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Ever since we launched the FanStuff blog back in the spring of ’09 — and especially since it turned into the kind of two-person operation you can hear in most of our podcasts — the question we’ve gotten most often is when we’re going to get a podcast. I’m delighted to say that HowStuffWorks now has a pop culture podcast: PopStuff, co-hosted by me and Holly Frey. You probably can’t tell from my typing, but I’m basically beside myself with excitement. I can also anticipate a few questions, so here’s a PopStuff FAQ.

1.  Why PopStuff instead of FanStuff? We’ll still talk about fans and fandom — you’ll hear some sci-fi and convention talk in some of the episodes we’ve already recorded — but we’re taking a bigger bite of the pop culture pie than just the subjects people might think of as fan-centric or geeky. Among our (really, really long) list of future episode ideas is everything from superhero movies and Pixar to chick flicks and tattoos. In our first three episodes, which you can download now, we talk about a range of stuff, from Disney World’s 40^th anniversary to fan rage to “Pan Am.” (I’m not kidding about how long the list is. We had to take pictures of my whiteboard, erase it, and re-write everything in smaller letters to have enough room.)

2. Where did Chanel go? Chanel is still with us. She and I tried to start a podcast earlier in the year (and last year), but our efforts never got off the ground for a number of reasons. Since Holly and I will be handling PopStuff, Chanel has decided to go back to focusing on being the editor of HowStuffWorks’ money content. While I support her decision, I’m really sad to have to announce that she’s stepping away from the blog. At the beginning, FanStuff was sort of my thing, and I was really possessive of it and reluctant to share it with anybody … but I have never for a second regretted sharing it with Chanel. She brought a perspective and a voice I’ll miss, and working with her led to some really lively conversations about Buffy, “Let the Right One In,” “The Wire,” the Millennium Trilogy, and all kinds of other stuff. I’ve really enjoyed reading her posts, especially this year when, for much of the time, I’ve been focused on other work and she’s been the sole blogger. (Seriously, Chanel: You have my enormous thanks. Stop in any time.)

3. Who is Holly Frey? Holly is one of HowStuffWorks’ tech editors. She’s made a guest appearance in the blogs before: We sent her to E3 this year on behalf of the site. You can read her guest posts in TechStuff, posted by Chris Pollette, to get to know her a little. Listen to the first episode, and you’ll eventually find out why the picture of her in her day three E3 wrap-up is kind of ironic. Holly is out of the office at the moment, but when she’s back, she’ll join the blogs, too.

This is Holly Frey on the right. And me on the left.

4. Where can I get this thing?  Here’s a link to PopStuff in the iTunes store. Here’s a link to the PopStuff RSS feed.  Also, we have a new Facebook page, and our Twitter name is now @PopStuffHSW. The name of this blog will also change to PopStuff once we get the technical parts needed to do that done.

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