Episode 233 — Space Jam LIVE!

[Smigg. 509]

https://www.earwolf.com/episode/space-jam-live/

HOW DID THIS GET MADE? #233 FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Live from Chicago, Paul, June, and Jason discuss the 1996 live action/animated sports comedy Space Jam starring Michael Jordan. They talk about Michael Jordan being unfazed when he meets the Looney Tunes, horny Bugs Bunny, soul stealing aliens, Bill Murray elevating the movie, the definition of a “jam,” and much more.

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[Smigg. 509]

My favourite part of this episode is when Paul started talking about sports, and most of the audience had no idea what he was talking about.  Then I realised that must be what it's like when I talk about Mortal Kombat.

"You see, that's this woman named 'Kronika', she's the keeper of time, and she's pissed at Raiden for fucking with the timeline in MK9, so she's coming after him, and brings people from the past to help her..."

[Snowgimp 13]

The baby is ready!

[AdrianFlynn 68]

[AdrianFlynn 68]

Percentage of space and jam 

[AdrianFlynn 68]

My kid enjoyed this movie more than frozen 2. The movie is very short and the act structure is strange. Act 2 jordan agrees to play at 35mins into movie and then act 3 the final game begins at 45Mins 

[MCMapleSyrup 5]

Surprised the soundtrack didn’t come up at all.

“The soundtrack peaked at #2 on the US Billboard 200. It was certified double platinum in January 1997. In 2001, the soundtrack was certified 6x Platinum”

Seal - Fly Like An Eagle

R. Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly (separate the art from the artist...)

LL Cool J, Method Man, Coolio, Busta Rhymes, B-Real - Hit ‘Em High

Quad City DJ’s - Space Jam

Monica - For You I Will

Some great songs on this soundtrack for sure. 

[Smigg. 509]

So, let's carry on the discussion.  What sports did you do?  

I did:
- Rugby, I played prop forward as well as an all encompassing "as soon as he gets the ball, fucking twat him"
- Football, (actual football, not the armoured rugby football), I was a goalkeeper
- Cricket, where I was labelled by one trainer "The most aggressive batsman I have ever witnessed in my 20 years coaching this sport"
- Various throwing sports
- MMA, I didn't ever get to fight because of injuries, but I know some stuff
- Muay Thai, see above

[Cockney Mackem 514]

1 hour ago, Smigg. said:

So, let's carry on the discussion.  What sports did you do?  

I did:
- Rugby, I played prop forward as well as an all encompassing "as soon as he gets the ball, fucking twat him"
- Football, (actual football, not the armoured rugby football), I was a goalkeeper
- Cricket, where I was labelled by one trainer "The most aggressive batsman I have ever witnessed in my 20 years coaching this sport"
- Various throwing sports
- MMA, I didn't ever get to fight because of injuries, but I know some stuff
- Muay Thai, see above

Some of these references to European sports might confuse our American friends so I'll provide some additional explanations for mine.

 

Rugby: I was my team's Hooker, which meant I was paid to sleep with my teammates to keep up their morale

Soccer: I was the left winger, so I was responsible for ensuring all the players were unionised and had adequate social security

Cricket: my speciality was leg breaks. My teammates were each trained in treating different types of injuries

Darts: there was no one better than me at finishing on a double. I wasn't bad at drinking the beers as well

[grudlian. 4725]

The Monstars only stole the talent from five NBA players. Why didn't the Looney Tunes recruit any of the other current NBA players? Why not get Larry Bird?

[Smigg. 509]

Paul talking about the Monstars "stealing the soul" of the basketball players has made me realise something. 

This movie completely ripped off Mortal Kombat.

Mortal Kombat, an otherworldly antagonist comes to earth, taking the souls of great fighters for himself, forcing Lord Raiden to put together a plucky team of heroes in an effort to defeat him

In Space Jam, an otherworldly antagonist comes to earth, taking the souls of great basketball players for himself, forcing Bugs Bunny to put together a plucky team of heroes in an effort to defeat him.

On top of that, Lola, the highly skilled female character has to rebuff the advances of Bugs Bunny, a super-famous male character, before realising that he's a great guy all along?  SONYA BLADE AND JOHNNY FUCKING CAGE.

Also, the importance of water. Showing that the Looney Tunes had the talent all along in Space Jam, and how Liu Kang defeat Sub Zero in Mortal Kombat!

Mortal Kombat came out in 1995
Space Jam came out in 1996

More imporantly, Warner Bros, the company that owns the Looney Tunes, also own New Line Cinema, who made Mortal Kombat.

That's why there wasn't a sequel, SPACE JAM: ANNIHILATION, because Michael Jordan found out that Shao Kahn was gonna break his neck 10 minutes into the movie, and Bugs Bunny was going to be played by James Remar.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

4 hours ago, Smigg. said:

So, let's carry on the discussion.  What sports did you do?  

I did:
- Rugby, I played prop forward as well as an all encompassing "as soon as he gets the ball, fucking twat him"
- Football, (actual football, not the armoured rugby football), I was a goalkeeper
- Cricket, where I was labelled by one trainer "The most aggressive batsman I have ever witnessed in my 20 years coaching this sport"
- Various throwing sports
- MMA, I didn't ever get to fight because of injuries, but I know some stuff
- Muay Thai, see above

I stopped all sports after my freshman year of high school because I wanted to focus more on singing and theater sooo take my level of these with a grain of salt lol.

I did:
- Ballet: 3 years as a kid. I looooved it, but couldn't continue after my grandmother passed because there was no one to take me to rehearsals anymore. I know I would've never gone further once I hit puberty because my body was definitely not the desirable ballerina body. However, seeing different bodies do it now would've been so influential to me as a child and maybe I would've demanded to be taken again.
- Volleyball: Couldn't do an overhanded serve so never truly made it to a proper team but I loved playing anyway and was an excellent setter.
- Basketball: Played only for a hot minute because my dad made me but it was fun.
- Golf: See above.
- Soccer: Was always the goalie (keeper) but took it as an insult because I couldn't run as fast as the forwards. Realized as an adult that it was because I had such a powerful kick that I could kick the ball from one end of the field to the other and that's what you need in a goalie lol, but no one actually TALKED to me about this so I thought they hated me and quit after a few years.
- Tennis: Took lessons for a couple of years and it taught me that I was better at hitting in Softball so that leads to...
- Softball: My one true love that I played throughout middle school and into high school (quit when times coincided with singing). Was a powerful hitter but not a great thrower so I felt insecure about my actual abilities. Again no one actually talked to me about these things lol. Fucked up my knees doing an improper slide into home. Still can't hear them pop when I do squats lol.

[TrueBreenius 38]

I wasn't much of a student-athlete unless you count debate and mock trial as sports. There was, however, a free public tennis court near my house, so my family and I would go there and play. I haven't seen this film in at least a decade, and all I remembered about it was that Michael Jordan plays basketball with Looney Tunes characters. Watching it now as an adult, it's truly a bizarre film.

• Am I the only one who thought there were some weird racial undertones to the premise of the Looney Tunes having to play basketball against their potential captors to get out of slavery?
• Also, I don't think we discussed enough how much of a creep Bugs Bunny was in this movie. Why is no one talking about the fact that he kissed Michael Jordan? That would not fly in a post-#metoo world. This guy's walking around fully nude, planting unwanted kisses on famous basketball players, and openly leering at another bunny who, for male gaze reasons, happens to have boobs and a big butt. Way to ruin my childhood.
• I also have a lot of questions about the mechanics of losing one's talent in this film. At the 24 minute mark, one of the players tries to drink from a water bottle and fails spectacularly. You can be bad at basketball and still be able to drink water! Additionally, the stolen talent made the monstars both taller and beefier than the actual players are, which is odd. Also, clearly that demonstrates that size is considered a contributing factor to the players' talent, and yet none of them shrinks when their talent is stolen. None of this makes much sense.
• Finally, there was a very disturbing moment at the 22-minute mark, where some of the aliens are bundled up in a coat and hat and go to watch a basketball game. The aliens are moving around and talking to each other and the woman beside them says to her male companion that "the guy next to us is doing something very strange in his coat." To me, that implies masturbation, and I don't know why the man doesn't seem to care or be bothered. I figure that most people if they thought someone was masturbating beside them at a basketball game might try to talk to one of the employees about it, or at least be concerned.

[Cameron H. 23786]

2 hours ago, grudlian. said:

Why not get Larry Bird?

With those back problems? The Mon Stars would have ruined him.

[CheddarWhizard 4]

I’m just confused as to how Jason and June are so lost on why the title works. Let’s break it down:

 

Jam (noun) - an awkward situation or predicament

-- The Tunes found themselves in a bit of a JAM when they are kidnapped by aliens from SPACE. Later, the basketball players who have their talent siphoned away are also in a jam, caused by the same space dwelling aliens. 

 

Jam (verb) - slang term for a slam dunk in basketball. 

--This is the reason for its use in the title of the popular video game NBA JAM. In Space Jam, we once again reference the aliens from space and the generally fun-to-watch action of the slam dunk.

 

Jam (noun) - slang term for one of your favorite songs - “Yo! Hit ’Em High is my JAM!”

-- The soundtrack for Space jam was quite popular, with a number of hits including R.Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”, which people may shun now, but was enormously popular at release and for years after. 

 

The title works in many ways, none of which are that much of a stretch to reach. Jason, June, stop hatin’.

[stone_cold_steve_urkel 8]

Do you think Marvin being the referee because he is both an alien and a Looney Toon and therefore impartial was intentional or is that giving this movie too much credit?

[DrGuts1003 462]

Being the big basketball fan that he is, I was surprised that Paul thought Patrick Ewing was the only one with acting experience.  Larry Johnson had his alter ego character, ‘grandmama’ that he played in several Converse commercials and in an episode of Family Matters.

And he should have remembered that Barkley has done acting before, including  Look Who’s Talking Now, which they covered on the show.

BTW, which is more insulting, having the dog in Space Jam named after him or that homemade doll of him in Look Who’s Talking Now?

[DrGuts1003 462]

2 hours ago, TrueBreenius said:

 

• Finally, there was a very disturbing moment at the 22-minute mark, where some of the aliens are bundled up in a coat and hat and go to watch a basketball game. The aliens are moving around and talking to each other and the woman beside them says to her male companion that "the guy next to us is doing something very strange in his coat." To me, that implies masturbation, and I don't know why the man doesn't seem to care or be bothered. I figure that most people if they thought someone was masturbating beside them at a basketball game might try to talk to one of the employees about it, or at least be concerned.

Are Patricia Heaton and Dan Castellaneta (aka the voice of Homer Simpson) big Knick fans so they just used them for that scene?  Or did they have to audition for those nothing roles?

[johnnyratface 2]

Why the hell were they called the "Tune Squad" and not the "TOON Squad"?!?!?!?!!?!?

[grudlian. 4725]

15 minutes ago, johnnyratface said:

Why the hell were they called the "Tune Squad" and not the "TOON Squad"?!?!?!?!!?!?

They are called Looney Tunes which was a play off of Merrie Melodies.

[ChunkStyle 1160]

As a fellow Gen Xer I'm surprised the hosts didn't make more mention of the voices of the Looney Tunes characters.  In a movie with almost no redeeming qualities for me that part was the absolute worst and really makes this movie an.....abomination feels like a strong word.  And the right word.

[johnnyratface 2]

19 minutes ago, grudlian. said:

They are called Looney Tunes which was a play off of Merrie Melodies.

Jesus Christ, I'm a fucking idiot.

 

[Snowgimp 13]

14 hours ago, Snowgimp said:

The baby is ready!

Oh man...just listened to the ep...we got cut out. The lead up with my taz outfit is in, but the next dudes question is put in place me, to be fair I didn’t end up asking a question, but it makes the shirt make less sense. That’s a bummer and a half. 

[RyanSz 3140]

10 hours ago, MCMapleSyrup said:

Surprised the soundtrack didn’t come up at all.

“The soundtrack peaked at #2 on the US Billboard 200. It was certified double platinum in January 1997. In 2001, the soundtrack was certified 6x Platinum”

Seal - Fly Like An Eagle

R. Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly (separate the art from the artist...)

LL Cool J, Method Man, Coolio, Busta Rhymes, B-Real - Hit ‘Em High

Quad City DJ’s - Space Jam

Monica - For You I Will

Some great songs on this soundtrack for sure. 

That soundtrack ruled, I completely ruined my cassette copy with how much I was playing it, though that was also of the times too because back in the 90s the soundtracks were as well, or at times, better received as the movies they were attached to. I mean can anyone here think of a recent soundtrack that got as much acclaim as the movie it was for, I think 8 Mile is the closest in the last 20 years.

10 hours ago, Smigg. said:

So, let's carry on the discussion.  What sports did you do?  

I did:
- Rugby, I played prop forward as well as an all encompassing "as soon as he gets the ball, fucking twat him"
- Football, (actual football, not the armoured rugby football), I was a goalkeeper
- Cricket, where I was labelled by one trainer "The most aggressive batsman I have ever witnessed in my 20 years coaching this sport"
- Various throwing sports
- MMA, I didn't ever get to fight because of injuries, but I know some stuff
- Muay Thai, see above

Karate: made to do it then my parents got divorced so that nixed the whole weekly lessons thing because it cut into visiting time

Baseball: I was a good hitter but a shit fielder, played all the way up through coach-pitch

Football: never got to play a game as I messed up my Achilles Tendon

Basketball: tried out for the school team but didn't make the cut

Wrestling: wrestled a couple matches and sucked out loud, then re-aggravated prior injuries

So in regards to Jordan's rumored cheating/gambling issues, I found it odd that they made a decent-sized point about how he wouldn't take the easy route in his baseball game when the catcher is literally telling him what pitch is coming, which really stands out today with everything going on in the MLB and the Astros sign stealing scandal. I have to assume that was a Jordan note to make him look like the good guy and also fuck that catcher because if Jordan had slammed one out of the park due to the assistance he was being offered, it could only hurt the pitcher who is only trying to improve his ability and hopefully make it up to the big leagues.

Also the Harvard College Sports Analysis Collective apparently had nothing better to do and went through every shot during the game to figure out the box scores for every player and overall stats. https://www.wired.com/2011/03/space-jam-box-scores/

[GiveMeYourBaby 102]

First off I want qualify that I was not the adult man in a diaper. 

Secondly, I feel like there needed to be more discussion of Lola Bunny who launched a thousand furry fetishes; in a kids' movie no less. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5I_AfsgdPU/?igshid=yeoj6jsm0km4

Thirdly as a Chicagoan(suburbs count fight me) I feel like this episode totally counteracted the good will from taking down our collective cinematic villain (Blues Brothers 2000). The soundtrack was great, kids loved it, it's already a movie where cartoon characters exist in parallel to normal reality so why are you looking for plot holes in the sci-aspects?

PS. Why no discussion of Wayne Knight's hero's journey? He follows Michael into Tune World when no one else will. He steps into the game against the Monstars knowing that they will annihilate him. He should be the protagonist of the movie.