Chillpak Hollywood Hour

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #113

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:06:20 +0000

When the summer movie season started in early May, Dean and Phil warned that this could be the worst summer movie season on record. And that was before we were hit with celebrity death after celebrity death! After all, this is the year where those films rushed into production prior to the Writers Guild of America strike of fall ‘07 were coming home to roost … This week, Dean and Phil continue to discuss the show business personages who seem to be dropping like flies. Then, they get into discussing the box office hopefuls that seem to be dropping at an even more alarming rate!

The first two and a half months of summer are dissected (or as it is known in the industry: the two and a half months before the Boy Wizard returns), successes are analyzed, disappointments are picked apart, and box office bombs are ruthlessly ridiculed. It’s all in an hour’s work for Dean and Phil …

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #112

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:49:31 +0000

After their special two-part theme show, Dean and Phil are back, trying to make sense of a world gone wild.

Phil was in South Carolina during the mysterious disappearance (and tumultuous reappearance) of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. On this week’s show, Dean and Phil analyze what seems to be a growing trend of men with self-destructive principles reaching the summit of power before absolutely annihilating their own standing.

Dean and Phil offer farewells and some perspective on the recently deceased Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Joseph Jackson and even … Fred Travalena?! Truly, the 1970’s are over …

During our two-week break from covering the business of show, two show business controversies have erupted. Dean and Phil will tackle them both. The first involves some wild rule and format changes for the Academy Awards. The second involves the fear surrounding Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno. This last topic is particularly in Dean’s wheelhouse, as it focuses on issues of both freedom of expression AND the responsibility of the performer.

Get ready to put this one in a time capsule, or at least send it to NPR and Satellite Radio as an audition, this one’s gonna be good!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #111

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:14:41 +0000

Throughout its history Hollywood has always loved a good sequel and we at Chillpak Hollywood Hour are no exception. That’s why this week’s show is Part 2 of our look at the All Time Best Films of the past century! This time, we look at the years from 1960 through 1999 …

Such iconic performers as Peter O’Toole, Jack Nicholson, Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood will get mentioned, and such giants of cinema as Stanley Kubrick, Federico Fellini, Robert Altman and Woody Allen will get discussed. Listen to find out if YOUR favorites made our list. And keep pencil and paper handy to write down OUR favorites to add to your Netflix queue!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #110

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:47:34 +0000

At the end of last week’s show, Dean and Phil promised a theme show this week focusing on the greatest heroes and villains ever to grace the silver and small screens. Unfortunately, technical difficulties are preventing that show from coming your way. The good news is that we have a very cool theme show for you anyway, as Dean and Phil reveal their Top Films of All Time! This particular hour focuses on the years 1920 through 1959.

The even better news? We’re making it available for your listening enjoyment three days early!

Why? Because we love you.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #109

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:23:07 +0000

For the rest of us, “no” means “no”, but for Kobe Bryant, there isn’t any “no” in “M-V-P” and he certainly played like one in leading the Los Angeles Lakers to another NBA Championship. And how do you celebrate when your team has won it all? You set fire to downtown! No puny riots can prevent Dean and Phil from bringing you a hilarious, action-packed hour of conversation and entertainment, however. Join them as they discuss attending fundraisers for Tippi Hedren’s Shambala Preserve and Los Angeles’ own Luminario Ballet. Also, Phil witness eight of the most dangerous minds in Los Angeles performing spoken word pieces on the theme of “shelter” at Rogue Machine’s “Rant and Rave.” One of those pieces is by former Chillpak Hollywood Hour guest Tucker Smallwood and it’s a great read. Another performer at the show was the absolutely brilliant, two-time poetry slam national champ Steven Connell.

Now that the Screen Actors Guild has finally and overwhelmingly ratified a new labor agreement with the producers, Dean and Phil do a final post-mortem on the labor strife that was and where the hell we go from here. From labor battles to late night comedy wars, Dean and Phil survey the radically altered landscape of late night television to see who will remain standing. Then it’s off to the multiplexes, where Dean discusses a truly horrible premiere he attended, and Phil discusses a wide array of films, from Pixar’s Up to Angels and Demons, from Edward Zwick’s Defiance to Baz Luhrmann’s Australia.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #108

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:05:11 +0000

Next month, Dean and Phil will begin work on their new feature film, a documentary all about conspiracy … On this week’s show, Dean and Phil offer a preview, of sorts, as they take a look at various recent news stories and analyze the way conspiracy plays a part in each: The death of actor David Carradine, the fate of Air France Flight 447, and the current Screen Actors Guild contract vote. Then, they discuss a November 2007 video that analyzes the “truth behind” the 7/7 2005 London terrorist attack. This video, in part, looks at how the media is used by the government to “deceive, inveigle and obfuscate”. Finally, Dean and Phil will discuss a wide variety of movies they’ve seen over the past couple weeks. The analysis of these films will have nothing to do with conspiracy at all … Or is that just what they want you to believe?!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #107

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:41:12 +0000

Dean and Phil hint at some new photos that will be posted on thieir Facebook and MySpace pages before leaping into action, hitting such a wide variety of topics as the Air France flight that disappeared over the Atlantic, the Screen Actors Guild contract vote, the genius of Huell Howser, the passing of the torch at “The Tonight Show”, the changing landscape of broadcast television advertising revenues, and what went wrong with the Terminator franchise. It’s a lot to tackle, but Dean and Phil are up to the task. Heck, they even remember to reveal what they’ve been reading.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #106

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:14:37 +0000

Dean and Phil pick up where they left off last week, previewing all the big summer blockbusters that hope for your box office dollars, as well as previewing smaller films that may have a hard time being discovered between the explosions at the multiplexes, but nevertheless might be worthy of your time. Phil offers a detailed analysis of the summer’s one true success story thus far - Star Trek - and analyzes, from a business perspective, what is next for the venerable franchise. Dean hints at details of his upcoming live comedy gigs in Vegas, Phil shares with Dean a really interesting book recommendation from one of our loyal listeners. Finally, Phil closes the show with the incredibly inspirational words that were delivered to the performing arts students at Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral School by a frequent contributor to Chillpak Hollywood Hour.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #105

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:28:31 +0000

It’s all movies on this week’s episode! Dean and Phil start by running down the top ten grossing films thus far in 2009 and the list is a real head-scratcher. Phil hadn’t even heard of one of the films! They then discuss the films they’ve seen during the past week, including a very good documentary, a fantastic foreign film, and they even add a few more comments to the Star Trek discussion, before turning their attention to X-Men Origins:Wolverine, posing the question, “just how far - and how fast - can a franchise fall?” That brings up the latest Terminator, of course, and from there, Dean and Phil preview all the films coming out over the next four weeks, from the hopeful blockbusters to the quality independents, foreign language films and edgy dramas that hope to catch on as counter-programming at the multiplexes. From what we’ve seen Summer of 2009 is where audiences learn the disastrous effects of the writer’s guild strike of ‘07, when many films were rushed into production without workable scripts!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #104

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:18:01 +0000

Take whatever warp speed you can muster, mister, to Starbase CHH, for the latest boldly goings of Dean Haglund as he discusses his appearances at several recent sci-fi and fan conventions. Phil Leirness explains why he has managed to beam up a hangover with him onto this week’s show. Then, it’s hailing frequencies open as Dean and Phil spend the rest of the hour talking about films they’ve seen. Phil locks his phasers of analysis onto the J.J. Abrams-directed “reboot” of the Star Trek franchise and Dean performs a complete sensor sweep on the films of Guy Maddin. Dean and Phil have their tractor beams locked onto much more, including Last Chance Harvey, the films of John Cassavetes, the resurrection of Jean-Claude Van Damme, the absolute perfection of Audrey Tatou, and two hilariously awful films from Turkey. Finally, Dean and Phil will follow up their discussion of conspracies and conspiracy-based movies from a couple weeks back and will actually deactivate the cloaking device on their new feature-length project that starts shooting in the fall.

Steady as she goes …

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #103

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Chris Mancini is a comedian, a filmmaker and a raconteur whose book Pacify Me: A Handbook for the Freaked-Out New Dad has just been published and he’s our guest on this week’s show. Following Dean’s hilarious, insightful, inspiring conversation with Chris, Phil joins the party with a look at the start of the summer movie season (off with a bang following the huge opening by the aggressively mediocre X-Men Origins: Wolverine), calling attention to several small, independent and/or foreign films that may serve as satisfying “counter-programming” to all the mindless mayhem being dished up by the studios.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #102

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:17:39 +0000

Is everyone out to get us? If not, why are they keeping so much from us? From astronauts who reveal the truth behind what happened in Roswell, New Mexico, to former Vice-President Dick Cheney’s death squads, talk of conspiracy is everywhere and this week’s Chillpak Hollywood Hour is no exception. Dean and Phil begin by analyzing why conspiracy thrillers seem to be box office poison and then tackle the stories surrounding such real-life conspiracy topics as the recent X-Conference, the Denver International Airport, the swine flu outbreak, and even Jay Leno. Trust no one. Except Dean and Phil and the good people at Chillpak.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #101

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:31:40 +0000

One of the most popular new shows to debut on network television in 2009 is the witty and sexy Castle starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. Dean and Phil welcome one of the writers and co-producers of the series to this week’s show. If you’re interested in writing, producing, directing or acting in television, or even if you’re simply a fan of the show, you won’t want to miss it!

Then, as an added bonus, once the interview is done, Phil gets out his soapbox and lets Seth Rogen (and the makers of Observe and Report) have it … First for a “funny” rape scene in their “comedy” and second for the ludicrous, misguided, uneducated attempt to defend said scene that Mr. Rogen was guilty of in interviews.

The inside skinny behind the scenes of a hot new show and rallying the troops in hopes of building a world free from sexual assaults and sexual violence - That juxtaposition pretty well demonstrates what we’re all about here at Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #100

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:26:58 +0000

Why is Willard Scott kissing our asses this week? Because we just turned 100, baby! Dean and Phil celebrate this milestone with a special show where they take you on a tour of their DVD collections! Many intimate details are revealed: Such as what titles are “rainy day” favorites, what selections are excellent to have on in the background while doing work, which ones instruct and inspire them, which ones cost the most (!), and which DVD’s are kept unopened and unwatched (Dean and Phil discuss the joy of having such “untouched” titles in their collections). Dean’s collection reveals a diversity bordering on the disturbing. Phil’s collection reveals him to have a very strong nerd component to his makeup! Who knew?!

Join us in singing “Happy Birthday” to ourselves on this week’s Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #99

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:05:03 +0000

Dean spent the weekend in Vancouver performing live comedy at a Stargate convention. He tells Phil all about that experience. Then Phil shares the following theory with Dean: We are currently living through the true Golden Age of comedy on television! Dean and Phil proceed to analyze, debate and discuss this theory from various perspectives. If you’re a fan of comedy, of television, or just lively conversation and historic context, you won’t want to miss it.

Also, next week is our 100th show (please, no gifts!)! Dean and Phil reveal the special show they have planned to commemorate this landmark.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #98

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:05:25 +0000

Dean is back from doing a comedy benefit in San Jose, California. Phil spent all wekeend doing paperwork (hush, hush film development work), though he got out to see a comedy benefit here in Hollywood. They discuss both these shows before launching into analysis of a wide range of films. From German cinema “you will never forget,” to the career challenges of once-hot Guy Ritchie, to the over-exposure of Seth Rogen, Dean and Phil offer their insights before finally giving their long-awaited appraisal of what went right and what went wrong with Watchmen.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #97

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:10:54 +0000

It’s an all-star cast on this week’s show, with Dean and Phil discussing the deaths of Natasha Richardson and of Bob Yari’s distribution company. Dean and Phil then discuss the music of gorgeous and talented actresses Shawnee Smith and Missi Pyle, the box office appeal (or lack thereof) of Clive Owen, and the “leading lady” status of Julia Roberts, comparing her career longevity to that of Faye Dunaway. Finally, Dean and Phil discuss a disastrous horror remake, the need for “camp” in film and Phil badmouths two time Oscar-winning (and dead) director Robert Wise. It may sound morbid … Trust us, it’s almost always funny.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #96

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:47:05 +0000

Phil just got back from two weeks in Northern California, so Dean and he have almost too much show for one hour! From utilizing Phil’s training as a Violence Prevention Specialist in discussing issues of relationship violence as they pertain to Chris Brown and Rihanna … To answering a question from loyal listener The Sicillian about casting directors and the auditioning prcoess … From discussing the late Ron Silver’s claims that his career was unjustly derailed due to his own conservative politics … To the continued in-fighting between factions vying for control of the economic sinking ship that is (or used to be) the Screen Actors Guild … This Chillpak Hollywood Hour is so filled with hard-hitting news analysis, you’ll swear you’re listening to NPR.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #95

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:43:13 +0000

It’s time for a special “theme” show and that can only mean one thing: Phil is on a bender somewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area and can’t make it into the studio! Not to worry, though, because Dean and Phil put this gem of a show in the vault for just such an eventuality.

The first decade of the 21st Century is coming to a close, so Dean and Phil spend an hour looking back at the performers who made it a memorable decade for film. These are actors and actresses who either burst upon the scene within the past ten years, or who fully came into their own during that time. What’s most fun is that dozens of different films get discussed, many of which you might have missed or that might have flown under your particular radar. So, keep your Netflix queue handy. You’ll want to be adding to the list!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #94

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:14:23 +0000

From breaking color barriers by becoming the first African-American director of live television, to jumping out of airplanes and water-skiing in the MeKong Delta (while serving his country during the Vietnam War), from studying acting under the tutelage of the legendary Sanford Meisner (at the Neighborhood Playhouse), to becoming recognized the world over for his work on stage and screen, Tucker Smallwood has lived an extraordinary life and continues to live life extraordinarily.

Fans of Chillpak Hollywood Hour might recognize Tucker as “Kid Griffin” from The Cotton Club, “The Mission Director” in Contact, “Commander Ross” in Space: Above and Beyond, “the Xindi Primate” in Star Trek: Enterprise, “God” in The Sarah Silverman Program, and “Sheriff Andy Taylor” in “Home”, the most controversial episode of The X-Files.

Born to a father who served the U.S. as a diplomat and an educator, Tucker details some of his own service to country in the book Return to Eden. Commanding a Mobile Advisory Team, becoming severely wounded in action, recovering from his injuries, moving to New York and studying acting, establishing a career as a performer on Broadway, in film and on television, and continuing to explore the mysteries of existence (UFO’s! Ghosts! Golf!) are some of the many topics Tucker explores in the book.

Dean and Phil welcome Tucker to the show this week. We can guarantee that you won’t want to miss it!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #93

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:03:51 +0000

A year ago, in one of their most popular shows to date, Dean and Phil combined high-stakes gambling with a ruthless appraisal of the Oscars, which had taken place the night before. 52 weeks later and it’s finally here again, Chillpak Hollywood Hour’s post-Oscar throwdown/showdown! The scathing commentary! The ugly truths! The tense competition as Dean and Phil’s Oscar predictions are revealed category by category! Listen and learn who will win the $20 office Oscar pool!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #92

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:46:13 +0000

An entire hour focusing on live sketch comedy! Dean and Phil welcome a special guest, actor-writer-director Lenny Schmidt who is directing Dean and acting with him in the show FusterCluck at the Improv Annex Theatre here in Los Angeles. Dean and Lenny discuss their comedy training as well as the joys, challenges and importance of sketch comedy, while Phil shares input from Padraic Duffy, the co-creator and producer of the beloved late night show Serial Killers at The Sacred Fools Theatre and Patrick O’Sullivan, the creator-writer-producer-director of the smash hit All About Walken (now in its 3rd year!). This is already one of Dean’s all-time fave Chillpak Hollywood Hours … We hope you’ll share his enthusiasm!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #91

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:01:09 +0000

Everyone’s heard, or heard about, Christian Bale’s tirade on the set of Terminator: Salvation. Fewer people have heard Mr. Bale’s impressive apology and appraisal of the incident in which he takes full responsibility and does an admirable job of placing the tirade in a larger perspective. Dean and Phil discuss both and it turns into a half hour discussion about on-set etiquette, the role of directors and the frustration actors, directors of photography and other film artists feel while plying their trade. During the second half of the show, Dean and Phil discuss the apocalyptic state of negotiations in Hollywood. Between the Screen Actors Guild, the AMPTP and Dreamworks, the business climate in Hollywood is more scorched than the landscape of any “Terminator” film. There is still much to enjoy entertainment-wise, however, and Dean and Phil discuss several contemporary and classic films that might be worth your time and begin a discussion of live sketch comedy that will be the focus of next week’s show.

Chillpak Hollywood Hour #90

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:07:50 +0000

Phil spent much time this past week with his new friends from the Sacred Fools Theatre celebrating the life of their beloved friend Philip Newby. He gives a big shout out to them before asking Dean about his friend, the great director Kim Manners, who died this past week. Dean and Phil then segue from celebrating the creativity of their friends to celebrating the year in film of 2008. It’s Top Ten list time! So get your pens and paper ready, everybody, because although there won’t be a quiz, you’ll be guaranteed to hear of films that will pique your insatiable curiosity. We love your insatiable curiosity. Have we ever told you that before?

Chillpak Hollywood #89

Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:17:11 +0000

Philip Newby was an incredibly gifted actor-writer-performer, and the first guest Dean and Phil ever welcomed to Chillpak Hollywood Hour (27 August 2007, episode #17, back when we were still “From the Heart of Hollywood”). Philip killed himself this past week. Phil and Dean share memories of their friend and try to put this deeply felt loss into some sort of perspective.

Always grateful for the feedback from their listeners, Dean and Phil share some thoughts about their film Spectres sent to them by loyal listener Erynn and answer a couple of filmmaking-related questions and The Sicilian. Finally, Dean and Phil go over the Academy Award nominations with a fine-tooth comb.