Pop Culture Tonight with Patrick Phillips

Patrick celebrates the holidays with singer/songwriter Robynn Shayne, and “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” singer, Dr. Elmo! The episode is full of good cheer and features an exclusive, dramatic read of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” retold by Gaby Goldsack.

Now residing in Austin, Tx, Robynn Shayne is a self taught singer/songwriter. She spends her days working as a flight attendant, and her nights entertaining people with her musical talents. She has a self titled album available on iTunes and Amazon. You can visit her website www.RobynnShayne.com for the most up to date news.

Elmo Shropshire — a.k.a DR. ELMO — is best-known for his recording of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,”  the Christmas classic which has sold more than 11 million copies since it was first broadcast by a San Francisco radio station in 1979.

About Torrey DeVitto:

Torrey DeVitto starred on Lifetime’s “Army Wives” and played recurring roles on both the ABC Family hit show “Pretty Little Liars” and on the CW’s “Vampire Diaries.” DeVitto’s recent starring roles include the crime thriller “Evidence,” alongside Stephen Moyer and the TV movie “The Real Saint Nick.”

DeVitto’s film and television credits also include, playing Alexandra on the MTV pilot, “Alexandra the Great,” guest starring on the FBC pilot “One Big Happy,” appearing in FBC’s “The Untitled Michael Jacobs Pilot” and guest starring on episodes of “Scrubs.

The Bewitched Continuum “Bewitched” aired eight seasons on ABC from 1964-72, for a total of 254 episodes.

The series revolves around Darrin Stephens, an advertising executive, who marries a beautiful woman, Samantha, only to discover she is a witch with magic powers. He makes her promise him that she will live like a mortal, without using witchcraft and spells in their lives, but her best efforts are thwarted by the constant interference of magical relatives in their lives.

About Adam-Michael James:

An expert at continuity, Adam-Michael James has a long history in the entertainment industry. He spent two years writing script coverage for film production companies such as Centropolis Entertainment, Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, and Beacon Pictures.

He also has three years’ experience writing continuity scripts for radio. His exposure to the television industry through his work as an agency assistant and background actor give him a unique and qualified standpoint from which to write “The Bewitched Continuum.”

James’ literary output includes the book and lyrics for the musical drama “The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery,” “Extra, Extra: Memoirs from a Piece of Human Furniture,” a humorous how-to book on being a Hollywood extra, and the novel “Undo the Deed,” a time-travel story with a child abuse theme that was influenced by “Bewitched.” Since 2009, James has been a columnist for the website soapcentral.com

Film composer Matthew Llewellyn’s musical repertoire is grounded in the traditions of symphonic music for cinema as well as the modern movie making experience.

Llewellyn has been an integral member of composer Brian Tyler’s team working on high profile projects such as IRON MAN 3, THOR: THE DARK WORLD, NOW YOU SEE ME, THE EXPENDABLES 2, and FINAL DESTINATION 5. Llewellyn composed additional music for the critically acclaimed video game FAR CRY 3 and Don Coscarelli’s (Bubba Ho-Tep, Phantasm) film JOHN DIES AT THE END which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. He also provided musical arrangements for the hit video games ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG, ARMY OF TWO: THE DEVIL’S CARTEL and CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3.

Recently branching out with his own composing career, Matthew Llewellyn has scored three feature films for the Chiller Network, a division of NBC Universal, including DEEP IN THE DARKNESS, DEAD SOULS, and REMAINS. His dramatic orchestral scores for DEEP IN THE DARKNESS and DEAD SOULS were both recorded with the Slovakia National Symphony Orchestra. The DEAD SOULS soundtrack was released in 2012 by Screamworks Records and MovieScore Media and his forthcoming DEEP IN THE DARKNESS soundtrack will be released by MovieScore Media in partnership with Kronos Records in May 2014.

Matthew Llewellyn graduated from the Scoring for Motion Picture and Television program at the University of Southern California as well as receiving a Bachelors of Music degree in Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music. Born in California but raised in Minnesota, Llewellyn has played piano since the age of six and guitar from the age of fourteen. He also plays mandolin, bouzouki, ukulele, bass, and is constantly adding new instruments to his palette. For more information on Matthew Llewellyn, visit the composer’s website at matthewllewellyn.com.

Bethany Joy Lenz is best known for her work on The CW’s “One Tree Hill” and for being a series regular on the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light.”

In late 2012, after completing a nine-year stint on “One Tree Hill,” Lenz also appeared in an episode of the TBS half-hour comedy “Men at Work.” Additionally, she played a major role in the final season of the Showtime hit “Dexter.”Lenz recently won the lead role in E!’s first scripted series “Songbyrd,” produced by Oscar® winners Neil Meron and Craig Zadan and based on the life of famed Grammy-Award® winning songwriter Diane Warren.

About The Christmas Secret :

Christine Eisley’s life is coming undone. She’s been fired from her job, evicted from her home and her ex-husband is taking her to court for custody of their children.

To make matters worse, she’s misplaced a very special family heirloom, a star-shaped locket handed down from her father, who disappeared from her life when she was a young girl. But things seem to be looking a little brighter for Christine when she lands a new job working with a gregarious bakery owner and a holiday romance begins to blossom with Jason, the handsome grandson of a sweet couple who own a popular local store.

As she uncovers a long-standing family secret, Christine’s luck might be starting to turn, bringing her good fortune and true love just in time for Christmas.

Teri Polo is best known for her role as Robert De Niro’s daughter, Pam Byrnes, in the “Meet the Parents” feature films. She co-starred opposite De Niro and Stiller in “Meet the Parents,” for which she won a People’s Choice Award, and its sequel “Meet the Fockers.”

Other television credits include the original film “Second String” opposite Jon Voight and the Hallmark Channel Original Movie’s “Straight from the Heart” and “Love Is a Four-Letter Word.” She was nominated for an Emmy® Award for her role opposite Jimmy Smits on “The West Wing.”

Nancy Nelson stops by to chat about her book Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best

In this sublimely truthful and candid portrait, biographer Nancy Nelson draws on interviews with Grant, as well as material from his personal papers, along with loving, revelatory reminiscences from some of his closest friends and loved ones including Katharine Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Quincy Jones, James Stewart, and many more to reveal the vaudevillian, actor, lover, and father. This is the definitive biography of one of the screen’s greatest stars.

James Sheridan, co-author of Lucille Ball FAQ (with Barry Monush), joins me to discuss all things Lucy! About the Book Although countless books and articles have been written about Lucille Ball, most people know only the surface details of her personal life and some basic facts about her popular television series.

Lucille Ball FAQ takes us beyond the “Lucy” character to give readers information that might not be common knowledge about one of the world’s most beloved entertainers.

Forever Fest co-founders Sarah Pitre & Brandy Fons join me to talk about the Festival! Forever Fest captures the giddy excitement of discovering your favorite movie with your best friends beside you.

Forever Fest is a chance to party like it’s Prom Night, and this time, we’ll all be crowned queen. The Alamo Drafthouse presents FOREVER FEST 2014!

Gregory Harrison’s four-decade career spans television, film and theater. He has filmed over 40 TV movies, two dozen mini-series and guest-starred on dozens of television series, beginning with “M*A*S*H” in 1975. Harrison has since starred in numerous television series, including “Logan’s Run,” “Safe Harbor,” “Falcon Crest,” “Trapper John, M.D.,” “One Tree Hill,” “Judging Amy, “Strong Medicine, “Joey” and “Ringer.”

He also recently starred in the TV movies “Undercover Bridesmaid” for Hallmark Channel and “After All These Years” for Hallmark Movie Channel. On the big screen, Harrison has appeared in several feature films, including “It’s My Party,” “North Shore,” “Razorback,” “Running Wild,” “Air Bud II: Golden Receiver,” “Love ‘N Dancing,” “Give ‘Em Hell,” “Malone” and “The M Word,” with Michael Imperioli and Frances Fisher.

Author Tom DeMichael joins me to discuss his new book Modern Sci-Fi Films FAQ, which takes a look at the genre’s movies from the last 40 years, where the dreams of yesterday and today may become tomorrow’s realities. Space:1999 Star, and voice actor Nick Tate stops by to chat about his career and more!

Tom DeMichael is degreed in US History and has published numerous books and magazine articles in subjects as diverse as American film, American firefighting, collectible toys, and television’s greatest game shows.

As a video writer/producer of broadcast, corporate, and educational programming, DeMichael has received several industry awards. He is also a former Top Ten finalist on TV’s “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?”

Nick Tate is best known for his role as pilot Alan Carter in the 1970s science fiction television series Space: 1999, and for his voiceover work in theatrical trailers for such films as Jurassic Park and Mission: Impossible.

Boris Karloff will forever be known as the iconic monster in FRANKENSTEIN, but what was he like out of the makeup? Karloff’s daughter Sara Karloff joins me for an EXCLUSIVE interview about the career of her father, his love of work, and firm place in Popular Culture.

Amber Sager from offers.com joins me to announce this years popular Halloween costumes, and composers Joe Henson & Alexis Smith stop by to chat about their terrifying score for the game “Alien: Isolation“.

Academy® award nominated John Debney is considered one of the most prolific and successful composers in Hollywood.

His unique ability to create memorable work across a variety of genres, as well as his reputation for being remarkably collaborative, have made him the first choice of top level producers and directors.

Debney combines his classical training and a strong knowledge of contemporary sounds to easily adapt to any assignment. John stops by to chat about scoring the Walt Disney classic “Hocus Pocus” as we go behind the scenes of the enchanting music!

Monica Ballard from Austin Ghost Tours is also here with EVP as we listen to VOICES FROM THE BEYOND!