In May of this year, a 30-year-old man named Michael Rotondo got evicted — by his parents. He had lived with them for eight years, and when he refused to move out, they took him to court.
Then things got weirder. Rotondo’s eviction — and how it turned into a wildly unfair referendum on Millennials — is the subject of our new “Shoot This Now” podcast, which you can listen to on Apple or right here.
Every week on “Shoot This Now,” we talk about stories that should be made into movies. This week, we think Michael Rotondo’s story could be a great film — though maybe not the kind of film you’d expect.
Many people did not find Rotondo to be a sympathetic figure. The New York Post called him a “deadbeat,” “a freeloader” and an “unemployed millennial.”
In an excellent essay for Vice, Eve Peyser wrote: “Long haired and bearded with unadorned glasses, Rotondo resembles a sad, twisted version of David Foster Wallace — ‘infinite guest,’ one Twitter user quipped — his gaze vexed in an adolescent sort of way, exuding a vague emptiness.”
Why did his unfortunate situation become a national — and even international — news story, covered by the Washington Post, CNN, and the BBC? Because he played into an unfair stereotype that Millennials are entitled and lazy. Other outlets also noted that he was a Millennial, without explaining why that was relevant to his odd situation.
On national television, CNN’s Brooke Baldwin asked Rotondo for his answer to a question she said many critics were asking: “What is up with this Millennial generation that you guys seem so entitled?’ What would you say to those critics?”
But as Peyser noted in her piece for Vice:
Complaints about millennial laziness and entitlement fail to take into account the financial burdens unique to the generation–the crippling student debt, the fact that the median income for people 25-34 is 20 percent less than it was in the 1980s, and the lack of the same high-paying job opportunities available to past generations. Census data also shows that as of 2017, almost one in five 25-to-34 year old men lived at their parents’ homes, while only 12.5 percent of women in the same demographic still resided with their parents.
In a conversation that spans the films of Richard Linklater, Adam McKay and Nicole Holofcener, we spend this episode of “Shoot This Now” talking about how cross-generational attacks distract from the real economic problems in this country. We mention crabs in a barrel a lot, and why the Haves profit so much from internecine fights between Have Nots. And we talk about a Gen X stereotype that is 100 percent true.
Please send any compliments to me at @TimAMolloy and any criticism to @MattDonnelly, or say whatever you need to say to both of us at @ShootThisNowPod.
And if you like this episode, don’t be shy about saying so on iTunes.
12 Podcasts That Should Be Turned Into TV Shows (Photos)
With a slew of recent podcast-to-TV adaptations -- from "My Brother, My Brother, and Me" to "Startup" to "2 Dope Queens" -- the industry is primed for even more. With so many podcasts to choose from, which ones should get the small screen treatment? We looked at ones that make for the best long-form series that tackle a unique subject and that have the elements to translate into a visual medium. Here are our picks.
"You Must Remember This"
Karina Longworth has a unique perspective on classic Hollywood that is readily apparent the moment you put on an episode. Just listen to her "Dead Blondes" series, which is running at the time of this writing, and it's clear we need more women educating people about "Hollywood's first century."
Wikimedia
"99% Invisible"
It's like "This American Life" but for the smallest, least interesting sounding stories. Somehow, the producers make something like cargo containers seem interesting. I'd be very curious to see how that would work on TV.
99% Invisible
"The Black Tapes" A fiction podcast about a batch of supernatural tapes and people with a lot of secrets seems like it should've been a TV series to begin with.
"The Black Tapes"
"Hardcore History With Dan Carlin" The internet is filled with history podcasts, but few are as intricate and detailed as "Hardcore History." I think it's time to bring back classic History Channel with some long, educational, but entertaining documentaries on history.
"Hardcore History"
"Hello From the Magic Tavern" It's an improvised story podcast about a guy who fell into a dimensional portal behind a Burger King and ended up in a magic land. It has a homespun, low-key feel that could work as a show if you kept it looking as amateurish as possible.
"Hello from the Magic Tavern"
"How Did This Get Made"
There are plenty of bad movie podcasts on the internet, but few go beyond the typical format, where a bunch of friends talk about, well, a bad movie. "How Did This Get Made" has a number of different segments, a slew of celebrity guests and a visual element that would translate well to TV.
"How Did This Get Made"
"Judge John Hodgman" Comedian John Hodgman is a judge in this podcast, where he takes the most mundane and absurd cases from everyday people. Now you just need to put that in a "Judge Judy"-style setting.
"Judge John Hodgman"
"Pod Save America"
Any of the Crooked Media podcasts would work on television. The podcasters are incredibly smart and educated in politics (two of the hosts were speechwriters for President Obama) and have a lot of inside scoop. We have enough politics on TV, but Jon, Jon and Tommy can be the "no-bulls--" commentators we need, combined with a bit of White House gossip.
"Pod Save America"
"With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus" "With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus" is a spiritual successor to "Comedy Bang Bang." Each episode has a different celebrity guest, who engages in improv with Lapkus in a false talk show scenario. It works over audio, but costumes and a set will only heighten the entertainment factor.
"Special Guest With Lauren Lapkus"
"This American Life" "This American Life" already ran as a Showtime series for two seasons that ended in 2009. Please bring it back? We want to see and not just hear where and how the show's subjects live.
"This American Life"
"Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me" NPR's weekly trivia show is already good as it is, but imagine if you could see the special guest comedians or the contestants instead of having them call in on the phone?
"Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me"
"Alice Isn't Dead"
The sister podcast to "Welcome to Night Vale" isn't as popular, but it might work better as a visual adaptation. The narrator is so good at explaining the grotesque horrors around her that we almost want to see some of them in action.
"Alice Isn't Dead"
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Which ones can translate the best into a visual medium? We broke down some of our favorites
With a slew of recent podcast-to-TV adaptations -- from "My Brother, My Brother, and Me" to "Startup" to "2 Dope Queens" -- the industry is primed for even more. With so many podcasts to choose from, which ones should get the small screen treatment? We looked at ones that make for the best long-form series that tackle a unique subject and that have the elements to translate into a visual medium. Here are our picks.