Kirsten: I just want to start out by saying that I was watching Chuck before it was cool.
Kirsten: I actually distinctly remember telling Neal to watch it and him saying that he didn't think it was worthwhile
Neal: All hail Kirsten, the hipster of Chuck
Kirsten: Thank you
Kirsten: So
Kirsten: Premiere: awesome
Neal: I thought the premiere was suitably cute/dorky/funny
Kirsten: Yes
Neal: Also, do girls really put on their dresses all sexy like that?

Kirsten: Here's what I was thinking
Kirsten: You know how a lot of guys were all over Alyson Hannigan in the early days of Buffy because she was the nerdgirl fantasy?
Kirsten: Like, both hot and nerdy, ergo, perfect for the viewer nerd?
Neal: Yeah.
Kirsten: Chuck is basically the male version of that for me
Kirsten: Like, were he real, I would so be in Chuck's pants
Kirsten: Totally hot, also nerdy, also for some reason not covered in competition
Neal: Really? This dude has really weird shoulders -- and he wears shirts with epaulets on them
Kirsten: No, so hot
Kirsten: He could use a haircut, but so could Jim Halpert, and it's really not a problem on either of them
Kirsten: Even the work uniform has a certain something
Neal: I guess...
Neal: Baldwin's character is frightfully close to being a joke. Like, an outright joke
Neal: Even though he has such great personality like in Firefly/Serenity
Kirsten: Yeah, but he's so awesome
Kirsten: The shooting gallery scene?
Kirsten: Of course he stops on Reagan
Kirsten: And the end bit?
Kirsten: When he's on the verge of dismissing this twinkie fiasco but then decides it's worth seeing?
Kirsten: Adam Baldwin pulls it off better than most actors could, I think
Neal: Yes. The twinkie bit was good.
Neal: The shooting gallery was lame though.
Kirsten: No
Kirsten: Shooting gallery was awesome
Kirsten: Although, I watched it twice and wasn't sure, did he miss Chuck?
Neal: Yes
Kirsten: Okay
Kirsten: Yeah, Casey totally loves Chuck
Kirsten: I liked how that was a continuation of the season finale's dilemma
Kirsten: because he's supposed to be this NSA machine, but he secretly likes Chuck
Kirsten: and he thinks of it as a weakness
Neal: Yes. I like how they basically set Chuck up for life as the intersect. And how the Fulcrum splinter cell fucked up the new one. And, Yvonne Strahovski is just fiery hot.
Neal: and Michael Clarke Duncan was a great choice for a guest star
Neal: Just absolutely great
Kirsten: Yeah
Kirsten: Michael Clarke Duncan is the new James Earl Jones
Kirsten: The voice alone
Neal: Yeah. Kind of.
Kirsten: The thing is
Kirsten: I don't think Sarah's that interesting
Kirsten: She's hot, but not that different from pretty much everybody else on tv
Neal: Wait, hold on
Neal: She's objectively good looking.
Kirsten: She was more interesting with that thing about bryce, but that's seemed to have completely faded
Kirsten: She's just kind of a token hot chick, I think
Kirsten: She doesn't really have anything setting her apart
Neal: No!
Neal: See, that's going to come back now
Neal: because Fulcrum blew up the new intersect
Neal: and now Bryce has to come back
Kirsten: Does he?
Neal: Yes.
Neal: Obviously
Kirsten: I kind of think he's out of it
Kirsten: Well, we'll see
Kirsten: I think, in a way, this premiere episode was typical of a lot of premieres, in that the main character thinks that they're going to be free, but the viewing audience knows that the obstacle is the only reason to watch, so it's fooling no one.
Kirsten: Like, we're supposed to believe that Chuck really wants to not be the intersect, when it's actually the best thing that's ever happened to him
Neal: But it's campy action television
Neal: You have to like it for that alone.
Kirsten: Oh, I do
Kirsten: I think Chuck is the unofficial heir to Veronica Mars, which was the official heir to Buffy
Neal: Oh Jesus
Neal: Veronica Mars was good for one season
Neal: Please let this not be Veronica Mars.
Kirsten: Shut up, I don't want to hear it
Kirsten: The network killed Veronica Mars
Kirsten: All the suckitude was the result of network interference
Neal: Not Kristen Bell's hardassity?
Kirsten: Kristen Bell is awesome
Kirsten: Admittedly, I don't watch Heroes
Kirsten: but Forgetting Sarah Marshall? comedy silver, if not gold
Neal: Ugh.
Neal: She can be so insufferable
Neal: but I did like that movie
Kirsten: I've never noticed her insufferability
Neal: Watch Heroes.
Kirsten: No.
Neal: which incidentally I probably won't be doing any longer
Neal: because after the initial two this season, I'm not that interested.
Kirsten: No, I have nothing to say about Heroes
Kirsten: I thought Morgan was a lot less irritating this ep
Kirsten: Morgan is a character who is annoying because he's so realistic
Kirsten: rather than the opposite
Neal: Haha.
Neal: No, he's not.
Neal: No one can be that cool and that much of a loser at once.
Kirsten: I kind of feel towards him like Chuck does, sort of a mix of genuine affection and pity
Kirsten: In what way is he cool?
Neal: Like, he's the most awesome best friend you could have
Neal: So committed
Kirsten: He is committed
Kirsten: I want Morgan to have more of a life
Neal: He has a girlfriend.
Kirsten: Yeah
Kirsten: Anna is awesome
Kirsten: If she were more recognizable, she would totally be my Halloween costume
Kirsten: But I kind of want something to come out of Morgan's past that Chuck-the-intersect has to deal with, something real to make him a bit more three dimensional
Neal: I don't like Chuck's sideburns at all
Kirsten: Oh, I do
Kirsten: Yes, indeed
Neal: How can you like HIS sideburns but not MY beard?
Kirsten: First of all
Kirsten: you don't have Zachary Levi's bone structure
Kirsten: Sorry
Kirsten: And second of all, sideburns are completely different from all other facial hair
Kirsten: And third of all, the maximum regular facial hair I'll tolerate is two-day stubble
Neal: Why are you so mean?
Kirsten: Just honest
Kirsten: He has killer cheekbones
Kirsten: An adorable nose too
Neal: How about the Thunderdome thing?
Kirsten: Thunderdome?
Neal: Yeah, two men enter, one man leaves
Kirsten: Oh, that
Kirsten: Awesome
Kirsten: Loved it
Kirsten: Especially the way Anna was hanging on the cage
Kirsten: Nice little callback to the ep where Morgan was locked in the cage with the computers, too
Kirsten: You know what made me kind of sad?
Neal: ?
Kirsten: Chuck never called Captain Awesome "Captain Awesome"
Kirsten: He called him "Devon"
Kirsten: and he only said awesome once, right at the end
Kirsten: I also don't really see Lester as the permanent assistant manager
Kirsten: I assume Chuck will reexpress his interest and replace him
Neal: What's with the new intersect running on an old Mac Classic?
Kirsten: Oh, that's geek stuff that I totally don't know
Neal: Lester is a shitty character
Neal: but so is the drunk
Kirsten: I like him and Jeff together, but separate them and they're irritating
Neal: This show will never generate any spinoffs, fortunately.
Kirsten: Well, let's have a second, strike-free season before we start talking spinoffs
Neal: Spinoffs are so evil
Kirsten: Hey, Frasier was good
Neal: Haha. Yeah
Neal: They did order a full season
Neal: so that's a pretty good sign.
Kirsten: Yes
Kirsten: Oh!
Kirsten: Did you notice that they used a Flight of the Conchords song?
Kirsten: In the soundtrack, like it was a regular song, not even highlighting it
Kirsten: It was awesome
Neal: Um . . . I don't watch that show.
Kirsten: Oh, right
Kirsten: You stupid person
Kirsten: Anyway, it was Foux de Fa Fa, when they were introducing Sarah at the yogurt shop
Kirsten: I prefer Yogurt Shop Sarah to Wienerlicious Sarah
Kirsten: Her pigtails bothered me
Kirsten: because her hair is too thin to have pigtails that high
Kirsten: Have them lower or tease them to be bigger
Kirsten: It was weird
Neal: Pff, I love pigtails.
Neal: Did you notice Morgan uses hair gel this season?
Kirsten: His hair's a lot shorter too
Neal: Morgan is like a shitty Seth Green.
Kirsten: Yeah, he is a little
Kirsten: Although, it's hard to compare, because Seth Green has had a couple different incarnations, and the only thing I recognize Morgan from is one of the Bring It On movies, where he played a mascot
Kirsten: I think it was the second one
Kirsten: Bring It On Again
Neal: Haha
Neal: Haven't seen it.
Neal: I've seen the first one numerous times.
Kirsten: I've seen all of them
Kirsten: Whenever ABCFamily has a Bring It On weekend
Kirsten: I'm powerless to resist
Neal: Okay. Answer my question about the dress
Kirsten: The dress?
Kirsten: Gratuitous underwear shot
Kirsten: Nobody does that
Kirsten: Sorry, man
Neal: *Sigh*. I knew it

AudioShocker contributor and food blogger extraordinaire Kirsten will be joining me for a postmortem AIMcast directly following the broadcast; the transcript will be up tomorrow.

Here's the thing: The AudioShocker is a lot more than just me and Nick. Have you ever listened to an AFI Podcast? Perhaps you enjoy the occasional AIMCast? I know you read our book reviews. All of those feature one or two of our contributors, the AudioShocker Super Six: Justique, Pete, Kirsten, Conrad, Shannon, and Ro. By day they are ordinary professionals, but as the sun descends they lace up their boots and hit the mean streets for The AudioShocker.

Until now, these not-so-caped crusaders have stood behind the scenes content to put in work - but no longer! We can not stand idly by while these heroes go unnoticed and unappreciated. We have rectified the situation by creating a contributors page to put faces to names. The link is located right up there in the header in between Nick and Feedback. See for yourself just how steaming hot our in house super hero staff is. Spend some time reading their bios and learning about their secret alter egos. Who knows, you even may develop a super-crush!

Once again, special thanks to Kirsten for her excellent editing and Ro for taking time out of her super busy Sunday night.

AIM: boomcity 6/8/08 8:38 PM
Neal has joined this chat.
Ro has joined this chat.
Kirsten has joined this chat.
Kirsten: Oh, it's time!
Neal: Well yeah. It is
Ro: Hey hey
Kirsten: What's up, bitches?
Ro: Nada much, just reading some Calvin and Hobbes
Kirsten: Good stuff
Neal: Man, I miss old comics --- remember The Far Side?
Ro: Oh yeah!
Ro: Doesn't that still come out?
Ro: or no?
Neal: Neh, it doesn't.
Kirsten: You ever see that scrubs
Kirsten: here JD imagines what it'd be like if the hospital was run like a horse hospital
Kirsten: and it's the doctors walking around with shotguns
Kirsten: and JD says, sorry, Mr. Larson
Neal:Yes, I saw that scrubs.
Ro: I think I've seen maybe 20 episodes
Ro: That wasn't one of them
Ro: although it is a great show
Kirsten: It used to be awesome
Kirsten: Even now it's decent, but not great
Neal: Yeah, I've seen all of them up till the last season
Neal: and then I decided I was done with it
Kirsten: Yeah
Neal: Well, now it's OVER right?
Ro: The last season
Kirsten: ABC is taking it
Ro: Oh, they are?
Ro: I thought it was cancelled
Kirsten: I think that's the plan
Neal: Crazy. That show needs to straight end.
Kirsten: Shitty last ep, though
Kirsten: even for a season finale
Kirsten: Well, seriously JD and Elliot are getting together
Kirsten: There's no other way to end it
Neal: There is only so much Zach Braff my brain can take.
Kirsten: His face has gotten wider and wider
Neal: And he continues to be a douche.
Neal: while Sarah Chalke is now super hot
Neal: almost entirely thanks to the haircut she got after she broke up with JD the 2nd or 3rd time
Ro: What was so bad about the ending?
Ro: I didn't watch it
Kirsten: It was this fantasy episode
Kirsten: It wasn't like the worst episode ever
Kirsten: It was just kind of pointless and non endingy
Neal: The princess one?
Kirsten: Yeah
Kirsten: Just kind of eh
Ro: Hmm
Neal: The Wizard of Oz ep was the last good thing they ever did
Kirsten: I don't know if that was the last
Kirsten: but it was a pretty good ep
Ro: I think i might have to rent from Netflix
Neal: Oh - so speaking of tv - when do Mad Men and Big Love come back on?
Neal: I would beat a man senseless to see either of those shows right now
Kirsten: Mad Men soon
Kirsten: I need to finish watching the first season still
Kirsten: I really loved it, but don't tell me anything please
Neal: I know you love it - because its so well styled
Neal: and put together
Neal: and the furniture makes me almost want to put up with the intolerance Indians like me would likely have suffered in corp America back then
Ro: Wait
Ro: Which one is Mad Men?
Kirsten: The one on AMC
Kirsten: set in like 1961
Kirsten: It's gorgeous
Ro: What's the basis?
Kirsten: They're Madison Avenue ad men
Neal: Thus.. MAD men
Ro: Gotcha
Kirsten: Back before cigarettes and drinking at lunch were evil
Neal: Back when you could still pinch your secretary's ass
Ro: LOL
Kirsten: It is really good looking
Kirsten: I would watch it even if it sucked
Kirsten: but it does not
Kirsten: They're all tifauxed for me in Boston
Neal: Yup. I love Big Red
Ro: I'm excited for Flight of the Conchords
Neal: FUCK Flight of the Conchords.
Kirsten: Fuck you
Kirsten: Flight of the Conchords is awesome
Kirsten: I have the first season, it's wonderful
Neal: I'm sorry Rohini - but I have a whole canned diatribe about it - which I'll spare you
Neal: but suffice to say, that after watching Eagle vs. Shark, I am not sold on New Zealish humor
Kirsten: From what I've heard, not the same thing at all
Neal: I've seen a couple eds of FotC also, underwhelming at best
Ro: Umm
Ro: First of all their genius
Ro: I think you're just taking it was too seriously
Neal: Maybe
Neal: We'll just have to agree to disagree on that one then.
Kirsten: They're wonderful
Kirsten: although the later ones not as good as the first ones
Kirsten: mostly just cause the songs aren't quite that good
Kirsten: but I was out at dinner tonight, eating a kabob
Neal: Let's here more about this kabob
Kirsten: and of course I had to sing that I was eating a kabob with the most beautiful girl I've ever seen eating a kabob
Ro: Hahaha
Kirsten: I also like the way they say it
Kirsten: Ka-bahb
Neal: Wait, that's a song?
Kirsten: Yes
Kirsten: The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room
Kirsten: (the whole wide room)
Neal: Ugh. I was hoping for a funny anecdote about kabobs (which are delicious)
Kirsten: Sorry man
Ro: You could be a part-time model
Kirsten: but you'd still have to keep your real job
Kirsten: spend part of your time modeling
Kirsten: and part of your time
Kirsten: next to meeeeeeeeee
Ro: oooOOOooooo
Ro: Have you listened to their latest one?
Ro: Ladies of the World?
Neal: Just give me a signal when you guys are done talking about this.
Ro: And then the song
Ro: about making love on Wednesdays
Ro: OMG, sooo great
Kirsten: It's business!
Kirsten: It's business time!
Ro: LOL
Ro: Oh man
Ro: So great
Kirsten: Or the French one
Kirsten: Fadda fa fa
Kirsten: Fadda fa fa fa fa
Ro: I love Jemaine
Kirsten: i love Brent
Kirsten: or, as the sign girl calls him, Brit
Kirsten: She's so hot
Kirsten: She's like a curry
Kirsten: But seriously, he is hot
Ro: Hehe
Ro: K, we done, Kirsten?
Ro: We can let Neal know
Ro: LOL
Kirsten: Come back, Neal!
Neal: OK
Neal: I'm back
Neal: How about that Hilary?
Kirsten: Ugh
Kirsten: Now you guys can let me know when you're done
Neal: Ro - don't you know someone who knows someone who works for Hilary?
Ro: 1 sec
Neal: 1......2.......3......
Ro: Okay
Ro: Sorry
Ro: My friend
Ro: Okay
Ro: So my roommate's boss
Ro: is good friends with Hilary
Ro: My roommate works for a NY congresswoman
Ro: but besides the point
Ro: Hilary was kind of a total douche
Ro: I mean, just concede gracefully you know?
Ro: You lost
Neal: I mean, wouldn't it make her look weaker to do that?
Ro: She has lost the nomination though
Kirsten: It makes her look weaker to be hanging on for dear life this way
Neal: Shes all hardline right. so backing out gracefully doesn't really fit her
Ro: There's not really much else she can do
Kirsten: It's not going to get her another nom
Kirsten: and she's just
Kirsten: Ugh
Kirsten: I can't talk about it
Kirsten: Sorry
Kirsten: I'll stop again
Ro: My ish is this:
Ro: it's breaking the Dem party
Ro: and the people
Ro: if no one wants another Republican in office
Ro: this is slowly ruining chances of getting them out of office
Ro: because lots of Dems are changing their vote to McCain
Ro: I don't know
Ro: It's a mess
Neal: I dunno, I could vote for McCain (if I was even registered...)
Neal: He's not totally deplorable
Neal: although - homeboy is OLD
Neal: Not entirely sure I connect with homie due to the age gap.
Kirsten: He is
Kirsten: I don't hate McCain
Kirsten: but he is old
Kirsten: and I don't appreciate how he's been going further right to get the nom
Neal: I did drive past the "Midwestern White House" the other day when I was in Hyde park though
Kirsten: The what now?
Neal: Barack's house, yo
Neal: I also crept by Farrakhan's joint too
Ro: Seriously?
Kirsten: Interesting
Kirsten: Were there peacocks on the lawn?
Ro: McCain's going to 80!
Ro: while he's in office
Ro: There should be an age limit
Ro: on both sides!
Neal: Well, yeah.
Ro: There's a min age to be president
Ro: Why not a max age?
Neal: You shouldn't qualify for social security while in office
Ro: No, that I don't completely agree with
Ro: but I would say 70
Ro: I don't know
Ro: It frustrates the hell out of me
Ro: Ugh
Ro: I'm done
Kirsten: Are we done with politics?
Kirsten: Please let's be done with politics
Neal: Yeah
Neal: Fuck that shit
Kirsten: Yeah
Neal: So - Crocs - what the hell? People are still wearing these things
Ro: One of my bosses wears them with the little clip-ins!
Ro: and I'm like WE ARE IN A F_ING OFFICE
Ro: you should NOT be wearing those
Neal: Clip-ins?
Ro: Yeah, the little decorative things
Kirsten: I saw someone on tv wearing Uggs and it was like a blast from the past, finally
Kirsten: I say the same will happen with Crocs soon
Neal: Ugg boots... i call ugly girls "uggie boots"
Kirsten: I don't mind them if you're using them
Kirsten: like cooking or gardening
Kirsten: but they're not appropriate for any other use
Kirsten: Not out in public and not in the office
Neal: Mario Batali is clearly to blame for all this
Kirsten: That's true
Kirsten: I like the guy, he seems awfully jolly
Kirsten: but come on
Neal: He's basically an Italian santa claus
Kirsten: He also likes Nascar, and we don't need that either
Neal: No, that's Guy right? he has a Nascar fridge
Kirsten: alls i know is that mario has an entire book of nascar grilling recipes
Ro: this is what i'm talking about
Kirsten: Oh, gross
Kirsten: Why?
Neal: Oh, Christ. Those clip-in things make me want to vomit
Neal: Seriously. I'm going to be ill
Kirsten: But okay
Kirsten: What about these
Kirsten: ?
Kirsten: I mean, are we going to pretend that it's the lack of heel that was making them ugly?
Kirsten: Like suddenly these are okay for prom?
Kirsten: It's just a bad influence
Kirsten: People worry about video games or sex on tv
Kirsten: but it's really Crocs that are destroying the country
Neal: Look, if I were a nurse.
Neal: maybe I could justify these
Neal: like the concept of Croc shoes
Neal: but in any other situation, I could not.
Kirsten: For serious
Kirsten: Only when actually in use
Neal: I would rather buy the ugliest Fluevog shoes in the world than wear these
Ro: I can understand for docs and nurses
Kirsten: or gardening or cooking
Ro: etc
Neal: Crocs. Basically the new terrorist weapon
Kirsten: Let's move on
Neal: Let's - summer movies?
Kirsten: Why aren't there any?
Kirsten: Seriously, nothing opened this week
Kirsten: except i think that awful zohan thing
Ro: I haven't seen ANY
Ro: I can't believe it!
Neal: I saw the Zohan - and while you may call it trash
Neal: at least it was entertaining
Neal: and involved a lot of hummus
Kirsten: Why did you see the Zohan?
Kirsten: Why?
Kirsten: You're encouraging them
Neal: A LOT of hummus
Kirsten: You know you can't eat movie hummus, right?
Neal: I was tired and goofed up on quiznos
Neal: It was Tribe Hummus!
Kirsten: Not caring
Neal: Ro - how have you not seen ANY summer movies?
Kirsten: I've seen Narnia (awesome) and Indy (okay)
Kirsten: There haven't been that many
Neal: Indy was kinda cool. The premise was lame, but I enjoyed it
Kirsten: Okay, but the vines?
Kirsten: and the a-bomb?
Kirsten: Come on
Neal: Maybe I was just excited to see Harrison Ford punch people
Ro: I really haven't seen anything
Ro: No SATC
Ro: No Indiana
Ro: No Zohan
Ro: Nothing
Kirsten: SATC
Kirsten: I really don't get it
Neal: SATC can bite my balls
Kirsten: I mean, it wasn't a very good show
Kirsten: so why are people so disappointed by the movie?
Ro: I want to watch it
Kirsten: I want to watch the clothes
Kirsten: but I don't want to pay twelve dollars and not even get a pair of shoes to take home
Neal: Haha
Neal: That would have really sold the movie
Ro: LOL
Neal: Twelve bucks for like a 50 dollar off coupon at Manolo
Neal: or maybe... 5% off some Louboutins
Kirsten: i feel like with the mountains of hype that came with it, they might as well have
Ro: LOL
Ro: BTW!
Ro: Borders
Ro: invited me to this membership off thing
Ro: and you can get discounts
Ro: at movie theaters and stuff!
Kirsten: Borders is dying
Kirsten: So sad
Ro: Really?
Kirsten: Yeah
Ro: Why do you think so?
Kirsten: Well, I worked there last year, so my dad mentions stuff about it to me
Kirsten: Apparently some months ago, they basically said that if anybody wanted to buy them out, they were welcome to
Kirsten: and not like they had an offer
Ro: Oh wow
Ro: Didn't know that
Neal: Didn't they buy out Waldens?
Kirsten: Oh yeah, Waldens went ages ago
Kirsten: You don't see them anymore, they're just Borders Express now
Kirsten: but Borders is dying
Neal: Too bad. They have a better graphic novel selection than B&N
Neal: but sadly, they have crappier reading areas
Kirsten: Bookstores in general are dying, but Borders has always been the number two physical bookstore
Kirsten: I always liked Borders, they're more laidback about people reading in the store
Kirsten: but having worked there, I can tell you that corporate doesn't know how to manage people
Kirsten: A friend of mine who still works there said that the employees found out about the buy out thing from the newspaper like everybody else
Ro: That's unfortunate
Kirsten: Yeah, it is
Ro: I always felt
Ro: like I was in less of a chain store
Ro: at Borders
Neal: So Kirsten, could I get a job at a Borders... as like the comics buyer?
Kirsten: Dude, I don't know
Kirsten: I was books and cafe
Kirsten: not corporate
Neal: I think local managers get to make some buying decisions, don't they?
Kirsten: Some
Kirsten: like carrying local authors and stuff
Kirsten: but it's specialty requests, not a regular thing
Kirsten: But wouldn't you rather go for a company that isn't on the way out?
Kirsten: Go Amazon
Ro: I think it was the Starbucks that killed the mood for me
Ro: in B&N
Ro: Okay guys
Ro: I'm sorry
Ro: but I really gotta head out
Neal: Are you serious?
Ro: I'm sorry to jet out so early
Ro: I'm exhausted
Kirsten: Alright
Ro: Goodnight!
Kirsten: Night!
Neal: WEAK - but alright. Peace!
Neal: I hope you all enjoyed the AIMcast! Leave a comment if you have an idea we can jibber jabber about next time!