Olivia Wilder Times™

ADAM GERTLER is a cook, an entertainer and a full-time food enthusiast.  As the charismatic star of Food Network’s "Kid in a Candy Store" and "Will Work for Food," his playful sense of humor and willingness to do anything for a great meal earned him fans across the country.  He has also appeared on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," "Chefs vs. City," and the upcoming "The Best Thing I Ever Made," and was a finalist on Season Four of Food Network’s breakaway hit "The Next Food Network Star." The popular Adam returns to Art of Living to update us on his newest venture, a web-based series for Cooking Channel called "Food Bites," a hilarious review on "all things food on TV and the Web."  "Gertler's Wurst," an online sausage company, his pop-up dining and upcoming "Gertler's Kitchen" restaurant plans. http://adamgertler.com

JEFF SIEGEL, our resident and favorite "Wine Curmudgeon,"  award-winning wine writer and authoris back to talk about our favorite grape beverage, and share a big announcement with all of us.http://www.winecurmudgeon.com/

SIMON MAJUMDAR returns to the show to talk about his new project, "Fed, White and Blue," where he will be traveling all over the United States learning what it is to "be an American," since he is planning on becoming a citizen as soon as possible. He will, of course, be doing this through his love of authentic food experiences. The author of "Eat My Globe" is inviting people across America to participate in helping him to experience America through unique not-to-be-missed food, volunteering to get his hands dirty from helping food truck owners  in their kitchens, to harvesting crops, to heading out into rough waters with fishermen, and more. See details at: http://www.simonmajumdar.com/musings/fed-white-blue/ Simon is a popular contributor on Food Network's Iron Chef America, The Next Iron Chef, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Extreme Chef, as a judge.   ANDREA SCHRODER (rescheduled from 12/9) returns to the show to talk about her new line of candles, "Love Lights," and update us on her and husband Ricky's busy careers producing, directing and acting in film and television. Andrea built her first home at 18 and by the time she had 4 growing children, she had finished more than 15 homes, plus several commercial projects built, renovated, and furnished. She was on Bravo TV's "Top Design" season 1.  http://andreaschroder.com/   Our own favorite "Wine Curmudgeon," JEFF SIEGEL returns to the show with his "Ten Dollar Hall of Fame,"- not to be missed for those of us who love the grape, but not the high prices. http://www.winecurmudgeon.com/

ABOUT THIS SHOW:

This is a 2-part annual holiday show, filled with wonderful old rare radio shows, stories,  songs, and part 2 has the rare - and old-  reading of "A Christmas Memory" by author Truman Capote. 

Tonight, we will hear music by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and others singing holiday classics, as well as old radio performances of "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus," the entire reading of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," by Ralph Richardson, and so much more.

Gather your family around, have a cup of hot cocoa, eggnog, or just a cup of good cheer, and enjoy.

This show is deleted afterward and only available for listening live each year, when I switch things up and put together a warm and hopefully memorable holiday program for you.

Merry Christmas, and happiest of holidays to everyone. I wish you a new year of good health, and abundant peace.

Thank you to all of my listeners from the bottom of my heart.

Perhaps best remembered for his role in "Breaking Away," with Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Paul Dooley, was the sleeper hit of 1979. His performance earned him a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy of Film and Television Award (BAFTA) and a Youth in Film Award.  Christopher is no stranger to period dramas, having been featured in the final season of HBO’s "Deadwood," a re-working of the traditional Western. Other series credits include starring as 'Jack of all Trades' in "Profiler," and a recurring role in "Roswell." He has guest starred in "Six Feet Under," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Crossing Jordan," among others. Mini-series and others include Stephen King’s "It," "Natural Enemies," "Curaçao," and "Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story." Christopher starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of "The Little Foxes." Stage accolades include both the L.A. Drama Critics Award for Lead Performance, plus two others for his role as  Alan Turing in the West Coast premiere of "Breaking the Code.," and has received awards for performances in "Balm in Gilead" and "American Buffalo."   Throughout his career, Dennis Christopher has worked with many legendary film directors, such as Federico Fellini in "Roma," Robert Altman in "3 Women and a Wedding," Hugh Hudson in Academy Award winning "Best Picture" in "Chariots of Fire," and many other. Currently, Dennis will be seen in yet another legendary director's film, Quentin Tarantino's "Django," scheduled for release on Christmas day, and with an all-star cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kurt Russell.

Nadine Velazquez captured our hearts as ‘Catalina’, the sexy hotel maid/stripper with a heart of gold, on the People’s Choice winning NBC comedy series, "My Name Is Earl," for which she received four Alma Award nominations in the 'Best Supporting Actress' category. Currently she can be seen on the big screen theatrical release, as she stars opposite Denzel Washington in the Robert Zemekis directed film "Flight," which hit theaters nationwide on November 2, 2012.  Her future films are action thriller, "Snitch," where she stars as ‘Analisa’, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s wife, schedule for release on April 4, 2013. That will be followed by Lionsgate comedy, "Aztec Warrior," where Nadine plays the romantic lead opposite Luiz Guzman. Nadine continues to be a familiar face on television with recurring roles as sultry ‘Sofia’ on FX’s hit comedy, "The League," and this past season as sweet Southerner ‘Didi Ruano’ on CW's "Hart of Dixie." Daily Variety singled out Velazquez as one of ‘Ten Actors to Watch’, and USA Today named her ‘One of Five Rising Stars to Watch Closely.’ She was additionally picked by Entertainment Weekly for their summer ‘Must List,’ and included in People En Espanol for its ’50 Most Beautiful People.’ Velazquez spent her first three years in Hollywood honing her skills in projects such as "Biker Boyz," "Chasing Papi," "Suene," HBO’s "Entourage," "The Bold and the Beautiful," "Las Vegas,"  and "The Last Ride," with Dennis Hopper. A Chicago native, Nadine currently resides in Los Angeles. She is an impassioned supporter of charities that protect the rights of disenfranchised youth.

Food Network’s host of “Health Inspectors” and Chef of White Oak Kitchen and Cocktails has a fresh exclusive brand “Regionally Respectful”. RR is a cuisine primed with amazing local ingredients and culture. Ben’s passion for Southern Food was nurtured while living in Memphis, Tennessee a melting pot of deep historical Delta food. The culture mixed with seasonal, regional fresh ingredients, and a true love in preparation and techniques made Southern food this country’s first original cuisine.  His innovative dishes demonstrate his passion for pristine elements and incorporating rooted traditions. Ben is on a constant quest for the next big breakthrough in taste. He has shared his discoveries, as well as the passion and insight they’ve inspired, in the conception of multiple restaurants across the South. His infectious passion for teaching and cooking is a delicious culinary revolution. Ben will soon be speaking to culinary students and offering them an exclusive look inside the career of a culinary professional.

Joanne Weir's great-grandmother operated a restaurant in Boston at the turn of the century called "Pilgrim’s Pantry," and her mother was a professional chef/caterer. So it was natural that Joanne came to a culinary career. Joanne spent five years cooking with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, studied with Madeleine Kamman in New England and France and was awarded a Master Chef Diploma. Her teaching has taken her all over the world, spending several months of the year sharing her extensive background in food theory and technique, particularly Mediterranean cuisine and regional US foods.She has had several series on PBS, and  is the author of many cookbooks, has her own wine label, and recently opened "Copita," a Sausalito, California restaurant. http://www.joanneweir.com/index.php

NOTE: ANDREA WAS UNABLE TO DO THE SHOW & IS RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 6th!    Andrea Schroder returns to the show to talk about her new line of candle, "Love Lights," and update us on her and husband Ricky's busy careers producing, directing and acting in film and television.   Andrea built her first home at 18, and never stopped. By the time she was midway into raising their 4 children, she had finished more than fifteen homes, and several commercial projects built, renovated, and furnished. She appeared on Bravo's "Top Design," which she credits as a great learning experience. A couple of years ago, she was feeling she had lost her passion, spark, and light. Realizing that she needed for her work to have more purpose, she had to reflect on her principles and design sensibilities, and "Love Lights" candles were created. She creates the organic fragrances herself, and makes the candles with coconut oil, wich can be used also as a moisturizer. For every candle sold, another candle goes to a part of the world needing light. Currently, Mali (Africa) receives those candles to brighten the homes of some of the poorest people in the world.    Andrea says,  "Together we can make this world more beautiful, one light at a time." Website: http://andreaschroder.com/   Jeff Siegel, our favorite wine curmudgeon, returns to talk about holiday wines and the upcoming sixth annual Drink Local Wine Conference, which promotes the local wineries throughout the United States. The April, 2013 event will be held in Baltimore, MD. Jeff's website: http://www.winecurmudgeon.com/

He's baaaaackkk! FINALLY! The ever-busy Gilles returns fresh off of "Dancing With The Stars." 

 

While living and serving in Paris, Gilles Marini met the famous photographer Fred Goudon, who introduced him to the world of modeling. After fulfilling his military duties, Marini went to the United States to learn English and work as a model.   Gilles found himself in the international spotlight after appearing in what some have called the second greatest shower scene in film history, in 2008's "Sex and the City: The Movie." Other film credits include "One and the Other" (L'Une et L'Autre) and "The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down." Television audiences have seen him in prime time series such as "Nip/Tuck," "Ugly Betty," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Criminal Minds," and most recently in a January episode of "Castle." He has also appeared the daytime dramas "The Bold and the Beautiful," and "Passions." Gilles was the first runner up on the June, 2009 finale of "Dancing With The Stars," having set the stage on fire with his Argentine Tango, among other memorable dances. Marini was named one of People Magazine’s "Top Ten Sexiest Men Alive for 2009."   Currently, Gilles is returning as a series regular on "Switched At Birth," on ABC in January, 2013, as "Angelo."

Max Ehrich stars as “Fenmore Baldwin” in the CBS daytime Emmy award-winning soap opera series "The Young and the Restless," the consistently #1 daytime drama on CBS.  “Fen” is the angst-driven teenage son of “Lauren and Michael Baldwin” (Tracey Bergman and Christian Leblanc) who returns to his hometown after a long absence at a Canadian boarding school. Fen begins to add fuel to the fire as he becomes infatuated with Summer Newman and becomes her partner in crime in cyber-bullying. For the first time in Y&R history, the plot revolves around the show’s teens and obstacles that come with being on the brink of adulthood, rebelliousness and a storyline involving cyber bullying. The bullying will continue for a couple of months before it reaches a powerful climax," says Griffith (Emmy award winning head writer of Y&R). "It will then spin into a whole other direction involving Fen and his parents. This is more than just a cautionary tale about bullying and the dangerous consequences it has for our young characters. This will have huge ramifications for their families.   Max made his film debut starring in "One Easy Job" (2004), then had a supporting role as principal dancer in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year." Breaking into television, Ehrich was a recurring guest star in "Ugly Betty," Season 3, playing the role of Randy. He then starred in the 2009 Lifetime Original Movie "The Pregnancy Pact" as Jesse Moretti, performing alongside Thora Birch, Camryn Manheim, and Nancy Travis. He filmed two pilots for CBS in 2010, and has since shot another pilot as a recurring guest star for the new Country Music Television sitcom.

Hugh Acheson is the author of the James Beard Foundation Award Winning Cookbook "A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen," and chef/partner of the Athens, Georgia, restaurants "Five and Ten" and "The National," and the Atlanta restaurant "Empire State South." He is a James Beard award winner for "Best Chef Southeast" and was named a Best Chef by Food & Wine Magazine. Hugh competed in Bravo’s "Top Chef Masters," Season 3 and currently stars as a judge on "Top Chef Seattle."   This will be Hugh's second visit to Art of Living. His website can be found here: http://hughacheson.com/   MINDY KOBRIN, a lifestyle and home entertaining expert, fuses food, travel and all five senses to create mood-boosting recipes, toe-tapping playlists and nutritious tips that Feed Your Soul. With international flare, downtown panache and a welcoming girl next-door smile, Mindy helps you cook and entertain with delicious and in-season ingredients that satisfy the heart. Her motto is: Eat well. Feel well. Entertain well. Website: http://mealsonheelsbymindy.com/