Paranormal forces and petty grudges. This week on Beef, history’s most famous magician Harry Houdini turns grief into fuel for getting even with the dubious 19th and early 20th century Spiritualist movement, in the conclusion to his obsessive crusade. Learn more about Jim Steinmeyer's incredible career and one-of-kind design work at his website. And order a copy of Prof. Richard Wiseman's book Paranormality: Why We See What Isn't There Hosted by Bridget Todd Written by Nicole Walkow-Ben...
Jul 02, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Magic and mysticism. Spirits and skeptics. This week on Beef, legendary illusionist and escapologist Harry Houdini pulls back the curtain on the psuedo-scientific, semi-religious Spiritualist movement of the 19th century. Learn more about Jim Steinmeyer's incredible career and one-of-kind design work at his website. And order a copy of Prof. Richard Wiseman's book Paranormality: Why We See What Isn't There Hosted by Bridget Todd Written by Nicole Walkow-Benedi Showrunning, Editing & Sound ...
Jun 25, 2025•56 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Hot on the heels of our 2025 Communicator Awards victory for Excellence in History, Next Chapter Podcasts' hit series BEEF with Bridget Todd returns with a brand new season of pure pettiness, starting Wednesday June 25! Go to https://www.nextchapterpodcasts.com/beef to learn more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 11, 2025•1 min
What if a basketball game could offer more than just a win? This week on Sportly, we head to San Quentin, where the Golden State Warriors face off against incarcerated players in a decade-long rivalry that’s redefining second chances. But are these programs as beneficial as they seem, or do they risk perpetuating systemic injustices? From historic prison sports leagues to global initiatives like the Twinning Project, host Kavitha A. Davidson uncovers the untold stories of how sports inspire hope...
Feb 19, 2025•26 min
In our latest episode of "Inside the Writers' Room" bonus interviews, senior producer Sam Levine sits down to talk about the balance of entertainment and education, the power of ego sublimation, and the strategic use of "F bombs." ABOUT SAM Sam is a writer, podcaster and parent based in the Washington, DC area. Follow him at @moderately_quick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 05, 2025•28 min
The polarization of the clistenership regarding Dominick's eating on-mic opens this week's Pre-Fixe, while Heidi's decade-old song climbs the charts, Drake sues Kendrick's record label, and Chrissy Teigen wants a Tik Tok curfew. Then Sara and Natalie from Causing A Scene join to discuss Jennifer Garner. They discuss Alias, 13 Going on 30, her marriage (and divorce) to Ben Affleck, and how annoying it must be to mediate problems between Ben and JLo. You can find Sara at @saragretzky, Natalie at @...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 45 min
In our latest episode of "Inside the Writers' Room" bonus interviews, Nicole Benedi joins us to talk about the utility of being hyper-focused, the ubiquitousness of egotism, and the freedom of giving something you're bad at a try. ABOUT NICOLE Nicole Benedi is an award winning writer and stand-up comedian living in Erie, Pennsylvania. Follow her at @nickyshowbiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 22, 2025•42 min
In our latest episode of "Inside the Writers' Room" bonus interviews, Max Wolfson joins us to talk about the primacy of jokes, hoarding of facts, and the magic of the audio medium. ABOUT MAX Max Wolfson is a comedy and also regular person who migrated to DC from the wild mountains of Radford, Virginia. Often considered the “Max” of the group, he joined the Midnight Gardener’s League to further his goal of spending less time with his family. Blending a quick wit with outside-the-box ideas that ar...
Jan 15, 2025•29 min
In our first episode of "inside the writers' room" bonus interviews, Adrián Duston-Muñoz joins us to talk about cinematic storytelling, cherry-picking process advice, and the appeal of a clear cut hero and villain. ABOUT ADRIÁN Se habla español. I always list that phrase somewhere on my resume. That's what the @typewritertilde icon means. Se habla español. Bilinguals and polyglots know that every word, every idiom, and every place has at least two contexts. When the art form is black words on wh...
Jan 08, 2025•40 min
We're gearing up for season 3 of BEEF with Bridget Todd, and we plan on doing it bigger and better than ever. But that means we need your help! We're scouring the history books far and wide for the best rivalries we can turn into stories you can't turn off. And any suggestions you guys might have would be super useful. Shoot us an email at pete@ncpodcasts.com with the subject line "BEEF Season 3" and give us some details of a rivalry you think we could do justice. Also, feel free to just give us...
Jan 01, 2025•2 min
Big laughs. Smart takes. Every day. Commotion from CBC Podcasts is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts & entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less. In this segment from July 2024, Elamin dives into the very messy and public fight between Hybe and the CEO of its subsidiary label ADOR, Min Hee-jin, who produces the popular K...
Dec 18, 2024•19 min
**This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beef and get on your way to being your best self.** In our latest piece of bonus content, senior producer Sam Levine sits down with archaeologist and public historian Darius Arya to discuss the violent and murderous climate of the ancient world, humble beginnings that lead to auspicious ends, and what might have been had Roman history gone in a completely different direction. Darius Arya is a Ph.D. archaeologi...
Dec 11, 2024•57 min
In our latest piece of bonus content, senior producer Ben Austin-Docampo chats with NASA's former chief historian William P. Barry about dueling political ideologies, the level of cooperation between Soviet and American scientists, and the technological impact of our race to the stars. William P. Barry served as NASA's Chief Historian for a decade. He's a 22 year veteran of the United States Airforce, where he flew KC-135 tankers and served on the faculty of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He also r...
Dec 04, 2024•1 hr
In our latest piece of bonus content, writer Max Wolfson talks with cultural critic and historian and Stuart Walton about the differing characters of spirits, the effectiveness of legislating vice, and our need to get obliterated. Stuart Walton has written about drink and drug cultures since the early 1990s, and is the author of “In The Realm of the Senses: A Materialist Theory of Seeing and Feeling,” “A Natural History of Human Emotions” and “Out of It: A Cultural History of Intoxication” as we...
Nov 27, 2024•59 min
The pearl clutching about “cancel culture” and “censorship” has become louder and more absurd. Journalists Katelyn Burns and Oliver-Ash Kleine see this panic for what it is though: a grift. That's why they created the "Cancel Me, Daddy" podcast. Each episode, they take a closer look at these temper tantrums, dispelling myths, laughing at the most outrageous takes, and shedding light on which perspectives are actually being suppressed and left out of the conversation. You can find Cancel Me, Dadd...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 6 min
**This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beef and get on your way to being your best self.** In our latest piece of bonus content, showrunner Pete Musto sits down with conservationist and explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison to talk about the psychology of pushing yourself to the limit, the intricacies of human nature, and the countless wonders that still remain undiscovered on our world. Robin Hanbury-Tenison is one of the few remaining explorers who meri...
Nov 13, 2024•47 min
In our latest piece of bonus content, showrunner Pete Musto talks with entertainement journalist Felix Gillete about the revolutionary history of HBO, the dawn of prestige television, and the impact made by telling the stories of young professional women's sex lives. Felix Gillete is a media and entertainment editor for Bloomberg News. In addition to Bloomberg, Felix has written for Washington City Paper, Columbia Journalism Review, the Village Voice and the New York Observer. He’s also the co-a...
Nov 06, 2024•58 min
In our latest piece of bonus content, showrunner Pete Musto chats with science writer David Bainbridge about the philosophy science, the role of ego in discovery, and what it means to be a founding member of a field of study. David Bainbridge is a science writer, reproductive biologist and veterinary anatomist at Cambridge University. He has written for various publications, such as The Guardian, New Scientist, and The Times. And he is the author of numerous books on natural science, including “...
Oct 30, 2024•44 min
The feud of feuds. A rivalry between two stars, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, may have begun as a publicity stunt, but it became a bizarre and malignant reality in the behind-the-scenes story of 1962's, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 25, 2024•54 min
In this episode, Tess re-examines the Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton story and tries to expand the narrative to her side of what happened as the most infamous intern in American history. Tess and Claire discuss power dynamics, how politicians are all corrupt, acknowledging and dissecting Hillary's response to her husband's behavior, and of course, the villainous Linda Trip, who remains a complicated figure in the whole case. They also finally recognize the other SA victims of Bill Clinton's, w...
Oct 23, 2024•1 hr 31 min
**This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beef and get on your way to being your best self.** In our latest piece of bonus content, senior producer James Levine sits down with historian and author Honor Cargill-Martin to discuss the violent paranoia of Roman power politics, the personalities that dominated that world, and how certain figures' legacies are able to last for millennia. Honor Cargill-Martin is a historian and author who studied Classical ...
Oct 16, 2024•49 min
This week on Beef, a divided Roman republic’s uneasy peace is broken when rival rulers Marc Antony and Octavian vie for ultimate control of the ancient world. Pick up a copy of Honor Cargill-Martin's new book Messalina: Empress, Adulteress, Libertine: The Story of the Most Notorious Woman of the Roman World Hosted by Bridget Todd Written by James "Sam" Levine Editing & Sound Design by Pete Musto Produced by Benjamin Austin-Docampo Created by Executive Producer Jeremiah Tittle Find out more a...
Oct 09, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Every episode is a meticulously researched exploration of significant historical events, shedding light on the narratives that have shaped our societies and our understanding of the world. "In 1974, a Japanese soldier named Hiroo Onoda emerged from the Philippine jungle, unaware that World War 2 had been over for nearly 30 years. During those three decades, Onoda waged a murderous guerilla insurgency against the residents of Lubang island, leaving a trail of corpses and broken lives in his wake....
Oct 02, 2024•2 hr 19 min
This week on Beef, ancient Rome is torn in two by aspiring emperors Marc Antony and Octavian in the wake of Julius Caesar’s murder by the Senate. Pick up a copy of Prof. David S. Potter's latest book Disruption: Why Things Change Check out Darius Arya's digital lecture series "Ancient Rome Live" Hosted by Bridget Todd Written by James "Sam" Levine Editing & Sound Design by Pete Musto Produced by Benjamin Austin-Docampo Created by Executive Producer Jeremiah Tittle Find out more about all of ...
Sep 25, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 15
In our latest piece of bonus content, senior producer James Levine sits down with former IndyCar driver and current F1 TV commentator James Hinchcliffe to talk about the addictive nature of racing, instinctual vs. intellectual driving, and how Senna and Prost still impact the world of F1 today. James Hinchcliffe is a former IndyCar driver for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, with six race wins and 18 podiums to his name. In 2011, James was named the NTT IndyCar Series Rookie ...
Sep 18, 2024•43 min
This week on Beef, two of the fastest drivers in Formula 1 history, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost go wheel-to-wheel in search of high speed glory. Listen to James Hinchcliffe's podcast "Off Track with Hinch and Rossi." Hosted by Bridget Todd Written by James "Sam" Levine Editing & Sound Design by Pete Musto Produced by Benjamin Austin-Docampo Created by Executive Producer Jeremiah Tittle Find out more about all of Next Chapter Podcasts' incredible content at ncpodcasts.com! Learn more about y...
Sep 11, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 14
In our latest piece of bonus content, senior producer Benjamin Austin-Docampo chats with rhetorician Melissa T. Yang, PhD., about eccentric gentlemen scientists, the power of obsession, and why we can't stop watching birds. Melissa T. Yang is a multidisciplinary scholar and writer who teaches composition courses grounded in the environmental humanities. She is an assistant teaching professor and the director of the Writing Center at Emory University. And she is the author of several academic jou...
Sep 04, 2024•41 min
This week on Beef, famed naturalist John James Audubon and his eccentric contemporary Charles Waterton engage in a war of words that sets the birding world ablaze. Check out Melissa T. Yang's writing and research on her website! Hosted by Bridget Todd Written by Benjamin Austin-Docampo Showrunning, Editing & Sound Design by Pete Musto Produced by James "Sam" Levine Created by Executive Producer Jeremiah Tittle Find out more about all of Next Chapter Podcasts' incredible content at nextchapte...
Aug 28, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In For the Love of History, TK is your guide to the past as we uncover the people, events, and little-known-facts hidden in the shadows of your old history textbooks. From empress baddies to activist profiles, turkey gods and the history of the toothbrush, tattoos, Pompeii peepees, and everything in between, you can find it all here. There is no telling how far we'll dig or how many "historical facts" we'll reexamine. No event too small and no topic too big, because this is For The Love of Histo...
Aug 21, 2024•37 min
This week on Beef, the two pioneering music television programs, Dick Clarke’s American Bandstand and the Buddy Deane Show, bring youth, rock and race to the cultural forefront. Hosted by Bridget Todd Written by Natalie McGill Showrunning, Editing & Sound Design by Pete Musto Produced by James "Sam" Levine & Benjamin Austin-Docampo Created by Executive Producer Jeremiah Tittle Find out more about all of Next Chapter Podcasts' incredible content at nextchapterpodcasts.com! Learn more abou...
Aug 14, 2024•33 min•Season 2Ep. 12
