prime Video)
  Immediate reaction to steamy trailer: “Right away we got nudity ... Just went down on her in the preview.” – Johnny (10:59) The group is intrigued by the mother-in-law/girlfriend feud, joking about plot points and kidney theft.
• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Season 3 (AMC+)
  Light mocking of endless zombie spin-offs. John reiterates his recurring bit: “If there was a zombie apocalypse, I'd line up with my neck out.” (12:35)

Notable Moment:
The group speculates about who would survive the zombie apocalypse and debates looting vs. giving up.

4. Hot Releases – Documentaries

Thirst Trap: The Fame, The Fantasy & The Fallout (Paramount+)
(15:28 – 17:19)

• Doc explores viral TikTok star William White and the frenzy of his older female followers.
• Playful commentary about the “desperate housewives” phenomenon: “I've probably given him 100 to $200,000 ... watching William’s TikToks was not illegal at the feelings that were coming up.” – Johnny (16:16/16:28)
• Hosts joke about becoming thirst trap TikTokers for retirement homes.

5. Hot Releases – New Music

(21:56 – 27:34)

• Demon Hunter – Change of style: “Not what I expected… Demons can be sensitive. Yeah, but they're really not. They're hunters.” (22:21–22:34)
• Ed Sheeran – Admired for consistent hit-making: “He’s a machine ... This guy writes hit after hit.” (23:11)
  • Fun bit about Ed letting Chris Hemsworth drum on stage; confusion between Sheeran and Rupert Grint (Harry Potter).
• Twenty One Pilots – Drum show appreciated: “I hate how much I like these guys.” (24:11)
• Fake Dua Lipa (‘Midnight Gravity’) – Hosts suspect it's an AI deepfake and approve regardless: “It’s fake dua lipa and I’m fine with that.” (25:57)
• AI/Nickelback Parody – Crew mocks algorithmic covers: “They took the L out, but it’s all white guys and it's not as good as normal ones are.” (26:11)
• Molly Farton (‘Too Much Pole From a Hole’) – Parody country tune gets big laughs: “This is country music. This is good stuff.” (27:14)

6. Closing Game: “N Word or F Word”

(27:35 – 29:24)

• Game where the crew guesses which word (the N-word or F-word) appears in a sampled Ice Cube track.
• Entertaining argument about the “tone” in which the N-word is used—“friendly, angry, or agitated”—with John summarizing: “It’s a colloquial... This is a good debate.” (28:47/28:53)

Memorable Quotes

• On Zombie Apocalypse Games:
  “I watch those zombie movies and I'm just like: Just become a zombie... You're wasting my time here. You're not going to win this.”
  — Johnny, 15:20

• On TikTok Stardom:
  “I wish I was good looking... I'd be doing this.”
  — Johnny, 16:41

  “If I get a few thousand old ladies with bad sight that have 10 or 11 bucks in their pocket, I can nickel and dime this thing up to a nice, like, a brand new car. That’s all I’m looking for.”
  — Johnny, 18:24

• On OnlyFans & Elderly Fans:
  “Show an old lady my dork for 10 or 11 bucks ... Of course you would. But you won’t make a sex tape with your wife.”
  — Johnny & Kyle, (19:28–19:56)

Tone and Dynamic

• The hosts blend familiarity with the subject matter with sarcasm and self-deprecating humor, rarely taking the releases too seriously.
• Numerous running gags on aging, sex, and their own lack of TikTok-worthy appeal.
• Episodes bounce rapidly from reviews to tangents and “would you rather” scenarios, with the cast riffing off each other's wisecracks.

Timestamps for Select Segments

• Group Chat & Embarrassing Texts: 01:11 – 06:40
• Borderlands 4 Release: 08:30 – 09:34
• Only Murders in the Building S5: 10:02 – 10:48
• The Girlfriend (Prime): 10:55 – 11:55
• Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon S3: 12:03 – 13:12
• Thirst Trap Documentary: 15:28 – 17:26
• Music Round-Up: 21:56 – 27:34
• N Word or F Word Game: 27:35 – 29:24

Takeaways

• Game & TV: Borderlands 4, Only Murders S5, The Girlfriend, Daryl Dixon S3, and Thirst Trap are the week’s highlights.
• Music: New releases from Demon Hunter, Ed Sheeran, Twenty One Pilots, with some laughs at AI parodies and fake Dua Lipa videos.
• Personality: As always, the heart of the show is the unpredictable, uncensored chemistry among the hosts—a mix of topical pop culture and old-school locker room humor.

Whether you care about the actual releases or just want an hour of Arizona’s most unfiltered pop-culture radio banter, this installment of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness delivers.