Insights Into Things

This week the show is unintentionally space themed as we talk about some accomplishments of The Mandalorian, an impressive Star Wars merchandise auction, and a feel good Star Wars story about what Disney is doing for a dying fan. In our Entertainment News this week we look at the latest Star Wars The Last Jedi trailer that's less a trailer and more a summation of the journey and intro into what the new movie symbolizes, then we have a return of the alien everyone fell in love with in the '80s and a space faring couple who had called it quits but appear to be back together again.

From our family to yours, enjoy this holiday classic narrated by our show hosts.

What is body image and what is the significance of negative or positive body image? We'll discuss this as well as the common causes of body image issues, the impact it has on a developing teen and at what age the issue of body image begins to play a part in our children. We'll also look at the warning signs of negative body image, look at some interesting statistics on body image and offer some helpful hints on how to help your teens deal with negative body image.

We take a deep dive into the effect but sometimes controversial monetization strategies of videos games. We'll look at the various types of monetization outlets, strategies and pro's and con's of each methodology. We'll also take a briefly look at the history of video games and how they've traditionally been monetized in the past before we look at today's modern crop of video games and how developers are making money on them. We'll explore concepts such as subscriptions, micro-transations, free to play, advertising and much more. We examine traditional retail as well as digital distribution models and how to fit into the evolving technology available to game manufacturers. An examination of past game companies and where their business models failed gives us a glimpse into today's strategies and money making decisions. Finally we'll look at the future of gaming monetization. From the economics of the current models and how they align with other similar subscription based industries to the government regulation that micro-transactions and loot crates are forcing various legal entities around the world to investigate for potential violations of gambling ordinances. We look at the direction of the video game industry and how it's going to impact us in the coming years not just in the video game industry but across the board.

Disney+ continues to struggle with service outages and now accounts being hacked while the stars of Frozen get their own stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We find out why we can't yet buy the adorable "Baby Yoda" from the new Mandalorian series and John Williams is back with his 71st Grammy nomination 58 years after his first. In Entertainment News we hear from Aquaman's Willem Dafoe on the state of superhero movies, Michael Jackson's accusers are back in the news with their appeals and sad news that one of our favorite shows and past Insightful Pick of the Week Mindhunter won't be coming back anytime soon. We'll finish up with our Insightful Picks of the Week, a programming note and a teaser for a special presentation we're working on for the holidays. Another week and another great podcast.

This week we take a fun look at things to do in the fall and winter season. We'll look at outdoor activities we can do during the cold months as well as indoor activities that we can do. We'll also take a look at activities we can do in the fall and winter that help to teach our children important life skills. Then we'll talk about the fall and winter family traditions that we have, what holidays we celebrate and a little about how we celebrate those holidays.

By all accounts Disney+ is a smash success...or is Disney just fibbing on their subscriber numbers? We'll talk subscriptions and some controversial decisions and disclaimers on some content from the new streaming network. We'll also look at some exceptionally rare Disney items coming up for auction. Daisey Ridley gives us four words to describe The Rise of Skywalker, Spongebob's Squidward is getting a spinoff and new movie while Nickelodeon throws it's had into the streaming service market and we pay tribute to the bad guy everyone loves to hate from The Walking Dead before we finish up with a couple of great new shows in our Insightful Picks of the Week.

Respect is like money. It takes time and effort to earn but can be squandered very easily. This week we talk about what respect is, why it is important not only in our youth but all through life. We'll explore the various ways in which we show each other respect and how to build a model of respect for society. Finally we'll explore ways that parents can help build a culture of respect for our children and set the right example, encouraging our children to be respectful not only of others but most importantly respectful of themselves.

Star Wars is in the Disney Detective again this week with a new United Airlines Star Wars themed plan as well as Carrie Fishers daughter Billie Lourd's thoughts on being the keeper of the Princess Leia legacy and we'll look at Disney walking back some charges after a backlash and class action lawsuit. DC is in the Entertainment news with casting details for some of the villains in the next installment of the Batman franchise as well as Box Office profitability news on the results of the Joker and we'll cap it off with a touching surprise appearance by Tina Turner at opening night of a new Broadway musical about her life and experiences. As always we'll finish with our Insightful picks of the week.

This week we take a look at screen violence in the form of video games, television and movies. We look at the different types of violence and the effect it has on today's youth. We'll look at some interesting statistics and several studies that offer insights into both sides of the argument of whether screen violence leads to violence in today's youth. Then we'll take a look at what parents can do to help teens cope with the violence that is so prevalent in our current media and entertainment.