Media Path Podcast

Paula Poundstone’s incandescently brilliant wit and comedic wisdom are world renowned and she is widely celebrated as an author, radio personality, voice actor, podcaster and touring comic. Paula is carving her indelible imprint into popular culture and she shares with us her decades of show biz stories, insights and observations.

One of the most recognizable voices on NPR, Paula takes us backstage with Garrison Keillor and the Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me team, for a peek into the creation of legendary radio broadcasts. 

As an author, Paula taps into her courage, her curiosity and her personal experiences to amuse and inspire. Her book, There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say, features parallels Paula has discovered between her own history and that of additional legendary figures such as Joan of Arc and Beethoven. Her newest book, The totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness finds Paula seeking happiness through various means, including taekwondo, mediation, volunteering, camping and renting a Lamborghini. Fritz and Weezy find that happiness lies in hearing Paula talk about this book.

Paula then discusses standup history, writing, travel, crowd work, East and West Coast clubs, comedy scenes across time zones and decades, and the rivalries between key L.A. venues which made or broke careers. Fritz and Paula dig deep into standup experiences and shared backgrounds for a a masterclass in the spirit and ethos of standup comedy!

And in recommendations -

Weezy: Season 1 of The Way Home, A Hallmark Channel Series

Fritz: The Netflix Movie, Emilia Perez

Path Points of Interest:

Paula Poundstone

Paula Poundstone on IMDB

Paula Poundstone on Instagram

Paula Poundstone on Youtube

Paula Poundstone on Facebook

Current Tour

Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone Podcast

NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me

Merch Store

There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

The Way Home on Hallmark

Emilia Perez - Netflix

Producer/Writer/Director/Composer Jeffrey Sherman eagerly went into the family business, following his grandfather, Tin Pan Alley Songwriter Al Sherman and his Dad, Robert B. Sherman of the legendary Disney Songwriters, The Sherman Brothers. Jeff and his cousin Greg Sherman’s film, The Boys, chronicles their fathers’ Disney journey from Annette Funicello’s hit single, Tall Paul, through The Disney Songbook of Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and legendary Disneyland Park rides including It’s A Small World (After All!)

Jeff joins us along with HIS next-gen musical son Alex, who offers up one of his beautiful songs. Jeff talks about his remarkable childhood which found him on  sets with his Dad, at scoring sessions for Tom Sawyer and touring Disney Studios with Walt Disney! Jeff also describes the fraught relationship between his Dad and Uncle which somehow forged treasured tunes that have brightened the world.

In celebration of its 60th anniversary, ABC and 20/20 recently aired 'The Untold Story of Mary Poppins, co-produced by Jeff and his cousin Greg. For this production, The ABC News archive doors swung wide open and the cousins discovered early drawings, backstage footage, archival interviews and the audio tape recordings of the Sherman Brothers attempting to win the hardened heart of the famously crusty Mary Poppins Author, P.L. Travers.

The special also details how the Sherman Brothers both spotted Julie Andrews performing a scene from My Fair Lady on The Ed Sullivan. Each sensed that she would be a perfect Poppins but knew that the pick needed to be Walt’s idea and so Broadway tickets were arranged and on cue, he walked backstage and offered Julie Andrews the part.

The special also includes interviews with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and today’s legends who have been moved and inspired by The Sherman Brothers including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks and Emily Blunt.

Jeff shares that through the noise of his father and uncle’s contentious relationship, they both loved him and were generous with lessons and opportunities to visit sets, sit in on recording sessions and ask questions of greats like John Williams and Irwin Kostal. 

Jeff received piano lessons from his Tin Pan Alley Tunesmith grandfather, Al Sherman and Jeff’s polio vaccine inspired the beloved classic, A Spoonful of Sugar.

All that plus Alex Sherman remembers his grandfather and performs an original tune!

Path Points of Interest:

Jeff on Facebook

Jeff on YouTube

Jeff on IMDB

The Untold Story of Mary Poppins

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story

Entrance by Jeffrey Sherman

Alex Sherman

Robert B. Sherman

Richard M. Sherman

Based on a True Story - Peacock

Saturday Night Movie

We’ve got Linda Blair! Pioneer Scream Queen, 70s and 80s Hollywood Trailblazer, Golden Globe Winner, cult classic icon, animal rights activist and humanitarian, Linda joins us for an exclusive conversation about her path to self discovery in a terrifying lane she navigated solo, carving her way towards light and purpose. 

Linda and Fritz share a history in philanthropy. They catch up on The Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation, dedicated to rehabilitating and rehoming abused, neglected and abandoned animals. 

We then trace Linda’s groundbreaking history from her work as a child model to landing the controversial role of a child possessed by the devil in the film adaption of THE book of the decade, The Exorcist. Linda then faced the bumpy task of discovering self while convincing friends, fans and reporters that she was not actually demonic. She went on to define the message-driven TV movie genre in Sarah T. Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic and  Born Innocent. But how could she say no to Exorcist II, co-starring Richard Burton?

Raised in the Protestant faith, charity, benevolence and helping the voiceless were ingrained in Linda from childhood. For the past several decades she has been dedicated to animal welfare and she shares the most pressing concerns on that front: 1) Corporate owned veterinary clinics pricing pet owners out of spaying and neutering, 2) Mass euthanasia in dog shelters and 3) The outlawing and extermination of breeds deemed to be “dangerous.”

We delve into Linda's experience on the set of The Exorcist where much of what was asked of her by director, William Friedkin was not healthy or appropriate for a child actor. She did share a close bond with writer, William Peter Blatty and she describes how Max Von Sydow would often hear the lines given to Linda, stop the scene, pull Billy Friedkin aside and say, “What are you doing!?” But Friedkin got what he wanted, a terrifyingly controversial film that stunned and horrified the world. 

A household name since the age of 14, Linda matured into a young actress with head turning, Rick themed romantic relationships, such as Rick Springfield and Rick James! 

Linda shares how her Pumpkin headed turn on The Masked Singer helped her solve a medical mystery. She describes her heroic rescue of 51 dogs after Hurricane Katrina and she takes on a challenging round of IMDB Roulette. 

Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Bad Sisters on Apple TV + and the Telepathy Tapes podcast.

Path Points of Interest:

Linda Blair

Linda Blair on Wikipedia

Linda Blair on Instagram

Linda Blair on Facebook

Going Vegan by Linda Blair

Linda Blair World Heart Foundation

Linda Blair World Heart Foundation on Facebook

Linda Blair World Heart Foundation on IG

Linda Blair World Heart Foundation on YouTube

The Telepathy Tapes

Bad Sisters Trailer

Randy Newman is one of the most misunderstood and under-celebrated musicians of the modern era. Reknowned Music Journalist/Author Robert Hilburn’s new book, A Few Words in Defense of Our Country is the definitive Randy Newman biography and Bob joins us to spotlight the genius and the legend of a great American musician and storyteller.

Robert Hilburn was the music critic for the Los Angeles Times for 35 years and he’s written books about John Lennon, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash. Bob tells us that Newman (much like Simon) had to be convinced to have his legacy chronicled. Randy grew up in a legendary musical family in which tooting your horn (metaphorically) was frowned upon. His uncles composed movie scores and they taught Randy to let the work be your voice.

We hear about Randy’s challenging childhood, the pressure he felt to succeed in music and how success, once achieved, incurred his father’s envy. Throughout his career, Randy’s best childhood friend, Lenny Waronker (who became a record exec) believed in him, opened doors and cheered his efforts.

Diving further into Randy’s work flow, creative struggles and anxiety-taming efforts, Bob illuminates Randy’s genre-bending and cultural interrogating musical achievements.

We also delve, with Bob, into the influence once held by music critics in the golden ages of both print media and the music industry. We discuss the futures of recorded music and journalism and Bob tells us about his favorite interview ever… with Bob Dylan… and that one time he went to Folsom Prison with Johnny Cash.

Plus, Weezy recommends the original Apple TV+ movie, Blitz and Fritz is currently into the new series Rivals, streaming on Hulu and other platforms.

Path Points of Interest:

Robert Hilburn

Robert Hilburn on Wikipedia

A Few Words In Defense of Our Country: The Biography of Randy Newman by Robert Hilburn

Robert Hilburn Amazon Author Page

Robert Hilburn on X

Amanda Petrusich

Blitz on Apple TV

Rivals - On Several Platforms

These children of showbiz legends are ensuring that their fathers’ memories and legacies live on. 

We speak with James Tormé and Melissa Tormé-March about their Velvet Fog of a dad, Mel Tormé, as we approach the 80th anniversary of his incomparable contribution to the holiday music canon, 'The Christmas Song'. 

Then Joel Brokaw joins us. His new book 'Driving Marilyn: The Life and Times of Legendary Hollywood Agent Norman Brokaw' chronicles the history of William Morris star-maker, Norman Brokaw, known to Joel as Dad.

Melissa and James share their enthusiasm for Oy! To the World Christmas with a Twist, a new musical playing this month at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre, which features their father's music alongside a hit list of Christmas classics composed by Jewish-American songwriters. 

James and Melissa take us back to the sweltering July day in 1945 when their Dad and Bob Wells attempted to beat the heat with wintery lyrics and remained sweaty but created magic by conjuring “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”

They rushed the song over to Nat King Cole who was in at a few bars and proudly led a parade of 80,064 recorded covers, including James’ own version! The Torme kids share their Torme Christmas memories which include their dad and contraband Christmas movies!

Then Joel shares his family's history as a Ukrainian vaudeville acrobatic act that segued into the agency business when his Uncle, Johnny Hyde became VP of William Morris, discovered Marilyn Monroe and took on his young nephew, Norman to drive and accompany Marilyn to events.

Starting in the mailroom, Norman worked his way up to CEO.  We hear about his working relationships with Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Colonel Tom Parker, Dick Van Dyke, Gerald Ford, Mark Spitz, Barry Gordy and so many other greats.

Joel talks about his complicated history with a father whose clients received his primary caregiving. Joel grew up with TV stars spending weekends by his pool, monopolizing his Dad’s attention.

But what were the qualities that made Norman so affective as a talent mentor? We learn the magic ingredients and hear how Norman took the new fangled TV department and made history with Loretta Young, Barbara Stanwyck, Dick Van Dyke and Andy Griffith.  

Joel also talks about Norman's relationship with Bill Cosby and how his father’s dementia buffered him from the horrors of Cosby’s crimes. And, finally, what was the fate of Norman's sacred, secret keeping Rolodex?

Plus, this week Weezy recommends Nutcrackers on Hulu and Fritz is all about Thelma, now in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Path Points of Interest:

Oy! To The World

James Tormé

James Tormé on YouTube

James Tormé  on X

The Christmas Song by James Tormé 

James Tormé at Kookaburra on 12/21

Joel Brokaw

Driving Marilyn by Joel Brokaw

Norman Brokaw on Wiki

Nutcrackers on Hulu

Thelma - Streaming in Most Places  

We sit down with actor Bruce Davison. With almost 300 IMDB credits, shelves full of awards and a slew of illustrious co-stars and stories about A-listers whom he befriended pre-fame-and-fortune, Bruce is brimming with fantastic tales that feature some of the most influential figures in visual media history. Bruce joins us to talk about his career, from his start in the '60s, all the way to current projects  coming soon to a streaming platform near you!

Bruce’s film career took off with a jolt as he found himself starring in the provocatively X-Rated, coming of age saga, Last Summer. Bruce takes us back to the set with Richard Thomas and Barbara Hershey where soundtrack contributor,  Robbie Robertson taught him first guitar chords.

We talk about Bruce’s childhood, growing up in a military family in Philadelphia, the  practical career advice he received from director Robert Aldrich: Be a character actor! Wisdom he gained from Anthony Quinn and the horror and heartbreak behind his Golden Globe-winning performance in 1989's Longtime Companion, the first theatrical feature to address the AIDS epidemic, which was written by Fritz's step-brother, Craig Lucas!

We dive further into Bruce's remarkable Hollywood history with a round of IMDB Roulette (patent-pending) which takes us into private gambling parties with Dino, Desi, Billy, Lucy and Frank Sinatra! Sunday afternoons with Scorsese and DePalma at Margot Kidder's beach house. And we learn the truth behind why Bruce appears as only an extra in Close Encounters. His pal Stephen Spielberg said, “No one want so see the guy from Willard stepping off a spaceship.”

Just how often does Bruce have to answer a question about Rats? To whom does he give credit for the greatest scenes he’s ever performed…? The writers. David E. Kelley, Taylor Sheridan, Craig Lucas and beyond. Additionally, did you know that Bruce is a talented painter? We sample his works and hear about his inspirations.

We get backstage insights from the set of Ozark and Bruce shares dish on his latest projects, including movies with Beau Bridges and Dee Wallace.

Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley, and The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, both on Netflix. And get ready for a Keri Russell deep dive, beginning with The Diplomat which will pull you happily into all four seasons of Felicity!

Path Points of Interest:

Bruce Davison IMDB

Bruce Davison Wikipedia

Bruce Davison on IG

25 Miles to Normal

Camera (2024)

Suitable Flesh (2023)

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin - Netflix

Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley on Netflix

The Diplomat

Felicity

Are Hollywood's youngest stars in any less danger now than those of past eras? We pose this question to Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman’s Claudia Lamb. At age 11 she was cast as Mary’s daughter Heather Hartman in the groundbreaking Norman Lear soap parody. Claudia offers a front row view to her traumatic life as a 70s child star, at the mercy of her abusive parents and insight into how she gnawed through their shackles to pursue a radio journalism career and become a champion for today’s child actors.

Claudia was a gourmet meal ticket to her criminally exploitative parents who squandered all her money as she cranked out hundreds of commercials and print ads as a toddler who was shoved into the spotlight and dragged by her angry and brutal mother to audition after audition.

Claudia candidly conveys the extent of the violence and terror inflicted by her narcissistically cruel mother as Claudia’s labor, throughout her childhood supported the entire family while alienating her five brothers.

Her talent and intelligence branded her as a go-to for commercial producers, where, as a stand-by, she frequently replaced the principal. Then at the age of 11, after being pummeled by her mother for a poor math grade, (working kids needed to keep their grades above a C average) Claudia was dragged to a cattle-call populated by every chubby, frizzy haired 13 year old in Hollywood. Claudia, a scrawny, pigtailed 11 year old nailed the reading and was instantly cast as Heather Hartman where she treasured her three years on the set of Norman Lear's outrageous, unprecedented soap satire.

Claudia tells of marathon filming sessions, (five episodes a week) with no cue cards or teleprompters. (Louise Lasser would scribble her lines on the kitchen table!) She celebrates the immense talents of Mary Kay Place, Martin Mull and Fred Willard, and shares fabulous anecdotes about Donny and Jimmy Osmond (The Donny & Marie Show filmed next door) and how Claudia was nearly crushed by a mob of fans who spotted her chatting up some Osmonds and jumped a fence to get in on that action.

Claudia is frank in her assessment of the adults who let her down as she endured her mother's abuse. Her bruises were in clear view of the wardrobe department. At the age of 18, Claudia put Hollywood in her rear view and became an award winning journalist who now speaks to parents about the reality and dangers posed to children by show business.

Weezy offers a supporting view, recommending Demi Lovato’s new documentary on Hulu and Disney + called Child Star. Fritz is captivated by the Hulu series adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s best-seller about “The Troubles” in Ireland, Say Nothing. And Claudia weighs in on recs with a doc called Casa Bonita Mi Amor on Paramount +.

Path Points of Interest:

Claudia Lamb on IMDB

Claudia Lamb  on Wikipedia

Claudia's Blog

Claudia Lamb on Bluesky

Claudia Lamb on Twitter/X

Claudia Lamb on Instagram

Child Star on Hulu and Disney+

Say Nothing on Hulu

Casa Bonita Mi Amor

Are you looking for comfort, distraction, hope or optimism? We are serving it up with recommendations to soothe, calm and quiet your spirit, plus two inspirational guests! Andrew Jameson is a writer/producer/director who brings his skillset to his advocacy work and Norman Lear biographer Tripp Whetsell joins us to celebrate a life and a body of work that continues to inform, inspire and amuse generations.

Andrew's new project Faces of the City is a series of six documentary shorts which focus on critical community organizing work that is addressing social and economic challenges facing San Francisco's most vulnerable residents. Andrew shares his insights into ways in which the wealthy tech sector, at-risk populations and the city's unique history and culture can unite to forge a balance that would result in more favorable outcomes for all Bay Area citizens.

Then, author/journalist Tripp Whetsell joins the conversation to discuss his new book, Norman Lear: His Life and Times. Deeply steeped in Lear Lore, Tripp teaches a class on Mr. Lear at his almamater Emerson College. His richly researched biography traces the groundbreaking writer/producer's life from his bumpy childhood with a criminal father through his 52 combat missions over Nazi-occupied territory and across his wide swath of history making television.

We get into all of the All in the Family controversies from its provocative scripts to the epic standoffs between Mr. Lear and Caroll O’Connor. From there,Tripp takes us through the spinoffs: Maude and The Jeffersons, to the spinoffs of spinoffs: The Facts Of Life and Diff’rent Strokes. Each one, a trailblazer, boldly addressing themes like race, class, bigotry, feminism, divorce, homosexuality, rape, mixed marriage and  menopause. 

Mr. Lear’s remarkable cocktail of capabilities included creativity, business instincts, courage under pressure, casting genius and a unique ability to foster relationships with the network execs and censors who came to understand that his controversial content translated into buzz, influence and profits!

Plus the whole Media Path team is recommending content to stream while you avoid the news, curl up and sip something soothing.

Path Points of Interest:

Andrew Jameson on IMDB

Faces of the City Trailer

Tripp Whetsell

Norman Lear: His Life & Times

 Tripp Whetsell Amazon Author Page

Tripp Whetsell Book Soup Signing

Abbott Elementary

Nobody Wants This

Gilmore Girls

High Potential on ABC/Hulu

Travelers on Netflix

Dark on Netflix

The O.C.

Matlock

Elsbeth

Parks & Recreation

Religion, Democracy and the 2024 Election with Brad Onishi

Harry Shearer has been delivering groundbreaking comedy that's the stuff of legend for decades, starting off strong as a child actor on The Jack Benny Program, then cutting off every edge in The Credibility Gap, pioneering the mockumentary with This Is Spinal Tap, bringing us over 20 voices in the most culturally relevant animated series of all time, The Simpsons and continuing to revolutionize radio since 1983 with Le Show.

Harry joins us to delve into the magnificent lore which permeates his storied career. We dive deep on Burns, Smithers, Skinner, Flanders, Spinal Tap, SNL and Nixon. Plus, today’s cutting edge motion capture technology is bringing us, from Trump Anti-Social, A Message For Kamboola, with Harry as Trump, now on Youtube.

Harry shares Spinal Tap 2 updates, details about the night he, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean opened for themselves as The Folksmen to the din of the angry chant, “TAP! TAP! TAP!” along with news about Derek's solo masterwork,  Smalls Change. 

We hear about what makes voiceover work for The Simpsons unique within the animation world, the audio breakthroughs which led to his stunning series which reenacts the actual Nixon tapes, Nixon’s The One, and his unpleasant experiences with Lorne Michaels on SNL. 

Harry also tells us about the recent digital archiving of his extensive Le Show catalogue which is now all publicly accessable, dating back to 1983. All this, and a round of IMDB Roulette. With almost 200 credits in play, where will the big wheel stop!?

Plus, Weezy tells us about her personal and professional connection to The Comeback on Netflix and Fritz gives us his passionate take on Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen And The E-Street Band on Hulu.

Path Points of Interest:

Harry Shearer

Trump Anti-Social Presents A Message For Kamboola

Harry Shearer on Wikipedia

Harry Shearer on IMDB

Harry Shearer on Simpson Wiki

Harry Shearer on Facebook

Harry Shearer on Twitter

Harry Shearer on Instagram

Spinal Tap II

Le Show

The Comeback - Netflix

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen And The E-Street Band - Hulu

Nixon’s The One on Youtube

Mark Felt and Roy Cohn on Firing Line

Gift of Democracy

Media Path Podcast

John Paizis is the creative force behind Performing Arts Studio West whose focus is elevating the talents of performers with intellectual and physical disabilities. Together with friends of the studio, Mindy Sterling and Debra Wilson, John joins us to talk about their latest project, a storybook which puts a dark, new twist on age old fairytales, Mother Goose Reanimated. 

John shares his extensive experience in the non-profit space and how the seeds for this project were planted decades ago when he began working with autistic adults and fostering their potential. 

John, a performer and musician, founded PASW 26 years ago, providing hands-on individualized training, career management, and on-location support for performers with disabilities working in film, television and commercials. They’ve conquered most media but this is their first book!

John shares the themes and inspirations behind the reimagined stories, how the creative team came together, and the collaborative process of writing, casting, costuming, set designing, and shooting a picture book. 

We also hear about Mindy's personal journey with her autistic son and the challenges that he has encountered. Debra shares how she got her big break and talks about her successful voice acting career (she's the current voice of Daisy Duck AND Ursula!), John tells us about working with Frank Oz and Jim Henson and everyone gushes about their recent experience launching the book at Los Angeles Comic Con!

Plus, Fritz is recommending the doc, Maestra on Netflix, Weezy read and loved The Women by Kristin Hannah. And, tasked with sampling and recommending content from our generation, our Gen Z tech, Mason is binging and loving Cheers!

Path Points of Interest:

Mother Goose Reanimated

Performing Arts Studio West

PASW on Facebook

PASW on YouTube

Mother Goose Reanimated Website

Mindy Sterling on IMDB

Mindy Sterling on Wikipedia

Mindy Sterling on X/Twitter

Debra Wilson on IMDB

Debra Wilson on Wikipedia

John Paizis on IMDB

John Paizis on Facebook

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Maestra - Netflix

Gift of Democracy

Media Path Podcast

Youtube

https://youtu.be/4xp9xEoFQN8