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Half-Assed Internet Research

Trivia, box office, production facts.

Half-Assed Internet Research has run in 297 episodes. The most recent 40 are listed below — open any episode at its timestamp to hear the segment.

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‘Friday the 13th’Bill Simmons

Corrects that Temptation Island still exists and is airing; jokes he'd love to host one of those dating shows and imagines confronting a couple ('Chris, it seems like you and Phoebe are having some issues')

‘Friday the 13th’Van Lathan

Robbie Morgan, who played Annie at the beginning, is married to Mark L. Walberg (the Temptation Island/Antiques Roadshow host, not Mark Wahlberg) since 1987

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’Bill Simmons

Shares trivia that Gunnar Hansen regarded Leatherface as having an intellectual disability and portrayed him that way, and that John Larroquette performed the opening narration and was paid in marijuana; also jokes that his 'hottest take' is Leatherface was the victim, just defending his own house.

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’Chris Ryan

Notes the film had 'dubious funding' and that none of the actors participated in the profits despite the film becoming a hit, comparing it to the brutal, uncompensated working conditions on Obsession's set.

‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’Bill Simmons

Estimates Rambo's body count in this film at around 74, noting the total might be padded by the helicopter grenade launcher kills

‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’Bill Simmons

Says this film (Rambo: First Blood Part II) or Rocky IV represents Stallone's apex mountain in 1985, since he's literally and figuratively on a mountain in both

‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’Bill Simmons

On best Vietnam movie era: says no to late-80s, favors late 70s for quality, but ultimately picks Platoon as apex mountain since it won Best Picture

‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’Kyle Brandt

Questions whether the Krenna/Stallone pantsing and pie-in-face story is true, jokingly nominates it for the 'Steven Seagal shitting on himself' award for most unbelievable onset story

‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’Kyle Brandt

Agrees with Bill that Platoon is apex mountain for Vietnam movies, acknowledging some favor 70s films but siding with Platoon

‘Talladega Nights’Craig Horlbeck

Researched whether cars can actually drive as fast in reverse as forward for the Ricky Bobby reverse-race scene; found that gas-powered cars cannot (limited by having only one reverse gear), but electric cars physically can.

‘Talladega Nights’Craig Horlbeck

Notes that Amy Adams was not yet famous when Talladega Nights was filmed — she'd only done a small role in Catch Me If You Can and had just wrapped June Bug (which later got her an Oscar nomination) right as she booked this film.

‘Talladega Nights’Danny Heifetz

Strong theory that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's song 'Apeshit' (filmed at the Louvre) was inspired by Talladega Nights; also claims 'apeshit' as a term exploded in popularity after this movie.

Episode	Host	Answer
‘Friday the 13th’	Bill Simmons	Corrects that Temptation Island still exists and is airing; jokes he'd love to host one of those dating shows and imagines confronting a couple ('Chris, it seems like you and Phoebe are having some issues')
‘Friday the 13th’	Van Lathan	Robbie Morgan, who played Annie at the beginning, is married to Mark L. Walberg (the Temptation Island/Antiques Roadshow host, not Mark Wahlberg) since 1987
‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’	Bill Simmons	Shares trivia that Gunnar Hansen regarded Leatherface as having an intellectual disability and portrayed him that way, and that John Larroquette performed the opening narration and was paid in marijuana; also jokes that his 'hottest take' is Leatherface was the victim, just defending his own house.
‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’	Chris Ryan	Notes the film had 'dubious funding' and that none of the actors participated in the profits despite the film becoming a hit, comparing it to the brutal, uncompensated working conditions on Obsession's set.
‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’	Bill Simmons	Estimates Rambo's body count in this film at around 74, noting the total might be padded by the helicopter grenade launcher kills
‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’	Bill Simmons	Says this film (Rambo: First Blood Part II) or Rocky IV represents Stallone's apex mountain in 1985, since he's literally and figuratively on a mountain in both
‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’	Bill Simmons	On best Vietnam movie era: says no to late-80s, favors late 70s for quality, but ultimately picks Platoon as apex mountain since it won Best Picture
‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’	Kyle Brandt	Questions whether the Krenna/Stallone pantsing and pie-in-face story is true, jokingly nominates it for the 'Steven Seagal shitting on himself' award for most unbelievable onset story
‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’	Kyle Brandt	Agrees with Bill that Platoon is apex mountain for Vietnam movies, acknowledging some favor 70s films but siding with Platoon
‘Talladega Nights’	Craig Horlbeck	Researched whether cars can actually drive as fast in reverse as forward for the Ricky Bobby reverse-race scene; found that gas-powered cars cannot (limited by having only one reverse gear), but electric cars physically can.
‘Talladega Nights’	Craig Horlbeck	Notes that Amy Adams was not yet famous when Talladega Nights was filmed — she'd only done a small role in Catch Me If You Can and had just wrapped June Bug (which later got her an Oscar nomination) right as she booked this film.
‘Talladega Nights’	Danny Heifetz	Strong theory that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's song 'Apeshit' (filmed at the Louvre) was inspired by Talladega Nights; also claims 'apeshit' as a term exploded in popularity after this movie.