Let’s go back to: Iron Man (2008).  It was the film that looked like it would never get made.  It went through numerous scripts, directors, and actors (including Nicholas Cage and Tom Cruise).  The film rights were bought by Universal Studios in 1990, were sold to 20th Century Fox in 1996, were later sold to New Line Cinema in 1999, and wound up back home at Marvel in 2005.  It was announced as the first film from Marvel Studios.  Little did they know the affect it would have on the pop culture landscape.

Directing duties were entrusted to Jon Favreau, who planned to cast a newcomer in the role of Tony Stark.  He instead ending up selecting Brat Packer Robert Downey Jr., who's tremendous acting ability and very public and conflicted past provided the dimension he wanted in the character.  Gwenyth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Terence Howard as Rhodey, Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stone, and Paul Bettany as JARVIS rounded out the cast.  The minor role of Phil Coulson by Clark Gregg would end up having a far greater impact that anyone suspected.  And a brief surprise post-credits scene featuring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury told the audience this would be more than just another superhero movie.  The Marvel Cinematic Universe currently stands at 10 films (with 11 more scheduled between now and 2020), two television series (with five more coming to Netflix), and five short films.  Without this film being the success it was and capturing the international audience's imagination that it did, we would not have the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all.  

Why it means something to you or to our podcast: I'm sure by now you all know what a big Marvel fan I am.  The world premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron is this coming Monday.  And this Sunday Robert Downey Jr. will be receiving the MTV Generation Award.  2008 was a turning point for the critically acclaimed actor, who finally appeared in the blockbuster films that had been missing from his resume.  He has gone through immense highs and lows both professionally and personally.  But he has proven to be an inspiration in the way he has turned his life around to become the successful and caring man he is.  And let's be honest here.  He IS Tony Stark.

Where can you find it now?: Amazon, Comcast On Demand, DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes...basically anywhere you would purchase a movie.  But not streaming on Netflix.

-Christina

Two words: ship bracket.  Coming to a podcast near you.

Do you want your favorite ship in the bracket?  Let us know here or in the comments on this post.

And just for fun, here's the piano version of the song:

The Song: "Into Your Arms" by The Maine 
(Sorry that I keep doing the same band over and over again, guys!)

Where you heard it first: I first heard this song back in 2008 when The Maine released their very first studio album Can't Stop, Won't Stop.  I'm not sure what the pull of this song is for me, but to this day, it is one of my favorite songs ever.

Why it’s been stuck in your head: Although they said they were going to retire the song from being played live a few years ago, John O'Callaghan of The Maine played an acoustic version of this song on Saturday night when I saw the band at The House of Blues in Anaheim, CA.  Every time they play it live, this song literally brings tears to my eyes.  That's how much I love it.

Why you recommend it to our listeners: I can't say enough good things about this song.  I think I even told Christina that I want to walk down the aisle to a piano version of this whenever I get married!  Although the song itself is actually quite sad, there's something about the lyrics and the music that just pull you in.  It is songs like these that make me love music.

For your viewing pleasure, here's the official music video for the song.

-- Kelly Lee