Cosmic Circus Podcasts

Interview: Authors of Leaders Assemble! Leadership in the MCU Sy Islam and Gordon B. Schmidt

Cosmic Cafe host Ayla Ruby talks with Sy Islam and Gordon B. Schmidt about their book Leaders Assemble! Leadership in the MCU (Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture).
(This book is available on Amazon and most places books are sold)
The book covers what we can learn in the real world about leadership based on the characters, films, and shows within the MCU from Marvel Studios. 
 
Timestamps:
00:10 - Intros
00:45 - How did you come up with the idea for the book?
04:50 - What was your journey to your fandom? How did it start?
11:55 - What was your prep for Leaders Assemble! Leadership in the MCU ?
13:55 - What has been the response from colleagues and students?
18:00 - Was there anything surprising you found about the Marvel Cinematic Universe as you worked on this book? (Black Widow and "The Glass Cliff")
23:35 - Leadership lessons in Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk
26:00 - Talk about The Eternals
30:25 - Talk about Secret Invasion
34:50 - What is the biggest lesson in leadership people should use in their everyday lives?
38:00 - What's next for you? Next books they're working on.
39:45 - Outros
 
Host: Ayla Ruby of thecosmiccircus.com
Theme: "Coffee and You" by Vladislav Kurnikov via Pixabay.

Loki Season 2 Premiere Discussion - Cosmic Circle Ep. 43

 The God of Mischief has returned, bringing his signature chaos with him in Loki Season 2! Tom Hiddleston picked up the not-quite-horned mantle again, returning as Loki Odinson this past week in an appropriately twisty sci-fi episode called "Ouroboros" written by Eric Martin. It's been two years since we left off on that dramatic scene with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) from season 1, and this episode promises so much more drama and heart for the season. Owen Wilson's Mobius is back, joined by Marvel newcomer Ke Huy Quan's O.B. as Loki and crew work together to prevent Kang (Jonathan Majors) from taking over everything at the TVA and beyond. 
The Cosmic Crew is back, too, and has many temporal and existential questions about Loki's return to screen. Join us in this episode as we chat about Loki season 2. We do a deep dive into the episode, including what we loved about the TVA and some of the new tech, like the temporal loom. We talk about Kang and THAT recording with Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and whether or not it hints at anything more. We even chat about our dream ending for the season, and a few of us have very Deadpool-inspired hopes. So slip on your headphones (and make sure you're staying awake like Eugene Cordero's Casey) as you listen to the newest Cosmic Circle podcast episode. 
You can listen to the podcast below directly or on most sites where you listen to podcasts. Follow us for updates on X at @cosmicpodcasts!
[Warning: Spoilers from Loki are within the podcast! Listen at your own risk or you may get pruned.]
 
Podcast credits and show notes
Contributors/Writers
Ayla Ruby
Anthony Flagg
Uday Kataria
Executive Producer/Editor
Lizzie Hill
Recorded on 10/07/23
Superhero theme by HumanoideVFX on Pixabay.

Star Wars Ahsoka Season 1 Finale Discussion (Spoilers) - Cosmic Circle Ep. 42

The first season of Ahsoka has reached its conclusion on Disney+, delivering a strong season from the Lucasfilm property. After eight episodes, the adventures of Rosario Dawson's Jedi and her compatriots have concluded with a bigger threat now looming on the sidelines. With huge ramifications and the excitement of what's to come for these characters, we had to hash it out in our Ahsoka season 1 finale discussion!
Join head writer Brian Kitson and fellow writers Drew Reed and Emily Maack as they talk about all the excitement from across all eight episodes of Disney+'s Ahsoka! What stood out to them? Where do they think the story is headed from here? You can find all those answers and more in this exciting Ahsoka finale discussion!
 
Podcast credits and show notes
Contributors/Writers
Brian Kitson
Drew Reed
Emily Maack
Executive Producer/Editor
Lizzie Hill
Recorded on 10/07/23
Superhero theme by HumanoideVFX on Pixabay.
Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @cosmicpodcasts
Visit for the full article: https://thecosmiccircus.com

John Wick Movies Discussion (spoilers) - Cosmic Circle Ep. 41

Earlier this year, Keanu Reeves returned to the big screen as the titular assassin in John Wick: Chapter 4, arguably the most stylish and high-octane action franchise of our time. Directed by the talented Chad Stahelski and written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, the film sees our dog-avenging anti-hero facing off against the High Table in another thrilling installment.
On this action-packed John Wick podcast episode, The Cosmic Crew discusses why you should never mess with a man and his dog. We share our thoughts on John Wick: Chapter 4, including the seemingly final scene, rank the movies, and debate whether The Matrix or John Wick is Keanu Reeves' more iconic franchise. (Secretly, we all know it's The Lake House.) We also explore potential John Wick universe crossovers, such as Atomic Blonde, and debate the merits of John Wick and James Bond.  The crew dives deep into the beautiful cinematography of the movie, as shot by Dan Laustsen. We also chat about the upcoming series The Continental, and whether or not we'll be watching. So rev up your motorcycle...or your horse and listen in!
 
Podcast credits and show notes
 
Contributors/Writers
Ayla Ruby
John Dotson
Wiktor Reinfuss
Executive Producer/Editor
Lizzie Hill
Recorded on 09/18/2023
Superhero theme by HumanoideVFX on Pixabay.
For a full article on this podcast and more visit https://thecosmiccircus.com/

Interview: VFX Supervisor Erik Henry Talks Apple TV’s ’Invasion’

Erik Henry has an impressive career as a VFX supervisor in creating stellar stories. Not only did he work on season 1 and 2 of Invasion but Henry has also helped bring titles like The Abyss (which we talk about in the interview!), Watchmen, Black Sails, Jack Ryan, and so much more to life. He has several Emmy awards for his work and tons of other accolades. If you’re a sci-fi fan, you’ve probably seen his work.
In this interview, Henry sits down to chat with host Ayla Ruby to talk his most recent project now streaming on Apple TV, Invasion. 
 
Host: Ayla Ruby of thecosmiccircus.com
See the official website for a full article and more informationTheme: "Coffee and You" by Vladislav Kurnikov via Pixabay.

Cosmic Circle Ep. 40: LGBTQ+ Representation in Media

As anyone can attest, representation of any kind is important in the media that we consume. With the makeup of our population being so diverse, between ethnicities, skin colors, genders, and sexualities, the characters and stories we see on screen and in books should represent that as well. While there's still a ton of work to be done for proper visibility for so many minorities, one that has a bit of an awakening is proper LGBTQ+ representation in films and television. With a thought that began with Red, White & Royal Blue, host Brian Kitson wished to look back at the past representation of Queer representation and the current landscape for this long-looked-over and misrepresented group.
Join Brian Kitson, along with Izzy Friedman and Uday Kataria as they explore some important landmarks in Queer representation in television and films. Listen as they share their oldest memories with a queer character and how new media feels like a step in the right direction for proper LGBTQ+ visibility. These three deep dive into a few new projects, such as Heartstoppers, Interview With The Vampire, Killing Eve, and so much more, as they explore the impact these films and shows have on the population as a whole and individually for each one of them.
[Warning: Spoilers from some Queer content, such as Red, White & Royal Blue, Interview With The Vampire, Heartstopper, etc. are within the podcast! Listen at your own risk.]
 
Podcast credits and show notes
 
Contributors/Writers
Brian Kitson
Izzy Friedman
Uday Kataria
Executive Producer/Editor
Lizzie Hill
Recorded on 09/02/2023
Superhero theme by HumanoideVFX on Pixabay.
Follow us on social media @cosmicpodcasts or @mycosmiccirus and you can find a full article on this podcasts at https://thecosmiccircus.com

Interview: Director Marc Turtletaub About Sci-Fi Comedy Jules

Jules, written by Gavin Steckler and directed by Marc Turtletaub, is a quirky indie sci-fi comedy about aging, aliens, and friendships. It's charming and endearing; this should be no surprise given the incredible actors that helped bring it to life, including Sir Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoë Winters, Jade Quon, and Jane Curtin. We had the great pleasure of sitting down over Zoom to chat with the movie's director, Marc Turtletaub.
Jules follows Milton, played by Kingsley, a widower with a quiet life in a rural town in Pennsylvania. Everything changes after a UFO crashes in his backyard, complete with an alien passenger named Jules. Jules and Milton become friends, but when Milton's well-meaning neighbors discover the alien, things get tricky. The movie is a joy. It has science fiction, family, and a lot of endearing comedy.
Jules premiered to much fanfare at the Sonoma International Film Festival in March of this year. It was quickly acquired for US distribution by Bleecker Street Films, which has had a big year with releases including Mafia Mamma and Golda. The film has been a winner with audiences as it makes its way through the film festival circuit.
Host: Ayla Ruby of thecosmiccircus.com
See the official website for a full article and more informationTheme: "Coffee and You" by Vladislav Kurnikov via Pixabay.

Cosmic Circle Ep. 39: Ahsoka Series Discussion (Spoilers)

While Ahsoka may have lived a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, you don't have to jump into your X-Wing and fly off to Tatooine to see what she's up to, because Ahsoka, the new Star Wars series has arrived on Disney+! The series stars Rosario Dawson as the ex-Jedi knight as she and Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) search the galaxy for Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). So our writers couldn't wait to get together and break it all down in our Ahsoka Discussion!
Join head writer Brian Kitson, along with fellow writers Drew Reed and Emily Maack as they talk about all the exciting scenes from Disney+'s Ahsoka! What did they like? What would they have changed? Why is Sabine the best? All that and more you can find in this exciting discussion about all things Ahsoka and Star Wars as a whole!
Podcast credits and show notes
Contributors/Writers
Brian Kitson
Drew Reed
Emily Maack
Executive Producer/Editor
Lizzie Hill
Recorded on 08/26/23
Superhero theme by HumanoideVFX on Pixabay.