12-15-25 - Entertainment Drill - MON - Fun Facts On Home Alone

Summary

Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Entertainment Drill - MON - Fun Facts On Home Alone

Date: December 15, 2025
Host: John Holmberg
Co-hosts: Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Episode focus: Fun behind-the-scenes facts about “Home Alone,” discussion of a recent heroic event at Bondi Beach, and light entertainment news.

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Episode Overview

This segment of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness blends playful banter with timely topics—offering behind-the-scenes trivia about the classic film “Home Alone,” reflection on a harrowing active shooter event at Bondi Beach, and quick takes on recent entertainment news. The show's tone moves from sobering real-life heroism to light-hearted anecdotes, hallmarking the team’s signature mix of wit, irreverence, and pop culture savvy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Heroism at Bondi Beach (01:05–04:56)

• Incident Recap:
  The crew discusses a recent shooting at Bondi Beach, Australia, where an attendee’s quick thinking and bravery prevented greater tragedy during a Hanukkah celebration.

  • Holmberg summarizes:

    "Some guy, brave hero, went up and tackled one of the shooters, got the gun from him, turned it. The other shooter shot him twice...He saved so many lives." (01:39)

  • The team's take: This act of courage successfully neutralized one shooter before law enforcement could arrive, likely preventing more casualties.

  • Training Discussion:
    The hosts reflect on the benefits of tactical and active shooter training, citing their own experiences with drills:

    "We've gone through active shooter training and like real live sound, you know, dummy rounds. And when that's going off indoors, it is horrifying in a drill." (03:00)

  • Takeaway:
    Holmberg emphasizes preparation and situational awareness:

    "It's not fear, but it is preparation and it's smart." (04:47)

2. “Home Alone” Behind-the-Scenes Fun Facts (04:56–06:02)

• Origin Story:
  John Hughes allegedly conceived of “Home Alone” due to his own travel anxieties; his son recalls the impetus was, “What would happen if we left one of the kids accidentally behind?” The script’s first draft was written in nine days. (04:57)

• Casting Tidbits:

  • Chris Farley:
    Auditioned for the role of Santa Claus. (05:26)
  • Joe Pesci’s Method Acting:
    Actually bit Macaulay Culkin's finger during rehearsal; Macaulay still has a white scar on his right index finger. (05:33)
  • Filming Location:
    The real owners lived in the McCallister house during shooting. (05:46)
  • Family Cameo:
    Macaulay’s real brother, Kieran Culkin, played cousin Fuller, the bedwetter. (05:55)
    • Brady reacts:

      "I didn't know that. Karen's in that one too, by the way." (06:02)

3. Entertainment News & Viral Tidbits (06:02–07:42)

• Controversial Trump Tweet:
  The team debates a tasteless tweet about Rob Reiner’s (fictional, in this context) passing, attributed to Donald Trump.

  • Holmberg laments the incivility:

    "It is the worst tweet I've read from anybody, maybe ever...We're less than 24 hours from finding dead bodies." (06:27–07:02)

  • Bret Vesely comments:

    "You're surprised?" (07:17)

• A Surreal Celebrity Anecdote:

  • Peter Billingsley (A Christmas Story) once watched the film at age 18 at the Playboy Mansion with Hugh Hefner.

    "That's the best thing. All right. Way to clean it back. That's a way to lock her down right there." (07:42)

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On heroics at Bondi Beach:

  • Holmberg:

    "He sacrificed himself. And you don't want to make yourself a victim, but if you know what you're doing, and that guy clearly did ... true, true heroics there." (03:06–03:16)

• On “Home Alone” trivia:

  • Brady:

    "It's a good idea. It's an easy concept. And then you add a little slapstick, you're killing a lot of time." (05:21)

  • On Joe Pesci:

    "Joe Pesci actually bit Macaulay Culkin's finger during ... one of the rehearsals. Macaulay ... still has a white scar on his index finger." (05:33)

• On the controversial Trump tweet:

  • Holmberg:

    "That is horrible...you can't defend that." (06:27)

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• Heroism and self-defense at Bondi Beach: 01:05–04:56
• “Home Alone” behind-the-scenes fun facts: 04:56–06:02
• Discussion of Rob Reiner/Trump tweet: 06:02–07:17
• Peter Billingsley’s Playboy Mansion story: 07:31–07:42

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Tone & Flow

True to the show’s mix of irreverence and sincere entertainment, the hosts pivot deftly from heavy, real-world events to classic movie nostalgia and quick-hit celebrity anecdotes. Their sarcastic edge shines through, but not at the expense of thoughtful commentary and genuine reactions—particularly in topics where heroism and social decency are involved.

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Conclusion

This episode encapsulates Holmberg’s Morning Sickness’ signature blend: unpredictable, engaging, and always conversational. Whether you’re a fan of pop culture deep dives or candid, occasionally off-color opinion, this segment serves up both, punctuated by humor and the chemistry of long-time collaborators.

Listeners walk away with fresh trivia to share, a reminder of everyday heroism, and a dash of entertainment-world absurdity to round out the ride.

Transcript

[Brett Vesely]

You're listening to the HMS podcast brought to you by MMP Guns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories. Hey, it's Brett Vesely and I'm here with Byron from MMP Guns. Look, Byron, I have a friend wanting to sell some guns he inherited. What's the best way for him to do that?

[Byron]

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[Brett Vesely]

Okay, but what if he lives out of state?

[Byron]

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[Brett Vesely]

There you have it. MMP Guns or legalgunbuyer.com the safe and legal way to sell your firearms, feed.

[Brady]

A family, make a kid happy, and win a new car.

[Commercial Announcer 1]

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[Brady]

Lincoln and ABC15. Still streaming Homburg's morning sickness [e-mail] all right, a bad. You're ruining everything. It's your first day and religion right there. It's infected. It's 9:47 here in the morning sickness. And it is time now for Brady to entertain us all with the entertainment drill. It's brought to you by our [e-mail] the home of tactical black self defense. And I don't know if you guys saw the videos of what went down at Bondi beach in Australia this weekend, of the two active shooters that went crazy shooting up a Hanukkah celebration on the beach. And it is horrifying. They have videos everywhere in a gun free culture. How'd that happen? Bad guys get them and nobody could stop them. The crazy part was the way it stopped, which is somebody had to stop the shooters. They were standing and some guy, brave hero, went up and tackled one of the shooters, got the gun from him, turned it. The other shooter shot him twice. Didn't even know there was another guy. He thought he had got the one guy and he's gonna live and stuff. But he saved so many lives.

[Co-host or Guest]

He was standing there in that video even after he took the Gun away.

[Brady]

Yeah. And he took a pop.

[Co-host or Guest]

Yeah, took a pop. And he's. He's waiting there. And the one person ran up.

[Brady]

Yeah, it's.

[Co-host or Guest]

It's. I don't know how.

[Brady]

He didn't shoot the guy. Maybe the gun just. Maybe the, the magazine.

[Co-host or Guest]

It was a long gun. Yeah. And he did the, you know, he pointed, made sure that. I don't know about that, but it was pointed down.

[Brady]

Well, he grabbed him from behind. He did what he could to. To destroy the operator. If he's behind you, it's what you try to bring it in. You get that, you just redirect. It's the arcat. They teach you that at react defense. It's a scary thing. We've gone through active shooter training and like real live sound, you know, dummy rounds. And when that's going off indoors, it is horrifying in a drill. And this guy had the wherewithal to go, I gotta stop this or it doesn't end. And he did. And that's true, true heroics there too. I mean, he sacrificed himself. And you don't want to make yourself a victim, but if you know what you're doing, and that guy clearly did. The way he snuck. I think he had military training. The way he kind of got up on that guy and got under the gun.

[Co-host or Guest]

I didn't know. He got hit twice.

[Brady]

Twice?

[Byron]

Yeah.

[Brady]

He trapped the gun, which is a key, like to make sure that barrel's not going anywhere and it's not aimed at you or anyone else. And he got that thing out of his hand and did a quick redirect, knock the guy down and didn't shoot him. Then he took shots from another dude that was his, the shooter's partner. It's an amazing story, a terrible tragedy, but it could have been worse. I know that sounds awful, but it could have actually been worse. Those are those moments where you're like. It's just. You feel like it's a matter of time. The way the news presents this. There's constant stuff, and I don't want it to be something you're afraid of. And fear shouldn't sell this. But it is a true thing. When you watch that, we have to recognize that without that guy, that would have gone on and on and on until somebody came to neutralize them. And they weren't anywhere close at the time. It's. It's rough to watch, but they teach you that kind of stuff. Not that you'll ever need to use it, but it's in the back of your head. And that guy probably thought, well, I know this stuff, but I don't, I'm never going to use it. And there he is on one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life, Bondi Beach. It's a tourist trap, but it is so stunningly pretty. And they've got these Olympic sized pools next to the ocean. It's gorgeous. So the fact that that happened there, it's like happening in, you know, the nicest parts of Scottsdale, Beverly Hill, it's a beautiful section of Sydney. And yeah, that's crazy. So if you wanted to train yourself for that kind of stuff, that's right there along with all the other things that come with it. I know it's crazy to talk about that and I certainly don't want to say, did you see that? You better, you know, go. It's not fear, but it is preparation and it's smart. So get on that right now and we'll take care of that for you. For 89 bucks a month of training, that's as easy as it gets. It's reactdefense.com that's the home of tactical black Brady.

[Co-host or Guest]

Go. Here's some fun facts about Home Alone behind the scene. Fun facts, that's what they are. John Hughes, the director, came up with the idea because of his own trip travel anxiety. During a family trip to Europe. His son James remembers his father thinking, what would happen if we left one of the kids accidentally behind? Wrote the script, first draft in nine days.

[Brady]

It's a good idea. It's an easy concept. And then you add a little slapstick, you're killing a lot of time.

[Co-host or Guest]

Chris Farley auditioned for the role of.

[Brady]

Santa Claus in that movie. Yeah, no kidding.

[Co-host or Guest]

Joe Pesci actually bit Macaulay Culkin's finger during the one of the rehearsals. Macaulay was still has a white scar in his index finger. Right index finger. To this day, the owners of the McAllister house still lived in it during filming.

[Brady]

How about that?

[Co-host or Guest]

And Macaulay's brother Kieran plays his bedwetting cousin Fuller. I didn't know that.

[Brady]

Karen's in that one too, by the way. Before you go on, Brady, and this is just a really bad thing. Trump has tweeted about Rob Reiner's death. And this is, you know, just when you're like, okay, just, just be a president, don't worry about, listen to what he said. That a very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling but once very talented movie director and comedy star passed away together with his wife Michelle.

[Co-host or Guest]

Stop right there.

[Brady]

Right. And he will be missed. That's what it should say. Then he goes. Reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction with mind crippling disease known as Trump derangement Syndrome, he was known to have driven people crazy by rage. His raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness. And in the golden age of America upon us, perhaps like never before, may Robin Michelle rest in peace. It is the worst tweet I've read from anybody, maybe ever. That is horrible. And I don't care what kind of political stance you can take. You, you can't defend that. And I know you can hate Rob Reiner all you want, but come on. We're less than 24 hours from finding dead bodies and he. That's awful.

[Brett Vesely]

You're surprised?

[Brady]

A little bit. Still a little bit. I I, Somebody has to say no, that's terrible. Time. I know. We gotta go. You got anything good over there?

[Co-host or Guest]

Peter Billingsley from Christmas Story said it was a surreal moment when he's 18 years old. He watched that A Christmas Story at the Playboy Mansion with Hugh Hefner.

[Brady]

All right. That's the best thing. All right. Way to clean it back. That's a way to lock her down right there. Good stuff. All right, we gotta go. We're all done. I think Larry's next. I don't know. Who's left? Larry's Happy Hanukkah is here. Larry's upon us. Larry's going to join you in just moments. Be nice to Larry or else. Have to have something. Gallows humor. Brat's out tonight. Monday Night Football. Where are you going?

[Brett Vesely]

I'll be over at Sonny's Gentleman's Club in Chandler.

[Brady]

Yes.

[Brett Vesely]

All right. That's the way to watch it.

[Brady]

Pink skin and pig skin. I like what you're doing. Steelers.

[Brett Vesely]

So Steelers and Dolphins, no cover till seven o'. Clock. I'll be there from five to seven. Four dollar beers and two for one premium mixed drinks. And of course, we'll have all the CUPD stuff out there.

[Brady]

I'll give you a J. You can let one of the girls have a sexy. All right.

[Co-host or Guest]

With the number 69.

[Brady]

All right, that's hacky. Let's not do that. Yeah, I mean, it's going to say H. All right, that's enough. All right. He's going to go out there. All right, all right. We're done. You guys have yourselves a great Monday. We'll see you tomorrow in the morning sickness. Hello, Arizona's most powerful rock radio station. He said fully erect.

[Brett Vesely]

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