“I’m a professional, you need to trust me, okay? Otherwise, you’re gonna point your pecker in the wrong direction.” – Patti
Your pop culture afterburner – fueling obsessive pop culture projects and deeply opinionated coverage of TV, movies, and music.
Author: Eric Berlin
I'm Eric Berlin, a terminally online writer, digital product guy, and pop culture nerd. Pop Thruster is my vehicle to showcase absurdly ambitious projects like the best 1,000 albums ever, ranking every Key & Peele sketch, and coverage of TV, movies, and music with weirdly obsessive passion.
Parks and Recreation, “Live Ammo”: the never-ending campaign
“This strip mall has surprisingly decent chi.” – Chris
Parks and Recreation, “Media Blitz”: stage fright
“More like Turd Crapley.” – Ben
Rancid & NOFX – BYO Split Series Volume III: #281 of best 1,000 albums ever!
When I got the music, I got a place to go.
Mad Men, “Tomorrowland”: maybe it’ll be an adventure
“I feel like myself when I’m with you, but the way I always wanted to feel.” – Don to Megan
Parks and Recreation, “I Am Leslie Knope”: beard to death
“I’m just now getting pretty good at shoe-shining and I’m still pretty bad at it.” – Andy
Parks and Recreation, “Go Big or Go Home”: redemption, thy name is Knope
“Fish meat is practically a vegetable.” – Ron Swanson
Parks and Recreation, “Freddy Spaghetti”: noodle bumping
“There’s an old saying in show business: the show must go wrong.” – Andy
Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney – Ram: #282 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Live a little, be a gypsy, get around, get around. Get your feet up off the ground, live a little, get around.
Mad Men, “Blowing Smoke”: why I’m quitting tobacco
“We’re gonna sit at our desks and keep typing while the walls fall down around us because we’re creative, the least important, most important thing there is.” – Don Draper
Parks and Recreation, “Campaign Ad”: our idiot front-runner
“I’m pretty sure I’ll figure it out.” – Bobby Newport
Parks and Recreation, “Fancy Party”: a why-wait wedding
“Are you Nell from the movie Nell?” – Donna
Parks and Recreation, “Bus Tour”: maiden voyage of the S.S. Knope
“Win or lose, I bet you anything that your dad would be proud of you.” – Leslie
The Mighty Mighty BossTones – More Noise and Other Disturbances: #283 of best 1,000 albums ever!
I like noise and it’s gotta be loud.
Mad Men, “Chinese Wall”: everything else is sentimental
“I need a drink.” – Bert Cooper
Project Runway, “Go Big Or Go Home”: stilted walking
The designers are tasked with dressing stilt walkers as the competition reaches new… heights.
Project Runway, “The Art of the Matter”: art meets form
The designers get a little inspiration from some young art students.
Project Runway, “It’s A Party”: flamenco funeral dancers
Is the party over for Project Runway?
Project Runway, “Off the Track”: quitters, tripping, and butt toe
The designers run for the glory.
Devo – Freedom of Choice: #284 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Freedom of choice is what you got. Freedom from choice is what you want.
Mad Men, “Hands and Knees”: tired of running
Do you have any reason to believe Mr. Draper isn’t who he says he is? – Special Agent Landingham
Flipping Out, “Wake-Up Call”: topping her off
“Do you think I like to be angry? I don’t.” – Jeff
Flipping Out, “New Kid on the Block”: further away from crazy
“If you’re trying to win a popularity contest, you’re in the wrong business, Sarah.” – Jeff Lewis
Flipping Out, “Too Much of a Good Thing”: mommy loves her little monkers
“Inefficiency. I waste time on all this bulls— and don’t and get anything done. Good morning, happy Monday.” – Jeff Lewis
Flipping Out, “Never Mix Food With Business”: te gusta Elmo
“I’m on your journey… We’re working for your smile.” – David, the mildly creepy owner of Arte de Mexico
Rotten Apples – Real Tuff (Durable Plastic): #285 of best 1,000 albums ever!
You made your choice and it’s a golden opportunity to move ahead in your love career.
Mad Men, “The Beautiful Girls”: sadists and masochists
“I’m not sorry. But I’m married, and so are you.” – Joan to Roger
Flipping Out, “Never According to Planner”: bubble wrapped antagonism
“it’s not like I can complain to Human Resources because Jenni’s Human Resources, so I’d be complaining to Jenni about Jenni.” – Jeff
Flipping Out, “Hard to Break Family”: painted on Girl Scout jumpsuits
“I’m not above whoring out my assistants. For business.“ – Jeff Lewis
Flipping Out, “Hot Streak, Lots of Baggage”: the Jeff Lewis (martini) experience
“You just don’t want to push a lesbian too far, because they can be tough. And I love the lesbians.” – Jeff Lewis
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black: #286 of best 1,000 albums ever!
I told you I was trouble – you know that I’m no good.
Mad Men, “The Summer Man”: to be continued
Don Draper and Mad Men reach a strange and wonderful new plateau in the summer of 1965.
Chasing Mummies, “Discovered”: national lampoon’s Egypt gone stupid
Between the enormously dumb and the intensely boring.
Chasing Mummies: yeah, it sure looks like the show is staged
Sending people on screen who in theory are who we’re told they are, but in fact are something significantly different, throws everything we’re watching into question.
Chasing Mummies, “Stuck”: a sarcophagus reality
The History Channel’s version of The Hills?
R.E.M. – Up: #287 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Say, haven’t you noticed? Oh, I ate the lotus.
Mad Men, “Waldorf Stories”: from Duck to Don
Where’s the bottom, you ask? There’s further to go down this lowball glass, I fear.
Ancient Aliens, “The Visitors”: appropriately mysterious
They really look like ancient astronauts.
Ancient Aliens, “Alien Tech”: Merlin’s magical rod
“According to many ancient astronaut theorists…” – Voiceover Guy
Ancient Aliens, “Aliens and Monsters”: gorgons, sphinxes, and griffins
Were the mythic creatures of lore really alien creations?
Pepper – Kona Town: #288 of best 1,000 albums ever!
I’ve been sitting on the curb in your neighborhood, looking at that streetlight thinking how I could just get one response, maybe a glance, but the system has its rules about the second chance.
Mad Men, “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”: help help me Honda
“Do you know the river of s— I’m going to get from her mother?” – Don Draper, upon learning of Sally’s hair cutting incident
Doomsday Preppers, “Back To The Stone Age”: second chances
“I refuse to be a victim.” – Tim
Doomsday Preppers, “Bullets, Lots of Bullets”: hot preppin’
“I’m a prepper because I’m prepping for when s— hits the fan.” – Paul
Curse of the Frozen Gold: pursuit of long-lost loot
The legend of Slumach’s Gold begins.
Zombie House Flipping: the not undead flip homes to make bread
Despite The Walking Dead-inspired name, this reality show says something about the soul of the American dream.
Ramones – Rocket to Russia: #289 of best 1,000 albums ever!
Well the kids are all hopped up and ready to go – they’re ready to go now.
Mad Men, “The Rejected”: art in advertising
“Right now my life is very…” – Don’s abandoned note, writing to Allison
South Park, “Go Fund Yourself”: furry balls plopped menacingly on the table
“Washington Redskins totally gets people’s attention.” – Eric Cartman
South Park, “Poor and Stupid”: the ballad of Cartman
I’m not poor and stupid enough to do NASCAR and I never will be. – Cartman