The Ten News Summer Deep Dive

A Ten News Deep Dive: Episode 646

Summer break is here, which means Season 6 is going out with a bang đź’Ą

Ryan and Pam preview everything shaping up this summer from America’s 250th birthday celebrations and major sporting events to the biggest movies hitting theaters... and more! 🇺🇸⚾️🍿

Plus, we’re diving into The Week Junior's Summer of Reading program with Executive Director Mindy Walker, who also shares some recs from The 50 Books Kids Love Most right now. 📚

And for our final trivia of the season? We’re heading into vacation mode and diving deep into the world’s oceans 🌊

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Transcript:

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

<SFX RYAN GAMING HARD>

<SFX door opens>

PAM: Goooood morning Ry–oh boy. Have you been gaming all night again? 

RYAN: Of course not Pam. I came in at 6am today because I have too many games to play. 

PAM: Too many games?

RYAN: This is the last episode of Season 6. Summer vacation is here. School is out. The sun is shining. And I am preparing for my annual Summer of Gaming! <SFX Booming voice when he says that> 

PAM: Ah yes, your very serious summer tradition.

RYAN: It’s extremely serious Pam. I've got games to finish. Games to start. Games to replay. It's a full schedule. 

PAM: Well before you dig in, maybe we should talk about all the other amazing things happening this summer.

RYAN: Wait... there are OTHER things happening?

PAM: Yeah! Tons. 

RYAN: Okay, now you’ve got my attention and I’m Ryan Willard.

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland.

RYAN: It’s Friday, June 12th. 

PAM: This the Ten News Summer Deep Dive and our Season 6 Finale!

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

PAM: Summer is my absolute favorite time of the year and before we take our summer break, we need to get our Ten’ers ready.

RYAN: Ready? Oh, I know, I’ll get the snacks, the water guns, the pool floaties, the slip and slide…

PAM: Um, Ryan. I meant with some news. We are the Ten News after all. 

RYAN: Oh right. Let’s kick this off in the best way then. It is time for the Ten News 5 Moments to watch out for this Summer <SFX: Big booming>

PAM: Number one...a very big birthday.

RYAN: Yes, America's 250th Birthday!

PAM: That's right. On July 4th, the United States turns 250 years old.

RYAN: Two hundred and fifty?! That's a quarter of a millennium!

PAM: Exactly. Back on July 4th, 1776, representatives from the 13 American colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing that they were becoming a new nation.

RYAN: So this is basically the biggest birthday party in America.

PAM: Pretty much! Communities across the country will be celebrating with parades, concerts, fireworks, festivals, museum exhibits, and special events throughout the summer.

RYAN: But it's not just about birthday cake and fireworks, right?

PAM: Right. It's also a chance to look back at how much the country has changed over the last 250 years.

RYAN: I mean, there were no cars.

PAM: No cars.

RYAN: No airplanes.

PAM: Nope.

RYAN: No video games.

PAM: Definitely no video games.

RYAN: Honestly, I'm not sure I could survive.

PAM: Well Ryan, somehow people managed. And over those 250 years, the United States grew from 13 colonies along the East Coast into a country with 50 states, more than 340 million people, and communities made up of people from all over the world.

RYAN: That's pretty incredible. Happy 250th, America!

RYAN: That's a lot of birthday candles.

<SFX: break noise> 

PAM: Number two…

RYAN: Summer sports!

RYAN: Hey Adam, what sports are you looking forward to watching? 

ADAM: Yooo. Well you know I’m a big baseball guy, so I’m obviously watching the Yankees all season. But I will always love seeing the National and American league go head to head in the MLB all-star game. It’s on Tuesday, July 14th at 8pm eastern time. And the homerun derby is the day before,  July 13th also at 8pm Eastern. 

PAM: And Adam, I’m guessing you’re following the World Cup?

ADAM: I LOVE the world cup. It’s playing in the U.S., Canada and Mexico this year. It started on June 11th and goes through July. The semifinals will be on July 14th and 15th, the bronze match is on Saturday July 18th… and the Finals will be on Sunday, July 19th in New York New Jersey Stadium.

RYAN: Wait, they’re calling it the New York New Jersey stadium?! It’s in Met Life Stadium which is in East Rutherford, NEW JERSEY. 

ADAM: Yeah, well, the Jets and Giants play there, so New York has claimed it again. 

RYAN: Thank you Adam the great Bambino Bernard!

ADAM: Anytime, my guy. 

<SFX: break noise> 

PAM: Number three...

RYAN: Summer movie season!

RYAN: Oh my gosh I LOVE going to the movies. And there are so many good ones coming out this Summer! 

PAM: Yup! Toy Story 5 is coming out on June 19th. All our favorite toys are back but this time they’re facing off against SCREEN TIME… And then the second movie in the new DC Universe, Supergirl, is coming out on June 26th. I loved Superman last year and we get to see his cousin, Kara, on a mission to save her dog, Krypto. And of course…you know I love my Minions… <SFX Minion noises> Minions and Monsters follows them as they try to make a monster movie and have to recruit real monsters to be in it…so I’m sure it’ll get quite ridiculous and hilarious. 

RYAN: YES! I want to watch all of those. Oh also, the live action Moana is coming out on July 10th! Catherine Laga’aia will be playing Moana and Dwayne Johnson is returning as Maui! <SFX What can I say except you’re welcome!> I wonder who’s playing Heihei…? OH AND ALSO! I’m super excited for Spider-Man Brand New Day on July 31st! In the last Spider-Man movie, Dr. Strange had to cast a spell that made everyone forget who Peter Parker was…so in Brand New Day, he has no Avengers, no friends, no Tony Stark tech…so I’m super curious to see what goes down. 

<SFX: break noise> 

PAM: Number four...

RYAN: Space!

PAM: This summer marks an important anniversary in space history. On July 20th, people around the world will celebrate the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, the mission that first put humans on the Moon in 1969.

RYAN: That's when Neil Armstrong took that famous first step and said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

PAM: More than half a billion people watched the Moon landing on television, making it one of the most-watched events in history.

RYAN: Imagine watching people walk on the Moon for the very first time.

PAM: Pretty amazing. And while the Moon landing happened more than 50 years ago, space exploration is still going strong today.

RYAN: In fact, scientists and engineers are working on plans to send astronauts back to the Moon in the coming years.

PAM: NASA and other space agencies are also exploring Mars, studying distant planets, and using powerful telescopes to learn more about the universe.

RYAN: And space is having a major moment in pop culture too. One of the biggest movies of the year has been Project Hail Mary. That's the film starring Ryan Gosling, based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, the same author who wrote The Martian.

PAM: No spoilers! But it's all about a science teacher who wakes up alone on a mission in space and has to figure out how to save Earth.

RYAN: Space is one of the few places where there are still giant mysteries waiting to be solved. Maybe one of our Ten'ers will be the first person to walk on Mars.

PAM: And if that happens, we fully expect a shoutout to The Ten News.

RYAN: That's all I'm asking for. Amaze, amaze, amaze!

PAM: And finally, number five, one story to know about this summer….

<SFX: break noise> 

RYAN: The mystery story!

PAM: The mystery story?

RYAN: Yep. The story nobody knows yet.

PAM: Ok Ryan, you actually have a point. Every summer brings unexpected discoveries and surprises.

RYAN: The coolest stories are often the ones nobody sees coming.

PAM: So even though Season 6 is wrapping up, the news definitely isn't taking a vacation.

RYAN: We may be on break for the summer but we’ll be keeping our eyes on the stories everyone will be talking about and looking out for notes from our Ten’ers of what they want to know more about next season.

PAM: Because when Season 7 arrives, we'll be ready to dive right back into the news.

RYAN: But first, let's head to the snack room and see if we are stocked up on snacks, we are going to need lots of energy for all these big moments.

Hazel - summer excitement

INT. TEN NEWS SNACK ROOM

<SFX Ryan chewing and enjoying Smores>

MINDY: Excuse me, is this the snack room?

RYAN: Yeah this is the snack roo–OH MY SWEET SMORES’. 

MINDY: Are you okay…?

RYAN: Yeah! No. YES! Well you’re…are you Mindy Walker, the executive editor from THE WEEK JUNIOR?

MINDY: Yes I am! And I’m guessing by your snacking habits, you’re Ryan. 

RYAN: And you know who I am? I am geeking out right now. I’m a big fan of the Week Junior.

MINDY: Well we love the Ten News, so it’s a pleasure to meet you. Are you excited for summer?

RYAN: Oh my gosh yes. We were just talking about how many cool things there are to do–

MINDY: Like our annual Summer of Reading?

RYAN: Wait, I do a Summer of Gaming, what’s the Summer of Reading? 

MINDY: ANSWERS

(MINDY AND RYAN TALK ABOUT SOR AND THE 50 BOOKS KIDS LOVE MOST LIST)

MINDY: What was the last book you read? 

RYAN: Well I don’t know if you’ve heard of it…but I love Dav Pilkey, he wrote Captain Underpants…but I dig the Dog Man series and I read Dog Man: Big Jim Believes. I also played the video game Dog Man: Mission Impawsible. 

MINDY: Oh cool, I didn’t realize they turned Dog Man into a video game! The Dog Man series is actually on our 50 Books Kids Love Most List! So you’re already a step ahead. 

RYAN: Oh amazing! Do you have any other recommendations? 

MINDY: (RECOMMENDS)

RYAN: Adlibs

RYAN: Well I’m definitely going to join in on the Summer of Reading, thanks for stopping by Mindy!

MINDY: Anytime, Ry. You should come by the Week Junior–

RYAN: I WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME I’LL BE THERE NEXT TUESDAY. Should I bring snacks? 

MINDY: Okay…don’t worry about that, we got snacks. Nice meeting you! Btw, which way is the Trivia Room? 

RYAN: Down the hall and to the left!

Felix and Talia - TK

<SFX knock knock knock> 

<SFX door opens>

OWEN: Welcome to the Trivia Room…

MINDY: Hey Owen! 

OWEN: Hi Mindy! Oh wow, it’s an honor to have you in the Trivia Room. How can I help you?

MINDY: Well I was hoping you might stump me with some trivia…

OWEN: Well then step right up, I’m always up for a challenge. I know the annual Summer of Reading is here, so I’ll throw you a total curveball and ask you about something totally different… something beach related… Which ocean is the biggest ocean? Is it…

  1. The Atlantic 

  2. The Pacific  

  3. The Arctic or…

  4. The Indian

Alright Ten’ers, did you guess it? Mindy, what do you think?

MINDY: Okay, I wasn’t expecting a geography question…but I’m going to guess…the pacific!

OWEN: The answer is…B! <SFX WAVES CRASH> The Pacific is the largest ocean in the world and it covers more area than all the land on earth combined! The Pacific Ocean extends from the Antarctic region in the south to the Arctic in the north and lies between the continents of Asia and Australia on the west and North and South America on the East.

MINDY: Okay, you definitely got me this time. Great trivia Owen!

OWEN: Thanks so much for stopping by Mindy! Have a great summer!

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

PAM: And that was the Ten News Summer Deep Dive…

RYAN: Pam, that was incredible. I have so many cool things to do now! 

PAM: It’s going to be an awesome summer. I’m surprised you didn’t even talk about the video games you’re playing this summer–

RYAN: I mean… you know I always want to talk GGs…! Ten’ers, if you want me to do some super secret special episodes this Summer talking about video games, leave us a comment on Spotify or an Apple podcast review and tell us! 

PAM: I can’t believe Season 6 is over! This season has gone by so fast, but it’s been an absolute joy.  We will be doing re-airs of episodes each week over the summer, but if you want us to do any special episodes, hit us up and we’ll do what we can! You can also send us an email: hello@thetennews.com

RYAN: It’s been an awesome year and we just want to thank you all for listening. You are the reason we do what we do, and we love making this show for you. 

PAM: We hope you have a wonderful Summer! Should we give some Ten News Snaps, Ry?

RYAN: Of course, but first, here’s a quick note for the grown ups. 

<AD BREAK>

RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps!

RYAN: I heard from a Ten’er named Bennet who said, “this summer I’m most excited about riding bikes and exploring cool places with friends.” Yeah, riding bikes is also one of my favorite things to do with friends!

PAM: A Ten’er named Hamiltonfan572 wrote to us and said…”the thing they’re most excited for this summer is going to summer camp. I am going to sleep there for 2 weeks and it is so much fun! It is called Camp Hocholaga and it is right on Lake Champlain.

PAM: A Ten’er named the Podcast Pony Lover 123 left us a five star review and said, “Best Podcast ever. I love it so much. If you listen to it, you will like it.” Well that’s a tremendous compliment and review, thank you Podcast Pony Lover! I hope you get to hangout with some ponies this summer. 

RYAN: And I hope you make your friends listen to our show, so they like it too and will maybe even subscribe!

PAM: And two extra notes for the grown-ups, you can now get ad-free versions of our episodes when you join the Ten’ers Club on our website. 

RYAN: And if you want the Ten News to come back for Season 7, we need your help! We are fundraising over the summer and you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. Any donation big or small makes a big difference and the whole team thanks you for your support!

PAM: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.

RYAN: The Ten News creative team is having the best summer ever and includes Tracey Not a Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas, the Duke of Earl Davis and Carson Not So Harry Potter. Big thanks to Owen, Not Slowin Down for Anybody and Sasha the Intergalactic Intern. And a HUGE thanks to our incredibly special guest from the Week Junior, Mindy Walker who also might be a Runner. 

PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright, Albright, Albright! and show creator Tracy Takes the Leeds Kaplan. I’m Pamela Kirkland.   

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News.

PAM: Have a great summer!

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Summer Sneak Peeks, Wild World of Sports, and Gaming BTS