The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby

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New York Times Bestselling Author Karina Yan Glaser joined the show today for a chat about her new book, "The Vanderbeekers Ever After," the conclusion to the popular series.

Karina Yan Glaser is the New York Times best-selling author of The Vanderbeekers series and A Duet for Home. A former teacher as well as employee of New York City's largest provider of transitional housing for the homeless, Karina is now a contributing editor at Book Riot. Karina lives in Harlem, New York City, with her husband, two children, and an assortment of rescue animals. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can’t go anywhere without a book. Visit her at www.karinaglaser.com,

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Ovie Mughelli played nine years in the NFL, signed by the Atlanta Falcons in March 2007 and was a 4th round draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2003. One of the biggest fullbacks in the NFL, Ovie had a breakout 2010 season, earning his first Pro Bowl, representing the starting fullback position for the NFC and also the first Pro Bowl in the fullback position for the Atlanta Falcons franchise. A fullback in college for Wake Forest, Ovie was selected for All ACC First-Team in that position. Ovie called in to try to settle down Bears fans a bit, and to share some tailgating and viewing party tips.

Carmen Ordonez is a leading on-air lifestyle and travel expert, TV Host, Spokesperson and founder behind Viva Fashion. She has appeared in several media outlets including The New York Times, The TODAY Show, Univision, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, CNN, Telemundo and InStyle Magazine to name a few. She is currently the host of "ION Style" on the ION Television Network and shares her practical lifestyle advice on various TV shows including Telemundo's Un Nuevo Dia and Univision's Desiderata America.  Carmen joined the show for a chat about events and activities during Hispanic Heritage Month.

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From November 30, 2017: We remember Moody Blues drummer and founding member Graeme Edge as we revisit our chat about 50th anniversary shows of "Days of Future Passed," including a PBS special, as well as the third annual Moodies Cruise. 

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From August 11, 2020: Academy Award-nominated Actor James Cromwell visited the show for a chat about his movie Emperor.

JAMES CROMWELL BIO

James Cromwell earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Farmer Hoggett in the international smash BABE, and reprised his role in the hit sequel, BABE: PIG IN THE CITY. In 2018, he appeared notably in the Steven Spielberg/Universal blockbuster JURASSIC WORLD: ANCIENT FUTURES. He recently appeared opposite Meryl Streep in THE LAUNDROMAT for Steven Soderbergh, and will be seen in the period drama EMPEROR alongside Bruce Dern and Ben Robson. Cromwell appeared in THE PROMISE alongside Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale, and in MARSHALL alongside Chadwick Boseman and Sterling K. Brown, with other films including the Academy Award-winning THE ARTIST football dramedy THE LONGEST YARD opposite Adam Sandler, I, ROBOT alongside Will Smith, Oscar-nominated features THE GREEN MILE (Frank Darabont), THE QUEEN (Stephen rears), SECRETARIAT (Gary Ross), SPIDERMAN III (Sam Raimi), and LA CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson) among many others. Cromwell starred in STILL MINE opposite Genevieve Bujold (Toronto Film Festival Premiere / Top Ten Canadian Films of 2012), winning the Best Actor Award at the 2013 Canadian Film Awards, a Genie Award, and the Best Actor Award at the Seattle International Film Festival for his performance.

Cromwell won a 2013 Emmy Award for his turn opposite Jessica Lange and Lily Rabe on American Horror Story: Asylum. He currently recurs on HBO's Succession opposite Brian Cox, was just seen in two very different season-long arcs concurrently: on Epix's Berlin Station opposite Richard Jenkins and on Starz' Counterpart opposite J K Simmons. He earlier starred opposite Lee Pace on AMC's Halt & Catch Fire, in HBO miniseries The Young Pope opposite Jude Law and Diane Keaton, and continues his recurring role in the TBS comedy The Detour playing Jason Jones' mysterious, wily father-in-law. He played erudite defense attorney Warren Daniels on the TNT/Steven Bochco series Murder in the First, Andrew Mellon on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, starred on the ABC series Betrayal as billionaire industrialist Thatcher Karsten, and appeared on the Fox series 24 as Jack Bauer's father Phillip Bauer. He earned multiple Emmy Award nominations for his work on the HBO original series Six Feet Under, the HBO movie RKO 281, and the NBC drama ER. His body of work encompasses dozens of miniseries and MOWs, including TNT's A Slight Case of Murder, HBO's Angels in America, West Wing, Picket Fences, Home Improvement, L.A. Law, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Born in Los Angeles, Cromwell grew up in New York and Waterford, Connecticut, and studied at Carnegie Mellon University (then Carnegie Tech). His father, John Cromwell, an acclaimed actor and director, was one of the first presidents of the Screen Directors Guild. His mother, Kay Johnson, was a stage and film actress.

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Roshani Chokshi (www.roshanichokshi.com) is the author of the instant New York Times best-selling first book in the Pandava series, Aru Shah and the End of Time, and its four sequels. She also wrote the New York Times best-selling YA books The Star-Touched Queen, The Gilded Wolves, The Silvered Serpents, and The Bronzed Beasts. The Pandava novels were inspired by the stories her grandmother told her as well as Roshani's consuming love for Sailor Moon. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and often draw upon world mythology and folklore. Chokshi is a member of the National Leadership Board for the Michael C. Carlos Museum.  

Roshani visited the show to talk about her new book The Spirit Glass.

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Author Kelly Yang called in for a fun chat about her new bookTop Story: A Front Desk Novel.

KELLY YANG is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books for young readers, including the Front Desk series: Front Desk, Three Keys, Room to Dream, Key Player and Top Story, New From Here, and Finally Seen. Front Desk won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was chosen as a Best Book of the Year by multiple organizations, including NPR, the Washington Post, and the New York Public Library. Kelly’s family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang. After attending college at the age of 13, she graduated UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating program for children in Asia and the United States. Her writing has been published in the South China Morning Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. To learn more about Kelly and her books, visit kellyyang.com

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Michael Thomas Ford is the author of numerous works for both adults and young readers, including Suicide Notes as well as some of the earliest books about the HIV/AIDS crisis and several books about the LGBTQ community. A five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award, he has also been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Firecracker Alternative Book Award, and the Ignyte Award. He lives in rural Appalachia with his husband and dogs. Michael called into the show for a discussion of his new book Every Star That Falls.

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CHRISTINA SAUER is an associate editor for National Geographic Kids Books. She’s edited numerous titles including the Go Wild! series and National Geographic Readers. An avid supporter of STEAM education, Christina has had the privilege of creating children’s media for Disney Junior and NASA. When she’s not editing, Christina can be found reading with a cup of tea or hiking the mountains of Virginia. Christina visited the show to talk about a new book from National Geographic Kids, Can't Get Enough Horse Stuff.

TUCKER PERKINS is president and CEO of The Propane Research and Education Council. Tucker called in to share information on how propane-fueled school buses are safer and healthier for children, and have been shown to help improve performance in the classroom.

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Carmen Agra Deedy visited the show to talk about her new book, Carina Felina. 
Carmen also gave us a Big Wakeup Call first when she read from the book on the show!

CARMEN AGRA DEEDY is one of America's foremost storytellers. Her many award-winning books include The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!; Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, which received a Pura Belpré Honor; and her New York Times bestseller 14 Cows for America. Carmen was born in Havana, Cuba, and lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia. You can learn more about her work at carmenagradeedy.com.

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Aaron Blabey is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author with around 30 million books in print. He is the creator of three gigantically popular book series for kids – The Bad Guys, Pig the Pug and Thelma the Unicorn - and is also the co-executive producer of The Bad Guys movie by DreamWorks Animation and the upcoming Netflix movie-musical adaptation of Thelma the Unicorn.  Aaron called in for a fun chat about his new book Cat on the Run.