Bob Andelman Interviews

Jay Karnes has crafted two iconic TV characters, first as “Dutch” on “The Shield,” and more recently as the sardonic, anything-goes arms dealer “Brennan” on “Burn Notice.” His latest project is a 15-minute film short, Donkey Punch, which is now circulating at film festivals. Donkey Punch is the story of a precarious and sexually charged date. It is set in a Hollywood diner and features a Man (Karnes) and a Woman (Ann Russo) on an Internet date. Little white lies turn the date into a sexual showdown. Will their unforgettable night unfold into heartbreak or hot sex? John Hlavin, a writer on “The Shield,” wrote Donkey Punch based on his own dating experience. The short was directed by Kenneth Hughes. You can watch the trailer for the movie here: www.donkeypunchmovie.com

'Peanuts' cartoonist Charles Schulz with 'Curtis' cartoonist Ray Billingsley Photo courtesy of Ray Billingsley (Originally broadcast November 4, 2007.) Peanuts Treasury was the first hardcover book I remember getting as a kid, somewhere around 1968, 1969. I spent hours reading and re-reading it, losing myself in the comic misadventures of Charlie Brown and Snoopy, wishing I could be like Charles Schulz, the strip’s writer and artist. My first dog, acquired around that same time, was not coincidentally a beagle, like Snoopy, whom we named Peppy, and I loved that crazy dog. I was so fond of Peanuts Treasury that it’s one of the few prized possessions from my misspent youth that followed me through college, half a dozen adult relocations, and is now on my daughter’s bookshelf. It’s hard to find anyone who has anything bad to say about “Peanuts” or Schulz. The strip’s creator lived and thrived in the pre-Internet age where the world didn’t demand every detail of a celebrity’s life be preserved and shared. For the most part, we knew only his good works and the enduring cartoon series based on them. In his new book, Schulz and Peanuts, biographer David Michaelis introduces readers to the real cartoonist behind the daily strip. Michaelis’ previous biographical work includes a history of painter N. C. Wyeth. (Incidentally, the Schulz family – led by Sparky’s widow, Jean – has aggressively come out against the book they once authorized and with which they cooperated fully.)

One of the most anticipated movies of summer 2007-- no, not--and no, not Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer-- is The Simpsons Movie. And while Matt Groening couldn’t make it to join us today, we are lucky enough to welcome a member of the extended "Simpsons" creative family, frequent Simpsons comic book writer, Chuck Dixon. Dixon is a prolific comics writer, easily shifting between the in-jokes and low humor of Bart and Homer for Bongo Comics to the high drama of DC’s caped crusader, Batman. (Originally broadcast July 5, 2007.)

Playboy and I go back to the time when I discovered my dad’s prized stack of 1960s Playboys in a cardboard box in the attic on top of an old cedar wardrobe. And by the time I was thirteen, I ordered a subscription of my own. And once a month ever since, I’ve looked forward to the arrival of the next issue. A female friend jokingly asked if I read Playboy for the articles. Articles? I answered. Are there articles in Playboy? Apparently, there are because my guest today is Chris Napolitano, the magazine’s editorial director. If you look at the masthead, the only name listed higher is the magazine’s founder, Hugh Hefner. Napolitano began his career with Playboy in 1988 as an editorial assistant in the fiction department and now, in his 20th year with the magazine, is responsible for the day-to-day editorial policy and operations of Playboy magazine. He reports to Hef and is based in the company’s New York publishing headquarters. (Originally broadcast July 11, 2007.)

Blender. Newsweek. TV Guide. Forbes. Playboy. MacWorld. Entertainment Weekly. Wizard. Business 2.0. Esquire. These are the magazines I read as soon as they arrive in the mail each week or each month. They are frothy, entertaining reads, and I look forward to each new issue. And then there’s Smithsonian magazine. I can’t remember when or why we started subscribing to Smithsonian. It costs more than most of the others, and it demands more of my time and attention than they do. But for several years now, whenever I give it my time, it pays me back several times over in richly detailed stories about worlds and topics I never dreamed I’d be interested in, let alone become fascinated with. My wife and daughter have followed me into the pages of Smithsonian, and we probably talk about stories we’ve read there more often than anything else in the house. That’s why I jumped at the chance to interview Carey Winfrey, editor of Smithsonianmagazine. A lieutenant in the U. S. Marine Corps in the 1960s, Winfrey has since collected a series of damned impressive journalism credentials, including writing for Time magazine, winning an Emmy Award at PBS in 1974, reporting for The New York Times, and landing a job as editor-in-chief of Cuisine. He also spent six years as editor-in-chief of American Health and spent several years as an assistant managing editor at People magazine. (Originally broadcast May 31, 2007.)

(The following was adapted from a USA Today story by David Colton) Flying defiantly into a digital world, DC Comics launched a weekly series of superhero comic strips on July 8, 2009, printed on full-size newspaper pages like the old-fashioned Sunday funnies. The 12-week return to newsprint, called Wednesday Comics, makes its debut at comic-book stores July 8 and will offer 15 different stories for $3.99 in a broadsheet format, 14 inches by 20 inches. (New comic books are released across the USA on Wednesdays.) Creators include John Arcudi and Lee Bermejo on Superman, Brian Azzarello on Batman, Adam and Joe Kubert on Sgt. Rock, Paul Pope on Adam Strange, Dave Gibbons on Kamandi, Kyle Baker on Hawkman and a pairing of Neil Gaiman and Michael Allred on the obscure hero Metamorpho. All 12 weeks of the Superman strip will appear in USA TODAY as well, beginning July 8 with a full-page installment in the newspaper. The remaining 11 Superman strips will be available each Wednesday at usatoday.com. "There's a certain romance to the history of the big old Sunday funnies that I wanted to try to recapture in Wednesday Comics," says DC art director Mark Chiarello. "Why not dust off the format and have a little fun?" An old friend, Chiarello joins Mr. Media to discuss Wednesday Comics and take your calls.

Judy Tenuta is the most famous person that ever lived. If you don't believe it, just ask her! The stand-up comic/actress who describes herself as a "multi-media Bondage Goddess" and "the Aphrodite of the Accordion", is actually a caring nurturer who wakes up at 8PM to verbally abuse countless herds of mortal swine (her audience) and convert them to her signature religion, "Judyism." Her fans, ranging from fetuses to fossils, gays to geishas, all beg to chew her gum and kiss her feet because she is the only fun-feminist who preaches that all women should be worshipped as "Love Goddesses," and all men have an equal opportunity to become her furniture… It could happen! She was the very first stand-up to win "Best Female Comedian" at the American Comedy Awards. That same year she became the national spokesperson for a series of Diet Dr. Pepper commercials where she proclaimed, "You can't get a body like mine in a bottle unless you push real hard." Tenuta has starred in her own HBO, Showtime, and Lifetime Specials and has been seen on every major talk show. Judy has also had two smash comedy CD's and has been nominated twice for Grammy Awards for her "Attention Butt-Pirates and Lesbetarians", and "In Goddess We Trust." She is also the author of The Power of Judyism. On Saturday, August 1 at 8 p.m., Judy Tenuta will be the celebrity host of "ACME Saturday Night" at the ACME Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles.

In 2005, Alex Ferrari wrote and directed a short action/thriller film called Broken. It cost a mere $8,000, looks like a million bucks, and includes more than 100 visual effects shots. The film was a "proof of concept" -- Ferrari and his associates and investors wanted to demonstrate what they are capable of producing if given a larger budget and greater resources. I was skeptical of the short - until I watched it. It's pretty cool, especially considering its limitations. It's stylish and energetic and will leave you wanting more. (This interview was originally broadcast on May 16, 2007. You can read a transcription HERE.)

Drew Waters competed in a modeling contest with 3,500 entrants and won. He was then scouted by several modeling agencies. After his Navy enlistment ended, Drew began a career as an international print model, working on ad campaigns for designers like Ralph Lauren, Prada, Structure, Versace, Chaps, Hugo Boss, Guess, and Abercrombie and Fitch. He had eight successful years of modeling on the globe’s top runways, landing covers and ads in GQ, Vogue, Esquire, Men’s Fitness, and Men’s Journal, among others. World-renowned photographer Bruce Weber suggested Drew try his hand at acting, seeing something special in him. Since Drew’s dream was always to act, he began taking classes and workshops to hone his acting skills. In just over two years, he has become a prolific working actor. Some of the films Drew has appeared in: Blonde Ambition, Major Movie Star, Mad Money, It’s a Wonderful World, and W. He was the guest-starring lead of the episodic “Prayer of the Bone,” based on the critically acclaimed UK hit series, “Wire in the Blood.” He recently wrapped an episode of AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” and has a recurring role in NBC’s “Friday Night Lights.” Drew starred opposite Danica McKellar as her husband in Lifetime Television’s “Inspector Mom” and guest starred on NBC’s “Surface.” He’s had lead roles in several independent films including: Foreign Soil, The Plan, and They Feed.

There's been cheating for wealth ever since God created the heavens and Earth in six days, then submitted an invoice for seven. Everyone's doing it - from sleazy CEOs to juiced-up athletes, silicone-enhanced movie stars, and expense-report-enhanced MPs – why not you? Jeff Kreisler is the author of Get Rich Cheating, a satirical how-to, exploring the real-life scams that brought the world to its knees, and gotten so many people, so very rich. Get Rich Cheating is a pro-cheating seminar parody, with Kreisler (Bill Hicks Spirit Award, Comedy Central, BBC, Fox News, Independent Film Channel, Shoot The Messenger, The Americans, Huffington Post, Glasgow & Edinburgh Comedy Festivals) using the cheating of the day to provide absurd advice, encouraging the audience to adopt the techniques of the cheaters he exposes in hilarious detail. Get Rich Cheating is the definitive guide to the illegal, immoral, and fun, promoting tricks that have proven time and again to generate more cash than God, Google, Madoff, and Fred Goodwin combined. Jeff Kreisler, an international comedian and winner of the Bill Hicks Spirit Award, has written for Comedy Central's Indecision2008, Huffington Post, Shoot The Messenger, the Independent Film Channel, and Jim Cramer's TheStreet.com. This is his second visit to Mr. Media Radio; the first was as executive editor of the parody “My Wall Street Journal”!

When Angela Dove’s stepmother, Debi, was murdered in Modesto, California, it devastated her family. They were re-victimized when the case went unsolved. However, Debi's mother, Jacqueline MacDonald, turned her grief into a one-woman crusade to find her daughter's killer. It took her 9 years, but she succeeded. Along the way, she founded a local television and radio show called "The Victim's Voice" to help others bring attention to their cold cases--today, "The Victim's Voice" is broadcast to over 2 million homes throughout the central valley. When Jacqueline asked Angela to write her story, she was honored. As a columnist she frequently looks for stories that inspire and encourage, and Jacqueline's story did just that. However, as Angela was the last person to see her stepmother alive, she knew writing about the case would be difficult. Unfortunately, what she discovered while researching the case was far more devastating—her own father had been the top suspect in the case for years, and for very good reasons. Angela finally understood what had driven her father to self-destruction. Angela Dove’s book, No Room for Doubt: A True Story of the Reverberations of Murder became the story of a heroic mother who eventually found justice for her murdered daughter. It incorporates her father's story, but also the stories of those who worked this case (which, coincidentally, led to the formation of the CSI unit in Modesto, which later handled the Petersen case).

Patrick Muldoon played college football for the U.S.C. Trojans. After appearing in a “Men of U.S.C.” calendar, he was approached by Calvin Klein and accepted the offer to strike a few poses in their jeans campaigns. He later decided modeling really wasn't for him. His girlfriend suggested he try acting, and after his first day in his acting class, he knew he had found what he wanted to do. Early in his career he appeared on "Who's the Boss?" and "Silk Stalkings," which lead to "Days of Our Lives" and the role of Austin Reed. Patrick won the Soap Opera Digest award for best new actor and spent the next three years at NBC. He caught the attention of Spelling Entertainment, which led to a season on "Melrose Place." His next big break was landing the part of Zander Barkalow in Starship Troopers.. Since then, he's appeared in a host of independent films including Wicked and Black Cat Run. Muldoon is also a musician, singing and playing guitar with The Sleeping Masses. The moody, dramatic quality of The Sleeping Masses music is starting to garner considerable attention in the world of film and television; even though its record has only been in limited release on cdbaby.com for less than a year; the band's songs have already been placed on ABC's "Beautiful People." On July 25, Muldoon will be the celebrity host ACME Comedy Theatre’s “ACME Saturday Night.”

After three national championships, three Heisman Trophies, and a quarter-century career in the top ten list for the national all-sports rankings, the University of Florida football team is truly one of the bastions of gridiron superiority. As the state’s oldest and most comprehensive university, the University of Florida is the nation’s fourth-largest, making Gator Nation a force to be reckoned with. With fact-filled photo captions and chapter introductions written by Kevin McCarthy, Historic Photos of University of Florida Football captures the metamorphosis of a Southeastern Conference team, from humble beginnings to a powerhouse of academic and athletic prowess. Kevin McCarthy has written 43 books, mostly about the culture of Florida, such as The Guide to the University of Florida and Gainesville. He spent 37 years as a teacher of linguistics and writing in the Department of English at the University of Florida. Historic Photos of University of Florida Football is part of Turner Publishing’s Historic Photos series. These books, which highlight the history of the great cities, legendary figures, and pivotal events across America, have been acclaimed as a staple in the collection of anyone who loves history.

Aziz Ansari, currently starring with Amy Poehler on NBC’s “Parks & Recreation” and ABC’s “Scrubs,” is on his way to the Just For Laughs Comedy Conference where he will perform as a comedian and promote his appearance in the new film, Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. This year, The Comedy conference will award Todd Phillips, director of this year’s summer hit The Hangover, with the Comedy Director of the Year Award, and Etan Cohen, writer of the wildly popular Tropic Thunder and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, the Comedy Writer of the Year Award. Just for Laughs Montreal has also unveiled its line-up for their 13th edition of their Just For Laughs Film Festival from July 10-27. Headlining this year is Universal Pictures’ Funny People, the new comedy by Judd Apatow starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann. Additional premieres include World’s Greatest Dad, starring Robin Williams; Paper Heart, starring Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi; and Humpday, staring Joshua Leonard and Mark Duplass.

Katie McGrath stars as “Morgana” in the new NBC series ”Merlin”, airing Sundays at 8 p.m. "Merlin" updates the story of the infamous sorcerer of Arthurian legend for a new audience. Mr. Media interviewed Anthony Head ("King Uthur" on "Merlin"), too! CLICK HERE! 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 5th 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 Android phones: http://www.noticeorange.com/r/MrMediaInterviews Or listen on Stitcher via your iPhone, Blackberry or Palm Pre: http://www.stitcher.com/mrmedia