Mr. Media Interviews By Bob Andelman

Today's Guest: Jesse Ventura, former Minnesota governor, wrestler, author, American Conspiracies, DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODlicans: No More Gangs in Government   Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of wrestling executives’ wives running for U.S. Senate in the great state of Connecticut… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODlicans: No More Gangs in Government by Jesse Ventura from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Jesse Ventura for President? Underestimate Jesse Ventura at your own risk. He may be an ex-wrestler and a guy who sounds on the radio a bit like Howard Stern wack packer Bigfoot, but a lot of people have gone wrong thinking the man lacked intellectual heft. Ventura, a former Navy SEAL in Vietnam, was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998 while running as an independent, a rare feat indeed. He has written 10 books, the last three with conspiracy specialist Dick Russell. Sh*t Politicians Say: The Funniest, Dumbest, Mo

Today's Guest: Governor Jesse Ventura, author, American Conspiracies Order 'American Conspiracies' by Jesse Ventura and Dick Russell from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Jesse Ventura sees conspiracies everywhere. He came to national prominence as a wrestler nicknamed “The Body,” took a turn on the silver screen in Predator with Ah-nuld, and even went by “Governor” for a term. Now he’s bidding for you and me to start thinking of him as “The Brain.” Don’t get me wrong; Ventura hasn’t asked anyone to call him that—yet. But reading his new book, American Conspiracies, it’s clear he’s given considerable thought to the real story behind some of this country’s most nagging unsolved mysteries. GOV. JESSE VENTURA podcast excerpt: "I took the side of the conspiracy. We brought out the facts; ultimately, it's up to the reader to decide. It's called 'learning the truth.' And if the truth causes panic, we're in big trouble." Whether you believe what he believes or think he’s nuts, a reader of American Co

Today's Guest: Ken Davitian, actor, Borat, "Chuck"     Order 'Borat' from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above Granted, the role for which everyone best—or maybe worst--remembers actor Ken Davitian is “Azamat Bagatov,” Borat’s manager in the 2006 movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Anyone who saw it will forever have the image of Davitian and Cohen wrestling naked in a motel room scalded into their brains. But Ken Davitian has appeared in plenty of other films, fully clothed. He’s a terrific character actor and from what I’ve seen of him being interviewed elsewhere, quite a gentle soul. In other words, nothing at all like Azamat. KEN DAVITIAN podcast excerpt: "It was in Dallas I was told we were going to do this. I kept saying to Sacha Baron Cohen, 'A fat guy in boxers, that's funny. Funny, funny! No?' He said, 'I want naked.' We ran into an engineers convention, twelve o'clock in the afternoon, somewhere in the Dallas a

Today's Guest: Breann McGregor, Playmate, Stacy Collins, Playboy Magazine editor   Breann McGregor, model, Playboy Special Editions Order Roll the Dice by Breann McGregor, available as an MP3 download from Amazon.com by clicking on the photo above! Guys, Stacy Collins has your dream job. As a managing editor of Playboy special editions, she spends day after day looking at the world’s most beautiful, mostly naked women. Some are in photographs, but many meet her discriminating eye in the flesh. And now that I say that out loud, it’s not hard to understand why she’s in the job and you’re not. Breann McGregor is one of the beauties Stacy works with. They actually spent a lot of time together this past year and will probably be just as inseparable in the coming year considering that Breann was named “Playboy Special Editions Model of the Year” and “Playboy’s Cyber Girl of the Year.” Breann McGregor Website • Facebook • Twitter • MySpace • YouTube • Google+ • Instagram • BreannMcGregor sings!   "Mean Business:

Today's Guest: Neil Budde, co-founder, DailyMe.com Neil Budde, co-founder of DailyMe.com, is now executive editor of The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky.   DailyMe.com I’m not one of those crybabies who thinks newspapers are dying. I do, however, think that the news itself is migrating to new distribution systems and that, in the future, the word “paper” will be less and less connecting with the word “news.”Okay, maybe I do think newspapers are dying. But I believe well-managed, thoughtful and provocative news organizations will always thrive in the new media order. The Huffington Post recently announced a million-dollar commitment to investigative journalism. TrueSlant.com, a news startup, has become a home to experienced journalists—including Mr. Media—who are pursuing their beats in new ways by blogging as often as they have something fresh to say on a subject. The latest entrant to the news-for-all is DailyMe.com, a start-up news gathering operation that boasts of adding 5,000 new stories daily

Today's Guest: Erica Durance, actress, "Harry's Law," "Smallville," "Saving Hope" Erica Durance guest stars on NBC's "Harry's Law" (Photo: Vivian Zink/NBC) Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of comic book fanboys who can barely handle looking at George Perez drawings of Wonder Woman, let alone gaze for more than a fleeting moment at Erica Durance actually dressed as the Amazonian… in the NEW new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! If you thought Erica Durance was too hot to handle during seven years of playing reporter Lois Lane on TV’s long-running “Smallville,” wait till you get a load of her tonight kicking bad guy butt dressed as “Wonder Woman” on the latest episode of “Harry’s Law” on NBC at 9 p.m. This particular Wonder Woman costume is suspiciously similar to the one designed for David E. Kelley’s failed NBC TV pilot from last year. And, no disrespect to Adrianne Palicki, the actress who wore the suit then, but Durance will make hearts flutter wildly when you see her

Today's Guest: Doug Savant, actor, "Desperate Housewives," "Melrose Place"   "Desperate Housewives - The Complete First Season." Order your copy today by clicking on the DVD cover above! Doug Savant, actor, "Desperate Housewives," "Melrose Place" Doug Savant’s real wife, Laura Leighton, is floating lifeless in the pool over at Fox’s new “Melrose Place.” Meanwhile, his TV wife, Felicity Huffman on ABC's “Desperate Housewives,” is expecting twins—again—and his character, Doug Scavo, a man whose sperm definitely swim, is in the doghouse—again—for that and so many other reasons. DOUG SAVANT podcast excerpt: "There's a picture in Entertainment Weekly, the fall television preview, where (my wife, Laura Leighton, star of 'Melrose Place") is kissing Thomas Calabro playfully on the cheek. And I gotta tell you, I don't like it! Nope! I want her kissing me, not somebody else. I love her enough to be a little possessive!" Is it any wonder the man is choosing to hide out here, on Mr. Media Radio, for the next 15 minute

Today's Guest: Kambri Crews, author, Burn Down the Ground Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of angry construction workers who are Dumb with a capital D—and dumber—but can hear every word I’m saying… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!   Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above This is not a show people tune into for a lot of heartbreaking conversation. I’m not Oprah and I don’t enjoy fiddling with your heartstrings. So on its own merits, I honestly would have never chosen Kambri Crews’ new book, Burn Down the Ground: A Memoir as a topic of conversation. But there’s a quirky bit of Mr. Media history tangled up here. KAMBRI CREWS audio excerpt: "It is a sad story. But it's not full of sadness. It's full of hope."  Several years ago, Kambri’s husband, comedian Christian Finnegan, was a guest on the show. We got to talking about in-law jokes and he made a remark about how he doesn’t joke about his because his mother-in-law is a lovely woman and his

Today's Guest: Curt Smith, singer, Tears For Fears Tears For Fears: Songs from the Big Chair, Curt Smith. Order your copy today by clicking on the album cover above! Here’s a Tears For Fears story I guarantee you haven’t heard before: I was the pop music critic for the St. Petersburg Times in 1985, assigned to review a Tears For Fears concert. I rushed back to the paper’s Clearwater bureau that night to file my story. Waiting for it in downtown St. Petersburg was the late night editor, Christine Holsten. I filed my story and waited for her to read it and answer any questions she might have. CURT SMITH audio excerpt: "Tears for Fears is where myself and Roland meet. It's about compromise. I know when I write a certain song that it's not going to be Roland's cup of tea. Our solo work is incredibly personal."  But her major question wasn’t about my story; it was about the photo credit. The photographer identified his picture as Roland Orzabal on the left, Curt Smith on the right. But Christine wasn’t convinced.

Today's Guest: John Caparulo, comedian, "Caplets" podcast   Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with John Caparulo by clicking on the video player above!    Married couple John Caparulo and Jamie Caparulo host a podcast, "Domestic Disputes" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience full of two-drink-minimum political critics that wouldn’t know a phallic symbol if it was dangling in front of their nose … in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! I think the first thing you need to know about comedian John Caparulo is where he was on November 8, 2016. Home. With his beautiful wife Jamie. And infant daughter, Madden. Oh, and I think his dog, Barney, was probably there, too. Why is this important? Because while it was Election Day in the United States, neither John nor Jamie was motivated to go out and vote. Not for The Donald; Not for Hillary. As Jamie put it on their podcast, “Domestic Disputes,” “We didn’t feel either one of them was worth putting on pants to vote for

Today's Guest: Alana de la Garza, actor, "Law and Order" Alana de la Garza, actor, Law and Order Alana De La Garza is part of one TV’s proudest and longest-running dramatic institutions: the “Law & Order” franchise. She plays assistant district attorney “Connie Rubirosa” alongside Linus Roache and Sam Waterson, taking to court the cases developed on the street by Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson. The Millionaire's Convenient Arrangementby Jane Peden. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Howard Sounes, author Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney   Order Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Howard Sounes won’t deny that there have been an awful lot of books about the Beatles and Paul McCartney. But that didn’t give him pause; he just researched and wrote one of the best: Fab, An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. 27: A History of the 27 Club through the Lives of Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse by Howard Sounes, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! This massive, 634-page biography covers so much time and detail that I wasn’t sure I could read all of it in a timely manner and still conduct an interview in this calendar year. So I proposed a compromise: let’s just talk about the second half of the book: Linda Eastman McCartney, the Wings years, the in-fighting among the ex-Beatles, John Lennon’s death, Linda’s death,

Today's Guest: Richard Brody, author, Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean Luc-Godard Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean Luc-Godard by Richard Brody. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above! I studied French New Wave cinema in college. Took it twice, in fact, in Professor Robert Ray’s class at the University of Florida. Little-known fact – my degree is actually in Film Studies. Anyway, I loved the French New Wave films from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. What I didn’t care for was the over-inflated discussion that followed each screening. I’d watch the movies, in awe of the storytelling, the jump cuts, the women, the casual sex – you get the idea. But when the lights came up, Professor Ray always insisted on going deep into the meaning and motivation of the filmmaker. So here I am, Mr. A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep, about to welcome the esteemed film critic of The New Yorker magazine and author of the new book, Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean Luc-Godard. I

Today's Guest: Marlise Kast, author, Tabloid Prodigy: Getting the Gossip, and Selling My Soul in the Cutthroat World of Hollywood Reporting Marlise Kast, author Tabloid Prodigy: Getting the Gossip, and Selling My Soul in the Cutthroat World of Hollywood Reporting   Tabloid Prodigy: Dishing the Dirt, Getting the Gossip, and Selling My Soul in the Cutthroat World of Hollywood Reporting by Marlise Kast. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above! There are people who read supermarket tabloids and – aw, wait a minute. We all know everybody reads the tabs, why lie? And if there are that many readers, there have to be some pretty good writers and editors. Writers such as Marlise Elizabeth Kast of Globe magazine. Marlise spent three years at Globe, covering the likes of Morgan Freeman and Mary Bono, Bobby Brown and Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. She lived through it and wrote a book, Tabloid Prodigy: Dishing the Dirt, Getting the Gossip, and Selling My Soul in the Cutthroat World of H

Today's Guest: Joe Ariel, founder, Eats.com I’m getting hungry already. What do you expect—today’s guest is Joe Ariel, founder and CEO of Eats Media Group, which publishes a regional network of Eats magazines and College Eats magazine, as well as producing Eats.com. And unless I’m mistaken, we’re going to talk a lot about food. The Millionaire's Convenient Arrangementby Jane Peden. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!       The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Tatiana Siegel, reporter, The Hollywood Reporter Order a subscription to The Hollywood Reporter, available via Amazon.com by clicking on the magazine cover above! How do you measure the summer? Baseball games, picnics, trips to the beach? Around my house, it’s the Monday box office scores – rounded to the nearest million dollars, of course. The first three big movies of Summer 2007 – Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and Shrek the Third – all opened with predictably big weekend hauls. But these three sure things didn’t overwhelm the general movie-going public quite the way most observers thought they would. All three have been panned by critics and aren’t generating the buzz many expected. Their performance opened the door for something a little less spectacular – the new Judd Apatow movie, Knocked Up, which has won rave reviews and could gain even bigger audience as the long hot summer continues – at least until the new Harry Potter movie opens. To talk about this summer’s movies – as

From 2008: I hate it when people confuse actors with the characters they play. For example, just because 11-year-old Joey Luthman appears on the Showtime sitcom “Weeds” doesn’t mean he’s a pothead. At least I hope not! And just because he has a role in the new movie An American Carol alongside Kelsey Grammer, Leslie Nielsen, Dennis Hoppe and James Woods doesn’t mean he’s a conservative right-winger. Not that there’s anything wrong with it.

From 2008: It’s Pirates of the Caribbean meets “Lost.” It’s a man with the skills of MacGyver shipwrecked on a lush, tropical island. It’s the new NBC adventure series “Crusoe,” and it may be the best new TV show you haven’t discovered yet. Joining me today is Philip Winchester, the star of “Crusoe.”

Today's Guest: Alex Ferrari, director, Broken Order 'Broken' by Alex Ferrari, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! Two years ago, Alex Ferrari wrote and directed a short action thriller called Broken. It cost a mere $8,000, looks like a million bucks, and includes more than 100 visual effects shots. The low budget 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. Alex Ferrari Numb Robot Website • Facebook • Vimeo • IMDB • Ferrari Olive Oil • Order Broken from Amazon.com • Order Lipstick & Bullets Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Penns

Today's Guest: Star Price, executive producer, “Penn & Teller: Bullsh-t!” Download 'Penn & Teller: Orgasms,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the image above! Star Price -- a.k.a., Starling Price -- is the executive producer of the Showtime series, “Penn & Teller: Bullsh-t!” The TV BS show, now in its fifth season, chronicles the efforts of confirmed skeptics and pro-science atheists Penn Jillette and Teller to debunk, well, bullsh-t. Their mission is to expose the truth to an otherwise desperate and gullible public. Most people have seen Penn & Teller somewhere, usually on a talk show performing incredible feats of magic. On this show, they use all the tricks of their trade, including good old-fashioned hidden cameras, to reveal rip-off artists, scammers, and hoaxsters. Price is a writer, producer, director who has worked in television since 1978. In recent years, he’s made a career in reality television, including credits on programs such as “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol,” MTV