Podcasts about comedy boom

  March 31 - April 6, 1990 This week Ken welcomes SF based comic behind the new special "They are Gonna Know", Richard Sarvate. Ken and Richard discuss nostalgia, doing your research, experiencing emotions, Bob Saget, America's Funniest Home Videos, how kids today wouldn't know what a VHS Camcorder is, growing up in Freemont CA, the great comedy scene in SF, the most disturbing heckle Jerry Seinfeld ever got, Boston heckles, The Cosby Show, unimaginable fame, being oblivious to current long running shows, all the new cable networks launched in 1990, The Comedy Channel and HA! becoming Comedy Central, The Comedy Boom, how easy it was to get a TV spot in the 80s, Ken's defense of The Unknown Comic, Maron's hacky hacky sack bit, Albert Brooks, maturing, A Family for Joe, Ken's love of Robert Mitchum, 70s crime films, confusing Ben and Fred Savage and Wonder Years and Boy Meets World, Second City, the Carol Burnett 1990 show, high profile experiments, Carol and Company, Amy Sedaris, Exit 57, horrible racist people thinking you're ok with it, heavy metal, Bill Burr, being in a band, not missing unloading gear, Friday the 13th The Series, Married...with Children, evil pens, Twin Peaks, good ads, King of Comedy, The Clash, The Wonder Years, crying, Lakers Cheerleaders, Paula Abdul, George Forman and his children, athletes who are showy, 1985 SNL, Randy Quaid, Robert Downey Jr, Normal Life, the Zappas, not being smart enough to get the joke, Van Halen, Equal Justice, Duck Soup, loving old comedy, renting old comedy, mid-season replacements, Full House, body switching, Chances Are, positive pranks, being really really old, helping plays become TV shows. 

John is a local comedian from Lafayette, Louisiana who founded “Oof. Comedy” and “cajUUUn Memes”. Occasionally writing satire for The Hard Times, John also produces/co-hosts comedy shows in Lafayette, including Comédie Envie every Tuesday night at Artmosphere, and Comedy Boom! Boom! once a month at The Freetown Boom Boom Room. https://thehardtimes.net/author/john-...https://gizmodo.com/louisiana-city-su...  / cajuuunmemesofficial    / oofcomedy   — Find this and past episodes at: https://anchor.fm/the-tea-podcast — The Tea Podcast is proudly sponsored by Chase Group Construction, The Music Academy of Acadiana, and Electronic Protection Systems.

Fritz Coleman is a comedian, podcaster and retired weatherman. He worked at The Comedy Store for many years and made eight appearances on The Tonight Show. He has a new stand up special called “Unassisted Living” available for free on Tubi. We discuss the new special, The Comedy Store, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, his years in the Navy and so much more! 00:00 - Intro00:40 - Right Place, Right Time 03:46 - Joining the Navy & Path 06:10 - Seeing George Carlin 08:10 - Doing Radio & Weather In The Navy 10:55 - Advantages of Military Service 15:00 - Comedy Store, Tonight Show & Strike 19:30 - Clean Comedy 21:30 - Kids & Social Media 23:40 - Def Jam Comedy & Dry Bar Comedy 26:30 - Comedy Clubs & Getting Older 27:55 - Comedian Friends & Comedy Store31:18 - Robin Williams 33:41 - Jim Carrey 36:05 - Fahim Anwar & Comedy Boom 37:14 - Competition Among Comedians 38:50 - Show "It's Fritz" 42:45 - Anchorman Consultant 45:35 - Promotion 46:10 - Charities Fritz Coleman website:https://www.fritzcolemancomedy.com/Children's Burn Foundation website:https://www.childburn.org/Shelter Partnership website:https://www.shelterpartnership.org/Chuck Shute website:https://www.chuckshute.com/Support the showThanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!

The Married with Children Podcast is beyond thrilled to talk to Ritch Shydner this week who played Luke Ventura, Al's original co-worker at the shoe store in Season 1!  Ritch is originally from Pennsville, New Jersey and has made numerous guest appearances on late-night TV as a comic since 1979. Besides playing Al Bundy's co-worker on Married with Children, he has worked as a writer and producer.  He has appeared in Designing Women, Roseanne and feature films such as Beverly Hills Cop II. Ritch has written for Roseanne, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, and HBO's The Mind of the Married Man. In 2006, he compiled stories of comedians on the road for a book entitled I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics, which he co-wrote with Mark Schiff.  More recently, in 2017, he authored Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life as a Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom.  He has been described as “an incredibly funny observational comedian” by the likes of Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Maher. Luigi and Chris talk to him about his early life, his career in standup comedy, his television and film appearances, and of course his time on Married with Children, along with much much more!  You can learn more about Ritch on his website at http://www.ritchshydner.com/.   So let's all take up our normal seats in the nudie bar, grab your beverage of choice, and listen in to the "Answer Man" Ritch Shydner!  You WILL NOT want to miss this interview!

We were not short on laughs in the noughties! It was this era that birthed a new wave of Black British comedians, and when we began to see an emergence of Black British comedy events, as well as hilarious sketch shows on TV. It would be an injustice to discuss the comedy boom of the noughties without talking to this weeks guest Richard Blackwood who has been on our TVs, radio's and on comedy stages for the past two decades alongside Face In The News who kept us entertained with her sketches throughout lockdown! Two comedians from two era's!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wayne Federman, author of The History of Stand-Up, makes it clear early in his book - and in our conversation - that this is not the history of Comedy in general. We are not necessarily concerned with when the first cave-man made a fart joke.  We get into how the modern day performance style, 'STAND-UP' came to be. We learn who were the originators, how it evolved, and where might it be going next. Thanks for joining us - lets get started!PART 100:02:35 - Wayne is also a professor at the University of Southern California (USC) and discusses his course there and how he approaches teaching comedy to his students.00:04:46 - Wayne co-hosts his own podcast: The History of Stand-up with Andrew Stephen.00:08:24 - How did this specific kind of performance style get the name 'Stand-Up'. There are two theories, that it came from bookers, and that it came from the mob. Dawn prefers the later. 00:12:20 - We get into The 4 Forefathers - according to Wayne - of stand-up. The first is Artemus Ward aka: Charles Brown.00:17:04 - The next forefather is Mark Twain who Dawn has always had a crush on because he touches so many of her interests from boats to electricity to comedy. Wayne details how Mark Twain went from writing to the stage, and how he won (and made back) all his money. 00:20:53 - The third forefather we discuss is Bert Williams, a black performer who made his debut in blackface. He went on to be among the most successful performers of his time - including being the one of the first voices ever put on a record. 00:23:04 - Will Rogers is the 4th forefather and was inspired by Bert Williams - performing with him in the Ziegfield Follies. Often called “The Father of Political Comedy” Will Rogers might be considered America's first rockstar - he even hosted the Oscars and tragically died in a plane crash. 00:26:38 - Dawn and Wayne discuss the differences between minstrel show, Vaudeville, Revues and Burlesque. We also talk about the origin of the phrase 'Going Blue'. 00:32:12 - The Women! We talk about women in comedy like the icon, Fanny Brice (AKA: Funny Girl) and the hilarious and overlooked Elsie Janis. BREAKPART 200:35:10 - Technology, of course, changed the course of stand-up comedy and one of the first thing it yielded was The Record. The first one to sell over a million copies and become a phenomenon was 'Cohen on the Phone'.  00:38:16 -  Dawn shares a little love for the emcee's! The Master of Ceremonies who often does their own set at the top of a show and then introduce the line-up for the remainder of the show. Dawn is often an emcee at clubs around Los Angeles and gives her perspective. 00:41:30 - We get to Vegas and the great emcees of early lounge acts like Shecky Green, Don Rickles. 00:43:48 - Television get it's legs in the late 1940's with the early hit of Milton Berle and the Texico Star Theater. Around the same time, Ed Sullivan appears on CBS. In time, Ed Sullivan would completely dominate the sphere. 00:45:08 - Dawn talks about how history repeats itself  (only kinda) and we get to the 2nd Records Boom in the 1970's in much the same way, and for much the same reason we had them in the 19-teens. This time they flourish with the Party Album and give legs to the next wave of comedy. Out of the nightclubs and into our speakers and screens. 00:48:05 - The Comedy Boom of the 1980's was a thing to behold (and Wayne was there!) Anyplace that had 4 things could be a comedy club: Liquor License, Talent, Microphone, Tables & Chairs.00:53:27 - Comedians in sitcoms - Dawn goes through the many comedians that then found their way onto sitcoms. From Jackie Gleason to Ray Ramano. 00:57:00 - Dawn talks about how when she was a kid and would catch comedy on late-night, she felt the thrill that it must be to perform. That moment, walking through the crowd and taking the stage... woof. What a feeling. Wayne says it best himself with he quote that ends his book: "Yet performing live, alone, on stage, remains the defining aspect of the profession. That terrifying-to-thrilling experience, in front of an audience, is what connects stand-up comedians through time."COMING NEXT:EPISODE 12 - Freak Shows with Christine Blackburn! See you there!---Thanks, as ever, for listening!We are enjoying an ever-increasing listenership and are so grateful for your ears... But I have NO IDEA who reads these things so if that is you - please introduce yourself.  There are lots of ways to do it - Instagram, Facebook or Email [hilfpodcast@gmail.com]. Also on our Instagram, you can see daily posts about the current episode - featuring photos, links and additional tid-bits about the people and places I talk about.  

For Video Edition, Please Click and Subscribe Here: https://youtu.be/29hNwWcfbd In the 1980's, Ritch Shydner made numerous appearances on TV, including “Late Night with David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show” with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. He also did an HBO half-hour special, “One Night Stand.” He played Al Bundy's coworker on “Married with Children”, and made guest appearances on many other TV shows, such as “Designing Women” and “Roseanne.” Ritch was able to translate his modest success on TV into an obscure film career, appearing in Steve Martin's, 'Roxanne,', and Eddie Murphy's Beverly Hills Cop II,; before moving on to minor roles on smaller pictures. He wrote for sitcoms such as 'Roseanne', 'The Jeff Foxworthy Show', and HBO's “TheMind of the Married Man.” Ritch wrote material for Jeff Foxworthy's Grammy nominated comedy albums, “Totally Committed,” and “Big Fun.” He also wrote for Ron White and Jay Leno. In 2006 he was co-author of a book on stand-up, “I Killed”. In 2010 Ritch produced and performed in an award-winning documentary on the world of stand-up comedy, “I Am Comic.” In 2016 he wrote a movie adaptation for HBO of Bill Maher book, 'True Story' In 2017 his book,'Kicking Through the Ashes - My Life as a Stand-up in the 1980's Comedy Boom” was published. Ritch is currently performing, “America's Reflection in the Funhouse Mirror, A History of Stand-up Comedy,” to small, masked, socially distanced audiences. Ritch continues to work hard at avoiding work. He has given up any dreams of stardom for the satisfaction of not being an aging Uber Driver. http://www.ritchshydner.com/

Interview: I am joined by legendary stand-up comedian and author, Ritch Shydner. Ritch is one of the most well-respected funny people in the world. Ritch is not only a hilarious stand-up comic but a comedian historian as well. His book Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-Up In the 1980s Comedy Boom is considered a classic alongside I Killed which chronicles true stories from America's top comics. Rich also produced the movie I Am Comic which explores the world of stand-up comedy.  Ritch shares a ton of amazing stories with me. Including his times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, working with Jackie Martling, working with Steve Martin, Bill Hicks, Eddie Murphy, Tim Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, Rodney Dangerfield, Jeff Foxworthy, and Sam Kinnison. I also get Ritch to share some of his acting adventures with me that include a season of Married with Children, Roxanne with Steve Martin, Beverly Hills Cop II with Eddie Murphy and so much more.  This is a must for all lovers of stand-up comedy! Our Guest, Ritch Shydner http://www.ritchshydner.com/ https://www.facebook.com/shydnercomedy  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0796121/  Kicking Through the Ashes  and I Killed (Ritch's books): https://www.amazon.com/Ritch-Shydner/e/B01LYU98OX?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000  I Am Comic (movie): https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00UE91GQ4/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r  In Memory of Ed Asner Ed Asner Family Center: http://teafc.org  Award-winning podcast! Live From Detroit: The Jeff Dwoskin Show: WINNER TOP 25 INDIE PODCASTS 2020 from Indie Pods United! Live From Detroit: The Jeff Dwoskin Show:  1st Annual Snobby Awards: WINNER: Best Comedy Podcast, Best Interview Podcast, and Podcaster of the year! JOIN OUR MAILING LIST!  https://jeffisfunny.com/mailing-list/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JeffDwoskinShow Jeff Dwoskin Presents: Crossing the Steams: Every Wednesday at 9:30 PM ET we are LIVE discussing the best TV shows to binge-watch. I'm joined by a panel of TV-watching experts. You don't want to miss the fun! (Watch past episodes) Watch Crossing the Steams LIVE: @bigmacher on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/bigmacher The Jeff Dwoskin Show on YouTube Subscribe to YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/CTSYouTubeSubscribe Hashtag Fun: Jeff dives into recent trends and reads some of his favorite tweets from trending hashtags. The hashtag featured in this episode is #ComedyCereals Social Media: Jeff discusses the importance of engagement and making sure you focus on the social part of social media. Featured on the show: Hashtag Game: #ComedyCereals Hosted by: https://twitter.com/sneakyvarmint  Tweets featured on the show: https://twitter.com/MeatBlankett/status/1416236786867531777?s=20 https://twitter.com/thefontsavant/status/1416237005495734273?s=20 https://twitter.com/hgmackinnon/status/1416238414786072579?s=20 https://twitter.com/LuiReserve/status/1416239273423122432?s=20 https://twitter.com/laughingskull59/status/1416239592483610627?s=20 https://twitter.com/1cleancat/status/1416239642983243780?s=20 https://twitter.com/zen_aradia/status/1416239754832646147?s=20 https://twitter.com/hgmackinnon/status/1416239892158459907?s=20 https://twitter.com/Ronzo65/status/1416241190379401224?s=20 https://twitter.com/mamecastle/status/1416242027742724099?s=20 https://twitter.com/FreudLuv/status/1416242796172820480?s=20 https://twitter.com/badLwithbadLcat/status/1416246799283671043?s=20 https://twitter.com/TopherPhilanges/status/1416248698892337152?s=20 https://twitter.com/nathanhickey10/status/1416248769235013633?s=20  Follow Hashtag Roundup to tweet along with fun hashtags daily! https://twitter.com/HashtagRoundup Download the Hashtag Roundup app at https://app.hashtagroundup.com/ Follow Jeff Dwoskin: Jeff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigmacher The Jeff Dwoskin Show: https://twitter.com/JeffDwoskinShow Podcast website: https://jeffisfunny.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/JeffDwoskinShow The Jeff Dwoskin Show is available on Castbox, Podchaser, Humbly, Goodpods,  iHeart Radio, Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and more!  

The Austin comedy scene is exploding right now, mostly because of recent LA transplants like Joe Rogan, Tony Hinchcliffe, Brian Redban, Tim Dillon, AND "Big Laugh Comedy" co-founder Brandon Lewin. 6 years ago, Brandon moved from Chicago and went from being an open mic comic to the foremost producer, promoter, and booker in the burgeoning Austin comedy scene. Brandon is a smart and driven guy and the conversation covers everything - from the first show at the Vulcan to the Tony Hinchcliffe controversy to what the future of the Austin comedy scene looks like. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-after-laugh/support

Sean Morey is a guest Scott and Ace have wanted on for awhile. His name has been mentioned by many guests as the guy who should be credited with start of the Boston Comedy Scene. He started as a street performer, eventually noticed by a talent scout for the Tonight Show. Performed several times during Johnny Carson and Jay Leno's time. Sean is known for his musical numbers especially "The Man Song". Check out Sean at https://www.seanmorey.com/ BTF merch available at http://tee.pub/lic/btfpod

Actor, comedian, and former TV mother of Zach Galifianakis, Louie Anderson sits down with Bob for a hilarious and insightful conversation about comedy's therapeutic nature. The two discuss their relationships with their parents, the Comedy Boom of the 80s, and Louie reveals his childhood dream of becoming president. I want you to start living a happier life today. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting our sponsor at BetterHelp.com/bob Go to AdamandEve.com and enter offer code SAGET at checkout to get 10 tantalizing FREE gifts!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Natali, and the two mad minds Marley and Sammy behind the new podcast Comedy Boom Boom (CBB) as they announce their next special guest. Follow along as we discuss our new 5G arm chips*, the possibility of Mars colonization, life as celeb's kid, and more. If you like tangents, plus thoughtful ramblings, weird food combination discussions and of course, a lot of laughs, then listen here. Intro music collaboration with Punch Deck. Comedy Boom Boom's Instagram *Check your 5G status

Will and Ray discuss current 1980s news including what will happen to Indiana Jones's son Mutt and whether Wyatt Russell could fill Snake Plisken's boots. Then, the hosts reminisce about their exposure stand-up comedy in the 1980s, including two times it embarrassed Will. Finally, the duo speaks with Dan Pasternack, host and executive producer of the audio documentary "Obsessive Comedy Disorder: Boomers – The Story of The '80s Comedy Boom and Bust." It's available on SiriusXM. For more episodes of The 80its and information about the show visit www.the80itspod.com. And for even more 1980s awesomeness visit the80sruled.com or facebook.com/80sruled.

Bruce Starr on, becoming an agent for some of the biggest comedians in the 1980s comedy boom

Our guest today is the delightful actor and comedian Fred Stoller! We covered so much in this conversation, you will enjoy it I  am sure! He has had some iconic moments over his long career its really hard to narrow down just a few. From Seinfeld, Dumb and Dumber, the list goes on and on. He is kind, gracious and thankful for the career he has been given!Getting an early start.The comedy boom of the 80's.Finding his voice.Getting in the trenches.Being compared to others and much more!Stoller had worked as a stand-up comedian in nightclubs since the early 1980s at the time of his first television appearance, in 1987, when he appeared on Stand-Up America and later on The Young Comedians Special  alongside six other comedians.He is best known for his frequent appearances as Gerard on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Mr. Lowe in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and as Sheldon Singer, the son of Harold Gould's deli-owning character, on the short-lived sitcom Singer & Sons. He has also made guest appearances on several other TV series. He wrote two episodes of Seinfeld ("The Soup" and the Kramer/chimpanzee subplot of "The Face Painter"). He also appeared as Fred in the episode "The Secret Code".Stoller is also known as the voices of Stanley in the Open Season franchise, Rusty the Wrench on Handy Manny, Fred the Squirrel in The Penguins of Madagascar, and Steve Tree in Oswald.In 2012, Stoller published a successful e-book titled My Seinfeld Year, in which he chronicled his experiences after being hired as a new staff writer. He has since released a book titled Maybe We'll Have You Back: The Life of a Perennial TV Guest Star, and a second e-book, Five Minutes to Kill: How the HBO Young Comedians Special Changed the Lives of 1989’s Funniest Comics, in 2017.Enjoy! 

Martin Niemeyer ist Stand-up-Comedian und Showhost aus Hamburg. Er macht seit 2002 Stand-up-Comedy und ist damit der am längsten aktive Künstler, der bislang im Podcast zu Gast war. In der heutigen Episode geht es darum natürlich ein bisschen um die Vergangenheit: Wie war das damals v̶o̶r̶ ̶d̶e̶m̶ ̶K̶r̶i̶e̶g̶ vor dem Comedy-Boom? Als es eben noch keine mehr oder weniger definierte Stand-up-Szene in den Großstädten und keine Open-Mics in der Provinz gab? Als es wenige Auftrittsmöglichkeiten gab und noch weniger Comedians? Außerdem spricht Martin über ein Bit, das er auch 2020 beim Hamburger Comedy Pokal 2020 gespielt hat: Was tun, wenn man Kleidermotten im Schrank hat? Und wie geht man vor, wenn man aus so einer kleinen Alltagsbeobachtung Bedeutung schöpfen und ein paar Minuten für die Bühne ziehen möchte? Wie kommt es, dass jeder Comedian im Laufe der Karriere mal ein Bit über die Deutsche Bahn oder Ikea im Programm hat? Und: warum Comedians manchmal ihr Set auf sich beruhen lassen und einfach mit den Menschen reden müssen. Link zu Martins Set beim Hamburger Comedy Pokal 2020 Homepage von Martin Niemeyer Martin auf Instagram Martins Profil auf Facebook Ihr könnt Setup/Punchline unterstützen - vielen Dank dafür! Paypal: https://paypal.me/SetupPunchline IBAN: DE98 1001 1001 2625 5007 36 BIC: NTSBDEB1XXX Verwendungszweck: Comedymagazin Folge direkt herunterladen

This week Kyle and Matthew welcome Ron Babcock and Ryan McKee to discuss their new book “A Modest Proposal: An Anthology” which is a collection of interviews with their old comedy zine. The book is rad and if you are a nerd for 00's era stand up do yourself a favor and pick it up. Lots and lots of comedy talk. Enjoy!   Tech Note: Ryan's mic drops out a little bit here and there but all his sweet sweet content gets through. Ah, podcasting on the internet...   Weekly Rads: Kyle - Middle Earth: Shadow of War (game) Matthew - The New Gen of Video Games (gaming era) Ron - Ted Lass (Apple TV show) and Old Man’s War (book series) Ryan - Whistleblower (podcast)   Check out our merch! https://www.teepublic.com/stores/this-is-rad  Also! Check out march for Kyle's record label Radland Records https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/4109261-radland-logo  Also! Laura started an online store for her art! Go buy all of her stuff!!!https://www.teepublic.com/stores/lmknight?utm_campaign=8178&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=lmknight   Follow us on social media or whatever! Twitter: @ThisIsRadPod @kyleclarkisrad @MatthewBurnside @LMKnightArt Instagram: @thisisradpodcast Tumblr: thisisradpod.tumblr.com http://www.thisisradpodcast.com  

A fast and unexpected proliferation of comedy clubs cover the country. Long Island natives Eddie Murphy and Jerry Seinfeld ascend to legendary status as a growing glut of standup TV programs crowd the airwaves. This is episode 4 of a 6-part series featuring interviews with comedians Margaret Cho, Tig Notaro, and Ritch Shydner. The History of Standup is produced by The Podglomerate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melissa Morgan talks about our star crossed paths during the 90s Comedy Boom. We also share Horrible Comedian Stories and discuss that time I sexually harassed her.

Today's Guest: Peter Shankman, public relations guru 1 of 3   There are a handful of people that social media aficionados and professionals follow religiously for their insight and direction, people such as Chris Brogan, Seth Godin and Robert Scoble, for example. If you know who those guys are, you should probably also get to know social media guru Peter Shankman. Shankman is an industry unto himself, a networker of the first degree who has taken the practice of public relations and marketing to new heights via his mastery of social media. He is best known in journalism circles as the founder of Help A Reporter Out—a.k.a., HARO—a repository of expert sources intended to help out last minute reporting assignments. Journalists send information requests in to HARO—more than 1,200 requests come in a week—and Shankman hooks them up. Shankman also is the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, a Manhattan-based marketing and PR strategy firm. Over the years, his clients have included Snapple, NASA, Walt Disney World and many more. Peter Shankman Website • Help A Reporter Out • Geek Factory • Twitter • Facebook 2 of 3   3 of 3 Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Kit Boss, writer, producer, "King of the Hill," "Bob's Burgers," "Carpoolers," "iZombie" Order 'Bob's Burgers: The Complete First Season' from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! (2012 UPDATE: Congratulations to Kit Boss, who shared an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Animated Program" as consulting producer of "Bob's Burgers" on Fox!) The confounding thing about seeing your friends become successful is that while you’re obviously happy for the good things that come their way, a tinge of jealousy and envy is not unusual, and that certainly captures my feelings about today’s guest. Most of you won’t know this man by name, but when you hear his credits, I think you’ll agree with me that he’s accomplished an awful lot, and you will probably understand why I greet him with a touch of envy, at the very least. Kit Boss was a gangly young kid when I met him more than twenty years ago in the Clearwater Bureau of the St. Petersburg Times. He arrived as this year’s intern, joining the staff for a time in search of real-life newspaper experience. Kit was an instant hit with the staff, funny, self-effacing, and extremely talented at capturing life’s special moments in a way that the best journalists do. When he later joined the Seattle Times as a TV beat writer, Kit participated in a few critics’ press tours in Los Angeles. He met several men and women who wrote for TV and started thinking, “Hey, maybe I could do that.” And eventually, he did. We want voices that are filled with the kind of character that an animator can listen to them and just kind of imagine what a creature might be doing, because we never see, none of us ever sees the people doing the interview. Everything that comes after that is sort of invented. We invent what animal they are, we invent the situation that they are in, we invent their body language. So where, you’re wondering, have you seen Kit’s work? Well, his first job was writing a season for “Bill Nye, the Science Guy,” and he won a couple of Emmys for it. His next noteworthy gig was a big one, getting a story credit on the final season of “Seinfeld.” That led to a staff writing job on “King of the Hill,” which was then in its third season. Over the next seven years, he rose to executive producer on that show. Order 'iZombie: Season 1,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! When “King” was briefly cancelled, Kit moved on, eventually landing a job on HBO’s sitcom “Lucky Louie,” starring comedian Louis C. K. When it ended after just after one season, he was asked to adapt the British series, “Creature Comforts,” for CBS. And “Creature Comforts” begins a limited run on CBS on Monday, June 4th, at 8:00 PM, which is why Kit – the show’s executive producer – is here today. Kit Boss Facebook • LinkedIn • Order Bob's Burgers: The Complete First Season from Amazon.com • Order King of the Hill: Season Three • Order Creature Comforts America: The Complete Series • Order Lucky Louie: The Complete Series Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Eugene Mirman, comedian, author, The Will to Whatevs, actor, "Flight of the Conchords," "Bob's Burgers" Order "The Will to Whatevs" by comedian Eugene Mirman, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Eugene Mirman is one of the driest comedians I’ve ever encountered. He’s so droll, so subtle, that at first it’s difficult to detect if he’s on or really believes what he’s saying. Here’s a hint: he’s on. Mirman, who you may know from his guest appearances on the HBO show “Flight of the Concords” or his appearances on the comedy web site, 23/6, is promoting his first book, The Will to Whatevs: A Guide to Modern Life. Eugene Mirman Website • Facebook • Twitter • IMDB • Order The Will to Whatevs from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Howard Finberg, director, NewsU, The Poynter Institute   Howard Finberg, NewsU, Poynter Institute You may not know my guest today by name, but it’s safe to say that if you read an English-language newspaper anywhere in the world, Howard Finberg is having at least an indirect effect on its content. Finberg is Director of Interactive Learning for NewsU, the online training and education arm of The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. That’s where I am today, in fact. NewsU has enjoyed explosive growth since opening its virtual doors on April 11, 2005. Starting with just a few courses and little more than word of mouth advertising, the mostly free training for journalists now has thirty-five courses and 35,000 registered users. In the interest of complete disclosure, I have often worked on assignment for The Poynter Institute and even wrote two white papers and the script for an animated video for NewsU. In fact, I wrote the following Dr. Seuss-inspired rhyme, which Howard himself recorded for NewsU: You can do it wearing a hat. You can do it with your cat. You can do it at night, And you can do it when you look afright. You can do it when things are slow, Or when you can’t get the creative juices to flow. You can do it when mother’s not there, And you can do it in your underwear. Poynter Institute Website • Facebook • Twitter • Podcasts NewsU Website • Facebook • Twitter Howard Finberg Poynter Institute • Facebook • Twitter Order 'Values Craft American Journalism' by Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Bill Engvall, comedian   Bill Engvall, image via Wikipedia Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of TV stars who haven’t updated their blogs since September 29, 2008… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Don’t tell my wife, but I’ve watched those Blue Collar Comedy standup specials on Comedy Central starring Bill Engvall, Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White about a hundred times. I usually catch them on the little TV in the kitchen while I eat lunch. It doesn’t matter that I already know the jokes and the punchlines – and you know that Larry is always going to be the punchline when they’re together. BILL ENGVALL audio excerpt: "Unfortunately, no, I'm not the love interest (for Jada Pinkett's Smith's character on 'Hawthorne')... If I had my pick, it would be Michael Vartan. But I had a great time with Marc Anthony." These four guys are like a 21st century version of the Three Stooges to my way of thinking. Not in terms of looks or slapping each other around, but because there’s no way a guy can justify to his wife or girlfriend how hard they make you laugh. And like his Blue Collar comedian compadres, Bill Engvall has made a real industry of this Blue Collar business. He sells out comedy tours, has published a book, done movies, and starred in a sitcom under his own name on the Tyler Perry channel – I mean TBS. Now he’s stretching the brand even further in a most unlikely way – guest starring on three episodes of Jada Pinkett Smith’s TNT drama series, “Hawthorne.” Engvall’s second appearance as Det. Jimmy Dupree airs Tuesday, June 28 at 10 p.m. Bill Engvall Website • Blog • iPhone app • Facebook • Twitter • MySpace • Hawthorne on TNT • Lingo on GSN Order 'Here's Your Sign' by Blue Collar comedian Bill Engvall, available on DVD from Amazon.com by clicking on the box cover above! Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Parvesh Cheena, actor, "Outsourced" Anisha Nagarajan and Parvesh Cheena, stars of NBC's 'Outsourced' Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of people who may think they can top my Whack-a-Gupta score of 725… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! A few things I learned about “Gupta,” perhaps the nuttiest sitcom character on network TV in years: • He can’t drive. Not a bike, not a car. • He likes to watch. His boss. In bed. Sleeping. Not sleeping. • He loves the break room cookies. Sorry, Madhuri. Order from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above! • He looks a lot like his glasses-wearing cousin. • He knows how to wear a giant ear and spy on his bosses. • And he can break into Bollywood-style song and dance at a moment’s notice. When “Outsourced” debuted on NBC last September, I have no doubt that Gupta – played to perfection by actor Parvesh Cheena – was one of the characters that set the tongues of TV critics wagging. He was a stereotype and not a good one at that they thought! But given some space to become a three-dimensional figure, Gupta was discovered to be the essence of sweetness, with a few necessary quirks. He could just as easily have been Kenneth the Page on “30 Rock” or even Creed on “The Office.” PARVESH CHEENA podcast excerpt: "I secretly always thought Gupta would one day be with Madhuri in a spinoff: 'Madhuri Tolerates Gupta.' As opposed to 'Joanie Loves Chachi.'" And as the actor playing Gupta, Cheena – like his goofy, guileless counterparts on other NBC Thursday night shows – had to let go of all inhibitions. He succeeded magnificently. Parvesh Cheena Website • Twitter • Order Outsourced: The Complete Season from Amazon.com  Parvesh Cheena, star of NBC's 'Outsourced'   Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Red Peters, comedian, singer, "It's A Red Peters Christmas! Volume 1," Howard Stern Show regular Order It's A Red Peters Christmas! Volume 1 [Explicit], available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above! Red Peters is back on Mr. Media today to celebrate Christmas his way -- which means putting in your earbuds and getting ready to laugh your ass off. We had such a good time playing Red’s salacious sounds over the summer that when he offered to spend an X-rated Christmas with Mr. Media, how could I refuse? RED PETERS audio excerpt: "I was home from college one year, up in my room wrapping Christmas presents. My mother came walking into my old room. I was smoking a joint and she said, 'Red, aren't you crazy enough without smokin' that sh!t?" In today’s show, we’ll play Red’s latest contributions to the grand canon of holiday tunes. So step aside, Little Drummer Boy. Cover your ears, Silent Night. And don’t come to town yet, Santa Claus. Here come his new instant classics “Have a Wonderful Hawaiian Christmas” and Red’s duet with comedian Margaret Cho, “The Christmas Gift.” We’ll also dip into the vault for a Red favorite from Christmases past, “Holy Sh!t! It’s Christmas.” If you don’t know who Red Peters is, here’s a quick recap: First of all, Red Peters is not his real name. He does, however, live and work in the Boston area. His great joy in writing snappy X-rated songs was recommended to the masses when radio legend Howard Stern first heard and featured him on his terrestrial show. At Sirius XM satellite radio, Howard gave Red his own show. Red Peters Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace • Song Snatch • Order It's A Red Peters Christmas from Amazon.com Order Ol' Blue Balls Is Back by Red Peters, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above! More Howard Stern related interviews on Mr. Media Radio: Red Peters (June 2010) Stuttering John Melendez (April 2009) Stuttering John Melendez (March 2014; video) Mr. Skin (March 2011) Mr. Skin (March 2010) Mr. Skin (December 2009) Mr. Skin (October 2007) Robert Schimmel (June 2008) Robert Schimmel (April 2008) Lisa Lampanelli (June 2009) Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Red Peters, comedian, singer, Red Peters Presents The Summer Song Sizzler, Howard Stern Show regular Order Red Peters Presents The Summer Song Sizzler, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above!   Red Peters’ dulcet tones have undoubted lulled you into listening to music that your mother would likely not approve of. The singer-songwriter takes standard, common melodies and gives them a hysterically filthy twist that makes you go, “What the f---?” And if you’ve never heard Peters’ work, let me be the first to introduce you to a few samples, including “You Promised Me the Moon (But I Prefer Uranus)." RED PETERS audio excerpt: "I did a phoner with Howard. I was on for 40 minutes. He played a little snatch—so to speak--of each song. When he played 'The Ballad of a Dog Named Stains,' Howard just loved it. He flipped out. Within several months, I was in his studio singing it live. We became friends from that point on. He injected quite a bit of life into the Red Peters Project, that's for sure." Red Peters came to the attention of America’s preeminent radio personality, Howard Stern, not long before Stern made the move from CBS to Sirius Satellite Radio five years ago. Stern created a place for him on his Howard 101 channel, where you can often hear Peters playing his own tunes and dirty music from a variety of other composers and performers. His latest CD, “Red Peters Presents: Summer Song Sizzler,” is available on iTunes and is full of charming ditties such as “Vagina” by Pig Vomit and “There’s a Homo in the Bunkhouse” by Bob Garrett’s “Banned.” A little later, I’ll play “The Sex Song” by TastiSkank. Red Peters Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace • Song Snatch • Order It's A Red Peters Christmas from Amazon.com Order Ol' Blue Balls Is Back by Red Peters, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above! More Howard Stern related interviews on Mr. Media Radio: Red Peters (June 2010) Stuttering John Melendez (April 2009) Stuttering John Melendez (March 2014; video) Mr. Skin (March 2011) Mr. Skin (March 2010) Mr. Skin (December 2009) Mr. Skin (October 2007) Robert Schimmel (June 2008) Robert Schimmel (April 2008) Lisa Lampanelli (June 2009) Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Peter Golenbock, In The Country of Brooklyn, American Prince: A Memoir Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book above   Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book above You Midwesterners may disagree, but I don’t think there is any single place in this country more representative of the soul of America than Brooklyn and New Jersey. And the fact that I was born in the former and raised in the latter doesn’t color my thinking at all. Both are cultural, ethnic and racial melting pots dating back to the earliest days of the original 13 colonies. But only one is featured as a world onto itself in a new book by my guest, Peter Golenbock. In The Country of Brooklyn is a remarkable trip through the history of one of the United States’ most vital geographic regions, one that has contribute to our nation in the fields of politics, culture, society and pretty much everything else that counts. But that’s not the only new book he has hitting bookstores today. Peter also helped actor Tony Curtis produce his autobiography, titled American Prince: A Memoir, and that is also available today. Two books published on the same day. Not bad, not bad at all! This is Peter’s second visit to Mr. Media; he was my guest in early 2007 when he published the controversial book, 7: The Mickey Mantle Novel. He is also someone I consider a friend. Peter Golenbock Website • Facebook • Twitter • Wikipedia • LinkedIn • Order They Called Me God from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Loren Weisman, author, The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business: The 'Who, What, When, Where, Why & How of the Steps That Musicians & Bands Have to Take to Succeed in Music   Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of everyone from “American Idol” finalist Michael Lynche to rockers Johnny Zoom Cheerlead Squad and death metal pioneers Deicide… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order Loren Weisman's book, The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Early in my career, I was the pop music critic for, respectfully, the St. Petersburg Times and the Tampa Tribune. In that role, I had frequent contact with up-and-coming local bands that always believed in their heart of hearts that they would be The Next Big Thing. A few of them, such as Savatage, the Johnny G. Lyon Band, The Headlights and the Bobby Friss Band even achieved a modicum of commercial and regional success. LOREN WEISMAN AUDIO EXCERPT: "Prince allowed all of his contracts to expire and created his own digital kingdom."  But the thing that drove me crazy about almost all of them was one in the same: they knew and understood bupkis about the business they were in. They made horrendous deals with managers, nightclubs, promoters and record labels. They put no effort into self-promotion, assuming that if they played great in their garages and warehouses, the world would know about them and beat a path to their door. Music producer Loren Weisman, author of 'The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business' I’d hear about this because many would complain when their appearances at local clubs or in concert weren’t publicized in the paper. I’d ask, “Did you send in a press release or announcement?” “No,” came the standard reply. “Everybody knows all about us!” If “everybody” included Mom, Dad and the stoner chicks down the block, maybe so. But the rest of us didn’t know squat about them. So when Loren Weisman’s new book, The Artist’s Guide to Success in The Music Business, recently crossed my desk, it was an easy “Yes” to having Loren on the show. Loren Weisman Website • Twitter • Facebook • LinkedIn • MySpace • YouTube • Pinterest • Google+ • ReverbNation • SoundCloud • Order The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Alex Ferrari, indie film director, Red Princess Blues, Broken Red Princess Blues by Alex Ferrari   Alex Ferrari hasn’t received the break he deserves yet from Hollywood so he continues to make his own luck. The independent filmmaker, who was one of my very first guests on Mr. Media Radio back in 2007 to promote his short horror story, Brokenis back today for the second time to talk about Red Princess Blues. ALEX FERRARI audio excerpt: "Apple's App Store is mysterious. They will reject something for no reason and they will accept something for new reason. Hopefully it's a new distribution method for filmmakers."  Last time he was here, Alex had produced a short animated subject with the help of actress Paula Garces—currently appearing on SyFy’s “Warehouse 13” and all three Harold & Kumar movies—who voiced the lead character. The cartoon was intended as a proof of concept for a full feature Red Princess Blues. Today, he’s here to talk about a left-turn he has taken with Blues—which you can download right this minute as an iPhone app. Alex Ferrari Red Princess Blues Website • Facebook • MySpace • Twitter • YouTube  • Numb Robot     Alex Ferrari Website • Facebook • Numb Robot website • Ferrari Olive Oil • Vimeo • YouTube • Order Lipstick & Bullets from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Kent Wall, TV sports host   Kent Walls The Florida Gators. The Oklahoma Sooners. It’s time for the 2009 BCS national championship game and so we’re talkin’ football today on Mr. Media with Kent Walls, co-host of Fox Sports and Fox College Sports channel’s “Tailgate Tour.” For the last five months, Kent and his delightful–yes, that’s man code for “hot”—co-host Sarah Karges have criss-crossed college campuses all across the United States in search of pigskin, tail and tall tales. Today, he’s going to tell us what he’s seen. We’ll also get his take on this week’s big game and why the Florida Gators—Mr. Media’s alma mater—will walk away with the big title for the second time in three years. Kent Walls Website • Facebook • Twitter • LinkedIn • YouTube Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Actor Alan Ruck star of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Spin City, Persons Unknown   Order 'Spin City: Vol. 1' starring Michael J. Fox and Alan Ruck, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD boxed set above! Thinking about actor Alan Ruck last night, I was reminded of a Dr. Seuss book called, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Why? Just think about the places Alan Ruck has gone. He went universe hopping with both Captain Kirk and Captain Picard, to "Spin City" with Michael J. Fox and Charlie Sheen, and to Chicago with Ferris Bueller. ALAN RUCK podcast excerpt: "The best part I have had in a feature film (was as Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off). Other people were offered the film and turned it down. Every time I see Emilio Estevez I want to give him a hug because I knew he was offered the role and decided not to do it. He didn't need the role but I did."  Beat that, Cat in the Hat! And now Ruck is back, starring in a new NBC summer mini-series called “Persons Unknown,” which airs Mondays at 10 p.m. Alan Ruck IMDB • Wikipedia Ferris Bueller's Day Off starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck and Mia Sara, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! -content/uploads/2016/08/Ritch_Shydner_Kicking_front_cover_FINAL-72dpi.jpg" alt="Kicking Through the Ashes by Ritch Shydner, Mr. Media Interviews" width="335" height="502" /> Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Actor Ryan McPartlin, who plays "Captain Awesome" on "Chuck." Ryan McPartlin (L), Sarah Lancaster, Zachary Levi One of the cool aspects of NBC’s spy rom-com “Chuck” is that it has survived on the Peacock long enough for every recurring character to get a moment to shine. Jeff and Lester have their band. Ellie has a heart. Casey has a daughter. The General has, well, okay, I’m still trying to figure that one out. Big Mike loves Subway sandwiches. Morgan is a different kind of genius. And Captain Awesome — okay, just plain ol’ “Awesome” these days — is both a big softie and a go-to spy. That’s a giant leap for Ryan McPartlin’s character on the show. RYAN McPARTLIN podcast excerpt: "We're hoping to hear this week or next if we're going to get more episodes this season. Ratings don't seem to matter; we keep coming back no matter what. That's largely due to the fans. There are so many outlets you can watch 'Chuck' on. We're such a big hit on iTunes, on Hulu, and on NBC.com."  For a long time, he was the guy who walked in and out of scenes, often shirtless, looking, well Awesome. He got credit for doing things no mere mortal—certain not Chuck — could do and always wound up smooching or in the clinch with his fiancée, now wife on the show, Ellie, played by the luscious Sarah Lancaster.Not a bad deal, but not exactly a meaty role. Last season, however, McPartlin’s patience on the sidelines paid off. He, like Chuck, became a bit of an accidental spy himself and was entrusted with the secret of Chuck’s giant brain and new physical prowess. It was one of many fun twists on a show that excels in taking viewers places we never expected and always enjoy exploring. This season, he and Ellie have a bun in the oven. You just know it’s gonna be awesome. Order 'Chuck: The Complete Series" on Blu-Ray DVD starring Ryan McPartlin and Zachary Levi, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the Blu-Ray DVD boxed set above! Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Ronnie James Dio, lead singer, Dio, Black Sabbath Ronnie James Dio When word reached us last night (May 16, 2010) that singer Ronnie James Dio lost his battle against cancer yesterday at the age of 67, my wife said, “Didn’t you interview him?” Yes, yes, I did. It was May 22, 1986, one of my first interviews at my new job as pop music critic for the Tampa Tribune. It was a telephone interview, as so many were in those days. RONNIE JAMES DIO podcast excerpt: "I just bought a building, in Los Angeles – on Sunset Boulevard. It’s a building that was owned by Charlie Chaplin. It’s going to be a soundstage for a video. It will also be a studio for smaller bands. Again, something to ensure that, later in life, I’ll be able to produce. Because some day I’ll be too old to run around the stage. Though that won’t hopefully happen for a long while yet. I’m building something that will allow me to carry on as a musician, because that’s what I do best."  Order 'Ronnie James Dio - In Memory Of' from Amazon.com by clicking the image above! Sadly, the audio quality has been greatly diminished by the years. In fact, it may not have been very good to begin with, but I’m a pack rat, so I kept it. I can’t even prove that a story based on the interview ever ran—except that the part at the end where he talked about Christmas did appear in a story I wrote for the Orlando Sentinel: "I remember hardly any Christmases, whether as a child or an adult. Christmas is not my big one. I think it's a complete and utter waste of time for me. For some people, it's wonderful. It's wonderful for children. Christmas should be for children. It's just a shame that all the adults have to go through all the bother to make it so wonderful for them. I find it to be just a merchandising nuisance. I think that's it's just been completely and totally blown out of proportion.” I’m going to play my interview with Dio in just a moment, but I must warn you: the sound is really muffled. To increase his voice, I had no choice but to raise mine. This interview has never been heard before. If you’re a fan of Ronnie James Dio, you’ll probably be entertained; if not… I understand. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the late, great Ronnie James Dio, recorded on May 22, 1986—almost 24 years ago this week. Ronnie James Dio Website • Facebook • Twitter • Order Ronnie James Dio - In Memory Of from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Governor Jesse Ventura, author, American Conspiracies Order 'American Conspiracies' by Jesse Ventura and Dick Russell from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Jesse Ventura sees conspiracies everywhere. He came to national prominence as a wrestler nicknamed “The Body,” took a turn on the silver screen in Predator with Ah-nuld, and even went by “Governor” for a term. Now he’s bidding for you and me to start thinking of him as “The Brain.” Don’t get me wrong; Ventura hasn’t asked anyone to call him that—yet. But reading his new book, American Conspiracies, it’s clear he’s given considerable thought to the real story behind some of this country’s most nagging unsolved mysteries. GOV. JESSE VENTURA podcast excerpt: "I took the side of the conspiracy. We brought out the facts; ultimately, it's up to the reader to decide. It's called 'learning the truth.' And if the truth causes panic, we're in big trouble." Whether you believe what he believes or think he’s nuts, a reader of American Conspiracies can’t deny Ventura has thought out his positions on everything from the Kennedy assassinations and 9/11 to the world financial collapse we’re just starting to come out from under. I should mention this is ground also covered in his new TV show, TruTV’s “Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura,” every Wednesday at 10 p.m. Not that Ventura is all drama and no fun these days. Anyone who’s caught him on the radio with Howard Stern knows he’s just as comfortable talking smack about Hulk Hogan and telling wild stories about his days as a Navy SEAL as he is discussing conspiracies. Jesse Ventura Facebook   Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Aubrey Plaza, comedian, actress, "Parks and Recreation," "Legion" Aubrey Plaza stars as April Ludgate in NBC's 'Parks and Recreation' (NBC Photo: Chris Haston)   Order 'Parks and Recreation: Season One,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! Playing the intern on a Thursday night NBC sitcom is not a bad gig for a young actor. Look at B.J. Novak, the young man who plays “Ryan” on “The Office.” He was literally unknown when he joined the show and quickly became a strong character onscreen and off, writing at least 10 episodes and producing 33. So what can we expect from Aubrey Plaza, who plays April the (full of sarcasm) Intern on “Parks and Recreation”? Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, strives to be a positive influence on young April, not quite realizing that April is already smarter and savvier than Leslie may ever be. Okay, maybe she’s not that smart. AUBREY PLAZA audio excerpt: "Amy Poehler is the most fun ever. She was my comedy hero in high school. She started the Upright Citizens Brigade, which is where I trained. My feeling is, if I can make her laugh, then I'm doing my job."  Plaza brings some pretty strong credentials to the role of an intern, including graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and several years of improv and sketch comedy experience at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater—you might know them for producing Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris. She also appeared in the Adam Sandler film Funny People, alongside her “Parks and Recreation” co-star Aziz Ansari. Aubrey Plaza Twitter • Order Parks and Recreation: Season One on DVD from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Daniel Pyne, novelist, A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar, TV writer, "Alcatraz" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of Hollywood screenwriters who plot out my every move on storyboards… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above! Hearing that a comic novel takes place in a mine is not the best way to get my attention for a spot on this show. C’mon! A mine? And yet I’ve now fallen for that pitch twice with no regrets. The first was William Kent Kruger’s thrilling Vermillion Drift. And now I’m recommending writer Daniel Pyne’s second novel, A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar. It’s a very different story, an adventure with darkly comic overtones. Both books are page-turners; so much for anti-mines prejudice! DANIEL PYNE audio excerpt: "I was interested in doing things that I don't get to do when I'm writing films or television."  Pyne has an advantage as a storyteller in print. Besides having previously written a popular cult novel in Twentynine Palms, he’s best known as a successful, experienced Hollywood screenwriter. For example, Pyne was a writer on films such as Any Given Sunday, Pacific Heights, two really good Michael J. Fox movies, Doc Hollywood and The Hard Way, Fracture, the film version of Miami Vice, and the remake of The Manchurian Candidate. Last year, Pyne gave his all to the Fox television drama “Alcatraz,” produced by JJ Abrams and starring Sam Neill, Jorge Garcia, Parminder Nagra, Sarah Jones and Robert Forster. He was a writer, executive producer and co-showrunner on the series, which was cancelled after just one season. If you’re one of those people who still likes to discover a really good story, I heartily recommend Daniel Pyne’s A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar. Daniel Pyne Website • IMDB • Facebook • Order A Hole in the Ground Owned By A Liar from Amazon.com • Order Twentynine Palms • Order Alcatraz The Complete Series Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Ken Davitian, actor, Borat, "Chuck"     Order 'Borat' from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above Granted, the role for which everyone best—or maybe worst--remembers actor Ken Davitian is “Azamat Bagatov,” Borat’s manager in the 2006 movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Anyone who saw it will forever have the image of Davitian and Cohen wrestling naked in a motel room scalded into their brains. But Ken Davitian has appeared in plenty of other films, fully clothed. He’s a terrific character actor and from what I’ve seen of him being interviewed elsewhere, quite a gentle soul. In other words, nothing at all like Azamat. KEN DAVITIAN podcast excerpt: "It was in Dallas I was told we were going to do this. I kept saying to Sacha Baron Cohen, 'A fat guy in boxers, that's funny. Funny, funny! No?' He said, 'I want naked.' We ran into an engineers convention, twelve o'clock in the afternoon, somewhere in the Dallas area. We started doing our schtick with each other. I looked into his eyes. I could see him looking at the audience. He stopped. He went out of character, said 'We're not getting any response. Let's go.' We walked out of there totally in character, naked." He recently played the role of “Uncle Bernie” to perfection in an episode of NBC’s “Chuck” titled “Chuck Versus the First Kill.” He was also “Shtarker” in the otherwise forgettable Steve Carrell remake of Get Smart. He’s also been seen in movies such as Soul Men, Meet the Spartans, Holes and S.W.A.T. as well as TV shows such as “The Closer,” “ER” and “Ghost Whisperer.” Coming up, his new film Prankster just got picked up for distribution and will come out in October. He also finished a feature film with former “American Idol” finalist Katharine McPhee and Dave Annable of “Brothers & Sisters” called You May Not Kiss the Bride. It also stars Rob Schneider, Mena Suvari, Tia Carrere, Kathy Bates and Vinnie Jones. Also in the pipeline is another film, Melvin Smarty. Davitian also co-owns a hot dog restaurant in Sherman Oaks called The Infield. Ken Davitian MySpace • Wikipedia • The Infield on Yelp • Order Borat on DVD from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Erica Durance, actress, "Harry's Law," "Smallville," "Saving Hope" Erica Durance guest stars on NBC's "Harry's Law" (Photo: Vivian Zink/NBC) Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of comic book fanboys who can barely handle looking at George Perez drawings of Wonder Woman, let alone gaze for more than a fleeting moment at Erica Durance actually dressed as the Amazonian… in the NEW new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! If you thought Erica Durance was too hot to handle during seven years of playing reporter Lois Lane on TV’s long-running “Smallville,” wait till you get a load of her tonight kicking bad guy butt dressed as “Wonder Woman” on the latest episode of “Harry’s Law” on NBC at 9 p.m. This particular Wonder Woman costume is suspiciously similar to the one designed for David E. Kelley’s failed NBC TV pilot from last year. And, no disrespect to Adrianne Palicki, the actress who wore the suit then, but Durance will make hearts flutter wildly when you see her in it. Order 'Smallville: The Complete Tenth Season' by clicking on the DVD above! ERICA DURANCE audio excerpt: "The character does not perceive herself as making light (of domestic abuse). It's her way of getting her life back. I don't think there is a person out there who hasn't dreamed of that eye-for-eye justice." Kelley – who produces "Harry’s Law" and is best known as the creator of “Boston Legal,” The Practice” and “Ally McBeal” – obviously knows opportunity when he sees it. I have no idea how the plot of Durance’s guest starring role opposite Kathy Bates turns out. But it’s delightful to know she’s doing the opposite of putting distance between herself and the DC Universe of superheroes. Erica Durance Twitter • Facebook • IMDB • Wikipedia   Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Curt Smith, singer, Tears For Fears Tears For Fears: Songs from the Big Chair, Curt Smith. Order your copy today by clicking on the album cover above! Here’s a Tears For Fears story I guarantee you haven’t heard before: I was the pop music critic for the St. Petersburg Times in 1985, assigned to review a Tears For Fears concert. I rushed back to the paper’s Clearwater bureau that night to file my story. Waiting for it in downtown St. Petersburg was the late night editor, Christine Holsten. I filed my story and waited for her to read it and answer any questions she might have. CURT SMITH audio excerpt: "Tears for Fears is where myself and Roland meet. It's about compromise. I know when I write a certain song that it's not going to be Roland's cup of tea. Our solo work is incredibly personal."  But her major question wasn’t about my story; it was about the photo credit. The photographer identified his picture as Roland Orzabal on the left, Curt Smith on the right. But Christine wasn’t convinced. I said the photographer had it correct, but she had the final call and switched the ID in the caption. Shout: The Very Best of Tears For Fears, Curt Smith. Order your copy today by clicking on the album cover above! It was probably the last time I was right about anything in our relationship, but I was right; she was wrong. A horde of TFF fans called in the next day to say how stupid I was for getting it wrong, of course. (They weren’t happy about being referred to as “teeny-boppers,” either!) That was one of the first real moments that truly bound us and to this day, whenever we hear a Tears song playing, we can’t help but stop and fondly reminisce about that night. We’ve now been married 22 years and counting. Which is my long way of telling you that my guest today is Tears For Fears’ Curt Smith, who has released a new holiday single, “This is Christmas,” and will be playing several solo gigs in Los Angeles in 2011 and will rejoin Roland Orzabal for a Tears For Fears tour of South America and the U.S. West Coast. Tears For Fears' Curt Smith Website • Facebook • Twitter • MySpace • YouTube  • Flickr   Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Kambri Crews, author, Burn Down the Ground Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of angry construction workers who are Dumb with a capital D—and dumber—but can hear every word I’m saying… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!   Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above This is not a show people tune into for a lot of heartbreaking conversation. I’m not Oprah and I don’t enjoy fiddling with your heartstrings. So on its own merits, I honestly would have never chosen Kambri Crews’ new book, Burn Down the Ground: A Memoir as a topic of conversation. But there’s a quirky bit of Mr. Media history tangled up here. KAMBRI CREWS audio excerpt: "It is a sad story. But it's not full of sadness. It's full of hope."  Several years ago, Kambri’s husband, comedian Christian Finnegan, was a guest on the show. We got to talking about in-law jokes and he made a remark about how he doesn’t joke about his because his mother-in-law is a lovely woman and his deaf father-in-law is serving 20 years in a Texas prison for attempted murder. Ba-da-bing? No. That momentarily brought the conversation to a halt. Frankly, I didn’t know what to say. A few weeks ago, a publicist pitched me on a new book by Kambri Crews about her insanely crazy, sometimes violent upbringing as a hearing child of deaf parents. I didn’t really think it was right for this show until I read the last line of the pitch: “She is married to standup comedian Christian Finnegan.” Quick, what’s American Sign Language for “Holy Shit!”? Suddenly I had the opportunity to get what the late broadcaster Paul Harvey would call “the REST of the story.” Kambri Crews Website • Twitter • Facebook • Read an excerpt • Order Burn Down the Ground: A Memoir from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Star Price, executive producer, “Penn & Teller: Bullsh-t!” Download 'Penn & Teller: Orgasms,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the image above! Star Price -- a.k.a., Starling Price -- is the executive producer of the Showtime series, “Penn & Teller: Bullsh-t!” The TV BS show, now in its fifth season, chronicles the efforts of confirmed skeptics and pro-science atheists Penn Jillette and Teller to debunk, well, bullsh-t. Their mission is to expose the truth to an otherwise desperate and gullible public. Most people have seen Penn & Teller somewhere, usually on a talk show performing incredible feats of magic. On this show, they use all the tricks of their trade, including good old-fashioned hidden cameras, to reveal rip-off artists, scammers, and hoaxsters. Price is a writer, producer, director who has worked in television since 1978. In recent years, he’s made a career in reality television, including credits on programs such as “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol,” MTV’s “Celebrity Undercover,” TLC’s “How’d They Do That,” and “Confirmation: The Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us” for NBC. He’s also recently co-executive-produced the reality series, “Exploring the Unknown” and “Scariest Places on Earth” for the Fox Family Channel, “Amazing Race II” for CBS, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the pilot for ABC, and “Hotel Hell” for Fox. Penn & Teller Website • Facebook • Penn on Twitter • Teller on Twitter • Download Penn& Teller Bullsh-t!: Orgasms from Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!  

Today's Guest: Alex Ferrari, director, Broken Order 'Broken' by Alex Ferrari, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! Two years ago, Alex Ferrari wrote and directed a short action thriller called Broken. It cost a mere $8,000, looks like a million bucks, and includes more than 100 visual effects shots. The low budget film was a "proof of concept" -- Ferrari and his associates and investors wanted to demonstrate what they are capable of producing if given a larger budget and greater resources. I was skeptical of the short - until I watched it. It's pretty cool, especially considering its limitations. It's stylish and energetic and will leave you wanting more. Alex Ferrari Numb Robot Website • Facebook • Vimeo • IMDB • Ferrari Olive Oil • Order Broken from Amazon.com • Order Lipstick & Bullets Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!  

Today's Guest: Tatiana Siegel, reporter, The Hollywood Reporter Order a subscription to The Hollywood Reporter, available via Amazon.com by clicking on the magazine cover above! How do you measure the summer? Baseball games, picnics, trips to the beach? Around my house, it’s the Monday box office scores – rounded to the nearest million dollars, of course. The first three big movies of Summer 2007 – Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and Shrek the Third – all opened with predictably big weekend hauls. But these three sure things didn’t overwhelm the general movie-going public quite the way most observers thought they would. All three have been panned by critics and aren’t generating the buzz many expected. Their performance opened the door for something a little less spectacular – the new Judd Apatow movie, Knocked Up, which has won rave reviews and could gain even bigger audience as the long hot summer continues – at least until the new Harry Potter movie opens. To talk about this summer’s movies – as well as the just-completed Cannes Film Festival, which she attended – I invited The Hollywood Reporter's Tatiana Siegel to join us today. For the past four years, Siegel has worked at The Hollywood Reporter covering the economics of the entertainment industry. She tracks three major studios: Sony, Paramount, DreamWorks, and MGM. Siegel also covers the agency beat, following the behind-the-scenes developments at such talent powerhouses as CAA, William Morris, and Endeavor. She has interviewed hundreds of studio executives, producers and directors and enjoys unique access to agents, managers and publicists. In this entertaining, informative, audio interview, Siegel reviews the financial performance of the summer's first blockbusters; offers her opinion on Pirates' second week box office plummet; points out the shrinking number of women directors in Hollywood; describes the scene at this year's Cannes Film Festival; explains why Frank Miller's adaption of Will Eisner's The Spirit moved up on the schedule and Sin City 2 stepped back; and finally, why Ari Gold and Vincent Chase still matter. Tatiana Siegel Twitter • LinkedIn • Subscribe to The Hollywood Reporter via Amazon.com Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!  

Today's Guest: Howard Sounes, author Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney   Order Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Howard Sounes won’t deny that there have been an awful lot of books about the Beatles and Paul McCartney. But that didn’t give him pause; he just researched and wrote one of the best: Fab, An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. 27: A History of the 27 Club through the Lives of Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse by Howard Sounes, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! This massive, 634-page biography covers so much time and detail that I wasn’t sure I could read all of it in a timely manner and still conduct an interview in this calendar year. So I proposed a compromise: let’s just talk about the second half of the book: Linda Eastman McCartney, the Wings years, the in-fighting among the ex-Beatles, John Lennon’s death, Linda’s death, George Harrison’s death, his marriage and death to Heather Mills, and so on. HOWARD SOUNES podcast excerpt: "Heather Mills is revealed by the facts to what she is... a very strong character."  This part of the book is plenty rich and, I think, a little less known and understood than the Beatles years, which have been examined and analyzed. (We did cheat a little and talk about the breaking news that hit just minutes before the interview was recorded: Beatles for Sale, on iTunes.) Joining me now – live on tape – from London, England is Paul McCartney biographer and the author of Fab, Howard Sounes. Howard Sounes Wikipedia • Website Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: John Caparulo, comedian, "Caplets" podcast   Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with John Caparulo by clicking on the video player above!    Married couple John Caparulo and Jamie Caparulo host a podcast, "Domestic Disputes" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience full of two-drink-minimum political critics that wouldn’t know a phallic symbol if it was dangling in front of their nose … in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! I think the first thing you need to know about comedian John Caparulo is where he was on November 8, 2016. Home. With his beautiful wife Jamie. And infant daughter, Madden. Oh, and I think his dog, Barney, was probably there, too. Why is this important? Because while it was Election Day in the United States, neither John nor Jamie was motivated to go out and vote. Not for The Donald; Not for Hillary. As Jamie put it on their podcast, “Domestic Disputes,” “We didn’t feel either one of them was worth putting on pants to vote for.” Watch John Caparulo's live comedy podcast "Caplets" I’m not telling you that to form a judgment, just as a point of information for what happened four months later, in late February 2017. JOHN CAPARULO podcast excerpt: "When you watch the video, I didn't move. I just trusted my belly to absorb the blow. And it did. I was just glad I got the whole thing on tape. I'm not a politically-charged comedian -- those are big world problems and I have a small world point of view." John was recording an installment of his short-form video stand-up series, “Caplets,” when he cracked wise about the new president. A lady in the audience didn’t like his jokes and eventually launched a beer his way, hitting her mark. The clip quickly went viral, thanks to TMZ. What’s odd is that Caparulo isn’t exactly known for his political commentary. Domestic commentary, yes. Sports, yes. Politics? Eh, not so much. But in an era when comics need a little something extra to stand out – a podcast, a sitcom, regular appearances on Colbert, Maher or Kimmel – a drunk at the Hermosa Beach Magic & Comedy Club gave this new daddy his chance for a little stardust. By the way, Caparulo isn’t new to this show. He made his first appearance on Mr. Media back in October 2010. John Caparulo Website • Facebook • Twitter • MySpace • YouTube Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Richard Brody, author, Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean Luc-Godard Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean Luc-Godard by Richard Brody. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above! I studied French New Wave cinema in college. Took it twice, in fact, in Professor Robert Ray’s class at the University of Florida. Little-known fact – my degree is actually in Film Studies. Anyway, I loved the French New Wave films from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. What I didn’t care for was the over-inflated discussion that followed each screening. I’d watch the movies, in awe of the storytelling, the jump cuts, the women, the casual sex – you get the idea. But when the lights came up, Professor Ray always insisted on going deep into the meaning and motivation of the filmmaker. So here I am, Mr. A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep, about to welcome the esteemed film critic of The New Yorker magazine and author of the new book, Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean Luc-Godard. It’s a fascinating look at the best of the best of French New Wave, the auteur behind Breathless, A Woman is A Woman, La Chinoise, King Lear, and many more. And it made me wish I was more patient back in Professor Ray’s class more than 25 years ago. Richard Brody Facebook • Twitter • Wikipedia • IMDB • Goodreads • Rotten Tomatoes • The New Yorker Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Adam Falcon, guitarist, Bohemian 959 Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of Marvel Comics characters from Steve Rogers and Sam “Snap” Wilson to those colorful guys in KISS… in the NEW new media capital of the world, St. Petersburg, Florida!   Order Adam Falcon's CD 'Bohemian 959' by clicking the photo above! In my head, the introduction to today’s show with blues/rock/jazz guitarist Adam Falcon goes something like this: Blah, blah, blah – including live performances by Adam – blah, blah, blah! ADAM FALCON audio excerpt: "Just continue to practice and enjoy what you're doing." And then out loud I would say: The first time Adam Falcon was on the show was a lot of fun. I love his music, his guitar style and his general approach to life. He recently got in touch to say he’d be coming to Florida – Miami, to be exact, and he offered to play a few songs live for us to help promote his shows on January 13 and 14 as part of Art Deco Weekend 2012. How could I say no to that? Adam Falcon Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace • YouTube • Order Bohemian 959 LISTEN! Adam Falcon's first visit to Mr. Media (2010) WATCH! Adam Falcon returns to Mr. Media to perform live with Living Color's Doug Wimbish and Keith LeBlanc (2013) Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Sarah Colonna, Brad Wollack, writers, comedians, "Chelsea Lately," "After Lately" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of standup comedians who would give their left punchline for a shot on the Chelsea Lately panel… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!   Chelsea Handler is the star of 'Chelsea Lately' and 'After Lately' on E! A casual viewer of Chelsea Handler’s monologue’s on her nightly E! talk show, “Chelsea Lately” might come away with the suspicion that she has no respect at all for her staff. On the other hand, where would the careers of Heather McDonald, Chuy and my guests today, Sarah Colonna and Brad Wollack, be without those zingers? Comedian Sarah Colonna of 'After Lately' (Photo/E! Entertainment) BRAD WOLLACK audio excerpt: "Making fun of Chuy was easy from Day One... Chelsea really helps define our personalities.She gave me my voice in many respects." Comedian Brad Wollock, co-star of 'After Lately' (Photo/E! Entertainment) They certainly wouldn’t be starring in the second season of “After Lately,” a behind-the-scenes mockumentary that airs after Chelsea’s gabfest. It returns this Sunday, November 27 @ 11 p.m. just after “Chelsea Lately” on E! (Sarah Colonna, incidentally, is the great-niece of long-time Bob Hope sidekick and comedian Jerry Colonna, who sported one of show business’s all-time great mustaches.) Both Wollack and Colonna are established comedians in their own right, but you have to bet they relish almost every moment of national attention thrown their way by the boss. That, and the fact that Chelsea Handler just extended her E! deal another two years – or four Kardashian marriage-and-divorce cycles. Sarah Colonna Website • Twitter • Facebook • Order Life As I Blow It Brad Wollack Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Jonathan Katz, comedian, "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of long-suffering psychotherapy patients who really need to switch to doctors whose lobbies are not in Squigglevision… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD above! Jonathan Katz is neither a doctor nor a cartoon. But he has been known to be one entertaining funnyman. His old show on Comedy Central, “Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist,” was perhaps best known for two elements during its six-year run: its squiggly animation and the remarkable list of guests who sat on Dr. Katz’s couch, including Ray Romano, Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart and Louis C.K. Now Katz is back with a new animated show, “Explosion Bus.” Like “Dr. Katz,” “Explosion Bus” was created by Tom Snyder. The new show co-stars comedian Tom Leopold, whose writing credits including “Seinfeld” and “Cheers.” JONATHAN KATZ audio excerpt: "Louis C.K.'s act has changed so much. He got older; he got bolder. Some of my favorite stuff he does is about the Catholic church, which a young kid wouldn't do."  Order 'Caffeinated' by Jonathan Katz, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above! So what is “Explosion Bus”? I have to admit I’m having a hard time figuring that out myself. I’ve watched several first season episodes and had a sneak peak at excerpts from season two. Like “Dr. Katz,” it is a model of subtlety and irony. “Explosion Bus” seems to satirizes the reality TV conceit of the moment found in “America’s Got Talent,” “The Voice” and “American Idol” that everyone has talent and could potentially be famous. But it goes in a lot of different directions from there, including being a reality show within a reality show—and one with real viewer submissions. And fans from season one will notice a change in animation style in season two. Check him out in animated form at ExplosionBus.com or on YouTube. Meanwhile, the doctor is in and I’m hoping he can make sense of it all for me. Jonathan Katz Website • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • Order Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist from Amazon.com • 'Hey We're Back!' Podcast • Explosion Bus website • YouTube Order 'Dr. Katz Live' starring Jonathan Katz, available by clicking on the DVD cover above! Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!