Daree Allen is a professional voice actor and a genuinely great conversationalist. I really enjoyed speaking to her about everything from being yourself to her detailed voiceover 101 tips. Get Daree's Voiceover 101 Dos and Don'ts on comrom.co. Daree was really a delight to chat with and I hope to do it again. If you want more of the voiceover 101 o…

We've made it easy for you, Pat Sponaugle and I (Hadas!) got together for a Game of Thrones recap chat to prepare for the final season. It's finally here! The last season of Game of Thrones is upon us. Literally, it starts tonight. Do you remember who's who? Who's alive and who's not so much? What open questions are left to answer? Pat and I get in…

Jonathon Rosenthal is the lead organizer of the best Harry Potter Meetup group. This isn't an exaggeration. It's the best out there. The Group that Shall Not Be Named has been around for over a decade and has over 2000 members. I was lucky enough to enjoy an hour of chat with the man behind this community's magic. If you live in New York, or even i…

Alejandro Montoya Marin is someone I've been hearing about for quite a while. I've been lucky enough to see many of his shorts (including the first version of Monday) and am so excited he was handpicked by Robert Rodriguez to take part in the show Rebel Without a Crew. Alejandro and I chatted about Monday, the RWaC show, movies in general, growing …

After having a blast recording the Sorcerer's Stone movie commentary episode for #Potterweek, we did it again! On this Chamber of Secrets movie commentary episode, you'll learn all about our Weasley crushes, our favorite books, our first impressions, and more. This is a long one, so listen to it whichever way you'd like: use it as a commentary trac…

This one's from the archives and not spoiler-free. Meet Summer Summer, my friend from the International Geek Girl Pen Pals club, is one of the biggest Wonder Woman fans I know. Summer poked me right away. She had to be on the episode of Common Room where we review the Wonder Woman movie, and so here we are. Show Notes Lots of spoilers. Did Wonder W…

Welcome! If you've never listened to the Common Room podcast or visited our site, you're probably asking "What's Common Room?" I hear you, and I'm trying to figure that out myself. Common Room is a place for the renaissance woman who loves pop culture and lifestyle equally. Where To Begin I won't be deleting the backlog or moving to another feed. S…

When Noma Dumezweni was cast as Hermione Granger in the stage play of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, many praised the casting choice. Fans around the world wondered if a black Hermione could possibly be canon. JK Rowling applauded the casting by saying "Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever." But is this world capable of producing a bl…

Listen to this quick 20-minute gab with me (Hadas) and Tony, aka Crazy for Comic Con and creator of the fabulous Hero Within fashion line. Fabulous isn't a word I use in my daily life. This line is designer level fandom gear. It simultaneously lets you flaunt your fandom while being subtle enough for your office. Check them out on Instagram! Tony a…

Happy Birthday, Harry + Jo! The first seven books of the series gave us all the story we needed. Or did they? With the additions of Pottermore, Twitter, The Cursed Child, and Fantastic Beasts, JK Rowling has many outlets to share more information about her universe. But does it all "count?" What is Canon? Is canon anything that comes from JK Rowlin…

Happy Birthday, Neville Longbottom! When we meet Neville in his first year at Hogwarts, we couldn't have imagined he'd turn out to be the hero we see at the end of the series. The biggest turning point came in Order of the Phoenix when Harry and Dumbledore discuss Sybill Trelawny's prophecy. What If? Melissa from Readerly Geek and I try to have fun…

A few months ago (read: over a year ago) I (Hadas) set out to do another tv show rematch with my Iggle pals. Rewatch Recap: We previously rewatched Roswell, the alien teenage romance drama from The WB. Then Freaks and Geeks, a very short-lived cult classic. Next up was Twin Peaks, which divided our hosts. Some were die-hards and others were apprehe…

A few months ago (read: over a year ago) I (Hadas) set out to do another tv show rematch with my Iggle pals. Rewatch Recap: We previously rewatched Roswell, the alien teenage romance drama from The WB. Then Freaks and Geeks, a very short-lived cult classic. Next up was Twin Peaks, which divided our hosts. Some were die-hards and others were apprehe…

Instead of an in-depth discussion on Twin Peaks listen in to Travis the Grimm and Hadas (that's me!) get nerdy. Sometimes not everything goes according to plan! When it came time to record our second episode of the Twin Peaks rewatch focusing on season two, one co-host had to miss the recording and the other didn't finish watching the season. Such …

As you know, on Common Room, we are religiously and politically neutral. We'll never post happy holidays for any holiday or support a political candidate as a site/podcast. So, when I asked friends and strangers to be on the show for #Potterweek and got a request to talk about religious allusions, I was a bit nervous. Stefani, a friend who I met th…

It's finally here. The first episode of our Lost rewatch. These episodes will not be on the Common Room feed starting with the second episode. Frequency: twice a month. Format: Introduction of guests: First timer: Debbie of The Geeky Twin or Rewatchers: Dave of Pop Culture Case Study and Hadas (that's me!). Recap of the episode: In the pilot, we me…

Villains are always fun to discuss. What makes a good one? The Potter villains are pretty diverse. So diverse we sometimes have to ask "Is X a villain?" Listen in as Akua and Ashley, both officers of Geek Girl Brunch NYC (also of A Stylish Jedi and You Haven't Seen respectively) chat about Voldie, Umbry, Snapey Snape, and all the other guys. Here i…

JK Rowling created a very detailed and well-plotted story. Yet how come Hogwarts' students miss out on traditional problem solving and critical thinking lessons? Are most wizards idiots? Jada an officer of Geek Girl Brunch and Julia of our future Lost rewatch podcast episodes suggested we discuss more philosophical issues in Harry Potter. Like how …

Relationships in Harry Potter and fun and frustrating. Ginny and Harry make sense on paper, but some people can't stand their pairing. Lily and James together is confusing, but is Lily and Snape any better? On this fourth Potterweek episode of 2016, I'm joined by Alice aka Kangaru on the interwebs and Kayla of Epicfied from all over the net. Both l…

You know that family member you don't get along with? They've got nothing on the Dursleys. Imagine for yourself two humans who show absolutely no love towards an orphaned infant. On this #Potterweek episode, our guest co-host Kris of No Added Words, suggested we discuss Harry Potter's aunt and uncle. It's our third episode of the week because, in b…

Oh, Hermione. We've definitely known a Hermione in our lives. We may even be one. Did Hermione ever grow up from being a know-it-all? Is that something she needs you to grow up from? Join me and my guest host, Amanda of Great Beer Adventure as we chat about our favorite girlboss and the brightest witch of her age. How do you feel about the girl who…

What happens when you have a Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff rewatch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? For starters, a whole lot of different opinions about the Weasleys. So how does this work? Simply have you movie ready to press play at around 16-22 seconds. When we say press play, you should be right about where the Privet Drive sign …

Another oldie but a goodie. Back in November, we consumed a bit too much for Non-Fiction November*. One of the documentaries we watched and recorded about just didn't get edited in time. Listen in as Christine, Debbie, Margaux, and I (Hadas) talk about 20 Feet From Stardom. We look at the documentary in terms of presentation and content. We also in…

The ladies are finally getting the flattering geeky threads they always wanted. But what about the guys, eh? Men's Fandom Fashion is the topic for our first episode back from a long hiatus (an explanation is on the episode). This episode was recorded a long time ago. Actually a long long time ago before SWVII was released... /sheepish. One of our f…

Yep, the long awaited fight between the Bat of Gotham and the Son of Krypton was released in March. Reviewers were unkind, fans had mixed opinions, and the stars were defensive. Joining me (Hadas) were Meghan aka @mesulli on the interwebs and Summer aka @TheFinchery. Check them out on the following sites! Meghan on Girls on the Grid and Summer on T…

What do you think about when you hear the term indigenous people? I usually think of Native Americans, yet they aren't the only indigenous people on the planet. Only in the last five years did I learn about the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders of Australia. For International Women's Month, I wanted to make sure we featured as many different…

Sonia Liao is the wonderful artist behind Helena Rose which Debbie and I reviewed a few months ago. Read that here and please get the comic, it's beautiful both in art and story. Sonia and I talked about geekery at first. A bit of X-Men, Man of Steel, and Batman v Superman pre-release. We then talked about gaming, online communities, friendships, a…

We met Lynne Yoshii through Emet Comics. She is the artist behind Inside the Loop (our review is coming soon!). I had so much fun talking to her about nerd things we actually spoke for a bit after the ep as well. Hawaii Lynne Yoshii was born in Hawaii! I am very jealous of course for Lost reasons. Her family is Japanese and while she was in Hawaii …

Our 3rd International Women's Month episode is with the founder of female and diversity focused, Emet Comics. Maytal Gilboa joins us for about half an hour to chat about the idea behind the company, her upcoming plans, and some general chat. Maytal Gilboa transitioned from a successful career in film development. Currently, she is coaching a team o…

Sometime in 2015, I realized that some of the leaders of the large lady nerd communities I was part of were self-proclaimed military brats. I invited them on the episode and the conversation went in a direction I couldn't have predicted! Megan Gotch aka The Nerdy Girlie and Jamila Rowser co-founder of Geek Girl Brunch joined me to talk about what m…

Jean Barker is a writer, director, and generally a storyteller. Zana, her first comic, is about a South Africa where Nelson Mandela has been killed and apartheid lives on. Jean and I talked about Zana, her upbringing in South Africa, her writings, her film work, and humanity in general. We also asked Jean Barker our five Common Room questions about…

Oscar, Oscar! Vote Now! Listen in to Charee, Margaux, and Hadas discuss their picks for the 2016 Oscars. We were a bit disappointed with some snubs, we had a hard time with the acting categories, and we learned (again) what sound editing and mixing actually are. (Timestamp breakdown at the bottom of this post!) For a deeper look at each Best Pictur…

Surprise! You might have noticed we already did an episode about The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker before. I wanted a do-over and a bit more of an in-depth discussion on the story. #AlltheTales was the perfect time to try again. A few of the questions we used to form our discussion were lifted straight out of the great online book club, Nove…

We’re continuing our #ALLtheTales event with Catherine Elhoffer of Elhoffer Design! In Part 2 we talk more about stories and what it was like and now is like to be a geek. Our conversation lasted 3 hours, only half of which was intentionally recorded. So we broke down the 1 hour 45 minute recording into 2 episodes. In part 1, Catherine, Debbie, and…

Long time listeners and readers probably know that this team LOVES Potter (Potterweek is proof). So it was obviously very fun to have Alohomora co-host and vocal wizard Michael Harle join us on an episode. We told Michael about #AlltheTales. We mentioned our idea for a Once Upon a Time which really sparked some passion from Mr. Harle. :) (Related: …

We’re starting off our #ALLtheTales event with Catherine Elhoffer of Elhoffer Design! Our conversation lasted 3 hours, only half of which was intentionally recorded. So we broke down the 1 hour 45 minute recording into 2 episodes. In part 1, Catherine, Debbie, and Hadas talk inspiration, creativity, design and stories! SPOILER ALERTS Skip this epis…

Finally! After rewatching all six films, we have seen Star Wars episode VII!! Listen in to our The Force Awakens podcast episode featuring Dave, Fitz, Debbie, and me, the ever-constant interrupter! This The Force Awakens podcast ep is packed with analysis, comparisons to A New Hope, callbacks to previous films, fun cameos, and our love for Po Damer…

As my father likes to text me on Pizza Night, IT IS TIME! Star Wars The Force Awakens arrived. So the Common Roomies and friends of the Common Roomies recorded awesome instant reactions for your listening pleasure. Want to join us for the next Instant Reaction episode? You definitely should! Here's how we did it and how you can next time we call fo…

It was the Sunday where everything went wrong. 3 episodes were scheduled with 8 different guests and 6 had to back out at the last minute. It was just my luck that I found the most incredible co-hosts for our episode about Internet communities at the last minute: Kat from Mugglenet.com and Barb from Trendom.co. Join our conversation on comrom.co: W…

Last week we released our episode about Fast Fashion and The True Cost movie. This week we're releasing our episode with Annie from The Enantiomer Project. Dr. Anne is a real-life scientist and a professor at a fancy university, but not one where there are galas every Friday. Her blog likes to present sewing patterns and projects as scientific expe…

Where do you shop? Do you know how your clothes were made? Where they were made? Who made them and how they were treated? Why are Forever 21, H&M, and other stores able to sell clothing at such low prices? The True Cost dives into the subject of Fast Fashion and how harmful it is for us. This documentary was an eye opener and cleverly done so. Ther…

Let's delve into the beauty scene, specifically the ins and outs of natural hair for NonFicNov. What's natural hair? It basically means leaving your hair in it's natural state without heavily manipulating it with chemicals, heat, extensions, weaves, or anything else on a regular basis. For many African-American women, natural hair and hair, in gene…

For NonFicNov, Debbie suggested about 8* Netflix Documentaries to the team and the number one choice was Tig! What better way to see the real side of pop culture, food, fitness, and fashion than to go behind the scenes with documentaries? You may have heard of Tig Notaro because of her very personal and revolutionary stand up set just a few days af…

When you need to ask for help are you nervous? What about asking for a raise? Why or why not? We discuss Amanda Palmer's The Art of Asking as a book and as it applies to our lives and our approach to asking. Kristin of My Life as a Teacup joins us for a special NonFicNov episode! She recommended discussing Amanda Palmer's The Art of Asking, a memoi…

Cuteness overload? Here's our Episode VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI #StarWarsRewatch episode. TOPICS DISCUSSED ON THIS #STARWARSREWATCH EPISODE Nostalgia: The FinaleWho is the Audience? Kids More Than Adults?Observations After Seeing the Entire SeriesWhy Did Star Wars Become So Popular?Effects and Changes Since ReleaseWriting/Acting ScoresFavorite Quotes …

We were inspired by our discussions on the Rise of the Dystopian (political and environmental) to try a Dystopian themed F3 episode. The theme was basically How to Survive the Hunger Games with food, fitness, and fashion! How to Survive the Hunger Games with Food: Katniss Everdeen ate some pretty good meals at the Capitol, so we made a few Hunger G…

The BEST around apparently. Here's our Star Wars Episode V: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Rewatch episode. TOPICS DISCUSSEDNostalgia: The RevealAnalyzing Darth Vader and Palpatine's RolesQuestioning the ActingWhy is this THE Favorite?Effects and Changes Since ReleaseWriting/Acting ScoresFavorite Quotes Share Your Thoughts in the Comments! Where to find our c…

The one that started it all! Does it hold up? Debatable. Here's our Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Rewatch episode. TOPICS DISCUSSEDNostalgia: First Time WatchingAnalyzing Darth VaderQuestioning Mark Hamill's ActingStrong Female Character: Leia EditionEffects and Changes Since ReleaseWriting/Acting ScoresFavorite Quotes Share Your Thoughts in the…

For Lindsey's first Culture Club, she chose three options that discuss Body Spirit Brain. Body: DESERT RUNNERSSpirit: I AMBrain: FOOD, INC. The winning vote was for Spirit, filmmaker Tom Shadyac's documentary I AM. Pat and Hadas joined Lindsey to discuss having too much stuff, connecting in an internet world, how education could solve all problems,…

We're back with Iggle Rosa aka Camp Counselor Timon, and Lulu who joined us for Freaks and Geeks. Check out the full post on the IGGPPC site! The questions changed slightly this time: 00:01:43 First Timers00:06:04 Rewatchers00:09:04 Topical References00:19:58 Nostalgia/Feels00:24:47 Favorite or Least Favorite Characters00:41:14 Favorite Quotes00:58…