The Fame Fatale

After watching Lady Gaga at the VMAs this weekend, you may be wondering: Wait a minute. This was this the single that Gaga was so keen on keeping under wraps? This was the sacred comeback hymn whose premature leak sent her spiraling into a death spasm of self-pity?

Some hacker spent weeks spelunking the glitter-caked virtual hallways of the Haus of Gaga for... this? Why, God, why?

That last query isn’t rhetorical. One of you actually asked that. And I found out the answer. It’s all here for you in this latest episode of our podcast. Plus!

Have a listen!

The Fame Fatale comes of age today with its 21st podcast. Woot. Jello shots for everybody. And here’s a prezzie for all you, a Hobbit birthday gift, if you will: Three more of your questions about the inner machinations of Hollywood, answered! 

“Such as?” you query. Very well:

Plus! American royal highness Kelly Lynch of Celebuzz and the Spin Media empire joins me in the co-host chair this week. 

Go ahead and start listening.

Our 20th episode is here! Let’s call it the Charcoal Anniversary, after the material that makes up the bulk of my wizened heart. This week, I tackle three of my listeners’ most burning questions about entertainment, including, of course, the obligatory porn question.

Plus! Ever wonder what it’s like to open for a mega-tour like One Direction’s Take Me Home? You eat for free. And, turns out, that’s not all you do for free.

Also! Londoners get a quick primer on why Johnny Depp gets to play Tonto without anybody turning his backyard into Pine Ridge.

And finally! I get my mojo back in the Cage Match arena, even though Baby Vegas offers up one of the most epic celebrity sightings of all time.

Pour us a cuppa, innit? Raise those pinkies! Let the Big Ben bong! 

For this 19th episode of the Fame Fatale podcast, I bring you a bona fide expert in British royals: Marcia Moody, author of the new Kate: A Biography, is here to answer all of your questions about who Kate Middleton really is and whether our new Duchess is truly worthy of all the insta-praise being heaped on her. 

If you, too, have wondered why Middleton has chosen to support an unorthodox charity, why someone so silent has garnered so many accolades, or what would have happened if Kate had decided to go child-free, I have your answers. (Special shout-out to Reddit’s Two X-Chromosomes community for supplying thoughtful and intelligent queries.)

Plus!

It’s all here in Episode 19.

Pip pip.

Tired of celebrities telling us tall tales of eating “whatever they want”? So am I. And so, apparently, was a loyal listener, who wrote in recently asking about how stars really shed the pounds. The result: An interview with Mark MacDonald, the guy who got Chelsea Handler ready for her Shape magazine cover. MacDonald dishes nutrient-rich info about the smart and not-so-smart ways celebs stay slim in one of my most revealing Fame Fatale Q&As to date. (Hint: The smart celebs don't completely starve themselves before a shoot. But they do dry up.)

Also!: 

It’s all here. Take a listen. Head to iTunes and vote it up. Subscribe. Tell a little buddy.

Seen Pacific Rim? You know, the arthouse movie about mechanical men coming to terms with alienation in the modern world through the redemptive power of boat-throwing? Right. That Pacific Rim.

Apparently some of you think that the movie is a ripoff of other mega-robot flicks. If you are one of those people, then my special guest, Adi Tantimedh of Bleeding Cool, would like a word with you. Allow him to school you on the long, loooooonnnng history of massive mechas, courtesy of my latest podcast. By the end of his segment, you will know your testujins from your Transformers. And, coincidentally, the world will be forever free from invading aliens.

Also in this episode:

•  Guest co-host Lawrence Yee of TMZ’s TooFab explains why American Horror Story is scary-smart when it comes to Emmy strategy.

•  Mr. Yee brings his mad red-carpet skills into the Cage Match arena, but is soundly defeated by an 87-year-old former sitcom star. It’s kind of sad.

•  Plus! Your obligatory royal baby question, answered!

It’s all here in Episode 17. Plus, a handy infographic for all your robotic-history needs!

He’s been called the “audio heartthrob” and the “master of romance,” and now he’s mine. Allllll mine. At least, for the next 38 minutes or so. I speak of Simon Prebble, arguably the most in-demand voice actor in the world of audiobooks, and the man whose mesmerizing British baritone made me a fan of novels ranging from Raven’s Gate to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. 

Thanks to one of you loyal listeners, Prebble is also the featured interview in my latest podcast, which focuses on the underhanded, low-down, seedy world of recorded books.

Actually, there isn’t anything particularly seedy or low-down about the world of recorded books. But if Prebble were to read that sentence out loud, it would sound awesome. Know what else sounds awesome? When Prebble offers a dramatic reading of a Tweet by Katy Perry.

Which he does. Just for you.

By the way, how long does it take to record an unabridged novel about fairies, anyway? And what does it pay? Or, maybe the better phrase would be, what does it not pay? Here, Prebble offers all the dish, and in the same voice he used to win his Audie Award!

Also in this episode: All about Vocaloids. If you’re Japanese, you have to know what those are, or you lose your prefecture citizenship. But, because I have listeners living outside the Harajuku District, it’s about time I explained Vocaloids to the rest of you. 

Plus! Exclusive insight from music industry insider and Nerd-Out podcast co-host Lisa Jenkins.

Let’s just say you’re one of those talky people who likes to put on a show. You know: in a barn, on a stage, over those new-fangled webby inter-tubes.

Now just hold on there, future Oprah Jr. Turns out that, by merely doing that last thing–putting your face up to a USB mic and spewing your electrifying thoughts in podcast form–you’re opening yourself up to legal harassment and possibly even a lawsuit. That includes me. And, if you have a podcast, that includes you, too. 

Where is this fuckery coming from? Turns out, it’s a single company, which insists it holds a patent affecting pretty much every podcaster out there.

A loyal listener of mine has heard rumors about this accused patent troll, and wrote in expressing deep concern. So I looked into it, and got more answers for you, courtesy of IP attorney Peter Toren and none other than Marc Maron, host of one of the most amazeballs podcasts ever.

So there’s that.

Also in this episode!:

So hit that there play button already!

Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp are not the only actors who are richer than you. Know who else is probably richer than you? Flo. From those Progressive Insurance Commercials. The voice of the E-Trade baby. The Can-You-Hear-Me-Now guy who sold us Verizon wireless service for years. Those people make six figures a year or possibly more; the ex-Verizon actor Paul Marcarelli, bought and sold a $1.2 million New York apartment during the height of his fame.

But you, loyal listeners, wanted even more knowledge about your favorite commercial actors and how they live. So! For my 14th Fame Fatale podcast episode, I tracked down an actress so successful she’s got four spots running right now. And, just for me, she dishes on life as an ad queen. How many homes in the Maldives does Annie the Jack in the Box social media intern own? Well, none. But right now, she doesn’t really have to seek out any more work unless she wants to.

Plus!

That new Superman movie is Christ-tastic, isn’t it, kids? That’s a rhetorical question. Empirically speaking, Man of Steel has to be the most religiously pushy piece of moviemaking since Battlefield Earth. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. 

Listen in to Episode 13 of my Fame Fatale podcast to learn just how Christian our friend from Krypton has gotten, plus hear some insight on this topic from the fabulous Siike Donnelly, host of Up, Up and Away, and a resident DC comics expert at the iconic Golden Apple in Los Angeles.

Plus! 

And, back and badder then ever... Baby Vegas.