Best First Time Lord Of The Rings Podcasts (2026)

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Imperfect Paradise: Meet the filmmakers who love AI (Redux) 34:09

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4d ago34:09

34:09

This episode originally aired on March 19, 2025. It’s hard to find people in Hollywood who are willing to speak publicly about their enthusiasm for AI, for fear of being seen as “siding with the machines.” And yet, many people are quietly using the technology already. In this episode, we interview two enthusiastic early adopters of AI in filmmaking…

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Imperfect Paradise: How AI became a Hollywood villain – especially for animators (Redux) 36:14

11d ago36:14

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This episode originally aired on March 12, 2025. Hollywood taught us to be afraid of a super powerful artificial intelligence that will one day conquer humanity. So not surprisingly, many screenwriters and actors are very skeptical of AI, and concerns about AI were central to the Hollywood labor strikes in 2023. But animators may actually be the mo…

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Imperfect Paradise: Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission for a new home and space exploration 27:41

18d ago27:41

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Los Angeles is an integral part of space shuttle Endeavour’s journey. The California Science Center is building a new, larger home for the shuttle, which will make it the only place in the world to see a complete shuttle system with its equipment in launch position. The project – years in the making – still has a long road ahead. LAist reporter Mak…

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Imperfect Paradise: Residents left behind at elder care facilities in LA raise serious questions about evacuation preparedness 33:46

25d ago33:46

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In the early morning hours of January 8, the Eaton Fire raced closer to the MonteCedro retirement community in Altadena, California. Nearly 200 of the facility’s residents were evacuated, but two women were left behind, raising serious questions. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, LAist Health and Housing Reporter Aaron Schrank looks at what we…

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Book 2 Ep71: Sky Boars and Sky Lores 1:25:26

26d ago1:25:26

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A surprisingly deadly and chaotic fight ensues in the Sky barn, leading Granny to encounter a strange otherworldly figure during a near-death experience. Will this be the end of the Sidebars??? Featuring: Erika Jayne as Taryn Grim Severin Gourley as Dexter Clementine Kasia Wayfinder as Granny Sabinka and Julz Burgisser as DM Visit www.fateofisen.co…

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Imperfect Paradise: Altadena childcare providers' struggle to rebuild raises questions about government disaster response 27:21

1M ago27:21

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At least 280 childcare spaces were affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. LAist reporter Libby Rainey and early childhood senior reporter Elly Yu followed two women who ran childcare businesses out of their homes until the Eaton Fire destroyed them. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, they look at how these two childcare providers…

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Imperfect Paradise: Gender-affirming care for transgender youth is at risk in LA and nationwide 31:26

1M ago31:26

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Nearly 3,000 patients have been forced to find gender-affirming care elsewhere after the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles closed their LA Center for Trans Youth Health and Development in July. The closure comes amid threats of cuts to federal funding for providers of gender affirming-care and other attempts to restrict LGBTQ rights nationwide. LAist…

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Book 2 Ep70: Please Remain Intact! 1:11:42

1M ago1:11:42

1:11:42

Taryn and Dexter part ways with Wen of the Forgotten at the museum before continuing their investigation of Sky. A refreshed Granny Sabinka heads off on her own adventure that culminates in a "sexy" encounter at a barn. A weird barn. With weird stuff. Featuring: Erika Jayne as Taryn Grim Severin Gourley as Dexter Clementine Kasia Wayfinder as Grann…

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Imperfect Paradise: Health workers say ICE agents at hospitals are compromising patient care 28:16

2M ago28:16

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Amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, there’s been an uptick in ICE presence in hospitals across the country. At Adventist Health White Memorial hospital in Boyle Heights, doctors say that hospital administrators have even allowed immigration agents to interfere with patients’ medical care. LAist correspondent Jill Replogle has …

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Book 2 Ep69: Just Like the First Time 1:09:37

2M ago1:09:37

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Inside the museum, the Sidebars' unexpected reunion with Wen of the Forgotten takes a few strange turns. Granny checks herself out of the hospital and returns to the inn for some rest, peace and quiet, and free canteloupe. Featuring: Erika Jayne as Taryn Grim Severin Gourley as Dexter Clementine Kasia Wayfinder as Granny Sabinka and Julz Burgisser …

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Imperfect Paradise: California's new free public preschool program for 4-year-olds 31:40

2M ago31:40

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All four-year-olds in the state of California now have access to a free preschool program in their local school district. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a plan to expand the state’s transitional kindergarten, or TK, program in May 2021, as part of a broader move to create the largest free early education program in the U.S. So what does transitional kind…

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Imperfect Paradise: Who pays for the 2028 Olympics? LA taxpayers may be on the hook 29:57

2M ago29:57

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In less than a thousand days, Los Angeles will be hosting the summer Olympics. Many cities worldwide have been put into debt by the games, so what could they mean for Los Angeles? LAist reporter Libby Rainey joins Imperfect Paradise to look back at the history of the games when LA last hosted them, the financial outlook for the city, and what role …

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Imperfect Paradise: Why the site of the largest methane leak in US history still hasn’t been shut down 30:50

2M ago30:50

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Regulations on gas storage facilities have been tightened since the detection of the Aliso Canyon leak, which started in 2015 and lasted nearly four months. But residents remain worried about long term health effects following the leak. LAist Climate and Environment Reporter Erin Stone discusses the 10-year anniversary of the disaster and what’s st…

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Imperfect Paradise: How becoming a US citizen just got harder under the Trump administration and what it means for Angelenos 21:51

2M ago21:51

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The Trump administration’s immigration policies have resulted in raids and protests in Southern California and across the country, and the administration has also moved to tighten who gets citizenship. Recently, the federal government pushed out new guidelines for naturalization. The situation has raised fundamental questions around what it means t…

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Imperfect Paradise: Prop 50: Is California’s redistricting push a threat to democracy or a defense of it? 31:03

3M ago31:03

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Proposition 50 is part of a nationwide battle over control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Californians are being asked to take a side: Should the state be temporarily allowed to redraw congressional maps to counter the Trump administration and redistricting in Texas? LAist Civics & Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze and Civics & Democ…

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Book 2 Ep68: Morning at the Museum 1:10:34

3M ago1:10:34

1:10:34

Taryn and Dexter drop Granny off at the hospital for some recovery, and then head back to the inn for a much-needed good night's sleep. Unfortunately, their rest is interrupted prematurely, and they set out before dawn to investigate a few things around the town. Featuring: Erika Jayne as Taryn Grim Severin Gourley as Dexter Clementine and Julz Bur…

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Imperfect Paradise: An LA Commission created to tackle city government scandals is being stymied 20:51

3M ago20:51

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A charter reform commission was created in 2024 in response to multiple Los Angeles city government scandals, including the leak of a racist tape featuring City Council President Nury Martinez. One of the commission’s aims was to modify the LA charter, which is basically the city’s constitution. But reports indicate that this commission is struggli…

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The magical system of Middle Earth is Bizarre... 10:11

3M ago10:11

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One of the things I hear over and over is how Tolkien is creating a soft magic system. I think in my mind I define that just as an ambiguous magic system…one where you don’t see magic all that often and then one that also doesn’t go into detail about some of the things that are happening. So I don’t know if some of you have any answers to these que…

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JRR Tolkien is the best perspective shift writer I've ever read. 10:36

3M ago10:36

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When I was in college, I took a writing class. In that class one of the very first things that they taught was to never, ever, under any circumstances, switch the perspective of your writing. Now, there was a reason for why they forced us into this, because they wanted us to stick to either first person or third person for our writing, and they bel…

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Imperfect Paradise: Reports about failures in response to the January LA fires and a 2018 fire have striking similarities 23:27

3M ago23:27

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A new report details the Eaton and Palisades fires, including failures in the emergency response. But this report bears striking similarities with another -- which chronicled the response to the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California. LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis discusses the reports and what they mean for L.A. County moving forward. Th…

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This was the moment Pippin became a man...or a hobbit 10:02

3M ago10:02

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I think you can only really know the measure of a man by how they handle adversity and challenges. In this case, you can only really know the measure of a hobbit by how they handle adversity. None of us like to be in those situations, but how we handle them is the thing that matters the most. I think that’s a huge theme of Tolkien’s writing right n…

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Book 2 Ep67: Audience on High 1:27:40

3M ago1:27:40

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With the hell wasps and vrock defeated (barely), the Sidebars finally get their long-awaited audience with the Sky Kingdom's Ruler-on-High. Will he give them the answers they seek? Or will they be left with nothing but more questions than ever before? Featuring: Erika Jayne as Taryn Grim Kasia Wayfinder as Granny Sabinka Severin Gourley as Dexter C…

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Why the world needs more men like Éomer 20:35

3M ago20:35

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What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? And then both of those things meet Gimli? It’s a question that the philosophers have debated for ages, and it was a question that was settled by JRR Tolkien in the chapter The Riders of Rohan, when Eomer meets Aragorn, and then Gimli steps in after something ticks him off.…

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Peter Jackson left out all the tension that JRR Tolkien built... 17:23

3M ago17:23

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The Riders of Rohan chapter of The Two Towers is one of the most tense chapters of literature that I have read in a long time. I’m a movie fan, so I know Merry and Pippen are alive, but if you were reading this with no knowledge of the movies or the fate or Merry and Pippen I don’t know if I’ve ever read a chapter that plays with your emotions more…

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This was the moment I fell in love with Aragorn 18:48

3M ago18:48

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It’s time. I feel like it’s that moment in Lion King when Simba ascends Pride Rock…I am FINALLY going to talk about how in one simple chapter…one of the shortest in the whole series so far…Aragorn became one of my favorite characters.By Jonathan Minnema

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The Beginning of the Two Towers is a MASTERCLASS in how to start a story 14:40

3M ago14:40

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If you’ve read The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien, you know that this book starts off guns a blazing. It is drastically different from it’s film adaptation in that Boromir dies at the beginning of this book rather than at the end of the Fellowship. And the whole Company is in chaos at the end of the last book rather than the movie has, where there’s cha…

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Why you should read the Fellowship of the Ring 17:13

3M ago17:13

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Having just finished reading Lord of the Rings for the first time and publishing over 10 hours of video essays on the work, I think I am not a certified expert in this text…I am just kidding, please don’t come after me. But I do think I have something to offer to people who have yet to read this book. And for those of you who have, you just get to …

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Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California 17:35

3M ago17:35

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Big companies like Amazon and SpaceX are claiming that the National Labor Relations Board – an independent federal entity in charge of overseeing unionizing efforts – is unconstitutional. In addition to those companies, colleges like the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University are also joining the movement to push back aga…

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Who is the greatest writer of all time? 16:44

3M ago16:44

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Who is the greatest writer of all time. It’s an impossible question…why would I even ask it…no one can answer that one in any kind of objective way…well Im gunna do just that.By Jonathan Minnema

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Is the Fellowship of the Ring a better movie than book? 32:56

3M ago32:56

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So I just finished reading the Lord of the Rings: The fellowship of the Ring for the first time in my life. And it was incredible. I will dote on it this essay. And so I did the only rational thing you do after you read an incredible book like that, I rewatched the movie…for maybe the 50th time in my life.…

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Samwise Gamgee is EVEN BETTER in the Books 16:00

3M ago16:00

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So yesterday I talked about Boromir being the most relatable character in the whole of the fellowship because of his flaws…I take that back. I think Sam isBy Jonathan Minnema

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The Two Towers: Bk 4 - Ch 7-9 1:53:37

3M ago1:53:37

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Jon, Danny, and Lizzy talk about the incredible ending of book 4, and the one point where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis shed a tear over.By Jenn, Jon, Danny, Lizzy

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Did the Fellowship Fail Boromir? (YES...and no) 25:18

4M ago25:18

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Did the fellowship fail Boromir? It’s a question someone asked in a comment a few videos ago and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head for the last few days. I think the answer is no…but also yes…absolutely yes.By Jonathan Minnema

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How Aragorn being "erect" makes Tolkien an absolute MASTER of the English Language... 9:28

4M ago9:28

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Alright. So this is the weirdest, but the absolute funniest moment in the entirety of the Fellowship of the Ring. And what might sound like the start to a really immature essay on the Aragorn son of Arathorn, the well endowed, is actually going to really be about the mastery of Tolkien’s language…but give me a little bit of time to get there.…

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Three WILD EVENTS that happened on the River in Fellowship of the Ring 14:23

4M ago14:23

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It took them 10 days to get from Lothlorien to the waterfall Tol Brandir. It’s a full chapter in the books and in the 10 days there is a whole heap of stuff that happens that…from Legolas seeing an Eagle hunting an eagle…which feels weirdly prophetic…to Sam being deeply uncomfortable in the boats. But I want to talk about three things that really c…