Episode Overview

Holmberg's Morning Sickness (98KUPD) - Nov 4, 2025
This episode is the weekly “Hot Releases” segment where John Holmberg, with regulars Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo, reviews and riffs on new TV shows, series premieres, movies, and music releases. Expect a blend of irreverent humor, personal tangents, and sarcastic commentary as the crew breaks down what’s coming out this week, including notable segments about AI-generated music, upcoming TV dramas, and classic "would you rather" banter.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. TV Hot Releases & Reviews (Starts ~03:48)

• I Love LA (HBO/Max)

  • Rachel Sennott stars as a messy 20-something in LA’s talent management world.
  • The crew jokes that everyone on the show is “too average looking for me to like” (05:20, John).
  • “That is not the heaven I would create. That’s purgatory, where everybody’s almost effable.” – John (05:28)

• All’s Fair (Hulu/NBC)

  • New Ryan Murphy legal drama with Kim Kardashian leading a powerful cast.
  • Crew notes it’s less “girl power” and more likely to become “girl cattiness brewing” (06:38).
  • “If they don’t write… and Ryan Murphy wrote it, so he’s gonna make 'em fight. I like that.” – John (06:52)

• All Her Fault (Peacock/NBC)

  • Chicago thriller starring Dakota Fanning, based on Andrea Mara’s novel.
  • “She looks so much like Axl Rose at her age.” – John, riffing on one of the actresses (07:45)

• Death by Lightning (Netflix)

  • Presidential assassination miniseries about Garfield, starring Michael Shannon.
  • John praises the period detail and rehashes the unique way Garfield died: “He got sepsis and died nine months later. An opportunist, Mr. President, and a pest.” (08:47)
  • “Garfield’s assassination is a part of American history no one talks about. And it’s a phenomenal story.” – John (09:08)

• Pluribus (Apple TV)

  • Vince Gilligan’s return, starring Rhea Seehorn in a genre-bending, sci-fi adjacent series.
  • “The most miserable person on earth must save the world from happiness.” (09:27)
  • Excitement about anything Gilligan: “Everything Vince Gilligan touches should be great.” (09:53)

• Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (Netflix)

  • Crew reacts to a new visual approach for the classic horror; details on “putting an eyeball in” and gory elements. (10:36)

• In Waves and War (Netflix, documentary)

  • Navy SEALs healing in Mexico after combat, discussed seriously given Veterans Day approaches.
  • “These guys have ghosts floating around them that you can’t imagine.” – John (11:12)

• The Toys That Built America (History Channel)

  • Documentary about toy inventors.
  • Humorous banter about matchboxes: “Kids weren’t allowed to bring toys to school unless they fit in a matchbox. But they were allowed to bring matches, right?” – John (12:02)
  • “Crazy ahead of big matchboxes, too.” – Brady (12:34)

• Crutch (Paramount)

  • Season one now streaming; focused on artist Francois Cod ("Crutch"), with banter about name and setting.
  • “What have you done to my children? I’m making them New York talk.” – John (13:06)

2. Movie Releases

• Predator: Badlands (theaters)
  • Stars Elle Fanning. Only brief mention.
  • Jokes about Hollywood’s worst box office weekend recently: “Tom Cruise better be putting on a film hill fast. We need Top Gun 3 just in case.” – John (15:57)

3. New Music Releases (16:09 onward)

• Death Angel

  • New single “Wrath.” Holmberg ribs them for "using big words to prove that they're deeper.” (16:37)

• Finger Eleven – Last Night on Earth

  • Crew finds it lacking a “hook”: “That has no hook.” – John (17:44)

• Agnostic Front (“Way of War”)

  • Noted as “Godfathers of hardcore,” compared to old 70s toy ads: “Like there should be action figures at the end.” (18:15)

4. AI-Generated Songs Segment (18:47 onward)

• AI-generated hits get center stage:

  • “Should I Spit or Swallow?” by “Penny Tration,” noted as “glorious” and “five years ago, we didn’t have this.” (20:04)

  • Holmberg reflects on AI’s progress: “You can’t tell… my brain still struggles to wrap around the idea that none of that was a person. So weird.” (20:19)

  • Soul covers of Korn’s “Blind” and Soundgarden’s “Spoonman” are met with amazement and jokes about starting a new radio station just for AI covers.

    “There's a better world over there in AI. It's just a better world.” – John (23:00)

  • Legal musings about copyright and AI content lead to discussion of possible implications if stations tried to monetize AI covers.

5. Listener Games & Capping Off

• N word or F word? (25:18)
  • The regular, irreverent game returns, with the crew guessing which word will appear in a classic rap song sample.
  • Humorous parsing and mock-debate over lyrics, tone, and intent.
  • “He’s the biggest one of... He’s the biggest gentleman. We’ll say banging all the hoes in that click and you feel less than because this dude is so awesome.” (26:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI Music:

  • “You can’t tell… my brain still struggles to wrap around the idea that none of that was a person. So weird.” – John (20:19)
  • “There's a better world over there in AI. It's just a better world.” – John (23:00)

• On Heaven, AI, and Fantasies:

  • “My heaven, as you come in and we talk about the excursions you liked, and we're going to put those in your plan. Fantasy Island it is.” – John (02:26)
  • “If you'd like to build a hoe island, I can send you to Hoe Island. Would you like an infinite amount of sperm tattoo?” – John (02:38)

• On Historical Shows:

  • “Garfield’s assassination is a part of American history no one talks about. And it’s a phenomenal story.” – John (09:08)

• On the Future of TV and AI:

  • “We gotta talk to Larry and fire up our HD. HD3… a radio station of just this stuff.” – John, on AI music programming (22:13)
  • “If you get this and you put it on your page and it's your invention, and then you're getting advertising from it. Yeah. You're gonna get sued.” (23:05)

Important Timestamps / Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 03:48 | Start of Hot Releases segment | | 05:05 | “I Love LA” series reviewed | | 06:34 | “All’s Fair” and discussion of Ryan Murphy shows | | 07:00 | “All Her Fault” | | 08:00 | “Death by Lightning” (Garfield) | | 09:12 | “Pluribus” and Vince Gilligan | | 10:13 | “Frankenstein” by Guillermo del Toro | | 11:06 | “In Waves and War” documentary | | 12:03 | “The Toys That Built America” | | 12:47 | “Crutch” on Paramount+ | | 15:26 | “Predator: Badlands” (movie) | | 16:09 | New music: Death Angel, Finger Eleven, Agnostic Front | | 18:47 | AI-generated song BANTER begins | | 25:18 | “N word or F word?” listener game |

Tone & Style

• Conversational, irreverent, and self-aware, with frequent asides and comedic riffing.
• Holmberg frequently jokes at the expense of celebrities, the industry, and even the idea of legality or ethics in entertainment.
• There’s a shared sense of sarcastic fun about the absurdities of pop culture, AI, and the changing landscape of music and television.

This episode is a must-listen for fans of edgy pop culture banter, skeptical but excited takes on new media, and anyone curious (or apprehensive) about how AI is infiltrating entertainment.