Mr. Media Interviews by Bob Andelman

Sci-fi movies? I like the aliens, the exotic scenery and the spaceships, from "Metropolis" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" on through "Planet of the Apes" and "The Martian." Which is why, when Sloan de Forest’s new book, "Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies That Are Out of This World," landed on my desk, I knew I wanted to talk to her about it.

From 2007: Robert Wuhl cracks me up. Always has, always will. His HBO series, “Arli$$," about an over-ambitious Hollywood sports agent, was must-see TV in my house for years, and I’ve seen his first movie, Hollywood Knights, hundreds of times. Really, hundreds. If you haven’t seen it, buy it. In terms of media experience, Wuhl played reporters in Batman and Cobb and a disc jockey in Good Morning, Vietnam.

From 2007: Pete Williams is a journalist and author whom I have known and been friendly with for several years. But I didn’t ask him to do a Mr. Media interview simply because we are buddies so much as I think that his recent book, "The Draft, A Year Inside the NFL’s Search for Talent," was an overlooked sports journalism classic from 2006 that more people should be exposed to. Pete, who is a long-time fitness enthusiast and journalist, is a regular contributor to Men’s Health.

From 2007: Lee Salem is a guy I’ve admired for many, many years. As the president and editor of Universal Press Syndicate, he is the man responsible for recognizing a slew of creative talent that impacted American pop culture and the funny pages over the last 30-plus years. The origins of Garry Trudeau and “Doonesbury,” Gary Larson and “The Far Side,” Bill Watterson and “Calvin and Hobbes,” Lynn Johnston and “For Better or Worse” and Cathy Guisewite and “Cathy,” all can be traced back

From 2007: I have enjoyed the illustrations of Drew Friedman for many, many years. He has going for him what many artists can only dream of – a distinctive style and, if you will, a voice that sets his work apart. Depending upon your age and interests, you’ve no doubt seen Friedman’s work somewhere, including the National Lampoon, Spy, and the New York Observer. When Drew draws a satirical picture, it always screams with attitude. There is no subtlety involved.

From 2007: Tamara Conniff, Billboard editor and associate publisher , oversees all aspects of the Billboard brand, from editorial to face-to-face events. She is the youngest person and first woman to hold this post. Prior to joining Billboard, Conniff served as the music editor for The Hollywood Reporter for five years and was senior editor in charge of music for Amusement Business. Born and raised in Hollywood, she is also the daughter of the late American music legend, Ray Conniff.

David Bankston has devoted much of his career to creating next-generation technologies specifically designed to solve real-world business problems. Organizations and media companies are turning to Neighborhood America in order to harness the power of the Web to effectively engage audiences. Prior to Neighborhood America, David’s technology career included fifteen years at Lexis/Nexis, where he was responsible for many innovations that are still in use today.

From 2007: Eric Deggans is easily one of the smartest journalists I know. Okay, okay, I know some of you connect “smart” and “journalist” and chuckle the way other people combine “military” and “intelligence.” But trust me, Eric is really bright. He has his own way of looking at any topic and bringing aspects of it to light. Currently the television and media critic for the St. Petersburg Times—and author of a media savvy blog called “The Feed"—Eric is filling a job the paper created s

From 2007: My guest today is Chris Napolitano, Playboy magazine’s editorial director. If you look at the masthead, the only name listed higher is the magazine’s founder, Hugh Hefner. Napolitano began his career with Playboy in 1988 as an editorial assistant in the fiction department and now, in his 20th year with the magazine, is responsible for the day-to-day editorial policy and operations of Playboy magazine. He reports to Hef and is based in the company’s New York publishing headquarters.

From 2007: I’ve been one of those crazed Mac guys since 1984, I guess, when I bought my first Apple, a IIc. Joining me today is Jason Snell, editorial director of Macworld, publishers of Macworld magazine, Macworld.com, Playlist, Mac OS X Hints, and MacUser.com. He has covered Apple and the Mac market since 1994.