Mr. Media Interviews by Bob Andelman

Today's Guest: Dario Scardapane, showrunner, "Trauma" Cliff Curtis, Aimee Garcia star in NBC's 'Trauma.' (Courtesy NBC)   Dario Scardapane, showrunner, "Trauma," "The Bridge." Order 'Trauma: Season 1,' created by Dario Scardapane, available from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above! (2009) From what I’ve read, the opening 10 minutes of the NBC drama “Trauma”—and say that five times fast—is the greatest introduction to a TV show ever. It cures cancer, tames global warming and reveals the secrets behind “Lost.” Okay, maybe it doesn’t do the last thing, but still! Seriously, NBC has had great success with emergency medicine shows going back to “Emergency!”—the one with the exclamation point—and, of course, the long-running “ER.” DARIO SCARDAPANE podcast excerpt: "I keep hearing, 'Okay, that's a pretty amazing way to start things. How are you going to keep up with it week after week?'  Television isn't the realm of the timid. Setting the bar really, really high for yourself... I embrace it." Dario Scardapane is the creator and executive producer of “Trauma,” which, all; kidding aside, is one of the most talked about dramas of the new TV season. And Scardapane brings an unusual background to this show. Instead of being a Hollywood set rat, he’s a former journalist who has worked at Vogue, Los Angeles Times, Details and US Magazine. Dario Scardapane Twitter • LinkedIn • Facebook • Order Trauma Season One 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: Will Packer, film producer, Obsessed Order 'Obsessed,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! Will Packer, film producer, Obsessed (2009) Beyonce Knowles and Ali Larter star in producer Will Packer’s new movie, Obsessed. I don’t know about you, but after learning those two are in it, I don’t really need to hear much more to know I’m going to see it. But if I’m in the minority, let me say that from the trailer, it looks like a Fatal Attraction-type thriller, with Larter—one of the stars of NBC’s “Heroes”—as a Glenn Close-style intruder upon Beyonce’s once quiet marriage. Joining me to talk about the movie is Will Packer, who brings more credibility to this show’s claim that St. Petersburg is the new media capital of the world: this is his hometown. I’m told he even received a key to the city that proves it. Will Packer Twitter • Rainforest Films on Twitter • Rainforest Fims website • Rainforest Films on Facebook • Order Obsessed from Amazon.com Will Packer Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn • Wikipedia • IMDB • Will Packer Productions 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: Cristine Rose, actress, "Heroes" Cristine Rose, actress, "Heroes" (2009) If you’re a “Heroes” fan, I’ve got a treat for you today. My guest is Cristine Rose, who stars in the NBC drama as the mysterious, calculating matriarch Angela Petrelli, who, we believe, is willing to sacrifice anything, including her gifted sons, Nathan and Peter, to change the world. Apparently, having sons played by Adrian Pasdar and Milo Ventimiglia, doesn’t have much impact on Angela! Christine, who is a commanding presence on the screen, is a veteran TV actress whose roles have included appearances on “Picket Fences,” “Providence” and “Friends.” She even has an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to her credit, playing, I believe, a Klingon. More recently, she’s been seen on episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” and “Big Love.” Don't miss these Mr. Media interviews with the "Heroes" cast: Milo Ventimiglia David Lawrence Cristine Rose 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 Guests: Maura Tierney, Rob Morrow, actors, "The Whole Truth" Rob Morrow, The Whole Truth, ABC   Maura Tierney, The Whole Truth, ABC They are two of America’s favorite and most charismatic actors. They are also a man and a woman who have retained their dignity and privacy as we’ve watched them mature and grow on television for the past—dare I say it? – two decades. Maura Tierney appeared in almost 300 episodes of NBC shows, including 100 “NewsRadio”s with the late Phil Hartman and almost 200 “ER”s. And Rob Morrow had similar runs over on CBS: 102 episodes of “Northern Exposure” and 118 episodes of “Numb3rs”. MAURA TIERNEY Audio Excerpt: "I did a TV movie with Diana Ross where I played a schizophrenic. Did you ever do that?" ROB MORROW Audio Excerpt: "No. I did a thing with Annabella Sciorra... My wife saw Diana Ross shopping at Gelson's the other day. She can't stop talking about it. Diana Ross pushing a cart!" Now they’re together for what I believe is the first time, co-starring on the alphabet network, ABC, in “The Whole Truth.” He’s an over-confident, wisecracking defense attorney named Jimmy Brogan; she’s Kathryn Pearle, an equally confident assistant district attorney. It’s a two-sided legal drama where viewers get both sides—and maybe a little more, hence the title. Rob Morrow Website • The Actor's Nightmare, short story by Rob Morrow • Facebook • YouTube • Twitter Order 'Northern Exposure - The Complete Series' starring Rob Morrow and Janine Turner, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the satchel above! Order 'Newsradio: The Complete Series' (Slim Packaging) starring Maura Tierney and Phil Hartman, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the boxed set 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: Adi Tantimedh, novelist, Her Nightly Embrace: Book 1 of the Ravi PI Series Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Adi Tantimedh by clicking on the video player above!  Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience full of conspiratorial whisperers who know there are cameras and microphones recording their every move… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Her Nightly Embrace by Adi Tantimedh. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above! (EDITOR'S NOTE -- This is a very special interview. It is the 1,300th overall  post on Mr. Media and, coincidentally, it marks the site's 10th anniversary, February, 2017. Neither my guest nor I realized when this conversation was recorded that it would fall on such a significant occasion. Thank you to novelist Adi Tantimedh and thank you to the more than 4.5 million people who have visited, read, listened and watched Mr. Media over the past decade! -- Bob Andelman) I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of the detective novel Her Nightly Embrace when I read that the lead character, Ravi Singh, sees visions of Hindu gods wherever he goes. What? Oh, and I subtracted points for the back cover quote and endorsement from Deepak Chopra, of all people. ADI TANTIMEDH podcast excerpt: "Ravi used to be a religious scholar, which means he would be extremely well-read. And he's Hindu. If he's worried about karma, his life, the more deeply he gets into this world, how corrupt and evil it can get, I thought, 'What if he sees gods?' He would start to assume that he's going insane!" Fine man, that Deepak Chopra, but not exactly the guy I look for to offer recommendations of books about the adventures of a private detective. Michael Connolly, yes. Vikram Seth, yes. Deepak Chopra? Eh, not so much. But dammit, Deepak was right when he wrote that “Ravi is a character unlike any that readers have quite encountered before.” Her Nightly Embrace is a series of wack-a-doodle adventures introducing Ravi and the crew of screwups at the Golden Sentinels agency in London. Ravi, like the best PIs in 20th century detective literature, gets plenty of tail, by the way, but always at a steep price. And his family is a hoot and a half. La Muse by by Adi Tantimedh and Hugo Petrus. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above! Still not sure about the Hindu Gods, however, unless they are supposed to be the book’s version of a Greek chorus, offering commentary from the margins. I think the stories would soar just as high without them. ADI TANTIMEDH podcast excerpt: "I wondered if we could get a quote from Alan Moore since he was my writing teacher and I still talk with him weekly. But Deepak Chopra? I did some work on a video game that had Deepak Chopra's name on it, but I never met him. I'm surprised and perplexed (by his endorsement of 'Her Nightly Embrace')." Key interview moments: • 3:15 Novelist Adi Tantimedh can't explain why Deepak Chopra endorsed his first 'Ravi PI' novel, 'Her Nightly Embrace,' but he didn't turn him away, either; • 17:30 Tantimedh's anti-hero, Ravi, has issues every where in his life, including dealing with the local Asian housewife gangster who is shaking down his mother; • 31:15 An explanation--that makes sense--for why Ravi PH sees Hindu gods wherever he goes. Adi Tantimedh Twitter • Bleeding Cool • Goodreads • LA Muse     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: Claudia Zevallos, actress, "Day of Days," "A Better Place"   Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Claudia Zevallos by clicking on the video player above!  Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience full of dying old men who are not sure that they’re going to survive today’s episode… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Day of Days stars Tom Skerritt and Claudia Zevallos Day of Days is a painful movie to watch. Don’t get me a wrong – it’s a pretty fascinating two-person indie drama about an old man’s last day on earth and the substitute nursing aide who picked the wrong day to be on call. What makes the movie painful is seeing actor Tom Skerritt playing such an elderly, infirm old codger. He’s too damn good at convincing the viewer that he could go at any minute. CLAUDIA ZEVALLOS podcast excerpt: "I lot of people have a different takeaway from the movie. They have regret, they have pain, they have tears of joy. That's the beautiful thing about 'Day of Days.'" You know Skerritt – he’s a beloved American character actor who has starred in M*A*S*H, Alien, Top Gun, A River Runs Through It, Up in Smoke, and the television series “Picket Fences.” And then there is his co-star, Claudia Zevallos, a Lee Strasberg trained Peruvian actress who struggles to dissuade her one-day charge of his notion that the only thing that lies ahead of him is a walk to a bright light at day’s end. As Marisol, Zevallos has her own world of hurt and loss of faith to battle this day. Zevallos seems both familiar and exotic in the role, but she is a fresh face and a distinct talent, whose previous English language film roles include A Better Place. CLAUDIA ZEVALLOS podcast excerpt: "What I picked up from Tom Skerritt was that he was always on time. And he always had a smile. It didn't matter what we were working on that day. He was very much a professional. A gentleman, for sure. And he was always trying to read the director, Kim Bass." Key interview moments: • 2:30 Actress Claudia Zevallos talks about the intense emotion reaction different people to her two-person drama, Day of Days; • 13;10 Zevallos reveals what she learned about professionalism from veteran actor Tom Skerritt on the set; • 24:05 She kept reminding herself to live in the moment while shooting Day of Days. Claudia Zevallos Facebook • LinkedIn • 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: Billy Idol, rock star, "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell" (I was first introduced to the music of Billy Idol by my then-roommate, photographer Dennis Osborne, in the early 1980s. Dennis would bounce around the house to "Dancin' with Myself" and it was hard to resist the song's infectious beat and lyrics. I recently located the audio to my 1984 Music magazine interview with Billy and present it here in all its amateur glory. -- Bob Andelman) Billy Idol on the cover of Music magazine (Photograph by Dennis Osborne, (c) 1984 All Rights Reserved.) With his startling blonde spiked hair and bona-fide punk stance, Billy Idol would be about as acceptable in the Deep South today as the long-haired hero of Charlie Daniels "Uneasy Rider" was a decade ago. But when Idol titled his 
latest album Rebel Yell, he
caused a lot of second looks.
What does a British
renegade noisemaker know
about confederate flags,
'shine or the Mason/Dixon Line?
Not much. The 28-year-old native of Bromley, England was considering a holler of a different kind. Coming off his first big hit, “White Wedding,” Idol was harassed by complaints that he was an anti-woman sexist pig. Rebel Yell started as a response to that stinging allegation and wound up with a lyric touching many themes, including the Statue of Liberty. "I wrote the song to address the people who thought I was anti-women. (But) instead, I wrote it about how strong one-to-one relationships should be angled more towards women. After a while I started to think 'she doesn't like slavery, she won't sit and beg' is sort of about America, because when I was tired and lonely, she pulled me in,” Idol explained in a recent telephone interview. BILLY IDOL interview excerpt: "The first punk bands, Generation X, The Damned, The Sex Pistols, had really positive attitudes... We went out of our way to play. People never talk about that. They always talk about the violence of the gigs." "I was really down after Generation X ended," he continued, referring to the early punk band he sang for. "I came over here and people 
were jumping around the 
bars like myself. I didn't
 know (about that), because we'd never been over here. It
 was fantastic. When people
 were into my music, it was
 what I needed to hear. I needed a bit of back-up.” For Idol, finding a successful career in a strange
country has been an unexpected pleasure. Generation
X, whiIe widely acknowledged as one of the more significant of the second generation English punk bands to spring to renown in the late ‘70s, never cracked the American marketplace. Generation X produced three albums during its four-year existence. Idol was lead singer in a group that also included Gene October and Tony James. "We really wanted it to work, be a group forever, but it didn't end up like that. It was a bit of a blow," Idol admitted. "I wrote all the music in
 Generation X and Tony 
James wrote all the words. I
 write a lot more of the words 
now. I'm singing my own
 words a lot more comfortably... I think I put a lot more 
rhythm into my music which
 we didn't always have in
 Generation X. It was a wham! 
bam! but it wasn't always rhythmy." Billy Idol Greatest Hits. Order your copy today by clicking on the album cover above! Three years ago, Idol hooked up with collaborator and friend Steve Stevens, a 25·year·old New York native. "I didn't meet him with the intention of wow, maybe I'll get in his band," Stevens recalled. "I just thought he'd be an interesting character...and he turned out to be one. We hung out for a long time, played guitars together. When he went to record the Don't Stop EP, I stayed around and bummed cigarettes." Don't Stop, which included Idol's new version of Generation X's only hit "Dancin' - With Myself," was followed by a self-titled solo album, the first musical work Idol and Stevens did together. This was the record to feature “White Wedding,” the song and video which established Idol’s reputation as more than a curious punk. He...

Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of recovering former cathouse dwellers… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!   Part 1 of 2   Order Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean by Jackson Galaxy, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! I hates cats. Maybe “hate” is a strong word. The problem is I’m allergic to them. I can think of many aspects of my life that would have turned out differently if it were not for the adult onset of cat allergies. Dinner parties I would not have had to leave early due to puffy, red eyes. Intimate social encounters uninterrupted by wheezing and breathlessness. You get the idea. So I can’t be around cats. And, I suppose, because of that, I do hate cats. JACKSON GALAXY audio excerpt: "When I first started, I wasn't the most comfortable walking into people's homes. We want the focus to be you and your cat, not the guy who might duct tape you to your chair. If you want somebody wearing a sweater vest, we probably weren't meant to work together." To me, then, all cats are sent from to us from Beelzebub. Which is why I instantly accepted the opportunity to interview rock guitarist and cat wrangler Jackson Galaxy on the occasion of his new Animal Planet mini-series, “My Cat From Hell.” The show debuts Saturday, May 7 at 9 p.m. I’d probably want to watch the show just for the spectacle of Galaxy himself – the shaved head, goatee and cat tattoos are quite a sight to behold, even before we meet the various felines on steroids. This should be fun. Jackson Galaxy Website • Twitter • Facebook • YouTube • Google+ • Order Cat Daddy from Amazon.com   Part 2 of 2 Order 'Catification: Designing a Happy and Stylish Home for Your Cat (and You!)' by Jackson Galaxy and Kate Benjamin, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover 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: Ritch Shydner, comedian, author, Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life as a Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom   Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Ritch Shydner by clicking on the video player above!  Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience full of comedy road dogs who went straight to the index of Ritch Shydner’s new book to see what secrets he told` about them… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! 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! Comedian Ritch Shydner made a career onstage painting pictures with words, so it should be no surprise that he transitioned easily to doing the same in book form. What might be surprising is that more comics haven’t told their stories in this way. RITCH SHYDNER podcast excerpt: "Rodney Dangerfield once said, 'Listen to what the audience is laughing at.' I tape myself not just to help structure the material and the jokes , but to find out what they find funny." Shydner’s tale, Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life as a Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom – includes years of drug and alcohol abuse, women, and repeated attempts to earn his father’s respect – gives comedy fans an unprecedented look at his id and ego. We also get a front row seat at life on the road and the friends he made, including Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, Sam Kinson, Gilbert Gottfried, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Hicks and many more. Speaking of behind the scenes, I must disclose I have an extra interest in Shydner’s book: it was published by Mr. Media Books, which is an extension of this podcast. Ritch and I have gotten to know each other this past year and I asked to read his manuscript. Being a comedy fan, I loved Kicking Through the Ashes and offered to publish it myself. If you love comedy, you gotta have this book in your life. RITCH SHYDNER podcast excerpt: "(My first wife, comedian Carol Leifer) and I were both very competitive. We met when I moved to New York in 1979, started dating in '80, and get married in '81. We were both insecure about our status and our careers, both trying to make a mark. The relationship was always, I think, secondary to our careers." Key interview moments: • 3:30 Comedian Ritch Shydner explains how the 1980s were a transformational moment for stand-up comedy; • 16:30 Rodney Dangerfield's advice to young comics; • 33:00 Among the more personal anecdotes in the book, Shydner talks about his competitive relationship with his first wife, comedian and ("Seinfeld" writer) Carol Leifer. Ritch Shydner Website • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • IMDB • Wikipedia     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Alexandra Daddario, actress, "Parenthood" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of Esquire readers who want to hear the joke about the elephants falling off the cliff again and again… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!   Alexandra Daddario guest stars on NBC's 'Parenthood,' Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC) My wife is a huge fan of the NBC series “Parenthood,” but I don’t usually do interviews based on her interests; she’s a tough one to impress. My teen son, on the other hand, still might raise a smile if the old man has a guest that he’s interested in. So talking to beautiful Alexandra Daddario was a must. ALEXANDRA DADDARIO audio excerpt: "I get very scared very easily, but there is something to be said for the fun level of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D type of film." Alex played Annabeth Chase in the movie Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Her job was shepherding Jackson from adolescence to young Godhood. And while the movie fell short of some expectations, Daddario was actually quite good and it obviously opened more than a few doors. Order 'Bereavement' starring Alexandra Daddario, available from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above! Don’t take my word for it: her recent movies credits include everything from The Squid and the Whale through the Farrelly Brothers comedy Hall Pass. Next up is a starring role in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D. But of immediate interest is her role as Rachel on “Parenthood,” where she has been cast as the new assistant at The Luncheonette, the recording studio operated by Peter Krause and Dax Shepherd’s characters. My wife thinks she might be about to break up Adam’s marriage – I’ll ask about that. And yes, Percy fans – including my son -- I’ll definitely inquire about the Percy Jackson & The Olympians sequel, The Sea of Monsters, which IMDB says is in pre-production for a 2013 release. Or is it? Alexandra Daddario Twitter • Facebook • In Esquire • Order Bereavement on DVD from Amazon.com • Order Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief on DVD 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!