Mr. Media Interviews by Bob Andelman

Today's Guest: Keith Elliot Greenberg, rock historian, December 8, 1980: The Day John Lennon Died Certain days in all of our lives we can’t help but remember. I was sitting at my desk here in St. Petersburg with “The Today Show” on in the background when the first plane flew into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. I was in my kitchen in Gainesville, Florida, on March 5, 1982, when my friend Jim Doten called from a pay phone to say he just heard that John Belushi died. Jim was on his way up from Miami for a visit with a cooler full of fresh shrimp and beer to boil them in. And I was in another Gainesville apartment, 15 months earlier, on December 8, 1980,studying in my bedroom, on December 8, 1980, when one of my roommates, Andy Anderson, opened the door and said, “Hey, your guy died!” Order 'The John Lennon Collection,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. “My guy?” Tom Seaver died? Order 'December 8, 1980: The Day John Lennon Died' by Keith Elliot Greenberg, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above. For some reason, Andy connected me with John Lennon when the Monday Night Football game that he and our third roommate, Cesar Quintana, was interrupted by Howard Cosell’s announcement that former Beatle John Lennon had been shot outside his home in New York City. My only connection to John Lennon was that we shared a birthday, October 9. Of course, Lennon was born in 1940; I came along 20 years later. And my first Beatles album, Meet the Beatles, was actually the second LP my parents bought for me at our neighborhood drug store in Somerset, NJ. The first was The Monkees' Headquarters. I still have both original discs. KEITH ELLIOT GREENBERG podcast excerpt: "John Lennon could have lived anywhere in the world. He chose to live in New York... The police officer who was the first on the scene (of the murder) covered the Beatles when they came to Shea Stadium in 1965, not knowing that night, December 8, 1980, that John Lennon would be another part of his story."  Like most people, I was shocked and horrified that some jackass named Mark David Chapman had taken Lennon away from us. It was incredibly wrong. Thirty years later, I can’t say I was eager to read a book that might, potentially, glorify Chapman. But that’s not the book that Keith Elliot Greenberg wrote. December 8, 1980: The Day John Lennon Died is an amazing dissection of people and events on that infamous day. It doesn’t justify Chapman’s action but it does explain what was in his head in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting. The detail and depth is remarkable, the kind of history you just can’t put down. Greenberg brings an interesting background to this project. In addition to writing books and magazine articles for Maxim, The Village Voice and The New York Observer, among others, he’s a producer for “America’s Most Wanted” on Fox. Keith Elliot Greenberg Facebook • Wikipedia • IMDB • Goodreads   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 Guests: Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, screenwriters, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Despicable Me 3, The Secret Life of Pets, The Santa Clause 2, Horton Hears A Who!     Order Despicable Me (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD above! This must be an exciting and, at the same time, nail-biting time to be screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. They are the creative minds behind what is widely anticipated as one of this summer’s great animated thrill rides, Despicable Me. It’s a 3D film that turns the supervillain concept on its ear, first by making the bad guy the star of the movie, and then by making him sympathetic—sort of. Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, Despicable Me screenwriters CINCO PAUL audio excerpt: "What Ken and I do is talk about the next 30-page chunk. We divide up the scenes, write on our own, bring them together and read them. The goal is: can you make the other guy laugh? It is crucial to try to outdo the other guy." Despicable Me has a great many connections to greatness, starting with Steve Carrell as the despicable one himself, Gru. He’s just the icing on a aural cake, however, leading a cast that includes Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Will Arnett, Ken Jeong, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews, Mindy Kaling and Jack McBrayer. That’s the exciting part. Scene from Despicable Me, written by Ken Dario and Cinco Paul Scene from Despicable Me, written by Ken Dario and Cinco Paul The nail-biting part? That would be following on the heels of Toy Story 3, which was released a month ahead of Despicable Me and won both critical raves and box office gold. Will audiences excited by the story and technical achievements of Woody and Buzz be tempted to come back for something in the same vein but different? If you were going to take a chance in this genre, putting your money on Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio is probably a good bet. Their last film was Horton Hears a Who! Based on the beloved children’s story. It grossed a reported $300 million, worldwide. And they’re already at work on adapting another Dr. Seuss tale, The Lorax. Despicable Me Website • Twitter • Facebook • Order Despicable Me from Amazon.com Cinco Paul Twitter • Rotten Tomatoes • Wikipedia • IMDB Ken Daurio Facebook • Twitter • Rotten Tomatoes • Wikipedia • IMDB 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: Kristin Harmel, romance novelist, The Art of French Kissing. Novelist and University of Florida Gator Kristin Harmel (Photo: UF Communigator)   Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above Kristin Harmel’s new novel, her fourth, in fact, is titled The Art of French Kissing. It’s a sweet, surprisingly gentle story of a young boy-band publicist, who’s a woman from Orlando, whose life there collapses, and she goes to Paris to escape and maybe find herself again. It’s chick-lit for sure, but I enjoyed it. It also made me think more fondly of Paris than I had since the one time that my wife and I visited there back in ’88. Maybe we’ll get into that later. KRISTIN HARMEL audio excerpt: "the novels I write are very connected to sort of my own life, and I would say sort of the experiences that myself and my friends are going through right now. I’m 28, almost 29. I’m still sort of going through the struggles that you do sort of in your twenties and thirties of finding yourself and of sort of finding where you fit in the world and among others, the funny, little adventures that I get to go on and like I said, the bad dates."  Kristin Harmel Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Order The Art of French Kissing from Amazon.com BOB ANDELMAN/Mr. MEDIA: So tell us that you’re in some fabulous part of the country. KRISTIN HARMEL: I’m actually back home in Orlando, Florida right now. In the past week, we’ve been in Boston, New York, Atlanta, and now back in Orlando for launch parties. ANDELMAN: Oh, Orlando. Well, that’s okay. We’ll just pretend you’re in Monte Carlo or something. HARMEL: Exactly. Can I backtrack and revise that? I’m lying on a beach in Hawaii. ANDELMAN: C’mon, you’re in the fiction business. It’s all about theater of the mind. HARMEL: Exactly, my mistake. Sorry. ANDELMAN: You just released two books pretty simultaneously, The Art of French Kissing, and what I believe is a young adult novel, When You Wish. HARMEL: Yes, that’s correct. They’re both from different publishers, which I think accounts for the reason that they both came out around the same time. But, yes, When You Wish is my first novel for teenagers, basically for ages 12 and up, and it came out just a couple weeks ago. I’m really excited about that one, too. ANDELMAN: But tell the truth, Kristin, because everybody wants to know this. You actually outsource the writing of your books to India so you have time for fun stuff. HARMEL: I wish! I’m gonna have to start thinking about that. Thanks for the idea. ANDELMAN: I hear they do everything for less. HARMEL: There you go. Exactly. If I could do that or just find more hours in the day, I think we’d be all set. ANDELMAN: The Art of French Kissing, which is the book that I just finished reading, from what I’ve read, it seems to hug very close to certain details of your own life. That true? HARMEL: In some ways. It was basically inspired by the fact that I, myself, five years ago, went over to live in Paris sort of on a whim the same way that the main character of the novel does. And like the main character of my novel, I really didn’t speak much French when I went over, and I went over to live with a friend sort of at a time in my life when my own life was in a little bit of disarray. However, my path sort of parted from the main character of the novel when I went over there in that she actually had all these fabulous adventures of dealing with this crazy international rock star and whatever, and I would say my adventures were much more tame. So I had to use my imagination a little bit to create her world. ANDELMAN: Oh, I just feel so sad now. I was hoping to hear that you had to tamp down your own experiences to put them in the book. HARMEL: Well, I will have to say, a few of the things that poor Emma has to do in the book include hanging upside down from between a couple of buildings in Paris. So I’m happy that I didn’t have to do anything wacky like that, but I did have some crazy...

Today's Guest: Mark Margolis, actor, "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul," "Timeless" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of mouth breathers, ear wagglers, toe tappers and other social malcontents who envy Mark Margolis and his cheek twitches and ding-dong… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Mark Margolis, left, Giancarlo Esposito, in AMC's "Breaking Bad" There are at least three elements to an award winning acting performance: 1) It starts with the source material. Is the writing sharp, evocative, and provocative? 2) Does the actor understand the words on the page and can he extend their value from words to performance? 3) And finally, is the audience emotionally moved by the actor? MARK MARGOLIS audio excerpt: "In Scarface, Al Pacino said if we put all our faces together we might be able to make one handsome guy!"  Order Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! If you’ve been watching the AMC drama “Breaking Bad” over the years, you’ve had the privilege of seeing some extraordinary performances by the lead actors, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn. But some of the greatest moments have been of the smaller, more isolated type. Like the ones featuring my guest today, Mark Margolis, who plays – or should I say played -- Hector "Tio" Salamanca. You remember Hector, the notorious, bloodthirsty bastard we met as an old man and later in flashbacks as a young badass. As Hector, Margolis never says a word, communicating extraordinary viciousness and anger with nothing more than a glare and the pounding of a little bell. Margolis was so terrifying as a bellringer that he’s been nominated for 2012 Emmy Award as “Best Guest Actor.” Hopefully, he doesn’t have that damn bell with him now. Breaking Bad Official Website on AMC • Order Breaking Bad Season 4 on DVD from Amazon.com Listen! The 2008 Mr. Media audio interview with Breaking Bad star Anna Gunn! The 2008 Eric Deggans/The Feed audio interview with Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul! The 2012 Mr. Media video interview with Breaking Bad guest star Larry Hankin!     Mean Business: How I Save Bad Companies and Make Good Companies Great by Albert J. Dunlap with Bob Andelman. Order your copy now by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Harlan Cohen, 'Help Me, Harlan' syndicated advice columnist, author, The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Harlan Cohen, 'Help Me, Harlan' syndicated advice columnist and author of The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only, by clicking on the video player above! Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience that is rubbing hands together with glee at the prospect of empty nesting while at the same time shedding a tear over four more years of indentured servitude… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only' by syndicated advice columnist Harlan Cohen, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Three weeks from today, life as we have known it for 18 years in the Mr. Media household will forever change: Rachel is going to college to start her freshman year. I joke about being ready to see my daughter head off and mostly that’s true. And I know she is more than ready to begin a big new challenge and get out from under Mom and Dad’s thumbs. But there is, admittedly, a bit of sadness. HARLAN COHEN podcast excerpt: "Rule number one: Your roommate does not have to be your friend. When your roommate has to be your friend, you're placing unrealistic expectations. A roommate is not a friend. A roommate is someone you share space with to help pay for college. My next roommate rule is: Roommates who want to get along will find a way to get along. The moment your son or daughter calls you and says, 'I hate my roommate!' is the moment your son or daughter becomes the Roommate From Hell. My third rule is the 'Uncomfortable Rule.' It says if your son or daughter is ever uncomfortable, he or she has to tell the roommate within 24 to 48 hours. And the roommate has to tell them. If you don't tell each other, then you're not allowed to talk about it. The problem with millions of college-bound high school students is they suck at uncomfortable. They don't know how to be uncomfortable. Roommates will tweet and instant message each other across the room because they can't have a face-to-face conversation." When Mimi and I return home without the kid, who will provide me with on-site tech support? Who will correct my mistakes from sun up ‘til sun down? Who will need me to remove the occasional spider from terrorizing her? Order 'The Naked Roommate and 107 Others Issues You Might Run Into in College' by syndicated advice columnist Harlan Cohen, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! And who will come up behind me at my desk and demand an occasional hug for no particular reason? To help my wife and I – and you and yours – survive the upcoming earthquake in our lives, I’ve invited Harlan Cohen to be my guest today. Cohen, the nationally syndicated “Help Me Harlan” advice columnist, is the author of The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only, a book recommended by many colleges and universities during parent orientation to help us get through the potentially trying months ahead. Some of the questions Cohen tackles include: • My daughter has been on campus for a few months and never seems to have a care in the world. Is this normal? • When is it appropriate to say something and intervene based on something a parent has seen or read on Facebook? • What are some of the things I should advise my child to bring to college? HARLAN COHEN podcast excerpt: "The following story happened at a Catholic university, of all places. A girl was in her room, in the lower bunk, and her roommate brought a boy home. She had never been in a room where someone had brought a boy home. She was already in her bed and didn't know what to do. The girl waited a while, hoping her silence would cause them to stop. But her being quiet only caused the situation to increase in intensity. So the girl reached out and picked up her cell phone and called her mom. 'Mom, what should I do?' The mom said, 'I'll be right...

Today's Guest: Jeff Black, singer-songwriter, B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two   Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Jeff Black by clicking on the video player above! Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience looking for a good story, put to music, to get their day off to a great start… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'B-Sides And Confessions Vol. 2' by Jeff Black, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the album cover above! I heard the first song on singer-songwriter Jeff Black’s new album, B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two, and that was all it took. One stanza of the lyrics, in fact, cemented his appearance here: I dropped down to see the doctor He gave me some strange strange news He said I think you’re going to live forever boy But you’re to die a little bit before you do JEFF BLACK podcast excerpt: "There are as many different concert nights as there are people on the planet. Luckily for me, the kind of music I write and perform is sought out. There is a huge contingency of people who seek out singer-songwriters" That just really spoke to me and opened a gateway into the folk/Americana style of Black’s music. The good news is that Black is joining me today to talk music and, even better, to play a couple of songs for us. And if you like what you see and hear, you can catch “An Evening with Jeff Black” on tour this fall in Louisville, Kentucky, Valdosta, Georgia, Gainesville, Florida, and right here in St. Petersburg on Sunday, September 15 at The Palladium. Jeff Black Website • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • Google+ • Order B-Sides and Confessions Volume Two from Amazon.com BONUS! The interview above was actually take two. The first time we tried this, the sound was great but somehow the video went black after just a couple minutes. Jeff Black agreed to release it as a bonus. It includes several different topics and performances of "All Right Now" and "Rider Coming" that are slightly different. Enjoy!   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: Jeff Black, singer-songwriter, B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two   Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Jeff Black by clicking on the video player above! Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience looking for a good story, put to music, to get their day off to a great start… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'B-Sides And Confessions Vol. 2' by Jeff Black, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the album cover above! I heard the first song on singer-songwriter Jeff Black’s new album, B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two, and that was all it took. One stanza of the lyrics, in fact, cemented his appearance here: I dropped down to see the doctor He gave me some strange strange news He said I think you’re going to live forever boy But you’re to die a little bit before you do JEFF BLACK podcast excerpt: "There are as many different concert nights as there are people on the planet. Luckily for me, the kind of music I write and perform is sought out. There is a huge contingency of people who seek out singer-songwriters" That just really spoke to me and opened a gateway into the folk/Americana style of Black’s music. The good news is that Black is joining me today to talk music and, even better, to play a couple of songs for us. And if you like what you see and hear, you can catch “An Evening with Jeff Black” on tour this fall in Louisville, Kentucky, Valdosta, Georgia, Gainesville, Florida, and right here in St. Petersburg on Sunday, September 15 at The Palladium. Jeff Black Website • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • Google+ • Order B-Sides and Confessions Volume Two from Amazon.com BONUS! The interview above was actually take two. The first time we tried this, the sound was great but somehow the video went black after just a couple minutes. Jeff Black agreed to release it as a bonus. It includes several different topics and performances of "All Right Now" and "Rider Coming" that are slightly different. Enjoy!   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: Mark Cousins documentary director, The Story of Film: An Odyssey Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of American film students who think they know it all after watching all of the Harry Potter and Twilight films… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'The Story of Film: An Odyssey' by Mark Cousins, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD box set above! There is a lot an American can learn about film from an Irishman. Mark Cousins’ new 15-hour documentary, The Story of Film: An Odyssey, offers a perspective that is dramatically different from a Hollywood-centric view of the celluloid universe. He packs this surprisingly fast-moving epic with film clips and filmmaker interviews from around the world, from Bernardo Bertolucci, director of The Last Emperor, to American Buck Henry, writer of The Graduate. In between, he visits sites of film history on every continent and takes a global view of an industry that Americans incorrectly think of as all theirs. MARK COUSINS audio excerpt: "Live cheaply. Don't got to restaurants. Don't take taxis. If you live cheaply, you don't have to earn much. When you work for low budget, you have creative freedom, which is the best best thing for a filmmaker. I could focus on who did great things at different points in film history."  As a student of cinema myself – my fraying degree is in film studies from the University of Florida, where I studied everything from New Wave French and German cinema to the entire Charlie Chaplin catalog – I’ve become accustomed to movie travelogues that will be 80 percent Hollywood with a little French, German and Japanese dropped in for flavor. But in The Story of Film: An Odyssey, which was just released as a DVD set, Cousins give the rest of the world its due. You’ll watch this documentary and be introduced to the brilliance of many filmmakers whose names and titles you probably never heard of before. Mark Cousins Twitter • Wikipedia • IMDB • BFI • Order The Story of Film: An Odyssey DVD boxed set 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: Joe Murray, animation creator, "Rocko's Modern Life," "Camp Lazlo" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of two-dimensional, banana-mouthed warthogs in the new new media capital of the world and home of the best team in baseball… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above Joe Murray has a natural flair for animation and characters that are bursting with... character. But between you and me—and I gotta be honest here—he is also responsible for creating some of the ugliest cartoon characters in history. Have you ever really looked at Rocko, the star of his original Nickelodeon hit, Rocko’s Modern Life? What is that? And Lazlo—OMG! But his cartoons look great, despite the somewhat hideous characters, and kids love them. I know this first hand; my almost 14-year-old daughter to this day insists she is Camp Lazlo’s #1 fan. Order 'Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series' by Joe Murray, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD boxed set above! JOE MURRAY audio excerpt: "I have never been introduced before by talking about the hideousness of my characters! Rocko and Lazlo are my children! But the characters are all about imperfections." Murray, the creator of all this madness, just published a fascinating book called Creating Animated Cartoons with Character: A Guide to Developing and Producing Your Own Series for TV, the Web, and Short Film. Even if you’re not a wannabe animated but just a fan of the art, you’ll find plenty to read about here. The book is packed with practical information, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, rare production sketches and Q&As with an array of familiar animators, from Craig McCracken, creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory to the creator and voice of SpongeBob Squarepants, respectively, Steve Hillenberg and Tom Kenny. Speaking of Kenny, we'll give a listen to Murray and Kenny at work on a new series they’re developing for KaBoingTV.com, Frog in a Suit. We’ll also have an actual sneak preview from Frog in a Suit in the second half of today’s show. Joe Murray Website • Facebook • Twitter • Order Creating Animated Cartoons with Character from Amazon.com Order Will Eisner: A Spirited Life (2nd Edition) by Bob Andelman, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Dule Hill, actor, "Psych," "The West Wing" Dule Hill, co-star of "Psych"   Order 'Psych: The Complete First Season' starring Dule Hill and James Roday, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD box cover above! Dule Hill has led a pretty charmed career as an actor. Today he co-stars in the wonderfully wacky dramedy, “Psych,” now in its third year on USA Network. But before that, he spent seven seasons as Charlie Young, assistant to the President of the United States, on The West Wing. Reaching further back, he debuted on Broadway opposite Savion Glover and Jeffrey Wright in “Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. " He also worked with Gregory Hines. And your kid probably knows him from his role in the movie adaptation of “Holes.” Dule Hill Twitter • Facebook • IMDB • Wikipedia • Instagram • Tumblr • Order Psych: The Complete Series from Amazon.com The cast of Psych, starring Dule Hill and James Roday You Might Also Enjoy These Mr. Media Interviews: Eddie Griffin (Audio) • Darryl Lenox (Video) • Marc Maron (Audio) • Yul Spencer (Audio) • Ralphie May (Audio) • Lisa Lampanelli (Audio) • Robert Schimmel (Audio) • Jeff Garlin (Audio) 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!