T minus 20

Buckle up, buttercup: this week 20 years ago was a wild ride - equal parts horrifying, hilarious and of course nostalgic.The heavy:The Abu Ghraib prison scandal explodes, sending shockwaves around the world. We'll unpack the details and the fallout, but be warned, it's not a pretty picture.Dick Cheney and George W. Bush take a turn in the hot seat, testifying before the 9/11 Commission. Did they reveal anything juicy?The hilarity:Remember Shrek the sheep? The runaway merino who became a national treasure in New Zealand after six years on the run? We'll relive his epic shearing complete with celebrity guests.The headliners:Beyoncé's "Naughty Girl" is setting the charts on fire with its sassy vibes and dance moves inspired by Fred Astaire (yes, really!).D12 drops their album "D12 World," and we'll dive into the music and the group's complicated history.Coachella becomes a cultural phenomenon with Radiohead and The Cure headlining. Bonus Round:We'll mourn the end of an era: the Sunday night movie tradition bites the dust on Network Ten.So, grab your flip phones (good luck finding a charger!), dust off your old iPods and join us for a trip down memory lane.Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

This week twenty years ago delivered a mix of jaw-dropping headlines and eyebrow-raising moments that'll make you say, "Wait, did that really happen?"First up, the heart-wrenching tale of Pat Tillman, the NFL star turned soldier whose story reads like a Hollywood script. From sacking quarterbacks to dodging bullets, Tillman's journey took a tragic turn when he was killed by friendly fire inAfghanistan. But hey, at least the military gave him a hero's send-off, right? Wrong. Turns out, the truth got lost in a military cover up, leaving us scratching our heads and wondering, "What really went down?"Meanwhile, down under, Aussie PM John Howard pulled off a surprise visit to Baghdad. Talk about a plot twist! With more security than a pop star at Coachella, Howard made a quick pit stop to hang with the troops. Because nothing says "support our troops" like a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek in a war zone.In sports, the NFL Draft turned into a real-life soap opera when Eli Manning got drafted by the Chargers but pulled a fast one to end up with the Giants. Forget touchdown passes—this was some next-level maneuvering worthy of a primetime drama. And speaking of drama, Maroon 5's "This Love" was all over the charts, giving us major relationship vibes and inspiring awkward conversations about exes.But let's not forget the literary world, where Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins' "Glorious Appearing" took us on a wild ride through the end times. Move over, summer blockbusters—this book had everything from biblical prophecy to characters you'd swear were plucked straight from a Sunday sermon.Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

The headline is a bit misleading but British PM Tony Blair did visit the US this week 20 years ago where he held a joint press conference with the US President Geroge W Bush to talk all things Coalition of the Willing and give an update on the War in Iraq. Surprisingly Bush managed to forget a few key dates when questioned.In sport West Indian Cricket batting legend Brian Lara broke the record for the highest individual score in a test innings with a whopping 400 not out. In spite of this, the match against England would result in a draw. On the charts Usher continues with world domination and add his latest single 'Burn' to the Billboard charts to compete with 'Yeah'. But Mario Winans says 'I Don't Wanna Know' . If you think that song isn't that old, you're probably remembering The Weekend's version 'Creepin' from 2022. In entertainment news, the Olsen Twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley go to war with the press as they fight for their right not to be called 'The Olsen Twins'.And Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey make us wonder if they actually are Muppets when their variety special airs on NBC featuring Kitt from Knight Rider, Jewel and the actual Muppets among all their guests. We also take a peek at the New York Times Best Seller for this week in 2004 'Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror' by former U.S. chief counter-terrorism advisor Richard A. Clarke.Along with some other stuff!  Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

We’re pretty sure our research this week has us on a watch list somewhere as we look into ammonium nitrate and why this highly explosive chemical needed to be banned way back in 2004. The fun doesn’t stop there either as we take the best parts from Condaleeza Rice when she testifies for over three hours at the 9/11 commission hearings. As promised you can find all the deets here: https://www.9-11commission.gov/hearings/hearing9.htmIn tech news the NYPD launch a new device capable of sniffing out bio terrorism and Apple gets a virus, which is something we thought did not happen to those guys.In music news Jay Z flicks that ‘Dirt off your shoulder’, J-Kwon releases ‘Hood Hop’ and doesn’t answer his messages and Daniel Johns and Paul Mac release the Dissociatives self titled album.At the box office Guillermo Del Toro and Ron Perlman breathe life into MikeMgnola’s cult comic book hero with ‘Hellboy’ and we explain why Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson underwhelmed us with a rehash of ‘Starsky and Hutch’.In TV we take a look at a reality show you probably enjoyed but may have forgotten. It didn’t age well either. The Swan saw a team of plastic surgeons and psychologists quite literally pull apart ugly ducklings with psychological and body issues and put them back together as a beautiful swan! What could go wrong?Have a listen and find out!Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

It’s a week of good news for the people in Ireland, whether they like it or not, as they breathe the fresh air that comes with banning smoking in pubs and clubs. Although some may argue that it was a rather anti-social initiative, the people who didn’t have to breathe the passive smoke found it much easier to hold a conversation.Not so good news for military contractors in Fallujah however when a mission to guard a catering truck ended in the deaths and mutilation of 4 Blackwater employees. The ambush that took place was a precursor to the First Battle Of Fallujah, where the US would attempt to take control of the city, however politics got in the way and it ultimately was seen as a victory to the insurgents by many.In sport Australia’s Libby Lenton broke Inge de Bruijn’s 100m women’s freestyle record at the Australian Olympic trials in Sydney. We also take a look at what Libby has been up to recently with her activism against body shaming women in sport.In tech Google introduced Gmail on April Fool's Day and everyone thought they were joking. They were however quite serious.America Idol runner up Clay Aiken entered the Billboard top 5 this time 20 years ago, however now you’d find him having a crack at politics, with mixed results. While Anastasia told us how it really feels to be left outside alone and Janet Jackson’s ‘Damita Jo’ has short lived success due to no promo from the record company in the wake of #nipplegate.Scooby Doo 2 tops the box office, in spite of a poor reviews for the prequel and the hideous addition of Scrappy Doo. Kevin Hart has a sitcom as do video games… who knew?!?!?Plus a Mel offers up health and fitness tips about how to age gracefully… Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

Ok so it’s an obscure title that we’ve used to put two unrelated occurrences together this week.The first being the deliberate sinking of the HMS Scylla of the coast of Britain and the second, Usher releasing his album confessions. Where the single ‘Burn’ basically gave him an excuse to rip his shirt off.In sport France defeated England to win the Six Nations Rugby Tournament.We also had an album release from Maryland’s Clutch. Joe discusses why ‘Blast Tyrant’ is one of his fave albums of all time. And we have to endure another tacky compilation album as ‘Now That’s What I Call Music 15’ comes out.Meanwhile Mel decides to spend 8 bucks sending an SMS to J-Kwon via cameo. Find out if he replies.At the box office Zack Snyder made his motion picture directorial debut with a remake of George A Romero’s ‘Dawn of The Dead’. Whilemover on the small screen ‘Deadwood’ captivated those who could afford Foxtel or HBO.Plus books we didn’t read and loads more!Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

The news this week is positively and literally astronomical, with scientists announcing the discovery of 90377 Sedna, a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt. We break down the selection criteria for a planet vs a dwarf planet and find out why Pluto was downgraded.Terror in Taiwan this week in 2004 with Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian is shot the day before the country's presidential election. Conspiracy theories exist to this day.Wrestlemania XX returns to Madison Square Garden in New York. We talk about what went down then and compare it to what is happening now for Wrestlemania 40! In music DJ Casper introduces a new dance called the ‘Cha Cha Slide’ and while it’s a hit at the time, it’s doesn’t quite have the same impact as ‘The Nutbush’ at weddings.Plus we’ve got new albums from George Michael, the Soul Train Musoc Awards and Prince steals the show at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony with a blistering guitar solo that pays homage to George Harrison.Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

Yeah that’s right, break out the cheese cubes, French onion dip, Jatz and cabanossi because we have a party Susan loaded with your weekly dose of news and pop culture.Great news in Iraq as their interim constitution is signed and Colin Powell gushes over the content. So much so he gave it five stars on Good Reads!Sadly there was an horrific terror attack in Madrid, Spain this time 20 years ago when simultaneous bombs were detonated across the rail network resulting in the deaths of around 200 people and injuries to thousands of others.In music news J-Kwon got tipsy, Jamelia became a superstar and Brian McFadden shocked the world when he quit Westlife. Also as we celebrate 20 years since Britney Spears unleashed the single for Toxic, we explore the origins of the pop hit (fun fact, it was initially pitched to Kylie Minogue, but she turned it down!).In TV news the hideous reality show “Playing it Straight” debuted. It involved 14 men trying t9 win the heart of a young lady, however half of them were gay. What a twist! If a gay man could seduce her, they would win $1 million… It’s as if Dr Evil was a TV exec! In more wholesome TV news ‘The New Inventors’ was on the ABC and we were all the better for it. Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ” makes its debut this time 20 years ago and the overwhelming response was that people were overwhelmed! And that is just one story in what was a massive week!The United Nations came clean saying they could not find any evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. UN weapon inspector David Kay simply said “We were almost all wrong”, which sent the media into a frenzy.We also had Russians on ice with the dramatic rescue of 12 scientists trapped in the arctic circle doing what they claimed was, errr, research, yes research on climate change.Martha Stewart was charged for insider trading while Britney Spears launched her Onyx Hotel tour. We had new albums from The Living End, singles from Guy Sebastian and we got to put Chingy to the test with “will it nursery rhyme” as “One Call Away” entered the US Billboard charts.And just when you thought that was all we had the 76th Annual Academy Awards with all the Oscars going to The Lord of The  Rings! Pimp my Ride made its debut on MTV. John Grisham’s “The Last Juror” became the latest book we didn’t read to top the NY Times bestseller list.And somewhere, somehow Peter Andre’s “Mysterious Girl” found its way back to the top of the UK singles chart…We’re exhausted just thinking about it!Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

In what is one of many unexpected moves, Russian President Vladimir Putin interrupted the afternoon programmes on the telly to inform his countrymen that he had just sacked the entire Russian Parliament mere weeks after he was elected for a second term as President! In Australia Qantas launched it's budget airline, Jetstar with fares from Sydney to Melbourne as low as 60 bucks! Who cares about legroom and checked baggage with those 2004 prices?!?!?Sadly there were more terror attacks taking place this time 20 years ago, this time in the Phillipines, where lots of cultures and beliefs co-exist. Superferry 14 was bombed en route form Manilla to Bacolod City resulting in the deaths of 116 people and many others injutred or missing as they leapt from the burning ship into the ocean.We have some terrible music this week thanks to the band Busted who's commit a crime agains music with their UK number one song 'Who's David?'. Thankfully JC Chasez from NSync releases his surprisingly good and diverse solo album to make up for it. In the middle of all that we had Kids Bop 5, a roundup of pop hits performed with kids released... Let's just say the son choices are questionable at best and at their worst, down right inappropriate. In entertainment Julia Roberts stars in Mona Lisa Smile with Kirsten Dunst and Julia Stiles and Ben Affleck picks up the Golden Raspberry for his flop with Jennifer Lopez, Gigli. Plus we had the final episode of Sex and The City airing on HBO...There's a little bit more too if you care to listen! Please and thank you!Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

This week in the news residents the Sydney suburb of Redfern clashed with police over the death of Aboriginal teenager TJ Hickey. TJ was allegedly clipped by a police car while being pursued on his bicycle. He hit the gutter and fell. His injuries were fatal and the local Indigenous community erupted with grief and outrage. We look at the incident and the media coverage from the time, and wonder if anything has really changed since that fateful day.We celebrate the knighthood of renowned Nazi Hunter Simon Wiesenthal, survivor of Janowska, Krakow, Plazow, Gross Rosen, Chemnitz, Buchenwald and Mauthhausen. His story is extraordinary and his legacy of bringing Nazis to justice long after the war is extremely far reaching.In tech news, the Netsky computer worm has us all being woken up at ungodly hours by our PCs and Google announces that it is expanding its index to over 6 billion items (these days it’s somewhere over 400 billion!).In music we were exposed to around 34 instances of profanity when Eamon unleashed his single “F**k It (I don’t want you back)” on the world. Radio stations had no idea what to do with him.At the movies Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore went on “50 First Dates” while the Farrelly Brothers turned Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear into conjoined twins with the film “Stuck On You”. Plus over on Australian television the Hot House was giving away the biggest ever prize in the history of Aussie TV.What more could you ask for? Download us and have a listen!Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

In response to a very conservative State of The Union address, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome gives the directive to issue same sex marriage licenses. This would be seen by many as the spark that lit a fire under conservatives right across the nation. Poor old Gavin just wanted to do the right thing by his constituents.Out in space the largest diamond ever discovered was spotted by the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics telescope some 50 light years away from Earth. A white dwarf star named Lucy had fizzled out only to become 5 billion, trillion pounds of diamond!In music Kanye Wes debuts with ‘The College Dropout’, Shannon Noll with ‘That’s What I’m Talking About’ and Usher enters the charts with ‘Yeah’.At the cinema Ice Cube is back with ‘Barbershop 2’, Tim Burton releases ‘Big Fish’ and in TV land Lizzie McGuire calls it a day.Those stories and more, this week on T minus 20!Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

It's the biggest story of 2004 so far, the moment when the world was seemingly more shocked by Justin Timberlake exposing Janet Jackson's nipple at the Superbowl Halftime Show than anything a little old war in the middle east could deliver. We take a look at it from all sides 20 years later. Meanwhile over at Harvard University as student by the name of Mark Zuckerberg took his first step to world domination when the Facebook launched. In music we've got songs from the Scissor Sisters and Shannon Noll cries out from second place in Australian Idol "What about me?" It really isn't fair.And if that isn't enough adrenaline for one episode we discuss the delights of rail travel as the Ghan makes its inaugural trip across Australia. And whole bunch more!  Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

It really is a mixed bag this week, Spirit's twin probe Opportunity touches down on Mars and instantly goes to work proving that there was once water on the red planet. In Taiwan a massive explosion rips through the city centre of Tainan, but it's not what you think. A dead whale being transported through the city becomes so bloated with rotten gas in the heat that it bursts, leaving everyone in the vicinity covered in stinky blood, guts and blubber! In sport the ladies are sweltering at the Australian Open. Justine Henin beats Kim Clijsters 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to win her only Australian title.In tech news the MyDoom worm becomes the most destructive worm in history when it starts infecting computers across North America and eventually the globe, causing around $38 billion in damages.Du Hast Mein Herz Gerbrochen is dominating the German charts this week, and we have the usual music news.In entertainment Ashton Kutcher gets his emo time travel on with the Butterfly Effect and the Golden Globes see's Charlize Theron win a best actor award for her role playing serial killer Aileen Wournos in the film Monster. Plus books we didn't read makes a triumphant return when we break down Pete Rose's, My Prison Without Bars.Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

It's a sad and shocking start to the week this week with the death of cricket legend David Hookes as the result of an altercation with a bouncer at a nightclub. In scientific news NASA lost contact with the Spirit rover as it's flash memory subsystem overloaded. Thanksfully they were able to try turning it off an on again to get things working. In tech Nintendo announce the release of the DS console in a sexy campaign that seemed very off brand for them.In music news Twista releases Slow Jamz, with a little help from Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, Sia releases her third album, 'Colour the Small One' and The Darkness steal the show at the 2004 Big Day Out, which was headlined by Metallica. In movies, Ben Stiller releases his romantic comedy Along Came Polly starring Jennifer Anniston and in TV land 'THe L Word' debuts along with 'Carmen and Dave, Til Death Do us Part'.Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

It's the wedding of the year already, Britney Spears goes on a bender in Vegas, get's married and divorced all in the same weekend! It really is the perfect start to 2004! Over in the Middle East construction begins on the world's tallest building, The Burj Khalifa. While it still remains a spectacular feat of engineering it has one terrible flaw that has to do with poop. While we're on the subject of big things, the world's largest ocean liner RMS Queen Mary 2 makes it's maiden voyage. On a more sombre note over in the UK the corner's inquest into the death of Proncess Diana finally gets underway. In music we don;t know Alicia Key's name over on the Billboard charts, the Black Eyed Peas tell us to Shut Up and pop Idol Michelle tops the UK with All This Time. In music news, American Top 40 Legend Kasey Kasem signs off on his last episode after over 30 years on raido around the world. In TV Donald Trump debut's on Mark Burnett's 'The Apprentice' which ends up being one of the most popular reality TV shows of all time.And Mel shaves her mouse mat, among other things. Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

It's our final week of best bits before we kick off a new season. We're going through the archives and pulling out the best bits from the past year including:50 Cent and Lil' Kim's collaboration on 'Magic Stick' - the song that changed the game in strip clubs around the world. US Forces kill Saddam Hussein's sons - former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s sons, Qusay and Uday Hussein, are killed after a three-hour firefight with U.S. forces in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, striking a major blow for the allies in the Iraq War. Fountains of Wayne release Stacy's Mom -  the music video for this one is a sight to behold, with uber milf Rachel Hunter. Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson star in Newlyweds - the latest in a trend of celebreality TV, does the show still stand up? We discuss why history isn't so kind to Nick Lachey. Blu Cantrell reases 'Breathe' - Blu Cantrell a.k.a. Tiffany Cobb... did her father really invent the famous loaf?Eminem buys a house - Detroit property values soar as Eminem picks up a mansion for a song from one of the head honchos over at KMart. Schwarzenegger announces run for Governor of California - this came as a surprise to everyone, even his agent, when he went on the Tonight Show to promote a movie and ended up dropping this bombshell announcement. Chingy releases 'Right Thurr' - we discuss and put to the test the Mother Goose factor that underpins everything Ching-a-ling spits. Thanks again for sticking with us! We'll see you next week with a brand new season! Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

We're going through the archives and pulling out the best bits from the past year including:The No War protest on the Sydney Opera House - while the perpetrators were maligned by the media and community at the time, these days they display all sorts of stuff on the sails of one of Australia's most recognisable landmarks. The conspiracy against JC Chasez from NSYNC -  and why Justin Timberlake became the golden goose for their record company over our man JC. George W Bush declares "Mission Accomplished" on the Iraq War - which turned out to be a public relations nightmare for the US Government. Dawson's Creek comes to an end - and boyfriends around the world rejoice at not having to watch cuch drivel ever again. Spoiler alert, James Van Der Beek cries and we are unable to confirm if the creek did actually belong to Dawson as the name suggests. Fabulous releases a song onto the charts - but we get all caught up int the spelling of his name and the pronunciation, which sounds like the aftermath of a trip to the dentist.America's Next Top Model debuts - and we examine how the overall cruelty of the show stacks up against today's standards, plus Tyra Banks versus Naomi Campbell in the gaslighting olympics. Martha Stewart goes to jail - how a little time in the big house can do wonders for your cred and your business empire. Thanks for sticking with us while we take a short break! Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

We're going through the archives and pulling out the best bits from the past year including:The Antwerp Diamond heist - dubbed the "heist of the century", it was the largest ever diamond heist and one of the largest robberies in history. 50 Cent releases "In Da Club" - the single produced by Dr Dre that put everyone else in the hip-hop community on notice, especially Irv Gotti and Ja Rule. The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster - on Saturday February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana, killing all seven astronauts on board. Shane Warne tests positive to a banned substance that was given to him by his mum - poor old Warnie wanted to shed some water weight and the controversy that followed was out of control. Christina Aguilera releases "Beautiful" - we break down the song and talk about how the writer Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes came to the decision to let Xtina record it. The world protests the war in Iraq - on 15 February 2003, a coordinated day of protests was held across the world in which people in more than 600 cities expressed opposition to the imminent Iraq War. It was part of a series of protests and political events that had begun in 2002 and continued as the invasion, war, and occupation took place. The day was described by social movement researchers as "the largest protest event in human history"Heath Ledger stars in the Ned Kelly biopic - we discuss the pehenomenon that sees people with a Ned Kelly tattoo more likely to meet a violent death. Thanks for sticking with us while we take a short break! Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

It's a 2003 extravaganza for our last episode before summer programming kicks in. The best and worst in Google search, the Time person of the year, billboard, iTunes and the ARIA charts, movies, television and even books! Brace yourself! Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.