Rain! Recently we got a lot of it. In fact, two major storms ran past our area. While we didn't get hit directly, we did get hit with some flooding. Thankfully we didn't get hit that bad, but some of our friends dealt with a nightmare before a special occasion.

The main topic of discussion on this episode is the recent casting news about Superman and Batman! DC/Warner Bros. seem to be reconsidering changing out actors as they move forward with the DC Extended Universe(DCEU). What does this mean for Henry Cavill, who recently posted a video in response to the news. What about Ben Affleck, who recently entered rehab due to a drinking problem?

And of course, since we're talking about comic book characters and movies, we also include some discussions about Marvel characters and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We talk about some fan theories regarding Infinity War and the follow up Avengers film.

We are The Rabblecast!

Gary Friedrich(aged 75), was an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, and, in the following era, for the series The Monster of Frankenstein and for co-creating the supernatural motorcyclist the Ghost Rider and the supernatural hero the Son of Satan.

Burt Reynolds(aged 86), was an American actor, director and producer. He first rose to prominence starring in television series such as Gunsmoke, Hawk, and Dan August.

His breakout film role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance. Reynolds played the leading role in a number of subsequent box office hits, such as The Longest Yard, Smokey and the Bandit, Semi-Tough, Hooper, Smokey and the Bandit II, The Cannonball Run and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

We also get into some movie nostalgia with some of our favorite films. The Faculty, The Lord of the Rings, Seven, and more!

We are The Rabblecast!

Robo Calls, they come and go. Even if you're on a "Do Not Call" list, solicitor's find a way to get by them. What do you do? Do you answer? Do you ignore them? Have you tried turning the tables on the caller? What would you do if your own number called you?

What about when you're relaxing at home and you hear a knock at the door? You open the door before seeing who it is and you're ambushed by someone trying to give you a pamphlet about their religion. Do you talk to them? Do you close the door?

We also talk about the ALL IN Pay Per View and go over the highlights of the show. All of this and so much more!

We are The Rabblecast!

In this day in age, it's sad to say that, shootings have become quite frequent in the USA. Shopping malls, schools, concerts, churches, etc. At a recent Electronics Arts(EA) Sports sponsored Madden tournament in Jacksonville, Florida one of the tournament participants opened fire killing two and injuring another ten before committing suicide. News outlets were quick to turn the shooting in a political topic as gun laws were once again put under the microscope.

EA Sports released a statement saying their "most heartfelt sympathies" went out to the families of the victims and those who were injured and that their focus was on those affected and aiding law enforcement. The publisher would later cancel the three remaining Madden Classic qualifier tournaments in order to reevaluate safety protocols for future live events.

Our conversation also includes talk about MMA and Pro Wrestling(WWE to be more specific). PED use, painkillers vs marijuana use, and some wrestling stories.

We are The Rabblecast!

James Henry Neidhart(aged 63), was an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Bret Hart in The Hart Foundation. He also won titles in Stampede Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Mid-South, Memphis and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation. He is part of the Hart wrestling family through marriage, teaming with various members throughout his career.

Neidhart's passing comes shortly after the passing of three other Professional Wrestlers. It's easy to forget and dismiss the amount of sacrifice that these performers endure to be part of the Wrestling world. Extended periods of time away from family, nagging injuries that often times go undiagnosed, and the relentless uphill battle to make an impact.

We continue talking about other Wrestling news and stories. We even talk about WWE's Summer Slam 2018. It's not a full blown rundown, but it does bring us to a place we know and love, talking about the world of Professional Wrestling.

We are The Rabblecast!

A couple of weeks back, major companies in the realm of social media decided to remove Alex Jones' show InfoWars from their respective platforms. If you're not familiar with his work, Alex Jones is the host of InfoWars and is often called a conspiracy theorist due to the various topics he likes to cover on his show and website.

For years Jones has been able to reach millions of viewers and subscribers through social media. But it wasn't until August 6, 2018, Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify removed all content by Alex Jones and Infowars from their platforms for violating their policies. Fans of Alex Jones were upset, to say the least. A debate over Freedom of Speech became hotly contested on various news outlets, articles, and social media.

We do our best to add our thoughts to this conversation.

We are The Rabblecast!

On this episode of The Rabblecast we say goodbye to a few of Professional Wrestling's talented individuals that have entertained us through the years.

Brian Christopher Lawler(aged 46), was an American professional wrestler. He was the son of professional wrestler Jerry Lawler and brother of wrestling referee Kevin Christian. He was best known for his career in the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE), where he performed as Brian Christopher and Grand Master Sexay. Lawler was a one-time WWF Tag Team Champion as part of Too Cool with Scotty 2 Hotty, and won 44 titles within the United States Wrestling Association.

Frederick Seawright(aged 57), was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Brickhouse Brown. He was a top heel in Southern promotions in the 1980s and 1990s. With his recent passing a few funny and heart warming stories have come out about Brickhouse Brown. One of those stories involved a grateful Mick Foley being invited in out of the cold after Brickhouse Brown found out Foley didn't have a room on one of their trips.

Josip Hrvoje Peruzović(aged 70)better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, was a Yugoslav-born American professional wrestler who was best known for his performances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In the 1980s, he was known for teaming with The Iron Sheik, with whom he won the WWF Tag Team Championship at the inaugural WrestleMania event, and later with Boris Zhukov as The Bolsheviks.

We also have updates on Chris Hardwick's return to AMC and the ongoing story with James Gunn and the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy.

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San Diego Comic Con is a time for celebrating all things Pop Culture. Comics, movies, TV shows, toys, and the list goes on and on. But this year's Comic Con was mired with a bunch of different news that put a dark cloud over the usual festivities.

Jon Schnepp(aged 51), was an American producer, director, voice actor, editor, writer, cartoonist, animator, and cinematographer. Schnepp was known for the documentary film, The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?, for which he directed and wrote. He also directed episodes of Metalocalypse, The Venture Bros. and a segment of The ABC's of Death. To say that he was a busy individual would be putting it lightly. Thank you for all of your hard work Mr. Schnepp.

One of the many big headlines out of SDCC this year was the firing of James Gunn from the upcoming, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for Disney/Marvel. The news broke after a bunch of old tweets resurfaced and Disney was pressured to take action. James Gunn was writing and was set to direct Vol.3 of GotG which was to begin production this coming Fall. (In the time since we have recorded this episode there have been further developments in the story that we will cover in an upcoming episode.) The use of social media to take down people in "Hollywood" has been a growing trend as of late. This case in particular is concerning as it has some political connections to it.

We cover all of this and so much more on this episode!

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Hey, there's a new Kevin Smith project out making the rounds. So you know Hernandez is excited. But what about Doug? The pilot for Hollyweed is currently up on Rivit TV for free! Watch it and if you like what you see, pledge a few bucks per episode and become a Producer of the show with many others.

In more movie news we talk about Robocop Returns! Now, Robobcop has already been rebooted before back in 2014 with Joel Kinnaman in the leading role. But this reboot/relaunch(it's hard to keep track of the terms) has Neill Blomkamp(known for: District 9, Elysium, Chappie) in the Director's chair and the original writers(Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner) from the 1987 Film. Can Blomkamp and returning writers hit the mark?

And then the conversation turns to the best Horror movies from 1981 and 1987. Hellraiser, The Lost Boys, An American Werewolf in London, Scanners, and many more.

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Matthew Cappotelli(aged 38), was an American professional wrestler. After co-winning Tough Enough III with John Hennigan(aka John Morrison), he worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), the primary developmental territory for WWE. He ended his career due to a malignant brain tumor.

Steve Ditko(aged 90), was an American comics artist and writer best known as the artist and co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Ditko largely declined to give interviews, saying he preferred to communicate through his work. 

We also continue to follow the story of the 21st Century Fox buyout by Disney. Comcast had previously challenged Disney's bid to acquire 21st Century Fox, but Disney out bid Comcast. Everything seemed like smooth sailing until a lawsuit was filed by a Fox shareholder, causing yet another road block in the acquisition of 21st Century Fox.

We are The Rabblecast!