Podcasts about Arnaz

This week, Sam Tanenhaus discusses the life of William F. Buckley Jr., the man who set the blueprint for the modern conservative movement, which has reached a new iteration in Donald Trump. Then, speaking of consequential figures, we consider a man who left an enormous impact on Hollywood: Desi Arnaz. Todd S. Purdum tells us all about Arnaz's groundbreaking life and career. And finally, a special treat: Cazzie David joins us from Los Angeles to share her answers to 50 of life's most pressing questions in this week's Perfect Ending.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Geoffrey Mark is a walking encyclopedia of show business history. Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised all over the country, Mr. Mark has worked as an actor, singer, stand-up comedian, radio host, and Grammy nominated writer. He writes and produces documentaries and reality shows for cable television. During the interview he talks about writing theTHE LUCY BOOK published with the support of the Arnaz family and ELLA: A Biography of the Legendary Ella Fitzgerald. Show Host: Toni Ann Marcolini Follow the Podcast

The 2024 Architecture and Design Film Festival, or ADFF, starts up next week in New York.  This long-running series is led by returning podcast guest Kyle Bergman, who founded the ADFF in New York in 2008 and hosts versions all over the world.  ADFF seeks out films with impassioned, human stories that appeal to both architects and the general design-loving public.  Today we'll talk with filmmakers who've shown at ADFF including Sabine Gisger, Beatrice Minger, Katerina Kliwadenko and Mario Novas. Plus, we'll talk with Kyle about the highlights for 2024.  Then, it's a great conversation with actor and singer Lucie Arnaz about architecture and jazz - and Spock's half-brother.

The Emmy-nominated producer is best known for his work on The X-Files. 

Hailed by TV Guide as the number-one greatest TV star of all time, the actress-comedienne played an important role in the medium's infancy, going on to receive several accolades.

When Lucille Ball's character gave birth on "I Love Lucy" on 19th January 1953, 44 million people tuned in: an astonishing 72% of TV-owning Americans, surpassing the number who watched President Eisenhower's inauguration the following day. The episode, ‘Lucy Goes To The Hospital', almost didn't make it to TV due to the strict morality codes of the 1950s, which frowned upon any explicit content, including pregnancy.  Despite network concerns, Ball and real-life husband Desi Arnaz (who played her on-screen husband Ricky), insisted the storyline could be done. Their scripts were vetted by clergymen, and the sponsors, Philip Morris, insisted Lucy was not to be portrayed smoking - even though, at the time, they had not publicly acknowledged any dangers of smoking during pregnancy. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover how Arnaz and Ball pioneered a plethora of significant sitcom tropes; explore how the show's blend of reality and fantasy, both on and off-screen, left an indelible mark on American TV; and explain how ‘enceinte' became the word du jour… Further Reading: • 'How 'I Love Lucy' Changed Motherhood on TV' (TIME, 2021): https://time.com/6046897/i-love-lucy-little-ricky/ • ‘More than 60 years ago, a pregnant Lucille Ball couldn't call herself “pregnant”' (AV Club, 2013): https://www.avclub.com/more-than-60-years-ago-a-pregnant-lucille-ball-couldn-1798239435 • ‘I Love Lucy - Lucy Goes Into Labor (This is it!)' (CBS, 1953): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi7lDp7x2lU We'll be back on Monday - unless you join

The holidays at the Arnaz home. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alva-riley/support

"Come Back, Crocodile Bird" by M.S. Dean follows the story of Arnaz, navigating a flooded world that leaves her both stuck in the past and trying to move forward. Copyright khōréō magazine 2023. Story by M.S. Dean, edited by Zhui Ning Chang. Audio edition read by Moneesha "Misha" Bakshi and produced by Lian Xia Rose, with casting by Jenelle DeCosta. Content warnings: Smoking, drug addiction, suicide Visit khoreomag.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @KhoreoMag. Music: This Too Shall Pass by Scott Buckley https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported CC BY 3.0 Sound effects by Defelozedd94, Guardian2433, kyles, Legnalegna55, NachtmahrTV, timsc, Australopithecusman, tothrec2, edsward, JarredGibb, Nox_Sound, Fission9 and ceich93 from freesound.org licensed under CC0 1.0

On Sunday January 1st, 1956 NBC's Monitor broadcast New World Today. 1956 was a Presidential election year. At the time of this broadcast, Dwight Eisenhower, who'd had a heart attack in September, was still debating whether he would run for a second term. He'd decide in February, eventually winning re-election. After the censuring of Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954, the Red Scare had subsided, overtaken by fear of communism in other parts of the world and general war with Russia. Meanwhile, In January of 1956 Orson Welles appeared with The New York City Center Theater Company playing King Lear. He was finally home again. In February he traveled to Las Vegas where he performed a variety act at the Riviera Hotel. Welles was then contracted by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to create a TV pilot for Desilu Productions. The short film was written and directed by Orson Welles, based on the short story "Youth from Vienna" by John Collier. Joi Lansing and Rick Jason star as a narcissistic couple faced with an irresistible temptation concocted by a scientist. Welles was the on-screen narrator. It was called The Fountain of Youth and considered a dark comedy. Desi Arnaz conceived the series, proposing to Welles that he host and narrate. Arnaz later wrote that before signing the deal he clarified the finances with Welles: "I am not RKO. This is my 'Babalu' money." Filming took five days in early May. The total cost was nearly fifty-five thousand dollars. Arnaz reported that CBS gave the series a slot, with General Foods as a sponsor, but the challenges in getting Welles to commit to a series lasting more than thirty weeks were daunting. The series did not go to air. The pilot was later broadcast on September 16th, 1958, during NBC's Colgate Theatre. That Spring, the Rock n' Roll era officially arrived. On April 6th, 1956, Elvis Presely signed a three-film deal with Paramount Pictures. By the end of the month, his single, “Heartbreak Hotel” rose to the top of the charts. It would remain there into June. Meanwhile, Orson Welles appeared as himself on October 15th, 1956 in a very famous episode of I Love Lucy. Two days later, he was on the radio for a special one-off program adapting Philip Wylie's 1954 novel about post-nuclear civilization. It was called Tomorrow and syndicated by ABC and the Federal Civil Defense Administration. The next month, on November 13th, 1956, his daughter's first birthday, Welles appeared on NBC Radio's Biography In Sound for his old mentor Alexander Woollcott, who had passed away in 1943.

Welcome to our first episode of the new year, which is also our first episode of Season 5. Thank you for continuing to join us on this amazing journey. On today's episode, we head back to Christmas of 1980, when pop music superstar Neil Diamond would be making his feature acting debut in a new version of The Jazz Singer. ----more---- EPISODE TRANSCRIPT From Los Angeles, California, the entertainment capital of the world, this is The 80s Movies Podcast. I am your host, Edward Havens. Thank you for listening today.   It's 2023, which means we are starting our fifth season. And for our first episode of this new season, we're going back to the end of 1980, to take a look back at what was supposed to be the launch of a new phase in the career of one of music's biggest stars. That musical star was Neil Diamond, and this would end up becoming his one and only attempt to act in a motion picture.   We're talking about The Jazz Singer.   As I have said time and time again, I don't really have a plan for this show. I talk about the movies and subjects I talk about often on a whim. I'll hear about something and I'll be reminded of something, and a few days later, I've got an episode researched, written, recorded, edited and out there in the world. As I was working on the previous episode, about The War of the Roses just before my trip to Thailand, I saw a video of Neil Diamond singing Sweet Caroline on opening night of A Beautiful Noise, a new Broadway musical about the life and music of Mr. Diamond. I hadn't noticed Diamond had stopped performing live five years earlier due to a diagnosis of Parkinson's, and it was very touching to watch a thousand people joyously singing along with the man.   But as I was watching that video, I was reminded of The Jazz Singer, a movie we previously covered very lightly three years ago as part of our episode on the distribution company Associated Film Distribution. I was reminded that I haven't seen the movie in over forty years, even though I remember rather enjoying it when it opened in theatres in December 1980. I think I saw it four or five times over the course of a month, and I even went out and bought the soundtrack album, which I easily listened to a hundred times before the start of summer.   But we're getting ahead of ourselves yet again.   The Jazz Singer began its life in 1917, when Samson Raphaelson, a twenty-three year old undergraduate at the University of Illinois, attended a performance of Robinson Crusoe, Jr., in Champaign, IL. The star of that show was thirty-year-old Al Jolson, a Russian-born Jew who had been a popular performer on Broadway stages for fifteen years by this point, regularly performing in blackface. After graduation, Raphaelson would become an advertising executive in New York City, but on the side, he would write stories. One short story, called “The Day of Atonement,” would be a thinly fictionalized account of Al Jolson's life. It would be published in Everybody's Magazine in January 1922.   At the encouragement of his secretary at the advertising firm, Raphaelson would adapted his story into a play, which would be produced on Broadway in September 1925 with a new title…   The Jazz Singer.   Ironically, for a Broadway show based on the early life of Al Jolson, Jolson was not a part of the production. The part of Jake Rabinowitz, the son of a cantor who finds success on Broadway with the Anglicized named Jack Robin, would be played by George Jessel. The play would be a minor hit, running for 303 performances on Broadway before closing in June 1926, and Warner Brothers would buy the movie rights the same week the show closed. George Jessel would be signed to play his stage role in the movie version. The film was scheduled to go into production in May 1927.   There are a number of reasons why Jessel would not end up making the movie. After the success of two Warner movies in 1926 using Vitaphone, a sound-on-disc system that could play music synchronized to a motion picture, Warner Brothers reconcieved The Jazz Singer as a sound movie, but not just a movie with music synchronized to the images on screen, but a “talkie,” where, for the first time for a motion picture, actual dialogue and vocal songs would be synchronized to the pictures on screen. When he learned about this development, Jessel demanded more money.    The Warner Brothers refused.   Then Jessel had some concerns about the solvency of the studio. These would be valid concerns, as Harry Warner, the eldest of the four eponymous brothers who ran the studio, had sold nearly $4m worth of his personal stock to keep the company afloat just a few months earlier.   But what ended up driving Jessel away was a major change screenwriter Alfred A. Cohen made when adapting the original story and the play into the screenplay. Instead of leaving the theatre and becoming a cantor like his father, as it was written for the stage, the movie would end with Jack Robin performing on Broadway in blackface while his mom cheers him on from one of the box seats.   With Jessel off the project, Warner would naturally turn to… Eddie Cantor. Like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor was a Jew of Russian descent, although, unlike Jolson, he had been born in New York City. Like Jolson, he had been a star on Broadway for years, regularly performing in and writing songs for Florenz Ziegfeld' annual Follies shows. And like Jolson, Cantor would regularly appear on stage in blackface. But Cantor, a friend of Jessel's, instead offered to help the studio get Jessel back on the movie. The studio instead went to their third choice…   Al Jolson.   You know. The guy whose life inspired the darn story to begin with.   Many years later, film historian Robert Carringer would note that, in 1927, George Jessel was a vaudeville comedian with one successful play and one modestly successful movie to his credit, while Jolson was one of the biggest stars in America. In fact, when The Vitaphone Company was trying to convince American studios to try their sound-on-disc system for movies, they would hire Jolson in the fall of 1926 for a ten minute test film. It would be the success of the short film, titled A Plantation Act and featuring Jolson in blackface singing three songs, that would convince Warners to take a chance with The Jazz Singer as the first quote unquote talkie film.   I'll have a link to A Plantation Act on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, if you're interested in seeing it.   Al Jolson signed on to play the character inspired by himself for $75,000 in May 1927, the equivalent to $1.28m today. Filming would be pushed back to June 1927, in part due to Jolson still being on tour with another show until the end of the month. Warners would begin production on the film in New York City in late June, starting with second unit shots of the Lower East Side and The Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway, shooting as much as they could until Jolson arrived on set on July 11th.   Now, while the film has been regularly touted for nearly a century now as the first talking motion picture, the truth is, there's very little verbal dialogue in the film. The vast majority of dialogue in the movie was still handled with the traditional silent movie use of caption cards, and the very few scenes featuring what would be synchronized dialogue were saved for the end of production, due to the complexity of how those scenes would be captured. But the film would finish shooting in mid-September.   The $422k movie would have its world premiere at the Warner Brothers theatre in New York City not three weeks later, on October 6th, 1927, where the film would become a sensation. Sadly, none of the Warner Brothers would attend the premiere, as Sam Warner, the strongest advocate for Vitaphone at the studio, had died of pneumonia the night before the premiere, and his remaining brothers stayed in Los Angeles for the funeral. The reviews were outstanding, and the film would bring more than $2.5m in rental fees back to the studio.   At the first Academy Awards, held in May 1929 to honor the films released between August 1927 and July 1928, The Jazz Singer was deemed ineligible for the two highest awards, Outstanding Production, now known as Best Picture, and Unique and Artistic Production, which would only be awarded this one time, on the grounds that it would have been unfair to a sound picture compete against all the other silent films. Ironically, by the time the second Academy Awards were handed out, in April 1930, silent films would practically be a thing of the past. The success of The Jazz Singer had been that much a tectonic shift in the industry. The film would receive one Oscar nomination, for Alfred Cohn's screenplay adaptation, while the Warner Brothers would be given a special award for producing The Jazz Singer, the “pioneer outstanding talking picture which has revolutionized the industry,” as the inscription on the award read.   There would be a remake of The Jazz Singer produced in 1952, starring Danny Thomas as Korean War veteran who, thankfully, leaves the blackface in the past, and a one-hour television adaptation of the story in 1959, starring Jerry Lewis. And if that sounds strange to you, Jerry Lewis, at the height of his post-Lewis and Martin success, playing a man torn between his desire to be a successful performer and his shattered relationship with his cantor father… well, you can see it for yourself, if you desire, on the page for this episode on our website. It is as strange as it sounds.   At this point, we're going to fast forward a number of years in our story.   In the 1970s, Neil Diamond became one of the biggest musical stars in America. While he wanted to be a singer, Diamond would get his first big success in music in the 1960s as a songwriter, including writing two songs that would become big hits for The Monkees: I'm a Believer and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You.   And really quickly, let me throw out a weird coincidence here… Bob Rafelson, the creator of The Monkees who would go on to produce and/or direct such films as Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces, was the nephew of Samson Raphaelson, the man who wrote the original story on which The Jazz Singer is based.   Anyway, after finding success as a songwriter, Diamond would become a major singing star with hits like Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon, Sweet Caroline, and Song Sung Blue. And in another weird coincidence, by 1972, Neil Diamond would become the first performer since Al Jolson to stage a one-man show at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.   By 1976, Neil Diamond is hosting specials on television, and one person who would see one of Diamond's television specials was a guy named Jerry Leider, an executive at Warner Brothers in charge of foreign feature production. Leider sees something in Diamond that just night be suited for the movies, not unlike Elvis Presley or Barbra Streisand, who in 1976 just happens to be the star of a remake of A Star Is Born for Warner Brothers that is cleaning up at the box office and at records stores nationwide. Leider is so convinced Neil Diamond has that X Factor, that unquantifiable thing that turns mere mortals into superstars, that Leider quits his job at Warners to start his own movie production company, wrestling the story rights to The Jazz Singer from Warner Brothers and United Artists, both of whom claimed ownership of the story, so he can make his own version with Diamond as the star.   So, naturally, a former Warners Brothers executive wanting to remake one of the most iconic movies in the Warner Brothers library is going to set it up at Warner Brothers, right?   Nope!   In the fall of 1977, Leider makes a deal with MGM to make the movie. Diamond signs on to play the lead, even before a script is written, and screenwriter Stephen H. Foreman is brought in to update the vaudeville-based original story into the modern day while incorporating Diamond's strengths as a songwriter to inform the story. But just before the film was set to shoot in September 1978, MGM would drop the movie, as some executives were worried the film would be perceived as being, and I am quoting Mr. Foreman here, “too Jewish.”   American Film Distribution, the American distribution arm of British production companies ITC and EMI, would pick the film up in turnaround, and set a May 1979 production start date. Sidney J. Furie, the Canadian filmmaker who had directed Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues, would be hired to direct, and Jacqueline Bisset was pursued to play the lead female role, but her agent priced their client out of the running. Deborah Raffin would be cast instead. And to help bring the kids in, the producers would sign Sir Laurence Olivier to play Diamond's father, Cantor Rabinovitch. Sir Larry would get a cool million dollars for ten weeks of work.   There would, as always is with the case of making movies, be setbacks that would further delay the start of production. First, Diamond would hurt his back at the end of 1978, and needed to go in for surgery in early January 1979. Although Diamond had already written and recorded all the music that was going to be used in the movie, AFD considered replacing Diamond with Barry Manilow, who had also never starred in a movie before, but they would stick with their original star.   After nearly a year of rest, Diamond was ready to begin, and cameras would roll on the $10m production on January 7th, 1980. And, as always is with the case of making movies, there would be more setbacks as soon as production began. Diamond, uniquely aware of just how little training he had as an actor, struggled to find his place on set, especially when working with an actor of Sir Laurence Olivier's stature. Director Furie, who was never satisfied with the screenplay, ordered writer Foreman to come up with new scenes that would help lessen the burden Diamond was placing on himself and the production. The writer would balk at almost every single suggestion, and eventually walked off the film.   Herbert Baker, an old school screenwriter who had worked on several of the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movies, was brought in to punch up the script, but he would end up completely rewriting the film, even though the movie had been in production for a few weeks. Baker and Furie would spend every moment the director wasn't actively working on set reworking the story, changing the Deborah Raffin character so much she would leave the production. Her friend Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, would take over the role, after Cher, Liza Minnelli and Donna Summer were considered.   Sensing an out of control production, Sir Lew Grade, the British media titan owner of AFD, decided a change was needed. He would shut the production down on March 3rd, 1980, and fire director Furie. While Baker continued to work on the script, Sir Grade would find a new director in Richard Fleischer, the journeyman filmmaker whose credits in the 1950s and 1960s included such films as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Compulsion, Fantastic Voyage and Doctor Doolittle, but had fallen out of favor with most studios after a string of flops. In fact, this would be the second film in a year where Fleischer was hired to replace another director during the middle of production, having replaced Richard C. Sarafian on the action-adventure film Ashanti in 1979.   With Fleischer aboard, production on The Jazz Singer would resume in late March, and there was an immediate noticeable difference on set. Where Furie and many members of the crew would regularly defer to Diamond due to his stature as an entertainer, letting the singer spiral out of control if things weren't working right, Fleischer would calm the actor down and help work him back into the scene. Except for one scene, set in a recording studio, where Diamond's character needed to explode into anger. After a few takes that didn't go as well as he hoped, Diamond went into the recording booth where his movie band was stationed while Fleischer was resetting the shot, when the director noticed Diamond working himself into a rage. The director called “action,” and Diamond nailed the take as needed. When the director asked Diamond how he got to that moment, the singer said he was frustrated with himself that he wasn't hitting the scene right, and asked the band to play something that would make him angry. The band obliged.    What did they play?   A Barry Manilow song.   Despite the recasting of the leading female role, a change of director and a number of rewrites by two different writers during the production, the film was able to finish shooting at the end of April with only $3m added to the budget.   Associated Film would set a December 19th, 1980 release date for the film, while Capitol Records, owned at the time by EMI, would release the first single from the soundtrack, a soft-rock ballad called Love on the Rocks, in October, with the full soundtrack album arriving in stores a month later.   As expected for a new Neil Diamond song, Love on the Rocks was an immediate hit, climbing the charts all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.   Several days before the film opened in 241 theatres on December 19th, there was a huge, star-studded premiere at the Plitt Century Plaza Cinemas in Los Angeles. Peter Falk, Harvey Korman, Ed McMahon, Gregory Peck, Cesar Romero and Jon Voight were just a handful of the Hollywood community who came out to attend what was one of the biggest Hollywood premieres in years. That would seem to project a confidence in the movie from the distributor's standpoint.   Or so you'd think.   But as it turned out, The Jazz Singer was one of three movies Associated Film would release that day. Along with The Jazz Singer, they would release the British mystery film The Mirror Crack'd starring Angela Lansbury and Elizabeth Taylor, and the Richard Donner drama Inside Moves. Of the three movies, The Jazz Singer would gross the most that weekend, pulling in a modest $1.167m, versus The Mirror Crack'd's $608k from 340 screens, and Inside Moves's $201k from 67 screens.   But compared to Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can, the Richard Pryor/Gene Wilder comedy Stir Crazy, and Dolly Parton/Lily Tomlin/Jane Fonda comedy 9 to 5, it wasn't the best opening they could hope for.   But the film would continue to play… well, if not exceptional, at least it would hold on to its intended audience for a while. Sensing the film needed some help, Capitol Records released a second single from the soundtrack, another power ballad called Hello Again, in January 1981, which would become yet another top ten hit for Diamond. A third single, the pro-immigration power-pop song America, would arrive in April 1981 and go to number eight on the charts, but by then, the film was out of theatres with a respectable $27.12m in tickets sold.   Contemporary reviews of the film were rather negative, especially towards Diamond as an actor. Roger Ebert noted in his review that there were so many things wrong in the film that the review was threatening to become a list of cinematic atrocities. His review buddy Gene Siskel did praise Lucie Arnaz's performance, while pointing out how out of touch the new story was with the immigrant story told by the original film. Many critics would also point out the cringe-worthy homage to the original film, where Diamond unnecessarily performs in blackface, as well as Olivier's overacting.   I recently watched the film for the first time since 1981, and it's not a great movie by any measurable metric. Diamond isn't as bad an actor as the reviews make him out to be, especially considering he's essentially playing an altered version of himself, a successful pop singer, and Lucie Arnaz is fairly good. The single best performance in the film comes from Caitlin Adams, playing Jess's wife Rivka, who, for me, is the emotional center of the film. And yes, Olivier really goes all-in on the scenery chewing. At times, it's truly painful to watch this great actor spin out of control.   There would be a few awards nominations for the film, including acting nominations for Diamond and Arnaz at the 1981 Golden Globes, and a Grammy nomination for Best Soundtrack Album, but most of its quote unquote awards would come from the atrocious Golden Raspberry organization, which would name Diamond the Worst Actor of the year and Olivier the Worst Supporting Actor during its first quote unquote ceremony, which was held in some guy's living room.   Ironically but not so surprisingly, while the film would be vaguely profitable for its producers, it would be the soundtrack to the movie that would bring in the lion's share of the profits. On top of three hit singles, the soundtrack album would sell more than five million copies just in the United States in 1980 and 1981, and would also go platinum in Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. While he would earn less than half a million dollars from the film, Diamond's cut of the soundtrack would net him a dollar per unit sold, earning him more than ten times his salary as an actor.   And although I fancied myself a punk and new wave kid at the end of 1980, I bought the soundtrack to The Jazz Singer, ostensibly as a gift for my mom, who loved Neil Diamond, but I easily wore out the grooves of the album listening to it over and over again. Of the ten new songs he wrote for the soundtrack, there's a good two or three additional tracks that weren't released as singles, including a short little ragtime-inspired ditty called On the Robert E. Lee, but America is the one song from the soundtrack I am still drawn to today. It's a weirdly uplifting song with its rhythmic “today” chants that end the song that just makes me feel good despite its inherent cheesiness.   After The Jazz Singer, Neil Diamond would only appear as himself in a film. Lucie Arnaz would never quite have much of a career after the film, although she would work quote regularly in television during the 80s and 90s, including a short stint as the star of The Lucie Arnaz Show, which lasted six episodes in 1985 before being cancelled. Laurence Olivier would continue to play supporting roles in a series of not so great motion pictures and television movies and miniseries for several more years, until his passing in 1989. And director Richard Fleischer would make several bad movies, including Red Sonja and Million Dollar Mystery, until he retired from filmmaking in 1987.   As we noted in our February 2020 episode about AFD, the act of releasing three movies on the same day was a last, desperate move in order to pump some much needed capital into the company. And while The Jazz Singer would bring some money in, that wasn't enough to cover the losses from the other two movies released the same day, or several other underperforming films released earlier in the year such as the infamous Village People movie Can't Stop the Music and Raise the Titanic. Sir Lew Grade would close AFD down in early 1981, and sell several movies that were completed, in production or in pre-production to Universal Studios. Ironically, those movies might have saved the company had they been able to hang on a little longer, as they included such films as The Dark Crystal, Frances, On Golden Pond, Sophie's Choice and Tender Mercies.   Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again soon, when Episode 99 is released.   Remember to visit this episode's page on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, for extra materials about Neil Diamond and The Jazz Singer.   The 80s Movies Podcast has been researched, written, narrated and edited by Edward Havens for Idiosyncratic Entertainment.   Thank you again.   Good night.

Welcome to our first episode of the new year, which is also our first episode of Season 5. Thank you for continuing to join us on this amazing journey. On today's episode, we head back to Christmas of 1980, when pop music superstar Neil Diamond would be making his feature acting debut in a new version of The Jazz Singer. ----more---- EPISODE TRANSCRIPT From Los Angeles, California, the entertainment capital of the world, this is The 80s Movies Podcast. I am your host, Edward Havens. Thank you for listening today.   It's 2023, which means we are starting our fifth season. And for our first episode of this new season, we're going back to the end of 1980, to take a look back at what was supposed to be the launch of a new phase in the career of one of music's biggest stars. That musical star was Neil Diamond, and this would end up becoming his one and only attempt to act in a motion picture.   We're talking about The Jazz Singer.   As I have said time and time again, I don't really have a plan for this show. I talk about the movies and subjects I talk about often on a whim. I'll hear about something and I'll be reminded of something, and a few days later, I've got an episode researched, written, recorded, edited and out there in the world. As I was working on the previous episode, about The War of the Roses just before my trip to Thailand, I saw a video of Neil Diamond singing Sweet Caroline on opening night of A Beautiful Noise, a new Broadway musical about the life and music of Mr. Diamond. I hadn't noticed Diamond had stopped performing live five years earlier due to a diagnosis of Parkinson's, and it was very touching to watch a thousand people joyously singing along with the man.   But as I was watching that video, I was reminded of The Jazz Singer, a movie we previously covered very lightly three years ago as part of our episode on the distribution company Associated Film Distribution. I was reminded that I haven't seen the movie in over forty years, even though I remember rather enjoying it when it opened in theatres in December 1980. I think I saw it four or five times over the course of a month, and I even went out and bought the soundtrack album, which I easily listened to a hundred times before the start of summer.   But we're getting ahead of ourselves yet again.   The Jazz Singer began its life in 1917, when Samson Raphaelson, a twenty-three year old undergraduate at the University of Illinois, attended a performance of Robinson Crusoe, Jr., in Champaign, IL. The star of that show was thirty-year-old Al Jolson, a Russian-born Jew who had been a popular performer on Broadway stages for fifteen years by this point, regularly performing in blackface. After graduation, Raphaelson would become an advertising executive in New York City, but on the side, he would write stories. One short story, called “The Day of Atonement,” would be a thinly fictionalized account of Al Jolson's life. It would be published in Everybody's Magazine in January 1922.   At the encouragement of his secretary at the advertising firm, Raphaelson would adapted his story into a play, which would be produced on Broadway in September 1925 with a new title…   The Jazz Singer.   Ironically, for a Broadway show based on the early life of Al Jolson, Jolson was not a part of the production. The part of Jake Rabinowitz, the son of a cantor who finds success on Broadway with the Anglicized named Jack Robin, would be played by George Jessel. The play would be a minor hit, running for 303 performances on Broadway before closing in June 1926, and Warner Brothers would buy the movie rights the same week the show closed. George Jessel would be signed to play his stage role in the movie version. The film was scheduled to go into production in May 1927.   There are a number of reasons why Jessel would not end up making the movie. After the success of two Warner movies in 1926 using Vitaphone, a sound-on-disc system that could play music synchronized to a motion picture, Warner Brothers reconcieved The Jazz Singer as a sound movie, but not just a movie with music synchronized to the images on screen, but a “talkie,” where, for the first time for a motion picture, actual dialogue and vocal songs would be synchronized to the pictures on screen. When he learned about this development, Jessel demanded more money.    The Warner Brothers refused.   Then Jessel had some concerns about the solvency of the studio. These would be valid concerns, as Harry Warner, the eldest of the four eponymous brothers who ran the studio, had sold nearly $4m worth of his personal stock to keep the company afloat just a few months earlier.   But what ended up driving Jessel away was a major change screenwriter Alfred A. Cohen made when adapting the original story and the play into the screenplay. Instead of leaving the theatre and becoming a cantor like his father, as it was written for the stage, the movie would end with Jack Robin performing on Broadway in blackface while his mom cheers him on from one of the box seats.   With Jessel off the project, Warner would naturally turn to… Eddie Cantor. Like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor was a Jew of Russian descent, although, unlike Jolson, he had been born in New York City. Like Jolson, he had been a star on Broadway for years, regularly performing in and writing songs for Florenz Ziegfeld' annual Follies shows. And like Jolson, Cantor would regularly appear on stage in blackface. But Cantor, a friend of Jessel's, instead offered to help the studio get Jessel back on the movie. The studio instead went to their third choice…   Al Jolson.   You know. The guy whose life inspired the darn story to begin with.   Many years later, film historian Robert Carringer would note that, in 1927, George Jessel was a vaudeville comedian with one successful play and one modestly successful movie to his credit, while Jolson was one of the biggest stars in America. In fact, when The Vitaphone Company was trying to convince American studios to try their sound-on-disc system for movies, they would hire Jolson in the fall of 1926 for a ten minute test film. It would be the success of the short film, titled A Plantation Act and featuring Jolson in blackface singing three songs, that would convince Warners to take a chance with The Jazz Singer as the first quote unquote talkie film.   I'll have a link to A Plantation Act on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, if you're interested in seeing it.   Al Jolson signed on to play the character inspired by himself for $75,000 in May 1927, the equivalent to $1.28m today. Filming would be pushed back to June 1927, in part due to Jolson still being on tour with another show until the end of the month. Warners would begin production on the film in New York City in late June, starting with second unit shots of the Lower East Side and The Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway, shooting as much as they could until Jolson arrived on set on July 11th.   Now, while the film has been regularly touted for nearly a century now as the first talking motion picture, the truth is, there's very little verbal dialogue in the film. The vast majority of dialogue in the movie was still handled with the traditional silent movie use of caption cards, and the very few scenes featuring what would be synchronized dialogue were saved for the end of production, due to the complexity of how those scenes would be captured. But the film would finish shooting in mid-September.   The $422k movie would have its world premiere at the Warner Brothers theatre in New York City not three weeks later, on October 6th, 1927, where the film would become a sensation. Sadly, none of the Warner Brothers would attend the premiere, as Sam Warner, the strongest advocate for Vitaphone at the studio, had died of pneumonia the night before the premiere, and his remaining brothers stayed in Los Angeles for the funeral. The reviews were outstanding, and the film would bring more than $2.5m in rental fees back to the studio.   At the first Academy Awards, held in May 1929 to honor the films released between August 1927 and July 1928, The Jazz Singer was deemed ineligible for the two highest awards, Outstanding Production, now known as Best Picture, and Unique and Artistic Production, which would only be awarded this one time, on the grounds that it would have been unfair to a sound picture compete against all the other silent films. Ironically, by the time the second Academy Awards were handed out, in April 1930, silent films would practically be a thing of the past. The success of The Jazz Singer had been that much a tectonic shift in the industry. The film would receive one Oscar nomination, for Alfred Cohn's screenplay adaptation, while the Warner Brothers would be given a special award for producing The Jazz Singer, the “pioneer outstanding talking picture which has revolutionized the industry,” as the inscription on the award read.   There would be a remake of The Jazz Singer produced in 1952, starring Danny Thomas as Korean War veteran who, thankfully, leaves the blackface in the past, and a one-hour television adaptation of the story in 1959, starring Jerry Lewis. And if that sounds strange to you, Jerry Lewis, at the height of his post-Lewis and Martin success, playing a man torn between his desire to be a successful performer and his shattered relationship with his cantor father… well, you can see it for yourself, if you desire, on the page for this episode on our website. It is as strange as it sounds.   At this point, we're going to fast forward a number of years in our story.   In the 1970s, Neil Diamond became one of the biggest musical stars in America. While he wanted to be a singer, Diamond would get his first big success in music in the 1960s as a songwriter, including writing two songs that would become big hits for The Monkees: I'm a Believer and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You.   And really quickly, let me throw out a weird coincidence here… Bob Rafelson, the creator of The Monkees who would go on to produce and/or direct such films as Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces, was the nephew of Samson Raphaelson, the man who wrote the original story on which The Jazz Singer is based.   Anyway, after finding success as a songwriter, Diamond would become a major singing star with hits like Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon, Sweet Caroline, and Song Sung Blue. And in another weird coincidence, by 1972, Neil Diamond would become the first performer since Al Jolson to stage a one-man show at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway.   By 1976, Neil Diamond is hosting specials on television, and one person who would see one of Diamond's television specials was a guy named Jerry Leider, an executive at Warner Brothers in charge of foreign feature production. Leider sees something in Diamond that just night be suited for the movies, not unlike Elvis Presley or Barbra Streisand, who in 1976 just happens to be the star of a remake of A Star Is Born for Warner Brothers that is cleaning up at the box office and at records stores nationwide. Leider is so convinced Neil Diamond has that X Factor, that unquantifiable thing that turns mere mortals into superstars, that Leider quits his job at Warners to start his own movie production company, wrestling the story rights to The Jazz Singer from Warner Brothers and United Artists, both of whom claimed ownership of the story, so he can make his own version with Diamond as the star.   So, naturally, a former Warners Brothers executive wanting to remake one of the most iconic movies in the Warner Brothers library is going to set it up at Warner Brothers, right?   Nope!   In the fall of 1977, Leider makes a deal with MGM to make the movie. Diamond signs on to play the lead, even before a script is written, and screenwriter Stephen H. Foreman is brought in to update the vaudeville-based original story into the modern day while incorporating Diamond's strengths as a songwriter to inform the story. But just before the film was set to shoot in September 1978, MGM would drop the movie, as some executives were worried the film would be perceived as being, and I am quoting Mr. Foreman here, “too Jewish.”   American Film Distribution, the American distribution arm of British production companies ITC and EMI, would pick the film up in turnaround, and set a May 1979 production start date. Sidney J. Furie, the Canadian filmmaker who had directed Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues, would be hired to direct, and Jacqueline Bisset was pursued to play the lead female role, but her agent priced their client out of the running. Deborah Raffin would be cast instead. And to help bring the kids in, the producers would sign Sir Laurence Olivier to play Diamond's father, Cantor Rabinovitch. Sir Larry would get a cool million dollars for ten weeks of work.   There would, as always is with the case of making movies, be setbacks that would further delay the start of production. First, Diamond would hurt his back at the end of 1978, and needed to go in for surgery in early January 1979. Although Diamond had already written and recorded all the music that was going to be used in the movie, AFD considered replacing Diamond with Barry Manilow, who had also never starred in a movie before, but they would stick with their original star.   After nearly a year of rest, Diamond was ready to begin, and cameras would roll on the $10m production on January 7th, 1980. And, as always is with the case of making movies, there would be more setbacks as soon as production began. Diamond, uniquely aware of just how little training he had as an actor, struggled to find his place on set, especially when working with an actor of Sir Laurence Olivier's stature. Director Furie, who was never satisfied with the screenplay, ordered writer Foreman to come up with new scenes that would help lessen the burden Diamond was placing on himself and the production. The writer would balk at almost every single suggestion, and eventually walked off the film.   Herbert Baker, an old school screenwriter who had worked on several of the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movies, was brought in to punch up the script, but he would end up completely rewriting the film, even though the movie had been in production for a few weeks. Baker and Furie would spend every moment the director wasn't actively working on set reworking the story, changing the Deborah Raffin character so much she would leave the production. Her friend Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, would take over the role, after Cher, Liza Minnelli and Donna Summer were considered.   Sensing an out of control production, Sir Lew Grade, the British media titan owner of AFD, decided a change was needed. He would shut the production down on March 3rd, 1980, and fire director Furie. While Baker continued to work on the script, Sir Grade would find a new director in Richard Fleischer, the journeyman filmmaker whose credits in the 1950s and 1960s included such films as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Compulsion, Fantastic Voyage and Doctor Doolittle, but had fallen out of favor with most studios after a string of flops. In fact, this would be the second film in a year where Fleischer was hired to replace another director during the middle of production, having replaced Richard C. Sarafian on the action-adventure film Ashanti in 1979.   With Fleischer aboard, production on The Jazz Singer would resume in late March, and there was an immediate noticeable difference on set. Where Furie and many members of the crew would regularly defer to Diamond due to his stature as an entertainer, letting the singer spiral out of control if things weren't working right, Fleischer would calm the actor down and help work him back into the scene. Except for one scene, set in a recording studio, where Diamond's character needed to explode into anger. After a few takes that didn't go as well as he hoped, Diamond went into the recording booth where his movie band was stationed while Fleischer was resetting the shot, when the director noticed Diamond working himself into a rage. The director called “action,” and Diamond nailed the take as needed. When the director asked Diamond how he got to that moment, the singer said he was frustrated with himself that he wasn't hitting the scene right, and asked the band to play something that would make him angry. The band obliged.    What did they play?   A Barry Manilow song.   Despite the recasting of the leading female role, a change of director and a number of rewrites by two different writers during the production, the film was able to finish shooting at the end of April with only $3m added to the budget.   Associated Film would set a December 19th, 1980 release date for the film, while Capitol Records, owned at the time by EMI, would release the first single from the soundtrack, a soft-rock ballad called Love on the Rocks, in October, with the full soundtrack album arriving in stores a month later.   As expected for a new Neil Diamond song, Love on the Rocks was an immediate hit, climbing the charts all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.   Several days before the film opened in 241 theatres on December 19th, there was a huge, star-studded premiere at the Plitt Century Plaza Cinemas in Los Angeles. Peter Falk, Harvey Korman, Ed McMahon, Gregory Peck, Cesar Romero and Jon Voight were just a handful of the Hollywood community who came out to attend what was one of the biggest Hollywood premieres in years. That would seem to project a confidence in the movie from the distributor's standpoint.   Or so you'd think.   But as it turned out, The Jazz Singer was one of three movies Associated Film would release that day. Along with The Jazz Singer, they would release the British mystery film The Mirror Crack'd starring Angela Lansbury and Elizabeth Taylor, and the Richard Donner drama Inside Moves. Of the three movies, The Jazz Singer would gross the most that weekend, pulling in a modest $1.167m, versus The Mirror Crack'd's $608k from 340 screens, and Inside Moves's $201k from 67 screens.   But compared to Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can, the Richard Pryor/Gene Wilder comedy Stir Crazy, and Dolly Parton/Lily Tomlin/Jane Fonda comedy 9 to 5, it wasn't the best opening they could hope for.   But the film would continue to play… well, if not exceptional, at least it would hold on to its intended audience for a while. Sensing the film needed some help, Capitol Records released a second single from the soundtrack, another power ballad called Hello Again, in January 1981, which would become yet another top ten hit for Diamond. A third single, the pro-immigration power-pop song America, would arrive in April 1981 and go to number eight on the charts, but by then, the film was out of theatres with a respectable $27.12m in tickets sold.   Contemporary reviews of the film were rather negative, especially towards Diamond as an actor. Roger Ebert noted in his review that there were so many things wrong in the film that the review was threatening to become a list of cinematic atrocities. His review buddy Gene Siskel did praise Lucie Arnaz's performance, while pointing out how out of touch the new story was with the immigrant story told by the original film. Many critics would also point out the cringe-worthy homage to the original film, where Diamond unnecessarily performs in blackface, as well as Olivier's overacting.   I recently watched the film for the first time since 1981, and it's not a great movie by any measurable metric. Diamond isn't as bad an actor as the reviews make him out to be, especially considering he's essentially playing an altered version of himself, a successful pop singer, and Lucie Arnaz is fairly good. The single best performance in the film comes from Caitlin Adams, playing Jess's wife Rivka, who, for me, is the emotional center of the film. And yes, Olivier really goes all-in on the scenery chewing. At times, it's truly painful to watch this great actor spin out of control.   There would be a few awards nominations for the film, including acting nominations for Diamond and Arnaz at the 1981 Golden Globes, and a Grammy nomination for Best Soundtrack Album, but most of its quote unquote awards would come from the atrocious Golden Raspberry organization, which would name Diamond the Worst Actor of the year and Olivier the Worst Supporting Actor during its first quote unquote ceremony, which was held in some guy's living room.   Ironically but not so surprisingly, while the film would be vaguely profitable for its producers, it would be the soundtrack to the movie that would bring in the lion's share of the profits. On top of three hit singles, the soundtrack album would sell more than five million copies just in the United States in 1980 and 1981, and would also go platinum in Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. While he would earn less than half a million dollars from the film, Diamond's cut of the soundtrack would net him a dollar per unit sold, earning him more than ten times his salary as an actor.   And although I fancied myself a punk and new wave kid at the end of 1980, I bought the soundtrack to The Jazz Singer, ostensibly as a gift for my mom, who loved Neil Diamond, but I easily wore out the grooves of the album listening to it over and over again. Of the ten new songs he wrote for the soundtrack, there's a good two or three additional tracks that weren't released as singles, including a short little ragtime-inspired ditty called On the Robert E. Lee, but America is the one song from the soundtrack I am still drawn to today. It's a weirdly uplifting song with its rhythmic “today” chants that end the song that just makes me feel good despite its inherent cheesiness.   After The Jazz Singer, Neil Diamond would only appear as himself in a film. Lucie Arnaz would never quite have much of a career after the film, although she would work quote regularly in television during the 80s and 90s, including a short stint as the star of The Lucie Arnaz Show, which lasted six episodes in 1985 before being cancelled. Laurence Olivier would continue to play supporting roles in a series of not so great motion pictures and television movies and miniseries for several more years, until his passing in 1989. And director Richard Fleischer would make several bad movies, including Red Sonja and Million Dollar Mystery, until he retired from filmmaking in 1987.   As we noted in our February 2020 episode about AFD, the act of releasing three movies on the same day was a last, desperate move in order to pump some much needed capital into the company. And while The Jazz Singer would bring some money in, that wasn't enough to cover the losses from the other two movies released the same day, or several other underperforming films released earlier in the year such as the infamous Village People movie Can't Stop the Music and Raise the Titanic. Sir Lew Grade would close AFD down in early 1981, and sell several movies that were completed, in production or in pre-production to Universal Studios. Ironically, those movies might have saved the company had they been able to hang on a little longer, as they included such films as The Dark Crystal, Frances, On Golden Pond, Sophie's Choice and Tender Mercies.   Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again soon, when Episode 99 is released.   Remember to visit this episode's page on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, for extra materials about Neil Diamond and The Jazz Singer.   The 80s Movies Podcast has been researched, written, narrated and edited by Edward Havens for Idiosyncratic Entertainment.   Thank you again.   Good night.

It's Thanksgiving and the Brothers in Armchairs Podcast bring you another high quality, top notch, family friendly, Podcast Show suitable for listening during your Thanksgiving feast!In today's episode, join Kenny, Arnaz, and Del as they talk about their Thanksgiving memories in the military and one of the best short-lived Television Sitcoms of all time, WKRP in Cincinnati.WRKP aired from 1978 - 1982 and built a strong following during and through the years post production.  The most famous episode of WKRP was Turkeys Away, which some of the cast credit as being responsible for boosting the show's popularity.  According to BiAP surveys, and other surveys available online, the WKRP Turkeys Away episode is the best Thanksgiving themed TV Sitcom of all time.  We know that everyone has their favorites, but the Brothers felt the Turkeys Away episode is too great not to give it proper tribute.   The Brothers in Armchairs Podcast want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving! We most especially want to wish our brothers and sisters who are away from their families, underway, or deployed, a great holiday and thank you for your service! Links to Articles:The Read Turkey Drop - https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16921Richard Sander Now - https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/woodinvilles-richard-sanders-talks-about-wkrp-in-cincinnati/Full List of Songs Played on Show - https://kool108.iheart.com/content/2018-03-16-list-of-every-song-played-on-wkrp-in-cincinnati/Thanks for listening and feel free to hit us up on any of our social media platforms!     https://linktr.ee/BiAPodcastTheme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award-winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can be seen here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening!  Don't forget our next bi-weekly Pod and keep an eye out for our specials, series, request line, and news episodes!  And please subscribe and review!

Subscribe to Charles' Alpha Investor newsletter today: https://pro.banyanhill.com/m/2054150 (https://pro.banyanhill.com/m/2054150) He's the king of all media ... Bill O'Reilly has graced our screens for over 40 years. After serving as lead anchor on The O'Reilly Factor, he moved on to host No Spin News and The O'Reilly Update. He's also the most successful nonfiction writer of all time, with 16 No.1-ranked novels to date. The media icon discusses the latest book in his bestselling Killing series with host Charles Mizrahi. [Editor's Note: Please be advised that this episode contains descriptions of sexual violence. If you would like to avoid this content, please skip ahead from 00:08:06 to 00:09:30] Topics Discussed: • An Introduction to Bill O'Reilly (00:00:00) • A Dedication to Family (00:04:45) • The “Juice Man” (00:06:06) • Filling a Gap in History (00:10:26) • Shedding Light on True Evil (00:16:29) • Charles “Lucky” Luciano (00:21:00) • Arnaz & Sinatra (00:30:11) • The Kennedys' Involvement (00:33:00) Guest Bio: Bill O'Reilly's success in broadcasting and publishing is unmatched. He kickstarted his media career with work on CBS, ABC and Inside Edition. He then served as the iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor for nearly two decades. While there, he grew the program to become the highest-rated cable news broadcast in the nation. Then, after nearly 40 years in broadcast television, O'Reilly moved on to host No Spin News and The O'Reilly Update — where he delivers current events with: “No spin. Just the facts.” In addition, O'Reilly is the author of the bestselling Killing series. It currently has over 18 million books in print. Resources Mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Mob-Against-Organized-OReillys/dp/125027365X (Killing the Mob: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America) https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Kennedy-Bill-OReilly-audiobook/dp/B009KEZN4U/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=%E2%80%A2+Killing+Kennedy%3A+The+End+of+Camelot&qid=1623701690&s=books&sr=1-1 (Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot) https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Lincoln-Bill-OReilly-audiobook/dp/B005PTP0QU/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=%E2%80%A2+Killing+Lincoln%3A+The+Shocking+Assassination+that+Changed+America+Forever&qid=1623701713&s=audible&sr=1-2 (Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever) https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Patton-Bill-OReilly-audiobook/dp/B00KMYOG5E/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=%E2%80%A2+Killing+Patton%3A+The+Strange+Death+of+World+War+II%27s+Most+Audacious+General&qid=1623701734&s=audible&sr=1-2 (Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General) Don't Forget To...  https://the-charles-mizrahi-show.captivate.fm/listen (Subscribe to my podcast! ) Download this episode to save for later  Liked this episode? Leave a kind review!  

This week's episode: The Brady Bunch S1 E22 - "The Possible Dream" originally aired February 27, 1970Marcia's diary gets mixed in with books for a charity drive, leading the family on a frantic search. Marcia is worried someone will find out she has a crush on Desi Arnaz, Jr. To cheer Marcia up, Alice contacts Lucille Ball's housekeeper and requests that the young Arnaz pay Marcia a visit.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After watching Lucy and Desi, the Amy Poehler-directed documentary about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Laurie and Michael examine some of the parallels in their own lives and the importance of finding a way to be together even if that means working together. It’s a cautionary tale. Check out our discussion about this here: The post High Powered Couples Lessons from the Life of Lucy and Desi appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Entrevista con Rodrigo Arnaz, director y guionista de ‘La vida en el silencio', una película mexicana independiente sobre el autismo y que próximamente se estrenará en Prime Video y algunas salas de cine.Link para hacer donaciones vía PayPal:https://www.paypal.me/julioastilleroCuenta para hacer transferencias a cuenta BBVA a nombre de Julio Hernández López: 1539408017CLABE: 012 320 01539408017 2 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For Video Editon, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://youtu.be/OKnJSAuc1z4   Lucie Arnaz began her long career in a recurring role on the television program “The Lucy Show.” At fifteen, she became a series regular on “Here's Lucy,” and she later starred in her own series “The Lucie Arnaz Show.” On film, Lucie has co-starred in The Jazz Singer with Neil Diamond and Sir Laurence Olivier, as well as starring in several made for television movies including Who Killed The Black Dahlia and Down to You. On the stage, Lucie created the role of Kathy in the West Coast Premiere of Vanities at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles before starring as Gittel Mosca in the first national company of Seesaw alongside Tommy Tune. Lucie's Broadway credits include They're Playing Our Song, Lost in Yonkers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Pippin. Arnaz and her husband of thirty-eight years, actor/writer Laurence Luckinbill, teamed up to form ArLuck Entertainment, a film and television production company, and together produced the documentary Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie, which was honored with an Emmy. During her distinguished career, Lucie has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe nomination, a Theatre World Award, and Chicago's famed Sarah Siddons award.  

After a fun evening together, the Ricardos and Mertzes end up in an argument that escalates to the point that the Ricardos plan to move out of the apartment building, but first they have to figure out how to get out of their lease. An exercise in pettiness (and, of course, the highest order silliness) ensues. DIscussions include a party at the Arnaz home and Anna Pavlova. Apologies for the noise from the laptop fan... this little computer is really going through it lol. I Love Lucy radio pilot "The Lease Breakers" Take Me Out to the Ballgame (Cracker Jack theme song)

Robert Winfree and Mark Radulich present their Don't Look Up/Being The Ricardos Review! Don't Look Up (2021) from Netflix is a satirical black comedy written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two astronomers attempting to warn humanity about an approaching comet that will destroy human civilization. The comet is an allegory for climate change and the film is a satire of government and media indifference to the climate crisis. Supporting cast include Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep. Grande and Mescudi also collaborated on the song "Just Look Up" as part of the film's soundtrack. The film is dedicated to Hal Willner, who died in 2020. Being the Ricardos (2021) from Amazon Prime is a biographical drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ball and Arnaz, while J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg also star. Grammarly Ad: 1:04:30 Amazon Music Ad: 1:57:00 For a 30 Day Free Trial of Amazon Music Unlimited head to http://getamazonmusic.com/w2mnetwork. Amazon Music is free. Amazon Music Unlimited is not. And for the Grammarly special offer, go to http://getgrammarly.com/w2mnetwork. Check us out on the player of your choice https://linktr.ee/markkind76 Also check out the W2M Network Discord https://discord.gg/fCYpG5dcT9

Robert Winfree and Mark Radulich present their Don't Look Up/Being The Ricardos Review! Don't Look Up (2021) from Netflix is a satirical black comedy written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two astronomers attempting to warn humanity about an approaching comet that will destroy human civilization. The comet is an allegory for climate change and the film is a satire of government and media indifference to the climate crisis. Supporting cast include Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep. Grande and Mescudi also collaborated on the song "Just Look Up" as part of the film's soundtrack. The film is dedicated to Hal Willner, who died in 2020. Being the Ricardos (2021) from Amazon Prime is a biographical drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ball and Arnaz, while J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg also star. Grammarly Ad: 1:04:30 Amazon Music Ad: 1:57:00 For a 30 Day Free Trial of Amazon Music Unlimited head to http://getamazonmusic.com/w2mnetwork. Amazon Music is free. Amazon Music Unlimited is not. And for the Grammarly special offer, go to http://getgrammarly.com/w2mnetwork. Check us out on the player of your choice https://linktr.ee/markkind76 Also check out the W2M Network Discord https://discord.gg/fCYpG5dcT9

On this episode, I am joined by the twin team of Cole and Justin, better known as The Oscar Expert and Brother Bro, who return to the AwardsWatch Oscar Podcast to talk about the Screen Actors Guild and offer our predictions. We hit all categories and dive into both likely nominations, weird SAG-only possibilities (like Viola Davis and Sandra Bullock in The Unforgivable) and break down how many nominations Belfast and The Power of the Dog can score. Each stand a chance to to get in 3 or even 4 individual actors plus the SAG Cast category. The all-time record still stands at 5 nominations for a single film and we could see it happen once, or even twice, this year. West Side Story is a big part of the conversation, which was recorded on December 26, because at the time no screeners, digital or physical, had been sent to the SAG nominating committee for voting. As of this writing, digital screeners have now reached the 2000-2500 voters but is it too late? Voting opened on December 6 ends on January 9 and many might have already submitted their picks, deciding not to wait on 20th Century/Disney to drop those screeners. Our predictions for WSS reflect that here. Support for this podcast comes from Amazon Studios, presenting Being the Ricardos. Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear, and cultural taboos in Academy Award-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin's behind-the-scenes drama Being the Ricardos.  A revealing glimpse of the couple's complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers' room, onto the soundstage, and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy.  Featuring J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, Jake Lacy, Linda Lavin, Ronny Cox, and John Rubinstein. Now nominated for three Critics Choice Awards for Best Original Screenplay Aaron Sorkin, Best Actress Nicole Kidman, and Best Supporting Actor J.K. Simmons. Variety raves the film is “intoxicating; a beautiful illustration of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz." Being the Ricardos is streaming now on Prime Video. Support for this podcast also comes from Amazon Studios' The Tender Bar, which tells the story of J.R. (Tye Sheridan), a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures.  As the boy's determined mother (Lily Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father (Christopher Lloyd) — J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams — with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie's bar.  The Tender Bar is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by J.R. Moehringer. The Los Angeles Times calls the film “a nostalgic coming-of-age drama lovingly directed by George Clooney... Affleck has never been better." The Tender Bar is in theaters now and streaming January 7 on Prime Video. This podcast runs 1h 20m with music and sponsorship content.

Stuart Besser, executive producer of “Being the Ricardos” from Amazon Studios joins The Mark Thompson Show to share, "A revealing glimpse of the couple's complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers' room, onto the soundstage and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuart Besser, executive producer of “Being the Ricardos” from Amazon Studios joins The Mark Thompson Show to share, "A revealing glimpse of the couple's complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers' room, onto the soundstage and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Thanksgiving and the Brothers in Armchairs Podcast bring you another high quality, top notch, family friendly, Podcast Show suitable for listening during your Thanksgiving feast!In today's episode, join Kenny, Arnaz, and Del as they talk about their Thanksgiving memories in the military and one of the best short-lived Television Sitcoms of all time, WKRP in Cincinnati.WRKP aired from 1978 - 1982 and built a strong following during and through the years post production.  The most famous episode of WKRP was Turkeys Away, which some of the cast credit as being responsible for boosting the show's popularity.  According to BiAP surveys, and other surveys available online, the WKRP Turkeys Away episode is the best Thanksgiving themed TV Sitcom of all time.  We know that everyone has their favorites, but the Brothers felt the Turkeys Away episode is too great not to give it proper tribute.   The Brothers in Armchairs Podcast want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving! We most especially want to wish our brothers and sisters who are away from their families, underway, or deployed, a great holiday and thank you for your service! Links to Articles:The Read Turkey Drop - https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16921Richard Sander Now - https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/woodinvilles-richard-sanders-talks-about-wkrp-in-cincinnati/Full List of Songs Played on Show - https://kool108.iheart.com/content/2018-03-16-list-of-every-song-played-on-wkrp-in-cincinnati/Thanks for listening and feel free to hit us up on any of our social media platforms!     https://linktr.ee/BiAPodcastTheme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award-winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can be seen here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening!  Don't forget our next bi-weekly Pod and keep an eye out for our specials, series, request line, and news episodes!  And please subscribe and review!

This week, Lucy dons her iconic Professor character, and we get another great example of the Arnaz family chemistry. This episode is as funny as it is non-sensical. Side thoughts include some dark ponderings on why this episode isn't as famous as the Classic Lucy Moments, and the origins of Babalu.Show Notes:Miguelito Valdes, the real Mr. BabaluLucille Ball in the Ziegfeld FolliesNPR Article - Ricky Ricardo: The 'Mr. Babalu' Next DoorSupport the Afro Latino CommunityGet in touch:Instagram: @thericardoprojectEmail: thericardoproject@gmail.com 

Celebrate Veteran's Day with Kenny and Del as they discuss and review 2014's Army Tank WWII epic FURY.Veteran's Day is a very special holiday for the Brothers in Armchairs Podcast as we are a Veteran owned and hosted Podcast.  This year, Kenny, Arnaz, and Del will be celebrating their military service and honoring other Veterans by participating in The Las Vegas Veteran's Day parade.  If you happen to be in downtown Las Vegas today, please stop by and support the hundreds of Veterans who will be in the parade.  Also, today's feature film is Fury (2014).  Join Kenny and Del for a full discussion and breakdown.  The Brothers will dive into pre-production, film performance, writing, direction, acting, scenes, and more.  We hope our discussion will not only entertain you, but will also spark your interest in this film.    Thanks for listening and feel free to hit us up on any of our social media platforms!     https://linktr.ee/BiAPodcastHave a great Veterans Day!  Theme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award-winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can be seen here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening!  Don't forget our next bi-weekly Pod and keep an eye out for our specials, series, request line, and news episodes!  And please subscribe and review!

In this week's episode, the hosts discuss the episode that was inspired by the pilot episode of 'I Love Lucy', 'The Audition'. They discuss the differences and similarities between the pilot and this episode as it is also inspired by the radio episode of My Favorite Husband. There are so many outdated thoughts that are touched upon such as the place of a man and a woman, the lack of encouragement from the husband to his wife to try something new and how this show's premise was used as the Arnaz' vaudevillian roadshow. They discuss how long it took for Lucille Ball to learn the routine performed in this episode and how greatly her physical comedy came alive! ••• Connect with all things 'Having A Ball' ••• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDXuCxbfhUNJzJ_8wMfMD_w/featured Having A Ball Podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Having-a-Ball-Podcast-103319291812682 Having A Ball Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havingaballpod/ Erika on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikamurrietta/ Erika on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erika.murrietta.3 Erika on Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikamurrietta Ziva on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luciana.ehrlinger Ziva on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziva_e/ Email: havingaballpod@gmail.com ••• Producer: Aron Bender Photos: Getty Images Music provided by: Feather Duster via SilvermanSound https://www.silvermansound.com/free-music/feather-duster

Download the episode Front Row Classics ends the month of September with a very special conversation. Brandon is honored to spend some time with the incredible, Lucie Arnaz. The interview covers a breadth of topics including Arnaz’s career as an actress, singer, Broadway & nightclub performer, award-winning producer and business woman. Lucie also shares personal … Continue reading Ep. 86- Interview with Lucie Arnaz →

Download the episode Front Row Classics ends the month of September with a very special conversation. Brandon is honored to spend some time with the incredible, Lucie Arnaz. The interview covers a breadth of topics including Arnaz’s career as an actress, singer, Broadway & nightclub performer, award-winning producer and business woman. Lucie also shares personal … Continue reading Ep. 86- Interview with Lucie Arnaz →

Front Row Classics ends the month of September with a very special conversation. Brandon spends some time with the incredible, Lucie Arnaz. The interview covers a breadth of topics including Arnaz's career as an actress, singer, Broadway & nightclub performer, award-winning producer and business woman. Lucie also shares personal memories of her legendary parents, Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz. We also touch on the upcoming 70th anniversary of I Love Lucy. Many special Lucy projects are also coming down the pipeline and Lucie generously provides insight on several.  For more information on Lucie's upcoming performance dates, you can go to LucieArnaz.com. You can also find the Let's Talk to Lucy podcasts on your favorite podcast app. 

Lucille Ball married Gary Morton in 1961. The lawsuit Arnaz vs Morton explained. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alva-riley/support

Lucille Ball made her name on TV, but she also had a radio show called “Let's Talk to Lucy.” A trove of old reel-to-reel tapes has been pulled from her archives. They include interviews with the biggest stars of the day, plus her close friends and co-stars. Most of these conversations haven't been heard since they originally aired in the mid-1960s. Now hundreds of them are airing on SiriusXM and will eventually be available wherever you get your podcasts. Ball used many of those interviews to gauge how well she performed as a real-life mom. That's according to her daughter Lucie Arnaz. “She was always searching for answers herself. So she would talk to Jeanne Martin … or Debbie Reynolds, other women who had children, and she asked them, ‘How do you do it?'” Arnaz says. She adds, “She didn't have much of a happy-go-lucky, bonded childhood with her own mother. So when she decided to have kids, she was kind of flying blind, as most of us are.” Press Play also gets reviews of the latest films: “Cinderella,” “Karen,” and “Unapologetic.”

Julia Arnaz Massey, granddaughter of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, talks being raised away from Hollywood in Connecticut and learning that she’s Desi Arnaz Jr.’s daughter. In the second half, she discusses domestic violence, emotional support animals, and her daughter’s death at the hands of breast cancer.

He's the king of all media ... Bill O'Reilly has graced our screens for over 40 years. After serving as lead anchor on The O'Reilly Factor, he moved on to host No Spin News and The O'Reilly Update. He's also the most successful nonfiction writer of all time, with 16 No.1-ranked novels to date. The media icon discusses the latest book in his bestselling Killing series with host Charles Mizrahi. [Editor's Note: Please be advised that this episode contains descriptions of sexual violence. If you would like to avoid this content, please skip ahead at 00:08:06 to 00:09:30] Topics Discussed: • An Introduction to Bill O'Reilly (00:00:00) • A Dedication to Family (00:04:45) • The “Juice Man” (00:06:06) • Filling a Gap in History (00:10:26) • Shedding Light on True Evil (00:16:29) • Charles “Lucky” Luciano (00:21:00) • Arnaz & Sinatra (00:30:11) • The Kennedys' Involvement (00:33:00) Guest Bio: Bill O'Reilly's success in broadcasting and publishing is unmatched. He kickstarted his media career with work on CBS, ABC and Inside Edition. He then served as the iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor for nearly two decades. While there, he grew the program to become the highest-rated cable news broadcast in the nation. Then, after nearly 40 years in broadcast television, O'Reilly moved on to host No Spin News and The O'Reilly Update — where he delivers current events with: “No spin. Just the facts.” In addition, O'Reilly is the author of the bestselling Killing series. It currently has over 18 million books in print. Resources Mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Mob-Against-Organized-OReillys/dp/125027365X (Killing the Mob: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America) https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Kennedy-Bill-OReilly-audiobook/dp/B009KEZN4U/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=%E2%80%A2+Killing+Kennedy%3A+The+End+of+Camelot&qid=1623701690&s=books&sr=1-1 (Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot) https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Lincoln-Bill-OReilly-audiobook/dp/B005PTP0QU/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=%E2%80%A2+Killing+Lincoln%3A+The+Shocking+Assassination+that+Changed+America+Forever&qid=1623701713&s=audible&sr=1-2 (Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever) https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Patton-Bill-OReilly-audiobook/dp/B00KMYOG5E/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=%E2%80%A2+Killing+Patton%3A+The+Strange+Death+of+World+War+II%27s+Most+Audacious+General&qid=1623701734&s=audible&sr=1-2 (Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General) Don't Forget To...  https://the-charles-mizrahi-show.captivate.fm/listen (Subscribe to my podcast! ) Download this episode to save for later  Liked this episode? Leave a kind review!   Subscribe to Charles' Alpha Investor newsletter today: https://pro.banyanhill.com/m/1729783

The legend of Lucy lives on! Julia Arnaz Massey, the granddaughter of Lucille Ball (and daughter or Ricky Jr.) chats with Steve about her work with animals and the help needed to make shelters accessible to pets so that people can feel more confident in leaving abusive homes without leaving any family members behind. How much do you know about your dog? Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Debra Horwitz will tell us what we can all know when she discusses the book, "Decoding Your Dog." Steve helps listeners by phone and email.

Crushing it by modeling other successful businesses is a time-honored tradition. Having vision. Taking chances. Being bold. Sticking to you guns. Knowing each other’s strengths. Presenting a united front. All great qualities, and all part of the package created by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, founders of Desilu Productions. A groundbreaking juggernaut of television and film production success in their time, Desilu shows the power of committing to simple ideas and crushing it as a CoupleCo.

In this episode, the Brothers in Armchairs Podcast bring you a FOUR movie review show!The guys run the Choice Overload style of show in which they watch and review their own movie picks and try to convince the others to watch it or steer clear.  As always, they do their research to bring you a great review,  great discussion, and interesting trivia.  As this is a "recommendation" show, reviews will not go too far into detail to ensure no major spoilers are revealed.   Kenny and Arnaz picked some popular films along with some lesser knowns to keep things interesting.  In the Choice Overload format, sometimes these guys find a hidden gem and other times they take a hit for the team.  The catch is that once they pick a movie, they are bound to it regardless of the outcome.  And sometimes, things get ugly.   As always, chapter tags are available in Buzzsprout to help you skip directly to a particular movie.  Below are the timestamps to help you navigate in other podcast apps.  Escape Plan 2 (00:13:50)  in Amazon Prime VideoStowaway  (00:29:01)  on  NetflixSpies in Disguise (00:41:04)  on HBO MaxThe Frozen Ground (00:52:34)  rental VODThanks for listening and be sure to subscribe to get instant notifications of our next show!If you enjoyed our program, keep in mind that we have other shows for you to enjoy:Our Flagship Show that we drop Bi-WeeklyOur News Show where we cover major movie and pop culture NewsOur Request Line Show, where we review a film by requestOur Specials, that pay tribute to special occasionAnd soon to come our Series, these are themed shows that run for several episodes; like our upcoming series on Breaking BadYou can email us at: BrothersinArmchairsPodcast@gmail.com  Get our latest news on movies and pop culture by joining our social media: Twitter at: @BroArmchairs  Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/217059166060270  Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/brothersinarmchairspodcast/  And finally, all of our Pods are available https://BrothersinArmchairs.buzzsprout.com   Theme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can bee see here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening!  Don't forget our next bi-weekly Pod and keep an eye out for our specials, series, request line, and news episodes!  And please subscribe and review!

05/10/21 - Julia Arnaz Breast Cancer Awareness by The Lisa Wexler Show

April 30th is the one year anniversary of our Podcast.  Thank you for supporting us during our first year.  It's been a lot of fun for us and we hope for you too.  We have a lot more coming as we have started to work on collaboration projects and interviews.  So stick with us as we continue to bring you more new and entertaining content. For our "Podversary", we revisited our very first recording, "Episode 1 The Improbable Game".  We never launched Episode 1, so we decided that we wanted to re-record our 1st Episode as we always felt the show content was great, but the quality of the recording wasn't.  So we dusted off the original script, took a polish kit to it, and gave it another shot.  You know what, it was still a fun episode.Our feature movie today is 2019s "The Hunt".  Kenny, Arnaz, and Del give this movie their best efforts to break down the film in their usual style.  Complete with a few sound effects, this is a fun review!Below is the link to the mentioned article in the podcast:https://the-dead-meat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Hunt_(2020)_KILL_COUNTThanks for listening and be sure to subscribe to get instant notifications of our next show!If you enjoyed our program, keep in mind that we have other shows for you to enjoy:Our Flagship Show that we drop Bi-Weekly without fail!Our News Show where we cover major movie and pop culture News.Our Request Line Show, where we review a film by request from a listener.Our Specials, that pay tribute to special occasions.Our Series, themed shows that run for several episodes; like the one on Breaking Bad (currently available!).Email us at: BrothersinArmchairsPodcast@gmail.com  Get our latest news on movies and pop culture by joining our social media: Twitter at: @BroArmchairs  Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/217059166060270  Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/brothersinarmchairspodcast/  And finally, all of our Pods are available https://BrothersinArmchairs.buzzsprout.com   Theme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can bee see here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening!  Don't forget our next bi-weekly Pod and keep an eye out for our specials, series, request line, and news episodes!  And please subscribe and review!

Welcome to Episode 29 Part 2 of our Podcast!!!In today’s show, the Brothers selected three uniquely different movies to review.  Each host will lead the review on their film selection and inspire an in-depth discussion on the story, writing, direction, technicals, scenes, trivia, and more! As we begin this episode, we continue Arnaz's discussion of 2015's "Man Up" directed by Ben Palmer and Starring Lake Bell and Simon Pegg.  In this romantic comedy, just when Nancy (Bell) has given up on love, Jack (Pegg) mistake’s her for his blind date.  The evening that follows is not at all what they both had in mind.   In our final movie review of the episode, we dive into Del's pick, "Raya and the Last Dragon” (2020) directed by Don Hall and Carlos Estrada and starring Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, and Gemma Chan.  Raya (Tran) begins a quest to find the last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), with hopes of defeating the Druun, freeing her father, and uniting the lands of Kumandra.As this is a review show, there will be spoilers, especially for a film from 2015. We hope you enjoy our discussion on these three films.  Hit us up on our social media to let us know your thoughts about these films and if you feel we missed any important talking points.  Hopefully, for those of you still on the fence about a particular movie, these reviews will help you navigate the streamers.  Ending each film with our patented 3P rating system, let's dive in!  Chapter markers:MAN UP   Rental VODRAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON   (00:28:23)   DISNEY+Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe to get instant notifications of our next show!If you enjoyed our program, keep in mind that we have other shows for you to enjoy:Our Flagship Show that we drop Bi-Weekly without fail!Our News Show where we cover major movie and pop culture News.Our Request Line Show, where we review a film by request from a listener.Our Specials, that pay tribute to special occasions.And our Series, themed shows that run for several episodes; like this one on Breaking Bad (currently available!).Email us at: BrothersinArmchairsPodcast@gmail.com  Get our latest news on movies and pop culture by joining our social media: Twitter at: @BroArmchairs  Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/217059166060270  Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/brothersinarmchairspodcast/  And finally, all of our Pods are available https://BrothersinArmchairs.buzzsprout.com   Theme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can bee see here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening!  Don't forget our next bi-weekly Pod and keep an eye out for our specials, series, request line, and news episodes!  And please subscribe and review!

Welcome to Episode 29 Part 1 of our Podcast!!!In today’s show, the Brothers selected three uniquely different movies to review.  Each host will lead the review on their film selection and inspire an in depth discussion on the story, writing, direction, technicals, scenes, trivia, and more! First on deck, Kenny leads off with “Freaky” (2020) directed by Christopher Landis and Starring Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton.  In the spirit of the classic “Freaky Friday”, a serial killer (Vaughn) swaps bodies with a teenage oddball (Newton).  You know the rest of how that story works.  Oh, keep in mind this is a horror movie.   Second on deck, Arnaz searched HBO Max and came up with 2015s “Man Up” directed by Ben Palmer and Starring Lake Bell and Simon Pegg.  In this romantic comedy, just when Nancy (Bell) has given up on love, Jack (Pegg) mistake’s her for his blind date.  The evening that follows is not at all what they both had in mind.Finally, Del selected Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” (2020) directed by Don Hall and Carlos Estrada and starring Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, and Gemma Chan.  Raya (Tran) begins a quest to find the last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), with hopes of defeating the Druun, freeing her father, and uniting the lands of Kumandra.       As this is a review show, there will be spoilers, especially for a film from 2015. We hope you enjoy our discussion on these three films.  Hit us up on our social media to let us know your thoughts about these films and if you feel we missed any important talking points.  Hopefully, for those of you still on the fence about a particular movie, these reviews will help you navigate the streamers.  Ending each film with our patented 3P rating system, let's dive in!  Chapter markers:FREAKY  (00:21:42)   Rental VOD MAN UP   (01:15:43)   HBO MaxContinued in Part 2...Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe to get instant notifications of our next show!If you enjoyed our program, keep in mind that we have other shows for you to enjoy:Our Flagship Show that we drop Bi-Weekly without fail!Our News Show where we cover major movie and pop culture News.Our Request Line Show, where we review a film by request from a listener.Our Specials, that pay tribute to special occasions.And our Series, themed shows that run for several episodes; like this one on Breaking Bad (currently available!).Email us at: BrothersinArmchairsPodcast@gmail.com  Get our latest news on movies and pop culture by joining our social media: Twitter at: @BroArmchairs  Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/217059166060270  Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/brothersinarmchairspodcast/  And finally, all of our Pods are available https://BrothersinArmchairs.buzzsprout.com   Theme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can bee see here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening!  Don't forget our next bi-weekly Pod and keep an eye out for our specials, series, request line, and news episodes!  And please subscribe and review!

In this episode, the Brothers in Armchairs Podcast bring you a SIX movie review show!The guys run the Choice Overload style of show in which they watch and review their own movie picks and try to convince the others to watch it or steer clear.  As always, they do their research to bring you a great review,  great discussion, and interesting trivia.  As this is a "recommendation" show, reviews will not go too far into detail to ensure no major spoilers are revealed.   Kenny, Arnaz, and Del picked some popular films along with some lesser knowns to keep things interesting.  In the Choice Overload format, sometimes these guys find a hidden gem and other times they take a hit for the team.  The catch is that once they pick a movie, they are bound to it regardless of the outcome.  And sometimes, things get ugly.   As always, chapter tags are available in Buzzsprout to help you skip directly to a particular movie.  Below are the timestamps to help you navigate in other podcast apps.  Chaos Walking (00:21:20)  in TheatersAbsolutely Anything  (00:40:59)  on Amazon Prime VideoI Care a Lot (00:53:20)  on NetflixLegend of Awesomest Maximus (01:17:48)  on Amazon Prime VideoLast Call (01:32:25)  rental VODNobody (01:51:17)  in TheatersThanks for listening and be sure to subscribe to get instant notifications of our next show!If you enjoyed our program, keep in mind that we have other shows for you to enjoy:Our Flagship Show that we drop Bi-WeeklyOur News Show where we cover major movie and pop culture NewsOur Request Line Show, where we review a film by requestOur Specials, that pay tribute to special occasionAnd soon to come our Series, these are themed shows that run for several episodes; like our upcoming series on Breaking BadYou can email us at: BrothersinArmchairsPodcast@gmail.com  Get our latest news on movies and pop culture by joining our social media: Twitter at: @BroArmchairs  Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/217059166060270  Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/brothersinarmchairspodcast/  And finally, all of our Pods are available https://BrothersinArmchairs.buzzsprout.com   Theme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can bee see here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening!  Don't forget our next bi-weekly Pod and keep an eye out for our specials, series, request line, and news episodes!  And please subscribe and review!

The Brothers celebrate Kenny’s Birthday!  As a BiAP tradition, full creative control is given to the host on their birthday.  That means the show is completely of their own design and it’s a doozy.  For today’s show, Kenny takes us all on a trip down memory lane with three movies from his teenage years.  You may not know this, but Kenny has a massive collection of movies.  A portion of his collection are of movies that were put out to pasture by critics and audiences alike.  We jokingly refer to this portion of his collection as “Kenny’s Crap Corner”.  The beauty of Kenny’s Crap Corner is that each of these films have a sentimental meaning for Kenny and every time he watches them he is transported to the events of his life that happened the first time he saw each film.  Join us as Kenny introduces three films that neither Del or Arnaz had ever seen and perhaps you as well.  Kenny will tell us the story of why these movies have a place in his heart and of course we’ll break them down like we always do.  Laced with nostalgia, era appropriate music, and creative sound effects, this is truly going to be movie review entertainment.Our movies are:00:11:25 - High Spirits (1988) - Directed by Neil Jordan and Starring Peter O’Toole, Daryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg, Beverly D’Angelo, and Liam Neeson. 01:15:21 - Madhouse (1991) - Directed by Tom Ropelewski and starring John Larroguette and Kirstie Alley.02:09:16 - Noises Off (1992) - Directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter, and Nicollette Sheridan. Thanks for listening, we sincerely do appreciate your support.If you enjoyed our program, keep in mind that we have other shows for you to enjoy:Our Flagship Show that we drop Bi-Weekly without fail!Our News Show where we cover major movie and pop culture News.Our Request Line Show, where we review a film by request from a listener.Our Specials, that pay tribute to special occasions.And our Series, themed shows that run for several episodes; like this one on Breaking Bad (currently available!).Email us at: BrothersinArmchairsPodcast@gmail.com  Get our latest news on movies and pop culture by joining our social media: Twitter at: @BroArmchairs  Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/217059166060270  Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/brothersinarmchairspodcast/  And finally, all of our Pods are available https://BrothersinArmchairs.buzzsprout.com   Theme song "Loli'ana" written and performed by award winning musician Kamuela Kahoano.   Listen to more of Kamuela's music on iTunes and https://kamuelamusic.com/.  Also, "Loli'ana" performed live at The Ko'olau Banquet Hall can bee see here https://youtu.be/YDJ1NNJgEiA  Thanks for listening and please subscribe and review!

Welcome back! Todays episode Arnaz discusses tribal tattoos. Is it cultural appropriation to get a tattoo from another culture without knowing the meaning of them? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/okaybyeofficial/message

Welcome Back! Todays episode we talk about the root of diet culture and what role it takes in our cultures. Arnaz talks about fad diets and Janeth speaks on the origin on diets. Hope you enjoy! Instagram: @OkayByeOfficial Tiktok: @OkaybyeOfficial --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/okaybyeofficial/message

Arnaz talks about Samoan (Polynesian) Superstitions he grew up with. He also talks about western superstitions and where they originate from. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/okaybyeofficial/message

Arnaz and Janeth speak about why they decided to create a podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/okaybyeofficial/message