Mr. Media Interviews by Bob Andelman

Today's Guests: Mark Wheatley, comic book artist, Robert Tinnell, comic book writer, "Lone Justice" Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above Artist Mark Wheatley and writer Robert Tinnell are two good reasons that comic book readers are following the crowds to online media iterations of the 20th century comic panels. EZ Street by Robert Tionnell and Mark Wheatley. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above! Together they produced last year’s Harvey-nominated webcomic EZ Street. Separately, you’ll recognized Wheatley’s work from Hammer of the Gods, Black Hood, Frankenstein Mobster and Mars. And Tinnell is known for comics such as The Black Forest and Feast of the Seven Fishes and film scripts that include Frankenstein and Me, Kids of the Round Table and Believe. He also produced and acted in the film Surf Nazis Must Die. The duo’s latest joint production is the just released, sort-of sequel Lone Justice: Crash! You can read both EZ Street and Lone Justice: Crash! online for free at ComicMix.com. They even have a theme song for their web comics! Mark Wheatley Website • Facebook • Twitter • LinkedIn • Order Lone Justice Volume 1 from Amazon.com Robert Tinnell Website • Facebook • LinkedIn 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: Samantha Lockwood, actor, Shoot the Hero Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of slobbering horndogs in the new new media capital of the world and home of the best team in baseball… St. Petersburg, Florida!   Order Shoot the Hero by clicking the DVD cover above! What’s a stunningly beautiful actress like Samantha Lockwood doing in a hail of bullets called Shoot the Hero? Breaking up, making up and robbing a jewelry store with Jason Mewes, for one thing. Getting manhandled by Nicholas Turturo and Danny Trejo for another. She stars with those guys in this new comedy action heist flick written and directed by Christian Sesma. It’s out on DVD and while it may not win an Oscar, it’s a fun ride for a Saturday night date. SAMANTHA LOCKWOOD audio excerpt: "My role is to play Jason Mewes fiance. She's not a b-word; she's a girl who's just frustrated in her relationship. She's dealing with how her fiance spends his time playing videogames. She wants him to grow up and be more mature."  Samantha is doing a grassroots campaign to promote Shoot the Hero and her jewelry line, Fleurings — a style of jewelry that holds water and living flowers. And this week she landed the plum role of silent movie star Mary Pickford in a biopic of the actress’ life. Samantha Lockwood Twitter • Facebook • Pinterest • Instagram • Order Fleurings by Samantha Lockwood Shoot the Hero Website • Order Shoot The Hero from Amazon.com Order 'Fleurings Fresh Flower Vase Necklace' designed by Samantha Lockwood, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the necklace 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: Roger Nygard, documentary director, The Nature of Existence Order The Nature of Existence, a film by Roger Nygard, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! The DVD of The Nature of Existence hit stores just before the late November 2010 death of The Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner. IRVIN KERSHNER audio excerpt: "The Force is within every one of us. It's using the most powerful parts of our system. We have a big brain that isn't used. We don't know it's potential." Order The Empire Strikes Back, directed by Irvin Kershner by clicking on the DVD cover above! Roger Nygard, director of The Nature of Existence, interviewed Kershner for his documentary and we asked him to return to the show and share some outtakes of his Kershner interview with us. The Nature of Existence is a far more serious study, perhaps, than the works for which Nygard was previously best known, Trekkies, and its sequel, Trekkies 2. But, honestly, it’s just as fun. LISTEN! Roger Nygard's first appearance (July 2010) on Mr. Media! The Nature of Existence Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace • YouTube Irvin Kershner Wikipedia • IMDB   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: Roger Nygard, video editor, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience that hopes “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and Larry David will go on forever… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Part 1 of 3   Order from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above The last time Roger Nygard was a guest on this show, he was in a video editing suite in Hollywood and I was where I always am, in the living room studio with the whorehouse red walls. Our subject that day was the release of the expanded edition of Nygard’s terrific, globe-trotting documentary, The Nature of Existence, as well as the passing of one of its subjects, Irvin Kershner, director of the Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. In the course of setting the shot, Roger mentioned that we needed be done on time because Larry David was likely to be walking through the door behind him at any time. Uh, back up, I said. Larry David? Order 'The Nature of Existence' [7-Disc Expanded Companion Series] from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above Turns out Roger, on top of his many other credits, has been one of two video editors on seasons 6, 7 and 8 of David’s long-running HBO comedy, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” My mind was blown. I made him promise to come back on our show to talk about Season 8, which begins on Sunday, July 10. As for Roger, I was mostly aware of his documentary work until that time; in addition Existence, he also directed Trekkies and Trekkies 2. But it turns out he’s quite accomplished in TV sitcoms, having worked on “The Office,” “The Bernie Mac Show” and the very funny, but very short-lived HBO comedy, “The Mind of the Married Man.” Roger Nygard Website • Twitter • Facebook • YouTube •  Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO • Order Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season 7, from Amazon.com • Order The Nature of Existence, 7-disc extended edition, from Amazon.com More Mr. Media Interviews from Curb Your Enthusiasm: Jeff Garlin (Sept. 14, 2007) • Cheryl Hines (Oct. 21, 2007) Part 2 of 3   Part 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: Joseph Dorman, documentary director, Sholem Aleicheim: Laughing in the Darkness Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of 16-year-old boys in heavy fake beards all speaking in high school Yiddish accents… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Part 1 of 4   Order 'Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness,' a film by Joseph Dorman, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! I owe my first kiss to Sholem Aleichem. And my second, too. The first was Loye Neville; the second, not long after, was Diane Dunn. Both occurred backstage during dress rehearsals for the North Brunswick Township High School production of Fiddler On The Roof. Surely, you’ve heard of it? JOSEPH DORMAN audio excerpt: "Sholem Aleichem was a terrible, terrible businessman. He was very different from the men and women he was documenting or writing about. He was an assimilated Russian Jew. He lived in a large city, Kiev, for much of his life. And he had the luck of inheriting money from his father-in-law, who was a wealthy man. A lot of the reason he was playing the stock exchange was to support his Yiddish writing habit."  Seth Kaufman, 15, played Tevye, a revelatory performance that no one who saw it ever forgot. Phyllis Lyons played one of Tevye’s daughters – maybe you’ve seen her since then in The Bridges of Madison County or, more recently, in episodes of “House” or “Rizzoli & Isles”? (She married actor Adam Arkin, incidentally.) As G*d says, order 'Fiddler on the Roof 40th Anniversary Edition' starring Topol, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! But I digress. I didn’t know Loye or Diane before that. I was in 8th grade; they were in 9th. But I was never the same after that. These two pretty girls talked to me, laughed at my jokes and their friendship gave me a self-confidence I never knew before. We never dated, but I walked one or the other of them home from school dozens or times. And it’s all because I worked on the backstage crew of a high school production of Fiddler. So for that reason alone, I feel an honest debt to the storytelling talents of legendary Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem. And that’s the main reason I am pleased to help spread the word of a new documentary film, Sholem Aleicheim: Laughing in the Darkness, by writer, director and producer Joseph Dorman. The movie – which will be shown at the Toronto, San Francisco and Jerusalem Jewish Film Festivals this summer and opens July 8 at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in Manhattan -- is narrated by actor Alan Rosenberg and features the voices of Peter Reigert and Rachel Dratch, among others. Well, as King David said, "I am slow of speech, and slow of tongue." Sholem Aleichem: Laughter in the Darkness Website • Facebook Joseph Dorman IMDB • NYU Tisch School of the Arts  Part 2 of 4   Part 3 of 4   Part 4 of 4     You might also enjoy the Mr. Media video interview with legendary actor Theodore Bikel, perhaps best known for playing Tevye on Broadway!     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: Ralphie May, comedian Order 'Ralphie May: Too Big to Ignore,' available by clicking on the DVD above! Comedian Ralphie May Ralphie May is the big man on the comedy campus. You know that if you’ve ever seen him—he’s a heavyset southern guy with soft gentle looking facial features. Then he opens his mouth—and, oh my God! You probably remember Ralphie May best from season one of “Last Comic Standing.” Since then he’s proven himself to be one funny, funny MF-er. Which reminds me – if you’re under 18 or easily offended, tune Mr. Media out for the next 30 minutes ad check out the FlyLady or Dr. Blogstein. This show is strictly for grown-ups. Ralphie May Website • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • Order Too Big to Ignore 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: Chuck Dixon, comic book writer, "The Simpsons, "Batman" Part 1 of 2   Order The Simpsons Movie (Widescreen Edition) from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above! One of the most anticipated movies of this summer -- no, not Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix -- and no, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer -- is The Simpsons Movie. And while Matt Groening couldn’t make it to join us today, we are lucky enough to welcome a member of the extended "Simpsons" creative family, frequent Simpsons comic book writer Chuck Dixon. Dixon is a prolific comics writer, easily shifting between the in-jokes and low humor of Bart and Homer for Bongo Comics to the high drama of DC’s caped crusader, Batman. Part 2 of 2   Order the graphic novel Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1 from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above!   Order Batman Versus Bane from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above!   Chuck Dixon Website • Blog • Facebook • Order Batman: Knightfall •  Order The Simpsons Movie from Amazon.com Thanks to Tampa Digital Studios! 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: Thesy Surface, actress, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"   Order 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Complete Season 6,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! Think about this for a minute. You’re a beautiful young actress, born in Chicago, raised in London and when you open your mouth, the most delightful, sophisticated accent comes pouring out. You’re waiting for your big break in show business when the phone rings. One of the buzziest hit sitcoms on TV, FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” is calling. They want you for what could become a recurring role on the raunchy, outrageous gross-out fest. Sounds like a dream come true. THESY SURFACE AUDIO EXCERPT: "I think it was Charlie Chaplin who said, 'It doesn't matter how big the role is. Just be memorable.' And Margaret McPoyle is memorable." But… the producers want to paste a dark, heavy unibrow across that lovely forehead of yours. And your hair? Tied into pigtails. At least you’ll get to utter some real clever, coarse dialogue, right? Sorry, kid. Your character is mute. No words will be spoken. But you do get to make a rather salacious move with your tongue. What do you say? Thesy Surface said yes. Yes to Margaret McPoyle, the silly stuff of which TV legends are made on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” For most people, this will be the first time you’ll have heard Thesy’s voice. Want to hear more? Check out her video blog at ThesySurface.com. And, oh yeah: the show returns to FX for its sixth season on Thursday, September 16 @ 10 p.m. (You can also catch up on episodes you missed on Comedy Central.) Mono-browed Margaret McPoyle — played by Thesy Surface —returns around Halloween. Thesy Surface Website • Facebook • Order It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 6 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: Joel Gilbert, documentary filmmaker, Bob Dylan Revealed Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of people who won’t figure out that my audio failed to record during the following conversation… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Part 1 of 2 Order 'Bob Dylan Revealed' from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD above! I can’t imagine the challenge of trying to capture the career of Bob Dylan in a documentary film.For starters, which Dylan? Folk Dylan? Dylan gone electric? Or Dylan the social activist, the poet, the singer and even the mumbler. In his documentary film, Bob Dylan Revealed, director Joel Gilbert spends more than a hour collecting stories and concert film about those Dylans. It’s a slice that adds texture to our knowledge of the legendary performer. Then about an hour and ten minutes in, Gilbert turns his film upside-down to reveal a new focus: Dylan’s short-lived, controversial born-again Christian phase. It’s thick with Christianity: spreading the word of the Lord, Jews for Jesus and the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church. What I don’t get from the film – with which Dylan clearly didn’t cooperate—is why Dylan set aside a lifetime of Judaism for born-again Christianity. To his credit, Gilbert’s film doesn’t avoid the fact that the public – and even many Christians – didn’t “get” this Bob Dylan. The same thing happened when Dylan subsequently jumped teams again, giving up Christianity for extreme orthodox Judaism and Chabad. Why? We may never know. And that’s not necessarily a fault of Gilbert’s work – it’s just the mystery of Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan Revealed Website • Order Bob Dylan Revealed from Amazon.com JOEL GILBERT audio excerpt: "(Rock critic) Joel Selvin published a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle a very critical piece entitled 'Bob Dylan's God-awful gospel.' He wasn't home, but Bob Dylan called his house and his wife answered. Dylan told her, 'Tell Mr. Selvin he's lost his license to review me.'"   Part 2 of 2   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: Phil Hollows, founder, Feedblitz Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience that includes people who actually understand why a feed is called a “feed”… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!   List Building for Bloggers interview with Feedblitz founder Phil Hollows!   Feedblitz.com In the five years that Mr. Media has been presented as an online podcast – first in audio, now with video in many cases – I would say that my biggest ongoing headache has been understanding what a feed is, how it works and how to keep it healthy. It hasn’t always been easy. A blog or website’s feed takes the usual content and repackages it in a way that it can be used for many other purposes. For example, you can subscribe to Mr. Media via its feed, which allows you to receive email or RSS updates. The feed lets us automatically send each episode to iTunes, Stitcher and the new, free Mr. Media mobile app for Android smartphones. It also shares the latest interviews like magic with dozen of social media services. PHIL HOLLOWS audio excerpt: "As soon as your blog ceases to be a hobby and starts to make money, people start to pay attention to Google Analytics and then they start to track their feed. And they want to have a professional service like Feedblitz where they can call and ask for advice." Click above to order List Building for Bloggers by Phil Hollows! All well and good. But every couple of months I add a new feature or a new ad or a line of HTML code that makes the feed get angry. And you don’t want to see my feed when it's angry. Fortunately, there are guys like Phil Hollows around to soothe its frustration. Phil is the founder of Feedblitz, a premium alternative to the free Feedburner service. A year or two ago, he read about my frustration on a Feedburner forum with that company’s ongoing lack of customer service and invited me to try Feedblitz. I did and I’m a very satisfied customer. And when we threw in the towel last month on Blogger and switched to WordPress, it was Phil Hollows who again was there to calm my nerves and guide me through correcting my latest feed mishaps. Phil, in addition to being a feed expert, is also an email marketing genius. He just published a new e-book, List Building for Bloggers: Proven Email Strategies that Build your Audience, Increase Engagement and Grow your Income. You can get it at ListBuildingForBloggers.com or on the Amazon Kindle. I thought the least I could do after all he’s done for me is help him pimp his book. Phil Hollows Feedblitz.com • Order List Building for Bloggers • Twitter • Facebook • LinkedIn • SlideShare • YouTube 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!