Galaxies are, by definition, pretty big things. But one particular galaxy—that of the Star Wars franchise—just keeps getting bigger.

Star Wars: The Acolyte is Star Wars’ latest addition. It takes viewers to a time 100 years before the Empire, when the Jedi were still the galaxy’s coolest cops. But underneath all that peace and prosperity, trouble is brewing. And at the center of the cauldron? A former Jedi apprentice named Osha, suspected of killing a Jedi master or two.

The Acolyte is plenty spiritual, but that’s nothing new for Star Wars. After we unpack the show for you, we’ll launch into a broader conversation about the theology of Star Wars. Our own Kennedy Unthank wrote a blog on the subject, and he, Adam Holz and I discuss The Acolyte, the franchise and just what the coolest spaceship in the Star Wars galaxy is.

Then, Adam will sit down with Luke Dimyan and George H. Xanthis, who play Judas and John in The Chosen series. It’s a fascinating conversation you won’t want to miss.

And then, we’d love it if you chose to talk with us for a bit. Leave us a missive on Facebook or Instagram. Write us a letter at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voicemail on our Plugged In Show homepage. You can even try to send us a message via the Force—but we can’t guarantee we’d get it.

And then be sure to listen to our show next week, when we talk about Inside Out 2. You won’t want to miss that conversation, either.

The post Episode 238: ‘The Acolyte’ and the Theology of Star Wars. Plus, an Interview with Judas and John of ‘The Chosen’ appeared first on Plugged In.

Back on Episode 233, we talked about the biggest summer blockbusters we can look forward to this year. But this week, we’re doing just the opposite: sharing some of our personal favorite movies released in the summers of yesteryear. If you’ve ever wondered what the Plugged In team enjoys movie-wise when we’re off the clock, this episode will give you a little bit of insight … and give you some ideas for films that might be worth your consideration if Hollywood’s rather thin slate of blockbusters this summer leaves you wanting.

In our second segment, it’s all about Billie Eilish. And we’ll talk about her new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. It’s the influential 22-year-old singer’s third album, and we think you’re going to want to know some of the ideas and messages she’s sorting through on an album full of angst, heartbreak and same-gender romance.

As always, we’d love to hear from you and engage your thoughts on the topics we cover each week. You can connect with us in several different ways. The comments section below is one method. Or shoot us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com.

And if you head over to our podcast homepage, thepluggedinshow.com, you’ll find a black ribbon on the right-hand side of the page where you can leave us a voicemail with your thoughts—we might even feature your audio message on a future show. And, of course, Facebook and Instagram are options, too. We’re excited to report that we’ve begun hearing from some of you, and we look forward to adding more voices to the show as you leave us your thoughts here.

And if there’s anything else on your mind when it comes to movies and entertainment, pop culture and technology, we’d love to hear what you’re thinking about. We’ll look forward to connecting with you.

The post Episode 237: Our Favorite Summer Blockbusters. Plus, Billie Eilish appeared first on Plugged In.

When I first heard about OnlyFans, I thought, “So, is this, like, a sports site or something? Where you can talk endlessly about, say, the Denver Broncos?”

Well, that proved to be very incorrect (which, I hasten to add, I learned without going to the platform itself). See, OnlyFans is, essentially, a subscription-based social media-esque platform featuring primarily explicit content, according to our tech expert Emily Tsiao—and one that poses especially prickly problems for parents.

Emily, along with Bob Hoose, Jonathan McKee and host Adam Holz will tell you everything you need to know about OnlyFans—and how you can handle its ethical offshoots within your own family.

And then, the conversation will turn to something much, much lighter: The PG-rated movie IF.This tale about cast-aside imaginary friends hasn’t exactly set the box office ablaze yet, but our reviewer Bob Hoose thought it was a very nice film—albeit one with a few caveats. He and Adam will unpack IF’s positives and negatives, and hopefully their discussion will clear up an “if” that you might have: If you should see the movie or not.

And then, once we’re done gabbing, we’d love to turn the conversation over to you, our very real friends. Are you seeing issues related to OnlyFans? Were you as clueless about the site’s true nature as I was? Have you seen IF, or do you want to? Did you have an imaginary friend growing up? Yep, this is the time to share all sorts of thoughts with us. Do so on Facebook. Or Instagram. Or via email. Or voicemail. Or all four, if you’d like. We’re not picky.

And then, listen to us again about this time next week, when we’ll roll out yet another scintillating episode. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

The post Episode 236: What Parents Need to Know about OnlyFans. Plus, ‘IF’ appeared first on Plugged In.

Man, Taylor Swift has it rough. I mean, it’s not easy being a superstar beloved by millions. She’s got troubles, too—and we hear all about them on her album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Swift, always looking out for her fans, has given them two album options: One, a “tiny” 17-track standard album. But if you’re wanting the full Swift experience, you can get The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, which runs 31 tracks long. That’s more than two hours’ worth of music—and many Swifties have had the entire thing on repeat since it was released last month.

Well, I can’t say that Adam Holz has listened to the album with that kind of dedication. But as a dad of two Swifties himself (and, of course, as Plugged In’s go-to musical expert), he’s listened to Tortured Poets plenty. He joins Jonathan McKee, Emily Tsiao and I to talk about Swift, her new album and her unique, powerful connection with her fans.

And then we’ll shift our gaze to Sight, a new Christian movie being released this week that’s going head-to-head with Furiosa and Garfield at the multiplex. I reviewed the film for Plugged In and—spoiler alert—I found quite a bit to like about it. We’ll tell you all about it.

And then, when we’re done talking, we’d love to turn our attention to you. Are you a Swiftie? If so, what do you love about Taylor Swift? Do you like her new album? Are you planning to see Sight this weekend? And once you’ve seen it, what did you think?

Talk to us on Instagram and Facebook. Or write us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voicemail at The Plugged In Show homepage. Or—if you’re feeling ambitious—connect with us using every form of communication available to you. We’d love to hear everything you have to say, even if you record a 31-song album in which to say it.

And thanks as always for listening. We’ll have another episode of The Plugged In Show out in the time it takes to blink. Give or take a week.

The post Episode 235: Is Taylor Swift’s New Album Taylor-Made for Trouble? Plus, We Look at ‘Sight.’ appeared first on Plugged In.

If you’re familiar with The Plugged In Show, you’ll know one piece of advice that we come back to again and again. Talk with your kids. Good conversation can help counterbalance the impact of bad entertainment.

But that whole talking thing isn’t always easy. Kids don’t always want to talk. Parents don’t always know what to say. And the longer you wait to start those good communication practices, the harder they are. For us to tell you to talk with your kids is all well and good. But the big question is … how?

Our panel of experts—Emily Tsiao, Bob Hoose and Jonathan McKee—will tackle that ticklish topic on this installment of The Plugged In Show. We’ll give you some pragmatic tips to ease into dialogue with your children, and we might even convince you that these conversations around entertainment can be entertaining themselves.

Then, after we’ve got the fun part covered, we’ll turn our attention to games: video games, that is. We’ve been reviewing a lot of family friendly fare lately, and our gaming expert Bob Hoose will be on hand to tell you about a few of them.

And then, since we’re talking about talking, it’s only appropriate that we’d like to invite you to do the same. Do you have questions about how to talk with your kids and teens? Do you have tips you’d like to share? What’s your favorite video game that you like to play with your kids?

Let us know via Facebook and Instagram. Write us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or you can even leave us a voicemail, if you like—right on The Plugged In Show homepage.

And, as always, thanks for listening to us for a while. See? Conversations can be fun!

The post Episode 234: Don’t Know How to Talk with Your Kids About Entertainment? We Can Help! Plus, Kid-Friendly Games. appeared first on Plugged In.

Ah, summer. It’s almost upon us.

Then again, if you’re in Hollywood, blockbuster season has already arrived. In the last week or so, The Fall Guy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes have kicked things off. And in the coming weeks, Tinseltown will do its dead-level best to woo us into the air-conditioned comfort of the multiplex once more with films like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, If, Inside Out 2 and many others. So this week, we’re giving you a heads up on the biggest movies fans are anticipating this summer, and what we might expect from these movies when looked at from Plugged In point of view.

In our second segment, I recently had a chance to talk to the president of the cable network Great American Family. I think you’ll enjoy hearing from Bill Abbott about his company’s determination to keep delivering family-friendly content without caving into the pressure to compromise with contemporary cultural values.

As always, we’d love to hear from you and engage your thoughts on the topics we cover each week. You can connect with us in several different ways. The comments section below is one method. Or shoot us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com.

And if you head over to our podcast homepage, thepluggedinshow.com, you’ll find a black ribbon on the right-hand side of the page where you can leave us a voicemail with your thoughts—we might even feature your audio message on a future show. And, of course, Facebook and Instagram are options, too.

And if there’s anything else on your mind when it comes to movies and entertainment, pop culture and technology, we’d love to hear what you’re thinking about. We’ll look forward to connecting with you.

The post Episode 233: Summer Movie Preview. Plus, a Conversation with Great American Family President Bill Abbott appeared first on Plugged In.

The world met JoJo Siwa when she was just 9 years old—the youngest participant on Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition (the “Abby” being Abby Lee Miler of Lifetime’s reality show Dance Moms). Though she was sent home after the competition’s ninth week, Siwa made an impression. Soon, she started appearing on Dance Moms proper, and she ultimately parlayed her sunny personality and love of hair bows into internet superstardom.

But as happens to all of us, Siwa grew up. And like many a media darling before, she felt her online brand needed a change: A darker, more salacious change.

Enter “Karma,” Siwa’s first hit single, a profanity-laced song unpacking how she cheated on her girlfriend complete with a video where Siwa looks a bit like a rejected member of KISS.

What are we to make of this turn in Siwa’s career? Adam Holz sits down with Kristin Smith, Jonathan McKee and Emily Tsiao to talk about Siwa, her new song and the potential fallout for families.

Oh, and speaking of which, did you hear that Prime Video is streaming a TV series titled Fallout, based on the long-running video game franchise? Tsiao will give you the lowdown on the show. (But just as a teaser, the show indeed goes pretty low.)

And then, as always, we want to hear from you. Do you remember JoJo Siwa from back in the day? What do you think of her new image? Have you played Fallout? Watched the show? Do you want one of those suits of mechanical armor? Or is that just me? Let us know via Facebook and Instagram. Write us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or you can even leave us a voicemail–if you like—right on The Plugged In Show homepage.

Then, next week, get ready for us to talk about the summer movie season! That’s a conversation you won’t want to miss.

The post Episode 232: The Reinvention of JoJo Siwa. Plus, ‘Fallout’ appeared first on Plugged In.

When people ask what drew me to Plugged In, I have one answer at the ready. I just love counting swear words. But if I had to give another answer, it’d be simply this: Entertainment is important. It influences how we feel, how we think and even what we believe.

For me, the intersection between entertainment and faith is one of my job’s most interesting wrinkles. I’ve written, and talked, a lot about how secular movies can sometimes echo spiritual, even Christian themes. They can obviously teach plenty of other belief systems and worldviews, too (concepts that I’ve been exploring for Focus on the Family’s website). My cohort, Kennedy Unthank, dives deep into spiritual issues in his excellent “Theology of” series on our blog, as well.

So perhaps it’s not a huge surprise that we both wrote about how faith and entertainment intersect in different chapters of Plugged In’s book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family.

Kennedy and I hang out with host Adam Holz to talk about the book, belief and how the latter influences—and is influenced by—entertainment and technology. I had fun talking about these issues, and I hope you’ll have fun listening.

And speaking of faith and entertainment, we examine a very specific example of both when Kennedy talks about the Netflix show Testament: The Story of Moses. Does it stick to the biblical script? Or does it get lost in the desert? We’ll tell you.

But no conversation we have is complete without input from you. How has entertainment impacted your own beliefs? How have your beliefs impacted how you see entertainment? Have you watched Netflix’s take on Moses? Do you want to? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram. Or by sending us an email. Or by leaving a voicemail on The Plugged In Show homepage. We’re all ears.

And then get ready for next week’s episode, when we talk about JoJo Siwa’s latest song and Prime Video’s new TV series Fallout.

The post Episode 231: How Entertainment Shapes Our Beliefs. Plus, Netflix’s Testament: The Story of Moses appeared first on Plugged In.

Technology is great! Also, awful.

That’s the paradox at the heart of our conversation today. We love what modern technology can do for us. But what it does to us? That’s another matter. Parents fret about screen time. Children get cyberbullied. We can find almost everything under the sun online—and that can come with plenty of perils.

Those very real pain points are huge reasons why Plugged In wrote its book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family—to give readers some real, concrete advice. Emily Tsiao, who authored the book’s technology chapter, joins Jonathan McKee, Kristin Smith and me, where we try to offer some pragmatic help to moms and dads looking to tame their family’s technology habits. (And remember, we’re not just talking about their kids’ habits: Adults can use this advice, too.)

Then our own Adam Holz sits down with Joel and Luke Smallbone—also known as the Christian group For King & Country—where they talk about music, movies and, specifically, Unsung Hero, a film based on their uber-musical family.

And then, when you’re done listening to all of us gab, chime in. Talk to us on Instagram and Facebook. Send an email to us at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voice mail on  The Plugged In Show homepage. We’ll give you extra points if you sing your thoughts.

Look at all those ways to connect with us via technology! Isn’t it great? Also, awful.

The post Episode 230: Let’s Talk About Technology! Plus, a Conversation with For King & Country appeared first on Plugged In.

For a lot of folks, becoming a YouTube celebrity is something of a dream. Funny thing, though: YouTube—like most every other career—can be a lot of work. And, as reported by Kennedy Unthank, many YouTubers are actually stepping away from the mic, turning off their halo light and moving on. Or, at the very least, easing back.

“This is my dream job, and I have a lot of fun doing it,” YouTuber Tom Scott said in his “retirement” video, according to Unthank. “I know I’m incredibly lucky, but a dream job is still a job, and it’s a job that keeps getting bigger and more complicated—and I am so tired. There’s nothing in my life right now except work.”

And he’s not the only one voicing these opinions. It seems like a lot of YouTube celebs are stepping back and adjusting their priorities. And that, Unthank says, is a good thing.

Unthank joins Kristin Smith, Emily Tsiao, Bob Hoose and host Adam Holz to talk about this phenomenon, and whether we non-celebs might learn something from these YouTubers’ examples.

Then we turn our attention to something that shows no sign of slowing down—even though it’s been at it since 1997. I’m talking, of course, about Final Fantasy VII, which has yet another iteration, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, which rolled out earlier this year. Our game expert Bob Hoose will unpack the game’s pros, its cons and tell us why this one venerable role-playing game has held onto the gaming imagination like grim death.

But this episode will be far from grim! No siree. We think you’ll have a great time listening to us, in fact. And once you’re done bending an ear, we’d love to hear your thoughts, be they on Facebook, Instagram or our very own voicemail on The Plugged In Show homepage. You can even send us emails at team@thepluggedinshow.com. And remember, we’ll reconvene next week.

The post Episode 229: Why Popular YouTubers Are Retiring. Plus, ‘Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth’ appeared first on Plugged In.