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Links for 2010-07-04 [Digg]
2010-07-05 09:00:00
Kevin G. Schmidt, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, actor A Mr. Media Radio interview with the young actor and star of Cartoon Network's "Unnatural History," recorded October 13, 2009. Nice kid.
More About: Links , Digg

Despicable Me screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio double-cross Mr. Medi
2010-07-04 16:43:00
By BOB ANDELMAN This must be an exciting and, at the same time, nail-biting time to be screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. They are the creative minds behind what is widely anticipated as one of this summer?s great animated thrill rides, Despicable Me. It?s a 3D film that turns the supervillain concept on its ear, first by making the bad guy the star of the movie, and then by making him sympathetic?sort of.  -------------- LISTEN TO DESPICABLE ME SCREENWRITERSCINCO PAUL and KEN DAURIO INTERVIEW! -------------- Despicable Me has a great many connections to greatness, starting with Steve Carrell as the despicable one himself, Gru. He?s just the icing on a aural cake, however, leading a cast that includes Jason Segel, Russell Brand , Will Arnett, Ken Jeong, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews, Mindy Kaling and Jack McBrayer. That?s the exciting part. The nail-biting part? That would be following on the heels of Toy Story 3, which was released a month ...
More About: Double , Cross , Seuss

ACIDIC rocks the Whiskey-A-Go-Go--and our very own Mr. Media!
2010-07-03 19:44:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Every high school has a bunch of kids that will inevitably form a band. They?ll play a mix of cool songs they like and probably learn enough contemporary dance tunes to get booked at the gym for school functions. For many of their classmates, it will be the first time they ever see a band rock out, live, and every act they see thereafter will have to live up to that formative performance.  -------------- LISTEN TO ACIDIC INTERVIEW! -------------- And, in truth, most of those bands will, honest and truly, suck in the real world. The musicians will think they?re hot stuff until they share a stage with more mature, more experienced acts. It?s all part of natural selection: that?s where there is only one Pearl Jam and a thousand Milli Vanillis. Which brings us to an L.A. sensation called ACIDIC. This is not your hippy grandmother?s high school pop band. These kids sound about a decade older than their actual age and experience level. They exude a ha...
More About: Media , High School

Links for 2010-07-02 [Digg]
2010-07-03 09:00:00
Pat Brown: My Life Hunting Serial Killers and Psychopaths How deductive criminal profiling helps to catch rapists and killers - by understanding what makes them tick - Using Joran Van Der Sloot as an example
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30 Rock star Kevin Brown-Dotcom!-tells tales on Tracy Morgan!
2010-07-03 05:04:00
By BOB ANDELMAN When Tracy Jordan?s bodyguards made their first entrance on NBC?s soon-to-be-a-hit ?30 Rock ,? you would have been excused for expecting them to be a one-time sight gag. Who were these two men disguised as city skyscrapers?  -------------- LISTEN TO KEVIN "DOTCOM" BROWN INTERVIEW! -------------- But even as Tracy Jordan became more defined as the show developed in that first season, the roles of his entourage, Grizz and Dotcom, were refined and grew distinguished. The twin towers found their niche as brilliant supporting characters, one or the other often defining a scene with a shrug, an eye roll or a gentle quip. They, unlike Tracy?played by Tracy Morgan , of course?were in on the joke with the rest of us. I had the good fortune to interview Grizz Chapman a few weeks ago and he must have said good things to his friend and partner Kevin Brown , who plays Dotcom, because he?s going to join us in a moment. But who are Grizz and Dotcom? The legend ? an...
More About: Rock Star , Star

Stand-Up Comedians interviewed on Mr. Media Radio
2010-07-02 21:46:00
Aziz Ansari, image via Wikipedia Robert Schimmel (1) Robert Schimmel (2) Judy Tenuta Lisa Lampanelli Ralphie May Aziz Ansari, Parks and Recreation Eugene Mirman, Flight of the Concords Jordan Brady, director, I Am Comic Christian Finnegan Ant Jeff Kreisler (1) Jeff Kreisler (2) James P. Connolly Jason Stuart Michele Balan Dava Krause Debi Gutierrez Yul Spencer Whitest Kids U Know Rabbi Bob Alper Bob Andelman is the author or co-author of 10 books, including 'The Profiler' with Pat Brown, 'Built From Scratch' with the founders of The Home Depot, and 'Will Eisner: A Spirited Life.' ? Twitter ? Facebook Copyright 2010 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!
More About: Radio , Media

Roger Nygard goes where no docu director dares: 'The Nature of Existence'
2010-07-02 02:39:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Roger Nygard has come back to Earth?or has he? The highly regarded documentary filmmaker went to the outer reaches of the galaxy a few years ago when he profiled Star Trek fans?and a few actors from the show?to make Trekkies and its sequel, Trekkies 2. Somehow, he made fun of Trek fans at the same time he captured the essence of the beliefs and devotion to the world of Gene Roddenberry.  -------------- LISTEN TO ROGER NYGARD INTERVIEW! -------------- Now he?s back trying to make sense of a much greater challenge, The Nature of Existence itself. Nygard?s The Nature of Existence premiered in New York City on June 18, at the Quad Cinemas, 34 West 13th Street, and opens on July 2 at the Sunset 5 Theaters @ 8000 W. Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles: One of the boldest characters in Nygard?s Existence is someone whom I instantly remembered from college in the early 1980s: Brother Jed Smock, the self-appointed campus evangelist at the University of Florida . ...
More About: Spirituality

The Last Airbender gets the manga/graphic novel treatment and Mr. Media get
2010-06-30 03:20:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Just last night, my 13-year-old daughter reminded me: ?Dad, my friends and I want to have an ?Avatar ? sleepover marathon and then go see The Last Airbender movie in the morning. You said that would be okay weeks ago?? Apparently, Aang is knocking at the door and I?m in danger of being besieged?by teenage girls. Oh, the humanities!!!  -------------- LISTEN TO DAVE ROMAN AND ALISON WILGUS INTERVIEW! -------------- Seriously, it?s not that bad. Of all the questionable cartoons Rachel has watched over the years, ?Avatar: The Last Airbender? on Nickelodeon has been one with which I?ve never taken issue on content or quality. This Japanese anime import has impressed many parents with its quality stories, humor and humanity. It?s never been a source of mindless violence or sexploitation that is often rife in the genre. On Thursday, July 1, the story of Aang?the young boy with the unmistakable arrow on his head?comes to movie screens as a 3-D flesh-and...
More About: Media , Manga , Treatment , Graphic

Singer Fly won't let cancer?or anything else?slow him down
2010-06-29 00:13:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Being a one-named rock star has been good business for Bono , Sting, Flea and, um, Cher. So why not a bald-headed, rap-around sunglasses wearing guy named Fly? I don't know much about this man whose name reminds me of a 1986 David Cronenberg movie starring Jeff Goldblum. His bio is just a couple of unrevealing sentences. Fly is the lead singer of a band called Underground, which gas a new CD out called Chasing the Future, which you can find on CDBaby.com. Fly & Underground WebSite ? YouTube ? MySpace ? Twitter ?  Facebook ? Blog ? Order Fly's CD "Chasing the Future" on Amazon.com FLY AUDIO EXCERPT: "I am a bit of a mystery. I've always been attracted to mystery. The Police and U2 created a sense o mystery which enticed people to want to know more."  Open in your default player  Detach into a separate window  You can LISTEN to this interview with singer FLY by clicking the audio player above!   Copyright 2010 Bob...
More About: Cancer , Rock Music , Singer

Howard Stern's favorite musical comedy mind, Red Peters, sings dirty lyrics
2010-06-28 02:07:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Red Peters? dulcet tones have undoubted lulled you into listening to music that your mother would likely not approve of. The singer-songwriter takes standard, common melodies and gives them a hysterically filthy twist that makes you go, ?What the f---??  -------------- LISTEN TO RED PETERS INTERVIEW! -------------- And if you?ve never heard Peters? work, let me be the first to introduce you to a few samples, including ?You Promised Me the Moon (But I Prefer Uranus)." Red Peters came to the attention of America?s preeminent radio personality, Howard Stern, not long before Stern made the move from CBS to Sirius Satellite Radio five years ago. Stern created a place for him on his Howard 101 channel, where you can often hear Peters playing his own tunes and dirty music from a variety of other composers and performers. His latest CD, ?Red Peters Presents: Summer Song Sizzler,? is available on iTunes and is full of charming ditties such as ?Vagina? by Pi...
More About: Comedy , Musical , Lyrics , Mind , Dirty

Michael Jackson Remembered 2010 (2-Hour Special)
2010-06-26 05:58:00
By BOB ANDELMAN A year ago today, on June 25, 2009, millions of people were stunned to discover that singer, songwriter and pop culture legend Michael Jackson had died suddenly and mysteriously at home in Los Angeles. His passing was met with general sadness and, yes, a little contempt from people who felt that Jackson?s questionable private life took away from the wonders of his professional accomplishments.  -------------- LISTEN TO REMEMBERING MICHAEL JACKSON 2010! -------------- Tonight, we have gathered an all-star cast of Blog TalkRadio hosts from coast-to-coast to talk about Michael Jackson?s life and career, the good, the bad and a little of the ugly. Joining me over the next 120 minutes will be, in order of appearance: Janice Malone, host of Film Festival Radio in Nashville, Tennessee; Tony Peters, host of Icon Fetch in Dayton, Ohio; D.A. Williams, host of WDKK Radio, also based in Dayton, Ohio; and Muthaknows, host of ?The Mutha Knows Show,? which comes to u...
More About: Music

Kathryn Joosten is less Desperate Housewives, more Golden Girls if you ask
2010-06-25 04:11:00
By BOB ANDELMAN I don?t know about you, but I?ve enjoyed a lifetime of lovable old lady neighbors who mixed sweetness and wisdom with a bit of a screw loose. Growing up, it was Mrs. Snyder, whose lawn I mowed and had to meticulously de-thatch every week because she couldn?t stand to have a blade of old, dead grass in it. When I reached high school, imagine my surprise to discover she would be my guidance counselor and have live-or-death influence over whether I made it into a good college or a bad college.  -------------- LISTEN TO KATHRYN JOOSTEN INTERVIEW! -------------- When I became a homeowner, the seller warned my wife and I about the old, old lady across the street. He said she watched everyone on the block from her living room window and wouldn?t hesitate to call the police if we stepped even slightly out of line. Fortunately, her daughter and caretaker, Mrs. Logan?then 65?was nothing like her mother and became a trusted friend. But what would you make of disc...
More About: Desperate Housewives , Girls , Teri Hatcher , Nicolette Sheridan , The West Wing

The Sopranos' most frightening boss, Richie Aprile, played by David Proval,
2010-06-24 04:29:00
Image via Wikipedia By BOB ANDELMAN Richie Aprile was crazy. Not gangster or organized crime crazy, but nuts. Way over the top, barely functioning in society, nuts. Of all the characters ever invented on HBO?s long-running mobster drama ?The Sopranos ," Aprile?played brilliantly by actor David Proval during season two?was the only one that genuinely scared me with his anger and quick-to-violence temper.  -------------- LISTEN TO DAVID PROVAL INTERVIEW! -------------- Tony Soprano, of course, was menacing, as were many of the guys on his crew and those of the New York Families, but the portrayal of Aprile by Proval was soul-rattling. For me, at least. The real David Proval? He first came to wide notice in Martin Scorsese ?s Mean Streets and has a role upcoming opposite Ving Rhames in Robert Townsend?s Sonny Liston biopic, Phantom Punch. I?m very curious to find out what he?s really like. What I do know is that he?s starring alongside Tanna Frederick and Karen Black in ...
More About: Boss

Actor Patrick Muldoon acts with 'Twilight' star Kristen Stewart, sings with
2010-05-31 01:32:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Joining me today is actor Patrick Muldoon, who you?ll certainly recognize from Star ship Troopers and other films. But what you may not know about Patrick is that he?s adjusted his priorities in recent years, putting much of his energy into the band The Sleeping Masses, for whom he is the lead singer and songwriter with Neal Ives. He?s having some real success, too, as you can see in the music video for the song ?The Woman is the Way.? The song appears in Powder Blue, a movie starring actress Jessica Biel. He's also preparing to start a new movie in which he'll co-star with Twilight actress Kristen Stewart . Patrick Muldoon will be the celebrity guest host of ACME Saturday Night at the ACME Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 5. Studio tickets are $10 online, $15 at the door. You can order tickets or watch the show live online free: http://www.acmecomedy.com. (My audio/video interview with Patrick is immediately following one with comedian Debi...
More About: Band , Starship Troopers

Comedian Debi Gutierrez takes no prisoners... and no Mr. Media, either!
2010-05-28 18:07:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Debi Gutierrez, who has been all over your TV in recent years, hosting the PBS series ?A Place Of Our Own,? ?Clean House? on Style and most recently, ?Hidden Agenda? on the Game Show Network, GSN. (Following Debi in this show is another multi-faceted talent, actor Patrick Muldoon, who is probably best known for his role in Starship Troopers, but today is also making a living as the lead singer and songwriter of the band The Sleeping Masses.) On Friday, June 4, 2010 at 9 p.m. PT, Debi will star in ?Unscripted Hollywood Dream Role? @ ACME Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles. Studio tickets are $8 online, $12 at the door. You can order tickets or watch the show live online free: acmecomedy.com. Debi Gutierrez Website ? Facebook ? Twitter ? MySpace ? YouTube DEBI GUTIERREZ AUDIO EXCERPT: "I come out guns blazing... I talk about things between married couples--that's where I go."  WATCH or LISTEN! Interview with comedian Debi Gutierrez! LISTEN ? WATCH&nbs...
More About: Media , Comedian

Useless Keys rock onto Mr. Media Radio's heavy space ring!
2010-05-27 07:59:00
Useless Keys, image via Wikipedia By BOB ANDELMAN So many rock bands, so little time. How do we ever choose among them? Seriously, I?m curious: how does one cut through all the noise and make a sonic impact on enough of us to make a living and more? That?s one of the things I want to ask my guests today, two of the three men (Rory Modica (drums, vocals), and Michael Bauer (guitar, vocals) (Michael Regilio is missing) and one woman, Guylaine Vivarat (bass, vocals), who make up a new Los Angeles -based band named Useless Keys. Useless Keys got together last summer and created a bit of a sensation in L.A., earning a residency at The Echo club that is sponsored by ASCAP and KROQ. And they just released an EP, Is the Painting Changing, that you can download from Amazon.com or iTunes. Useless Keys Website ? MySpace ? Twitter DRUMMER RORY MODICA AUDIO EXCERPT: "We needed a bass player. Hence, Craiglist. And, I swear, it was a perfect fit once Guylaine Vivarat came."  Open in y...
More About: Media , Seattle , Nirvana

An interview only for Idiots: 'Selling Your Home'
2010-05-26 21:15:00
By BOB ANDELMAN I think I can safely make the following statement: buying a home is much easier than selling a home today. Just the other day, my next door neighbor of 20 years put up a for sale sign?that?s right, you can live next door to Mr. Media!?followed the next day by a smaller tag below it that reads ?Certified Distressed Property Broker.? Certified by whom, I wondered, but that?s beside the point. On the other side of our house is George and Lynn?s old house. They bought at the height of the market, then moved to West Virginia two years later for better job opportunities, putting their place on the market. Number of takers? None. They finally found a renter to pay a fraction of their monthly mortgage. George and Lynn, who were wonderful neighbors, are also paying four times the taxes we are because of the high price they paid to buy. Oh, and if that isn?t enough to make the blood boil, the county property appraiser values their home at slightly more than half what t...
More About: Idiots , Selling , Home , Interview

'Hoodwinked' author John Perkins saves Mr. Media from the economic hit men
2010-05-25 20:33:00
Cover via Amazon By BOB ANDELMAN Forget Stephen King novels. If you want some really scary bedtime reading, I?m going to recommend John Perkins new non-fiction book, Hoodwinked. It?ll leave you afraid to turn off the lights at night. Hoodwinked is the sequel to Perkins? previous book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, and it is an eyes wide awakener. You?ll feel like you?ve been living in La-La Land all your life after reading the no-bullshit revelations about how the world?s corporatocracy really operates. You might also feel like taking a long, hot shower because learning how American businesses really operate around the world is more alarming than any Oliver Stone paranoid cinematic fantasy. It?s almost too wild a tale; it would be easier to believe if the book was just one story of naked greed and ambition, but Hoodwinked is page after page of ugly Americanism. John Perkins Website ? Facebook  JOHN PERKINS AUDIO EXCERPT: "We in the United States are being told we...
More About: Economy , Media , Ecuador

Journalist Jonathan Alter delivers on 'The Promise,' but does President Oba
2010-05-25 00:38:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Here?s the opening of a conversation that would get me divorced: ?Honey, I?m going to spend the next 17 months researching and reporting about President Obama?s first year in office. Oh, and I?m going to keep my full-time job at the magazine and keep showing up as a talking head on TV, too.? Of course, I?m not Jonathan Alter, national affairs columnist at Newsweek, frequent political analyst on MSNBC and author of a fascinating, new, behind the scenes book, The Promise, President Obama, Year One. If your only previous exposure to Alter has been in small doses via his appearances on MSNBC and ?Meet the Press,? you?ll be impressed at how well his approach to politics and journalism holds up over the course of an entire book. There is straight reporting, of course, but also the occasional zinger or observation that captures the point in a sharp-edged arrow?I mean sentence. And it isn?t a mere bow to Barack Obama as ?The Promised One.? Alter identifies mistak...

'Chuck' season finale preview with half of 'Jeffster,' Vik Sahay!
2010-05-24 20:53:00
By BOB ANDELMAN A week ago, I was concerned that this interview might be tinged in sadness. Was it possible that NBC?s rollickin? good fun spy rom-com ?Chuck ? might not be back for a fourth season next fall? But then the clouds parted and the sun shone? and NBC renewed ?Chuck,? too. There are a couple must-see TV shows for which our entire family enjoys gathering around in front of the television these days. There?s ?Lost? and ?Modern Family? on ABC and ?Big Bang Theory? on CBS, and ?30 Rock? and ?The Office? on NBC. But the one my daughter and I especially enjoy above all others is ?Chuck.? One of the perks of hosting this show is getting the opportunity to interview men and women whose work I enjoy. And I?m delighted to welcome back for a second show the man who puts the ?ster? in the ?Chuck? house band ?Jeffster,? the actor who brings ?Buy More? sales associate ?Lester Patel? to life, Vik Sahay. VIK SAHAY AUDIO EXCERPT: "NBC has a history of sticking with (quality) ...
More About: Preview , Season , Finale , Comic-Con

You will not wanna be sedated before finishing 'I Slept with Joey Ramone'
2010-05-24 15:14:00
Cover via Amazon By BOB ANDELMAN Joey Ramone wasn?t really Joey Ramone. Most people know that the ?Ramones? name was for the stage, although few sought out and became their stage persona more completely than the former Jeffry Hyman, a spindly, troubled boy from Queens. If you?re a Ramones fan?or just fascinated with stories of familial disfunction?you?re going to find the new book, I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir, an irresistible attraction. The story was written by Joey?s younger brother, Mitchell Hyman, a.k.a. Mickey Leigh, with help from Legs McNeil , a long-time friend of both brothers and the author of the classic music history, Please Kill Me: The Uncensored History of Punk . Legs, today making his second appearance on Mr. Media, got to know Joey and Mickey in the late ?70s when he and John Holmstrom co-founded the legendary Punk magazine. I got to know Legs through his later contributions to Spin magazine. His writing always comes with a twist; he?s never dull. L...
More About: Arts , Bob Dylan , Author

Links for 2010-05-21 [Digg]
2010-05-22 09:00:00
Journalist Jonathan Alter delivers on 'The Promise’ If your only previous exposure to Alter has been in small doses via his appearances on MSNBC and Meet the Press, you will be impressed at how well his approach to politics and journalism holds up over the course of an entire book. And enjoy his Joe Biden impression, here!
More About: Links , Digg

An interview only for Idiots: 'Organizing Your Life'
2010-05-21 23:46:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Only one of the three of us living in the Mr. Media® residence is organized. The other two? Not so much. It?s a constant pressure point, too, where the one is constantly picking up after the rest. They complain they don?t have any room, don?t know where anything is, can?t find something important at a crucial moment? If this sounds like your home and your life, let?s work together today to do something about this. Joining me today is Georgene Lockwood, author of The Complete Idiot?s Guide to Organizing Your Life , now in its fifth edition. I will say this: there is a ray of hope in the Mr. Media home. One of the two non-organized entities here pounced on Lockwood?s book when it arrived and immediately started babbling about all the great ideas found within it. Time will tell whether they take or get left in a pile somewhere. Georgene Lockwood Website GEORGENE LOCKWOOD AUDIO EXCERPT: "Where do you begin? Do you begin in a corner? You might begin on the couc...
More About: Idiots , Interview

Links for 2010-05-20 [Digg]
2010-05-21 09:00:00
'Community' beauty Gillian Jacobs shines in tonight's finale NBC's freshman comedy sensation 'Community' is ending its first season on a high note: Entertainment Weekly made the show's season finale tonight Number 1 on its Top Ten 'Must List' of things to do this week. And it singled out co-stars Joel McHale and Gillian Jacobs for the developments in their characters.Read More: http://www.mrmedia. Grizz Chapman enjoys 30 Rock spotlight in tonight's finale It's a big night for 30 Rock's supporting cast--for no one more so than Grizz, about whom we've made two shocking discoveries: 1) The actor who plays half of Tracy's entourage undergoes dialysis three times a week for kidney failure, and; 2) His character and Tina Fey's have a secret, sexual past.Read More: http://www.mrmedia.com/2010/05/30-ro
More About: Links , Digg

'30 Rock' star Grizz Chapman enjoys spotlight in tonight's season finale
2010-05-20 20:09:00
By BOB ANDELMAN There may be at least three weddings figuring into tonight?s season finale of ?30 Rock ? on NBC, which airs at 9:30 p.m.: ? Tracy and Dotcom are arguing over which one of them will be best man for Grizz. ? Bride-to-be Cirie wants Liz Lemon to wear a yellow bridesmaid?s dress for her wedding?a Vietnamese size 2. ? And with Liz having proposed instant marriage to Wesley, even she may be going off the market?except that Matt Damon is guest starring in tonight?s episode. Will he save her? Naah, probably not. It?s a big night for the show?s supporting cast?for no one more so than Grizz, about whom we?ve made two shocking discoveries: 1) The actor who plays half of Tracy?s entourage undergoes dialysis three times a week for kidney failure, and; 2) His character and Tina Fey?s have a secret, sexual past. Follow Grizz Chapman on Twitter GRIZZ CHAPMAN AUDIO EXCERPT: "When they come to you and tell you they have to put a catheter in your chest, you start looking...
More About: Television , Rock Star , Programs , Arts

NBC's 'Community' beauty Gillian Jacobs shines in tonight's season finale
2010-05-20 19:47:00
By BOB ANDELMAN NBC?s freshman comedy sensation ?Community ? is ending its first season on a high note: Entertainment Weekly made the show?s season finale tonight Number 1 on its Top Ten ?Must List? of things to do this week. And it singled out co-stars Joel McHale and Gillian Jacobs for the developments in their characters. So how lucky am I to welcome Gillian to Mr. Media today? Pretty damn lucky. Gillian?s character, ?Brita,? has grown as ?Community? itself blossomed this season. When the show debuted, she seemed destined to be a one-noter whose sole purpose seemed to be swatting down blatant advances by McHale?s womanizing character Jeff. But as the weeks went on, the writers found better, smarter ways of putting her to work, expanding Britta into as fully formed a person as everyone around her-including the more evolved Jeff. Regular listeners know I?m a fan of ?Community,? which is why Gillian is the fifth star of the show invited to join me on Mr. Media. Follow Gi...
More About: Beauty , College , Season , Chevy Chase

Remembering the late Black Sabbath singer Ronnie James Dio with a 'lost' in
2010-05-17 23:42:00
By BOB ANDELMAN When word reached us last night that singer Ronnie James Dio lost his battle against cancer yesterday at the age of 67, my wife said, ?Didn?t you interview him?? Yes, yes, I did. It was May 22, 1986, one of my first interviews at my new job as pop music critic for the Tampa Tribune. It was a telephone interview, as so many were in those days. Sadly, the audio quality has been greatly diminished by the years. In fact, it may not have been very good to begin with, but I?m a pack rat, so I kept it. I can?t even prove that a story based on the interview ever ran?except that the part at the end where he talked about Christmas did appear in a story I wrote for the Orlando Sentinel: "I remember hardly any Christmases, whether as a child or an adult. Christmas is not my big one. I think it's a complete and utter waste of time for me. For some people, it's wonderful. It's wonderful for children. Christmas should be for children. It's just a shame that all the a...
More About: Lost , Los Angeles , Black , Black Sabbath

Rhymes With Orange? Hilary Price cracks up Mr. Media!
2010-05-17 16:45:00
By BOB ANDELMAN Things I learned abut ?Rhymes With Orange ? syndicated cartoonist Hilary Price by reading her blog: ? She wears a size 40 shoe?by Euro measures. ? She went to Cuba with several cartoonists recently. The trip was organized by Jeannie Schulz, widow of ?Peanuts? cartoonist Charles Schulz. ? While she was gone that week, rather than work ahead on her daily strip, she asked Mo Willems to fill in. ? She has a fluffy white cat named Seltzer. ? Every November, she opens her Florence, Massachusetts studio to the public. What I didn?t need her blog to tell me about Price: she is a huge favorite of professional cartoonists and is probably better known among them than the general public. She is esteemed for her humor and style. Hilary Price Daily Comic ?  Blog HILARY PRICE AUDIO EXCERPT: "Plush toys! You can have a plush toy of Snoopy. There's going to be no 'Rhymes With Orange' plush toy unless I come up with a character. So darn it!"  Open in ...
More About: Media

Harry Kalas biographer says the Phillies broadcaster lived a fuller life th
2010-05-16 16:09:00
By BOB ANDELMAN I can?t honestly recall ever hearing a Philadelphia Phillies game called by the late Harry Kalas, but after being exposed to the man and his life in the pages of Randy Miller?s fascinating biography, Harry the K, I feel like I missed out on something special. Don?t misunderstand: Harry Kalas was no saint. He loved baseball, of course, but also wine, women and song?and I mean that quite literally, as I believe Randy Miller will tell you momentarily. One more thing: I?m doing this interview under protest since the 2008 Phillies wiped up the floor with my beloved Rays in the World Series this year?and then stuck us with Pat Burrell. RANDY MILLER AUDIO EXCERPT: "Jasmine, as much as she was hurt, she still believes that Harry Kalas was the best man she ever met. To this day, she worships the ground Harry Kalas walked on. She thinks she's going to be reunited with him in Heaven."  Open in your default playerDetach into a separate window You can LIS...
More About: Life

Director Vincente Minnelli hid a lot of secrets; was one of them bisexualit
2010-05-15 20:22:00
By BOB ANDELMAN What kind of things did you do in high school that affected you for the rest of your life? For Mark Griffin, watching a Vincente Minnelli movie, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, gave him both a career?and an obsession. Oh, and a new book, too: A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli. Griffin, who writes film reviews for the Boston Globe, MovieMaker and Genre, has written and compiled and exhaustive biography and filmography of the late director who was known as much for films such as Meet Me in St. Louis, An American in Paris and Gigi as for marrying Judy Garland and fathering Liza Minnelli. Minnelli was also the subject of much innuendo and rumor, during his lifetime and since, about his sexual orientation. Mark Griffin Blog ? Twitter MARK GRIFFIN AUDIO EXCERPT: "Vincente Minnelli liked to slip a lot of subliminal elements into his films. The whole aspect of his sexuality, which had been long rumored about, was definite...
More About: Movies , Arts , Secrets