LinoRulli.net — The Catholic Guy and his Catholic Show: TCGS Show Summaries

Monday, July 2, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino and some friends of his ventured into Queens yesterday to hang out with Father Rob, and after a 45-minute subway ride they were privileged to hang out at a Chinese bar in Queens’ Chinatown to watch the European Soccer Championship final; Father Rob defended his borough, saying that they would’ve been more favorably impressed if they had ventured to the section of Queens where he lives; Lino generalized his adventure by saying that one should change another’s perceptions where they can, but otherwise they need to accept those perceptions even if they’re not positive; after visiting a pub later on in Manhattan, Lino and a friend (and his fiance) went to White Castle for burgers... and the consequences of his late-night craving made themselves apparent during the day today.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Ted was the new #1 movie at the box office, bringing in $54.1 million.
After postponing all of their post-June 26 tour dates, Van Halen has now canceled them all.
Alec Baldwin, who got married yesterday, is giving up Twitter.
NJ governor Chris Christie had a tiff with a reporter, asking him if he was “stupid” in response to a question and calling him an “idiot” in front of everyone else.

Hour 2

You Must Be Celibate... Except When You Don’t - Lino played a clip from a news story out of Dallas where a father and son who used to be Episcopal priests were ordained as Catholic priests over the weekend. Quipping that Church is all for celibacy for priests except when it’s not, Lino declared that men who are called to the priesthood should have a choice of whether to get married or remain celibate because it’s just too confusing to have two classes of priests... despite the fact that he agrees with the Church’s theology behind requiring celibacy. Much discussion on the topic ensued, with many calls from priests who gave their two cents.
Mail Time - Lino read several letters that expressed concern over the amount of anger Father Rob has exhibited recently and wondered if it was real or an act.

Hour 3

Mystery Science Homilies - Father Rob recorded his homily from this weekend and played the audio, and in the MST3K tradition Lino spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.
Answer The Question - In today’s Canada-themed edition (in honor of Canada Day) both contestants went 3-for-5, each winning a finger rosary blessed by the Pope.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Hour 1

Father Rob’s Righteous Anger - After b*tching about the music used for the open of his segment, Father Rob complained about the “Jesus sandals” that Lino wore to work today and the Crocs he attempted to wear Wednesday... as well as his efforts to photograph his footwear and display it on Facebook to gauge listener reaction. Most of the listeners judged his anger to be sinful because Father Rob had a personal problem with them and not because Lino was wearing something inappropriate.
Peter And Paul - On today’s feast day honoring two big Saints, Lino commented on various parts of Pope Benedict XVI’s overtly intellectual speech about them, in particular Peter’s role as the keeper of the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and Paul’s premonition of death by the sword.

Hour 2

No Dumb Questions - Lino and Father Rob took questions about the Catholic faith from listeners.
Mail Time - Lino read several complimentary emails from the listeners.

Hour 3

Lino Is Sorry - Lino (and Father Rob) apologized for the following errors in judgment that occurred during the show recently:

Lino: For accidentally saying that he had “syphilis” instead of “sisyphus”.
Lino: For accidentally saying that the audiobook for Sinner was available in a “downloadable virgin” (instead of “version”).
Father Rob: For a number of threatening and insulting things he said to Mark Hart on the show on Wednesday... and as a special treat, Mark was live on the phone to hear the apology.

~~1,000~~ 938 Corporal Works Of Mercy - Lino and Father Rob were forced to admit that they did not complete their task of visiting a prison because the contact who would’ve facilitated the visit was not available. After both of them committed to doing it sometime in July, Lino read more e-mails from listeners who participated in the project, then read from Matthew 23 to illustrate the hypocrisy of his own inaction on the project.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino wasted no time trumpeting Italy’s 2-0 lead over Germany in their currently-underway semifinal game, and he admitted rooting for Italy over any other country for no logical reason; Lino played the national anthems of both countries and declared himself creeped out by the German one, then played the anthem of the Vatican without telling what it was at first to see if it would tug at the listeners’ heartstrings; Lino relayed a light-hearted story of how his Archbishop cousin met with the Pope last year and his cellphone went off playing the Vatican anthem as its ringtone; he also told the story of Italian soccer player Mario Balotelli, who is of African descent but was raised by adoptive Italian parents.
The Things A Parent Will Do - Lino was at dinner with a buddy of his, and he asked Lino if he should feel bad that his intense work ethic may cost other colleagues with families their jobs because they don’t work quite as hard. He responded that it’s not an un-Christlike thing to do because you’re simply looking after your own family and are not backstabbing the others. Afterwards he played a sound clip of a father who screamed in fear the entire way on a Disneyland ride... only to do it again when his daughter asked him to.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Lino gave the play-by-play of the final minutes as Italy defeated Germany 2-1 to move into the finals. After that, Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Coca Cola and Pepsi have been determined to contain minute traces of alcohol.
Twitter is preparing to introduce new measures to reduce hate speech on the site.
Ann Curry officially steps down as co-host of The Today Show.
Norwegian media are reporting that Snoop Dogg was briefly detained after entering the country with marijuana and a large amount of cash.
In CNN’s rush to report the Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision, they announced that the mandate had been declared unconstitutional before reading the entire ruling that eventually upheld it.

Hour 2

Catholic Guy Advice - Years ago, the priest at a listener’s church caused about ⅓ of the parishioners to leave, and despite a new priest many of them (including family members) have still not returned. How do I convince them to go back to church on a regular basis?

Lino’s advice: Don’t try. They have free will and you don’t have control over them, so just let them know that the new priest is not as bad as the old one and let the chips fall where they may.
Father Rob’s advice: Don’t push them, but continually invite your family to church. Chances are there’ll eventually be a Sunday where they’ll feel the need to go.

Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - Today’s special theme: all of the answers will have a Biblical number. One contestant won Mark Hart’s book Blessed Are The Bored In Spirit, another won a Finger Rosary blessed by the Pope, and three more walked away empty handed.

Hour 3

Lino’s Music Makeover - Kayla stopped by to help Lino and Father Rob rate Christian music, with Father Rob picking the songs. After Kayla was forced to answer questions about her personal life, the three of them got down to this week’s theme: Songs to listen to on a jukebox while sitting in a quiet bar.

1st Place (12.5/15 noses): To Whom It May Concern by Mercy Me
2nd Place (11/15 noses): Made For You by Building 429
3rd Place (9/15 noses): You Found Me by Big Daddy Weave
4th Place (8.5/15 noses): The Hunger by Fireflight
5th Place (7/15 noses): Light Will Shine by Hillsong

Fulton Sheen - The famous media-savvy archbishop was declared venerable by Pope Benedict XVI today, and Lino compiled a number of sound clips from his TV show Life Is Worth Living that illustrated his comedic bent.
Mail Time - Lino read several complimentary emails from the listeners.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob recapped his attendance at his diocese’s ordination ceremony for six new priests... particularly the laying on of hands, the kiss of peace, and a priest who struck up idle conversation with him during the middle of the Mass; Father Rob also took great delight in knowing that one of those priests would be assigned to help him out at his parish over the summer; Lino played the sound from a YouTube video of a bride singing a Christina Aguilera song as her wedding march as she walked down the aisle to get married.
The God’s Honest Truth - Lino gave callers a Catholic-related statement, and the caller had to determine if it was a lie or the God’s Honest Truth. After starting with a dropped call and another caller mad about a prize she never received, the first contestant went 2-for-5 and won a Miraculous Medal from France, while the second contestant went 4-for-5 and earned herself a Popener. With time running short, a third contestant tried to answer one question for a prize but got it wrong.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

The BCS will be replaced by a four-team playoff in a couple of years.
Drake and Chris Brown have been offered $1 million each to fight it out in a boxing ring after getting into a tussle at a nightclub.
Magic Johnson is launching his own cable network tonight called Aspire that will focus on family-friendly programming.
The Women’s Tennis Association has unanimously agreed to crack down on ultra-loud grunting during women’s tennis matches.
Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn made an anonymous donation of $2 million to the United Way of Southern Nevada, which was distributed as $500 gift cards to families. That led to some discussion about donating large sums of money to the Church in order to get recognition for it.

Mail Time - Lino read some compliments sent in by listeners.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - After Lino and Mark made some jokes about Father Rob’s fair complexion, Mark really turned on the heat when he suggested that he actually act like a priest on the air; asked by Lino why people equate hell with “hot”, Mark replied that the etymology of the word “hell” itself and the descriptions of hell in Scripture pretty much summed it up; Mark also reminded Lino that hell is more of a state than a place, where one is eternally separated from God and there is no joy or happiness, and that Jesus consistently spoke on the necessity of avoiding hell at all costs.
When The Boss Is Away, Lino Will Play - Over the weekend, Father Jonathan Morris appeared on Fox And Friends to talk about young people losing their religion, and with Father Jonathan out of town on vacation Lino felt he had the green light to critique his appearance on the air... and to make out his responses as much angrier-sounding than they actually were.
Mail Time - Highlight: A listener asked if a cannibal ate a person who would become a Saint in the future, would the cannibal be a second-class relic.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino declared himself over the whole social media thing after receiving an avalanche of negative comments about the show being canceled yesterday (many of which he read on the air); he then expressed his annoyance with listeners’ assertions that he was lazy, detailing the reasons for every time he was off the air this year and pointing out that most of those were out of his control; as Cardinal Dolan’s social media manager, Lino also got mad at people who asserted that the Church spent $10k getting Dolan’s Twitter account verified; Father Rob reminded Lino that the best way to handle this is to not let others get under his skin.
Mystery Science Homilies - Father Rob recorded his homily from this weekend and played the audio, and in the MST3K tradition Lino spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.

Hour 2

Here, Kitty Kitty - An IT person came by to repair the audio recording device on Lino’s computer and took notice of the Cat-A-Day calendar that Father Rob gave him for Christmas. That led him to admit that he seriously considered getting a cat for companionship after recently passing someone on the street selling cats, but Father Rob and most of the callers disagreed and thought that he would be better off getting a dog.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Famous London clock tower Big Ben will be renamed “Elizabeth Tower” in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee.
The Spice Girls reunited today to announce “Viva Forever”, a stage play about their music. (Lino then spent an inordinate amount of time trying to name all of the Spice Girls.)

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know (continued) -

Alex Trebek’s condition continues to improve two days after suffering a mild heart attack.
The sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar has been delayed because he’s going to film the next three films in the Avatar franchise all at the same time.
During a fundraiser in Boston on Monday, President Obama made a joke about a former Red Sox player that didn’t go over very well with the crowd.

Fair And Balanced Vatican News - The Vatican recently hired Fox News correspondent Greg Burke as their senior communications advisor, and Lino had fun mocking a stilted CNN news clip about the hire.
Father Knows Best - While walking with Father Jonathan on the streets of NYC earlier today, Lino observed many strangers greeting him and theorized that respect for the priesthood exists despite all of the scandals that have plagued the Church. He also thanked Father Jonathan for his generous act of reducing the number of breaks Lino has to take during an hour from two to one.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino read numerous emails from listeners in response to yesterday’s segment with Anthony Buono where Lino wondered if he should write back a girl that has stopped emailing him; Lino played a sound clip of broadcaster Dick Enberg’s amusing commentary on a foul ball that was caught by a ballgirl at a Padres game.
What’s Lino Whistling? - Airing for the first time in a year, Lino puckered up his lips and whistled the tune of various songs that had a “hot” or “heat” theme to them. Listeners who guessed the song he was whistling won a prize based on the level of difficulty.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 last night to win the NBA title.
Europe’s highest court has ruled that workers who get sick on vacation are entitled to another vacation.
A Chinese climber who was a few thousand feet from the top of Mount Everest was forced down the mountain and physically assaulted after it was discovered that he did not have a climbing permit.
Jim Carrey has pulled out of the sequel to Dumb And Dumber due to the movie companies’ lack of enthusiasm over the project.
Justin Bieber had a back-and-forth tiff with David Letterman on The Late Show about his latest tattoo.

Catholic Guy Advice - A listener has a long-time friend who, along with his wife, has slowly fallen away from the church. He’s given ridiculous excuses as to why they left and is now actively bashing the church whenever he’s around. The listener doesn’t want to hang out with him anymore, so at what point should he cut his losses and end the friendship?

Lino’s advice: Don’t dissolve the friendship. You can just hang out with him less, and whenever you do hang out with him, just tell him flat out to cut the Catholic bashing.
Father Rob’s advice: Talk to them and ask them to cut the Catholic bashing. If they don’t, then end the friendship.

Hour 3

Lino Is Sorry - Lino (and Father Rob) apologized for the following errors in judgment that occurred during the show recently:

Father Rob: For a crude reference about a produce manager in a grocery store “grabbing melons”.
Lino: For saying “You’re dead already” when cutting off Elvis’ Jailhouse Rock playing in the background.
Lino: For consistently mispronouncing the name Potiphar as “Potimer” during this week’s Lino’s Casting Couch. (Father Rob also apologized for mistyping the name on the show notes, which started the whole mess.)
Lino: For making a caller uncomfortable by saying that he’d daydream about her when losing his attention at Mass.
Lino: For suggesting that he’d work as a male prostitute after a hate letter suggested that he should “get a real job breaking a sweat and working with his hands”.

Heat Wave - Lino played the sound from an ABC news report about high school graduates who were passing out during their commencement because of the extreme heat, wondering why such a local story was on the national news.
Details, Details - Lino asked Father Rob if his constant wondering about the mundane details of Jesus’ life on Earth and whether he liked/disliked things were beneficial to the conversation or were just going in one ear and out the other.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino wondered if he’s wasting his time when talking about Confession on the show, given that so few Catholics partake of that Sacrament... but then figured that he hears from about five listeners a week who have gone back to Confession, which makes it worth it; Father Rob accused Lino of pride for suggesting that his “Catholic Guy” title should allow him to cut to the front of the Confessional line; Lino played a sound clip of an Irish TV psychic named “Mystic Wayne” who got pranked by a caller posing a situation straight out of Will Smith’s song Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air; Lino then played a clip of Mitt Romney’s son, Matt, on Conan describing a time where he pranked his father with a fake call from Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Minor Confessions - Highlights included: Father Rob annoying patrons at a bar by having Hello by Lionel Richie play five consecutive times on the jukebox (which prompted Lino to play it in the background during the segment for the same reason); a listener who put a “must-sell” ad for his friend’s car in the paper, that urged them to call before 7:00am on the weekends; a listener (and her father) scared her sister into getting a colonoscopy after faking a positive result on her own test; an Air Force lieutenant faked a colleague’s orders to have him sent to Alaska; a listener covered up his partner’s car keys, forcing him to trudge back in a driving rainstorm to retrieve them; a listener clued Father Rob into how to remotely sabotage a jukebox in the future.

Hour 2

Anthony Buono - The founder of AveMariaSingles.com and Lino’s personal dating coach came by the studio to help Lino with his dating life (or lack thereof). Lino told two recent dating stories: one where a friend of Lino’s set him up with a 42-year-old who was not impressed upon seeing his photo, and another where a 25-year-old Italian gave him her email address on a date and he wondered how soon to respond. The latter provided the main point of discussion, as email from her eventually ceased and everyone debated whether it was a sign from God that they weren’t meant to be... and whether Lino should attempt to write her again.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

McDonalds finished last in a ranking of fast food restaurants by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index.
Twitter went offline earlier today... and many people went crazy.
NBC is planning to replace Ann Curry as co-host of The Today Show.
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys turned 70 yesterday.
A new movie about Jesus is being planned based on a book that discounts all of the miracles he performed.

Candy Bar Bandit - Lino had some fun with a local news clip about a guy who’s stolen $600 worth of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups from the same store.
Mail Time - Lino read a few complimentary emails from listeners.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - In a first for TCGS, Father Rob was broadcasting live from his rectory while Lino was in studio... and sadly he had no air conditioning, as it would’ve make too much racket to run the A/C while he was on the air.
Ear Candy - Lino played some audio clips that he felt needed to be brought to our attention:

Mark Wahlberg was interviewed by Piers Morgan on his CNN show, and Lino played several clips where he talked about dropping out of high school and studying to get his high school degree.
19-year-old Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper responded to a question about drinking beer by saying, “That’s a clown question, bro”... and Senate majority leader Harry Reid channeled him by using the exact same line in response to a question about immigration.
Greece recently eliminated heavily-favored Russia from the European soccer championships, and Lino played a foreign-language clip of a screaming soccer announcer from the match and had Father Rob guess what country he was from and whether he was euphoric or outraged. (He correctly guessed that it was the Greek announcer celebrating his country’s victory, and it sparked a discussion about the ability of people to speak in tongues.)

Hour 2

Boring Catholic Radio - In response to one of the best pieces of hate mail he’s ever received that chastised him and the show and wished a “mild stroke or heart attack” on him to slow him down, Lino and Father Rob transformed the show into a more “traditional-sounding” Catholic radio show, complete with technical goofs and exaggerated piety. After the bid ended Lino and Father Rob talked about their respective discomfort/comfort in dealing with negativity leveled at them, and Lino ended by saying that we should always give people like the original letter writer the benefit of the doubt.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - Father Rob dropped off the program at this point to attend some meetings at his parish, so Lino and Mark carried on alone. Highlights: In reference to a comment Lino made about Mark’s wife, Mark explained the origin of the phrase “equally yoked” in the Bible; he also made the point that reading the Bible is not equivalent to understanding Scripture; Lino wondered why St. Paul never became a priest despite being celibate, with Mark responding that its up to men to discern a call from God to the priesthood... and that he’s had a hand in helping some of those men discern that call.
Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - Calling this an “ordinary time edition” (as opposed to other editions for special parts of the liturgical year), one contestant won Mark Hart’s book Holier Than Thou, another won a Rosary blessed by the Pope, and two more walked away empty handed.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / Daily Mass Dilemma - Lino stated that part of the reason he doesn’t attend daily Mass is because he doesn’t want to sit through the same consecration prayer for 10 minutes each day, even though he knows the miracle of transubstantiation occurs each time; Father Rob responded with understanding but reminded Lino that the consecration is what makes the Mass the Mass, while many listeners called in with advice for Lino on how to make the experience of daily Mass more meaningful.

Hour 2

Lino’s Casting Couch - Crew and listeners cast their favorite stars to play the roles of Joseph (son of Jacob), Potiphar (his Egyptian master) and Potiphar’s wife, for the story where Potiphar’s wife tried and failed to seduce Joseph, but got thrown in jail after telling Potiphar that it was Joseph who tried to seduce her (from Genesis 39).
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

For the first time since 2001, Tiger Woods is not the highest-earning athlete in the world.
Charlie Sheen has said that he will retire from acting after his new show, Anger Management, finishes its run.
Roger Clemens was acquitted on all charges of obstructing and lying to Congress after testifying that he did not use performance-enhancing drugs during his career.
Arsenio Hall is coming back to late night television, signing a deal with CBS to begin hosting a syndicated show in the fall of 2013.
A British mom is crediting one of Adele’s hit songs, Rolling In The Deep, for bringing her 7-year-old daughter out of a coma.

Hour 3

The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt always eat what is put in front of you when a guest at someone’s house.” Father Rob felt that it was just a polite thing to do since they went to such trouble to make the meal, but Lino kept knocking holes in his argument by successfully arguing for exemptions for religious and/or medical reasons, or if you feel sick eating it, or if you’ve had bad experiences with it. The ultimate nail in the coffin: Lino got a caller from Louisiana to agree to host Father Rob and feed him anything he saw fit to serve, be it gator, rat, etc.
Mail Time - Highlights included a listener who is a psychiatric nurse and therapist who plans to use the show as an example when talking to clients.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - In response to a question from Lino, Father Rob said that nobody has ever given him a gift for Father’s Day... although he does know some other priests who have received gifts; Lino felt that Father’s Day should be reserved just for biological fathers and not for priests or Godfathers (like he is); listeners called in to let Lino know whether or not they gave their priests recognition and/or a gift for Father’s Day, and what they did.
Mystery Science Homilies - Father Rob recorded his homily from this weekend and played the audio, and in the MST3K tradition Lino spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.

Hour 2

Mail Time - Higlights: A listener was very moved by the prayer at the bottom of page 177 of Sinner, while another lamented that the copy of the book that was left in her church’s chapel has disappeared; a number of emails criticized Father Rob for giving a wrong answer on Answer The Question last week, thus cheating the contestant out of a better prize... that led Lino on a long tangent describing how he had to apologize to Father Jonathan for forgetting to hang out with him as promised.
Who’s Your Daddy? - Lino and Father Rob asked callers a series of five questions about fathers of all kinds from the Bible or the Papacy, and each listener needed to get at least 2-of-3 right to win a Popener. The first contestant succeeded while the second failed... then the segment degenerated into absolute silliness with the final contestant, as Lino was forced to award a Popener to him for answering two-of-three incredibly easy sports-themed questions correct.

Hour 3

Fathers And Sons - Unsuccessful at getting his Dad to come visit him in NYC over Father’s Day, Lino ended up having to leave him a voicemail that never got returned. That then led him to play the Harry Chapin song Cat’s In The Cradle, describing a flawed father-son relationship... but Father Rob simply couldn’t see it, getting hung up on the “cradle” and “cat” part of the song. After the song (and after he finally got it), Father Rob opened up a bit about his father and how he was always around for him and his siblings while they were growing up, while Lino described how his dad wasn’t always around because he had to work late shifts as a corrections officer to provide for his family... and how it seems like he’s becoming just like his dad.
~~1,000~~ 938 Corporal Works Of Mercy - Lino read more e-mails from listeners who participated in the project... including a couple that made Father Rob even more nervous about doing prison ministry.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / Lino On FoxNews.com LIVE - With Lino making yet another appearance on FoxNews.com LIVE, Father Rob quipped that couldn’t believe that they brought back someone who isn’t an expert on anything Catholic-related; without further ado Lino played sound clips from his appearance, and Father Rob gleefully mocked it one clip at a time; after the clips were finished, Father Rob readily agreed with Lino’s suggestion that he make a similar TV appearance.

Hour 2

Answer The Question - Both contestants went 2-for-5, each winning a San Damiano cross for their efforts.
Everything Must Go! - Lino got an email from a celebrity he’s had on the show who invited him to a “liquidation sale” of his belongings. The reason: he’s going to seminary to discern a vocation to the priesthood... and it impressed Lino that he was willing to get rid of everything he has to follow a calling and not just put it all into storage.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - Highlights: The trio speculated on how many (or more appropriately, how few) Catholics peruse the readings before Sunday Mass, as well as how many will skip Mass this weekend to watch the U.S. Open; Mark detailed Jesus’ calling of the Apostles (specifically Andrew and Peter), and the move of the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.
Lino Is Sorry - Lino (and Father Rob) apologized for the following errors in judgment that occurred during the show recently:

Father Rob: For offering to punch Lino in the face after Lino described a monstrance as a “big old thing”.
Father Rob: For mocking a caller who was born in France, asking in a bad French accent if she’d “like to be invaded”... with Lino pointing out the inadvertent sexual innuendo in that phrase.
Father Rob: For screaming at Lino after his comment that he wouldn’t mind dating a woman who’s been in prison, calling him an idiot at the end of his rant.
Lino: For insinuating that Father Rob’s teeth are really nasty after he expressed thankfulness for the invention of the toothpick.
Father Rob: For insinuating (in a terrible Bruce Springsteen voice) that Springsteen was responsible for the recent death of his saxophonist, Clarence Clemons.
Father Jonathan Morris: Lino apologized on his part for saying on the show last Friday that “crack means good fun”.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino admitted that he knows very little about nutrition, and his nutritional choices aren’t helped by products like “Let’s Pizza”, a pizza vending machine; Lino and Father Rob played the sound from a video illustrating how the machine works, having all sorts of fun with it along the way; Lino further admitted that he feels dumb in the areas where he feels he needs to be smart (like nutrition), and that a lot of his education was in subjects that were superfluous and didn’t concentrate on the basics; some listeners sent the crew some apple chips, much to Father Rob’s delight.
Random Thankfulness - Callers gave thanks for random things and happenings in their lives... with Lino expressing special thanks for the awful Europop music used for the segment’s intro.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Lance Armstrong has once again been accused of doping during his cycling career.
The Berkeley, CA city council voted in favor of a ballot measure that would prohibit sitting on sidewalks near businesses during daylight hours.
A man in his 50s in Oregon has been hospitalized with the plague, the fifth such case there since 1995.
Carly Rae Jepsen’s new song Call Me Maybe topped the most recent Billboard Hot 100 chart, the first time a woman has topped the chart in over two years.
A homeless man in Texas who stumbled on $77k in a park back in January will be allowed to keep it.

Ear Candy - Lino played an couple of audio clips that he felt needed to be brought to our attention:

NBA commissioner David Stern was hot under the collar after he was asked by sports show host Jim Rome if the recent NBA lottery was fixed, getting back at him by insinuating that Rome engaged in spousal abuse with his wife.
Tim Janis recently set a record for the longest burp ever (18 seconds)... and we were treated to his winning “performance”.

~~1,000~~ 938 Corporal Works Of Mercy - Lino read more e-mails from listeners who participated in the project... and was disappointed with the amount of wackiness exhibited in some of their proposed acts.

Hour 3

Lino’s Music Makeover - Kayla stopped by to help Lino and Father Rob rate Christian music, with Father Rob picking the songs. After some banter about if/when Kayla’s boyfriend will pull the trigger on a wedding proposal, the three of them got down to this week’s theme: Songs to listen to after a stressful ~~day at work~~ Flag Day.

1st Place (11.5/15 noses): I Am A Seed by The David Crowder Band
2nd Place (10.5/15 noses): Lift Us Up To Fall by Tenth Avenue North
3rd Place (9.5/15 noses): In Me by Kutless
4th Place (9/15 noses): My Own Worst Enemy by Casting Crowns
5th Place (3.5/15 noses): Way Beyond Myself by Newsboys

Very Superstitious - With yesterday’s discussion of St. Anthony of Padua still fresh in his mind, Lino pondered if some people’s devotion to St. Anthony for his help in finding things bordered on superstition.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / Visiting The Imprisoned... As Long As They’re Good - In light of a slew of negative email from listeners, Father Rob was forced to defend his comments yesterday that he’s afraid to go into a prison to do ministry because he fears for his safety; after a slew of debate, Father Rob decided that he and Lino will go to a maximum security men’s prison; Lino got around to reading a handful of listeners’ works at the end of the hour.

Hour 2

“The Bron” - Lino watched the first game of the NBA Finals last night, and was rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder primarily because he didn’t like the way that Miami Heat star LeBron James sold out his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. But he admitted feeling bad about his stance, saying that it was not very Christian.
Naptime - Lino played some sound clips from a CBS This Morning interview with Ariana Huffington, where she described the “nap rooms” her company now has for workers who haven’t gotten enough sleep.
St. Anthony of Padua - After briefly recounting the story of today’s featured Saint, Lino was incensed when Father Rob declared that he’s smart enough to find things he’s lost without praying to St. Anthony for help. So the listeners came to the rescue and detailed their experiences of finding lost items with St. Anthony’s help.

Hour 3

The Leg Bone’s Connected To The Hip Bone - Noting that physical therapy to strengthen his leg muscles has helped ease his knee pain, Lino analogized that situation to the commission of sins, saying that his issues with pride and lust are due to deeper issues that need to be addressed.
Father Rob’s Righteous Anger - Father Rob expressed his extreme (borderline insane) displeasure with TV programs that start early or end late, because when he DVR’s those programs the beginning or end gets cut off. Lino and the majority of the callers were in absolute agreement that Father Rob’s wrath was justified.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino and Father Rob debated whether prayer could be both verbal and non-verbal, leading to Lino turning the intro of the show over to Father Rob in disgust when he trumped Lino’s argument; noting that Pope Benedict XVI recently had a meeting with civil aviation chaplains, Father Rob wondered why he couldn’t get an audience with the Pope when obscure groups like airport chaplains can swing a visit.
Catholic Guy Advice - A listener (“Pat”) has been away from the Church for 15 years and started attending Mass again with a friend. Encouraged by the friend to go to Confession, Pat is reticent because the parish priest has become a good friend. Should Pat go to him or to an unfamiliar priest?

Lino’s advice: Go to the priest you don’t know. Since it’s been awhile since your last confession, it might be best to go to an unfamiliar priest so that you are encouraged to go back to the Sacrament when you don’t have as many sins to confess.
Father Rob’s advice: Go to the parish priest. You’ll probably find that you are much more honest with a friendly face, which would make for a better confession even though it might be a bit awkward at first.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

David Arquette had an impromptu Bar Mitzvah ceremony in Israel while there filming a travel show.
Singapore Airlines is now offering luxury private suites on its A380 aircraft (including a bed and leather recliners) for the low low round trip price of $15,750/person.
The Los Angeles Kings won their first Stanley Cup in their 45-year history last night.
Burger King is unveiling a new desert: the Bacon Sundae.
14-year-old Andy Zhang from China will become the youngest player to compete in the U.S. Open golf tournament when play starts this week.

Rap With A Message? - While praying this morning, Lino somehow got the song You’ve Got To Pray Just To Make It Today by MC Hammer in his head and couldn’t get it out. That led him and Father Rob to try to list other 90’s rap songs that had God mentioned in them in some way.
No Dumb Questions - Lino and Father Rob took questions about the Catholic faith from listeners.

Hour 3

No Dumb Questions (continued) - Lino and Father Rob continued to take questions about the Catholic faith from listeners.
1,000 Corporal Works Of Mercy - Noting that there’s no way he’ll be able to read the emails of everyone who committed to the project, Lino declared that he’d read as many as he could during the month of June... then proceeded to read some of them. However, the segment quickly devolved into a sniping match when Father Rob began taking every opportunity to express his fears about visiting a prison to fulfill his contribution to the project, and to chide Lino for specifically choosing a women’s prison for the purpose of getting to know some of them.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Freshly back from his weeklong trip to Ireland, Lino reminisced on his time there, including his adventures trying to find members of Father Jonathan’s family and eating/drinking in one pub after another; a question from Lino to Father Rob about whether he would’ve pursued monastic life in Ireland centuries ago ended up in a brief discussion about cowtipping, and absurd statements by Father Rob that electricity existed in the 1700s.
Mystery Science Homilies - Father Rob recorded his homily from this weekend and played the audio, and in the MST3K tradition Lino spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.

Hour 2

Going Rogue - The Vatican recently censured a book about sexual ethics by Sister Margaret Farley which espoused positions contrary to Church teaching... and which promptly sent it to the top of Amazon’s best seller list. While defending her right to write the book, Lino felt it was unfortunate that she put out something that’s likely to spread confusion and controversy amongst the faithful... and that the Church is in a no-win situation. Father Rob on the other hand was much more succinct, telling Sister Farley to get with the Church’s teachings or “Get out!”
The God’s Honest Truth - Lino gave callers a Catholic-related statement, and the caller had to determine if it was a lie or the God’s Honest Truth. The first contestant went 2-for-5 and won a Generation Cross DVD, while the second contestant went 4-for-5 and earned himself a Rosary blessed by the Pope.
Mental Gymnastics - Father Rob declared that he’s been working on his new website while Lino was in Ireland... which in Father Rob parlance actually meant that he’s been thinking about it in his head.

Hour 3

Soccer Monster - With the European soccer championships happening right now, Lino wondered why Russia was allowed to participate, theorizing that it’s really an Asian country. That led to the playing of a sound clip from a recent exhibition match between Argentina and Brazil, where the announcer goes beserk after Lionel Messi scored his third goal for Argentina... and Lino noted the excitement he displayed in thanking God for being able to watch Messi play.
Irish Adventures - Lino went into a little more detail about his travails with Father Jonathan Morris as they drove around trying to find a Church where they could celebrate Mass late one afternoon. At one point after Communion, Lino admitted having a revelation that if he had to do it all over again, he should’ve been a priest.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With a picture of Father Rob eating a big fat steak for lunch circulating on Facebook, Lino opined that the rule relaxing meat-eating requirements on Friday should be rescinded because nobody ever substitutes a penance for it; pressed by Lino, Father Rob declared that as his substitutionary penance he would not drink more than two drinks tonight; pressed by Father Rob, Lino declared that he would not smoke the cigarette he had planned on smoking tonight... which raised Father Rob’s ire even more because it’s not something he normally does (and because most of the callers disagreed with him, saying that as a priest he should be held to a higher standard).
Jesus Christ: Health Hazard - Lino gleefully mocked a local TV news report from Texas about a family who claimed that they say an image of Jesus in the mold growing in their shower.
Programming Note - Lino waited until now to mention that he’ll be in Ireland with Cardinal Dolan next week, where they’ll both be broadcasting their respective shows and sightseeing. Sadly, Father Rob must stay behind.

Hour 2

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers - While traveling on the NYC subway, Father Rob found a MetroCard on the ground that had a month’s worth of unlimited rides on it. He decided to keep it, pointing out that there’s no way to prove whose MetroCard it was; Lino on the other hand (along with most of the callers) berated Father Rob for keeping it for himself and said that the Christian thing for him to do would’ve been to turn the card in to lost-and-found.
Lino Is Sorry - Lino (and Father Rob) apologized for the following errors in judgment that occurred during the show recently:

Lino: For saying that he’d pay $1,000 to see a dog bite Father Rob.
Lino: For the inuendo in the phrase “sitting in a boat with a rod in your hand”, which he said while talking about fishing.
Father Rob: For mocking Lino when he didn’t recognize Home by Daughtry when it was played on the show.
Father Rob: For the inuendo in the phrase “I’m $10 less in the pants right now”, which he used as he described a bet he lost to Lino.
Lino: For comparing John The Baptist to a Ford Pinto during a discussion of the Visitation and what Mary and Elizabeth talked about.
Lino: For a silly joke about having a woman at home chained to the radiator while discussing visiting prisoners as a Corporal Work of Mercy.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Lady Gaga has become the first person on Twitter to have 25 million followers.
President Obama unveiled the official portrait of former President George W. Bush at the White House yesterday, and President Bush and his wife rattled off a collection of solid jokes during their speeches.
Today is the first day of June, which means it’s National Doughnut Day (comemmorating the volunteers who gave doughnuts and coffee to soldiers during World War I).
Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy needs surgery to fix a broken right hand, and some Brewers fans are sending hateful messages to his wife, who accidentally caused the injury.
During the month of May, CNN had its worst primetime ratings in over 20 years.

Scripps National Spelling Bee - 14-year-old Snigdha Nandipati won the annual spelling contest, and Lino mocked not only the winning word that she spelled, but the sheer lack of instantaneous reaction among the spelling bee officials and the audience at the moment when she won.
~~1,000~~ 938 Corporal Works Of Mercy - Lino grudgingly announced that the listeners failed to come through, as only 938 of them committed to project... then read a few emails from those listeners that did.
Ireland - Adding details to an announcement from the first hour, Lino reiterated that he would be traveling to Ireland with Cardinal Dolan next week... further announcing that he would be doing the show from Ireland on Thursday and Friday, and that narrated clips from the best of TCGS over the past few months would fill the first three days of the week. Lino also couldn’t resist infuriating Father Rob by playing an outtake from his narration-recording session where he couldn’t say “hilarious” with the correct emphasis.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino asked Father Rob to explain the story of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and both bickered back and forth about the things that Mary and Elizabeth discussed during the months they spent in each other’s company... particularly her conception of Jesus.
Visiting The Imprisoned - Lino recapped the “1,000 Corporal Works Of Mercy” initiative that he debuted on the show yesterday, announcing that 500 listeners have already committed and reading several commitments received by email. He also said that he and Father Rob would be visiting prisoners for their part, specifically emphasizing that he would be visiting a women’s prison.
Big Brother Is Watching - Lino got freaked out when his email program automatically detected that he forgot to include an attachment in an email, and he wished that technology would just leave him alone and allow him to learn from his own mistakes.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

NFL quarterback Kordell Stewart retired yesterday... after last playing during the 2004-05 season.
A snakehandling West Virginia pastor died after a snake bit him during a church service over the weekend.
Recent American Idol champ Phillip Phillips’ new song Home sold 278k digital copies in its first week, more than any other past American Idol winner’s song.
New York City plans to enact a ban on the sale of sodas and other sugary drinks over 16 ounces. Much heated talk ensued on this one: Lino was all for the ban, saying that government rules like this benefit society at large... but Father Rob and most callers were adamantly opposed... pointing out that people should take personal responsibility for their actions and the government should not regulate choice. After the debate ended Lino pleaded that people shouldn’t be labeled “liberal” or “conservative” in as far as the Church is concerned.

Hour 3

Lino’s Music Makeover - Kayla stopped by to help Lino and Father Rob rate Christian music, with Father Rob picking the songs. This week’s theme: Songs to listen to while sitting outside enjoying the sun (with other stipulations about location and drinks too numerous to mention).

1st Place (12/15 noses, won tiebreaker 2-1): All I Need To Be by Fireflight
2nd Place (12/15 noses): Spirit Wind by Casting Crowns
Tie-3rd Place (8.5/15 noses): God’s Not Dead by Newsboys
Tie-3rd Place (8.5/15 noses): Reborn by Day Of Fire
5th Place (6.5/15 noses): Stepping Into The Day by The Thirsting

It’s From The Heart - Lino found some classy clips from recent TV shows that he played for our benefit:

Martin Short appeared on The Today Show, and host Kathie Lee Gifford remarked on the length of Short’s marriage without realizing that his wife had passed away in 2010. But in a classy act, Short never even let on about his wife’s passing during their conversation.
A 9-year-old boy spent months trading up various posessions to get an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World and gave it to a 2-year-old girl whose father had died in Afghanistan. Appearing on Good Morning America, host Robin Roberts surprised him with his own all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World... which he promptly gave to another family of a fallen soldier.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino explained how the “Yaaaay!” and “Hellooooo, Catholics!” at the beginning of the show started and evolved into what it is today; fed up with Father Rob snickering at him, Lino berated him for his comparative lack of contribution to the show’s content; he then launched into a defense of the tradition of the Chuch, using priestly vestments as his primary example.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Father Rob went to see The Dictator at the movies a few days ago, and was incredulous to see a trailer for a movie about Abraham Lincoln hunting vampires before he became president. Lino didn’t have a problem with it, rationalizing that a wacky combination like that sounded kind of fun.
Temper, Temper - Appearing on CNN’s The Situation Room, Donald Trump and Wolf Blitzer had a very testy conversation about whether President Obama was truly born in the United States... and Lino mocked the entire thing one sound clip at a time. Afterwards he played (and mocked) the audio of Illinois representative Mike Bost, who went into a tirade on the house floor about a pending bill that was rammed through the legislature.

Hour 2

1,000 Corporal Works Of Mercy - Inspired by Johnny Cash’s performance for prisoners at Folsom State Prison in the 1960’s, Lino proposed that a thousand listeners each commit to performing one Corporal Work of Mercy during the month of June and send it in via email, and Lino would read each of their names and what they did on the air throughout the month. He then took calls from the listeners on what they intended to do and rated each of the works on how hard/easy it would be to accomplish.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Men In Black 3 was #1 at the box office over the weekend, taking in $69.3 million and knocking The Avengers down to #2.
A brain surgeon from Denver decided to propose to his girlfriend on the beach and buried the ring so that she could dig it up later. Unable to find it after the proposal, they had to call in metal detectors to rescue the lost ring.
Former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens was just released by the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League for “a lack of effort both on and off the field”.
The band No Doubt is making a comeback on stage by playing at the Teen Choice Awards.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - An impromptu text during lunch from Lino led Mark to describe the things that Jesus ate and drank while he was human; observing that Lino and Father Rob always seem to act like an old married Jewish couple, Mark rattled off several more “odd couples” from the Bible: Cain and Abel, Moses and Aaron, James and John (the sons of Zebedee), Peter and Paul; after Mark hung up, Father Rob pushed really hard to move in with Lino for a short period so that they can have a true Odd Couple experience... and Lino wanted absolutely no part of it yet still hashed out what their household routine might look like.
The God’s Honest Truth - Lino gave callers a Catholic-related statement, and the caller had to determine if it was a lie or the God’s Honest Truth. The first contestant went 2-for-5 and won a San Damiano cross; with time running short the second contestant was given the choice of one question, and won a John Paul II prayer card for getting it right.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino berated Father Rob for forgetting his glasses, which resulted in him having to wear his prescription sunglasses indoors... something that Lino just can’t stand and that most callers disagreed with as well.
The Butler Did It - Lino told the story of the recent arrest of Pope Benedict XVI’s butler/valet, who has been accused of leaking documents out of the Vatican in order to discredit the Vatican’s Secretary of State... Lino chastised him for betraying the trust of the Pope and ruining what was a pretty good life for him and his family, but also wondered if perhaps he was set up by someone else higher up in the Vatican.
Loose Cannon - Lino and Father Rob had a good laugh over Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland’s recent rant over a botched call.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Home run king Barry Bonds is looking to get back into baseball by pursuing a front-office job with the San Francisco Giants.
A 23-year-old man from Ohio crashed his truck into the front entrance of a Taco Bell because he didn’t get one of the tacos that he ordered.
Senator John McCain had to stop a Memorial Day speech four minutes in due to a heckler... and promptly labeled him a “jerk” after he was taken down.
Mark Zuckerberg and his new wife recently ate at a restaurant while on their honeymoon in Italy... and left no tip.
Kazakhstan is block three upcoming Russian satellite launches over concerns about where the rocket debris will land... which Father Rob admitted he brought up for no reason other than to hear the Kazakhstan national anthem from Borat.

Home Sweet Home - Lino led a rambling discussion with Father Rob about his weekend trip to Minnesota, where a barbecue he was planning to attend got canceled at the last minute and he ended up eating at a Thai restaurant with horrible margaritas. He also made a trip to his old college and noted how developed the area has become compared to when he was a student there.
Penance Tales - While in Minnesota this past weekend Lino went to Confession and was surprised to get only one Hail Mary as a penance. So he threw open the phone lines and asked the listeners to call in with their lightest and stiffest penances after Confession.

Hour 3

Penance Tales (continued) - Listeners continued to call in with their harshest and easiest penances.
Mystery Science Homilies - Father Rob recorded his homily from this weekend and played the audio, and in the MST3K tradition Lino spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob was ticked off at all of the people at SiriusXM who got to leave at 3:00 today while he had to stick around with Lino to do the show; Lino argued that Memorial Day has lost its meaning of honoring those members of the military who died to defend our country, particularly amongst people like himself who have no family connections to the military.
Homily On The Spot - Lino randomly chose passages out of the Bible, and Father Rob had to formulate and deliver an on-the-spot homily while simultaneously dealing with sporadic interruptions from Lino... who was particularly interested in where mustard comes from after Father Rob’s homily on the parable of the mustard seed.

Hour 2

Mail Time - After having some fun mocking a promotion for a Pink Floyd channel on SiriusXM, LIno got to some email. Highlights: a listener was banned from a Catholic church for a while (and neither Lino nor Father Rob knew how that could happen) and wondered how to get past the experience; another listener pointed out a typo in the first chapter of Sinner; Father Rob berated Lino for not being able to donate a copy of Sinner for a charity auction because the auction had passed by the time he read the email... indicative of many of his emails recently.
Lino on FoxNews.com LIVE - Lino played the audio of his appearance on FoxNews.com LIVE where he talked about the HHS mandate during a panel discussion... and Father Rob had a rip-roaring time goofing on everything from his on-camera profile to his interactions with fellow panelist Jennifer Miller.

Hour 3

Applepalooza - Acknowledging that he likes apple juice, Father Rob went on a tear naming all of the apple-related foods that he loves to eat... and an unimpressed Lino failed to understand or appreciate any of it.
The Normality Of Prayer - Branching off of the apple discussion, Lino made an impromptu bet with Father Rob about throwing an apple juice container into the trash... and prayed that he wouldn’t make it. That led Lino and Father Rob to analyze situations where prayer might be a normal response vs. those where prayer is just an affectation.
Interviews With The Saints - Lino paid a visit to heaven and conducted “interviews” with St. William of Gellone, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and St. George... all of whom mysteriously sounded a lot like Father Rob. And once again, Lino couldn’t avoid another run-in with a very loud St. Matthew (who sounded like Father Rob on steroids).
Home, Sweet Home - Lino is headed home to Minnesota for the weekend, and Father Rob berated Lino for driving by his boyhood home and church every time he returns so that he can reflect on his past and future.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino reviewed yesterday’s successful bet against Father Rob in predicting the winner of American Idol, playing sound clips of the winning moment and mocking Ryan Seacrest for his pause-filled delivery; Lino and Father Rob also criticized winner Phillip Phillips for being too emotional to sing at the end of the show and be grateful for his moment of fame; Father Rob creeped out Lino with his uncanny knowledge of the past winners and runners-up of American Idol.
Break Out The Purell - A listener sent Lino the list of the eight germiest public places... and after being sufficiently creeped out, he solicited suggestions as to the germiest things found within a Catholic church.
Mail Time - Lino profusely apologized for getting so behind on responding to emails... then got so sidetracked that Father Rob gleefully pointed out at the end of the segment that he had failed to read any emails on the air.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

A new study has revealed the top 10 happiest nations in the world, with Denmark coming out on top.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune is ceasing daily publication and will only be printed three days a week.
A Florida teenager had his diploma withheld and was ordered to clean his school’s gym after “Tebowing” during the school’s graduation ceremony.
Black Eyed Peas member Will I Am showed up to a climate change debate... in his own private helicopter, using 71.5 gallons of fuel and releasing ¾ ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
When Robert Griffin III suits up for the Washington Redskins this fall, it will mark the first time a Roman numeral will be featured on an NFL player’s uniform.

Answer The Question - Both contestants went 2-for-5, each winning a Generation Cross DVD for their efforts.

Hour 3

Mother’s Day - Lino reminisced about his visit home last Sunday for Mother’s Day, detailing how he ended up going to Mass alone and didn’t even get to take his mom to dinner because of conflicting plans. He also explained that while at Mass he stepped into a chapel and prayed to the Virgin Mary for a greater devotion to her, and briefly described a recent news story where the Church has established a process for approving Marian apparitions.
Context Clues - Lino and Father Rob took sound clips from an innocuous discussion on Seize The Day about the morality of flashing your headlights to warn others of a speed trap, and twisted it into a sordid discussion of “flashing” other people. When the schtick was up Lino played the full sound clips to bring them into context, and pointed out that sound clips and headlines about the Church in the media today should also be understood in their appropriate context... especially since that context may be missing.
Tomorrow On Fox News - Lino previewed his appearance tomorrow on FoxNews.com LIVE... as well as the attractive young woman that Lino knows who will be his fellow panelist. Father Rob then continued his oft-repeated rant that two people do not constitute a genuine panel.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob was super excited over today being “World Turtle Day”, but Lino tried (and for the most part failed) to get Father Rob to admit that he just likes the sound clip that originated the whole thing; to try to get Lino off of his back, Father Rob volunteered to give 10% of his take-home pay from tomorrow’s SiriusXM paycheck to the American Tortoise Rescue; Lino debated whether Father Rob’s “tithe” to the friends of turtles... or any tithe for that matter... should be pre-tax or post-tax.
Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - “All four contestants won today, with prizes consisting of a Rosary blessed by the Pope, a JPII prayer card blessed by the Pope, a Generation Cross DVD, and a San Damiano cross.

Hour 2

Mark Hart - In the midst of graduation season, Mark railed against all of the graduations he’s had to sit through recently, then answered Lino’s questions about the kind of schooling that Jesus likely had during his teen years... particularly his religious formation.
You’re On! - After playing clips of last night’s performances of American Idol finalists Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips, Father Rob agreed on 3:1 odds with Lino that Sanchez would win (even though he though Phillips was better). if Phillips wins, Father Rob pays Lino $100; if Sanchez wins, Lino pays Father Rob $300. As the segment went on Lino agreed to a $350 payout in return for Father Rob advancing him $100 now.
And Speaking Of Reality TV Shows... - Lino played a sound clip of Dancing With The Stars winner Donald Driver admitting last night that he’d still choose his 2010 Super Bowl win over his DWTS win.

Hour 3

The Catholic Cafeteria Is Still Open - A recent Gallup poll of Catholics showed that 82% believe contraception is morally acceptable, 59% agreed with embryonic stem cell research and sex outside of marriage, 54% agreed with homosexual relationships, and 58% agreed with the death penalty. In light of those results, Lino and Father Rob faulted the persuasiveness of Church leadership in teaching its doctrines over the past 60-90 years. Father Rob advocated better education and persuasion of lay Catholics with an emphasis of the consequences of sin.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

The “Maxim’s Hot 100” list of beautiful women around the world (as voted on by readers) has been released... and comedian Stephen Colbert placed at #69.
Two men attempted to rob the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas this past weekend by spraying a blackjack dealer’s eyes and stealing $115k in chips... but one man was quickly taken down while the other escaped with nothing.
A Dallas pizza chain is having a one day promotion, offering free pizza to anyone who places their order in Spanish during a three-hour window.
A Washington state man was arrested for turning around in a movie theater and punching a 10-year-old boy in the face for being too loud and throwing popcorn at him.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino didn’t understand the allure of one of Father Rob’s favorite programs, American Choppers, chastising the whole concept of watching guys work on and fight about motorcycles; Father Rob rushed to the show’s defense, pointing out the personal interplay between the father-and-son stars of the show, as well as the design and engineering involved in building cycles from scratch.
Defying The Rules - After chastising Father Rob for smacking on the air as he finished a quick snack over the break, Lino explained how he dared to eat a yogurt this morning that was two days past its due date, and after surviving that without incident pointed out that going against the rules may not always end up in your favor like it did in this case.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

A vial of Ronald Reagan’s blood from his 1981 assassination attempt is up for auction.
A former television executive has been caught by a security camera putting dog feces in his neighbor’s mailbox in a fit of revenge.
A Canadian artist... (at that point Lino nixed the story after Father Rob failed to properly introduce the story)
A recent study has found that over 80% of divorce attorneys in the U.S... (at that point Lino nixed the story again after Father Rob got too flustered to properly pronounce words)
(Skipped entirely after Father Rob once again failed to meet Lino’s high standards)

Bonus story from Lino: Olympic runner Lolo Jones said in an interview that choosing to stay a virgin until marriage is harder for her than training for the Olympics.

Polka Mass - Eddie Blazonczyk Sr., the “King of Polka”, passed away yesterday at the age of 70. Lino specifically remembered covering his “polka Masses” during his TV reporting days, prompting support from the listeners who defended the reverence of said Masses.
More Silence - Bringing up the “silent moments” discussion from yesterday, Lino explained how last night his iPhone ceased to function, which resulted in another night of communications silence.

Hour 3

The Sounds Of Silence - Lino couldn’t understand why there are periods of silence during Mass (i.e., the pauses after the priest announces “Let us pray”, between the readings, and after the homily), and rejected Father Rob’s explanations that the silence should be used for quiet reflection.
What’s Father Rob Humming? - In honor of the recent passing of ‘70s music greats Donna Summer and Robin Gibb, Father Rob turned on his iPod and hummed some cool ‘70s disco tunes. Listeners who guessed the song he was humming won a prize based on the level of difficulty.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / Silence Is Golden - Lino commented on his social media silence this past weekend, noting that he enjoyed not feeling compelled to come up with something witty to say; he also pointed out the genius of the Pope’s World Communications Day statement on the benefits of silence in focusing on and listening to God, and chose to step into a Church read a book about the Saints this weekend instead of using social media; Father Rob countered that Lino’s idea of silence isn’t really conducive to listening to God, and suggested at the very least he should read and reflect on the Bible instead of just any old book... even one about the Saints.
For Lack Of Anything Better To Do... - Lino caught a 2-hour PBS documentary on Johnny Carson over the weekend, and pointed out that Johnny often employed pacing and silence to more effectively communicate with his audience. He also pointed out the irony in a 60 Minutes piece on Pink Floyd, where bandmember Roger Waters said in answer to a question: “Thank God... not that there is a God, of course.”

Hour 2

Mystery Science Homilies - Father Rob recorded his homily from this weekend and played the audio, and in the MST3K tradition Lino spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.
Foo Fighters on SNL - While at an Irish pub on Saturday night Lino caught a bit of Saturday Night Live where Mick Jagger and the Foo Fighters were performing together... and made the argument that the Foo exhibited the virtue of humility by playing behind Mick Jagger even though they could’ve commanded the spotlight in their own right.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

British track athlete Jessica Ennis thought she had broken her personal record on the 100m hurdles... except that someone set up 9 hurdles instead of the mandatory 10, which DQ’d her time.
Arsenio Hall wins this season of The Celebrity Apprentice.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg married his longtime girlfriend on Saturday, the day after Facebook’s IPO.
Late disco legend Donna Summer was honored at this weekend’s Billboard Music Awards by Natasha Bedingfield performing her signature song Last Dance... until ABC started promoting over it and then cut to commercial.

And while we’re on the subject... Bee Gees member Robin Gibb died of cancer on Sunday at the age of 62, and the Billboard Music Awards gave him a moment of silence that lasted approximately 1.5 seconds. That (d)evolved into a marathon of Bee Gee’s songs playing in the background as Lino made a creepy admission that he stared looked into a picture of Robin Gibb’s eyes and pondered that his eyes are now looking at God.

Battleship did worse than expected this weekend at the box office, earning only $25.3 million and coming in second place to The Avengers. Lino also played a clip from an interview with the film’s director where he ranted on Israel and questioned whether the director evaded service in the Israeli army.

Mail Time - In the remaining time, Lino read some complementary emails from relatively new listeners... including one who attended seminary in Rome with Father Rob before leaving to marry and start a family.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino pondered how he can never seem to show up to Mass or a doctors appointment on time, yet somehow is never late for a movie or the beginning of the radio show.
The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt always motion for your wallet/purse when the bill comes when someone takes you out to eat.” Lino wondered what the point of the commandment is if someone has already offered to pay for your meal and that it is tantamount to lying, but Father Rob responded that it is merely a polite gesture... although you should be prepared to pay if your motion is accepted.

Hour 2

Take That, Church! - Musician Rufus Wainwright went into a church to light a candle for his deceased mother, but after discovering that they had run out of candles he got slightly ticked off and then wrote a song about his experience. Lino played it on the air, saying he was pleased that people expect so much from the Church but pointed out that even the Church isn’t perfect. Lino also took the opportunity to rail against churches that use electric candles instead of real ones.
Catholic Guy Advice - A 14-year-old listener went to the Catholic church on Sunday morning with his parents and a non-Catholic church that evening with a girlfriend. He concluded that the Catholic church was far more boring than the other church (which had things like a band), and would like to go there. How should he bring this up with his parents?

Lino’s advice (which Father Rob basically concurred with) - It’s hard to deny that other Christian churches are often more fun than Mass, so start with being honest and acknowledge your feelings about the two churches, and suggest trying to find a Catholic church that has a Mass more geared to teenagers. Father Rob also added that perhaps the suggestion of an occasional visit to the other church would be okay as long as he still attends Mass.

Conan O’Letterman - Lino played a few select clips of Conan O’Brien’s recent visit to The Late Show With David Letterman, which included no small number of jokes about their negative experiences with The Tonight Show.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Larry King is bringing his show back this summer on the new online network Ora.tv
Two Tenessee men were arrested for vandalizing a McDonald’s because they weren’t happy with the amount of onion on their cheeseburgers.
Some policemen in Maryland are giving out a dollar to drivers who are wearing their seat belts.
Van Halen has postponed more than 30 of their tour dates after June 26th... no explanation given.
A Kentucky man purchased every last bit of inventory from a K-Mart store that was closing and gave it all away... $200k in all.

First Communion - With this being the season for graduations and the Sacraments of initiation, Lino and Father Rob randomly talked about confirmations, ordinations and first communions, with Lino wondering in particular if the second graders who are receiving their first communion actually understand that the bread becomes the body of Christ at Mass. So to answer his question, Lino invited listeners to call in and tell what they remembered learning.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - A priest floated Lino an offer to do some TV work for him for free, and Lino not only declined but chose not even to call him back, which raised the ire of Father Rob; alternatively, he is helping out his friend Representative Sean Duffy, a good Catholic and father of 6, by asking the listeners to follow him on Twitter (@RepSeanDuffy)... and he admired all of the sacrifices he makes in his life for the sake of his family.
Anthony Buono - The founder of AveMariaSingles.com and Lino’s personal dating coach came by the studio after a long absence to help Lino with his dating life (or lack thereof) and to promote his new book, Would You Date You?... which just happens to be the book that Lino’s writing the foreword for. Main topic of discussion: Lino’s persistent pickiness, with his new declaration that he’s become “more selective” in finding women. In the end, Lino tentatively agreed for Anthony to set him up on a date with a woman he thought would be a good fit for him.

Hour 2

Continuing The Conversation - Father Rob and Lino continued arguing about various aspects of Lino’s dating life... particularly about balancing a relationship against Lino’s busy schedule... and the listeners continued to call in with their advice for Lino.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Disco legend Donna Summer died today at the age of 63.
Taylor Swift donated $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame to start the Taylor Swift Education Center.
Vice President Joe Biden surprised people at a Dairy Queen in Ohio by buying several people ice cream.
A Michigan teenager found part of a finger in his Arby’s junior roast beef sandwich that he was eating.

Hour 3

Celebrity Interviews - Lino and Father Rob marveled at an audio clip of a BBC interview where Will Smith described his family’s recent visit to the White House... particularly his son Jayden’s inquisitiveness about whether President Obama (or “Barack” as they called him) knows anything about the presence of aliens in the country. After that Lino played clips of a recent interview with Billy Bob Thornton on CBS This Morning and appreciated and identified with his admissions of insecurity.
Catholic Password - Making a return after a seven month hiatus, two callers were given a Catholic-themed password, then took turns giving one-word clues to Father Rob in an attempt to have him guess the password. The caller with the highest score after three rounds won a Popener; all three matches ended up being sweeps, with scores of 19-0, 19-0 and 13-0.
Mail Time - Highlights: a listener wondered if Lino has been on the channel as long as The Busted Halo Show; another listener advocated having the medium from Long Island Medium on the show because she claims to be a practicing Catholic but supposedly mediates between humans and spirits; still another listener wrote in to explain how hard it’s been to get over sins of lust that he’s already confessed and asked Lino what to do.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With Ascension Thursday on the calendar for tomorrow, Lino got into the whole deal where some dioceses celebrate it tomorrow and others celebrate it on Sunday... he also pondered if visitors to Thursday-celebrating dioceses were obliged to attend church tomorrow if their home diocese celebrates on Sunday.
The Pope’s General Audience - Utilizing his typically mind-numbing pope impression, Lino read Benedict XVI's reflection from earlier today about Christian prayer and St. Paul’s writings on the subject.
Lino’s General Audience - Today’s topic: congratulating people for choosing not the obvious route, but perhaps the better route. Lino told the story of Andrew Sweat, an undrafted free agent picked up by the Cleveland Browns who decided to forego the NFL and enter law school instead because he didn’t want to risk incurring any more concussions.

Hour 2

Mark Hart - Highlights: Talking about the Ascension, Lino exploded in celebration when he stumped Mark on the Aramaic word for “Thursday”; Mark explained where the Ascension is found in the Bible, and Lino immediately went off on a tangent over what popular song was appropriate for the Ascension; Lino asked Mark about the difference between flying, ascending and levitating, and Mark described his disciples witnessing the event and interacting with the two angels afterwards.
ChurchAdvisor.com - While planning several trips to the west coast this summer, Father Rob went on TripAdvisor.com to solicit advise on what hotels to book... and that made him think that a similar site could be set up to rate and advise on churches. Lino argued that it was a good idea in theory but would never work in practice because there would be too few people motivated enough to leave a review on the site... but the majority of listeners disagreed and advocated for such a site.

Hour 3

Lino’s Music Makeover - Kayla stopped by to help Lino and Father Rob rate Christian music, with Father Rob picking the songs and serenading Kayla with his special bi-lingual version of La Bamba before getting started. This week’s theme: Songs to listen to on the way to Confession.

1st Place (11.5/15 noses): I’m Forgiven by Sanctus Real
2nd Place (11/15 noses): Carry Me On Your Back by Leeland
3rd Place (10.5/15 noses): Home by 12 Stones
4th Place (9/15 noses): Bring Me To Life by Thousand Foot Krutch
5th Place (8/15 noses): Everything I Need by Kutless

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

The band String Cheese Incident gave fifty fans money to buy $20k worth of tickets for a recent show which the band will resell on their website without fees, in a protest against the fees that Ticketmaster charges.
A startup company called I Dream Of Space is selling $10 posters that include the chance to win a trip to travel into space.
A diamond thief in Canada is behind bars and being watched around the clock after swallowing a 1.7 carat diamond worth $20k, with the hopes of eventually recovering it.
An Oregon high school golfer had won three state championships in a row and was about to win her fourth when she was disqualified after her partner accidentally scored her one stroke less than she actually made... and despite leading everyone else in the field by 9 strokes.
Dancing With The Stars is preparing to launch their first ever All-Star edition this fall

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob played some sound clips from Jeopardy! of political commentator Chris Matthews having a very hard time playing the game... especially considering that he’s mocked Sarah Palin’s ability to play the game in the past; then for good measure Lino played some classic clips of Wolf Blitzer’s infamous Jeopardy! appearance.
Resurrecting The Dead - Lino couldn’t understand the rationale for the band Queen resurrecting late lead singer Freddy Mercury in the form of a hologram for an upcoming musical, saying that we shouldn’t re-live things that can’t be re-lived.
Wedding Crashers - Bringing back something they announced on March 26th, Lino and Father Rob once again offered to crash a Catholic wedding if invited to do so... but Lino nevertheless expressed a few reservations at intruding upon the celebration of a Sacrament, and stated that he’d want his own wedding to be a relatively small affair.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Two new video games with Christian themes debuted today: Diablo 3 (a combat-the-devil game) and Journey of Jesus: The Calling (a living-in-the-time-of-Jesus game).
Lady Gaga will be forced to cancel her sold-out show in Indonesia because the government is concerned that the way she dresses and acts would undermine Islamic morals.
Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb is attempting a comeback at the age of 35.
A northern New York man had his friend shoot him in the leg with a rifle over the weekend so that he could know what it feels like to be shot.
An assemblywoman in New York is running for re-election... and is being challenged for her seat by her separated husband.

Saint Isidore The Farmer - In honor of today’s Saint of the day, Lino took calls from farmers and asked them about what kind of farm they had, the things they grow, the animals they have, and anything else that came to his mind.

Hour 3

Mystery Science Homilies - Father Rob recorded his homily from this weekend and played the audio, and in the MST3K tradition Lino spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.
America’s Got Howard Stern - Making the case that TCGS wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for Howard Stern’s presence on SiriusXM, Lino applauded his new controversial role as a judge on America’s Got Talent, and then asked the listeners who their favorite entertainers are that in theory they really shouldn’t like.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino couldn’t believe that Father Rob the celibate priest used to socialize regularly with 3-4 female friends, and challenged him as to whether he still has thoughts about or looks up info online about girls that he used to date in his pre-seminary days; Lino wondered if seminarians at college seminary were allowed to date under any circumstances.
Mama Rulli - Making a post-Mother’s Day appearance on the show, Lino’s mom hosted another raucous round of her popular game Hickety Pickety, where she threw out a two-word clue and Lino/Father Rob (each teamed with a caller) had to guess the two-word rhyming answer.

Hour 2

Just Say “No” - Revisiting issue last week of an acquaintance asking Lino to write the foreword for his new book, Lino decided to accept the invitation but implored his audience that you shouldn’t ask someone to do something for you if you can’t accept that the person might say “no”.
Honor Thy Father And Mother - Originally intending to talk about First Communion, Lino went off on a tangent and pondered whether second graders are old enough to understand the nature of confessing their sins, and whether (and at what level) disobeying their parents truly constitutes a sin.
It Was Supposed To Be A Surprise - Lino told the sad tale of his friend Greg in Minnesota who had prepared a surprise birthday party for his wife this past weekend... only to leave so many clues behind that the surprise ended up being anticlimactic.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

The Social Security Administration announced that Jacob and Sophia were the top baby names for boys and girls, respectively, in 2011.
CBS has canceled CSI: Miami after ten years.
After winning a tennis tournament this weekend, Roger Federer was given a framed black “Men In Black” suit by Will Smith as a promotional effort for the new movie Men In Black 3.
The Avengers made $103.2m in its second weekend, and over $1 billion worldwide since its release.
Ron Paul has announced that he will not actively campaign in states that haven’t had their primaries yet, but he’s still looking for delegates for the Republican convention this summer.

Not Counting My Blessings - Lino found negativity in the following positive things: the ability to take the show on the road wherever/whenever; a germ-free world with no need to use Purell; Father Rob becoming a bishop; Lino having the starring role of The Hulk in The Avengers.
St. Matthias - Today being his feast day, Father Rob explained how he was selected to replace Judas as one of the twelve Apostles... and that we know nothing else about him beyond that. Lino then wondered how and at what point the twelve Apostles expanded beyond that number.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino is waking up nice and early tomorrow for an aeroplane ride to Minnesota to visit his mom, prompting much debate between him and Father Rob over what states constitute the “Midwest”; just as Lino doesn’t like lumping people in regions, he declared that he hates it when people lump him in with all other Christians (particularly the bad ones).
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

NBC says that next season will be the last for 30 Rock.
Eduardo Saverin, billionaire co-founder of Facebook, gave up his U.S. citizenship so that he doesn’t have to pay taxes after Facebook’s upcoming IPO.
Britney Spears has signed a $15 million contract to be a judge on The X-Factor next year.
A lawsuit has been filed against General Mills claiming that Fruit Roll-Ups don’t contain real fruit as advertised.

Hour 2

Make Me A Sandwich! - Father Rob chastised Lino after he announced that his Mother’s Day gift to his mom will be to grace her with his presence for the weekend... and he (and the listeners) mocked him outright after Lino mentioned that he’d have no problem asking his mom to make him a sandwich while he’s there.
Who’s Your Daddy? - Lino and Father Rob asked callers a series of five questions about fathers of all kinds from the Bible, and each listener needed to get at least 2-of-3 right to win. The first two of three contestants succeeded, each walking away with an undetermined prize.

Hour 3

Cara? Didn’t I Date Her Once? - The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) has put out a report that Catholic seminary enrollment is the highest it’s been in 25 years. After having much too much fun overpronouncing their acronym, Lino theorized that the period of low vocations during the ‘70s and ‘80s was likely because nobody was asking young men to consider the priesthood.
The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt not force others to pronounce words in the United States the way they would be pronounced in other countries.” After a major argument broke out between Lino and Father Rob at lunch over how to say the word “eclair”, Lino, most of the callers, and the Merriam-Webster online dictionary agreed that Father Rob had it completely wrong.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino had mixed feelings over St. Damien de Veuster (whose feast is today), saying that for every St. Damien that is canonized, more ordinary lay people should be canonized as examples for us that we can better relate to; Father Rob partially disagreed, saying that canonization of lay people should be encouraged but not at the expense of those who exemplified holiness their entire lives... and aside from that, the logistics of canonizing a lay person would be much, much harder.
Father Rob’s Righteous Anger - Sitting at a bar having a drink while waiting for a table, Father Rob had an entire glass of water spilled on him accidentally by the bartender... yet he was angry that he was offered absolutely nothing in return to compensate him aside from an apology. Most of the callers, however, declared his anger to be sinful, pointing out that because it was accidental, Father Rob had no right to expect something free for his trouble.
Hiding Behind Social Media - Lino was impressed with the number of followers that Cardinal Dolan’s newly-opened Twitter account has earned... yet he was disturbed and saddened at the amount and intensity of criticism of his tweets.

Hour 2

Catholic Guy Advice - Because he’s been backed up with advice requests, Lino decided to power through as he could during the program. He started out with these two:

Tim’s church had a silent auction where he won a service at a very low bid, but a month later he hasn’t heard back from the service provider (possibly because the bid was so low). Should he let it go or get what he paid for?

Father Rob’s advice: Go after them and get what you paid for.
Lino’s advice: Don’t push the issue and embarrass yourself... they’ll eventually contact you.

A volunteer youth Confirmation coordinator hates that the paid staffer he works under takes credit for a lot of his work, and he’s starting to feel burned out. Does he fight the good fight or step down for his sanity?

Lino’s advice: It’s time for you to go. Church leaders need to learn that that kind of pressure is not good for a parishioner’s health.
Father Rob’s advice: Find other people to help volunteer so that the burden and stress isn’t all on you.

Foo Fighters - The band recently found some demos that were recorded ten years ago but were never released until recently, and Lino played both the demo and the corresponding new release to show how one changed from the other.

Hour 3

Four! - Lino was incredulous that Father Rob intended to wake up at 5:45am tomorrow morning to get ready for a round of golf with TCC Program Director Father Jonathan Morris, and implored him to let him win after he beat him the last time.
Lino’s Music Makeover - Kayla stopped by to help Lino and Father Rob rate Christian music, with Father Rob picking the songs. In light of Father Rob’s inability to pick quality Catholic songs for the segment, he expanded the selection to include non-Catholic Christian songs. This week’s theme: Songs to listen to while preparing to watch Game 7 of an NHL playoff series.

1st Place (12/15 noses): Unbreakable by Fireflight
2nd Place (10/15 noses): Guess Who’s Won? by Pillar
3rd Place (9.5/15 noses): Alive by Pocket Full Of Rocks
4th Place (8/15 noses): Turning Back by Eterna
5th Place (7.5/15 noses): Best I Can by Decyfer Down

Jesus’ Humanity - Having experienced a rare sneezing fit during the break, Lino pondered if/when Jesus ever sneezed... and then he and Father Rob branched out with musings about Jesus’ eyes, complexion, and voice.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino lamented having a big nose, as his allergies have really been going haywire over the past few days; he detailed his frequent trips to the allergist in his younger days, and wondered why he still suffers from them after so many treatments... analogizing it to being faithful to God and going to church yet still having to up with sufferings in life; Father Rob responded that building up of routines like that will eventually add up to progress, and that Lino expects to see progress too quickly.
The Pope’s General Audience - Utilizing his typically mind-numbing pope impression, Lino read Benedict XVI's reflection from earlier today about Christian prayer and St. Peter’s miraculous release from prison by an angel because of the prayers of the faithful.
Lino’s General Audience - Today’s topic: The Voice. Having watched the show religiously in the beginning of the season, Lino had no idea who won in the season finale last night, and although he didn’t feel guilty about it he somehow felt strange. And with The Bachelorette starting next week, Lino guaranteed that the exact same thing would happen in a few months’ time.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

A healthcare advocacy group is calling on President Obama to stop eating hamburgers, hot dogs, and other “unhealthy” foods in public.
New Rochelle, NY has had to cancel its 4th of July fireworks display (along with Memorial Day and Thanksgiving Day parades) due to budget constraints.
A Nebraska man has changed his name from Tyler Gold to “Tyrannosaurus Rex” so that his new name will be “cooler and more appealing” than his old name.
Milwaukee Brewers 1st Baseman Mat Gamel got light-hearted revenge on a fan who surreptitiously took a picture of him at a restaurant by doing the same to her and posting it on his Twitter account.
Hillary Clinton reacted to comments about her recent appearance with glasses and no makeup by completely shrugging it off.

Martin Sheen & Emilio Estevez Redux - Back by popular demand, Lino and Father Rob replayed their interview with Sheen and Estevez that aired during yesterday’s first hour. And after the interview they continued to argue about the whole signed book debacle that aired yesterday as well.
Mail Time - A listener wrote in and wondered about the Catholic Church’s position on tattoos.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - Highlights: Mark touted his new book Embracing God’s Plan For Marriage: A Scripture Study For Couples as Lino mocked him for the sheer number of books he puts out; Lino boasted how Cardinal Dolan sent his first Tweet yesterday on Lino’s iPad, which prompted him to ask Mark how letters like those St. Paul wrote got out to their intended audiences, what happened to the letters once they got there, and how copies got made and circulated.
Answer The Question - The first contestant went 3-for-5 and won a San Damiano cross, and the second contestant went 2-for-5 and earned herself a copy of Generation Cross.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With school out for the summer Father Jim surprised us with an unusual Monday appearance on the show; Lino graced us with his recollections of hanging out at his pastor’s house, and the time that his Mom told him he should become a priest because he could have similarly cool living quarters if he did; Lino explained how years ago he never considered becoming a priest because he had no interest in doing baptisms and weddings, but that God gave us various interests, desires and gifts for us to discover and to use to glorify him; he also warned that people who go into the priesthood for status or cache are going into it for the wrong reasons.
Deep Thoughts With ~~Stuart Smalley~~ Lino Rulli - Looking up at last night’s full moon before falling asleep, Lino pondered that it was the exact same moon that Jesus looked at when he was on the Earth, and then put his reflection up for a listener vote as to whether it was insightful or lame. Notable highlights: the very first caller reminded Lino that the same moon Jesus looked at was the same moon Josef Stalin and other mass murderers looked at as well, and Father Jim quipped that he hopes Lino finds the transubstantiation that occurs at Mass to be a more awe-inspiring moment.

Hour 2

Mystery Science Homilies - Despite having the day off from the show, Father Rob provided a recording of his weekend homily to Lino, and in the MST3K tradition he and Father Jim spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.
Beastie Boys Revisited - In light of Adam “MCA” Yauch’s passing last week, Lino lamented the absence of any Beastie Boys music on his iPhone, wondering how one of his top-five bands escaped notice until one of its members passed away.
Things That Drive You Crazy At Mass - Highlights included: greeting/welcoming each other before Mass begins, excessive incense, parents who let their children eat during Mass.

Hour 3

Things That Drive You Crazy At Mass (continued) - Highlights included: Parishioners who repeat the prayers that only the priest is supposed to say; parishes that sprinkle the congregation with holy water every Sunday during Easter; bad singing at Mass; singing a different Responsorial Psalm than is in the missal; people who make a break for the exit as soon as they’ve received Communion; people who hug the aisles in the pews; holding hands during the Our Father.
What’s Up With That? - Lino read these news summaries that made him and Father Jim scratch their heads a bit:

In Australia, a priest of the Archdiocese of Melbourne says that the reason for the decline in marriages amongst women in their 20s and 30s is that they’re too choosy.
A 56-year-old woman has decided to try out for the Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleading squad.
Actress Megan Fox appeared on Entertainment Tonight as the new spokesperson for The Sharper Image... but walked out when the interviewer couldn’t resist asking her about recent pregnancy rumors despite being warned not to.
The Vatican archivist has stated that a number of important Vatican II-related documents have been misplaced and can’t be found.

Programming Note - TCGS will only air until 6:00pm ET tomorrow, making way for a 2-hour town hall with Cardinal Timothy Dolan from 6:00-8:00, followed by a wrap-up show hosted by Lino and Father Rob.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - To celebrate Cinco de Mayo (and because Father Rob has not sung live on the air since Lent), Lino insisted that the good priest treat us to stirring renditions of La Bamba and La Cucaracha, and take calls from the listeners en Español and translate them for Lino’s benefit; enamored with La Cucaracha, Lino insisted on listening to several different versions and singing the lyrics translated into English.
Bad Decisions - Lino told the story of how he and his buddy, Pat, nearly got arrested for drunkenly leading a crowd in chanting “Cinco de Mayo!” during a visit to San Francisco... that led Lino to theorize that most of our prayers to God are asking him to get us out of bad situations of our own making. Father Rob then chimed in with his own bad decision, remembering today as the first anniversary of his near drowning experience during the pilgrimage to Greece... which in turn led to him losing 55 pounds over the past year.

Hour 2

Homily On The Spot - Lino randomly chose passages out of the Bible, and Father Rob had to formulate and deliver an on-the-spot homily while simultaneously dealing with sporadic interruptions from Lino.
Online Ordination - A friend of Lino’s is getting married and wants him to go online and get “ordained” so that he can marry them. Not sure of what to do or if such a move is even licit in light of Catholic teaching, Lino asked the callers for their opinions on the topic. At the end of the segment Lino still wasn’t sure what he’d do, but vowed to do more research on it.

Hour 3

Grease Monkey - During the last hour Father Rob somehow broke his pen and spilled ink all over his hands, and after using up all of Lino’s antibacterial wipes and washing up in the restroom, his hands still looked like he’d been working under a car all day. And with a wake to attend tonight and Masses to celebrate this weekend, Father Rob was none too happy. The comparison of the ink on Father Rob’s hands to oil then led to a whole discussion about the use of oil during ordinations and baptisms... and Father Rob kissing the hands of those being ordained, which totally grossed Lino out.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn - Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys died earlier today at the age of 47. A very bummed out Lino paid tribute to him and the band that had a lot of influence on his formative years... and chastised Father Rob because he felt that he was being indifferent about his passing.
Interviews With The Saints - Lino paid a visit to heaven and conducted an “interview” with St. Juan Diego (who mysteriously sounded a lot like Father Rob). Sadly, Lino couldn’t avoid another run-in with a very loud St. Matthew (who sounded like Father Rob on steroids).

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - After attending a big Catholic event last night supporting Catholic missions, Lino felt the deep-down need to sell all of his things and go out and serve others in a way that a missionary serves the people of a foreign land... even thinking in the back of his mind that getting fired would be a way to jump start this particular ambition.
Random Thankfulness - Lino took calls from listeners who gave thanks for random things and happenings in their lives.
Mail Time - Lino answered several complaints about the opening segment of yesterday’s show where he told the story of an Australian priest who secretly married, and read a compliment from a listener who has taken to using Sinner as an evangelization tool.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

A young woman asked Tim Tebow via Twitter to go to the prom with her, and after failing to receive a response she printed out a life-sized Tebow cutout and took it instead.
Fox has created a new show called The Choice, where celebrity judges blindly pick contestants to date.
Jennifer Lopez is rewarding her 25-year-old boyfriend with the job of choreographing the shows on her upcoming tour with Enrique Iglesias.
A number of students in Dunedin, New Zealand have started playing a new game called “Possum”, where you sit in a tree and drink alcohol until you fall out it.
Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos have decided that he will not be Regis Philbin’s replacement on Live! for the betterment of their marriage.

Catholic Guy Advice - Kelly was born and raised Catholic but stopped going to church in college and hasn’t been back in years. The show has encouraged her to go back... but she wonders if she should go back now, or wait until she’s convinced of some of the church teachings she disagrees with.

Lino’s advice: Go, even if you disagree with half of what the church teaches. Keep on going, and see what happens.
Father Rob’s advice: Ditto what Lino said. The best way to come around on some of the teachings that trouble you is to let time work on them.

Hour 3

Higher/Lower - Lino asked the callers a question with a numerical answer, and the caller had 30 seconds to answer correctly, with Father Rob helping the listener by telling them if their answer needed to be higher or lower than their last answer. Each listener needed to get at least 2-of-3 right to win... and all three succeeded, each walking away with a John Paul II prayer card blessed by the Pope.
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It - In a recent Reuters poll, 15% of respondents believed that the world will end in their lifetime, and 10% felt that it would happen this year based on the Mayan calendar. Father Rob was troubled that so many people would even think like this, and Lino felt it was a mystery as well. That led into...
Mysteries - Lino, Father Rob, and the listeners shared puzzling mysteries of day-to-day life (like why you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway).

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino told the story of Father Kevin Lee from Australia, who recently revealed (on a major news program no less) that he’s been secretly married for the past year and thinks most Catholic priests lead a “double life”. Lino and Father Rob had all sorts of fun politely pointing out the sheer wrongness of what he did and why.
Minor Confessions - In light of the Father Lee’s major confession, Lino opened up the phone lines to hear the listeners confess things that didn’t quite rise up to that level. Highlights: Father Rob pranked a fellow seminarian by covering the toilet with plastic wrap; a listener kidnapped her annoying co-worker’s troll doll and held it for ransom; another listener took a friend’s truck while he was at Mass, parked it right up near the doors of the church, and filled it with empty beer cans; a former seminarian arranged for his prefect to slightly steam-burn his “sensitive areas” as he exited the shower and entered his room.

Hour 2

Mark Hart - Highlights: Lino amused Mark with an email from a listener who looked up pictures of the three of them online and declared Mark “a hottie”; the three of them discussed the various depictions of what Jesus, Mary, and Sts. Peter and Paul looked like and theorized if those depictions had any truth to them... then envisioned what they felt they looked like based on the Biblical account of their lives.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

The NFL handed down punishments to four Saints players involved in the ongoing bounty scandal... including linebacker Johnathan Vilma, who was suspended for the entire 2012 season.
Ashton Kutcher is set to return for another season of Two And A Half Men.
Former NFL player Warren Sapp is set to start his own judge show on TV, Judge Sapp.
Former Family Matters star Jaleel White was voted off Dancing With The Stars last night.
This summer, McDonalds will open its biggest restaurant ever for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Mail Time - Lino read compliments from several listeners... including a Lutheran, and a farmer/state senator from North Dakota.

Hour 3

Andy Garcia - The Academy Award-nominated actor and star of the new film For Greater Glory sat down with Lino in his hotel room to talk about the movie.
The God’s Honest Truth - Lino gave callers a Catholic-related statement, and the caller had to determine if it was a lie or the God’s Honest Truth. The first two contestants each went 2-for-5 and won a Sinner t-shirt, and the final contestant went 4-for-5 and earned herself a Rosary blessed by the Pope.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Having interviewed Bear Grylls for a segment to air later today, Lino was astounded that his show Man Vs. Wild has reached 1.2 billion people in over 180 countries; Lino asked how you should pray and what you should pray for when you wake up in the morning.
Bear Grylls - Lino talked with the famed adventurer about his TV show Man Vs. Wild, his new book Mud, Sweat, And Tears, and his faith and the role it plays in his life.

Hour 2

St. Joseph The Worker - On today’s feast day, Lino reflected on how the Church gave us a day to remember that the foster father of Jesus (as well as Jesus himself) had to work just like us, and pondered whether there were days where they didn’t feel fulfilled in their work like we sometimes do.
The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt be required to put money into the collection basket when visiting a church that is not your own.” Father Rob insisted that anyone who visits a church and doesn’t contribute automatically through electronic means each week to their home parish should contribute the same amount in the collection basket of that church. Lino disagreed, arguing that a token contribution for appearances’ sake was more appropriate in this situation because your contribution should support your home parish first and foremost.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom are quitting their reality show on E! after two seasons.
Middlesboro, Massachusetts has decided to start enforcing a law that prohibits swearing in public.
Ron Paul, the only competitor left for Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican nomination, said that staying in the race means earning delegates and getting a chance to proclaim his message at the convention.
New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire punched a fire extinguisher case in anger after his team’s recent loss, resulting in a gash in his hand that will force him to sit out the next playoff game.
A Polish dentist is facing three years in prison after she removed all of his ex-boyfriend’s teeth during dental surgery.

Blessed John Paul II - On the first anniversary of his beatification, Lino asked Father Rob and the listeners what his ultimate legacy would be and how (or even if) he would be remembered centuries from now.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Having returned from his trip to Montana, Lino observed that the people where he goes always seem more attractive than those living in NYC... and wondered why.
Mystery Science Homily - Bringing back a segment that has long been dormant, Father Rob (finally) agreed to record his homily from this weekend and play the audio on the show, and in the MST3K tradition Lino spared no expense in critiquing it and otherwise having some fun with it.
Peculiar Petitions - During Mass yesterday, Lino was surprised that one of the prayers of the faithful was for the repose of the soul of Dick Clark, while another mentioned something about conserving water resources. That led to discussion about what should be considered an appropriate prayer petition during Mass and who should determine it.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Kelly Clarkson has signed up as a judge for ABC’s new singing competition, Duets... and participated in a commercial mocking the show that made her a star, American Idol.
Billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer plans to build a replica of the Titanic... same level of luxury, but featuring the latest technology and safety features.
A Florida motel has decided to transform into an optional all-nude facility in order to drum up business.
The movies Battleship and The Avengers, both of which have yet to open in the U.S., made $129m and $170m, respectively, in their worldwide debuts.
Former American Idol Kris Allen issued invitations for a couple of impromptu concerts via Twitter... then got chased away by a cop when he didn’t have the proper permits for a performance.

Do You Watch More TV Than A Parish Priest? - A mixed day for Father Rob, who won against the first contestant 4-1 and tied against the second 3-3 (which counted for a loss). Near the end of the segment Lino took a caller all the way from Rome, Italy, so Lino indulged everyone with an abbreviated round... which Father Rob won 3-2.

Hour 3

Mel Gibson - In light of Gibson’s recent secretly-taped rant against Joe Eszterhas (with whom he was writing a screenplay) and his subsequent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last week to explain himself, Lino questioned why Gibson easily portrayed himself as a religious person when it benefited him but chose not to apply those same rules to himself after his rant.
How To Say “Yes” Or “No” - Someone asked Lino to write the forward for their new book, which would involve taking the time to read it first. He asked both on the air and on Facebook if he was obligated to do it for some reason, and whether a Catholic can say “no” to anything without feeling guilty.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Broadcasting from a former convent in Missoula, Montana with no heat, Lino commented that his recent remote broadcast locations have been both cold and unusual to pronounce; Father Rob commented on how he has never missed a Sunday Mass save for one weekend where he was violently ill, whereas Lino missed Mass in months-long stretches during his teen years; grateful for the invitation to come to Montana to speak, Lino pondered why the world needs convincing that happiness in this life and eternity in the next within the context of practicing your faith is a good thing.
Confession Q&A - Modeled on his talk to middle schoolers earlier this morning, Lino (and Father Rob) took calls from young listeners and answered their questions about the Sacrament of Confession.

Hour 2

The Catholic Draft - Modeled on the NFL Draft currently underway, callers suggested famous non-Catholics (minus politicians) who they felt would help the Catholic Church the most in advancing its mission, and Lino and Father Rob predicted how high/low they would be drafted.

Hour 3

Lino’s Music Makeover - Kayla stopped by to help Lino and Father Rob rate Christian music, with Father Rob picking the songs. After some witty banter about Kayla’s Italian boyfriend and why Father Rob doesn’t wear his collar to work, they turned their attention to this week’s theme: songs to hike/enjoy the beauty of God’s creation to (in honor of Lino being in Montana).

1st Place (10.5/15 noses): Shine Like The Sun by Matt Maher
Tie-2nd Place (8.5/15 noses): Come And See by Steve Angrisano
Tie-2nd Place (8.5/15 noses): Completely by Critical Mass
4th Place (8/15 noses): Let Me See Your Face by Tom Booth
5th Place (7.5/15 noses): Satellite by Backyard Galaxy

Support Your Local Catholic School - Lino once again pointed out that he was the one invited out to Montana this weekend and not Father Rob... although admittedly Father Rob is rather busy on the weekends anyway. Then they compared notes about the dress codes they lived under while in Catholic school, and Lino persuaded Father Rob to contribute to the school’s rather unique fundraiser involving a cow randomly relieving itself on a football field.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino and Father Rob were going to see the stage version of Sister Act on Broadway tonight, leading to some brief discussion between themselves about their experiences with nuns, and how they often get a bad rap in the public eye.
Mike Piazza - Cardinal Dolan has asked Lino to become more involved in the production of his weekly Conversation With Cardinal Dolan program, and one of the results of his involvement was getting baseball star Mike Piazza on this week’s show. Lino played several clips of his appearance to promote it, and he and Father Rob made random comments on whatever was discussed.
A Bit Too Far? - Cardinal Dolan was honored last night at TIME Magazine for being on its list of 100 most influential people, and Lino described some of fellow honoree Stephen Colbert’s jokes... including one that might not have portrayed Dolan and the Catholic Church in the best light.

Hour 2

Middle School Mindset - TCGS will not be live tomorrow, but will broadcast on Friday from Missoula, Montana because he’ll be emceeing an event to raise money for Catholic schools in the area. He’ll also be speaking to some middle school students while he’s there, and asked middle school students and their parents to call in and let him know what things middle schoolers like so that he can better relate to them during his talk.
Mail Time - Lino read a number of complimentary emails, including one from a listener who loves the show but whose wife is turned off by it.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - With today being the feast of St. Mark, Lino wished Mark a happy namesday and listened to him tell us everything he knew about his namesake, including his martyrdom and eventual burial in Venice, the Gospel he wrote, and why he is symbolized by a winged lion.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Newt Gingrich will officially suspend his presidential bid on Tuesday.
People Magazine has named Beyoncé as this year’s Most Beautiful Woman.
Los Angeles Lakers star Metta World Peace (aka Ron Artest) has been suspended for seven games for a elbow to the head given to Oklahoma City Thunder player James Harden, which resulted in a concussion.
The director of the Miss Dominican Republic beauty contest says that the woman recently chosen for the title will lose it because she’s married.
On last night’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, President Obama appeared and participated in the show’s Slow Jam With The News segment.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Having won a $25 sports bet last night, Father Rob was asked by Lino if he prays for teams to win, and he responded by saying that he doesn’t outright pray for a win (except possibly when playing golf) but might talk to God and ask why his team isn’t winning; Lino didn’t believe him, suggesting that he prays to win a lot more often than he lets on.
Who’s Your Daddy? - Making a return engagement after several months, Lino and Father Rob asked callers a series of five questions about fathers and sons from the Bible, with the callers winning progressively better prizes based on the number of correct answers. In today’s version, one contestant went 1-for-5 and won a John Paul II prayer card, another went 2-for-5 and earned a San Damiano cross, and the last contestant went 4-for-5 and netted himself a Popener.

Hour 2

Seven Deadly Questions - Lino and Father Rob provided answers to these "deadly" questions compiled from Lino’s Facebook page:

Lino: Have you dated a handsome woman who was a relative of a religious/ clergy? (Answer: No, not knowingly) Father Rob: would you allow Lino to date someone related to you? (Answer: No, because I wouldn’t want them to get hurt... and I don’t want to risk Lino becoming part of the family)
During your priesthood, what is a special experience that stands out in your memory? (Father Rob’s answer: attending and covering the beatification of Blessed John Paul II for SiriusXM)
What is it about you that prevents you from committing to a choice and settling down? (Lino’s answer: I overanalyze everything, and people like me have a hard time making decisions.)
What are your thoughts on priests being allowed to marry? Would more men enter the priesthood if that were an option? (Father Rob’s answer: I don’t think it’s a good idea because it’s impossible to faithfully live out two separate vocations at the same time. There would be an initial influx of married clergy, but it would eventually die off.)
Do you ever plan on going back to television? (Lino’s answer: Yes, but after being in radio, television feels very fake and manipulative.)
Have you ever felt that you’ve overstepped the boundary of reverence? (Father Rob’s answer: Only a few times in my life... and I don’t consider making a joke during a homily irreverent.)
What is your favorite alcoholic beverage/drink? (Father Rob’s answer: Scotch whisky -- Lino’s answer: Captain Morgan rum)

The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt not feel required to tip a bathroom attendant.” Father Rob does not need help using the facilities, and he didn’t feel he should be required to tip the attendant because it’s not a service that he requested or needed.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Ryan Seacreast has signed up for two more years of hosting American Idol.
Sinead O’Connor is canceling her 2012 tour because she has bipolar disorder.
Former vice president Al Gore was named as a new member of the Internet Society’s Internet Hall of Fame.
The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas has had its second “victim” in the past three months. Fortunately, she is expected to make a full recovery.
The New Jersey Nets ended their 35-year-run in New Jersey with an 18 point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers... and NJ governor Chris Christie wasn’t exactly sad to see them go.

Random Thankfulness - Callers gave thanks for random things and happenings in their lives... specifically for the times when Father Rob takes the day off and makes room for a guest, and for robbers stealing everything from a caller’s home except for his copy of Sinner, which they apparently saw little value in.

Monday, April 23, 2012
Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino started another argument with Father Rob by insinuating that his day off the show on Friday equaled a day sitting around doing nothing, and Mr. Negativity continued the bad times by complaining about the weather and his favorite teams losing; Lino tried to counter the negativity with a recording of his Saturday Night Concert performance of Alleluia by Leonard Cohen, but Father Rob ruined it by negatively critiquing his performance.
Religious Liberty - Neither Lino nor Father Rob saw the advantage in the USCCB putting out another statement on religious liberty earlier this month, saying that the Church is losing in the court of public opinion and is not communicating smartly with the public... church leaders need to be out in the mainstream media and not just putting out press statements.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

For the first time in a month, The Hunger Games was not the number one movie at the box office, with the new Steve Harvey movie Think Like A Man taking its place.
A British man was sentenced to 14 months in prison after he harassed his neighbors by sending them things they never ordered: delivery meals, taxis, and two tons of coal.
Lionel Richie’s new album peaks at #1 on the charts (his first chart-topper since 1986), while Madonna’s new album has fallen outside the top ten after being #1 just two weeks ago.
Lindsey Lohan has returned to acting, portraying Elizabeth Taylor in the new Lifetime movie Liz And Dick.
The Christian Life Center, a Pentecostal congregation in California, has set up a drive-thru prayer service... and most people who have showed up aren’t even regular churchgoers.

Higher/Lower - A new segment based on The Clock Game from The Price Is Right, where Lino asked the callers a question with a numerical answer, and the caller had 30 seconds to answer correctly, with Father Rob helping the listener by telling them if their answer needs to be higher or lower than their last answer. Each listener needed to get at least 2-of-3 right to win, and all four succeeded... three walked away with a Rosary blessed by the Pope and the fourth earned himself a Popener.

Hour 3

Catholic Guy Advice - The priest at Larry’s church preaches a good homily, but it lasts waaaay too long, with the most recent homily clocking in at a whopping 40 minutes. It’s the only Catholic church in the city and he’s the only priest, so going elsewhere is not an option. What should Larry do?

Lino’s advice: Tough. I don’t like it any more than you do, but he’s the priest, and you simply have no control over the situation... much like the Mass I attended this weekend that started seven minutes late where the priest was still using the old translation.
Father Rob’s advice: Just grin and bear it. Get the one big thing out of the homily that you can, and use the rest of the time to pray... perhaps that your priest will get transferred to another parish.

Bye Bye Beard - After much discussion of the topic on the show and on Facebook, Lino finally decided to shave off the beard he had been growing since Christmas. Father Rob pointed out to an annoyed Lino that shaving the beard conceals the amount of gray hair that he has developed since starting the show, but also said that he’d be fine with Lino growing another beard if he’d allow him to put some Just For Men coloring in it.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Jim took Father Rob’s place on the show today, and Lino remarked that putting them both together in the studio would be like mixing oil and water and would never happen on his watch regardless of what the listeners want; talking off the air to his Dad yesterday, Lino was puzzled by his reference that he’s going into his “eighth decade” after turning 69 yesterday, and hashed out the confusion with the equally-confused callers.
Work, Work, Work - After Lino remarked that Father Rob “works a lot but doesn’t work very hard”, Father Jim commented on his new role as a campus fraternity advisor to some rather clueless college students. That in turn led Lino to comment on how hard kids in school and college have to work nowadays, and wondered if such heavy, time-consuming workloads left any room for faith and discernment. Father Jim noted that he had more time to discern his vocation to the priesthood during his youth than the youth of today likely do, and Lino took a few calls on the topic.

Hour 2

The Origins of “What’s Up With That” - Lino played the original video clip of a ticked off Father Jim berating his students over attendance at a FOCUS conference that sparked the whole catchphrase... and Father Jim was none too happy about having to hear it again. Then he had to suffer even more embarassment when Lino played the customized R&B version that Lino and crew created in response years ago.
What’s Up With That? - Lino read these news summaries that made him and Father Jim scratch their heads a bit:

A Chinese eyewear company has launched a new line of eyewear: Helen Keller Sunglasses.
Phoenix Coyotes player Paul Bissonnette was kicked out of a recent NHL playoff game after a fight... not for the fight itself, but because his jersey wasn’t tied to his pants as is required in the rules.
A server at an Olive Garden in Indianapolis was fired after accidentally serving a 10-year-old an alcoholic drink, despite immediately reporting it once she realized her error.

Sinner Giveaway - To celebrate his book’s second printing, Lino asked listeners to call in and plead their case to he and Father Jim as to why they should get a free copy of his book.

Hour 3

Louie Anderson - In Las Vegas to celebrate his 69th birthday, Lino’s Dad gave comedian Louie Anderson a signed copy of Lino’s book. The gesture actually teared him up, as it was years ago that Lino received an autographed picture of Louie, and he was touched that Lino was able to reciprocate 30 years later.
What Does Father Jim Know? - Framing Father Jim’s life-changing pilgrimage to Rome as something worthwhile only if he remembered what he learned, Lino tested Father Jim on what he learned during the trip as listeners guessed whether Father Jim would know the answers to his questions. Each listener needed to get at least 2-of-3 right to win, and all four succeeded... three walked away with a Rosary blessed by the Pope and the fourth earned himself a Popener.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With Father Rob’s constant references to people being “bums”, Lino remarked that now he’s starting to use that kind of language more often; today is the 7th anniversary of the election of Pope Benedict XVI, and Lino pointed out how on April 18th nobody was paying attention to Cardinal Ratzinger and the next day everybody was; Lino and Father Rob commented on the various Cardinals who were also in the running to become Pope back then, as well as the perceived politics involved in the voting and speculation as to who voted for who.
Where Were You? - Lino, Father Rob and the callers all talked about where they were the day that Benedict XVI was elected and what their reactions were.
An Update Is In Order - A listener pointed out in an email to Lino that the reason why Father Rob might have been omitted from the Wonderword puzzle was because he’s not mentioned anywhere on Lino’s TCGS website.

Hour 2

Mark Hart - Highlights: Everyone speculated over the religious upbringing of Dick Clark, with Mark betting on Methodism because of it’s emphasis on music during worship; Lino asked Mark about the kinds of musical instruments that they had in Biblical times and what they were used for; Mark described how the singing of the Psalms was used as a mnemonic device to help the Israelites learn the message of those Scriptures; Mark described the cultural significance of song and dance in New Testament times, and speculated that Jesus probably danced during such events.
Lino’s Casting Couch - Crew and listeners cast their favorite stars to play the roles of Judith and Holofernes (and Holofernes’ eunuch, Bagoas) for the story where Judith cuts off Holofernes’ head while he’s passed out drunk (from Judith 13).

Hour 3

Lino’s Music Makeover - After a five month hiatus, Kayla stopped by to help Lino and Father Rob rate Christian music, with Father Rob picking the songs. This week’s theme: Songs to listen to while spring cleaning.

1st Place (9.5/15 noses): Follow The Light by Catholicus
Tie-2nd Place (8/15 noses): Tragic Ignorance by Seven Sorrows
Tie-2nd Place (8/15 noses): Work In Progress by C2six
Tie-4th Place (7.5/15 noses): Out Of The Jungle by Bob Rice
Tie-4th Place (7.5/15 noses): Picking Up The Pieces Of The Lives We Left Behind by Last Day

Papa Rulli - Today also happened to be Lino’s Dad’s 69th birthday... Lino attempted to call him on the air but failed to reach him, so he had to leave him a voicemail. He also pointed out that the relationship of God as our heavenly father didn’t exist amongst the Jews in Jesus’ time, and spoke of the love and expectations his Dad had for him growing up.
Medical Update - After visiting the doctor, Father Rob reported that the growth on his neck is just an infection, and should go away in a few days with some prescription antibiotics.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino paid tribute to his friend Father John, who celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination over the weekend... and who played a key role in his start in media back in 1997; Lino was sad that he was in Dallas and couldn’t attend the celebration... especially since some of his early TV work was featured during the event... but noted that his guilt over not attending was nevertheless a good thing.
Wonderword, Father Rob Edition - Moved with pity by the omission of any mention of Father Rob from yesterday’s syndicated Wonderword puzzle, several listeners made up word puzzles of their own solely dedicated to the neglected priest, and Lino took listener suggestions for additional descriptive words to add to the puzzles... not all of them complimentary.

Hour 2

Let’s Go To Timmy In New York - In a quest to expand his “on-air presence”, Father Rob called in to four other Catholic radio shows earlier today under his “Timmy” pseudonym, droning on and on and on with little to no interruption from the hosts as he roleplayed various fake situations and peppered in numerous references to his spiritual director “Father Rob” and to him being “a man”.
How To Win Friends And Influence People - Having composed himself after laughing so much in the last segment, Lino pointed out that being likeable and relatable like Father Rob was in his calls are key elements in getting young Catholics to listen and pay attention... and that likeability and relatability are a couple of reasons why Cardinal Dolan made the list of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.

Hour 3

Mama Rulli - Lino’s Mom came back on the show to 1) drive her son absolutely nuts, and 2) play another round of her popular game Hickety Pickety, where she threw out a two-word clue and Lino/Father Rob (each teamed with a caller) had to guess the two-word rhyming answer. An added bonus: she got on Father Rob’s nerves big time, with the priest constantly complaining about being mocked and that Mrs. Rulli always gives her son the easier clues.
On The Way Out? - A growth on Father Rob’s neck has concerned him for several days, and he’s made an appointment to see a doctor about it tomorrow morning. Father Rob was not so concerned that he would ask for the listeners’ prayers... so Lino asked us to pray for him anyway.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Given his long history of bad backs Lino finally broke down and visited a physical therapist after months of putting it off, and that led him to wonder why people avoid things that are good for them in the long run... like going to Mass or to Confession; he also had to defend himself from Father Rob’s insinuation that Lino just sits around on his couch all day and doesn’t work nearly as hard as he does... which led Lino to cut off his microphone until he agreed to drop the subject.
Father Rob’s Righteous Anger - The syndicated Wonderword puzzle ran a special edition today themed on The Catholic Channel, where players were tasked with searching for Catholic Channel-related terms. The terms included the names of all of the programs and hosts appearing on the channel... except for poor Father Rob, who exploded in anger over such a glaring omission. Some callers agreed that his anger was justified, but Lino and others felt that he had gone too far.
Comin’ Along For The Ride - Talking briefly about some upcoming speaking engagements, Lino mentioned that most people who hire him to give a talk also ask if Father Rob can “come along”. Not wanting to be mere eye candy, a mildly miffed Father Rob replied that he’d only come if he was actually asked to speak as well.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Austrian retail tycoon/billionaire Karl Wlaschek to marry this weekend for the fifth time at age 94.
The parent of an Alabama football player accidentally shatters the crystal trophy from the team’s recent national championship.
Kim Kardashian says that she wants to be mayor of Glendale, California someday.
Good Morning America has surpassed total weekly viewership of The Today Show for the first time since 1995.
Electric vehicle sales have slowed almost to a halt, with Ford selling none of it’s electric-powered Focus sedans in the past two months.

Interviews With The Saints - Lino paid a visit to heaven and conducted “interviews” with several Saints (who mysteriously all sounded a lot like Father Rob). The interviewees were St. Peter the Tax Collector and St. Nicholas, with a few run-ins with a bombastic St. Matthew mixed in.
What The F---? - Lino told the story of Democratic talk show host Bob Beckel’s appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program last night where he let loose an F-bomb without realizing they were on the air, followed first by a refusal to accept responsibility for what he did and a somewhat insincere apology later on.

Hour 3

Vinny Guadagnino - The star of Jersey Shore stopped by the studio to chat with Lino about the show, his new book Control The Crazy, and dealing with the stresses of everyday life. Afterwards Lino and Father Rob reflected on the interview, with Lino going off on a defensive tangent about the moral qualities of the guests he invites on the air.
Nothin’ More Than Feelings - Father Rob played an exchange between broadcasters Ian Eagle and Mike Fratello during a recent Nets-Celtics game, where Eagle confronted Fratello on the air about his perceived insulting of his intelligence earlier in the broadcast. Lino also congratulated Father Rob for the terrible audio quality of the first clip he tried to play.
Mail Time - One listener told of how the confession chapters in Sinner persuaded him to go back to Confession after 18 years; another listener thanked Lino and Father Rob for a segment that resulted in him coming back to Church and Confession on a regular basis, and Father Rob gave some advice on how to keep up the Mass attendance.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With Lino in Texas on Friday, Father Rob detailed how he beat Catholic Channel program director Father Jonathan Morris in a round of golf and speculated as to whether Cardinal Dolan likes to hit the links; Lino surmised how religious people are more attracted to golf and baseball than other sports because of the repetition and practice involved; Lino asked what it really means when people say that they “practice” their Catholic faith, igniting a war of semantics over whether Father Rob’s answer was meaningful or totally made up garbage.
Lino In Texas - At the Catholic Charities event Lino spoke at, an inordinate amount of attention from the attendees was spent on speculation about Lino’s beard and whether or not Father Rob really is a priest. But despite the sideshow, he was very grateful to see so many people turn out for the benefit of the people that Catholic Charities helps.
Happy Birthday, Pope! - In honor of Pope Benedict XVI’s 85th birthday today, Lino attempted to call the Vatican to get the Pope on the air... and managed to get a vaguely German-sounding person on the air who sounded like he was right there in studio. Their “special guest” was then treated to Father Rob singing “Happy Birthday” to him in the worst German known to man.

Hour 2

Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - Continuing the celebration of Benedict XVI’s birthday, Lino and Father Rob presented a special Pope-themed version of the game. One contestant won a Popener, another won a crucifix, and two more won rosaries... all blessed by the Holy Father himself! Sadly, one other contestant walked away empty handed.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are (finally) engaged to be married.
The Hunger Games remains #1 at the box office for the fourth consecutive week, earning another $21 million; the release of Titanic in 3D brought the movie’s cumulative total since its original release to over $2 billion.
A convention in London later this year will feature all five actors/actresses who have portrayed the captains in the various Star Trek series.
A lucky couple gets to spend a day with Tim Tebow in exchange for a $100,000 charitable donation at a fundraiser.
Kelsey Grammer got his first-ever tattoo over the weekend: the name of his fourth wife.

Pros’t! - After reading Facebook comments on how Benedict XVI’s birthday should be celebrated, Lino and Father Rob morbidly dwelled on death in general and the Pope’s advanced age and eventual demise in particular... all while enjoying some german beers as German volksmusik played in the background.
Crack Open Your Wallet - Complaining about the personal cost of posting the show’s podcasts online, Lino encouraged Father Rob to help contribute to the cause... leading to a round of bickering over how much or how little Father Rob contributes to lunches, etc.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Having not been out of NYC for two weeks, Lino was itching to head to Austin tomorrow to give a talk at a Catholic Charities fundraiser... but Father Rob seemed to question his charitable motive, as well as whether his speech was a way of serving the poor; the talk degenerated into griping about the other’s outfits and about finding time to do charitable acts for others.
Forgiveness - An acquaintance of Lino has deliberately tried to hurt his professional career over the past several months. Lino happened to bump into him last night, and he and Father Rob talked about forgiveness and how confrontational he should’ve been (or not been) with him. The segment abruptly ended, however, when the first caller let it slip that Gus Lloyd discussed a similar topic on Seize The Day earlier this morning.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Vladimir Putin, on the cusp of his third term as President of Russia, said today that he would back a law preventing anyone in the future from serving more than two terms.
90-year-old Betty White has joined Twitter.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was seen falling asleep at a Bruce Springsteen concert the other night.
Guns N’ Roses will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this weekend, but lead singer Axl Rose has stated that he does not want to be inducted and won’t attend the ceremony.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is coming out with her first “adult” novel.

Hour 2

No Dumb Questions - Lino and Father Rob took questions about the Catholic faith from listeners.
John Schneider - With the movie October Baby going into wider release, Lino elected to replay his interview from a month ago with the star of the movie.

Hour 3

Mail Time - After hearing Father Rob briefly describe the Paschal Fast (where one fasts on Good Friday and Holy Saturday up to the Easter Vigil), Lino spent a good bit of time going through lots of email to the show. Highlights: a letter made Lino ponder if he would be a good father; a letter from a couple asked Lino if he would be his new child’s godparent after having trouble finding one on their own; another letter asked if Lino would call her husband and wish him a happy birthday... and he tried to do just that, eventually leaving a voicemail for him; another asked for a birthday shoutout for a coworker, and Lino happily obliged.
Lino’s Favorite New Catholic - Lino announced the top 3 finalists as determined by Father Rob (whose primary criteria was that the show played a huge role in their conversions). After eliminating one of them, Lino and Father Rob argued but couldn’t agree on who should win, so it was decided to split the title (and prizes) between them. Leslie (a long-time listener who converted over the misgivings of her family), won a Popener and a copy of Sinner, while Ben (who was converted after listening to hours of TCGS and the rest of the channel on a long road trip) won a Popener and a Lino Rulli bobblehead. Lino also threw in a rosary for each of them at the end.
Flying Solo - With his flight to Texas soon to depart, Lino had to leave the show a few minutes early and handed the controls to Father Rob with much trepidation. But fortunately he managed to behave himself for the 90 seconds or so he got to run the show on his own.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - In a rare moment, Father Rob defended President Obama after a Republican National Committee video highlighted the fact that this year’s budget speech was largely word-for-word identical to last year’s, commenting that Obama has no obligation to make his speech different; Lino concurred by suggesting that a speaker should build upon previous speeches to make them even better, and didn’t see a problem in Obama making similar speeches year over year.
Lino’s Favorite New Catholic - Last day of nominations to win the grand prize package. Sadly, the phone lines all went down, so Lino and Father Rob were relegated to reading a few nominations submitted earlier before encouraging the rest of us to submit their nominations by email before the end of the day.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Gary Ross, director of The Hunger Games, has bowed out of directing the sequel citing time constraints.
Pizza Hut has created a new hot dog-stuffed crust, which is currently available only in the United Kingdom.
894 students who were wait-listed to get into UCLA were mistakenly told that they had been accepted.
A 17-year-old girl suffering from cancer got to meet Pope Benedict XVI after some strings were pulled during her Make-A-Wish trip to Italy.
Last week was the lowest-rated week for TV watching this year.

Hour 2

Does Lord Stanley Know About This? - Lino went out drinking with some friends last night, and one of them has the unusual job of looking after the Stanley Cup. So he got a few poses in with the famous trophy and explained that the only thing he was forbidden to do with it was to hold it above his head (reserved only for the team that wins it). Lino then analogized that, like Lord Stanley’s cup, it’s important for the Church to get out into the lives of everyday people so that they take a greater interest in it.
Random Thankfulness - Thankful that he got to pose with the Stanley Cup last night, Lino took calls from listeners who gave thanks for random things and happenings in their lives.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - In a reciprocal challenge event, Lino and Father Rob threw out movie lines to see if Mark could identify the movie they came from, and Mark likewise threw out Bible verses to see if the dynamic duo could identify the corresponding book of the Bible. Mark handily trounced his opponents, getting every movie right while Lino and Father Rob did surprisingly poorly, going 3-for-8. Afterwards Lino chastized Father Rob for finding the easiest movie lines he could possibly get his hands on.
The Truth About Beards - Lino’s Facebook fans gave him a victory, as a slight plurality voted that Lino should keep his beard intact. But still feeling ill at ease about it (in no small part because Father Rob hates it), he played clips from the pilgrims on the most recent Italy trip supporting the beard, then pondered whether majority opinion about the beard equals truth.
I Can’t Believe It’s Still Lent! - Lino couldn’t resist having a little fun with the fact that The Catholic Channel hasn’t bothered to take it’s Lent-themed commercials out of rotation yet, as evidenced by the previous break.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / Easter Is A Season, Not A Day - Echoing the “He is risen indeed” controversy from yesterday, Lino emphasized that the Easter season continues on even though Easter Sunday has passed, and pondered that few Catholics celebrate the 50 days of Easter in the same way that they do penance for the 40 days of Lent; he and Father Rob solicited the listeners for creative ways to celebrate the Easter season for the next seven weeks.
Mail Time - Claiming that people should write in and thank Lino for the great idea of doing something to celebrate the Easter season, Lino read an assortment of laudatory emails to illustrate the kind of compliments he expects to receive.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Former Little House On The Prairie star Melissa Gilbert was rushed to the hospital after injuring her head while performing on Dancing With The Stars.
Madonna’s new album MDNA had the second-biggest drop in record chart history, plunging from 359k to 46k sales in just one week.
Rick Santorum drops out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
The Texas Tech chess team and their coach will defend their national championship next year... after transferring en masse to Webster University in St. Louis.
The Miami Marlins suspend manager Ozzie Guillen for five days for his public comments praising former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Nobody Loves Me - With his Lenten penance over, Lino lamented his inability to get a girl to notice him, and pondered tips sent in and called in by listeners meant to change his mindset and approach to dating.

Hour 3

Bubba Watson - Lino played some sound clips of this year’s Masters champion, whose emotional commentary at the post-tournament press conference... as well as his sincerity in thanking Jesus... instantly (albeit briefly) changed Lino’s negative perspective about the game of golf.
Lino’s Favorite New Catholic - Day two of nominations to win the grand prize package.
Beard Ballot - Lino decided to put the status of his facial hair to a vote on Facebook, and so far it’s pretty much even between those who want him to keep it and those who want him to shave it off, with a smaller number advocating a goatee.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino was baffled that Father Rob didn’t know the response when someone says “He is risen!” to another during Easter (which for the record is “He is risen indeed!”); listeners called in with all sorts of different variations of the same theme, particularly those in other languages.
Holy Days Of Non-Obligation - Lino couldn’t understand the Church’s reasoning that the days of the Triduum (arguably the most important on the Christian calendar) aren’t holy days of obligation, but days like the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception are. Father Rob argued that for practical reasons the Church really can’t accommodate something like that, then got in a tiff with Lino about the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday, which Lino felt needed to involve soap and some good scrubbing.
God Bless You All - In his inimitable Pope voice, Lino read parts of Benedict XVI’s homily from Easter Sunday and briefly reflected on them.

Hour 2

But It’s Opening Day! - Lino reflected on the poignancy of kissing the cross during the Good Friday liturgy... then explained how he had to back out of going out with his friends on Friday night because it just seemed inappropriate. He then turned the focus to the beginning of the baseball season, incensed that Major League Baseball decided to start the season on Good Friday. He was even more incredulous that some Catholic fans interviewed at the Milwaukee Brewers opening game chose fun and bratwurst over solemnity and abstinence.
Lino’s Favorite New Catholic - The fourth annual installment of this segment... Catholics who came into the Church during this year's Easter Vigil were nominated either by themselves or by others, and Lino asked a series of questions to determine who would make the short list of nominees. Nominations will be taken today, tomorrow and Wednesday, with the short list presented on Thursday and a winner determined on Friday. The winner will receive an autographed copy of Sinner, a Lino Rulli bobblehead, and a Popener.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

60 Minutes reporter Mike Wallace dies at the age of 93.
The character of James Bond will be drinking Heineken instead of a martini in the newest Bond movie Skyfall.
Benedict XVI’s brother, Georg Ratzinger, stated in an interview that his brother likely will not be making many more trips abroad because it’s more and more of an effort for him.
Jennifer Lopez’ gave her boyfriend a white Dodge Ram pickup truck for his 25th birthday.
A new mobile recovery center will be debuting on the Las Vegas strip for people walking around with hangovers... only $90 for 45 minutes!

Timing Is Everything - Unwilling to spend an exorbitant amount of money to fly home to Minnesota over the weekend, Lino spent much of the time in church. Highlights: Lino felt very uneasy saving a seat for latecomer Brett Siddell at a very crowded Mass of the Lord’s Supper; Lino and Father Rob compared notes on the length of the Easter Vigil and the number of readings they had; Lino compared the length of the Triduum Masses to the length of time that he saw teenagers camping out for SNL tickets with the band One Direction playing, eventually going off on a long tangent about the band.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Hour 1

Mark Hart - With Father Rob rather busy today for obvious reasons, Mark Hart joined Lino to talk about Holy Week and the Triduum. After commenting on how seeing the tabernacle open and empty on Holy Thursday shows just how different the day is, Mark walked us through Jesus’ movements (starting with Palm Sunday) leading up through Holy Thursday, explaining the significance of each one. Near the end of the hour Lino gave Mark a breather and described his experiences of Holy Week growing up, and urged the listeners to attend church at least some time during the Triduum.

Hour 2

Mark Hart (continued) - Mark continued his detailed explanation of the movements of Jesus, describing the events of Good Friday.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino took great pains to outline that TCGS will NOT be on the air any time during the upcoming Triduum; he and Father Rob also described how different Catholic churches will look and feel between tomorrow and Sunday... and how much effort is involved for both priests and laity to pull it all off; a listener question about how some churches remove Holy Water during the Triduum led to Father Rob explaining the purpose of the water and its use during Easter Mass as Lino annoyed him to no end by constantly interrupting him.
Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - In this last Triduum-themed edition, four lucky listeners won a Rosary blessed by the Pope, a Sinner t-shirt, a Generation Cross DVD, and Mark Hart’s book Holier Than Thou, respectively. Even the one contestant who answered incorrectly won a prayer card after explaining that he’s coming into the Church at the Easter Vigil.

Hour 2

You Have To Play To Win - Lino announced that today is the day to throw your name into the hat for a chance to go to the next listener pilgrimage to France.
Lenten Song Parody - Lino played clips from all of the song parodies that he and Father Rob performed during Lent, briefly critiquing each one after it played. Then they performed one last parody to send Lent out with a bang: It’s The End Of Lent As We Know It, a parody of REM’s It’s The End Of The World As We Know It.
Toby Keith - Lino played Keith’s song If I Was Jesus to mock its country twang and simplistic (and borderline blasphemous) lyrics, yet he ended up praising parts of it nevertheless.

Hour 3

Pay Up! - Last week Lino and Father Rob bet on how many times a listener would go to daily Mass between then and now, with Lino paying up the $50 bet in advance because he was skeptical that the listener would attend at least two Masses. He ended up attending Mass once and attempting it a second time (not knowing that Mass was canceled that day in lieu of day-long Confessions), and that initiated a verbal war over whether the attempt counted or not. After much heated debate between them and the listeners, Lino conceded defeat... and his $50.
Lino’s Book Club - Having neglected the segment over the last few shows, Lino and Father Rob rushed through the remaining four chapters (Compassion, Approachability, Generosity & Encouragement) of Gus Lloyd’s new book Magnetic Christianity and answered the questions at the end of each one... preceded by one last stirring performance of the Seize The Day theme song.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob took extreme exception when Lino said that he had “the day off” yesterday when in fact he was hearing Confessions for several hours; Lino mocked the conversation that Father Rob had with himself that urged him to start the Confessions earlier than planned, then talked about the reasons why so few people take advantage of the Sacrament and invited the listeners to have their say.
Confession Explained - Lino explained how he’s seen some Catholic churches employ “Communal Reconciliation” where people either write their sins on pieces of paper and then burn them all, or they as a group quietly think about their sins and are then collectively absolved. Father Rob explained how neither of those methods satisfies the Sacramental requirements for Confession, then he and Lino helped guide a newbie coming into the Church on how to make her first Confession.
Voicemail Fun - Lino couldn’t help but play a voicemail left by a first-time listener questioning the rationale for the show’s fun and frivolity, and inviting Lino to call him for his insights as to what the show should be like.

Hour 2

NCAA Championship Fun - Admitting that he hasn’t followed the NCAA tournament at all, Lino chose to watch last night’s championship game anyway... and was glad he did, as he witnessed “world touring band” The Fray perform what he considered a less-than-stellar version of The Star Spangled Banner. Some of the callers agreed, but others didn’t see the same problems in the performance that Lino did. Afterwards, Lino poked fun at the rationale behind a reporter’s question to Kentucky coach and daily Mass attendee John Calipari about why he has so many priest friends.
Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - Yet another Triduum-themed edition: two lucky listeners won a Popener and a crucifix blessed by the Pope, respectively... but three more walked away empty handed.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

CBS has renewed its contracts with late night hosts Dave Letterman and Craig Ferguson.
Ashton Kutcher to portray Steve Jobs in an independent film about the founder of Apple.
Alec Baldwin is engaged to marry his 28-year-old girlfriend.
A sequel to the movie Dumb And Dumber is in the works.
Oaksterdam University in Oakland... a school for growing and selling medical marijuana... was raided by federal officials.

Catholic Guy Advice - Tanya will be coming into the Church this coming Saturday, but hasn’t really told anyone yet that she’s becoming Catholic because earlier on she wasn’t sure she’d finish RCIA. How should he go about spreading the news and possibly inviting them to the Easter Vigil?

Father Rob’s advice: Call your friends/family up and tell them the whole story, and invite them to the Easter Vigil to support you.
Lino’s advice: Send out a mass email to everyone announcing the good news and inviting them to the Easter Vigil.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With Father Rob out today hearing confessions, Gus Lloyd of Seize The Day fame was on the show to co-host the first hour after losing his NCAA bracket bet with Lino... and Lino lamented that having Gus on his show really meant that he was the loser; Gus also lost their second bet predicting the outcome of the Ohio State/Kansas game, and he explained how he’s going to have to spend three hours of prayer for Lino in front of the Blessed Sacrament; Lino and Gus took calls as to what Gus should specifically pray for Lino for, with emphasis on improving Lino’s singing abilities.
More Random Talk With Gus - Both Lino and Gus admitted to not taking home palms from Mass this weekend, with Gus explaining how he burns his old palms in his grill as he cooks hamburgers; Lino admitted going to Mass on Holy Thursday just to remind him what Mass is all about... but NOT to get his feet washed; asked by Lino, Gus admitted that despite his passion for his faith, he’s never felt a pull toward the priesthood or second-guessed his vocation to the married life... especially since he doesn’t live in the past like Lino does.

Hour 2

The New ~~Cruise~~ Program Director - Father Jonathan Morris stopped by to co-host the second hour of the show. Highlights: Father Jonathan revealed that his ordination was on Christmas Eve, and explained the basics of how he became the channel’s program director; he also revealed how he had to break up with the girl he had been seeing for almost two years upon entering seminary, how she ended up marrying his best friend in college, and how he ended up baptizing most of their eight children; Father Jonathan was taken aback that Lino declared Facebook to be merely a tool for keeping tabs on your ex, and assumed to Lino’s amusement that he’s so shallow that he only dates women for their money; the listeners called in to plead for Lino’s job, making Father Jonathan wonder if the calls were all staged; Lino talked about Father Jonathan’s book God Wants You Happy and the eclectic set of people who wrote endorsements for it; Father Jonathan remembered being in Rome for Pope John Paul II’s last days, reflecting on those days and of talking to the media about his impending death.

Hour 3

Storytime With Lino - Flying solo for this part of the show (and taking advantage of no interruptions), Lino continued the last thoughts of the prior hour by reflecting on his sightings of and interactions with Pope John Paul II, and specifically talking about how he made it to Rome in 2005 just in time to witness his death and the election of Benedict XVI.
Live From The Confessional - A ticked off Father Rob (who’s been hearing confessions all day) called in and immediately chastised Lino for making him sit on hold for 15 minutes, prompting Lino to get him even hotter by putting him on hold several times. After that fun, Father Rob explained how he’s heard confessions from several people who haven’t been in a long time, and reflected on how them receiving the sacrament has profoundly affected them.
Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - During this special Triduum-themed edition, the first caller walked away empty-handed, but the next three callers won a Sinner t-shirt, a crucifix blessed by the Pope, and a Popener, respectively.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Turns out that Lino lied on Facebook yesterday when he said that Father Rob’s speen acting up was the reason the show got canceled, so...
Lino Is Sorry - Lino apologized to the listeners for lying to them and inadvertently leading them to pray for Father Rob’s healing when healing was never needed. He also apologized for spreading a made-up story about Father Rob around the office that his real first name is “Seamus”... prompting Father Rob to promise revenge in a similar fashion.
Po-ta-to, Po-tah-to - Lino desperately tried to avoid getting sucked into a battle with Father Rob over the correct pronunciation of “diocese” and “dioceses”. He capitulated for about five minutes and then regained his mojo and slammed the brakes on any more discussion of the topic.
Vive La France! - Lino announced the newest Catholic Guy pilgrimage... he and Father Rob will be leading lucky listeners to France from July 8-17. Details at TheCatholicTraveler.com.
Prayer Requests - Lino admitted that he doesn’t like to take prayer requests on Facebook anymore because he gets bummed out reading all of the serious needs people have.

Hour 2

Breaking The Penance - A rambling discussion of everyone’s Lenten penances morphed into Lino admitting that he broke his penance twice last night at a bar with Father Leo Patalinghug... their waitress sat down with them and started chatting about religion and her lack thereof, and he ended up inviting her to come to a museum with him.
Lenten Song Parody - With Lent winding down, Lino and Father Rob sang the newest hit to top the charts, a parody of The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) by Simon & Garfunkel. Prefacing the performance by saying that they had nailed it in practice, they couldn’t even get through either of their first two performances without botching it, and Father Rob nearly went postal on Lino for his miscues before everyone finally pulled it together on the third try.
Lino’s Book Club - Lino and Father Rob continued their trip through Gus Lloyd’s new book Magnetic Christianity by answering the questions at the end of Chapter 7 on Kindness... with a couple of performances of the Seize The Day theme song as bookends.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Rock ‘n’ Roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis has married for the seventh time at age 76.
A new website prints out your Twitter feed on rolls of toilet paper.
Convicted criminal Jesse Joe Hernandez smiled, asked for God’s blessings on everyone, and yelled “Go Cowboys!” right before he was executed for his crimes.
A Tennessee mother is facing contempt of court charges and possible jail time for baptizing her two children with the knowledge and consent of her ex-husband.
Former President George H. W. Bush officially endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination... and the two had some scintillating chit-chat.

Lenten Song Parody Reprise - Lino and Father Rob gave the 59th Street Bridge Song parody one more try... and they completely nailed it this time. Riding the high of success, Lino elected to go out on a high note and declared it the last song parody of this year’s Lent.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With the Mega Millions jackpot up to $500m, Lino felt that it would be dangerous for anyone to win that amount of money since the love of money is the root of all evil and that kind of money would make someone miserable... Father Rob felt otherwise, seeing no problem with having that kind of money at his disposal.
Lenten Song Parody - Lino and Father Rob sang the newest hit to top the charts, Lenten Neverland, a parody of Enter Sandman by Metallica. Disappointed in his performance, Lino declined to take any listener comments on it.
Late Lenten Challenge - With the end of Lent fast approaching, Lino and Father Rob took suggestions from listeners as to what other things they could do/not do for the next ten days to augment their current Lenten penances.

Hour 2

Late Lenten Challenge (continued) - Lino took some more listener suggestions (and survived the phone system going down), ultimately deciding that he might try to go the daily Mass route. Highlight: the listener who suggested it was forced to reveal that he himself failed at the same penance this year, prompting Lino and Father Rob bet $50 over whether he’d go at least two times (Lino) or less than that (Father Rob) between now and Easter. Lino then was so skeptical of his own bet that he went ahead and gave Father Rob $50 in advance.
Lino’s Book Club - Lino and Father Rob continued their trip through Gus Lloyd’s new book Magnetic Christianity by answering the questions at the end of Chapter 6 on Honesty... with a couple of performances of the Seize The Day theme song as bookends.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - Highlights: Lino admitted resisting the urge to write a Lenten song parody about Mark, but just for him he and Father Rob did an acapella version of their Lenten Neverland parody from earlier; Mark affirmed Lino’s theory that people can have fun and smile during Lent; Lino tested out his Not Counting My Blessings segment on Mark and then gave him a turn at it; Mark will do a special pre-tape with Lino that will air on Holy Thursday.
Pardon The Smell - Father Rob has made Lino an offer that he desperately wants to refuse: he wants to wash Lino’s feet on Holy Thursday. After describing the only other time he agreed to do this, Lino declined Father Rob’s offer and then took calls from listeners in an attempt to justify his decision.
Closing Thoughts - Both Lino and Father Dave gave their mocking impressions of Father Rob conducting a parish mission after it was revealed that he’s been leaving early the past few shows to do just that.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino declared himself very annoyed that he’s not in Cuba with Pope Benedict XVI right now, as he had planned to broadcast from there but his plans fell through; he also lamented Benedict’s call for increased freedoms in Cuba, which were promptly rejected by the Cuban government; Father Rob got caught by Lino red handed glancing at a SF Giants preseason baseball game on TV during the show.
The God’s Honest Truth - Lino gave callers a Catholic-related statement, and the caller had to determine if it was a lie or the God’s Honest Truth. The first contestant went 4-for-5 and won a Rosary blessed by the Pope, the second went 2-for-5 and netted a Generation Cross DVD, and the final contestant went only 1-for-5 but still earned herself a Blessed John Paul II prayer card.

Hour 2

Lino’s Book Club - Lino and Father Rob continued their trip through Gus Lloyd’s new book Magnetic Christianity by answering the questions at the end of Chapter 5 on Humility... with a few singings of the Seize The Day theme song mixed in for good measure.
Priestly Freestyling - This past weekend Lino attended Mass at a parish he hadn’t been to in a while with a priest he was not familiar with. He was astonished at the level of ad-libbing he experienced, and even though what the priest did wasn’t liturgically correct, he asked listeners who actually enjoy that kind of ad-libbing to call in and explain why they do. (He also opened it up to listeners who had the exact opposite point-of-view.)

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Ron Paul argued on Piers Morgan Tonight that people shouldn’t dismiss his presidential candidacy just because he’s so far behind in the delegate count.
On the lineup card submitted before the San Antonio Spurs’ most recent game, it was explained that star Tim Duncan did not play in the game because he was “old”.
ABC has chosen Jimmy Kimmel to host this year’s Emmy Awards.
Newt Gingrich began charging $50 to have a photo taken with him in order to raise money for his campaign. That prompted Lino and Father Rob to ask the listeners how much they’d pay for a picture with the two of them, culminating in a call from a listener who discovered his book Sinner before she found the show, and who offered to pay $52 for an autographed Lino Rulli bobblehead.
Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic asked the chair umpire to remove his father/coach from the stadium during a match after declaring that his father’s actions were “annoying me”. That somehow resulted in a tangential discussion of the various nation-based seminaries that exist in Rome.

Mail Time - Highlights included a listener who was disappointed in TCGS because she couldn’t feel a connection to it and didn’t understand the show’s goals.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / Lino on FoxNews.com LIVE - With so much to talk about on today’s show, Lino gave Father Rob the option of what to discuss first... and to his dismay he chose Lino’s FoxNews.com LIVE appearance earlier this morning. So Lino played the audio of him and Father Jonathan Morris (who in a coincidence was announced by Lino as The Catholic Channel’s new program director) talking about the Pope’s current trip to Mexico and Cuba, and Father Rob had a rip-roaring time goofing on Lino’s appearance... particularly the two times when anchor Lauren Green grossly mispronounced Lino’s name.
Lino’s Book Club - Lino and Father Rob continued their trip through Gus Lloyd’s new book Magnetic Christianity by first belting out the Seize The Day theme song, and then answering the questions at the end of Chapter 4 on Confidence.

Hour 2

A Website For Father Rob - At the end of the last hour Lino wondered once again if Father Rob would ever get his own website. That led to the revelation that the “FatherRob.com” URL had been taken by an ex-Catholic priest who still apparently celebrates the Sacraments, which prompted listeners to call in with alternatives and Father Rob to ponder what kind of mindless content he’d put on his site.
Lenten Song Parody - Lino and Father Rob sang the newest hit to top the charts, Nothin’ But A Good Lent, a parody of Nothin’ But A Good Time by Poison. After a lackluster performance the first time around where Father Rob kept missing notes, Lino coached Father Rob on the finer points of singing the song... and then they went at it again with slightly better results.

Hour 3

This Didn’t Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan - Lino told the unfortunate but hilarious story of how a woman from Kazakhstan won a gold medal at the Arab Shooting Championships in Kuwait, yet when they played the Kazakh national anthem to honor her they inadvertently ended up playing the completely phony version specifically written for the movie Borat. He and Father Rob then discussed how they would react if it was their anthem that got screwed up.
Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

The Hunger Games raked in $155m from the box office in it’s first weekend, the third-best debut of all time and the best debut outside of the summer months. That prompted the idea of a Sinner movie based on Lino’s book, and Father Rob’s insistence that he be included in the movie even though he wasn’t featured in the book.
A 29-year-old woman breaks into Simon Cowell’s $14m home in England while he’s in it, but is quickly arrested.
Tiger Woods wins his first PGA tournament in 2½ years.
Comedian Gallagher suspends his comedy club career to focus on his health, only two weeks after his third heart attack.
A couple in England were surprised at their wedding by none other than Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, who had initially declined an invitation to attend but nevertheless had quietly planned on showing up. That prompted Lino and Father Rob that they might decide to crash a listener’s wedding if they got an invitation.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With Father Jim in studio today in place of Father Rob, Lino wasted no time explaining how he’s badgered Father Jim over the years to come on a listener pilgrimage with him; questioned by Lino, Father Jim admitted that God may really have been the one who pushed him to go on the trip; Lino told the story of him and the abrasive clerk at the check-in counter, and how his overweight bag resulted in him transferring his shoes to Father Jim’s bag; Father Jim marveled at the existence of the first class lounge and middle seats on the plane, and Lino marveled at how much Father Jim dressed up for the flight; obsessive-compulsive Lino pondered how detailed one should get when asking God for something.
Resigned To The Papacy? - Walking to his flight to Mexico for an apostolic visit, it was hard not to notice that Benedict XVI was using a cane to help himself walk. That restarted the rumor mill about the almost 85-year-old’s health, and it prompted Lino to declare the Vatican should be more open to talking about the Pope resigning if he couldn’t carry out his duties, citing instances where Pope’s have resigned before. Father Jim was concerned that the selection of the next Pope would become too political if Benedict were still around and could potentially have some influence.
Pilgrimage Memories - Lino played some sound clips from the first night of the pilgrimage: he asked the pilgrims what their biggest expectation for the trip was... and received some wacky answers in return; Father Jim admitted being shocked when he learned that several of the pilgrims had never attended a Catholic Mass before; Lino pondered in disbelief why many of the pilgrims drank their Limoncello in one shot (vs. sipping it), and Father Jim was goaded into doing a shot of Jagermeister... which Lino pointed out had never been done on pilgrimages with Father Rob.

Hour 2

What’s Up With That? - Lino read these news summaries that made him and Father Jim scratch their heads a bit:

Televangelist Pat Robertson declared that it would serve the Broncos right for newly acquired QB Peyton Manning to get injured after the way they treated Tim Tebow.
Democratic congressman (and huge NC State fan) Brad Miller said in an AP interview that if Duke were playing in the NCAA Tournament against the Taliban... he’d have to pull for the Taliban.
Rick Santorum said in a speech yesterday that given the choice between Barack Obama and someone who’s just a little different (referring to Mitt Romney), he’d “stick with what we have”.
At a campaign appearance, Joe Biden was introduced as “President” Biden.
In several schools in England, teachers are banning students from having “best friends” in order to prevent the pain that would result if the friendship soured.

Things That Drive You Crazy At Mass - Highlights included: Altar servers who don’t know what they’re doing; loudly opening up a cough drop wrapper; people who jump the Communion line to receive from the priest; chatter from other people during Mass; people who wear noisy shoes like flipflops; aisle squatters who refuse to slide over; people who wander the sanctuary during the Sign of Peace; kids who bring in loud toys; kneelers slamming to the ground.

Hour 3

Pilgrimage Memories - Lino quizzed Father Jim on his knowledge of St. Peter and the basilica that bears his name... and he didn’t fare well; the pilgrims gave their impressions of seeing the bones of St. Peter during the Scavi tour; Lino and Father Jim gave their thoughts on celebrating Mass at the tomb of Pope John Paul II, and Lino detailed how they had to fight with some other people who wanted to muscle in on their reservation; sound clips from dinner and drinking, the pilgrims’ first taste of green Sambuca, and final good-byes; Father Jim’s mom called in to thank Lino for showing her son a good time in Italy.
Don’t You Just Hate Fridays In Lent? - There was one little snag in the pilgrimage that Lino detailed: the final meal was on Friday, which meant no meat since it’s Lent. The pasta that Lino ordered for everyone was great... until everyone finally realized that the pasta had prosciutto in it.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino previewed actor John Schnieder’s pre-taped appearance on the show later today; he and Father Rob then brought us up-to-date on how their Lenten penances were going, with Lino revealing to an outraged Father Rob that he flirted with a girl twice earlier in Lent and kissed her for half-an-hour... Lino countered with equal outrage when Father Rob admitted going over his texting limit 7 or 8 times during Lent.
Lenten Song Parody - Lino and Father Rob sang the newest hit to top the charts, Lent Is A Bear, a parody of Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi. After admitting to themselves that it was their worst performance so far, they sang it again in an attempt to redeem themselves... and unsurprisingly most callers tended to agree that the second version was no better.

Hour 2

John Schneider - The former Dukes of Hazzard actor and star of the new film October Baby stopped by to chat with Lino earlier in the day. Highlights included: Lino and John talking about being misfits due to their youthful actions; John’s memories of being in Catholic Kindergarten brought on by ads on SiriusXM for TCGS, and of God pointing the way to a career in acting; the backstory behind the movie October Baby, and John’s feeling that God had a hand in putting the movie on Fandango’s Top Five “Must Go” list.
Lino’s Book Club - Lino and Father Rob continued their trip through Gus Lloyd’s new book Magnetic Christianity by answering the questions at the end of Chapter 3 on Friendliness, and Father Rob nearly peed in his pants in anticipation of getting to sing the Seize The Day theme song... which he and Lino ended up doing three times. Afterwards, Lino talked about the success of his book vs. Gus’ book, and his competitive nature and the jealousy he sometimes feels when he sees the success of others.

Hour 3

Catholic Guy Advice - “Maria” would like to invite her fiance’s rich boss to her wedding, knowing that he likely won’t come and yet would still give them $1,000 as a wedding present. Her fiance disagrees, saying that using him in that way for his money is immoral. What say you?

Lino’s advice: Send him the invitation. It’s not on you if the guy doesn’t want to show up, and you probably have an obligation to send him one so that he’s not hurt.
Father Rob’s advice: Ditto what Lino said. Your intentions may not be pure, but he deserves an invitation anyway because your fiance works for him.

Lenten Song Parody - In a nod to one of Father Rob’s better performances (at least by his standards), he and Lino resang their Lenten Train parody from March 7th while Lino was in Canada. Afterwards, Lino felt that the earlier version still had the upper hand.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Criticized by Lino for not yet having his own website, Father Rob declared that he’d build a site if people would visit it; after Father Rob criticized Lino for his running of the board (and for not being able to spell his last name), Lino forced him to switch places to see how hard it is; in talking with a Sirius security guard earlier today who kept a gold crucifix in his nightstand, Lino appreciated people who have faith in God and live it out without necessarily being able to quote the Bible or the Catechism.
Mama Rulli - Making her first appearance since Advent, Lino’s Mom annoyed her son to no end by playing a new game with Father Rob and the listeners called Like Son, Like Mother, where the listener would be given a true statement about Lino and would have to determine if the same could be said about Lino’s Mom. Two lucky listeners won a San Damiano Cross and a crucifix blessed by the Pope, respectively... but Father Rob had a rough go of it.

Hour 2

Mark Hart - Highlights: Lino basked in the fun he had when he falsely tweeted to everyone a few days ago that it was Mark’s birthday, and Mark vowed revenge at a time and place TBD; Mark brought up several examples of tomfoolery and skullduggery in the Bible and pointed out that none of it was specifically sinful.
The Only Constant Is Change - After posting a photo of himself on Facebook showing of his new look (complete with beard and glasses), Lino wondered if it was good or bad to constantly be changing the spiritual parts of our lives. Father Rob argued that a big part of spirituality is building upon things that are the same, and the listeners gave Lino their say.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum recently earned the Secret Service codenames of “Javelin” and “Petrus”, respectively.
The NFL suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton for the upcoming season for incentivizing hits on opposing players; former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely for his role. This story warranted extended discussion: Father Rob felt that the punishment fit the crime, but Lino disagreed, arguing that playing football is a rough game in any event, and that the NFL was just trying to make an example out of the Saints.
Robert DeNiro took heat for joking at an Obama fundraiser that he wondered if America was ready for a white first lady, then “apologized” without ever saying that he was sorry for the remarks.

Lino’s Book Club - Lino and Father Rob continued their trip through Gus Lloyd’s new book Magnetic Christianity by attempting to answer the questions at the end of Chapter 2 on Enthusiasm. As an added bonus, Lino dragged Father Dave on the air early to participate in the discussion and to sing the Seize The Day theme song in unison... but then completely ditched the segment after the first question to promote The Busted Halo Show’s live broadcasts from Los Angeles later this week.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino mourned the loss of five years worth of show-related documents after his computer at work crashed and burned, but his Facebook fans were not feeling very sorry for him and chastised him for not having backed up his stuff; as the listeners called in with their comments, Father Rob lampooned Lino for getting so sad over the loss of files that were years in the past; Lino flexed his incredible memory and recalled out of the blue a caller who had written him months ago asking for prayers as he battled leukemia, and when he told Lino that he and his girlfriend will likely be engaged soon, Lino and Father Rob tried to get in on the wedding action.
Free Therapy Tuesday - Today’s therapy topic: Lino likes to hold on to memories of the past and is not one to “let go and let God” when it comes to past events, and his therapist encouraged him to chip away at the related emotions that he has been hoarding.

Hour 2

Lino Is (Sort Of) Sorry - Several weeks ago Lino chastised Father Rob for wearing cologne, seeing no purpose in him doing so. After several listeners pointed out a news story that Benedict XVI has commissioned his own cologne, Lino was forced to apologize to Father Rob for his comments... but still stood by his opinion that celibate priests (including the Pope) shouldn’t be wearing cologne.
What’s Father Rob Humming? - In honor of the first day of Spring, Father Rob turned on his iPod and hummed songs with the word “sun” in the title. Listeners who guessed the song he was humming won a prize based on the level of difficulty.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories (which Lino had no foreknowledge of), and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content:

Lady Gaga to Oprah: “Yes, I want kids... I want a soccer team.”
Rosie O’Donnell boozes it up for her 50th birthday, the day before her last show on the Oprah Winfrey Network aired after being canceled.
New York Mets owners pay a $162m to settle a lawsuit related to the Bernie Madoff scandal.
Charlie Sheen’s character on Two And A Half Men is coming back... as a ghost, voiced by Kathy Bates.
The mayor of Guanajuato, Mexico says that the locals will welcome Pope Benedict XVI this week by presenting him with symbolic keys to the city.

Sinner Giveaway - In honor of the sweet royalty check that he just received from his publisher, Lino offered to give away copies of his book to listeners who called in... as long as they promised to give them away and gave a good explanation of their plans. Highlight: Lino and Father Rob were inclined not to give Jason a book to give to his wife, but in the face of defeat he a played such a guilt trip on them that they basically had no choice but to give him the book in the end.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Freshly returned from Italy, Lino was fascinated by the fact that he was at Mass at St. Peter’s on Sunday morning and was laying on his couch in NYC later that night... unlike his descendants who came over 80 years ago; to further prove how we take technology for granted, Lino tried (and failed) to ask Siri on his iPhone various questions; Father Rob mocked Lino for the kinds of movies he watched on his flight yesterday, and for not taking advantage of his comfortable first class seat to catch a nap.
Confession - On a spur of the moment, Lino decided to go to Confession at St. Peter’s before heading back home... and Lino described his unusually uplifting experience. (He also revealed as an aside that one of the pilgrims tried to steal a bottle of booze from the restaurant they were at.) Afterwards he read a couple of listener emails related to Confession.
Minor Confessions - Highlights included: Lino pranking Mark Hart by tweeting to everyone that it was his 40th birthday (which it wasn’t); a listener deliberately farted in a co-worker’s chair to get back at her annoyances; Lino timed the segment so that Father Rob couldn’t get out his own minor confession.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn’t Know - Father Rob told us about these intriguing news stories, and he and Lino commented to their hearts' content. In a new twist, Father Rob picked out these stories, and Lino had no foreknowledge of what was going to be brought up.

Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson accidentally tweeted former Texas Rangers teammate Mike Napoli’s phone number to his thousands of followers. That prompted a threat from Father Rob to Lino that the former would bash the latter’s head in if his phone number ever got out like that.
George Clooney was arrested during a protest at the Sudanese embassy in Washington D.C... and he called his mom with his one phone call.
Manohar Aich, winner of the 1952 Mr. Universe contest, turned 100 years old today.
Peyton Manning to become the next QB of the Denver Broncos, prompting an imminent trade of current QB Tim Tebow.
21 Jump Street is this past weekend’s #1 movie, bringing in $35m.

It’s Not Just A Vocation Anymore - The Spanish Bishop’s Conference is hoping to draw more young men to the priesthood through a video highlighting Spain’s high unemployment rate and the promise of a permanent job as a priest. Both Lino and Father Rob thought it was a terrible idea, noting that the priesthood is a vocation and not job, and solicited listeners to come up with more creative ideas for a promotional video.

Hour 3

Lino’s Book Club - In this resurrected segment where Lino promotes books other than his own, he and Father Rob started an 11-day trip through Gus Lloyd’s new book Magnetic Christianity by answering the questions at the end of Chapter 1 on Positivity.
Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - One contestant won a Popener, another won a San Damiano Cross, and two more walked away empty handed by answering the question wrong.
Parting Shots - Father Rob admitted that he drank less this past St. Patrick’s Day than in the past, fitting in a few sips between Confession and Mass and again after Mass. He then yelled at Father Dave for choosing to abstain from alcohol during Lent, knowing full well that St. Patrick’s Day falls during that time.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob was incredulous that Lino dared to post a video of himself in his in-room hot tub on Facebook... and so were many listeners; Lino found it odd that the Holy Spirit guides the voting in a Papal conclave, yet nobody who ever becomes pope ever votes for himself; the hacking group Anonymous brought the Vatican’s web site down earlier today, and Lino mocked the hackers for their mindless justifications of their actions; Apple announced the iPad 3 earlier today, and Lino exhibited some Lenten discipline by choosing not to buy one for the sake of having the latest and greatest.
Lenten Song Parody - Despite being thousands of miles apart, Lino and Father Rob teamed up for another parody titled Lenten Train, a take-off of Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne. Afterwards, Lino remarked at how much better Father Rob has gotten at singing yet most of the callers on hold wanted to complain about it, so Father Rob elected to cut those callers loose and take only those with positive comments.

Hour 2

The Pope’s General Audience - Utilizing his typically mind-numbing pope impression, Lino read Benedict XVI's reflection from earlier today about silence in our relationship with God.
Lino’s General Audience - Today’s topic: Commitment. Lino felt that what we really lack in today’s society is a commitment to one another, and that people see other people as nothing but objects to use. Case in point: Peyton Manning, who was released from the Indianapolis Colts today... Lino felt they should’ve kept him until he retires for all that he’s done for that franchise.
Catholic Guy Advice - Tony had a two parter: 1) being a regional sales manager, is it sinful to fire employees who don’t measure up, and 2) with his wife as a teacher, is it intellectually dishonest for her to give failing students a D- so that they will pass?

Lino’s advice: Give the employees/students a warning, and if they don’t improve, fire/fail them. You can do so charitably and know that you’re doing the right thing.
Father Rob’s advice: Fire the employees only if they’ve been given a fair amount of time to improve and they still haven’t. But don’t feel sorry for the students who fail, as you’ve given them ample opportunity to pass the course.

Hour 3

Saints, Sinners, and Salami - Lino announced the winner of the contest to spend a day with him in New York City: Bill from Pennsylvania. Feeling bad for all of those who lost (especially since it turns out that Bill went on the last listener pilgrimage), Lino also promised to briefly meet with anyone who pays their own way and comes to NYC for that express purpose. He forced Bill’s husband Carrie (who accepted on his behalf) to apologize to everyone who lost... which she did in the most flippant and sarcastic way possible.
Hot Tub Bible Time Machine - Having slipped once again into his in-room jacuzzi, Lino used it as a “time machine” to “visit” (read: describe in detail) places and events captured in the Bible that Father Rob and the listeners suggested.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With his in-room jacuzzi finally fixed, Lino announced his intention to broadcast from the hot tub later in the show... he also added in a flash of honesty that he’s currently broadcasting without pants on; in response to a listener who complained of the use of the word “sucks” on the air, Lino responded he likes to put things out there (even if they’re slightly vulgar) in the name of honesty, and that everyone (including the church) needs to remember the benefits of honesty and transparency.
Answer The Question - Of today’s two contestants, the second contestant went 3-for-5 and won a Popener for his efforts. The first contestant should’ve won a Popener for going 3-for-5, but Lino and Father Rob incorrectly marked one of his answers as wrong, so he got cheated out of the Popener and won a Sinner t-shirt instead.
Mail Time - 11-year-old Isabella managed to praise the show, and yet bash Father Rob for his singing abilities and Lino for his less-handsome-than-advertised quality at the same time.

Hour 2

Broadcasting Live From The Jacuz... Zzzzzt - After contemplating the pros and cons and reading listener comments about it on Facebook, Lino took a big risk by easing himself into the in-room jacuzzi and continuing to broadcast while sitting in the water.
No Dumb Questions - While Lino continuted to relax in his jacuzzi, Father Rob took questions about the Catholic faith from listeners.

Hour 3

Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention - After giving brief impressions of Saskatoon’s new cathedral, being called out at the end of Sunday Mass, and eating Canadian bacon, Lino focused his ridicule on the keyless ignition in his rental car, claiming that it’s a useless innovation that just makes people lazy. Father Rob and the callers adamantly disagreed and lauded the usefulness and convenience of the system.
Mysteries - Lino, Father Rob, and the listeners shared puzzling mysteries of day-to-day life (like why you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway).

Monday, March 5, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Having successfully made his way to Canada, Lino described his winter wonderland environs (including the massive national interest in the sport of curling) and shuddered in fear at the thought of Father Rob being in charge of all phone calls to the show... much less anything else; with all of the hotels in Saskatoon being booked, Lino was fortunate to get invitation to stay at the rectory of the city’s new cathedral and marveled at getting what essentially was a private tour of the place.
Keepin’ It Clean - Lino congratulated the cathedral in Saskatoon for providing Purell to its parishioners for use after the Sign of Peace and Communion. Father Rob pretty much poo-pooed the entire issue, but several listeners called in saying that their parishes already offer a similar service.

Hour 2

Random Musings - While laying over in Minneapolis he failed to get any of his friends to meet up with him... even going so far as to suggest that one of his buddies bring his 1½ year old daughter with him to a bar; after failing to get his room’s jacuzzi working and declining a massage from a dude, Lino had to actually go and look up online whether they’d accept U.S. currency or not; that in turn led to him talking about how a small minority of the Catholic population would know to go to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to look up the rules of the faith.
Rush Limbaugh - The conservative talk show host has finally apologized for crude comments he made about a Georgetown Law School student who supported the HHS mandate, and Lino at first wondered if his apology was truly sincere but soon thereafter declared that we shouldn’t judge him and should give him the benefit of the doubt.
The Last Temptation Of Father Rob - In discussing the status of their Lenten penances, Lino admitted that he twice tried to trick Father Rob into wasting his daily allocation of texts in meaningless conversation... but Father Rob called his bluff by calling him on the phone.

Hour 3

Why Aren’t More Guys Priests? - Father Rob answered Lino’s question by acknowledging that many guys are torn by a calling to the priesthood and a desire to raise a family... he also admitted that people don’t look up to the priesthood like they used to. Listeners then called in to state their answers, and Father Rob talked more about his struggles with the finer points of becoming a priest.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - It’s Lino’s last show in studio with Father Rob for 2½ weeks, as he’ll be in Canada next week leading a priests’ retreat and in Italy on a pilgrimage the week after; Lino read some of the amusing negative comments people left at TripAdvisor.com about the hotel he was looking to book a room at for Saturday night... along with the management’s responses; he had a hard time reconciling the negative comments with the positive, and theorized that the Catholic Church can end up being unfairly scrutinized in the same way.
Corrective Measures - Father Rob texted Lino earlier today that he was running late and asked that it not count against his Lenten text allowance because it was work related. Not only did Lino refuse, he chastised him for it in the name of “fraternal correction”, which brought wrath upon himself being too hard on Father Rob and for talking out of the other side of his mouth through some of his recent flirting actions.
Lenten Song Parody - Lino and Father Rob sang the newest hit to top the charts, Fast/Pray/Give Alms Like Lino, a parody of Move Like Jagger by Maroon 5.

Hour 2

Lenten Song Parody (continued) - The listeners weighed in with their opinions, particularly about Father Rob’s performance... and they ranged anywhere from total approval to outright disgust. So Lino and Father Rob performed it again in an attempt to sway opinions... and not much changed.
Struggles With Sin - After grousing with Lino over the definition of “grouse”, Lino explained how a friend of his was complaining of unfair treatment at his job, and that in turn led him to wonder how someone gets over sinful behaviors like jealousy, greed, wrath, etc. that are so intense and ingrained in everyday life. Father Rob explained behaviors like that don’t change overnight, and that the best way to do overcome them is to devote more time worrying about what God thinks of your actions than what other people think.

Hour 3

Seven Deadly Questions - Lino and Father Rob provided answers to these "deadly" questions compiled from Lino’s Facebook page:

What is your least favorite Commandment? (Father Rob’s answer: Thou shalt have no other gods but me. Lino’s answer: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.)
Lino: At what point should one accept their vocation to the single life? (Answer: never)
If you had the chance, would you trade lives with your co-host? (Answer from both: NO)
Is there one thing you would change about the other? (Lino’s answer: Father Rob’s temper and wrath. Father Rob’s answer: Lino’s passive-agressive nature.)
Lino: Were you ever a catechist? (Answer: no)
Father Rob: If a beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous woman insisted on going on a date with you, how would he respond? (Father Rob’s answer: insist back that it’s never gonna happen)
Lino: How close have you ever been to proposing to a woman? (Answer: Yes... a girl I broke up with got engaged to somebody else and I thought about whisking her away from that situation.)

Father Rob’s Righteous Anger - With Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek retiring from baseball yesterday, Father Rob went off on him and other athletes who get emotional when speaking about their sadness at retiring, playing clips of several retirement speeches to prove his point. Lino and some callers, however, declared his anger to be sinful rather than righteous, pointing out that leaving a job you love is definitely an emotional affair.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino wished that God didn’t always give us free will because that’s how he manages to screw things up, which led to Father Rob and Lino getting into a huge spat over the definition of a “puppet” and how it differs from a “muppet”; a “spiritual” friend of Lino’s questioned if even having thoughts about women he meets would break his Lenten penance, and he and Father Rob agreed that it didn’t because he didn’t act on the thought.
Will You Marry Me? - With yesterday being a leap day, Lino mentioned the old Irish tradition that St. Patrick granted to St. Bridgid that women could propose to men on that day only. Lino felt that since everyone is equal in the eyes of God, women should be allowed to propose any day they wanted instead of waiting for the man to get around to it. Father Rob disagreed and hewed to the more traditional role of a man getting down on one knee to ask a woman.

Hour 2

Mark Hart - Highlights: After siding with Father Rob on the women proposing to men question, Mark outlined that the Bible was mostly silent on dating and flirting; he also pointed out that the Bible spoke very little on whether Jesus’ apostles were married or single; Lino asked Mark why many of the apostles had multiple names in the Bible, and he explained that they likely had a different name in each language of the region; Lino and Father Rob argued over the origins of Lino’s name; Mark talked about St. Paul’s choice to remain celibate, then rubbed Lino and Father Rob the wrong way be declaring that the happiest people he knows are married, devout Catholics who get to have lots of sex.
Davy Jones - The lead singer of The Monkees died yesterday, and after endlessly mocking their signature song Hey, Hey, We’re The Monkees, Lino and Father Rob discussed the group’s history and took calls from listeners who reminisced about them.

Hour 3

Don’t Cry For Me, Father Timmy - Father Rob admitted that he’s gotten to the point where he will occasionally cry... particularly after today’s funeral of one of his parishioners who had been a real model of faith. Unfortunately, Lino seized the opportunity to mock him from one end to the other over his new found emotionality, and that prompted Father Rob to retaliate by pridefully declaring himself the best in various circumstances.
The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt never order the same meal as someone else unless there’s a group... and even if they ordered what you wanted first, just pick something else for goodness’ sake.” A listener wrote in saying that a friend of his always orders the same thing he does at restaurants, and Lino got ticked off at Father Rob at lunch today for ordering the same thing he was going to order, prompting him to grudgingly change his mind. Father Rob and every listener who called completely disagreed, seeing no problem with he and Lino ordering the same thing.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / Making A Joyful Noise - Lino elected to scrap the sedate opening of the show for the rest of Lent, arguing that Lent doesn’t equal the total exclusion of joy; Lino used a sound clip of David Hasselhoff singing on QVC that Father Rob dug up to argue that people should be more focused on listening at Mass than singing... particularly if you’re a bad singer.

Hour 2

Lenten Song Parody - After a brief argument about whether Lino broke his Lenten penance of no flirting earlier today, Lino and Father Rob belted out The Power Of Lent, a take-off of The Power Of Love by Huey Lewis and the News. Father Rob’s missing of a cue midway through the song resulted in some backstory about how both of them practiced for it multiple times with much embarassment but not a lot of progress to show for it.
Non-Lenten Song Parody - This past Sunday was the Rite of Election for all of those going through RCIA, and in honor of the RCIA process, Father Rob and Lino sang another song parody based on YMCA by The Village People. Afterwards, Father Rob explained what the Rite of Election is all about, and listeners called in with their experiences going through the rite.

Hour 3

Happy Leap Day! - Lino and Father Rob explained the history of how our current calendar developed, how Pope Gregory XIII and priest/astronomer Christopher Clavius modified it in the 16th century to keep it accurate, and how long it took some countries to adopt it due to anti-Catholic attitudes. In the same vein, Father Rob also listed some other major contributions to science and education that the Catholic Church is responsible for.
Take Me Where The Wind Blows - We’re not exactly sure how, but the previous conversation exploded into a shouting match between Lino and Father Rob over what kind of TV they watched in their youth. That further devolved into a heated debate about the movie Something Borrowed, and ended with both of them trading accusations about getting sucked in to watching romantic comedies.
Lenten Song Parody Redux - Lino and Father Rob resang their parody The Power Of Lent from earlier in the show.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Compared to yesterday’s rant about the Oscars by Father Rob, Lino chose to open with more lighthearted fare, pointing out Angelina Jolie’s flashing of her right leg and the subsequent Twitter account that opened up on its behalf; Lino mused (correctly and sadly) that less people follow any Catholic person or organization on Twitter (including the Pope) than Angelina Jolie’s right leg.
I Smell Pretty, Oh So Pretty - Cardinal Dolan invited Lino over for lunch today, and coming out of the shower he oversprayed himself with cologne and furiously attempted to scrub it off of him before his appointment. That led to Father Rob admitting that he wears cologne when he goes out sometimes, and an amused Lino blasted him and declared that a celibate priest had no business wearing anything that made him purposely smell good.

Hour 2

Cardinal Knowledge - After giving his impressions of being in the Cardinal’s residence, Lino wondered if the average Catholic really knew all of the things that a bishop has to concern himself with day-to-day... or if they could even name their bishop... so he polled the listeners to see if they knew who their bishop was. The conversation then degenerated into a screaming match between Lino and Father Rob over the formality of the lunch and whether germophobe Lino should have expected to be served food that was meant to be eaten with the hands.
Procrastination - Lino told the story of a priest in Belleville, Illinois who had previously resigned for ad-libbing the words at Mass, and who has now retracted his resignation because his bishop took too long to accept the resignation.
Mail Time - In response to a listener’s email, Father Rob explained why Lent lasts 40 days; another listener chastised Lino for becoming more full of himself recently and declared Father Rob a “red state liberal cleric”, and ended by stating that he’s given up TCGS “for Lent and beyond”.

Hour 3

The Lord Giveth And Taketh Away - After Lino’s friend Jim teased him with tickets to tonights Van Halen concert and then took them away, Father Rob convinced Lino to shell out $346 a pop to go to their Thursday night concert.
Catholic Guy Advice - A listener asked what Lino and Father Rob would do if they were faced with a situation at Mass where moving seats would be the only way to get any relief (i.e., sitting next to someone who smells, dealing with an obnoxious kid, etc.).

Lino’s advice: Stay there and suffer. Focus on the Mass and leave the rest behind.
Father Rob’s advice: Get up and move. You’re there to try to draw closer to God, and if where you’re sitting is preventing you from doing that, then move somewhere else.

Magnetic Christianity - Lino took a few minutes to re-promote Gus Lloyd’s new book, and announced the formation of the Catholic Guy Book Club later this month featuring a more in-depth look at the book.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob went off on the whole Oscars ceremony from last night, particularly the seriousness and formality of it all (as opposed to something more casual and informal like the Golden Globes), and that the honor should be in the movies that they create; Lino disagreed and pointed out that you don’t have to like it, but you should still give people who put their entire lives into making movies their moment to shine.
Lenten Song Parody - After a brief recap of both of their Lenten penances, Lino and Father Rob belted out Let’s Talk About Lent, a take-off of Let’s Talk About Sex by Salt-n-Pepa.
Random Thankfulness - Callers gave thanks for random things and happenings in their lives.

Hour 2

Interviews With The Saints - Lino paid a visit to heaven and conducted “interviews” with several Saints (who mysteriously all sounded a lot like Father Rob). The interviewees were: St. Thomas More, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. Theresa of Avila.
Let Them Eat Cake - A banker in Newport Beach, CA left a whopping 1% tip on a $133 restaurant bill, justifying his action based on the service he received. (He also circled the tip amount on the receipt and wrote “Get a real job” next to it.) Lino argued that the banker committed a sin because he was mean spirited, and because servers share in all tips and pretty much depend on them for their income.

Hour 3

Catholic Pyramid - A new segment based on the old Pyramid games on TV. Father Rob read clues to a series of items belonging to one of six categories, and the contestant had one minute to name as many categories as he/she could. It turned out to be one of the most challenging games ever offered on the show, as the first two contestants never even got the hang of the game. The next six contestants did better, winning prizes based on how many categories they got right.
Lino On FoxNews.com LIVE - Lino made a return appearance to the religion panel on FoxNews.com LIVE (this time sporting a sweater vest complete with unnecessary glasses pinned to it), and he and Father Rob critiqued his fish-out-of-water appearance after playing sound clips of the discussion, which focused on religion in politics.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino only opens up his snail mail every couple of months... but his laziness blew up in his face when one of the letters he opened this morning was a personal note from Edward Cardinal Egan dated three months ago congratulating him on his book; Lino didn’t think that it was necessary to write him back, but Father Rob and many callers adamantly thought otherwise... so at one point Lino compromised and made a heartfelt yet self-aggrandizing apology on the air.
Homily On The Spot - Lino randomly chose passages out of the Bible, and Father Rob had to formulate and deliver an on-the-spot homily while simultaneously dealing with sporadic interruptions from Lino.
Musings On Lent - Lino observed that a much higher percentage of Catholics participate in some kind of Lenten observance than actually go to Mass on Sunday, which led to a brief debate about whether saying “Alleluia” in any context was forbidden during Lent.

Hour 2

The Lenten Loophole - Continuing the discussion on Lent, Lino and Father Rob pointed out that the Sundays of Lent are technically exceptions to season because they celebrate Christ’s resurrection, and therefore you don’t need to necessarily observe your Lenten penance on those days. Listeners chimed in with their thoughts on the loophole and whether or not they intended to take advantage of it, and Father Rob declared to a ticked off Lino that he would also be embracing it to catch up on his texting.
Lenten Song Parody - On today’s hit parade: Fast And Pray All Lent, sung to the tune of Rock And Roll All Night by Kiss and submitted by a listener.

Hour 3

Lenten Song Parody (continued) - Listeners gave their feedback to Lino and Father Rob, with special emphasis on Father Rob’s lack of a singing voice.
Hunger Pangs - Lino recently posted a picture of what little food he has in his fridge to Facebook, and his Facebook friends had their say.
Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - Another Lent-themed edition of this popular segment... the first two callers struck out, but the last three won a Rosary blessed by the Pope, a St. Anthony of Padua prayer card, and a San Damiano cross.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Only one day into his Lenten penance, Lino got called out by Father Rob for getting chatty with another girl earlier today and texting with an ex-girlfriend last night... Lino defended his actions last night as innocent chatter but admitted to today’s flirtation; Lino felt that his penance would end up being healthy for him, but Father Rob completely disagreed and felt that being limited to 12 texts a day would be equal to torture.
Lenten Song Parody - Lino announced that he and Father Rob would do one song parody per day during Lent to celebrate the season, and they started off with a bang by belting out a duet entitled All Lent Long, sung to the tune of Lionel Richie’s All Night Long. And then they were so impressed with themselves that they sang it again a cappella... which brought an onslaught of calls from listeners who either loved it or felt it contributed to their Lenten penance.
You Call That A Fast? - Lino and Father Rob compared notes on what they ate during yesterday’s fast... and both accused the other of going over the Church’s limits on what they could eat.
Calling All Fish Lovers - Lino played a Wendy’s commercial touting their new fish sandwich, but he was turned off by the commercial’s insinuation that all Catholics are “fish lovers” and its de-emphasis of the sacrificial nature of the Lenten fast.

Hour 2

You’re Fired - A priest in the diocese of Belleville, Illinois resigned as pastor of his parish after he was called out for refusing to pray the Mass using the words of the new translation. Father Rob said that the priest is not bigger than the Church and needed to get with the program or hit the road; Lino agreed that the priest should’ve stuck with the new translation but felt that Father Rob’s “my way or the highway” kind of talk was offensive and was bound to bring ridicule to the Church because they’re basically telling people to shut up and fall in line.
Mail Time - Highlights: a listener appreciated that listening to the TCGS podcast made cleaning up dog poop more entertaining; another explained how someone just kept staring in wonder at the ashes on his forehead yesterday; yet another wrote that she doesn’t practice the faith anymore because of all of the “rules and regulations” but still enjoys the show.
Magnetic Christianity - Lino briefly (and poorly) promoted Gus Lloyd’s new book, Magnetic Christianity: Using Your God-Given Gifts to Build the Kingdom, and without having read the book he assumed that it was all about magnets from Christian places around the world. He also noted that Gus will be on the show next week to talk more about it in-depth, and that it’s available at Gus’ web site, GusLloyd.com.

Hour 3

Magnetic Christianity (continued) - Attempting to clear up some confusion, Lino and Father Rob briefly talked about the book’s premise of 11 attributes that people can use to attract others to Christianity... and then they pointed out which of those traits the other lacks, which brought out hidden attribute #12 in both of them: argumentativeness.
Lenten Song Parody Redux - Lino and Father Rob re-sang their All Lent Long parody for the benefit of those who weren’t listening during the first hour, and amongst the many calls received a priest gave them the crazy idea of opening the parody writing up to the listeners.
Republican Debate - Lino noted that neither Rick Santorum nor Newt Gingrich were wearing ashes on their foreheads during last night’s debate. He also had some fun with the question where each candidate was asked to describe themselves in one word, and wondered if Santorum would’ve had the guts to say “Catholic” (which he didn’t).

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino pondered the fact that many Catholics go to church on Ash Wednesday without necessarily understanding why they’re doing it... and despite being bewildered by it he nevertheless liked seeing that; listeners called in with their various reasons for attending Mass on Ash Wednesday.
Thoughts From The Information Superhighway - Lino was intrigued by suggestions for him to give up Facebook/Twitter for Lent, but rejected the idea; the Vatican sent an Ash Wednesday message through the Pope’s Twitter account earlier today, and Lino made light of their slow adoption of social networking tools; Father Rob lamented his email address being added to people’s personal mailing lists; Lino explained his surprise at watching the number of people follow him on Facebook drop in real time recently after posting a status update.

Hour 2

Pass It Along... Or Else - Continuing the discussion from last hour about being on people’s mailing lists, Lino explained how he has a hard time dealing with the tons of email he gets and admitted feeling bad for deleting many of them from his inbox... specifically the prayer requests and other similar emails that get forwarded to him that sometimes have the stipulation that you forward it on to other people. Listeners called in and told Lino how they handle situations like his.
Lino’s (And Father Rob’s) Lenten Penance - For the sixth straight year, the listeners called in and posted on Facebook with suggestions for what Lino should give up/take on for Lent... and this year they did the same for Father Rob.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - Mark admitted that he’s giving up caffeine, alcohol and meat for Lent, then explained what Jesus did during his 40 days in the desert as well as what those in Old Testament signs did as a sign of penance; Lino and Father Rob threw all of the aforementioned Lenten penance suggestions at Mark to see what he thought, and through some spirited debate they finally agreed to take on the following:

Lino: No dating or flirting with women.
Father ~~Britney~~ Rob: Limit himself to a maximum of 12 texts per day.

Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - During this special Lent-themed edition, one caller won Mark Hart’s new book Holier Than Thou, another won a Sinner t-shirt, and two more came up empty handed.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino received lots of email from the listeners saying that they missed Father Rob’s presence during last week’s shows from Rome (and the incessant replays of them all weekend long); Lino detailed his experiences in the elevator that takes you to the Papal apartments and standing next to the papal balcony overlooking the square; next up were Lino’s experiences in the broadcast booth for both the consistory and the next day’s Mass with the new Cardinals, with Lino commenting on what the Pope and the new Cardinals may have been thinking about the latters’ roles in choosing the next Pope.
Cardinal Chat - Lino took questions from listeners about all things related to Cardinals and the consistory, with special emphasis early on about kissing a priest’s hand/ring after he acknowledged that he would refuse to kiss the Pope’s ring for fear of getting other peoples’ germs.
I’m Sorry - Lino apologized for canceling the live show last Monday because he was miserably sick... and to Father Rob for telling him while he was on the way into Manhattan to do the show. But he made up for it by reading a couple of witty Valentines of the many that listeners sent him, and Father Rob one-upped him by admitting that he went bowling on Valentime’s Day with his priest buddies.

Hour 2

Ash Wednesday - Highlights of the discussion: Father Rob pointed out that it’s NOT a Holy Day of Obligation... yet more people usually show up than on the real holy days; he also thought it was ironic that people get crosses on their foreheads on the day that the Gospel reading exhorts people to pray, fast and give alms in secret; Lino was adamant that the ash you get should be a distinct cross and not just a random smudge, but Father Rob disagreed.
You’re More Important Now - A listener emailed to ask if a Cardinal’s prayers carried more weight than those of the average person (Answer: No).

Hour 3

~~Fat~~ Big Boned Tuesday - Lino and Father Rob mused on the workings of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and highlighted the time a few years ago when the show broadcast live from a balcony overlooking the French Quarter.
Time To ~~Make~~ Eat The Donuts - Father Rob has resolved to give up sweets for Lent, so as a sort of last hurrah before tomorrow (and with he and Lino sipping on Bartles & Jaymes Strawberry Daquiri wine coolers), listeners called in with their guesses as to how many Dunkin Donuts Munchkins that Father Rob could down in three minutes. After downing 24 Munchkins followed by a wine cooler chaser, two listeners each won a Popener for guessing the closest (23) without going over.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Hour 1

Father Rob’s Righteous Anger - Father Rob was incensed because of a bad traffic report that got him stuck in a jam, as well as some people who blocked him from walking up an escalator. Lino judged both acts as sinful anger rather than righteous anger.
Morning Ass - Lino described a picture sent to him by a listener of her radio display during Morning Mass earlier yesterday... sadly, the “M” in Mass was missing. Lino expanded the subject further by saying that Catholics put up with a lot of crap left and right yet are still more faithful and resilient than people of some other faiths.
The HHS Mandate - After spending last night watching cable news to try to learn and understand more about the subject, Lino opined that commentators on both sides of the issue just seemed to be doing nothing but going at each other.

Hour 2

The HHS Mandate (continued) - Father Rob explained to a confused Lino the whole contraceptive/religious liberty issue from the ground up, including today’s so-called compromise on the issue by the Obama administration.
Catholic Guy Advice - An anonymous listener wrote that her boyfriend is being more affectionate with her during Mass (holding hands, putting his arm around her, kissing during the Sign of Peace) than she’d prefer. What should she do?

Lino’s advice: Tell this guy to knock it off and respect your point-of-view.
Father Rob’s advice: Compromise with him on what kinds of displays of affection would be allowed.

Hour 3

Recent Rediscoveries - Lino recently was flipping through his iPhone and discovered some old tracks from Blink 182, and he asked listeners to call in with things from their past that they’ve recently revisited.
The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt only celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th... and even then, under protest.” Lino felt that if St. Patrick’s Day is only celebrated on March 17th and Christmas only on December 25th, we need to keep celebrations for all those attached people squarely February 14th so as not to rub it in to singles like him. Father Rob countered that it’s not always possible for couples to be able to celebrate Valentime’s Day (his pronunciation) on the 14th and that they should get some leeway.
Mail Time - Highlights included a couple of e-mails criticizing Father Rob for his enjoyment of alcoholic beverages, his immaturity, and how his behavior leads people away from the Church... and one positive email thrown in for good measure.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Right before the show began, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo poked his head in the studio and told his friend Father Rob to “start carrying your own weight” on the show, which completely bummed him out knowing that he had his idol’s disapproval; continuing the embarrassment, Father Rob had to celebrate a Funeral Mass for someone whose gender he couldn’t derive from the name... and of course he got it wrong, so midway through he attempted to make the whole funeral liturgy gender neutral.
More Info, Please - Continuing the prior discussion, Lino thought it was sad that there are so many people whose funerals are celebrated by priests that they didn’t even know, and that Father Rob should’ve done more to find out the person’s gender. Father Rob countered that it’s simply impossible for priests to get to personally know everyone they serve, and everything happened so fast that he had no real chance to figure it out.

Hour 2

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep - Lino was watching The Voice the other day and applauded the show’s concept of blind judging so that only the quality of the voice singing is important; in the same vein, Lino thought it was unfair to single out attractive priests to promote the Church because it’s the vocation that really counts.
Not Counting My Blessings - Lino found negativity in the following positive things: getting to do an exclusive one-on-one interview with Pope Benedict XVI; meeting the woman of Lino’s dreams who would love him just for who he is; Father Rob being on the show; flying First Class to/from Italy next week; selling the millionth copy of Sinner next week.
Papal Exorcism? - Lino told the story of an exorcist priest who has written a new book describing an account where two “possessed” people appeared in front of the Pope, and his blessing on them served to exorcise the demons inhabiting them. However, the Vatican has denied that this ever happened.

Hour 3

Renaming The Crystal Cathedral - Having recently closed on its purchase of the Crystal Cathedral, Bishop Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange has announced a contest to give the new Cathedral a proper name. The only catch: the name needs to focus solely on Jesus and not on any Saints, ostensibly a tip of the hat to the Protestants who are having to give up the building. Both Lino and Father Rob hated the idea, saying that sensitivity shouldn’t trump Church ideology, and listeners called in with name ideas that attempted to circumvent the rules.
Mail Time - Highlights included a nun wrote in to say how much she enjoys the show.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino dealt with hate mail from listeners who couldn’t understand why he was so willing to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt about his intentions in creating the HHS mandate, why he mocked Bill Donoghue for his “in the streets” comment, and why he declined an opportunity to go on network news to give his point-of-view; he also played a clip of Chris Matthews on MSNBC actually supporting the Catholic Church’s position on the mandate.
Thanks But No Thanks - On the way to lunch, Lino and Father Rob ran into someone who wanted to pitch them a radio show idea, and they asked the listeners if was better to fake interest in an uninteresting subject (what Lino did) or completely feign any interest whatsoever (what Father Rob did).

Hour 2

Thanks But No Thanks (continued) - Almost all of the callers gave Father Rob the business over his stance of not faking interest in something just to keep from upsetting someone.
Free Therapy ~~Tuesday~~ Wednesday - Today’s therapy topic: Lino thought that he is only likeable/lovable based on his actions, and that he’s on the threshold of losing everyone and everybody in his life.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - Highlights: Father Rob mocked both the sheer number of books that Mark has cranked out over the years and his anti-Giants comments on the show last week; Mark compared Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen to King Xerxes and Queen Vashti in the Book of Esther, then told the story of how she got replaced as queen by Esther; he also offered the story of Herodias and how she managed to get John the Baptist killed through her daughter’s seductive dance.
Do You Watch More TV Than A Parish Priest? - A rough day for Father Rob, who tied one contestant 3-3 (which counts for a loss), and lost outright to the other one 5-3.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With Father Rob’s voice still hoarse from the Super Bowl, he and Lino got into a spat about how and when he can take some Ricola throat lozenges; Lino described his special gift of being able to put a lozenge or mint in his mouth without anybody noticing it’s there; after watching The Bachelor last night, Lino came to the conclusion that you could not be on that show and still be a moral person; Father Rob took Lino to task for watching The Bachelor and other garbage shows while he still doles out “Father Britney” references for Father Rob’s texting habits.
Let’s Make A Catholic Deal - One contestant won a Rosary blessed by the Pope, another won a Popener, and two more walked away empty handed by answering the question wrong.

Hour 2

Constructive Criticism - Father Rob admittedly is not one who takes criticism with grace, and had a particularly hard time with a good-intentioned parishioner who felt the need to point out problems with an interactive children’s homily he gave. Lino asked the listeners to call in and tell how they deal with criticism.
Winners And Losers - Lino juxtaposed the Giants’ deserved celebration of their Super Bowl victory with the Patriots’ post Super Bowl invite-only party where two players danced with their shirts off, raising the ire of those that said they should’ve been much more subdued after losing the game. Lino didn’t see a problem with their actions, pointing out that they were simply leaving the game out on the field.

Hour 3

The HHS Contraceptive Mandate - After Father Rob explained how the Department of Health and Human Services has required all employers (including most Catholic ones) to include contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in their healthcare plans, Lino explained why declined a chance to go on CNN tonight to talk about the mandate... citing his personality and the fact that he couldn’t take a shower this morning. He then discussed the actual issue more in depth, and talked about Catholic League president Bill Donoghue’s assertion that the issue may end up being fought “in the streets”.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / Super Bowl - An overly-exuberant Father Rob celebrated his Giants’ victory in the Super Bowl by thoroughly and vociferously trashing the Patriots... just before Lino was going to congratulate him for showing humility and restraint; Father Rob then had his way with the callers, commiserating with his supporters and giving the business to his opponents; Lino tried (and failed) to rationalize with Father Rob that the Giants’ close victory did not mean that the Patriots are “bums”.
The Blame Game - Lino played a sound clip of Patriots QB Tom Brady’s wife, Gisele Bündchen, getting taunted by spectators at the Super Bowl, and in turn defending her husband by passing the blame on to the receivers who didn’t catch the balls that Brady threw.

Hour 2

This Or That - Scott threw out the following scenarios, and Lino and Father Rob explained the rationale behind their choices:

You’ve just thrown the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl and earned the MVP. Would you rather go to Disneyworld, or go to Rome and present the game winning ball to the Pope?
You’re an early Christian martyr about to be thrown to the lions. Would you prefer to go first and get your excruciatingly painful death over with, or have your companions go first?
You’re a rookie priest just out of seminary. Would you rather start your priesthood at an ice-bound chapel in Siberia, or in a tiny village in South America alongside the Amazon river?
Would you rather be there when Jesus was crucified, or when he appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus?
Would you rather go without your cell phone for 90 days, or spend 40 days fasting in the desert?
You’re a Cardinal participating in a Papal election. Would you rather be the Cardinal that receives the second-most votes, or the Cardinal that receives no votes at all.

Super Bowl Observations - After having sat on the couch and tweeted for most of the game, Lino formed the following observations:

Super Bowl commercials can no longer live up to the hype that we generate about them.
The NFL suits weren’t thinking straight when they chose Madonna to do the halftime show... which was proven by Madonna traipsing around with pom poms during her performance and Nicki Minaj giving everyone the middle finger.

Giving Prayer A Jumpstart - With a breakneck schedule and a lack of routine in his life, Lino felt like he was getting in a rut (again) with his relationship with God and asked Father Rob for advice on how to jumpstart his prayer life.

Hour 3

Giving Prayer A Jumpstart (continued) - The listeners jumped in with their advice on how Lino should renew his prayer life.
You Can’t Be Everywhere All The Time - Lino recapped his experience emceeing the Fabulous Fathers Priest Talent Show in Atlanta on Saturday, but felt bad that a lot of people who went just to see Lino didn’t get as much one-on-one time with him as they wanted. Father Rob and the listeners reassured him that not being able to be with every single person at the event didn’t equate to blowing them off.
Sinner Sweepstakes Promo - Your FINAL daily reminder of the contest to spend a day with Lino in NYC... today is the last day to enter!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino and Father Rob celebrated St. Blaise’s feast day by telling about him and how he became the patron Saint of throats; Father Rob was irritated that some of his parishioners were questioning the effectiveness of the throat blessings he was giving out, while Lino showed up fashionably late to church to get his throat blessed by Father Dave and then in turn had to bless his throat; listeners called in to give their take on the blessing of the throats.
A Kinder, Gentler Madonna? - Lino played sound clips of a press conference with Madonna that included comments about what to expect during her halftime show, the pressure she feels, and some uncharacteristically positive religious references from someone who loves to trash the Catholic Church.

Hour 2

What’s Father Rob Humming? - With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, Father Rob turned on his iPod and hummed songs that you would hear at football games. Listeners who could guess the song he was humming won a prize based on the level of difficulty.
Intolerance Will Not Be Tolerated - Patriots QB Tom Brady made off-the-cuff remark about the poor quality of hotels in Buffalo that generated a lot of heat, and Lino commented that there are too many people out there (including Catholics) who are just waiting to be offended about something so that they can pick a fight.

Hour 3

Lino Is Sorry - Lino (and Father Rob) apologized for the following errors in judgment that occurred during the show this week:

Lino: For inferring that women he dated were forced to say “No!” to him for nefarious reasons.
Father Rob: For saying that Jesus “passed the wine around” at the Last Supper like you’d pass around a bowl of nachos.
Lino: For admitting that he prayed for the rain to stop during his Safari in South Africa... especially since the country has been suffering from a severe drought.
Lino and Father Rob: For mocking a caller who had one foot that was two sizes smaller than the other due to an accident.
Lino: For making a crude “tooting his own horn” reference after Father Rob made a genuinely nice comment to him.
Father Rob: For telling Mark Hart that he’d kill him if he rooted for the Patriots this Sunday, after Mark incited him by dissing both the Giants and turtles.
Lino and Father Rob: For making crude comments about Jesus’ admonition that we should “clothe the naked” in regards to good looking women.

Ranking Cliches - With the Super Bowl comes lots of cliches, so Lino and Father Rob invited listeners to call in with their favorite sports and/or religious cliches, and the dynamic duo numerically ranked them.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With today being Groundhog Day, a sleepless Father Rob was astonished at 4:00am this morning when he couldn’t find the movie Groundhog Day anywhere on TV; Lino asked Father Rob to rank the movie, resulting in a lot of bickering after Father Rob said that his rating would depend on how Lino ranked it; Lino revealed that the predictions of Punxatawney Phil are really based on his handlers and not on his shadow, then told us briefly about some of the country’s other groundhogs.
Tampa Bay Timmy - Not wanting to be outdone by all of those other groundhogs, Lino then revealed the show’s own groundhog, Tampa Bay Timmy, who made predictions about various things in a muppet-style voice that kept breaking and reminded us a lot of Father Rob.
Mail Time - Letters from: a listener who said that the show pushed her into going back to Confession, a seminarian who enjoys the show and Sinner, and a listener who was confused over Lino’s use of the word “religion” as opposed to “denomination”.

Hour 2

Frank Grillo - The co-star of the recent movie The Grey stopped by to chat with Lino in a pre-taped segment. Highlights: his start in acting on Guiding Light; comparing himself to Job in the Bible; his character in The Grey and the movie itself, and the role that his faith played during the film’s making; activists who are protesting the portrayal of wolves in the movie.
Minor Confessions - Highlights included: Lino getting pranked by his friends with a fake voicemail that sounded just like Dave Letterman; Father Rob constantly switching on the seat heater of a passenger when he wasn’t looking; a mom falsely telling her kids that school was canceled.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn't Know - Scott told us about these intriguing news stories, and Lino and Father Rob commented to their hearts' content:

Gisele Bündchen sent a message to friends to pray for her husband, Patriots QB Tom Brady, in advance of the Super Bowl.
Three’s Company stars Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers talk for the first time in 30 years on DeWitt’s web-based talk show.
Recent survey: 75% of mobile phone users have used their devices while on the toilet.
Donald Trump endorses Mitt Romney for president.
Vikings RB Adrian Peterson wanted to change his uniform number from “28” to “23”, but nixed his plans after discovering that he’d have to buy new uniforms out of his own pocket.

You Be The Priest - A new game where Lino threw out scenarios that a priest would encounter, and listeners decided how they would respond if they were that priest. A minimum of two out of 3 correct responses (as judged by Father Rob) merited the lucky contestants a prize of their choosing. All three of today’s contestants won, with two picking a crucifix blessed by the Pope and the third getting disconnected before being able to choose.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With David Letterman getting ready to surpass the longevity of Johnny Carson, Lino lamented that the range of choices in late night television nowadays will never again produce someone with the staying power of Carson or Letterman, nor the shared experiences that go along with watching them; not knowing how much time Dave has left on the air, Lino resolved to start watching more of his shows on DVR.
Catholic Guy Advice - Kyle goes to a Catholic high school, and his parents force him to participate in the school’s lame campus ministry group in order to play sports. Is there a way to convince his parents that he shouldn’t have to be a part of it?

Lino’s advice: Be honest with your parents and argue your position that the group is turning you off to religion and your participation shouldn’t define your level of faith. But you should still do something at the parish level so that it doesn’t seem to your parents like it’s a complete cop out.
Father Rob’s advice: Deal with it. The kids in that group probably need someone like you to help and encourage them, and doing so would be a good lesson in fulfilling obligations.

Hour 2

The Best Of The Boss - To celebrate satellite radio’s tenth anniversary, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are performing live at the Apollo Theater in Harlem for SiriusXM subscribers. Both Lino and Father Rob agreed that Born To Run is Springsteen’s best song, but there was much disagreement between them and the listeners over what songs belonged in the top tier, and nobody agreed with Father Rob’s choice of Radio Nowhere as a top tier song. Incensed, Father Rob bet Lino $100 that Radio Nowhere would be the first song played during the concert... at which point Lino reminded Father Rob that he owed him $50 after electing not to attend this weekend’s Super Bowl.
Screw The Poor! - On CNN this morning, Mitt Romney said “I’m not concerned about the very poor, they have a safety net” when talking about his campaign’s focus on the middle class. Both Lino and Father Rob wondered if this is something that’s going to haunt his campaign once it gets twisted and taken out of its context.
Sinner Sweepstakes Promo - Your daily reminder of the contest to spend a day with Lino in NYC.

Hour 3

Mark Hart - Today’s theme: The Bible and the Super Bowl. Highlights: Mark was as surprised as anyone that Blessed Are The Bored In Spirit got translated into Czech; Father Rob nearly went postal when Mark dissed both turtles and Giants fans to his face; Mark pulled multiple stories out of the Bible in an attempt to justify why the Patriots would win over the Giants this weekend, and Father Rob countered by noting that the Giants beat the Patriots five years ago; Mark was not enthusiastic about Father Rob’s intention to audition for America’s Got Talent... but did think he’d make a good reality show contestant.
Father Rob: The Face Of The Church?? - Continuing a discussion from yesterday’s show, Lino read Facebook posts and took calls on whether Father Rob auditioning for America’s Got Talent by singing a bilingual version of La Bamba would be good or bad for the Church. After thinking about it, Lino reversed course from yesterday and said that he didn’t want Father Rob to audition because they’d just mock the priesthood instead of seeing Father Rob as a fun-loving priest.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts / The Gift Of Music - In the spirit of giving to his listeners (and prompted by his most recent Saturday Night Concert), Lino declared that he wanted to buy someone a musical instrument ($200 maximum) and let callers state their case for the grand prize; by the second call Lino was already regretting his offer, but in the end after taking a half dozen calls (and after Father Rob managed to find some deals on the Internets) Lino chose to give a violin to 7-year-old Martha (whose parents read Sinner to her at bedtime) AND a ukelele to Brad, a high school senior going into the military.

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn't Know - Scott told us about these intriguing news stories, and Lino and Father Rob commented to their hearts' content:

Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara took the top spot in AskMen.com’s list of the 99 Most Desirable Women of 2012.
The Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines has asked boxer Manny Pacquiao to become a “Bible Ambassador” à la Tim Tebow.
The X Factor declines to bring back host Steve Jones, judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul for next season.

Father Rob’s Got Talent - The X Factor story from the news segment led to Father Rob agreeing in principle to a challenge from Lino to audition for America’s Got Talent (since he’d have a better shot with that show), and after much consideration and input from the listeners they both agreed that Father Rob should sing La Bamba for his audition. Audition date: February 27th!
Sinner Sweepstakes Promo - Your daily reminder of the contest to spend a day with Lino in NYC.
Eye Of The Tiger Eyes Gingrich - Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is being sued by the co-writer of the song Eye Of The Tiger for using the song at campaign rallies in supposed violation of copyright laws.

Hour 3

Interviews With The Saints - Lino paid a visit to heaven and conducted “interviews” with several Saints (who mysteriously all sounded a lot like Father Rob). The interviewees were: St. Isaac Jogges, St. John Bosco, and St. Cecilia.
Super Bowl Trash Talk - After much consideration, Father Rob declined the offer from a friend of his to see his New York Giants in the Super Bowl because a) it just didn’t work out logistically and b) he didn’t want to risk seeing the Giants lose in person. Lino then enraged Father Rob by declaring his loyalty to the Patriots because QB Tom Brady is Catholic, launching a war of words between them and the listeners as to which team was the more Catholic of the two.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Considering his dark Italian complexion, Lino was surprised that he got sunburned while in Africa... which explained the ugly hat he was modeling earlier in the week and the skin now peeling off his arms; Lino admitted embarrassment and weakness in trying to hide his sunburn from the listeners by wearing the hat and peeling his skin prematurely; in the same vein, Lino was seriously looking at products to color the grey out of his beard and wondered aloud why he cares so much.
You’ve Got Hate Mail! - In the spirit of trying to be more open with the listeners, Lino read numerous venom-filled emails and took several calls critical of him, Father Rob, and the show.

Hour 2

You’ve Got Hate Mail! (Continued) - More emails, more calls.
Considering Catholicism - On to more serious email, a listener wrote in saying that he’s sending his kids to Catholic school, but didn’t know if joining the Church was the right thing for them because of the formality of it all. That led to discussion about the long process it takes to join the Catholic Church vs. the simple profession of faith that’s needed in many Protestant churches, and Father Rob advised him to just find a parish and have a discussion with a priest about his concerns.
The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt not be considered lazy for choosing texting over telephoning.” Texter extraordinaire Father ~~Britney~~ Rob explained that texting is convenient and permits simultaneous conversations, and Lino agreed by reiterating that it’s just easier and more time efficient in certain situations.

Hour 3

Saturday Night Concert - After a long preamble where he explained his on again/off again relationship with playing piano, Lino favored the listeners with the audio of his most recent Saturday Night concert, where he played Clocks by Coldplay on the piano after giving himself only 24 hours to learn it with no sheet music. He then took calls from listeners about the things that they were recently inspired to do.
Random Thankfulness - Callers gave thanks for random things and happenings in their lives.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino was surprised to learn today that Father Rob can hablan Español to a certain extent, and wondered how he dealt with confessions where he doesn’t quite understand what the confessor is saying; Lino then invited listeners to call in and converse with Father Rob in Spanish to test his linguistic abilities.
Homily On The Spot - In an interesting continuation of the prior segment, Lino read Scripture passages to Father Rob in Spanish, and he in turn had to translate them before formulating and delivering a homily on them in English.
Things That Drive You Crazy At Mass - Both Lino and Father Rob highlighted applause during Mass as things that neither of them can stand.

Hour 2

Things That Drive You Crazy At Mass (continued) - Highlights included: a cellphone that went off with Baby Got Back as the ringtone; two old ladies delivering in-Mass commentary for all to hear; off-key parishioners who really belt it out; kneelers slamming down before the consecration; people who say Mass parts either too fast or too slow; people who hug the aisles and won’t move to the middle.
Tales From Africa - Lino gave us more highlights from his safari, including: waking up to an animal staring at him through his hotel room’s window; praying for the return of good weather when torrential rains canceled the third day of his safari and left him with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

Hour 3

The God’s Honest Truth - Lino gave callers a Catholic-related statement, and the caller had to determine if it was a lie or the God’s Honest Truth. One contestant went 2-for-5 and won a St. Anthony of Padua prayer card, while two others went 3-for-5 and won a Sinner t-shirt. A fourth contestant stopped after going 1-for-2 because she didn’t want to give up the Blessed John Paul II medal she had earned.
Sinner Sweepstakes Promo - Your daily reminder of the contest to spend a day with Lino in NYC.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob explained how stomach issues yesterday led to vomiting, which in turn led to yesterday’s show getting canceled; it also led to lots of hate mail, prompting Lino to explain why the show couldn’t go on without Father Rob; yesterday was Mama Rulli’s birthday, and Lino explained how a surprise trip home on this day last year turned into a four-day ordeal b/c of a snowstorm... and how he decided to put job over family this year, only to have Father Rob spoil the day.
Honor Thy Mother - Lino’s Mom specifically told her son not to come visit her or get her a gift for her birthday this year, and he asked callers if going against her wishes and getting her a gift he’d know she’d like would be tantamount to dishonoring her. At the end of the segment, Lino revealed that he sent her a lovely bouquet of flowers and a balloon... and received a nice “thank you” from her in return.
Sinner Sweepstakes - Reannouncement of the “Saints, Sinners, and Salami” contest that was first announced on Monday... this time with the sad admission that residents of five states, a bunch of U.S. territories, and Canada need not apply.

Hour 2

Spiritual Direction With Father Rob - In an effort to illustrate to the listeners how spiritual direction works, Lino launched this new segment where he pretended to be several different people (famous and not so famous) with various problems or issues, and Father Rob proceeded to give them spiritual advice. Subjects included a girl addicted to Chicken McNuggets, Seal (recently separated from Heidi Klum), and a Connecticut mayor who referred to Latinos in an offensive way.
Mass Embarassment - At Mass this morning, Father Rob fell on his backside after slipping on a tile floor while wearing leather-soled shoes. That was followed up by listeners calling in with their tales of mishaps at Mass... which ended up making Father Rob feel a lot better about himself.

Hour 3

Tales From Africa - Lino described his first day on safari. Highlights: the armed guards escorting him to/from his hotel room for safety; his excitedness at seeing animals in their native environment, particularly watching elephants for hours while reflecting on God’s creation; Father Rob declaring that humans are not related to each other (see note below); Lino explaining how he got within five feet of a lion but was not seen as a threat because he was in a vehicle; enjoying a Captain Morgan and Coke while in the bush
Lino & Father Rob: Kissin’ Cousins? - During the Africa segment, Lino described seeing two lions that the tracker said were brothers. Not understanding how the tracker knew this relation for sure, Father Rob eventually declared that he had no understanding of how any two humans are related to each other because he believed that humans “lose their relation after a few generations”. Lino and the callers had an absolute field day mocking Father Rob for his uninformed opinion, with Lino pointing out that all humans can trace their lineage back to Eve.
Mail Time - Highlights: A listener wondered why Lino constantly disparages Protestant churches (Answer: it’s not a disparagement, but Protestants are latecomers to Christianity); a Jewish listener appreciated how listening to the show helps his relationship with this wife grow... resulting in an off-color comment from Father Rob.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

NO SHOW (Father Rob sick)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob described the Mass travel kit that he took on his trip to Vegas and how he celebrated daily Mass in his hotel room; he also attended Mass at a local church while he was there and described (and criticized) how it felt sitting in the pew from a priest’s point-of-view; Lino adamantly suggested that every priest from the Pope on down needs to sit with the congregation from time to time to understand what we lay people experience every week.
Creed-ly Challenged - Father Rob described during the last segment how he was one of the rare people who knew all the words at Mass without having to refer to a pew card, and after a little tit-for-tat he challenged Lino to recite the entire Nicene Creed (the new version) from memory during the break... which he did. Lino then threw the phone lines open to get a feel for how well (or not so well) the new translation was going amongst his listeners... and the reports weren’t pretty.

Hour 2

Hideous or Haute Couture? - Lino posted a photo of himself on Facebook sporting a new beard and a new hat, and the listeners responded with mixed results. Father Rob was especially indignant about the beard, which led to talk about how good of a friend each was to the other.
Free Therapy Tuesday - Lino relaunched this long-dormant segment by announcing that he’s started seeing a female therapist whose details we’ll learn at another time. He did this to try to answer the big question “Who is the real Lino Rulli?”, and asked the listeners if his new jaunt through therapy would truly help him.
A Giant Decision - After yesterday’s discussion about whether Father Rob should go see his Giants in the Super Bowl, Father Rob revealed that he’s leaning 70/30 toward NOT going but has not made a final decision yet. Lino then made a $50 bet with Father Rob that he wouldn’t go to the Super Bowl... and Father Rob took him up on it.

Hour 3

Catholic Guy Advice - “Timmy” wrote that his parish’s new priest, fresh from seminary, has made several unwelcome changes to the Mass... including sitting for the Creed and not kneeling at any time during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. What should he do?

Father Rob’s advice: Go up to him and ~~tell it like it is~~ innocently ask him why there’s a need for these changes after having celebrated Mass the old way for decades. But DON’T just go and write to the priest’s bishop without confronting him in person first.
Lino’s advice: Don’t say anything and find a different parish. It’s hard to believe that this guy has been living in a vacuum during his time in the seminary, so asking him about the changes is not likely to change his mind.

Tales From Africa - After failing to understand Father Rob’s desire never to live anywhere else but Queens, Lino recounted his journey to South Africa last week. Highlights included the 15-hour plane ride to get there (and Father Rob’s complete lack of geographical knowledge), and Lino’s lack of culture shock upon his arrival... to the point that he ordered a pizza at his hotel and his driver declared himself a Howard Stern fan.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino marveled that he survived his African safari intact and that many people prayed for safe travels... but was royally ticked that Father Rob wasn’t among those offering prayers; Lino described his routine of touching his San Damiano cross and his JPII relic before and a trip, but Father Rob labeled it superstitious nonsense and got defensive when Lino criticized his prayer habits and seeming lack of concern for Lino on his trip; Lino explained that his lack of Tweets over the trip was due to a lack of phone service on which to Tweet them.
Is Lino Going To Hell? - Lino’s travel to South Africa lasted from 10:00am Saturday morning to 7:00pm Sunday night, making it impossible for him to go to Mass that weekend. Lino felt that the length of the trip gave him a loophole out of his Sunday obligation... but Father Rob (and the callers) disagreed, arguing that because he had planned his trip that way, he was ultimately responsible for finding a way to attend Mass that weekend and understanding the consequences if he couldn’t.

Hour 2

And The Rockets’ Red Glare... - Lino spent a few minutes mocking Steven Tyler’s singing of the National Anthem at yesterday’s Ravens-Patriots game, then played Carl Lewis’ infamous version just to show how much worse it could’ve been.
See... Prayer Really Does Work! - Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks led his fellow receivers in prayer before yesterday’s game, predicting that said prayer would result in teammate Mario Manningham scoring the game-winning touchdown... which he did. Lino and Father Rob admired the prayer part... but the prediction part, not so much.
A Giant Dilemna - Taking the floor, Father Rob waxed eloquent over his team’s fortuitous journey to the Super Bowl, resulting in a $100 bet between him and Lino over who would win. He also revealed that he has a ticket to the Super Bowl, but was unsure if he should go because he was scared he’d lose his mind and be stuck in misery in Indianapolis if the Giants lost. Lino was adamant that he should not only go, but wear his roman collar to the game... and that made Father Rob even more nervous.

Hour 3

A Footballing Bird Of Paradise - Spanish soccer player Lionel Messi scored three goals in the match he played yesterday... and Lino played the audio of play-by-play announcer Ray Hudson going berserk after the third goal. Of his many memorable quotes, the last one was the golden one, declaring that he’s “running like he’s got a food mixer down his shorts!”
Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus - Lino and Father Rob played the viral YouTube video that decries organized religion, and broke down phrase-by-phrase where the author went wrong in his thinking.
Saints, Sinners, and Salami - In conjunction with his publisher, Lino announced a contest where the grand prize winner will be flown to NYC to spend the day with Lino on a tour of the city’s religious sites and urine-filled streets.
You’ve Got To Know When To Fold ‘Em - Father Rob revealed to Father Dave (and us) that he was up $2-3k in Vegas before losing all of that plus a lot of his own money.

Monday, January 16 — Friday, January 20, 2012

NO SHOW (Lino in South Africa on safari; Father Rob in Las Vegas losing $$$)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - On the eve of his trip to Africa, Lino was wary of catching anything from Father Jim or the already-absent Father Rob that would make him sick; having gone to Confession earlier today, Lino mused that the percentage of listeners (and Catholics in general) who go as well is likely pretty low, and asked the callers to weigh in with their estimates.
Lino Is Sorry - After briefly recounting his time in the confessional today, Lino apologized to the following people who were offended by things Lino did and left voicemails or emails to complain:

To a woman who was offended by Lino’s impression of Benedict XVI and his insinuation that having Mark Wahlberg on the show would bring more listeners than the Pope.
To a woman who hated the show’s witty banter and background music, and felt that the show wasn’t nurturing her faith.
To a man who was so offended that Lino called for a “bible burning” for those non-Catholic Bibles he was giving away that he was reconsidering his conversion to Catholicism.

Hour 2

Mama Rulli - In honor of her son leaving for safari, she called in to chat. After getting chastised by Lino for not being able to open her son’s trip itinerary b/c she doesn’t have Microsoft Word on her computer, Lino’s mom hosted a special African-themed version of Answer The Question, which Father Jim won 7-5.
What's Up With That? - Lino read these news summaries that made him and Father Jim scratch their heads a bit:

Starbucks has launched a new “blonde” coffee for non-coffee drinkers, and will write up their baristas for telling “blonde” jokes that mock the name.
A Chicago Blackhawks fan who was interviewed on TV by reporter Sarah Kustok after a “shoot the puck” contest turned creepy upon professing his love for her and commenting on how beautiful she is at the end of the interview.
Newt Gingrich puts out an anti-Romney commercial that compares him to other “liberal” politicians that came from Massachusetts... then criticizes him for his ability to speak French.
A columnist in The New York Times argued that the wives of those priests coming into the Church from the Anglican Communion can expect to be viewed through the lens of 11th Century church tradition as “furious vipers” and “the devil’s choice tidbits”.

Hour 3

The Devil’s Choice Tidbits? - In light of the news article that he just read, Lino questioned how The New York Times could assume that the Church’s views of priests’ wives in the 11th Century mirror those of today.
Superstitions - In light of today being Friday the 13th, Lino asked the listeners to call in with their superstitious practices as Stevie Wonder’s Very Superstitious played in the background.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Lino labeled Father Dave the “grandfather” of the channel because he’s been around the longest... and because he left his personal Facebook account open; Father Rob resolved to have a little fun with his account throughout the show, and ended up making.
School Daze - After a rambling preamble by both hosts, Father Rob explained how he’s going to soon catch hell for adding 50 minutes on to the school day at his parish school starting next year.
The People’s Choice Awards - For lack of anything better to watch, Lino took in last night’s People’s Choice Awards and mocked the proceedings where he saw fit. That led to...

Hour 2

The Catholic People’s Choice Awards - Lino threw open these categories, and the listeners nominated their favorites for Lino and Father Rob to choose a winner from. And the winners were:

Favorite Saint (male): Padre Pio
Favorite Saint (female): St. Monica
Favorite martyrdom: St. Lawrence, who was burned alive and humorously asked his torturers to turn him over after he was done on one side.

Hour 3

The Eleventh Commandment - “Thou shalt not feel obligated to say ‘good-bye’ to anyone at a party or an event.” Father Rob believed that you shouldn’t have to spend an hour telling everyone you’re leaving after you’ve already spent at least as much time saying “hello” to everyone. Lino countered by asking Father Rob if he thought it was okay for parishioners to leave Mass early.
Stop The Music - Lino told the story of how a continuously-ringing cellphone at last night’s New York Philharmonic concert forced the conductor to stop the performance until the ringing stopped. Given the number of cell phones that have gone off during Masses he’s celebrated, Father Rob thought that the conductor should’ve pressed on through the ringing.
Aftermath Of A Hijacking - Father Dave came in to promote The Busted Halo Show... and to tell how he got texted in the middle of a meeting with the news that Father Rob had hijacked his Facebook account earlier in the show.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - With his African safari looming, Lino went out last night and bought himself some customary safari-going clothes while still feeling nervous about the trip; Lino promised to do a hard-core confession this weekend as Father Rob predicted that bits and pieces of Lino would be spread throughout Africa by some wild animal.
Patron Saints - With the talk of Lino’s demise still fresh, he and Father Rob asked the listeners what they should be the Patron Saints of if/when they get declared a Saint by the Church.

Hour 2

Mark Hart - Highlights included: Lino took Mark to task for his tweet that he and his wife were going to “celebrate the Sacrament” on a date, and Mark replied that he doesn’t take dating advice from “a celibate and a due that hasn’t had a date in a few weeks”; Mark explained that the Book of Revelation contains much more than talk about the end-times, and doesn’t predict the end like Harold Camping or the Mayan calendar; he also explained that the Jews of Jesus’ time had festivals in lieu of New Year’s parties or resolutions, and asked Lino (tongue-in-cheek) if Mark Wahlberg was the real deal or just an act.
The God’s Honest Truth - A new fact-or-fiction game where Lino gives the caller a statement and the caller has to determine if it’s a lie or the God’s Honest Truth. A minimum of three correct answers out of five was needed for a prize; the first contestant went 5-for-5 and netted a rosary blessed by the Pope, but the other went 2-for-5 and got a prayer card as a consolation prize.

Hour 3

Tell Me Something I Didn't Know - Scott told us about these intriguing news stories, and Lino and Father Rob commented to their hearts' content:

Ashton Kutcher and CBS both want to continue with Two And A Half Men after this season.
Mitt Romney wins the New Hampshire Republican primary; Catholic candidate Rick Santorum captured only 8% of the Catholic vote.
Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This led to protracted discussion by Father Rob on his need for a chocolate version of the Twinkie.
Officials are praising a TSA screener who turned in $5,000 in cash that he found on the floor at Newark Airport.
Kate Middleton celebrates her 30th birthday.

The Pope's General Audience - Utilizing his typically mind-numbing pope impression, Lino read Benedict XVI's reflection on Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper from earlier today.
Lino's General Audience - Today's topic: TV commercials. Lino explained why he likes the GEICO commercial with the little piggy going “wheeee” (b/c it’s cute) but detests the Citibank commercial with the mountain climbers (b/c of his fear of heights), and through extension implied that there’s both good and bad in all of us.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Basking in the afterglow of yesterday’s Mark Wahlberg interview, Lino declared it the first A-list interview in the show’s history... and the massive listener response lent credence to that statement; both he and Father Rob noted how Wahlberg is a faithful Catholic but not an overly-faithful one, as evidenced by his interview on the CBS Early Show this morning; as if one A-lister weren’t enough, “Pope Benedict XVI” (sounding mysteriously like Lino) came in the studio and sat down for a chat; Lino played the “Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals” skit from SNL to understand why listeners asked Lino to “say hi to his mother for me”.
Lino’s Casting Couch - Crew and listeners cast their favorite stars to play the roles of Daniel and King Belshazzar for the story where Daniel interprets the writing from the fingers of a hand... writing that predicts death for Belshazzar that very night (from Daniel 5).

Hour 2

Tell Me Something I Didn't Know - Scott told us about these intriguing news stories, and Lino and Father Rob commented to their hearts' content:

Lindsay Lohan to play Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming TV movie.
Snoop Dogg facing minor drug charges in Texas after border agents find joints on his tour bus.
Alabama beat LSU 21-0 to win the BCS National Championship.
New Apple CEO Tim Cook earned $378 million in compensation last year.
Beyonce and Jay-Z are new parents of a baby girl: Blue Ivy.

Tim Tebow, Anti-Catholic? - A number of listeners pointed out to Lino that Tim’s father, Bob Tebow, runs a ministry that attempts to convert Filipinos (who are predominantly Catholic) to evangelical Christianity, and claims that 86% of Filipinos “have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ”. Despite this, Lino said that he’d still root for Tebow because of his outward expression of his faith, and that it’s the fault of the Church if we’re not catechizing people well enough to defend their faith.

Hour 3

Catholic Guy Advice - After a lengthy argument between Lino and Father Rob over the effectiveness of Lino’s advice, a listener wrote in asking if she should break up with her boyfriend of two years, who she loves very much but who is seriously considering entering the seminary.

Lino’s advice: Dump him. If he’s actively talking to the seminary people about it, you need to get out of his way so that he can clearly discern his vocation. (Almost all of the callers agreed with Lino.)
Father Rob’s advice: Stay with him for now. His discernment still seems preliminary right now, and you can break up with him if/when it looks like things are getting more serious. (Later he revealed that he in fact strung his on again/off again girlfriend along until committing to the seminary... and she wasn’t happy about the end result.)

Monday, January 9, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - After yesterday's performance in the Broncos game, Lino thought that Tim Tebow has hit a peak and would be going downhill from here because expectations will be too high for him now.
Minor Confessions - Highlights included: Father Rob sabotaging a jukebox to play lousy music; Scott putting a friend's stereo on a continuous loop playing Love Shack during winter break... which led to said stereo's destruction at the hands of another student who couldn't stand it anymore; prank-calling a friend two days before his wedding saying that the ceremony would have to be moved to the church parking lot.

Hour 2

Giant-Sized Ego - As Lino helplessly stood by, Father Rob engaged in a trash talk tirade about his beloved Giants win over the Atlanta Falcons yesterday. Then Lino jumped into the fray and berated Father Rob when he 1) said that he played a collective part in their win, and 2) admitted rearranging his Mass schedule so that he could watch the game... but the callers jumped to Father Rob's defense on the latter charge.
Mail Time... NOT! - Lino tried to read some listener emails, but Father Rob instead decided to engage in a pointless game of semantics with Lino about 1) properly referencing his website, and 2) declaring that he can be envious of other people but not jealous.

Hour 3

This Or That? - Amidst a flurry of technical errors and weird voicing choices, Scott threw out the following scenarios, and Lino and Father Rob explained the rationale behind their choices:

Would you rather be the personal assistant for John the Beloved Disciple or St. Peter?
You’re going to Confession for the first time in ten years. Would you rather have it heard by Padre Pio (who can see into your very soul) or by your local parish priest?
Would you rather have the personal email address of the Pope or the President of the United States?
You are an aspiring musician. Would you rather be a one-hit wonder or have a career singing only religious-themed music?
You are a practicing Catholic with $100k in the bank, but you’ve been given six weeks to live. Do you spend the time in fervent prayer, penance and almsgiving; or do you spend all the money on yourself, going to places you’ve always wanted to go to and doing the things you’ve always wanted to do?
Would you rather live to be 950 years old like Noah, or die at the age of 12... knowing that you’ll go straight to heaven? (Lino and Father Rob hated the question so much that they pretended it was never read and went on to the next one.)
Would you rather sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, or read the first reading at a Papal Mass?

Mark Wahlberg - The actor and devout Catholic stopped by the studio earlier in the day to chat for a few minutes. Highlights included: the release of his new movie Contraband; balancing work, family, and prayer life; being a good model of the faith for his kids, and how Tim Tebow is in turn a model of faith for him. Afterwards Lino, Father Rob, and the callers spoke fondly of the “cool guy who’s Catholic”.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - To commemorate the Epiphany and the gifts of the three wisemen, Lino and Father Rob gave away a stack of American Patriot Bibles (the non-Catholic NKJV translation) that they received unsolicited to the first 20 people who called... lest they be destined for a good ol' fashioned Bible burning.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan - In the middle of the Bible giveaway, the good Archbishop called in to shoot the breeze with Lino and Father Rob about his promotion earlier today to the College of Cardinals.
John Ulsh - The motivational speaker and listener of the show told the story of how he was paralyzed after a car accident and spent the next four years regaining the full use of his legs. He also went on the pilgrimage to Greece last summer... and was the one who both rescued Father Rob from his near drowning experience and created the plan for him to get in better shape.

Hour 2

John Ulsh (continued) - Lino and Father Rob reflected on John's involvment in their plans to get into better physical shape, and how things may have turned out very differently if John hadn't been selected to go on the pilgrimage.
So Long, Man Friend - Father Rob lamented the loss of his lifelong friend Chris who moved to Los Angeles today for a job opportunity and may never return to New York... and Lino wasted no opportunity to sneer and snicker at Father Rob over his uncharacteristically emotional reaction. After even more ribbing by the listeners, Chris himself called in... and he never listens to the show.
Cardinal Chatter - In light of Archbishop Dolan's elevation to the College of Cardinals, Lino and Father Rob talked about the appointment and what it means for him.

Hour 3

Answer The Question - In today's Epiphany/Christmas-themed installment, one listener won a Popener and two more won a San Damiano Cross.
More Cardinal Chatter - A brief reminder by Lino of Archbishop Dolan's elevation to the College of Cardinals earlier today, followed by some witty banter with Father Dave about the same.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - During the cold days of winter, Lino loves to see the commitment of smokers braving the elements for a puff... yet wondered if he would be as committed to Mass if it were held outside.
Mmmm, McNuggets - Father Rob's months-long commitment to losing weight was sorely tempted for the first time today when he spied a bag of McDonalds brought into the office by Scott, and he was worried that giving in to his cravings (even just once) would be cheating and would cause him to fall back into his old habits.

Hour 2

The Li-nie Awards - Lino and Father Rob (and eventually Scott) voted to bestow the following awards to commercials heard on The Catholic Channel:

A question nobody was asking until this commercial brought it up:

WINNER — Life, Love, & Health: "Is it better to repair or replace a damaged hip?"
RUNNER-UP #1 — Life, Love, & Health: "What if you couldn't tell the difference between reality and reality TV?"
RUNNER-UP #2 — One Minute Monk: "How could we ever think a person wasn't worthy of living?"

Longest pause:

WINNER — Sharing The Word: A whopping 7-second pause right after the introduction.
RUNNER-UP — Salt + Light Radio promo: an even heftier 9-second pause before the first word is even uttered.

Commercial that begs the question "Why are you wasting my time with this?":

WINNER — A Catholic Viewpoint: The St. Dennis men's ministry of middle-aged guys in Hopewell Junction, NY does all sorts of stuff nobody else really cares to hear about.
RUNNER-UP — Perpetual Motivation: The narrator describes how he accidentally punched himself in the nose and broke it... and then talks about being too prideful.

Commercial that best sums up Lino's feelings toward commercials:

WINNER — Perpetual Motivation: "Other people will not always see eye-to-eye with us..."
RUNNER-UP — One Minute Monk: "We all have someone who drives us crazy."

Honorable mentions in a class by themselves:

The Prairie Home Companion promo that often plays at the top of the hour.
The "Bob & Steve" spots promoting The Catholic Channel website.

Bishop Babydaddy - Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Gabino Zavala resigned this week after admitting that he fathered two teenage girls that live with their mother in another state. That brought up the big question (once again) of priestly celibacy, and Lino asked both why he didn't resign earlier and how the Church goes on from here.

Hour 3

Praying Through Guilt - Continuing yesterday's debacle of Lino offering to help someone and getting an avalanche or responses, both Lino and Father Rob talked of the guilt felt my not being able to address every prayer attention they get, and wondered when it was appropriate to remove someone from their list of prayer intentions.
Pilgrimage Babies - Lino was happy to announce that two couples who went on previous pilgrimages used their free time on the trips... um, wisely. :) The result: one baby born, another on the way.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Considering the razor-thin margin in last night's Iowa caucuses, Lino detested the thought that eight random people could somehow affect his life; debate broke out over whether there are two or three Sacraments that leave an indelible mark on the soul; Lino noted that much of Santorum's support came from evangelicals, which is a far cry from the days of JFK running for president amidst anti-Catholic sentiment.
The Eleventh Commandment - "Thou shalt never feel obligated to give up a seat to a woman." As Frank Sinatra sang The Lady Is A Tramp underneath, Father Rob explained why equality between men and women should trump any outdated notions of chivalry. Lino (and several callers) disagreed, claiming that "equality" does not mean "sameness".

Hour 2

Do Unto Others - Inspired by a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Lino got the idea yesterday that he should start doing nice things for other people once a week out of the goodness of his heart. Unfortunately he asked his fans on Facebook for advice on what he should do, and the avalanche of responses (many of them genuine) left him clueless as to what to do.
I Prefer A Turkish Prison - Father Rob told the story of a guy from Sicily who stabbed another guy and was sentenced to live in a monastery, only to escape twice and beg to be sent to prison because he couldn't hack the monastic life anymore. He then shocked Lino by stating that he'd choose prison over monasticism as well.

Hour 3

What's Father Rob Humming? - In honor of the Iowa caucuses, Father Rob turned on his iPod and hummed songs with a U.S. state in the title. Listeners who could guess the song he was humming won a prize based on the level of difficulty. The highlight: a version of Georgia On My Mind that would make Ray Charles roll over in his grave.
Mail Time - Multiple laudatory emails, including one from a priest who is a moral theologian at a seminary, and another from a 15-year-old who has discerned a vocation to the priesthood since he was eight.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Hour 1

Opening Thoughts - Father Rob has a propensity to yell and scream during New Year's parties and Giants games... which explained why his voice took a beating this weekend; Lino prefers to internalize his excitement and took exception to Father Rob's loud ways, then questioned if Catholics should be as outwardly excited about their faith as Father Rob is about a football game.
Excitement: A Balancing Act - Lino pushed Father Rob a little further on the topic, and he admitted that the nature of parties and sports events is more conducive to yelling than the celebration of Mass or a Sacrament... and most callers tended to agree that church-related activities deserved more reverence. Side note: Pat from Atlanta trash-talked Father Rob into making a $25 bet on this Sunday's Falcons-Giants game.

Hour 2

Desireful Results - Father Rob admitted that his Christmas and New Year's would've been ruined if the Giants had lost to the Jets and the Cowboys (and fortunately they didn't). That led Lino to question why he allows the successes or failures of other people to affect his life so much and get between him and God.
Solemnity Of Mary, Mother Of God - This Holy Day of Obligation was well attended this year because it fell on a Sunday. Lino, who normally sneers at vigil Masses because people often use it to "get church out of the way", turned tables and supported it in the case of New Year's so that people aren't tempted to blow off Mass on January 1st after partying and drinking the night away.

Hour 3

Lino's Most Grevious Fault - After lamenting the large number of people at Masses he's attended who continue to stick to the old translation like glue, Lino admitted that doesn't feel comfortable striking his breast during the Confiteor because it doesn't come naturally to him. Father Rob countered that it's just something that he's going to have to learn... just like he learned the Sign of the Cross when he was little.
New Year's Eve Recap - Lino ended up going to his buddy Jim's place to ring in the New Year, and it turned out to be perfect: four beers, pizza, and non-stop mocking of the New Year's specials on TV. He also described calling his Mom at 1:00am to wish her a happy new year while walking through a desolate Times Square... and Father Rob all but called him a 40-year-old single loser for doing so.