Mr. Media Interviews By Bob Andelman

Trina Robbins, the author of the GoGirl! series of comics from Dark Horse, joins us today as our guest.

Zeljko Ivanek is one of those actors who, in character, could have made tough guy actors Lee Marvin or Robert Mitchum cry real tears. He almost always plays a hardass, SOB, an unsympathetic ballbuster. And he’s really, really good at it. He was that guy on “Homicide: Life on the Street.” And again on “Oz.” And pretty much everywhere else. And that’s the thing: Ivanek sometimes seems like he’s on every drama on TV. And maybe he is.

Lucky Damon. “Happy Endings” became a certifiable success this fall. But even luck, luck, luckier Lamorne Morris, who stepped in as the third male roommate sharing quarters with adorable nerd Zooey Deschanel. Because “New Girl” is the biggest breakout comedy of the season and it only gets better week to week. Anyway, Morris, whose previous credits include a run with the Upright Citizens Brigade, has a good story to tell. At least I hope he does.

If you've ever watched ABC’s romantic dramedy “Ugly Betty,” you know that Betty’s boyfriend Henry will always be the one who got away. And came back. And got away again. The actor who plays “Henry” is Chris Gorham, a busy young man who is a husband and a father.

The last time Christopher Gorham was on Mr. Media, he and a lot of other people were dealing with the sudden cancellation of ABC’s “Ugly Betty.” Gorham made an indelible impression on that show as Betty’s frustrating as all get out boyfriend, Henry, who was always just beyond her reach. Gorham wasn’t yet sure if Henry would make a final appearance on Betty—he did—but what he really wanted to discuss was a new USA Network show he was shooting called “Covert Affairs.”

"Behaving Madly" is an irresistible window into a forgotten era of occasionally first-rate (but mostly second- and third-rate) satire comics of the 1950s. Ger Apeldoorn and Craig Yoe – the latter of whom appeared on Mr. Media to talk about his book, "Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-creator Joe Shuster" – have crafted a must-read for humor fans of all generations. (Search the Mr. Media archives for previous interviews with Mad's Al Jaffee, Arnold Roth and Sergio Aragones.)

Remember when convenience stores had spinning racks with signs at the top that shouted, “Hey, Kid! Comics!”? Actually, I barely remember that myself, it’s been so long. Finding comic books hasn’t been easy since the late 1970s. And the comic book companies don’t even make the real dough from the so-called 32-page “pamphlets” anymore. The real money is in selling characters to the movies or as toys. So fire up the web browser and head for ComicMix.com.

I think the reason that many people who never read comic books find themselves drawn to graphic novels isn’t because they come in hard cover or because they cost more or because they’re hip at the moment. I think it’s because we’re more likely to find little pieces of ourselves in the stories, which are often more autobiographical than Spider-Man or Green Lantern could ever be. At least that’s the thought I kept returning to as I read through Peter Kuper’s latest graphic novel, Stop Forgetting t

If you love the speed, contradictions, dangers and delights of Manhattan, you’ll find a lot to love in artist Peter Kuper’s new graphic collection, Drawn to New York. I only hesitate to call it a graphic novel, because it is so much more than a single comic story – or even stories – in book form.

Book authors really need a professional guide. Someone like Fauzia Burke. This experienced publicist has worked with authors such as Sue Grafton, Alan Alda and Deepak Chopra and has mastered the digital highways. She recently put together much of what she knows in a new book, Online Marketing for Busy Authors: A Step-by-Step Guide.

Today's Guest: Tanna Frederick, actress, Hollywood Dreams Actress Tanna Frederick If you’re a woman in search of someone else’s emotional train wreck to make you feel better about your own life, film director Henry Jaglom has got a movie or two for you. Maybe it’s his latest, Irene in Time, about a young singer with severe daddy abandonment issues. Or maybe you’d like his previous film, 2008’s Hollywood Dreams, about a would-be actress who oozes charisma but gets so nervous in every social situation she makes you nervous. Order from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD above TANNA FREDERICK podcast excerpt: "With Henry Jaglom, people either love his films or they hate his films. There isn't really an in between. Henry demands the actors take all of their subtext of what's going on and use it as their through-line, their dialogue. You walk away after watching Henry's films feeling better about yourself—'So I guess I'm not the only one who can be neurotic at times.' What drives him is making people not feel alone.

Today's Guest: Mike Edison, author, I Have Fun Everywhere I Go   ] Have Fun Everywhere I Go by Mike Edison. Click on the book cover above to order your copy now! In his new book, I Have Fun Everywhere I Go, Mike Edison does for sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll what Hulk Hogan did for wrestling! No, scratch that. Edison hates Hogan. Saying that will just piss him off. How about: Mike Edison, author, I Have Fun Everywhere I Go Mike Edison does for sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll what Lennon & McCartney did for elevator music! Damn, that won’t work either. Edison hates the Beatles, too. Here’s a thought: Let me just read the subtitle of Edison’s book. It’s so long, people will think it’s an introduction and not notice that I left out all the stuff about him being a former editor of High Times, Cheri, and Main Event, a contributor to Screw and Hustler magazines, and drummer in bands such as Raunch Hands, Pleasure F*ckers, and Rocket Train Delta Science Arkestra. Please welcome my guest today, Mike Edison, author

Today's Guest: Mike Edison, author, Dirty! Dirty! Dirty!: Of Playboys, Pigs, and Penthouse Paupers-An American Tale of Sex and Wonder Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of Lenny Bruce, Bob Guccione Sr. and Al Goldstein fans – you see where this is going, yet?… in the NEW new media capital of the world, St. Petersburg, Florida!   Hugh Hefner and Playboy. Bob Guccione and Penthouse. Al Goldstein and Screw. Larry Flynt and Hustler. Order Dirty! Dirty! Dirty!: Of Playboys, Pigs, and Penthouse Paupers-An American Tale of Sex and Wonder by clicking the book cover above! Those are just a few of the topics I’ll be discussing today with my guest, Mike Edison, author of a glorious romp through the modern history of sex magazine publishing, Dirty! Dirty! Dirty! Of Playboys, Pigs, and Penthouse Paupers. MIKE EDISON podcast excerpt: "People who try to claim the moral high ground, why is it they're the first ones wearing silver cufflinks and being hauled off to the hoosegow? Why is it that the guys that

Today's Guest: Lisa Ann Walter, actress, comedian, judge, "Dance Your Ass Off" Lisa Ann Walter, center, with Dance Your Ass Off judges   Order 'The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It's Behind Me' by Lisa Ann Walter, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Here’s the difference between you and Lisa Ann Walter: When you’ve been sitting around having a little too much to drink, complaining about how nobody looks like those stringbeans on “So You Think You Can Dance,” or how “The Biggest Loser” would be more fun if the contestants were dancers, nobody cares what you think. And if you, dear listener, suggested a major cable channel produce a TV series called “Dance Your Ass Off,” you would have been laughed out the door. That is the difference between you and Lisa Ann Walter, a successful actress for years who is not only the creator of the Oxygen Network’s new hit “Dance Your Ass Off,” she’s also one of its on-camera judges. Lisa Ann Walter Facebook • Twitter • IMDB • Wikipedia • Order T

Today's Guest: Jonathan Alter, The Promise: President Obama, Year One Order The Promise: President Obama, Year One by Jonathan Alter, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above!   Jonathan Alter Here’s the opening of a conversation that would get me divorced: “Honey, I’m going to spend the next 17 months researching and reporting about President Obama’s first year in office. Oh, and I’m going to keep my full-time job at the magazine and keep showing up as a talking head on TV, too.” Of course, I’m not Jonathan Alter, national affairs columnist at Newsweek, frequent political analyst on MSNBC and author of a fascinating, new, behind the scenes book, The Promise, President Obama, Year One. If your only previous exposure to Alter has been in small doses via his appearances on MSNBC and “Meet the Press,” you’ll be impressed at how well his approach to politics and journalism holds up over the course of an entire book. There is straight reporting, of course, but also the occasional zinger or o

Today's Guest: Peter Shankman, public relations guru 1 of 3   There are a handful of people that social media aficionados and professionals follow religiously for their insight and direction, people such as Chris Brogan, Seth Godin and Robert Scoble, for example. If you know who those guys are, you should probably also get to know social media guru Peter Shankman. Shankman is an industry unto himself, a networker of the first degree who has taken the practice of public relations and marketing to new heights via his mastery of social media. He is best known in journalism circles as the founder of Help A Reporter Out—a.k.a., HARO—a repository of expert sources intended to help out last minute reporting assignments. Journalists send information requests in to HARO—more than 1,200 requests come in a week—and Shankman hooks them up. Shankman also is the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, a Manhattan-based marketing and PR strategy firm. Over the years, his clients have included Snapple, NASA, Walt Disney Wor

Today's Guest: Josh Neufeld, illustrator, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge Detail from Josh Neufeld's graphic novel A.D.: New Orleans After Deluge   Graphic novelist Josh Neufeld There are all kinds of journalistic storytelling styles, starting with your basic who/what/when/where and why. There is also “if it bleeds, it leads.” And let’s not forget the “New Journalism” class of the 1960s and ‘70s, exemplified by everyone from Tom Wolfe to Truman Capote it used dramatic literary techniques to add depth to the reader’s involvement. These days, some bloggers and tweeters have taken short-form journalism to new highs—and lows. Order A.D.: New Orleans After Deluge by Josh Neufeld, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! But how many people think of comic book and graphic novel creators as part of journalism? I see a few hands raised, but not nearly enough. I would suggest to you that a wave of artist and writers who once would have been relegated to the comic book ghetto are creating co

Today's Guest: Jordan Brady, filmmaker, I Am Comic

Today's Guest: Anna Gunn, actress, "Breaking Bad," "Deadwood" Anna Gunn, star of AMC's Breaking Bad (Photo Credit: Ben Leuner/AMC) Anna Gunn’s arrival in the city of Deadwood on the HBO series of the same name set off one of the craziest love triangles in history. The widow of Sheriff Bullock’s brother changed that crazy, foul-mouthed, Wild West town forever. Now, it’s early in the run of the new critically-acclaimed AMC series “Breaking Bad,” but I suspect that as Bryan Cranston’s wife, Skyler, the lovely Anna Gunn will be anything but shy and retiring. ANNA GUNN audio excerpt: "In 'Deadwood,' it was a huge population that they were filming, and it was a really large cast, and so when we did have moments and scenes, yes, you did really have to figure out how to mine those experiences. And on 'Breaking Bad,' the wonderful thing about both of these writers is that they understand in subtle ways and even with the most seemingly minute or everyday kind of scenarios, there is something being revealed about their

Today's Guest: Yvette Nicole Brown, actress, "Community" Not a scene from 'Pulp Fiction': Yvette Nicole Brown, Gillian Jacobs, Alison Brie of NBC's "Community" (Photo: Lewis Jacobs/NBC)   Order 'Community: The Complete First Season,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD above! Yvette Nicole Brown has been on TV shows opposite Hugh Laurie, William Shatner and Larry David, and in movies opposite Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., and Gerald Butler. Heck, she started her career by signing a contract as a Motown recording artist. YVETTE NICOLE BROWN podcast excerpt: "I knew that Joel McHale was very, very smart and very funny. And I read the script. When your body has an involuntary reaction to something on a written page--it was like a no-brainer. Then you find out Chevy Chase is involved, the Russo Brothers directed it--okay, I'm in. It was an easy decision to make." But when my daughter saw her in the cast of Community alongside Chevy Chase—who she