Let’s go back to: The X-Files.  I want to believe.

Why it means something to you or to our podcast: Yes, we did throwback to The X-Files last year.  But this week the first two episodes of the six part miniseries aired on FOX.  And they are awesome.  The first episode had the burden of rehashing past mythology and catching us up on what our favorite characters have been doing the past fourteen years.  The end also saw an unexpected twist that fans are continuing to argue about.  It pulled in a tremendous 16.19 million viewers despite being pushed back by the NFC Championship Game.

The second episode was really where the old magic returned.  David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson still have the same old easy chemistry.  Bringing back the original show runner, writers, and directors allow the show to bring the classic X-Files feel into the modern era.  If you were a fan of the old show you MUST check out this new series.  And if you're a fan of science fiction or drama in general you should still give it a try.

​Where can you find it now? The entire original nine season run is on Netflix and new episodes air on FOX Mondays at 8PM.

It's that time of year!  Below you can vote for the nominees in our second annual Fandom Academy Awards!  The polls are set to limit everyone to one vote per person per category, but we do know far more computer saavy people know ways around this.  Just know multiple votes in a row can lead to you being blocked automatically by PollDaddy.  There is also a special category at the bottom where you can write in your favorite movie OTP of the past year!  There won't be a winner for that one, but the ships we hear about the most will be making an appearance in this year's Ship Bracket.

Most importantly, have fun!  Polls will close MONDAY, FEBRUARY 01 2016 at 6PM PST.

The Artist: Selena Gomez

The Song: "Same Old Love/Good For You"

Where you heard it first: This medley was the first musical performance by Selena Gomez this weekend when she was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live (with host Ronda Rousey).  Though I've heard both of these songs before, there was something about this performance that just struck me as really cool.  Selena killed it!

Why it’s been stuck in your head: It's rare that I actually want to watch the musical guests on Saturday Night Live because usually they are people that I've never heard of or they are people who are so over-played on the radio that I am sick of hearing their voices.  Even though I'm almost 30, I have to admit that I actually really like Selena Gomez and so this song has been stuck in my head because I actually took the time to watch the performance and enjoy it thoroughly.

Why you recommend it to our listeners: This performance seemed like a different kind of vibe than her usual music and if you're not usually a fan of her, you may actually want to take the time to listen to this laid-back medley of her songs.

-- Kelly Lee

The Artist: Fall Out Boy featuring Demi Lovato

The Song: "Irresistible"

Where you heard it first: My lovely co-host Christina pointed me in the direction of this new song by Fall Out Boy and Demi Lovato because it combined three things that she loves: Fall Out Boy, Demi Lovato, and N*Sync.  Although the lyrics are a little questionable during the chorus, this song is super-catchy and you can't deny how awesome Demi Lovato sounds with the boys of FOB.

Why it’s been stuck in your head: The main reason this song gets the coveted recognition of Music Monday is for the music video, which is a sequel (of sorts) to N*Sync's mega-hit "It's Gonna Be Me".  The music video even features former N*Sync members Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone.  Since hearing it for the first time a few weeks ago, the catchy and bouncy tempo to the song has been stuck in my head and Christina and I were huge Fall Out Boy fans back in college, so it's always nice to hear the boys come back with the sound that made us fall for them in the first place.  This song is so reminiscent of our college days back in 2008!

Why you recommend it to our listeners: This is a great song to listen to if you're wanting something just to rock out to on your way to work.  A little Demi Lovato-inspired headbanging never hurt anyone, right?

-- Kelly Lee

The world mourns the loss of two great talents. 
RIP David Bowie. 
RIP Alan Rickman. 

On a personal note, Kelly would like to say goodbye to her friend Andrew who passed away last weekend.

TV News

• Supergirl casts Laura Vandervoort (Smallville) and Jeff Branson (Days of Our Lives) as recurring characters Indigo and Master Jailer
• Fan-favorite characters Rufus and Bobby to return to Supernatural this season 
• The Vampire Diaries and The Originals will cross-over this season 
• Take a look at the first photos of Teen Wolf Season 5B’s big bad, The Beast 
• Once Upon A Time recasts Gaston (again) with Wes Brown (True Blood, Heart of Dixie) 
• Scream Season 2 gets a premiere date 
• Outlander Season 2 will premiere in April, according to this new video 
• Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert,  and Conan O’Brien pay tribute to fallen legend, David Bowie
• Kelly’s head explodes as a Friends reunion is finally announced!
• Could Michael-Raymond James (fan-favorite character Baelfire/Neal Cassidy) be returning to Once Upon A Time for the 100th episode?
• Agent Carter Season 2 will tie into Doctor Strange and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 
• Two Argent ancestors are cast for an upcoming Teen Wolf flashback episode 
• Heroes: Reborn gets axed after its lackluster attempt at a reboot 

Movie News

• Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now), Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars), Dave Franco (Neighbors), Scott Eastwood (The Last Ride), Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), and Blake Jenner (Glee) are among a dozen actors on the shortlist to play young Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars spinoff movie 
• A Deathly Hallows alternate ending depicts Draco helping Harry defeat Voldemort 
• Disney to release an unaltered, original cut of the Star Wars trilogy 
• Creed director Ryan Coogler will direct Marvel’s Black Panther 
• John Boyega teases a darker Star Wars - Episode VIII 
• Quantico’s Priyanka Chopra is in talks to join Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zac Efron in the Baywatch reboot film 
• George Miller has two more Mad Max movies planned 
• J.J. Abrams surprises fans with a trailer for a Cloverfield sequel 
• The Silver Chair film is coming and may reboot the Narnia series

Theatre News

• The new Hermione, Noma Dumezweni, speaks out on the backlash of her casting 
• Hot teacher fantasy: Broadway baby Darren Criss is now teaching a musical theatre master class in New York City 
• The Sara Bareilles musical, Waitress rounds out its all-star cast 
• Tony nominee Kate Baldwin cast as Anna in The King and I in the Lyric Opera of Chicago 
• NBC announces Hairspray! as its next live musical 
• Adam Lambert joins the cast of FOX’s Rocky Horror Picture Show 
• Debra Messing joins the ABC television remake of Dirty Dancing starring Abigail Breslin as Baby 

Misc News

• Missed the Golden Globe Awards?  Here’s the complete list of winners 
• And just out yesterday, here is the complete list of all those lucky Oscar nominees! 
• Teen Wolf star Charlie Carver comes out as gay on Instagram 
• Apple iOS 9.3 introduces “Night Shift” 
• Emma Watson launched her own book club on GoodReads and her first selection is My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem 
  
• Beyonce joins Coldplay as a halftime performer for Super Bowl 50 
  
• James Corden releases another installment of “Carpool Karaoke”; this time with music superstar Adele 
  
• Nyle DiMarco, America’s LAST Top Model has a Nylon spread that has finally hit newsstands 
  
• Take a look at the beautiful concept art for Disneyland once the new Star Wars Land opens 
  
• A new wave of Rey-centric Star Wars toys are coming! 
  
• Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac has an adorable lightsaber battle with Room’s Jacob Tremblay at an after-party 
  
• Jennifer Lawrence causes a stir when she calls out a reporter for being on his phone in the press room at the Golden Globes 
  
• Baseball legend Monte Irvin, one of the first players to break the color line, passes away
  
• Could their hiatus be the end of One Direction? 
  
• Harry Potter fans around the world pay tribute to the late Alan Rickman with a wand salute at Hogwarts Castle and a lily outside the potions classroom in Orlando, Florida and a tribute at Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station in London 
  
• Universal Studios Hollywood is already planning a Diagon Alley expansion for its as-yet-unopened Wizarding World of Harry Potter 
  
• Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood in the Harry Potter films) shares the most touching tribute to Alan Rickman yet 
  

Let’s go back to:  Occlumency Lessons with Severus Snape

Yesterday, the world lost another great artist when actor Alan Rickman lost his short battle with cancer at the age of 69.  Rickman was well-known as a stage and screen actor, but many of us know him best as the ultimate misunderstood villain, Severus Snape, in the Harry Potter films.  He will be sorely missed.  Please raise your wands to the sky in memory of Mr. Alan Rickman.

Why it means something to you or to our podcast: Occlumency lessons in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was our first glimpse at Snape actively trying to protect Harry against The Dark Lord.  As one of Rickman's most notable roles in fandom, it's also a scene that many fans of the book were eager to see in the movie.  As a Harry Potter nerd myself, watching Alan Rickman as Severus Snape is one of my favorite parts of the series.  It's amazing that a man who seemed so genuine and sincere could play one of the greatest villains in fandom.  He will always live on as Severus Snape and all his amazing roles throughout his career.

Where can you find it now? Make sure you binge all of Alan Rickman's great roles this weekend including Love Actually, Galaxy Quest, Robin Hood, Die Hard, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and, of course all the Harry Potter films.  You will be missed, Alan Rickman.  Always.

-- Kelly Lee

The Artist: David Bowie

​This week's Music Monday will be going a little differently.  Did we really just have David Bowie in our Music Monday less than a month ago?

Sunday night, after an 18 month battle with cancer, music and entertainment icon David Bowie passed away.  Every artist you can think of who reaches to meld music and fashion, reinvent themselves, or bring that theatrical flamboyant quality to their performances and point to David Bowie as a hero and an inspiration.  From Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke to the Goblin King, David Bowie embraced the art of reinvention like few artists could ever hope to do.  His approximately 140 million records sold through his career defied genre and produced iconic hits such as "Fame," "Space Oddity," "Let's Dance," and "Under Pressure."  His vocal range lent itself well to his own edgy numbers as well as the classics.  Music along was not enough to capture his insane talent.  A cult classic turn as The Goblin King in Labyrinth, a starring role on Broadway in The Elephant Man, an inspiration for the film Velvet Goldmine, and even a brief cameo in Zoolander solidified his stardom to multiple generations.  He embraced his androgynous look while also being open about his own sexual exploration.  It is that openness in particular that appealed to a younger generation that came after his musical peak.

When I got the CNN notification late at night concerning his passing, it literally took my breath away.  There are certain world icons who you never actually consider a world without.  But truly, we'll never have a world without David Bowie.  His influence will continue to reach new generations of artists and people well into the future.  Rest in peace, David Bowie.

-Christina