Mr. Media Interviews By Bob Andelman

From 2009: Hell’s Kitchen is one of those reality cooking shows that, while you’re watching it, you’re wondering: “What were they thinking?” I love the show and haven’t missed many episodes over its five seasons to date. It’s a total train wreck—and who can’t resist peeking at one of those? Joining me this morning is Charlie, the third contestant to whom Chef Gordon Ramsay has uttered the fateful words: “Take off your jacket.”

From 2009: "Hell’s Kitchen" is addictive fun, partly for the presence of Chef Gordon Ramsey, but mostly for the clueless ineptitude of so many of the contestants. And some, of course, are trained professionals but just unprepared to perform in the heat of Ramsey’s TV kitchen. Joining me this morning is Colleen, who runs a cooking school, but nonetheless is the fifth contestant to whom Chef Gordon Ramsay has uttered the fateful words: “Take off your jacket.”

From 2009: I look forward to speaking with the latest eliminated chefs on “Hell’s Kitchen,” which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox. If you haven’t sampled the show yet, do get a taste. It’s delicious nonsense! Joining me this morning is J, the seventh contestant to whom Chef Gordon Ramsay has uttered the fateful words: “Take off your jacket.”

From 2009: Danny made it to the final two on Hell’s Kitchen and tonight, it’s just him, Paula, and Chef Gordon Ramsay. Oh, and a few million people watching at home. Including Mr. Media. Joining me is Danny, one of the two final contestants vying to take charge of a new restaurant at the Borgata casino in Atlantic City.

From 2009: Former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski is a four-time Super Bowl champion—and a guy my friend Sean says, “scares the crap out of me.” So you know he won’t be dull. Romanowski, whose autobiography, Romo: My Life On The Edge, Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons, was a New York Times bestseller, is back in the limelight as the president and CEO of his own nutritional product company, Nutrition 53. He also made an appearance in the recent big screen remake of Get Smart, starring Steve Carell.

From 2009: Several years ago, Stephen Paul Leiva worked with Brad Bird in development for a Spirit animated film. Bird, of course, is best known for creating and directing The Incredibles. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get an interview with Bird in time for my Eisner biography so I never learned much about the never finished animated film. Until early Dec 2008, that is, when Leiva wrote about the project for the Los Angeles Times. It’s a great story and fills in a major gap in the Eisner cinematic story.

From 2009: 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 his own mark in the world. In 2009, for example, he’ll star in three movies: Nowhere to Hide, The Gods of Circumstance and Growth.

From 2009: If you think you’re miserable right now, wait until Lia and Nick Romeo get through with you. The Romeos—they’re brother and sister, not husband and wife—just published a new book titled 11,002 Things to Be Miserable About: The Satirical Not-So-Happy Book. And what a miserable book it is! The introduction, in fact, says the book “will make you laugh, cry and contemplate self-mutilation.” Think an airplane crash landing in the Hudson River is bad?

From 2009: Justin Bruening caught a huge break. In the world of primetime network television, if your new show doesn’t immediately catch fire in the ratings or the eye of critics, you’re toast. In the new version of “Knight Rider,” starring young Mr. Bruening, the network sees something it likes despite so-so ratings and disinterest from the critics. So NBC is giving the production one more shot at getting it right. The cast has been thinned and the plot simplified. Will it work?

From 2009: Barry Libert knows all about Barack Obama winning. As the author of the new book, Barack, Inc.: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign, he and his co-author, Rick Faulk, studied the many ways that the Obama campaign put a beating on its competition in both the Democratic and Republican parties. And its willingness to use technology and the Internet is no small part of the story.

From 2009: "Friday Night Lights” is TV’s feel-good story—every time it gets renewed for another season that is. Season three, now airing on NBC, actually bowed last fall on DirecTV, which saved it at the last minute from cancellation a year ago. The show has a loyal but smallish fan base and critics love it. That’s all great, but what does any of this mean for the character of Landry Clark and the actor who plays him, Jesse Plemons? Let’s find out.

Chadwick Boseman was great in the live action "Black Panther" and "Avengers" films, making him one of the highest grossing action stars of all time. But he is not the longest running actor to play the role of Wakanda’s king, T’Challa. No, for the past eight years, it is James Mathis III who has been the voice of the Black Panther in animation, anime, interactive games and live shows including Marvel Universe Live and The Marvel Experience.

From 2010: Last year, on the eve of the series’ debut, Lindsay Shaw and Ethan Peck came to Mr. Media and gave a preview of the delightful chemistry between them. Now they’re back as the stars of a show The New York Times calls one of TV’s best. And more young people no doubt now know their show than know it was once a hit movie. Take that, Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles!

From 2009: The name of their new ABC Family show is “10 Things I Hate About You,” so I think it only fair that I get to quiz these two young stars, Lindsey Shaw and Ethan Peck, about the 10 things they hate about someone—anyone! They can tackle these 10 anyway they want: five each or nine for Ethan and one for Lindsey. And if this doesn’t work, I’ll ask each of them to recite a bit of their character’s dialogue, completely out of context, of course.

From 2008: You know the guy who played Debra Messing’s ex-husband on the original mini-series for “The Starter Wife"? You know, the guy who became a flunky for Dr. House last year on “House”? Well, Basche is taking that guy’s place on the new season of “The Starter Wife.” He is, to put it in TV trivia terms, the new Darrin on “Bewitched.” That’s right: Kenny Kagan has a new face! But you already know David if you’re a fan of “Lipstick Jungle,” where he is maintaining a role as Kim

From 2008: We’ve never met, but somehow Jodi Thomas has written the story of my life in her latest novel, "Tall, Dark and Texan." As long-time listeners will know, I grew up in the 1800s on Whispering Mountain in Texas. I was tall, dark and mostly silent, scaring off small children and even hardened criminals until I found the love of a good woman. Are you buying this? I’m lying, of course. But I have to admit I liked the idea of secretly being Teagan McMurray, the strong and silent type.

From 2008: The car is cooler than before, the star is younger, the women are more beautiful, Val Kilmer is the new voice of KITT, the super talking car and um, well, what else do you need? Joining me today is Gary Scott Thompson, show runner and executive producer of the new "Knight Rider." He was also the creator and executive producer of a show I liked a lot, “Las Vegas.” Thompson was also the writer of such feature films as The Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

From 2008: My younger brother 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 Lee’s Earl and has for several seasons now. Randy is the kind of brother some might see as a burden, but Earl can’t seem to think of anyone he’d rather pass the ti

From 2008: I well remember my first encounter with wireless Internet service outside of my home. It was the Cellular Telecommunication & Internet Association's Wireless 2002 show in Orlando. I was sent to cover it for Technology Meetings magazine. WiFi changed my life—and the magazine’s too; my cover story on that event was the last issue in the magazine’s short history. My guest today is a big fan of it, too: Dave Hagan, CEO of Boingo Wireless.

From 2008: Emanuel Jal’s life reads like something out of a movie—which is no doubt why his story is featured in a new documentary called War Child. Jal was a child soldier in Sudan who overcame unimaginable violence, death and destruction and fled after being forced to fight as young as eight years old. Today he is a rising international hip-hop star with one of the most amazing life stories you’ll ever hear. War Child received a viewer’s choice award at the Tribeca Film Festival.