Mr. Media Interviews By Bob Andelman

From 2009: There were 16 guys named David Lawrence listed on the IMDb.com site before the future “Heroes” Puppetmaster came on the scene, which is why he has the Roman numerals for 17—XVII—appear after his name. It’s a little odd, but certainly memorable. Anyway, Lawrence the 17th is in the midst of a pretty cool run on Heroes as Eric Doyle, best known for kidnapping and holding the cheerleader, Claire, a.k.a. Hayden Panetierre.

From 2010: It’s always fun to welcome familiar faces—and voices—to the show and today I get that pleasure with actress Elaine Hendrix. Probably best known for her role in The Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan and Natasha Richardson, Elaine is one of those beautiful, distinctive actresses who is always working. In fact, she joins us to discuss the release of several new films: Good Intentions (now on DVD) and Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2.

From 2009: Elaine Hendrix is an actress you’ve seen in the company of a lot of household names: Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap; Amber Tamblyn in “Joan of Arcadia”; Will Ferrell in Superstar; and Bam Bam and Celeste with Margaret Cho. This coming year, Elaine has an equally star-studded slate of films coming out: The Beacon with Teri Polo; Rock Slyde with Patrick Warburton and Andy Dick; Dear Lemon Lima with Beth Grant and Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo. 

From 2009: I jumped at the chance to invite three of the principals in the upcoming New Orleans Wine & Food Experience to come on the show. What’s the media connection? you may ask. Simple: among the many featured guests are the winner and several finalists from the fifth season of Top Chef. Joining me today are Joyce Godbold, executive director of the festival, Greg Reggio, president of the board, and the event’s host, Chef John Besh.

From 2009: For the next 30 or 40 minutes, Brian Till and Donna Heckler, co-authors of the new book, The Truth About Creating Brands People Love, are here to talk about what it takes to succeed in today’s whipsaw marketplace. Brian is the Steber Professor and department chair for marketing at Saint Louis University. Donna is the brand strategy lead for Monsanto.

From 2009: Thomas Calabro is a good-looking man. Even a straight, 100-percent hetero dude like Mr. Media can see that. And his good looks have paid off: first in an 6-year career as a star of Fox’s primetime soap “Melrose Place” where he played Dr. Michael Mancini and more recently as a guest star on series such as “Touched By An Angel,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Cold Case,” “Greek” and “Without a Trace.”

From 2009: John Melendez has one of the most interesting careers in show business. During his 15 years as "Stuttering John," a punchline on Howard Stern’s radio show, he was the cast member you loved to hate. Fast forward to March 2004 and almost overnight, the world of John Melendez changed. Jay Leno shocked everyone—Howard Stern most of all—by hiring Melendez to be his announcer on “The Tonight Show.”

From 2010: Threadless.com, the little T-shirt company that could, gambles every day that good kharma will deliver brilliant designs into its hands and that consumers will buy them. Incredibly, it’s a winning bet. Threadless was launched when co-founder Jake Nickell won an online t-shirt design competition in 2000. He thought it was so much fun that he started his own contest and a company grew from it.

From 2009: Joan Van Ark is a beautiful woman, an iconic television actress thanks to 13 seasons playing Val Ewing on “Dallas” and “Knot’s Landing.” So what on earth is she doing as a guest star on “My Name Is Earl”? Today, we’ll investigate.

From 2008: When last we saw Lester, one of the morally challenged Buy More employees on the NBC spy comedy “Chuck,” he was making more than eye contact with fellow employee Morgan’s girlfriend, Anna. Morgan saw them and was heartbroken. Anna, had it even worse: she was repulsed. Poor misunderstood Lester. Doing somewhat better, I suspect, is the actor who plays Lester, Vik Sahay (Sa-High), who joins us this morning to talk about one of Mr. Media’s favorite shows, “Chuck.”

Christine Lakin, gets a big break acting in the new film "Race to Witch Mountain," starring Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino . Her first audition was for a TV-commercial "Got Milk?!" Her next opportunity, which was the part as the young Rose in the civil-war flick Rose and the Jackal, which also starred Christopher Reeve. In 1991 she took her first step towards big fame and landed the role as the tomboyish Al on the Friday night hit “Step by Step.”

From 2009: Tatyana Ali is best known for her role as Ashley Banks on “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” from 1990-96 in which she played Will Smith younger cousin. She has since moved on from child star to adult actress, appearing with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd in Kiss the Girls; D.L. Hughley and Morris Chestnut in The Brothers; as well as performing in Glory Road and Nora’s Hair Salon II. She opened on tour for both the Backstreet Boys and N Sync and recorded a new album, The Light, for release this year

From 2009: Apparently, there is something screwy with America’s many state lotteries. Chris Hansen and his team investigated lottery scams. Hansen skyrocketed to prominence as the host of “To Catch a Predator.” With this lottery investigation, why do I have the feeling Hansen and Co. found their way back to his old Tampa stomping grounds—that’s right, right here in the new media capital of the world—to find a story of evil-doing and weirdness? Just a hunch.

From 2009: Chris Hansen, one of the best-known reporters at NBC News and “Dateline NBC” skyrocketed to prominence as the host of “To Catch a Predator.” If you’re preying on underage boys or girls, you don’t want to see Chris Hansen walking the steps to your front door. This week, Hansen and the “Dateline NBC” team are taking on America’s latest national trauma: the failing economy. If I were this recession and I knew Chris Hansen were gaining on me, I’d give serious thought to changing m

From 2009: This radio gig I’ve got as Mr. Media is pretty cool, but I think I need to think about getting into TV—like those "Whatever Hollywood" girls, Suri, Apple and Shiloh. If you haven’t caught their short films and musicals on TheWB.com, here’s a sample of what you’ve been missing: You can catch more of the girls' videos at TheWB.com or WhateverHollywood.com.

From 2009: Stuart Skorman, founder of Empire Video and Reel.com—a precursor to Netflix—thinks we need a return to the human touch for movie recommendations. That’s why he’s launched Clerkdogs.com

From 2009: Chef Lacey somehow managed to avoid elimination week after week. No disrepect to the young lady, but she appeared out of her element . In a series known for a cruel streak, did the producers keep her in the game for comic relief? Last week, Chef Gordon Ramsay had had enough and he tossed Lacey before the elimination round. Joining me this morning is Lacey, the latest contestant to whom Chef Gordon Ramsay has uttered the fateful words: “Take off your jacket.”

From 2009: This is a “Hell’s Kitchen” interview that I didn’t expect to do until the end of this, the show’s fifth season on Fox. Joining me today is Giovanni, the steakhouse chef from Destin, Florida, who looked like he could go all the way with Chef Gordon Ramsay, until a flame out in last night’s episode. Joining me this morning is Giovanni, the tenth contestant to whom Chef Gordon Ramsay has uttered the fateful words: “Take off your jacket.”

From 2009: Lacey will join me on Mr Media in a special show on Monday, March 30, so let’s focus on last night’s officially eliminated chef, L.A. It is never fun being in Ramsay’s line of sight and if you are different in any way, like the neighborhood bully, he will always hone in on that characteristic—he referred to LA as a "silly cow." Joining me is L.A., the eighth contestant to whom Chef Gordon Ramsay has uttered the fateful words: “Take off your jacket.”

From 2009: "Hell’s Kitchen" got down to a final two last night and viewers can actually start believing that the cream has risen to the top. Unfortunately, the show is still a competition and somebody has to go. Joining me this morning is Andrea, the 13th contestant to whom Chef Gordon Ramsay has uttered the fateful words: “Take off your jacket.”