Superlady extraordinaire Lisa Timmons (@timmonslisa) joins Ben to discuss local elections in LA: why people should get involved, what they should think about, and what's the deal with Measure S anyway??? (Spoiler: we're both against it). It'

#114: Catching Up On A Year of Ridiculous Complaints

Jan 23rd, 2017 1h 8m

Oh hello there. 2016 received such terrible reviews that this podcast decided to sit the year out. But when guest Jessica Ogilivie suggested that it was time to record a Banter episode, I realized that yes, it was time to return. Come listen

#113: Deep Dive into Gaming Madness; Also, Champions of Midgard

Nov 24th, 2015 1h 7m

Just in time for this year's Black Friday spending bonanza, "The Banter Blender" throws down the geeky gauntlet to talk board games for a full hour. Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) is joined by his gaming buddies Brendon and James as they chat a

#112: Annual Halloween Candy Summit; Plus, Adele, Khloe & Lamar, and La Granja

Oct 28th, 2015 59m 36s

If it's Halloween, then it's time for "Banter" to get down with some hardcore candy rankings. Every year (or at least starting with last year), we sit down to discuss our favorite candies, and coming back to discuss this very important even ar

#111: Bagels, Hollywood, and The Game of Fiasco

Sep 16th, 2015 34m 49s

Jessica Ogilvie (@jessicapauline on Twitter) joins Ben Mandelker (@bsideblog on Twitter) to discuss a variety of topics. First is the fine art of bagel consumption and the use of the word "shmear." Then Jessica discusses her recent "LA Weekly

#110: Summer Movie Wrap Up with Kyle Buchanan

Aug 14th, 2015 34m 13s

Kyle Buchanan, Senior Editor at New York Magazine's Vulture, returns to look back at Summer 2015 at the American box office. Specifically, Kyle and Ben talk about "Mad Max," "Avengers," "Jurassic World," "Mission: Impossible," and "Ant Man."

#109: Emmy Noms, Caitlyn Jenner's Speech, LA Complex, and Fiasco

Jul 17th, 2015 52m 23s

The beautiful Angie Thomas (Deep THOTS podcast) joins Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) to chat Emmy nominations and Caitlyn Jenner's ESPY speech. Did she deserve an award for courage?Also, there's plenty of discussion about "Tangerine," "The DU

#108: Louis Virtel Talks About Snapping on Jeopardy and Going Viral

May 15th, 2015 1h 20m

Comic and journalist Louis Virtel (Hitfix.com) joins Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com, Watch What Crappens podcast) to tell us everything about his recent appearance on "Jeopardy," which subsequently went viral. From the application process to lif

#107: Avengers! Mad Max! Rachel McAdams! Summer Movies!

May 2nd, 2015 33m 14s

Kyle Buchanan (senior editor at New York Magazine's Vulture) returns to "The Banter Blender" to discuss summer movies with Ben Mandelker (@watch-what-crappens). The two talk "Avengers," "Mad Max," "Star Wars," "Trainwreck," "Spy," "Jurassic Wo

#106: Weight Watchers, Easter Candy, Indiana, and Karrueche Tran

Mar 30th, 2015 49m 10s

This week on The Banter Blender, Ben Mandelker welcomes back Angie Thomas (the Small Potatoes podcast) to talk about a host of exciting topics. The two take on Easter Candy, Weight Watchers, Indiana's anti-gay laws, jambalaya, Passover foods, a

#105: Leonard Nimoy, Zendaya, Madonna, and The Dress

Feb 27th, 2015 1h 3m

There's an all star panel of guests on "The Banter Blender." Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) is joined by Marcos Luevanos, David Clark (The Lyon's Lair podcast), and Angie Thomas (Small Potatoes) to discuss the week in pop culture: Leonard Nimoy

#104: Measles, Bruce Jenner, 'American Sniper,' and Bagels

Jan 30th, 2015 55m 39s

This week on "The Banter Blender," Angie Thomas ("All the Way") joins Ben to chat about the usual grab bag of topics: the measles outbreak in CA, Bruce Jenner's possibly trans journey, the controversy surrounding American Sniper, and, of course

#103: Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Modern Board Game Culture

Jan 3rd, 2015 48m 36s

"The Banter Blender" is back! Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) and guests Jessica Ogilvie and Drew Staten kick off the new year by diving into the world of modern board games: Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and others. The group discusses what makes

#102: Halloween Candy Roundup, Ebola Nurse, and Pumpkin Spice Mania

Nov 3rd, 2014 1h

This week on "The Banter Blender," Angie Thomas ("All The Way" podcast)and David Clark join Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) to rehash the Halloween weekend that was. This means bantering extensively about candy and costumes (and a little Annie Le

#101: Special Guest Ryan Cabrera

Oct 23rd, 2014 27m 29s

Musician Ryan Cabrera drops by "The Banter Blender" to discuss his new song, his Ryan Gosling tattoo, his hair, his career, and of course his time on "The Hills." It's a boatload of fun; so come on in and listen!

#100: Damian Holbrook on "Gotham," "Scorpion," and Trolling the iPhone in a Samsung Commercial

Sep 23rd, 2014 37m 50s

This week, we're joined by Damian Holbrook (TV Guide Magazine) who recently gained notoriety after his snarky Twitter dig at the new iPhone wound up in a Samsung commercial. We talk about how that happened, what the response has been, and how

#99: Ray Rice, Taylor Swift, Joan Rivers, and 'Utopia'

Sep 11th, 2014 54m 19s

Writer Jessica Ogilvie (Playboy) returns to the podcast to discuss the latest events in a summer of craziness. We start with Ray Rice and the larger question of can bad behavior ever be forgiven? This leads to discussion of Chris Brown and Mi

#98: All About "Barefoot Contessa"

Aug 29th, 2014 51m 56s

Calling all "Barefoot Contessa" fans. This week's "Banter Blender" is devoted 100% to Ina Garten — from her recipes to her friends and everything in between. Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) and Andrea Nawalanic hash it all out as they share the

#97: Revisiting 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' Also, Kit Kats, Peanut Butter Cups, and Israel

Aug 14th, 2014 44m 56s

'The Banter Blender' is working at full speed. This week, Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) is joined by his friend David Clark to discuss a wide array of topics, including their reactions to both "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Lucy." Plus, the t

#96: Inside Comic-Con 2014 and an Early Look at 'Guardians of the Galaxy;' Guest Host Kyle Buchanan

Jul 31st, 2014 34m 24s

This week on "The Banter Blender," Kyle Buchanan (senior editor, "Vulture") returns to talk movies. First, Kyle takes us inside last week's annual San Diego Comic-Con to describe what the experience is actually like. Kyle then shares some of

#95: World Cup, TV, and "Romancing The Stone"

Jul 14th, 2014 37m 6s

Lisa Timmons joins Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) again for a rousing go at the Banter Blender. The two manage to broach all sorts of topics: the World Cup, personal training, Special K cereal, neighbor etiquette, "Orange is the New Black," "Ga

#94: Catching up with Big Brother 15 Winner Andy Herren

Jun 27th, 2014 45m 16s

It's "Big Brother" season, and what better way to kick off the latest edition than by interviewing last year's winner? Join Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) as he welcomes Andy Herren (twitter.com/andyherren) to The Banter Blender to discuss all

#93: Tinder, World Cup, Personal Trainers, Summer Movies; Special Guest Marcos Luevanos

Jun 20th, 2014 52m 1s

Writer Marcos Luevanos joins Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) to banter about all things pop culture. Going into the Banter Blender this week: Tinder behavior, the World Cup, personal training quandaries, summer movies, and just a dash of Big Br

#92: Discussing Bieber's Racism, the Kimye Wedding, and Hot Actors

Jun 6th, 2014 45m 34s

On this very special episode of "The Banter Blender," Ben Mandelker (bsideblog.com) is joined by three of his high school friends: Michelle, Lauren, and Caty. The three immediately launch into a variety of topics, including Justin Bieber's rac

#91: Talking Survivor, Amazing Race with Michelle Collins

May 23rd, 2014 30m 27s

What better way to kick off your Memorial Day Weekend than by talking about TV? Michelle Collins (twitter.com/michcoll) joins Ben Mandelker (twitter.com/bsideblog) to talk about the season finales of "Survivor" and "Amazing Race." Along the w