Last week, we took a break to do something fun, and this week, you get to see why. Josh and the crew took a trip to Chicago to sit down with Ashton Kutcher, the actor known for That 70s Show and Two and a Half Men but more importantly his portrayal of Steve Jobs in the upcoming biopic. It's a bold choice — you can read our Jobs review from Sundance here — and Josh challenges him on his decision and performance. The two also talk about Kutcher's other life, as that of a venture capitalist and social media forerunner.

Robots! Virtual Reality! A "human-robot partnership" that'll put a billion people in space!

Senior reporter TC Sottek went to Pasadena, CA for a trip to NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, an experimental arm of the agency that's doing some crazy work with the most advanced technology and with off-the-shelf parts like the Oculus Rift.

And Nilay Patel sat down with Cullen Hoback, the documentary filmmaker whose work Terms and Conditions May Apply take a look at those the contracts we sign and the data we give — willingly and otherwise — when we use services like iTunes, Facebook, and Google.

Welcome to On The Verge, our little zeitgeist for the culture of now. We may be off celebrating our country's independence with hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, and (we promise totally legal) fireworks... but before we go: Joshua sits down with journalist and satirist Mo Rocca (CBS News, The Daily Show, Wishbone) for an extended chat on his storied career, including a stint at Perfect 10 magazine. Also, Ross Miller sits down with H. Jon Benjamin about his famous voice (Archer, Bob's Burgers) and his first initial. Before all that, just to get out of the studio, Nathan Cykiert tries to explain the New York's Citi Bike program. Watch it — before the bike-to-citizen ratio reaches singularity.

Welcome to On The Verge, our little zeitgeist for the culture of now. We've got a very fun film-themed show today, including a lively in-studio chat with Paul Feig, the creator of Freaks and Geeks and director of Bridesmaids and The Heat. Before that, Josh sits down with acting icon Lance Reddick about his roles in The Wire, Fringe, White House Down (as well as his thoughts on William Shatner and early Star Trek). Before that, a certain special 1985 science fiction epic and the reasons you should give it a shot. Stay a while, watch.

Welcome to On The Verge, a zeitgeist for the culture of now. On today's show: our intrepid reporter (we say that a lot) Bryan Bishop took a trip to Pixar and talked to the many, many brilliant minds behind the studio and Monsters University. And before that, Nilay Patel and Josh have a heart-to-heart about some of Google's more "ambitious" plans. Stay a while, watch.

Credits:

Directed by Billy Disney, Jordan Oplinger

Producer: Ross MillerAssociate Producer: Michael ShaneStudio Producer: Brendan MurphyExecutive Producers: Joshua Topolsky, Chad Mumm, Kyle Kramer

Written by: Joshua Topolsky, Ross Miller, Nathan CykiertEditors: Billy Disney, Jordan OplingerPublishing Assistant: Evan RodgersCamera Operators: Billy Disney, Cosmo Scharf, Courtland Noble, Zach Golstein

Host: Joshua TopolskySpecial Guests: Khoi Vinh, Spencer AckermanFeaturing: Nilay Patel, Nathan Cykiert

Production Manager: Marcos Bueno From Vox Studios: Will Buikema, Dave KaufmanIntro animation: Noah Shulman
On The Verge logo: Cory SchmitzBooker: Mary DowneyProduction Assistants: Jacob Moe

Special Thanks to: Marty Moe...

It's a very special On The Verge as we take a deeper dive into Beyond Recognition, our cover story this week on face transplants. Our science editor Katie Drummond sits down with Josh for a talk about the story from inception to reaction. Also, Nilay Patel sits down with New York City's Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot to talk about — among less important topics like modernizing a major city in this fast-growing world — why he doesn't have FiOS yet.

Don't forget next week is pretty busy for us — especially Monday with Apple's WWDC and the major E3 keynotes. Also the return of Top Shelf, and of course, more On The Verge. It'll be fun, join us!

Credits:

Directed by: Billy Disney, Jordan OplingerProducer: Ross MillerAssociate Producer: Michael ShaneStudio Producer: Brendan MurphyExecutive Producers: Joshua Topolsky, Chad Mumm, Kyle Kramer

Written by: Joshua Topolsky, Ross Miller, Nathan Cykiert

Editors: Billy Disney, Jordan OplingerAdditional Editing: Regina DelleaSound Mixing: John LagomarsinoPublishing Assistant: Evan RodgersCamera Operators: John Lagomarsino, Ryan "Rhondo" Manning, Sam Thonis

Host: Joshua TopolskySpecial Guests: Brian Greene

Featuring: Michael Shane, Nathan CykiertVoice of Bloomberg: Nick Fondulis

Production Manager: Marcos BuenoFrom Vox Studios: Will Buikema, Dave Kaufman

Intro animation: Noah ShulmanOn The Verge logo: Cory Schmitz

Production...

New weekly shows. New fascinating guests. New exciting antics. Absolutely no pants.

What a way to end a season! It all starts with news from best actor nominee Joshua Topolsky and best supporting actor nominees Paul Miller and Nilay Patel (also nominated for his role in "Jerk Bosses").

Ross Miller took a trip to Oblong industries to check out their work in multi-screen hand gesture computers à la Minority Report. Then John Underkoffler — Oblong co-founder and chief scientist, as well as the science adviser for Minority Report and Iron Man — talks in-studio with Josh. Fascination, awe, even an ounce of fear — you won't believe Josh's range of emotion. Lastly, from the west coast, debonair west coast editor Dieter Bohn sits down with RIM CEO Thorsten Heins to figure out what really is going on with BlackBerry right now.