Bob Andelman Interviews

Dr. Neal Baer is executive producer of the hit NBC television series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Now in it’s 11th season, this hard-hitting and emotional series from NBC chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department, the elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes. "SVU" has collectively received 18 Emmy nominations; Mariska Hargitay won an Emmy in 2006 for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe in 2005. The shows airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Prior to his work on "SVU," Dr. Baer was executive producer of the NBC series "ER." A member of the show's original staff and a writer and producer on the series for seven seasons, he was nominated for five Emmys as a producer. He also received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Writing in A Drama Series for the episodes "Hell and High Water" and "Whose Appy Now?," the latter of which also received a Writers' Guild of America nomination. Dr. Baer graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed his internship in Pediatrics at Children's Hospital, Los Angeles.

Chris Hart is the author of Humongous Book of Cartooning and the award winning book series, Manga Mania. His books have sold over 2.5 million copies, in 22 languages. Since 2000, he has had 20 books on the top 50 best-selling list in the overall art category in the nation, according to Nielsen Bookscan. Chris is also the writer of The Reformed, a manga graphic novel for Del Rey Manga, a division of Random House. It has been selected as one of the best vampire stories by the website About.com. Hart's Humongous Book of Cartooning is a great value book covering everything the beginner needs to master cartooning. It teaches how to draw cartoon people, fantasy characters, layouts, background design and much more. This latest cartoon title from Hart packs a wallop. It's the cartooning book that has it all: cartoon people, animals, retro-style "toons'", funny robots (no one has ever done cartoon robots in a how-to book before, and movies like Wall-E and Robots were smash hits and prove their appeal), fantasy characters and even sections on cartoon costumes, character design, and cartoon backgrounds and composition. The Humongous Book of Cartooning is humongous, not only because it's so big, but also because it includes a huge amount of original eye-catching characters and copious visual "side hints" that Chris is famous for. There is more actual instruction in this book than in any other of Chris' cartooning titles.

Based on the award-winning play, Jersey City, by Wendy Hammond, A Beautiful Life was directed by Alejandro Chomski, who made his Cannes debut in 2003 with his Argentine film, Hoy Y Mañana. The screenplay was co-written by Hammond and Deborah Calla, who also produced the film. A Beautiful Life stars Jesse Garcia (Quinceañera, Days of Wrath), Angela Sarafyan (The Informers, Kabluey), Bai Ling (Love Ranch, The Crow), Dana Delany (“Desperate Housewives,” Multiple Sarcasms) and Debi Mazar (“Entourage,” The Women). Filmed entirely in downtown Los Angeles by cinematographer Nancy Schreiber (Best Cinematography Award, Sundance 2004) and produced by Deborah Calla, A Beautiful Life tells a story of survival. Calla, a native of Brazil, has been working since 1999 both in the US and abroad in the production and development of feature films, television programming and commercials. In addition to A Beautiful Life, Calla has produced the comedy-feature Dream House, starring Justin Theroux, Christina Haag and Anthony Hayden Guest; the drama Lehi’s Wife, starring James Green and Kathryn Joosten, directed by Wendy Hammond; and co-produced Lost Zweig, a feature film starring German actor Rudiger Vogler and Austrian actress Ruth Reiser, filmed entirely in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Calla is also the founder of The Love Project, a website devoted to essays by well known writers on and about love.

Based on the award-winning play, Jersey City, by Wendy Hammond, A Beautiful Life was directed by Alejandro Chomski, who made his Cannes debut in 2003 with his Argentine film, Hoy Y Mañana. The screenplay was co-written by Hammond and Deborah Calla, who also produced the film. A Beautiful Life stars Jesse Garcia (Quinceañera, Days of Wrath), Angela Sarafyan (The Informers, Kabluey), Bai Ling (Love Ranch, The Crow), Dana Delany (“Desperate Housewives,” Multiple Sarcasms) and Debi Mazar (“Entourage,” The Women). Filmed entirely in downtown Los Angeles by cinematographer Nancy Schreiber (Best Cinematography Award, Sundance 2004) and produced by Deborah Calla, A Beautiful Life tells a story of survival. Bai Ling is one of China’s most prestigious exports. Since Red Corner, her co-starring break-out role with Richard Gere, Bai Ling hasn’t stopped working. Her other films include Man About Town opposite Ben Affleck, Lords of Dogtown with Heath Ledger, Southland Tales with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law just to name a few. She’ll soon be seen in Love Ranch directed by Taylor Hackford (Ray). It also stars Helen Mirren. Bai Ling was named one of People’s "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" in 1998.

Dario Scardapane serves as creator and executive producer on NBC's new ensemble medical drama series, "Trauma." The show debuts Monday, September 28 at 9 p.m. ET. He worked as a journalist for various publications including Vogue, Los Angeles Times, Details and US Magazine. His film and television credits include the 1993 feature film "Posse," starring Mario Van Peebles, and the television pilot "Faceless," directed by Joe Carnahan. "Trauma" is the first high-octane medical drama series to live exclusively in the field where the real action is. Like an adrenaline shot to the heart, "Trauma" is an intense, action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical professions in the world: first responder paramedics. When emergencies occur, the trauma team from San Francisco City Hospital is first on the scene, traveling by land, by sea or by air to reach their victims in time. Starring in "Trauma" are Cliff Curtis ("Push") as daredevil flight medic Reuben 'Rabbit' Palchuk, Derek Luke ("Notorious") as stoic paramedic Cameron Boone, Anastasia Griffith ("Damages") as strong-willed paramedic Nancy Carnahan, Aimee Garcia ("George Lopez") as tough rookie helicopter pilot Marisa Benez, Kevin Rankin ("Friday Night Lights") as edgy EMT Tyler Briggs, Taylor Kinney ("Fashion House") as rookie EMT Glenn Morris and Jamey Sheridan ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent") as mentor Dr. Joe Saviano.

A graduate of Reed College in Portland, OR, Morgan Langley got his start in the business writing for various independent production companies. He first teamed with his father, “COPS” creator and executive producer John Langley, as production assistant and a producer on various projects, including “Hollywood Vice” and “Video Justice.” Since joining the family business permanently in 2003, Langley has focused his efforts on developing new programs and expanding the company’s range and output. He heads the company’s new documentary division in addition to maintaining an active development slate that includes the reality improv comedy series “Scarin’ Whitney” and the upcoming CourtTV/MyNetworkTV series “Jail.”

Starts @ 10:40 a.m. NBC’s second season sitcom “Parks and Recreation” comes from Emmy Award-winning executive producers Greg Daniels (NBC's "The Office," "King of the Hill") and Michael Schur (NBC' s "The Office," "Saturday Night Live"). It is a new mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. The shows airs Thurdays at 8:30 p.m. The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live,"), a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. In an attempt to beautify her town —and advance her career—Leslie takes on what should be fairly simple projects. Leslie hopes that she also will have inspired her uninterested college intern April (Aubrey Plaza) and April's whole generation—all the while moving one step closer to her ultimate goal: becoming the first female president of the United States. Aubrey Plaza is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She is an actor, writer and comedian who has performed improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater since 2004. She also performs stand-up and has appeared at the Laugh Factory and The Improv. She has roles in Funny People, directed by Judd Apatow, and Derrick Comedy's Mystery Team which debuted at Sundance. She can also be seen in the online series "The Jeanne Tate Show," and ESPN's "Mayne Street." Plaza will next star in the Universal feature Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life.

Kirchner guest-starred on television series and pilots including "Enemies" opposite Jeffrey Donovan. She recently guest-starred in an episode of "Dollhouse" opposite Eliza Dushku, playing the juicy role of a pop starlet with a death wish.   What is Mr. Media® Interviews? The calm of Charlie Rose, the curiosity of Terry Gross and the unpredictability of Howard Stern! Exclusive Hollywood, celebrity, pop culture podcast interviews by Mr. Media®, a.k.a., Bob Andelman, with newsmakers in TV, radio, movies, music, magazines, newspapers, books, websites, social media, politics, sports, graphic novels, and comics! Now in its 6th year! Subscribe FREE on iTunes or mobile devices via the Stitcher app and never miss a show! Watch or listen to more interviews like this one at http://www.mrmedia.com . Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/andelman Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MrMediaRadio Download the free Mr. Media app for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Palm Pre phones: http://bit.ly/y3M0tW Or listen on Stitcher via your iPhone, Blackberry or Palm Pre: http://www.stitcher.com/mrmedia

“It’s OK! I’m an Actor” is a situation comedy/mock reality show all packed into one. Featuring Joe, a small time commercial actor living with Ryan, his 9-5 friend in Brooklyn—“It’s OK!” will surely appeal to a wide audience. In “It’s OK!”, Joe's Hollywood delusions lead him into comical narcissism, promiscuity, and dipsomania. This tabloid-ready lifestyle not only causes Joe's career to falter, his lack of common sense begins to interfere with his roommate Ryan. Relations with a commercial diva, a rival star, and a shamelessly self-promoting rapper all aid in strengthening the humorous conflicts between the two leading actors. The breakdown of this web series is unique in that each episode is 15 minutes long, and separated into three parts for viewers with less time to spare. “It’s OK!” is the perfect show to watch and come back to time and time again. To further invest viewers in the characters, every episode will feature two mock-commercials with the “actors”—such as "Dark Corners " (a soap opera DVD infomercial) and the next diet pill craze, "Belly Booter Two." Christopher Ventura is the executive producer and co-creator of “It’s OK! I'm an Actor.” Peter LaSala is a producer and co-creator of “It’s OK! I’m an Actor.”

STARTS @ 10:40 a.m. Oxygen whips up a tasty treat every Tuesday with the premiere of its new docu-series, “The Naughty Kitchen With Chef Blythe Beck" on September 22 at 10pm. Beck, a fiery young chef and Texas native, shows off her distinctive sexy American cuisine, her cutting edge Dallas restaurant, Central 214, and her loud and flamboyant staff. Meet her restaurant employees: * Megan (GM), The multi-tasking diva in heels: * Eric (Sous chef) Blythe' s "monkey" and go-to-guy: * Emily (Door Whore) The carefree, spontaneous and "down for whatever" hostess: * Curtis (Door Whore) The sarcastic, social, flirtatious host: * Kerri (Event Coordinator) The country girl who hates health food: * Sam (Cocktail Server) The single, social and sassy cocktail server: * Robyn (Cocktail Server) Central 214's queen of cocktails: * Calvin (Waiter) Blythe's favorite hunky waiter In the first episode, viewers are introduced to Chef Blythe Beck as she fires up her staff and prepares for the clientele to come in to Central 214--giving viewers a glance of just how naughty her food really is. Blythe' world comes to a halt when she gets word that the food critic from the Dallas Morning News has come in to review her new menu. Not even a busy schedule of charity events and wine tastings can distract her from thinking about the critic's looming verdict. You will not want to miss what happens when Blythe reads the review and finds out what the critic had to say about her New American cuisine.

After saving the life of the President, two Secret Service agents find themselves abruptly transferred to Warehouse 13—a massive, top secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse's caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the warehouse itself. After a brief stint in commercials, Eddie McClintock got his big break with a recurring role on the Fox comedy "Ned & Stacey." Fox soon became home for McClintock with his first starring role on the network's series "Holding the Baby." He then starred in two series for NBC, "Stark Raving Mad" and "AUSA." Other memorable television appearances include: "Friends," "Felicity," "House M.D.," "Less Than Perfect," "King of Queens," "Sex in the City," "Just Shoot Me," and "Spin City." He was reunited with his "Stark Raving Mad" co-star Tony Shaloub, when he guest starred on "Monk." McClintock has also starred in several feature films appearing in Full Frontal, The Sweetest Thing, and the independent films Screenland Drive and Moving August. More Mr. Media interviews with the stars of “Warehouse 13”: Saul Rubinek

This Side Of Jordan is a story of another America, eighty years distant yet familiar, too, a vibrant and scandalous tapestry of eccentric characters from a nation embroiled in criminal liquor traffic, thrilled by Jazz Age fads and frolic, drunk amid the glittering showgrounds of a booming circus whose flag-topped tents are about to come down. Through mayhem and merriment, past the violence and hypocrisy of Prohibition, along miles of dirt roads and busy Main Streets, we see in this wonderfully evocative narrative a simple yearning for love and hope. This Side Of Jordan is about the distance we travel in America to find our rightful place. This Side of Jordan is Monte Schulz’s second novel. His first, Down by the River, was published by Viking in 1991. Library Journal raved that it compared to Stand by Me and Twin Peaks, and seemed "ready-made for Hollywood." He spent ten years writing Crossing Eden, from which This Side Of Jordan is drawn as the first of three interconnected novels; the second and third, Fields of Eden and The Big Town, will be published in 2010 and 2011.

If you ask Jeff Witzke’s mother, she will tell you her son started performing at the tender age of two, when he popped out of the fireplace, soot covered and with a big “Ta Da!” Later, he and his best friend spent countless hours making their own videos. Tucked away in their basements with a VCR and a camera, the duo made parodies of current events, dubbed over television shows with their own voices, and used every Star Wars figure, Fisher-Price toy and sister’s Barbie dolls they could get their hands on to create outrageous stories that would entertain their friends and family. One summer they expanded their artistic efforts and created a comedy-adventure spoof for the local cable station. A take off of Batman—they wrote, directed and starred in eight episodes of the adventures of “Moneyman,” Grosse Pointe’s first superhero. After attending Michigan State University, he moved to Los Angeles and quickly built a list of credits. Some of his most memorable roles include the kidnapper in Jason Reitman’s film Thank You For Smoking, the uber-Hollywood baby talent agent in last season’s “Nip/Tuck,” and on stage as Brother Brightbee, in the Los Angeles run of the “Book Of Liz,” by Amy and David Sedaris. Witzke has a cameo in Reitman’s newest film, Up In The Air, opposite George Clooney. He will also be in the second season premiere of “The Mentalist” on CBS opposite Simon Baker, and he just finished co-writing and co-starring in the new web series pilot, “House Husbands.”

When Columbia Records released Songs from Stamford Hill in 2000, it looked like James Maddock was destined for stardom. All the benchmarks of burgeoning success were there; a top 5 radio song, prominent placements in TV and film, inclusion on the first “Dawson's Creek” compilation, and extensive touring with the likes of Paula Cole and Train. Maddock created a small base of rabid fans, but he didn't achieve the wide recognition many thought he deserved. One of the burning questions in the music business over the last few years has been, "Whatever happened to James Maddock and Wood and why didn't he ever make another record"? The story of James Maddock over the last 10 years has been one of pain and persistence. The brass ring was within his grasp. He relocated to the U.S., got married, and made another record for Columbia. And then it all fell apart. His personal and professional life unraveled at a rapid pace. He found himself in a new country, divorced, and Columbia decided to not release the follow-up to Songs from Stamford Hill. Maddock was unceremoniously dropped from the label. A lesser man would have been broken by the experience, but Maddock rallied on amid the ruins. What James now has to show is a new album, Sunrise on Avenue C. In the age of the track, James has made a real album with a beginning and an end. Vin Scelsa of WFUV and Sirius/XM puts it this way; "I was thrilled to discover at the end of the decade James was living and working right under my nose in New York City, biding his time.”

Kathy Ireland “the supermodel” is now wife, mother of three, author, Sunday school teacher and fashion CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide® (KIWW)®. All that and a contestant in the new season of ABC’s hit series, “Dancing With The Stars.” Forbes, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal describe Ireland’s KIWW® as a $1.4 billion design empire. She supports many non-profits including the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation, Feed The Children, the Alliance for Christian Education, 9-1-1 for Kids, Athletes & Entertainers for Kids and the Dream Foundation. UCLA names Kathy as one of the Top Ten Women’s Health Advocates in America. On “Dancing,” Ireland teams with Tony Dovolani, who returns for his eighth season.