Mr. Media Interviews by Bob Andelman

From 2009: 6. Excuse me… I’m getting a call on the other line. It’s Bill’s publicist. “What? I can’t ask Bill questions about the Letterman show? But I’m in the middle of the introduction right now… I’m doing one of those Top 10 lists… What? You don’t think that’s a very original idea? But I’m already halfway through… Oh, all right. Fine, fine.” Hmm. As I was saying, Bill Scheft is author of a funny novel titled Everything Hurts. The publisher calls it a novel, anyway; reads to

From 2008: Losing a family member at the tender age of 33 is incredibly tough. It’s even more complicated when that young person lived his existence in a bigger-than-life way, like Chris Farley – and his trials and tribulations are witnessed by millions. In his new book, The Chris Farley Show, Chris’s older brother, Tom Farley, Jr. – with help from co-author Tanner Colby - pieces together his late brother’s life in the form of an oral history with interviews from most everyone who encountered Chri

From 2008: Carolyn Lawrence has been a dancer and an actress, and now she's the voice of several popular animated characters, including two known all over the world: "Cindy Vortex" on The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and "Sandy Cheeks" on SpongeBob Squarepants, both on Nickelodeon. She's also the voice on "Orel" on Moral Orel.

From 2011: I recently came across a show called the “School of Podcasting.” It’s a long-running podcast hosted by Dave Jackson. And it taught me a big lesson: when it comes to podcasting, I may have five years of experience, but my knowledge is like a single flea on a mangy dog’s back. There is so much to learn! And every time I listen to Dave’s show, I come away a little bit smarter, a little more aware.

Joining me today is Neil Berkeley, director of the elegantly titled documentary, "Gilbert: A Gilbert Gottfried Story." Will you like it? My wife did and she’s never been a Gottfried fan, so I bet you will.

The timing seems perfect to discuss Ethan Siegel’s fascinating new book, "Star Trek Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive." While not the first book of its kind, Treknology is a gorgeous, well-researched and sharply written exploration of where we actually stand on technology to take us where no man has gone before: from transporters, impulse engines and warp drives to holodecks, replicators, and tricorders, the future is closer than ever.

From 2010: You don’t have to be an afternoon soap opera fan to know and appreciate that a giant passed when CBS turned off the power on Guiding Light on September 18, 2009. The show was the longest running drama in broadcast history, having started on NBC Radio in 1937 as a 15-minute serial and moving to CBS Television in 1952. It went on to rack up 16,000 episodes. Joining me today to talk about their the Guiding Light soap are co-stars Kim Zimmer and Robert Newman.

From 2011: Kim Zimmer was with the soap opera Guiding Light for 26 years – more than a third of the 72 years the show was on radio and television. But a look at the picture of her on the cover of her new memoir, I’m Just Sayin’! Three Deaths, Seven Husbands, and a Clone! My Life as a Daytime Diva, doesn’t suggest someone headed for a rockin’ chair. She’s too feisty – based on the content of her book – to ever just fade away.

From 2010: Jamie Beckman’s book, The Frisky 30-Day Breakup Guide. takes women through her own day-by-day recovery method for dealing with a torturous breakup. Has anyone ever done a book that for men? Doubtful. Instead of a spa treatment one day or Godiva chocolates the next, the guy equivalent would say the same thing everyday. Ten letters, starts with an “M, ” ends with “E”…

From 2008: My wife and I love taking vacations in Maine and Vermont. That’s not unusual for Floridians, of course. But it was reading the local paper in Manchester Center, Vermont, probably a decade ago, that I first heard of my next guest. The story was about a performance by a rabbi-turned-standup comedian named Bob Alper. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a Jewish temple but I have. They’re not naturally funny places. But Rabbi Bob Alper is a naturally funny guy.