Today's Guest: Joey Lawrence, actor, "Blossom," "Gimme A Break," "Dancing with the Stars" You’ve gotta give Joey Lawrence credit. He survived being a child and teen TV star, hanging out with Nell Carter for 77 episodes of “Gimme a Break” and “Blossom”—Mayim Bialik— for 114 weekly shows. After that he spent some time establishing... Continue Reading →
Hornberger, normal? Not if 30 Rock’s Scott Adsit can help it! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Scott Adsit, actor, "30 Rock" Food for thought: Is Pete Hornberger, producer of “The Girlie Show Starring Tracy Jordan” actually the most normal person on the show’s staff? Or do we only get to see actor Scott Adsit in such short bursts as Tina Fey’s straight man on “30 Rock” that we... Continue Reading →
On Chuck, Scott Krinsky brings up the rear! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Scott Krinsky, actor, "Chuck" You couldn’t fill a half-hour sitcom with every moment of screen time Scott Krinsky’s character “Jeff Barnes” has earned in nearly two seasons of NBC’s “Chuck.” But you know what? That’s okay. Because every time Jeff is in the camera frame—almost always with his partner Lester, played by... Continue Reading →
Rare John Denver audio interview, 1984: Mr. Media Lost Tapes
Today's Guest: Singer John Denver. In the years that I was a pop music critic for the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune back in the mid-1980s, one of the best parts of the job was interviewing musicians by phone before they came to town. I always liked the conversation, the give-and-take, the... Continue Reading →
That Charmed guy, Brian Krause! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Brian Krause had—from 1998 through 2006—what most guys would consider a most excellent day job: he played the character of “Leo” opposite Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, Shannen Doherty and Rose McGowan on the WB hit "Charmed.” Like I said, not bad work if you can get it. These days, Krause is out making... Continue Reading →
Sudanese activist rapper Emmanuel Jal lived role in War Child! PODCAST INTERVIEW
(UPDATE: I was reading Entertainment Weekly in early October 2014 and saw a familiar name and face featured in a story about a new movie, The Good Lie. It was Emmanuel Jal, a charming young actor and musician who found his way to Mr. Media in our second year of podcasting, 2008. His is... Continue Reading →
Peter Golenbock back to Brooklyn, plus the Tony Curtis story! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Peter Golenbock, In The Country of Brooklyn, American Prince: A Memoir You Midwesterners may disagree, but I don’t think there is any single place in this country more representative of the soul of America than Brooklyn and New Jersey. And the fact that I was born in the former and raised in... Continue Reading →
Actor Ethan Suplee? His TV brother’s name was Earl! PODCAST INTERVIEW
My younger brother, Ira, is a great kid. He’s not always the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he’s the kindest, gentlest, most supportive brother in the world. Okay, maybe second. Randy—you know, Earl’s younger brother on “My Name Is Earl”—is the most blindly supportive brother on earth. Ethan Suplee plays Randy to Jason... Continue Reading →
93 Before Poe Dameron, Oscar Isaac was here! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Oscar Isaac, actor, PU-239, Inside Llewyn Davis, Star Wars The Force Awakens Oscar Isaac, my guest today, co-stars with Paddy Considine in a riveting new HBO film, Pu-239. Based upon a short story by Ken Kalfus, PU-239 tells the story of a devoted father and husband -- Paddy Considine -- in post-Soviet... Continue Reading →
29 Billy Bob Thornton: Bad Santa actor to Beautiful Door singer! PODCAST INTERVIEW
You just can’t pigeonhole Billy Bob Thornton. Think about the movie roles he’s most famous for and see what, if any, connection there is: Carl in Sling Blade; Hank Grotowski in Monster’s Ball; Morris Buttermaker in Bad News Bears; Coach Gaines in Friday Night Lights, and my favorite, Willy in Bad Santa. Who would... Continue Reading →