

Really? no, Really?
Cloud10
Every Tuesday best friends Jason Alexander and Peter Tilden are joined by experts, newsmakers and celebrities in an attempt to find answers to the things that make us go…"Really? no, Really?” We invite you to join us, subscribe and even suggest topics, as we search for the answers to life’s most baffling, intriguing, confusing and annoying questions
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 23, 2024 • 41min
Harvard’s Taylor Swift Course -What You’re Really Learning!
Harvard is teaching a course on…Taylor Swift? Yes! Harvard University, the one in Cambridge, Massachusetts has a new course about T-Swizzle whose Eras Tour has earned over 1 billion dollars so far. And whose latest album just broke multiple streaming records within hours of its release. Really, no Really! Our initial reaction was to poo-poo the Harvard course because we happen to be congenital born poo-poo-ers. But when we investigated the course syllabus, we found it fascinating, and an easy A it’s not. Jason and Peter have enlisted the talents of Professor Stephanie Burt -who teaches the Taylor Swift course at Harvard - to not only discuss her class, but to also take a closer look at the woman, her music, the music industry she has upended and her rabid fan base, the Swifties. Professor Stephanie Burt is the Donald and Catherine Loker Professor of English at Harvard University and has published various collections of poetry and a large amount of literary criticism and research. The New York Times has called Professor Burt "one of the most influential poetry critics of her generation". You’ll also hear how Jason and Peter gave Taylor a job, way back in the day. Really, no Really! IN THIS EPISODE: How Prof. Burt sold Harvard’s Administration on doing a Taylor Swift course. Is Taylor Swift just about skewering her x-boyfriends? Do you have a Hermeneutic Friendship with Taylor? And what does that even mean? Does Taylor use “lects”? And what does that even mean? How Swift’s social media consciously builds and deepens community with her fans. Taylor Swift’s success: amazing business acumen or smart consultants? The songs a Swift novice should listen to first.
GoogleHEIM: Quiz: Who sung it - Taylor Swift or the Sex Pistols? *** FOLLOW PROFESSOR BURT:X: @accommodatingly BlueSky Social: @notquitehydepark.bsky.social Podcast: teamupmoves.com *** FOLLOW REALLY NO REALLY: www.reallynoreally.com Instagram YouTube TikTok Facebook Threads XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 16, 2024 • 42min
CNN’s Richard Quest: Is Airline Safety Declining?
This episode attempts to answer the question… “Are airlines putting dangerous planes into the sky?” Recently, a Boeing 737 Max 9 had a door plug blow out at 16,000 feet, creating a gaping hole that sucked out, among other things…the shirt off the back of a startled teenager. Really, no Really! That incident (along with a few others) reminded us of that Netflix documentary exposing the egregious decline of Boeing, a once great American manufacturer. 2023 was considered a travel nightmare for many and 2024 looks to be no better with shortages of air traffic controllers, pilots, and planes. To enlighten us about the current state of air travel, Jason and Peter invited CNN’s, always entertaining - aviation expert and correspondent- Richard Quest. Richard has interviewed every major airline executive and covered the crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, and the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. IN THIS EPISODE: Aviation’s surprising “Do Not Pair” list! Safest seat on the aircraft is…? Ailine pilot statistics you hope aren’t true. Richard breaks down why Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 & Lion Air Flight 610 went down and what’s changed. Why airlines outsource critical maintenance overseas. What happens when a plane depressurizes at 35,000 ft? Are pilots being pushed to the breaking point? True/False: Water and ice on an airplane are safe to drink? Is it possible to be sucked out a broken window? “Sully” Sullenberger’s genius! Jason’s favorite Seinfeld plane episode.
GoogleHEIM: How far can a commercial airline glide without engines? *** FOLLOW RICHARD QUEST: X @RichardQuest Quest Means Business, airs weekdays at 3pm ET / 12pm PT on CNN International Pick up Richard’s book: 'The Vanishing of Flight MH370: The True Story of the Hunt for the Missing Malaysian Plane' *** FOLLOW REALLY NO REALLY: www.reallynoreally.com Instagram YouTube TikTok Facebook Threads XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 9, 2024 • 46min
Comedian Leanne Morgan: From Housewife to Fame at 57!
Comedian Leanne Morgan shares her journey from housewife to fame at 57! Topics include family humor, peeing on a couch, working with Reese Witherspoon, and hitting it big later in life. The hosts discuss her viral YouTube special, stand-up success, and the joys of Southern-inspired comedy. It's a hilarious and heartwarming look at finding success in comedy at any age!

Apr 2, 2024 • 41min
The Dark Side of Celebrity Endorsements
Celebrities face challenges with endorsement deals - Brad Pitt/Angelina's wine brand troubles, P.Diddy's lost partnerships due to assault allegations, Adidas's billion-dollar deal with Kanye. Insights on celebrity-product fit, unauthorized Pepsi commercial with Michael Jackson, and the impact of public perception on endorsements.

Mar 26, 2024 • 57min
Wayne Knight on Seinfeld, Jurassic Park, Basic Instinct and more!
Today’s episode could be titled, “Hello Newman” because the internationally loved actor, Wayne Knight visits Really, no Really to talk about his iconic roles... including Seinfeld’s scheming Postman Newman, and Jurassic Park's techno-wiz Dennis Nedry. In this episode, Jason and Peter get Wayne to discuss what it’s like to get cast in projects based on his weight, being held hostage on the set of Oliver Stone’s JFK, and his bizarre audition with the director of Basic Instinct - Really, no Really! In addition to the credits listed above, Wayne has appeared on Broadway in the plays Gemini, Mastergate, Art and Sweet Charity plus the movies… Dirty Dancing, Born on the 4th of July, Dead Again, JFK, Space Jam, For Richer or Poorer, Rat Race – and the list goes on! He also voiced the villainous toy collector Al McWhiggin in Toy Story 2, plus characters in Tarzan, Kung Fu Panda, Harley Quinn and many other animated projects. IN THIS EPISODE: Wayne Knight the biochemist? Wayne Knight, private Investigator, and his real-life case: “The Husband, The Wife & The Pregnant Au Pair! Why he wore a fat suit…Really, no really! Meeting Steven Spielberg at the entrance to Jurassic Park. The disgusting reality of being spit on by a dinosaur. Jason & Wayne compare notes on losing weight. Warm? Cold? Unwelcoming? Guest star’s views on the Seinfeld set. Googleheim: Who wore it worse? Fat suits in Hollywood. *** FOLLOW WAYNE: X: @iWayneKnight Wayne’s upcoming shows: Amazon Prime’s season 2 of Them and Max’s Bookie. *** FOLLOW REALLY NO REALLY: www.reallynoreally.com Instagram YouTube TikTok Facebook Threads XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 19, 2024 • 37min
Understanding TikTok – Should it Stay, or Should it Go?
This episode is all about trying to figure out if TikTok - the video hosting platform owned by the Chinese company Byte Dance should be banned or not. Over 70% of young Americans use TikTok, which critics claim is spying on, manipulating, and spreading misinformation to its users. But is TikTok any different than Meta, Google, or X? Our guest’s answer may surprise you… Really, no really! Bruce Schneier is a cryptographer, computer security professional, privacy specialist, who has been writing about security issues since 2004 and is a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University; a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School; a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow; and an Advisory Board Member of the Electronic Privacy Information Center and VerifiedVoting.org. He is the Chief of Security Architecture at Inrupt, Inc. IN THIS EPISODE: Surveillance as a business model is 100% legal. Breaking down the types of information companies are collecting, and what they’re doing with it. Why does China want to know about our affinity for puppy videos? Social Media’s ability to manipulate is greater than you might think. Russia and China’s preferred platform for transmitting misinformation is…? (Spoiler Alert: It’s not TikTok) Facebook has data on you… even if you aren’t on Facebook-RnR! Data Privacy is a national security issue, but not treated like one. The European Union leads the world in protecting data privacy. The unsettling future of A.I. and personal data surveillance. Cougar hemorrhoids?
Googleheim: What you are missing… if you’re NOT on TikTok! *** FOLLOW BRUCE: Bruce’s Blog: Schneier.com X: @schneierblog Facebook: Bruce Schneier *** FOLLOW REALLY NO REALLY: www.reallynoreally.com Instagram YouTube TikTok Facebook Threads XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 12, 2024 • 40min
Secrets From Tom Cruise’s Death-Defying Stunts Revealed!
This episode should be titled “Mission Insanity” because it’s all about exploring how Tom Cruise performs his own death-defying stunts…and why! Jason and Peter were determined to find out the real reason Tom “risks it all” in every film. How he trains for a stunt that’s never been done before and whether he’s going to continue to try and outdo himself with each new film now that he’s in his 60’s! And they succeeded in finding the person with the answers… Wade Eastwood. He’s best known as the Action Director and Stunt Coordinator for the Mission: Impossible franchise. He’s also a fixed wing & helicopter pilot, sky diver, rescue scuba diver, accomplished black belt martial artist, boxer, fencer, yacht skipper, highly graded horse rider who has advanced weapons skills… plus he races cars internationally, with a string of wins! And - he knows the secret to how Tom Cruise creates and executes jaw dropping, mind-blowing stunts. IN THIS EPISODE: The film star considered the original Tom Cruise. Train for deadly stunts that’ve never been done before. Has Tom Cruise ever said no to a stunt because it’s too dangerous? There’s much more to fight scenes than you know. Fatalities still happen. How can stunts go wrong? Wade comments on the tragedy on the Rust set. Is Tom Cruise actually going to space? Jason shares his death-defying stunts! Seinfeld’s stunt that went very, very wrong for Jason. Googleheim: The first stunt woman! FOLLOW WADE: Instagram @wadeeastwood *** FOLLOW REALLY NO REALLY: www.reallynoreally.com Instagram YouTube TikTok Facebook Threads XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 5, 2024 • 36min
Everyone’s Using Subtitles – The Fascinating Reasons Why!
The podcast explores the rising trend of using subtitles while watching TV shows and movies. Experts discuss the impact of subtitles on viewer experience and the challenges in sound technology. They also touch on the evolution of audio technology and the struggle of navigating subtitles on streaming services

Feb 27, 2024 • 42min
MrBeast Dominates YouTube…but who is he?
Exploring MrBeast's rise on YouTube, from cracking algorithms to his philanthropy. His Hollywood-style studio system and viral challenges. Is his charity work inspiration or exploitation? Introducing the bizarre world of Skibidi Toilet. Plus, the debate on success, authenticity, and cultural gaps in the online space.

Feb 20, 2024 • 44min
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Modern Family Issues
In 11 years on ABC’s Modern Family, Jesse Tyler Ferguson never won a Primetime Emmy even though he was nominated 5 times. Jason, who reminds us often, was nominated 7 times for Seinfeld so in this episode, we find out who lost it, better. And Jesse’s show is so popular there are even versions in Chile, Greece, Russia, and even Iran! Really, no really? Actor, author, podcaster, philanthropist, restaurateur, and activist Jesse Tyler Ferguson is best known for his portrayal of Mitchell Pritchett on the hit sitcom Modern Family. He’s also done a variety of stage and screen work including “Cocaine Bear”, and “Ice Age: Collision Course.” He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the 2022 Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg's “Take Me Out” and for his performance in 2016’s “Fully Committed”, Jesse won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. IN THIS EPISODE: The strange commonalities between Jason and Jesse. The documentarian on Modern Family finally revealed! Jesse on the responsibility of representing the Gay Community. When you podcast from a restaurant, is the food free? Straight actors cast as LGBTQ characters? Jesse came out to his dad 3 times. Really! Living an actual “Modern Family.” How to play 40 roles in a one-man show? Jesse responds to criticism for “wearing a fat-suit” in Cocaine Bear. How Jason and Jesse fostered such collaborative ensembles. In Hollywood, being gay is no longer included as a diversity hire, RnR? FOLLOW JESSE: Website: www.jessetylerferguson.com Podcast: Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson Instagram: @jessetyler TikTok: @jessetyler X @jessetyler FOLLOW REALLY NO REALLY: www.reallynoreally.com Instagram YouTube TikTok Facebook Threads XSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices