The Press Box

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion bring on Ben 'Professor Broman' Bowman to talk about life as a full-time Twitch streamer and a forthcoming change to Twitch that threatens to erase the boundary between streaming and regular life (1:00). Then they talk to IO Interactive creative director Christian Elverdam about how the first season of 'Hitman' synthesized the best features of previous games in the series, used illusion to empower players, and benefited from being released episodically (26:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with the artist and director Mike Mills, who opens up about his latest film, ‘20th Century Women,’ and what it's like directing a movie largely inspired by his mother (1:37), his decision to set the movie in the ’70s (14:25), and choosing the best songs from his childhood to score the film (31:42). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker and Bleacher Report's Dave Schilling discuss the passing of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (02:51) and the United Kingdom Championship Tournament (07:30). Then, "Hollywood" Dan St. Germain calls into the show to discuss his dream 'WrestleMania' lineup (13:31). Lastly, they break down how 'Raw' is setting up the 'Royal Rumble' (30:26). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss new celeb power couples (5:00), Drake and J.Lo dating (10:00), the state of Drake's relationships (17:00), Rooney Mara's serious opinions (22:00), Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons (25:00), Serena's engagement (28:00), Ryan Gosling's style (34:00), and Tom Hiddleston's tone-deaf speech (37:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Juliet Litman is joined by former Bachelor Ben Higgins to discuss returning to his job after being on TV (0:01), how Nick is handling being the current Bachelor (3:00), the biggest overreactions on the show so far (5:15), things Ben would have never done on the show (16:25), Corinne’s questionable decision-making (29:13), and hot takes on hot tubs (48:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion share their hands-on impressions of the Nintendo Switch and 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' and discuss some big questions surrounding the forthcoming console. Then they bring on the creator of the YouTube channel 'How Big Is the Map?' to explain his incredible, quixotic quest to traverse the map of every open-world game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Sean Fennessey sits down with Ted Melfi to discuss the success of his latest film, 'Hidden Figures' (1:10), and how it came about (3:19), as well as the difficulties of making an entertaining movie about math (8:00). Melfi also shares what it's like working with Taraji P. Henson (18:27) and Kevin Costner (21:15), getting Pharrell to score his movie (29:20), and how he feels about the 'Hidden Fences' mishap (38:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker welcomes Bleacher Report's Dave Schilling to discuss Peter Thiel's Trump-Hogan quote (01:30), the return of the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels on 'Raw' (06:01), Chris Jericho defeating Roman Reigns (17:04), the golden age of Monday-night main events (21:38), the Bullet Club (30:11), and their "SmackDown Stock Watch" (41:14). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In their third SMHOF episode, The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan induct ‘Any Given Sunday’ and break down Oliver Stone's bizarre editing (02:25), Cameron Diaz's underrated ownership chops (08:15), Al Pacino's last great performance (11:16), the Tao of James Woods (15:15), the eye-opening concussion/painkiller subplots (16:44), Jamie Foxx's breakout role as Willie Beamon (21:17), the craziest cameos (34:27), and where the "Inches" monologue ranks in the pantheon of great sports movie speeches (45:04). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Juliet Litman is joined by former ‘Bachelor’ producer Pete Scalettar and former contestant Jade Roper to discuss their feelings about Nick (1:20), Corinne’s villain status (3:40), Liz’s epic departure (25:40), her TV wedding to Tanner (33:35), and Danielle’s tragic confession (43:50). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion recap their holiday gaming and talk to New Yorker contributing writer Simon Parkin about his book, 'Death by Video Game'; VR and psychology; end-of-year lists; and recent (and future) industry developments. Then Ben, Jason, and their colleague Justin Charity talk to actor Ruffin Prentiss about playing the protagonist of 'Watch Dogs 2.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker welcomes Dave Schilling to discuss "CarmEllsworth" (04:12), Dean Ambrose's IC title win on 'SmackDown' (6:32), Shoemaker coming to grips with Paige's engagement to Alberto Del Rio (10:54), 'Raw' gearing up for the 'Royal Rumble' (25:24), and a familiar face on 'Bring It to the Table' (39:47). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Juliet Litman is joined by the Sports Gal to recap the first episode of ‘The Bachelor’ and to ask the big questions, such as “Is Nick a good bachelor?” (1:15), “Why did so many women wear red?” (8:05), “What was up with the dolphin/shark suit?” (21:05), and “Why didn’t Liz give Nick her number?” (32:05). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss 'Moneyball,' the second inductee into the Sports Movie Hall of Fame. They cover everything from the state of Brad Pitt's career (0:45), the past 20 years of sports movies (2:34), the making of 'Moneyball' (9:25), their favorite moments from the film (14:20), and the future of sports movies (51:54). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's team of tech writers — Molly McHugh, Victor Luckerson, Alyssa Bereznak, and Kate Knibbs — discuss their best and worst of the year in tech. Listen as they reveal their best app of the year, their least favorite acquisitions and memes, and what we as consumers have to look forward to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion discuss the newly released movie 'Assassin's Creed,' then bring on their colleagues Jon Lovett and Kam Collins for a wider discussion about why video-game adaptations historically haven't worked well as films. Lastly, they talk to Chris Plante of The Verge about how and why first-person shooters broke out of their slump and whether 2016 was the best FPS year ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by The Ringer's Chris Ryan and Juliet Litman for the inaugural Sports Movie Hall of Fame induction ceremony to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of 'Jerry Maguire.' Topics include: Rod Tidwell spin-offs (6:00), Cruise Oscar snubs (12:00), the opening montage (16:00), Jonathan Lipnicki's pinnacle (22:00), "show me the money" (28:00), the best Cruise movies (35:00), the birth of the modern sports movie (40:00), and Cruise's romantic-lead chops (45:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker welcomes Dan St. Germain and Steve Kazee to discuss 'Roadblock' (1:43) and provide their 2016 WWE highlights and lowlights, including ‘WrestleMania 32,’ AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar, and Sasha-Charlotte (31:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion name-check their favorite 'Star Wars' games and talk to Jack Sorensen, the former president of LucasArts, about how he helped oversee several classic titles during the heyday of in-house 'Star Wars' development (5:24). Then they welcome Douglas Reilly from Lucasfilm and Justin McCully from Electronic Arts to discuss the upcoming slate of 'Star Wars' games (34:10) and the challenge of telling original stories within the larger 'Star Wars' universe (38:10). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker welcomes Clark Duke to discuss his Doink sighting (1:12), politics in wrestling (9:05), the New Day passing Demolition (14:20), and 'Roadblock: End of the Line' (33:01). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins determine who is the biggest star in the 'Star Wars' canon (6:00), discuss the onscreen charisma of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in 'La La Land' (10:00), weight Meghan Markle's royal stardom (24:00), and examine John Mayer subtweeting Taylor Swift (30:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion react to recent announcements of new installments in a few of their favorite game franchises, then call New York Times contributing game critic Chris Suellentrop (8:30) to talk about 'The Last Guardian,' the genius of Fumito Ueda (13:00), and the legacy of 'Ico' and 'Shadow of the Colossus' (19:00). Lastly, Ben, Jason, and Chris talk to novelist and 'Westworld' writer-editor Charles Yu (29:15) about the video game roots of the show's first season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's resident soccer heads, Chris Ryan and Ryan O'Hanlon, return to discuss Premier League title contenders (6:00), Chelsea's talent (10:00), Mesut Ozil vs. Alexis Sanchez (17:00), Tottenham's key injuries (20:00), Manchester United's Europa League nightmare (24:00), Stoke's middle-of-the-pack life (29:00), and the most impressive players so far this season (35:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker is joined by his former tag-team partner, Peter Rosenberg, to discuss Rosenberg’s appearance on ‘WWE TLC Kickoff’ (1:05), his beef with Booker T. (2:34), working with Daniel Bryan (7:12), and Lance Storm's tweet about him (12:31). Then, LaToya Ferguson joins to talk about ‘TLC’ (18:24), relationships in wrestling (28:23), and the impressive “work rate” from the week (32:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker is joined by Dave Schilling of The Guardian to discuss the Attitude Era moments on 'Raw' (7:30), the shock of the ‘Survivor Series’ (14:30), the legitimacy of Sasha-Charlotte among all-time classic feuds (23:10), and the Mount Rushmore of wrestling (41:25). They wrap up with a preview of this Sunday's 'TLC' card (46:12). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss and dissect the return of 'Gilmore Girls' (5:00), examine the latest British gossip with Prince Harry (37:00), and wrap up with One Direction talk (43:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to their colleague Justin Charity about Square Enix's newly released role-playing game, 'Final Fantasy XV' (1:34). Then, they bring on Blake J. Harris, author of 'Console Wars' and the forthcoming 'The History of the Future,' to discuss the current state and mystifying future of virtual-reality hardware and software (19:50). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman sits down with Chris Tomson to talk about his new solo project, Dams of the West (2:10), recording in Nashville with Patrick Carney of the Black Keys (9:04), being an artist in today's social media spectrum (13:12), and his new video, "Death Wish" (19:12). Then, Tomson opens up about his Nets fandom (24:39) and the future of Vampire Weekend without Rostam Batmanglij (33:44). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk about how Telltale Games created a successful assembly line for licensed, episodic adventure games, and report their impressions of 'Batman: The Telltale Series' (1:33). Then, they bring on Telltale alum and Campo Santo co-founder Sean Vanaman to discuss how he wrote 'The Walking Dead' and 'Firewatch' (15:55) and what he has in mind for the 'Firewatch' film adaptation (54:53). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion share their thoughts on stealth games and discuss their impressions of recent high-profile releases ‘Dishonored 2’ (3:25) and ‘Watch Dogs 2’ (16:40). Then, they bring on ‘Firewatch’ and ‘Mark of the Ninja’ designer Nels Anderson to explain ‘Dishonored’ from a developer’s perspective and reveal how his games avoid the potential pitfalls of stealth and narrative exploration games (21:33). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘The Masked Man Show’ went live for the WWE ‘Survivor Series’! David Shoemaker welcomed Steve Kazee, Dan St. Germain, and Dave Schilling to discuss the big matches and what the results mean going forward in a post-show wrap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to prolific video game voice actress Jennifer Hale about the ongoing voice actors strike (2:24), the unique challenges of voicing video games (8:07), and infiltrating a formerly male-oriented field (21:54). Then, they bring on Nate Nanzer, Blizzard Entertainment's global director of Overwatch e-sports, to discuss how the company is trying to fuse its popular e-sport with the infrastructure of traditional sports in the forthcoming Overwatch League (25:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Prince Harry's new flame, Meghan Markle (6:00), Bruno Mars's new record (16:00), and Mandy Moore's recent run of success (24:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker is joined by WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens to discuss how his life has changed since winning the title (2:45), traveling the indie circuit (7:48), connecting with the fans (22:45), his dream 'WrestleMania' opponents (39:30), and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to former pro gamer and coach and current 'Call of Duty' and 'Overwatch' caster Matt "Mr X" Morello about the appeal and future of 'Overwatch' and E-sports (1:31). Then, they bring on Kotaku news editor Jason Schreier to discuss Nintendo's NES Classic, the risks of going retro, and gaming nostalgia (32:12). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker and The Guardian's Dave Schilling discuss another inconsequential episode of 'Raw' (2:44), the future of the Cruiserweight division (7:35) and the upcoming 'Survivor Series' card (26:16), and then give their commentary on the Goldberg-Lesnar match from 'WrestleMania 20' (35:05). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to their colleague Victor Luckerson about mid-generation console updates and the PS4 Pro, Nintendo Switch optimism, and Nintendo's mobile strategy. Then they bring on New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram to discuss his 'Call of Duty' love affair, gaming culture in the NFL, and his thoughts on creepy clowns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Prince Harry's new boo (5:00), Meghan Markle's star status (8:00), Drake–Taylor Swift dating rumors (16:00), Lindsay Lohan's accent (24:00), and nostalgia for mid-2000s reality TV stars (27:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Shoemaker and Steve Kazee discuss 'Hell in a Cell' (5:02), Sasha and Charlotte's performance (16:44), and the NXT house show experience (23:30), then preview the 'Survivor Series' (36:50). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion introduce Channel 33's new gaming podcast and discuss their impressions of newly released big-budget shooters ‘Battlefield 1’ and ‘Titanfall 2.’ Then they bring on Vince Zampella, the creator of ‘Call of Duty’ and CEO of ‘Titanfall’ developer Respawn Entertainment, to discuss his design choices and the past, present, and future of first-person shooters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Ryan and Ryan O'Hanlon discuss José Mourinho's Manchester hotel, the extinction of the striker, and the continued dominance of Chelsea's N'Golo Kanté. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Shoemaker and LaToya Ferguson discuss the new WWE Performance Center recruits (9:31), story lines involving cars (21:30), superstar James Ellsworth (24:17), and the 'Hell in a Cell' main events (35:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Micah Peters is joined by 'Atlanta' star Brian Tyree Henry to discuss his roots in Broadway, working with 'South Park' creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, Donald Glover's genius, the familial vibe on the set of 'Atlanta,' and why he refers to his character as “Alfred” and not “Paper Boi.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'Any Given Wednesday' writers Cathy Lew and Brendan Lynch break down the latest in internet culture. They discuss Instagram accounts 8Booth and Bread Face, the evil clown movement, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Emma Stone's Vogue cover story and '73 Questions' video (9:00), Emily Blunt's range and move to Brooklyn (20:00), Tobey Maguire and the return of the “Pussy Posse” (29:00), and Obama's farewell tour and Michelle Obama's overall elegance (32:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker and The Guardian's Dave Schilling discuss Paige's proposal to Alberto Del Rio (2:33), the Undertaker's crutches (6:25), and the surprisingly entertaining return of Goldberg on 'Raw' (7:29). Then, the announcement for the main event for 'Hell in a Cell' is analyzed (27:18) as is the impressive championship match on 'Smackdown' (36:41). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman is joined by Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell to discuss their new reality on reality TV (8:00), "cray" vs. "crazy" (13:00), Ben's political aspirations (19:00), the Pacers date (24:00), and the most awkward moments on the show (27:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Shoemaker and Steve Kazee discuss the return of Goldberg, a crazy Paige rumor (10:40), and the upcoming 'Survivor Series' matchups (14:25). Then, they consider possible high spots for 'Hell in a Cell' (18:30) and review 'No Mercy' (34:20). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins are joined by Bill Simmons to discuss Kim Kardashian's heist (5:00), Mila Kunis's universal likability (12:00), and pop star Shawn Mendes's upside (17:00). Then, Juliet and Amanda break down Brangelina's split (27:00) and the return of 'Gilmore Girls' (36:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's David Shoemaker and Dan St. Germain discuss the TNA sale (6:00), Ric Flair–Halle Berry rumors (12:00), Sasha's big win (22:00), 'No Mercy' headliners (35:00), and Dolph vs. Miz (43:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices