By Bob Andelman

Jeff Kreisler, GET RICH CHEATING, author, comedian: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:57:00 PDT

BY BOB ANDELMAN

I’m not a big advocate of cheating to get ahead in life.

But let’s face it, these are not normal times. So I’m willing to consider options that were previously anathema to a good two-shoes like myself.

Enter Jeff Kreisler, an old friend of the Mr. Media Radio show and the author of the new book, Get Rich Cheating: The Crooked Path to Easy Street. In this manual to the easy life, Jeff kicks ethics to the curb and puts readers on the fast track to mastering scams, frauds, steroids and public relations.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "The easy way to know that A-Rod is cheating is that he's wearing a Yankees uniform. That, right there, is the sign of the Devil."

This is Jeff’s second appearance here; the rising humorist also came on to talk about My Wall Street Journal, on which he was an editor.

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LISTEN! Jeff Kreisler talking about My Wall Street Journal!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Angela Dove, NO ROOM FOR DOUBT true crime writer: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:25:01 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

How well do you know your own father?

If your stepmother died under suspicious circumstances and everyone around you harbored the belief that your father murdered her, could you stand by him no matter what?

I hope, for your sake, that it’s a situation in which you never find yourself. But it happened to Angela Dove http://www.angeladove.com/ on March 25, 1988, when she was a high school student in California. Her life was never the same.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "This was just a man who had a lot of difficulty in interpersonal relationships. He got in his own way. I think a lot of people do that, but it's not until you're under the lens of a homicide investigation that it starts to look suspicious."

Dove hopes to have brought herself and her family some closure with the publication of her first book, No Room for Doubt: A True Story of the Reverberations of Murder. It is the story of Debi Whitlock’s brutal and mysterious death in her own home—while her three-year-old daughter slept nearby—and the impact the long unsolved crime had on Dove’s father. It is also the tale of Debi’s mother’s long struggle for justice.

Even if you read a good deal of true crime stories, you probably haven’t read one like this. Its point of view is unique and I heartily recommend it to you.

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Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Tim Pilcher, EROTIC COMICS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY historian, publisher: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:52:00 PDT

BY BOB ANDELMAN

Tim Pilcher has a dirty mind!

That’s what some people think, no doubt. He did just publish the second edition Erotic Comics: A Graphic History and it is filled with cartoon images of men, women, aliens and even a cat dancer engaged in all manner of physical intimacies.

Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 left off and examines how the form has become an international publishing phenomenon by showcasing artwork that has inflamed desires, incensed censors, and caused controversy.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "The history of censorship of comics runs hand-in-hand with the history of erotic comics. The two are so intimately tied, for so many reasons... Governments have really tried to suppress or stop certain materials from being sold or marketed to the general public."

Fully illustrated with rare art by Howard Cruse, Gengoroh Tagame, Melinda Gebbie, Hunt Emerson, Howard Chaykin, Giovanna Casotto (whose work graces the cover), Tom of Finland, Milo Manara, Junko Mizuno, this book covers everything: the erotic comics explosion in America in the mid-’80s; the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender comics scene; UK and European erotic comic creators since the ’70s; and the Japanese hentai phenomenon.

(If you have sensitive ears or are under the age of 18, please stop here. You might be offended by some of the content of this interview.)

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Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Mark Schultz, AL WILLIAMSON'S FLASH GORDON author: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:40:00 PDT

Flash Gordon. Has there ever been a cooler name or a cooler action hero anywhere?

I can’t remember exactly when during the 1960s I first saw the old Universal serials repeated on television featuring Buster Crabbe as Flash, but I was hooked for life. As I grew older, I was a sucker for any medium selling “Flash Gordon” stories, whether it was comic books or that really horrible 1980 Flash Gordon movie starring Sam J. Jones, who later added another red mark on his resume by playing "The Spirit" in an ABC-TV series pilot.

If you’ve never caught Flash Gordon, you owe it to yourself to track down a collection of the old movie serials or a copy of the new book, Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic.

Williamson drew many of the iterations of Flash published during the last 60 years. And while Alex Raymond created the character and gave him life, it was really Williamson who brought the space-faring adventurer to life for generations of fans.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "He's just a superior draftsman. Al has a very discerning eye for doing, especially, the human figure in proportions that are very pleasing, flowing, very heroic if you will. He does very heroic looking men and gorgeous women. And vice-versa sometimes."

This beautiful new coffee table book lets Williamson’s work breathe in a large size that will dazzle and amaze you.

Joining me to talk about Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon is the man who wrote the text, Mark Schultz. An artist himself, Schultz is the creator of Xenozoic Tales, a comic featuring the crazy interaction of Cadillacs and dinosaurs. In fact, it was adapted as a Saturday morning cartoon several years ago called—you guessed it—“Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.”

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Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

John Hawkes, DEADWOOD, EASTBOUND AND DOWN, LOST actor: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:08:00 PDT

John Hawkes is best known for his role as Sol Star, the co-owner of the hardware store and best friend of the sheriff on the beloved, cocksucker HBO series “Deadwood.”

Hey—I don’t write these intros, folks, they just sort of write themselves.

But like most everybody who had a star turn on that amazing but short-lived drama, Hawkes has been busy ever since, including roles in the movies American Gangster and Miami Vice. He’s currently starring on a new HBO comedy series, “Eastbound and Down.”

AUDIO EXCERPT: "As a poker player I would say you've got pretty bad odds on (a 'Deadwood' movie)... I know that David Milch, the show's creator, had wanted to set the films in the future aways. So who knows? Maybe in 7, 8 years they'll round us up again and we'll do something. I always thought in would make a great feature film."

Hawkes also keeps busy writing and performing music with his band, King Straggler, which has played at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW. I’ll spin one of the band’s tracks, “Good Man,” a little later in the show.

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Howard Cruse, FROM HEADRACK TO CLAUDE, STUCK RUBBER BABY cartoonist: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:52:00 PDT

BY BOB ANDELMAN

I met cartoonist Howard Cruse in March 2004 at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. He was one of the featured guests at the college’s “Comics Summit on Diversity,” an event that included Mary GrandPre, illustrator of the Harry Potter novels and American master Will Eisner, whose biography I was just finishing at the time.

Howard and I had corresponded a few times via email at that point as part of my research. To be honest, I only knew him as a cartoonist; I don’t recall connecting that he was attending this event as a gay cartoonist. I just knew that Eisner held him in high esteem—as did the teaching staff at the school—and that was good enough for me.

Since then, I’ve learned more about what an important role Howard played over the years as both a cartoonist with a strong social voice and as a gay advocate. He illustrated his own coming out over the years in his comics and no doubt gave other young men strength in their own decisions to take pride in their identities as well.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Everyone in my personal life knew (I was gay), but I was worried about sacrificing my cartooning career. And yet I recognized the need for getting rid of the secrecy of this."

Howard’s work has been everywhere from Playboy and Starlog magazine to The Advocate. He was the founding editor of Gay Comix, started by our mutual friend, Denis Kitchen. His groundbreaking graphic novel, Stuck Rubber Baby, won numerous awards including an Eisner and a Harvey.

The occasion of our conversation today is the publication of his latest book, From Headrack to Claude: Collected Gay Comix by Howard Cruse.

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Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

A history of U2 in Tampa, Part I: The Unforgettable Fire Tour (1985)

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:37:01 PDT

(Note from Bob: Back in the mid-1980s, I was a stringer for the St. Petersburg Times, covering pop music and interviewing musicians. A few days ago, the paper dug up my story on a very special night at the University of South Florida Sun Dome. I remember it like it was yesterday for several reasons: 1) It was probably the first time that editors trusted me to take a portable computer (too big to be a "laptop!) to a concert; 2) The strange looks said device attracted; and 3) The company of my friend Tim's wife, Bridget. I was also very proud of the enterprise reporting that went into tracking down the kid described in the story. Hope you enjoy it, almost 25 years later!)

(In celebration of U2's concert Friday at Raymond James Stadium, we're revisiting some of the band's most memorable Tampa performances over the past 30 years. Today, we present Bob Andelman's St. Pete Times review of U2's concert at the USF Sun Dome on May 2, 1985 -- the Unforgettable Fire Tour.)

For Matt Simmons, the sold-out U2 concert was one he won't soon forget.

After all, how many 15-year-old kids can brag that they played guitar with the hottest band in the world, and in front of 11,200 screaming, envious fans?

It began when U2 came out for the first of two encores during its Thursday night show at the USF Sun Dome. Lead singer Bono had been talking about learning to play guitar, and how anybody could do it. With that, the band launched into a cover of Bob Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door. (Click here to listen.)

Midway into the song, Bono asked if there weren't some guitar players in the audience. Suddenly everyone knew how to play.

"Everyone we were with knew (Matt) could play and pointed at him," explained his sister, Rosemary, 17. Bono was paying attention and soon the Lakewood High School sophomore -- dressed in Bermuda shorts and wearing a sleeveless, untucked shirt -- was accepting the singer's own guitar and slipping it over his shoulder.

"I thought I was going to freeze up," Simmons said later. "I guess I did okay."

Much to the band's surprise -- and everyone else's -- Simmons accepted the guitar without missing a beat. As he got into the song, first Bono, then lead guitarist The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton left the stage. For several minutes, Simmons -- who has played for two years and has portrayed Bono in lip sync contests -- was living out the ultimate rock fantasy.

"I was totally freakin' when they left me by myself," he said, wondering to himself, "Are they coming back, or what?"

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Copyright 2008 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!
Some stories may appear in unedited versions that are different from their print counterparts.

Michael McGrady, SOUTHLAND star: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:36:27 PDT

(NOTE FROM Mr. MEDIA: This interview was recorded before NBC canceled "Southland" last week without airing a single episode of its second season. But in the hopes it will turn up somewhere more appropriate--fX, Showtime?--I'm offering it up anyway.)

By BOB ANDELMAN

Like a bad rash, Mr. Media is making his way through the entire squad room of the new NBC TV drama, “Southland.”

Regular listeners will recall that last spring, at the end of the show’s first season, Regina King, Michael Cudlitz and Shawn Hatosy all scratch their media itch right here. And now I’m delighted to welcome Michael McGrady, who plays Detective Daniel “Sal” Salinger.

Before joining “Southland,” one of the breakthrough dramatic hits of last season, McGrady appeared opposite Taye Diggs in “Day Break” and had recurring parts in “Dirty Sexy Money,” “24” and “CSI.”

His film credits include "Deep End of the Ocean," "The Thin Red Line," "Hocus Pocus," and several others.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "If there were any bugs or kinks that needed to be worked out, they did so over the hiatus. You've got real masterminds behind this, including John Wells and Chris Chulack. As a cast, we feel very confident that any issues we had were worked out over the summer."

He also has a life outside of acting. McGrady, along with his wife, Ilka, are co-founders of the Balanced Life Company, an international organization dedicated to helping people develop and maintain a more balanced and sustainable lifestyle. McGrady is also an accomplished fine artist who owns and operates McGrady Fine Art with his wife.

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More Mr. Media interviews with the cast of "Southland":
• Regina King
• Shawn Hatosy
• Michael Cudlitz

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Yvette Nicole Brown, COMMUNITY, DRAKE & JOSH TV star: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:41:00 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

Yvette Nicole Brown has been on TV shows opposite Hugh Laurie, William Shatner and Larry David, and in movies opposite Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., and Gerald Butler.

Heck, she started her career by signing a contract as a Motown recording artist.

But when my daughter saw her in the cast of Community alongside Chevy Chase—who she loved in Christmas Vacation—all that mattered was—she was on Drake & Josh!

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I knew that Joel McHale was very, very smart and very funny. And I read the script. When your body has an involuntary reaction to something on a written page--it was like a no-brainer. Then you find out Chevy Chase is involved, the Russo Brothers directed it--okay, I'm in. It was an easy decision to make."

So Yvette Nicole Brown—star of Drake & Josh AND the new NBC Thursday night sitcom Community, airing Thursday nights at 8 p.m.—welcome to Mr. Media.

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Ray Schlogel, FOR LOVE & STACIE writer, director and star: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:04:01 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

All the air escaped my lungs at the end of Ray Schlogel’s independent film, For Love & Stacie. I was angry, petulant… and then the credits rolled and I was reminded that it was a drama, not a documentary.

Poor, dumb ol’ Mr. Media was so sucked into this tale of heartbreak and obsession that I completely lost sight of what I was watching. And that’s when I realized what a fine job the independent Austin-based filmmaker—who wrote, starred, directed and produced Stacie—had done.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "(Chris Brogan) took up the cause. I can't thank him enough. He's got 90,000 followers. For him to take a risk outside the box of what he usually does and mention this little indie film was more than flattering. I have had a lot of people tweeting about it, posting about it, who have heard about it directly from Chris."

Schlogel came to my attention in an unusual way: I read about him in one of uber-networker Chris Brogan’s voluminous posts. Brogan wondered why Schlogel’s movie hadn’t received more attention and asked his readers to help the man out. I read Brogan daily and get a lot of value and insight from his blog so I decided to pay it forward by inviting Schlogel on Mr. Media.

You can watch For Love & Stacie for free at Schlogel’s website, ForLoveandStacey.com. He accepts donations there and you can also order a DVD copy of the film.

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Chef Blythe Beck, THE NAUGHTY KITCHEN Oxygen TV reality star: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:45:00 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

When I hear the words “naughty” and “kitchen” used in the same sentence, I’m reminded of a scene in the Bill Murray movie Stripes where he lifts P.J. Soles up on a kitchen counter and flirts with her using an oversize but common kitchen utensil.

Somehow, I’m guessing that’s not exactly what’s in store when “The Naughty Kitchen with Chef Blythe Beck” debuts on Oxygen tonight, Tuesday, September 22 @ 10 p.m.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Nothing's been cast; it's all real. Nothing's fake. The show is real; the people are real. Some of them might lose their jobs, but that's because they suck."

Chef Beck runs a popular Dallas restaurant, Central 214, where the staff is frisky—think Hooters—but the food is much more ambitious—think Rocco DeSpirito. The Chef is at the center of the action; it’s more of a documentary series than a contest such as “Hell’s Kitchen” or “Top Chef.”

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Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Dario Scardapane, TRAUMA NBC TV show creator: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:25:00 PDT

Cliff Curtis and Aimee Garcia star in NBC's "Trauma," Mondays at 9 p.m.

By BOB ANDELMAN

From what I’ve read, the opening 10 minutes of the NBC drama “Trauma”—and say that five times fast—is the greatest introduction to a TV show ever. It cures cancer, tames global warming and reveals the secrets behind “Lost.”

Okay, maybe it doesn’t do the last thing, but still!

Seriously, NBC has had great success with emergency medicine shows going back to “Emergency!”—the one with the exclamation point—and, of course, the long-running “ER.”

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I keep hearing, 'Okay, that's a pretty amazing way to start things. How are you going to keep up with it week after week?' Television isn't the realm of the timid. Setting the bar really, really high for yourself... I embrace it."

Dario Scardapane is the creator and executive producer of “Trauma,” which, all; kidding aside, is one of the most talked about dramas of the new TV season. And Scardapane brings an unusual background to this show. Instead of being a Hollywood set rat, he’s a former journalist who has worked at Vogue, Los Angeles Times, Details and US Magazine.

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Nicole Sabrina Stuart, CAPTAIN scriptwriter, actor; BRIDE WARS co-star: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:34:00 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

I make my living as a writer—books, magazine articles and, of course, introductions to Mr. Media Radio interviews.

But I can’t say I have any experience with writer’s block. Why not? A wife, a daughter, two dogs—and every morning I wake up and find them hungry. Gotta work, gotta write, gotta earn money to keep everybody fed, right? So I write.

Steve is not like me. He’s a would-be writer—and former law student—who has been taken on as a student by Carl, an award-winning crime novelist. Unfortunately, Steve is blocked and Carl—in cahoots with his wife, Trish—comes up with a devious scheme to shake Steve out of his funk.

That’s the story behind a new short film, Captain, making its way through the world of indie film festivals this fall.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "The Starbucks I go to everyday donated pastries and coffee for us every morning!"

Captain was written by my guest, Nicole Sabrina Stuart, who also stars as “Trish,” and Jack Sundmacher, who plays “Steve” in the short. You might recognize the vivacious Nicole from her most recent appearance on screen as Kate Hudson’s beleaguered secretary in the feature film, Bride Wars—which I just watched on DVD with my daughter a few weeks ago. She’s also been in the Arthur Miller film After the Fall and episodes of “Criminal Minds,” “V.I.P.” with Pamela Anderson, and “The George Lopez Show.”

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Deborah Calla, A BEAUTIFUL LIFE co-screenwriter and producer: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:18:00 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

I haven’t spoken with her yet, but my sense is that Deborah Calla, who produced and co-wrote the new indie film A Beautiful Life, feels a strong connection to the lead character of Maggie.

It’s just a sense, but the character of Maggie, a teenage girl running away from the sexual abuse of her father, doesn’t seem like an emotional story you would want to participate in telling unless it really spoke to your soul.

Of course, I could be completely mistaken.

Calla, a Brazilian native, first discovered Wendy Hammond’s play, Jersey City, back in 1996. It took a long time to translate Jersey City into A Beautiful Life, but I’m sure there is an audience out there for this alternately harsh and yet tender slice of modern life.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I think this is the best work Bai has ever done. This is a woman who looks amazing with makeup on, amazing without any makeup on. She just has so many different colors and goes through such a journey. I hope this movie will show other producers and directors what she can really do."

And Calla found some strong women to fill the lead and featured roles, starting with Angela Sarafyan as Maggie, the lead character, and continuing with Bai Ling as Maggie’s protector, Dana Delaney as her mother and Debi Mazar as a librarian who takes an interest in Maggie.

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LISTEN TO THIS, TOO! Mr. Media Radio interview with BAI LING, star of A Beautiful Life

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Bai Ling, A BEAUTIFUL LIFE actress: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:13:00 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

Bai Ling stands out among American actresses for so many reasons: she’s Chinese, for one thing, but it’s not just that. She reads lines differently than her counterparts, a little softer here, a little louder there. And you don’t get the sense that she hesitates to say or do much of anything on camera, making her an exotic form of clay for most directors.

Of course, there is her beauty. The eyes are a little farther apart than Western audiences are accustomed to seeing onscreen. Her figure—which she shows without embarrassment or hesitation, is hers. Don’t go looking for scalpel marks.

And then there is the hair. Thick, black and cut with a sharp edge across the front—she just doesn’t look like anyone you’ve ever seen before.

And judging from her international success, it’s not just Americans who can’t get enough of Bai Ling.

AUDIO EXCERPT: “I got cast for Love Ranch, for which they originally wanted someone with big boobs, blonde hair, 20 years old—and totally a white girl. But I got it. And I’m pretty happy to play a white woman’s part. That gives me much more range as an actress.”

Her latest film, A Beautiful Life, casts Bai in the role of den mother to a young Latino man who is in the U.S. illegally and a teenage girl, played by Angela Sarafyan, who has run away from a physically abusive father. But this is still Bai Ling, so the producers found a way for her character, Esther, to frequently wear little or nothing: she’s a stripper.

A Beautiful Life opens around the United States on October 2. In addition to Bai Ling, it also stars Dana Delaney of “Desperate Housewives,” Debi Mazar of “Entourage,” and Guillermo Diaz of “Weeds.”

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Doug Savant, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:04:00 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

Doug Savant’s real wife, Laura Leighton, is floating lifeless in the pool over at Fox’s new “Melrose Place.”

Meanwhile, his TV wife, Felicity Huffman on ABC's “Desperate Housewives,” is expecting twins—again—and his character, Doug Scavo, a man whose sperm definitely swim, is in the doghouse—again—for that and so many other reasons.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "There's a picture in Entertainment Weekly, the fall television preview, where (my wife, Laura Leighton, star of 'Melrose Place") is kissing Thomas Calabro playfully on the cheek. And I gotta tell you, I don't like it! Nope! I want her kissing me, not somebody else. I love her enough to be a little possessive!"

Is it any wonder the man is choosing to hide out here, on Mr. Media Radio, for the next 15 minutes, to talk about the importance of Listerine, good dental hygiene, fresh breath, and a book of laughs?

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Matthew Krentz, Craig Thomas, STREETBALLERS actors, producers: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:41:52 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

If I were running a major American movie studio, I’d want to make Matthew Krentz’s apprenticeship as an indie filmmaker short. In other words, I’d want to be in business with this handsome, talented young auteur.

That was my second thought after watching Streetballers, the new film written, directed, produced and starring Krentz as John Hogan, a white, Irish, junior college basketball player looking for opportunity, survival and someone with whom he can take long, thoughtful walks.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I didn't go to film school... I didn't purchase (film) books because I didn't have any money. I used local bookstores as a library... I moved to Utah. Later I was invited to work at the filmmaker labs at the Robert Redford Resort. They wouldn't let me on set because I had no background. So I applied as a driver. From a driver, I became an intern. Five years later they offered me the art director of the Institute. I literally was a fly on the wall at every opportunity. I spent a lot of time listening to a lot of talented filmmakers... It's an underdog story from beginning to end."

My first thought after finishing Streetballers was “Wow. I want everybody to see this movie.”

Joining me today is Matthew Krentz and his co-producer Craig Thomas.

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Eddie McClintock, WAREHOUSE 13 star: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 05:07:42 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

I’m a believer in the wonders of SyFy’s new series, “Warehouse 13.”

Oh, I won’t lie to you: there were a few moments in the early episodes where my wife, my daughter and I weren’t sure how much longer we’d stick with it. The show took a little time to get its bearings, convincing itself and the rest of us what kind of treasures awaited the patient.

But over the course of its last four or five weeks, “Warehouse 13"—the place where America’s greatest secrets are housed, its mysteries answered, its riddles questioned—has captured our loyalty and respect.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Any show needs to find out what it is. Until the actors can get to know who their characters are and who they are to one another, it takes a little while. Take any good show—go back and watch Frazier, Friends, Cheers, Seinfeld—it takes a little while."

One of the big reasons for this—according to the women in my house—is the appeal of Eddie McClintock as Pete Latimer, one half of the Warehouse 13 investigative team. McClintock’s character is part Mulder from “The X-Files,” a dash of Captain Jonathan Archer from “Star Trek Enterprise,” and a measure of the lighter, boyish side of George Clooney in the Oceans movie series.

If you haven’t stepped into the Warehouse yet, take advantage of Hulu.com and catch up. The first season finale airs tonight, Thursday, September 22 at 9 p.m., and I know it will be a blast.

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Kathy Ireland, DANCING WITH THE STARS contestant, supermodel: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:15:00 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN

Kathy Ireland is among the biggest names joining the cast of “Dancing With The Stars” this season, which kicks off on Monday, September 21st at 8 p.m.

Frankly, I don’t know whether she can dance or not, but I think she’s on the wrong ABC show.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I've had two knee surgeries, a foot surgery, I never walked in high heels, never did runway. I get dizzy when I spin. And I'm adventurous--and clumsy--and it's not always a good combination."

Seeing how great Kathy looks—and I mean super-duper, CEO supermodel hot—I’m thinking the 46-year-old belongs on the new comedy “Cougar Town” with Courtney Cox rather than sharing a stage with the likes of Tom Delay.

But that’s just my opinion.

Frankly, we’re lucky she’s even here today, having gashed her leg and requiring seven stitches just a few days ago—and not dancing but surfing! Should make for a good story.

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Peter Carlson, K BLOWS TOP: A COLD WAR COMIC INTERLUDE journalist: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:50:00 PDT

BY BOB ANDELMAN

Peter Carlson could have taken all the research he did on Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev’s two-week barnstorming tour of the United States in 1959 and converted it into a Cold War-era fable such as Dr. Strangelove or The Mouse That Roared.

He could have done that, but truth is stranger than fiction and the truths found within K Blows Top: A Cold War Comic Interlude, Starring Nikita Khrushchev, America’s Most Unlikely Tourist are way funnier than even a guy like Dave Barry could have invented.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Khruschchev kept saying, 'Your capitalists are keeping the Cold War going because they're making money on it.' And the American officials, quite sincerely, said they would never do that. You're crazy Marxists. That's not how it works. Then he made this ridiculous propaganda speech saying that, 'All countries should get rid of all weapons...' Even though there was absolutely no chance of that happening, the stock market plummeted because everyone was afraid their defense stocks would go down."

I first discovered this book when the story of Chairman K’s visit to Hollywood was excerpted in Smithsonian magazine. I read that, laughed, and thought: I must read more!

And now that I’ve read more, I want to talk about it, so welcome to Mr. Media’s Book Club, where I’m hoping former Washington Post reporter Peter Carlson will fill us in on the story behind the story of this ticklish new political history

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Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Bob Byington, Kristen Tucker, HARMONY AND ME writer/director, producer/actress: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:50:00 PDT

By BOB ANDELMAN
Harmony and Me, Bob Byington’s new film about a young man struggling to make sense of being dumped by his girlfriend, is being promoted as a slacker comedy. But the term that struck me—and it may be seriously dated—is “sad sacker.”

The character of “Harmony”—which is a man, not a woman—is played by Justin Rice. And he is so convincingly hapless as a rejected suitor that I wanted to send him over to my mother’s house for a comforting bowl of chicken soup.

A film like this succeeds, I think, when it absorbs you into the lead’s much and mire. And that, Harmony and Me does.

As for filmmaker Bob Byington, his film RSO (Registered Sex Offender)—premiered at the South by Southwest festival in 2008. And he was recently awarded the Stanley Kubrick Award for “Bold and Innovative Filmmaking” at the Traverse City Film Festival.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "There's a tone to the world that landed in my lap in 2007. I wrote some of this stuff down and got it into a script. I found that the theme of the script had a universal quality. We were going to call this The Last Break-Up Movie You're Ever Going to See."

Harmony and Me will have its opening night theatrical premiere at MoMA—the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan—on Friday, September 18 @ 7 p.m. Bob Byington will introduce the film and then be joined for an onstage discussion afterward by the film’s lead, Justin Rice. The film will then screen daily through Thursday, September 24.

Joining Byington in this interview is Harmony and Me actress and producer Kristen Tucker. In the film, she plays Jessica, the woman who dumps Harmony and bursts his heart in a million, billion pieces, setting the action in motion.

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David Faber, AND THEN THE ROOF CAVED IN author, CNBC reporter: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:25:00 PDT

BY BOB ANDELMAN

CNBC anchor and reporter David Faber is my guest today. He’s the author of a new book, And Then the Roof Caved In: How Wall Street's Greed and Stupidity Brought Capitalism to Its Knees.

I’m very excited for David and his new book, but first we have some old business to cover.

He won’t remember this, but we met at the business channel’s Fort Lee, New Jersey, headquarters back in 2001 when I started writing a book called CNBC Profit Drivers. David was supposed to write the introduction.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "September 14, 2008--it was clear to me we were in the midst of something I'd never seen. You could take the three stories that occurred on that evening: AIG about to go bankrupt; Lehman Brothers going bankrupt; and Merrill Lynch being sold to Bank of America—each of those would have represented one of the bigger stories of a decade in terms of business news and they were all happening on the same night! There was nothing ever like it and there never will be anything like it."

The book was finished but never published—it was cancelled the week after 9-11—but you can read it in its entirety at profitdrivers.net. But it’s still missing an official CNBC introduction.

Now that I got that off my chest, let’s talk about And Then the Roof Caved In.

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Jay Karnes, DONKEY PUNCH, BURN NOTICE, THE SHIELD star: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:56:11 PDT

As “Brennan,” Jay Karnes makes life miserable for Michael Weston on USA Network’s cool spy show, “Burn Notice.” He’s the first recurring bad guy to make an impact opposite the show’s regulars and it seems likely we haven’t seen the last of him.

Of course, fans of “The Shield” know Karnes best as L.A.P.D. Detective Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Not a week goes by where I don't slip it in the ear of my wife that maybe it would be a good idea. She doesn't seem really in favorite of it. I don't know why! A little experimentation, that's all!"

In, Donkey Punch, a new short film just starting to appear at film festivals, Karnes plays a vulnerable young man on a blind Internet date where the chit-chat with Ann Russo, his date, caroms from what she can tell from his shoes to whether he knows what a “Donkey Punch” is. And when he finds out that that’s what she wants from him…

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A.J. Jacobs, THE GUINEA PIG DIARIES author: Mr. Media Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:31:10 PDT

A.J. Jacobs

I’m a little worried about A.J. Jacobs.

His latest book, The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment, takes the social tests he put himself through in previous books such as The Know-It-All—in which he read the entire encyclopedia—and The Year of Living Biblically—in which he followed every single rule of the Bible—and reveals a funny, introspective man who may be in danger of becoming a caricature of himself.

The Guinea Pig Diaries compiles some of his most brilliant experiments for Esquire magazine, where he is an editor at large, and adds in several new trials. It’s all good, meaty reading, but I’m starting to wince more than laugh at A.J.’s escapades.

Where is the line for a man who once outsourced his life to India but more recently spent a month being whipped—figuratively, I think—by his wife? And how much is too much information for readers about a writer’s personal life?

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I found this device on the Internet that I never knew existed: a chastity belt for men. If she's going to be in control of my life, it would be interesting if she could also control my private parts. So I did order one of those for her and I did strap it on for a couple days..."

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a big fan of A.J.’s work—and have been for a long time. If I could have another writer’s career, I’d admit to wanting his. But I do wonder, honestly, if it might not be time for him to point that giant, sensitive brain of his in a different creative direction for a while.

I’m curious to see if he agrees.

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Ken Blanchard, HELPING PEOPLE WIN AT WORK co-author: Mr. Media Radio Interview

bob@andelman.com (Bob Andelman) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:25:46 PDT

I figure I’ve got 60 seconds to interest you in today’s interview with Ken Blanchard.

If you have to ask why 60 seconds, you obviously don’t know my guest’s work. He’s best known as the author of The One-Minute Manager, but his latest book, Helping People Win at Work, actually screams that Blanchard is “The New York Times Best-Selling Author of Over 18 Million Books!”

I hope that’s just hyperbole. I’ve written or co-authored 10 books, many about business, and I know it’s hard work. How he found time to author 18 million books, I’ll never know.

But I digress, and valuable seconds are ticking away.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "When I was a college professor, I would always give out the final exam on the first day of class... When they get to the final exam, they should get an A. Garry Ridge said, 'Wow, that ought to be an organization!' We hope to change the way people are evaluated in organizations."

Helping People Win at Work is a unique concept: it’s a case study written with Garry Ridge, who—as CEO of the WD-40 Company—happens to be the subject of the case study. And this book is a follow-up to another Blanchard book, Leading at a Higher Level.

Hey—good news: I introduced my guest in under a minute.

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