Newcomers: Sports, with Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus

Actor, writer and podcaster Zach Reino (A.P. Bio, Off Book: The Improvised Musical) joins Lauren and Nicole to close out the rollercoaster that has been the Hobbit trilogy with a deep dive into The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.With Zach's musical prowess, the three work together to devise the greatest LOTR musical ever, with one idea just being Bilbo asking/singing for his stuff back from his neighbors the whole time. They also do their actual very best to decipher who all five of the armies are, and to comprehend how Benedict Cumberbatch could have possibly provided a motion capture performance for a gigantic dragon. Stick around to find out if Lauren regrets her fulfilled wish of some dwarves being killed off!Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover.Sources for this episode:GameRant article on the Gollum video gameBenedict Cumberbatch's MoCap session as SmaugTrivia from MovieMistakes.comTrivia from IMDbAdvertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Moving on to what the trio will summarize as "The Dead Man's Chest of The Hobbit series", Lauren and Nicole are joined by writer and entertainment reporter Karen Han to shake off the liquid gold and hash out what they just experienced in the second installment of The Hobbit series, The Desolation of Smaug.The three note the dramatically different portrayals of violence between the first and second movie, consider if a romantic interest's DISinterest in your favorite movies is ever a dealbreaker, and confess their struggle to feel invested in any of these characters unless they look like celebrities they know, or are Bilbo, sometimes. Kind of.Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover.Sources for this episode:Amazon TV series news article by Radio TimesTrivia from Warped FactorAdvertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Moving on from the acclaimed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and buckling in for an all new (and again, very long) adventure, Lauren and Nicole are joined by comedian/writer/actor Jon Braylock (Astronomy Club, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) to begin The Hobbit prequel trilogy, starting with An Unexpected Journey.The three ponder how on earth Peter Jackson was able to stretch out a short children's book into the three-pronged behemoth the film adaptations became, while also learning that it was an absolute nightmare to create. We also learn about Lauren's early history with The Hobbit, where as a child she performed, as she describes, "as one of those three disgusting, naked things" in one of her first ever plays. Later on, we hear why Nicole thinks Sauron and Saruman should be called Carl and Gary instead. Hopelessly mixed emotions abound with this first installment of The Hobbit trilogy!Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover.Sources for this episode:Article on The Hobbit's production chaosTrivia from IMDbAdvertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Having just finished their first watch through of the acclaimed Peter Jackson trilogy, Lauren and Nicole are joined this week by author, speaker and writer, Preeti Chhibber, to spend some time exploring the world of The Lord of the Rings fanfiction.The trio navigate stories of varying excitement and severity, discovering their limits in both directions, from too tame to WAY too much. And, of course, they've written a few stories of their own. It's time to make things weird all over again with this new franchise! You knew this was coming...Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover.Sources for this episode:Orlando Bloom interviewPreeti's article on (and picture of) Sidharth Malhotra, Indian ElfFan Fics:The Steward's SonsA Little CareMy Birthday PresentAdvertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren and Nicole are joined by writers and LOTR fanatics Gaby Paiella (GQ) and Callie Beusman (The Cut) to close out the final installment of the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King.The four of them venture fearlessly into topics of conversation such as who in the Fellowship has Big Dick Energy, why Callie thinks the Director's Cut is the only way to go (it has a lot to do with a particularly goofy-looking orc), the continued dissection of how the film creates such extreme illusions of size and proportion in characters, pondering why this franchise gets such universal acclaim versus all the backlash Star Wars constantly receives, and also, "Who the f*** is the Witch King!?"Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover.Sources for this episode:"Which Lord of the Rings Characters Have Big Dick Energy?" articleGaby's article on Vanessa Hudgens' Lord of the Rings themed birthday partyTrivia from IMDBTrivia from MovieMistakes.comTrivia from Mental FlossAdvertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Helping Nicole and Lauren make sense of and, dare we say, enjoy, Peter Jackson's second installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, is Mary Holland (Comedy Central's Robbie / Jedi Temple Challenge).Listen in as they hash out points of varying importance such as how flawless Gandalf the White's new hair is, the finer details of Elven love and aging, the baffling games the films play on our perception of characters' sizes, and Mary's command of the Elvish language.Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover.Sources for this episode:Trivia from Screen RantTrivia from Mental FlossAdvertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nicole and Lauren embark on their epic journey across Middle-earth, discussing the first installment of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring.Your hosts can't do it alone, though. Jon Gabrus (The High & Mighty, The Action Boyz) returns to the pod to guide his friends through the first steps of their quest. And if you thought the #1 fuccboi nerded-out hard with Star Wars, you've heard nothing yet. Nothing.Sure, they discuss the plot, but that's secondary to the important stuff: Who in the Fellowship is a daddy? What are they smoking in those pipes? Why do the wizards have a breakdance fight? What are any of these characters' names? Why is everyone white? Where the hell is Gollum?Like the show? Rate Newcomers 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts and let us know what LOTR media you'd like the series to cover.Sources for this episode:Fellowship of the Ring Trivia from IMDBAdvertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nicole and Lauren are back at it again with experiencing more critical pop culture for the first time. In season 2 of Newcomers, they'll be taking on The Lord of the Rings, starting with the Peter Jackson trilogy!Joined by their own fellowship of LOTR fans, ranging from fellow comedians to creators involved in the franchise, Nicole and Lauren will be in good company, being guided both safely and absurdly through their new journey to Middle-Earth.Subscribe today and catch the first episode of the new season, launching 8/18!Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To celebrate our Star Wars finale, we're joined by Ahmed Best (voice of Jar Jar Binks) and Mary Holland (voice of AD-3 droid) to talk about your top movie suggestion - the 1987 Mel Brooks satire film Spaceballs. Mary and Ahmed also discuss what it's like hosting the new children's Star Wars game show series, Jedi Temple Challenge. Plus, Ahmed shares the incredible audition process behind Jar Jar, how it caused a rift between him and Michael Jackson, and what it's like working with George Lucas.Sources for this episode:Bob It! Baby YodaSpaceballs Trivia from IMDBAlso, we announce what we're covering for season two! So stay subscribed to this same feed, we'll have new episodes releasing later this summer. Thanks for listening!Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Star Wars author Preeti Chhibber (The Clone Wars Anthology, A Jedi You Will Be) joins Nicole and Lauren to break down the critically acclaimed series finale to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Have Nicole and Lauren been gaslit into liking Star Wars? Is baby Yoda not who we thought he was? Plus more Hoth Goss about 90 Day Fiancé, Disneyland reopening, and how to become a writer for Disney.Looking to watch before listening? Here are the episodes we cover:S1E19 - Storm Over RylothS5E20 - The Wrong JediS7E9 - Old Friends Not Forgotten S7E10 - The Phantom ApprenticeS7E11 - Shattered S7E12 - Victory and DeathMedia mentioned in this episode:Stormtroopers enforcing social distancing at Disney Springshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cCmJX7fOmUPreeti's Baby Yoda celebrating May the 4thhttps://twitter.com/runwithskizzers/status/1257308111263522816George Lucas watching Ewan Mcgregor get a haircuthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFvTkUOo1uIThe Clone Wars MOCAP fight sequencehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzYyJa2UpasBeat Saber gameplayhttps://twitter.com/MarsMel/status/1271951033678389248We'll be back in two weeks for our Star Wars season finale.Advertise on Newcomers via Gumball.fmSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.