Mr. Media Interviews By Bob Andelman

Today's Guest: Kate Torgovnick, author, Cheer!: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above In the words of the forgotten musical group Max Demian: Rah-rah-ree, kick ‘em in the knee! Rah-rah-ras, kick ‘em in the… other knee! That’s the only cheer I ever learned, so excuse me if the world of cheerleading is a little outside of my comfort zone. To help me out, I’m going to be joined momentarily by Kate Torgovnick, author of Cheer! Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders. Kate Torgovnick Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter • The Kate-Book • Order Cheer! from Amazon.com 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: Elizabeth Fournier, green mortician, author, All Men Are Cremated Equal: My 77 Blind Dates Order by clicking the book cover above! I have a particular weakness for men and women with stories of dates gone horribly wrong. And I think I’m already on record as having a general weakness for all kinds of women. Add that to the fact I frequently like to help new authors, and how could I say no to Elizabeth Fournier, who has written the ticklish new book, All Men Are Cremated Equal: My 77 Blind Dates. Besides amusing us with psycho-social encounters, Elizabeth brings an extra dimension to her story thanks to her vocation: she’s mortician. Elizabeth Fournier She is also the voice of the autopsy exhibit in the forensic wing at the United States National Museum of Medicine. Oh, did I mention she lives in a boring little town—Boring, Oregon. And because of that, she’s become a reality TV star on MySpace known as The Green Reaper. More about that, later. And here’s a spoiler alert: there’s a happy ending

Today's Guest: Barbara Slate, comic book artist, graphic novelist, You Can Do a Graphic Novel, Getting Married and Other Mistakes   Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of teenagers whose only apparent talent is spray painting the fence when my back is turned… right here in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! You can order Barbara Slate's book You Can Do a Graphic Novel by clicking the book cover above! Scooby-Doo by Barbara Slate No greater authority than Marvel Comics’ own Stan Lee asks that you not read Barbara Slate’s new book, You Can Do a Graphic Novel. It’s right there on the cover: Stan the Man says, “I shudder at the thought of having to compete with a whole new gaggle of graphic novel creators! I tremble because if anyone can bring out the writer and artist hidden within society’s somnambulant psyche, it’s the titanically talented Barbara Slate. So please don’t read this book. I have a family to support!” I hate to counter the expresses wishes of the ma

Today's Guest: Ken Blanchard, author, The One-Minute Manager, Lead With Luv Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of CEOs who have an entire shelf devoted to Ken Blanchard’s books but who obviously haven’t read any of them… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Part 1 of 2   Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above This year, my friend Cliff is celebrating his 10th anniversary as a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines. By coincidence, we had dinner with our wives this past Saturday night and I got to pepper him with questions about his employer. For the same reason that Southwest is always one of the two airlines I prefer to fly when I have a choice, Cliff raved about Southwest and how well it treats both passengers and employees. And, coincidentally, the company had already provided him with a copy of the new book, Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success by legendary management consultant Ken Blanchard and retired Southwest Airl

Today's Guest: Ken Blanchard, author, Helping People Win at Work, The One-Minute Manager Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above I figure I’ve got 60 seconds to interest you in today’s interview with Ken Blanchard. If you have to ask why 60 seconds, you obviously don’t know my guest’s work. He’s best known as the management expert and author of The One-Minute Manager, but his latest book, Helping People Win at Work, actually screams that Blanchard is “The New York Times Best-Selling Author of Over 18 Million Books!” I hope that’s just hyperbole. I’ve written or co-authored 10 books, many about business, and I know it’s hard work. How he found time to author 18 million books, I’ll never know. But I digress, and valuable seconds are ticking away. KEN BLANCHARD audio excerpt:"When I was a college professor, I would always give out the final exam on the first day of class... When they get to the final exam, they should get an A. Garry Ridge said, 'Wow, that ought to be an organization!' We hope to

Today's Guest: Tom Weschler, long-time road manager, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, rock 'n' roll photographer, Travelin' Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger Travelin Man - A Look Into the Life of Tom Weschler from Primeau Productions on Vimeo.   Order 'Travelin' Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger' by Tom Weschler, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above![ Somehow, in all the years I was a rock ‘n’ roll critic for either the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Tribune or Music magazine in the 1980s, I never saw Bob Seger live. For the life of me, I can’t explain it. I certainly wanted to see him; he’s one of those guys—like Springsteen, Joel and Mellencamp—who always spoke to me. When I was a freshman at the University of Miami, back in ’78, I worked at the college radio station, WVUM, doing air shifts as a DJ and producing dozens of public service announcements. I almost always chose Seger songs as background music. TOM WESCHLER audio excerpt: "In

Today's Guest: Keith Elliot Greenberg, rock historian, December 8, 1980: The Day John Lennon Died Certain days in all of our lives we can’t help but remember. I was sitting at my desk here in St. Petersburg with “The Today Show” on in the background when the first plane flew into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. I was in my kitchen in Gainesville, Florida, on March 5, 1982, when my friend Jim Doten called from a pay phone to say he just heard that John Belushi died. Jim was on his way up from Miami for a visit with a cooler full of fresh shrimp and beer to boil them in. And I was in another Gainesville apartment, 15 months earlier, on December 8, 1980,studying in my bedroom, on December 8, 1980, when one of my roommates, Andy Anderson, opened the door and said, “Hey, your guy died!” Order 'The John Lennon Collection,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. “My guy?” Tom Seaver died? Order 'December 8, 1980: The Day John Le

Today's Guests: Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, screenwriters, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Despicable Me 3, The Secret Life of Pets, The Santa Clause 2, Horton Hears A Who!     Order Despicable Me (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD above! This must be an exciting and, at the same time, nail-biting time to be screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. They are the creative minds behind what is widely anticipated as one of this summer’s great animated thrill rides, Despicable Me. It’s a 3D film that turns the supervillain concept on its ear, first by making the bad guy the star of the movie, and then by making him sympathetic—sort of. Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, Despicable Me screenwriters CINCO PAUL audio excerpt: "What Ken and I do is talk about the next 30-page chunk. We divide up the scenes, write on our own, bring them together and read them. The goal is: can you make the other guy laugh? It is crucial to try to outdo the other guy." Despicable Me has a great many connecti

Today's Guest: Kristin Harmel, romance novelist, The Art of French Kissing. Novelist and University of Florida Gator Kristin Harmel (Photo: UF Communigator)   Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above Kristin Harmel’s new novel, her fourth, in fact, is titled The Art of French Kissing. It’s a sweet, surprisingly gentle story of a young boy-band publicist, who’s a woman from Orlando, whose life there collapses, and she goes to Paris to escape and maybe find herself again. It’s chick-lit for sure, but I enjoyed it. It also made me think more fondly of Paris than I had since the one time that my wife and I visited there back in ’88. Maybe we’ll get into that later. KRISTIN HARMEL audio excerpt: "the novels I write are very connected to sort of my own life, and I would say sort of the experiences that myself and my friends are going through right now. I’m 28, almost 29. I’m still sort of going through the struggles that you do sort of in your twenties and thirties of finding yourself and of sort of

Today's Guest: Mark Margolis, actor, "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul," "Timeless" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of mouth breathers, ear wagglers, toe tappers and other social malcontents who envy Mark Margolis and his cheek twitches and ding-dong… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Mark Margolis, left, Giancarlo Esposito, in AMC's "Breaking Bad" There are at least three elements to an award winning acting performance: 1) It starts with the source material. Is the writing sharp, evocative, and provocative? 2) Does the actor understand the words on the page and can he extend their value from words to performance? 3) And finally, is the audience emotionally moved by the actor? MARK MARGOLIS audio excerpt: "In Scarface, Al Pacino said if we put all our faces together we might be able to make one handsome guy!"  Order Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season on DVD from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD cover above! If you’ve been watching the AMC drama “B

Today's Guest: Harlan Cohen, 'Help Me, Harlan' syndicated advice columnist, author, The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Harlan Cohen, 'Help Me, Harlan' syndicated advice columnist and author of The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only, by clicking on the video player above! Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience that is rubbing hands together with glee at the prospect of empty nesting while at the same time shedding a tear over four more years of indentured servitude… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only' by syndicated advice columnist Harlan Cohen, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Three weeks from today, life as we have known it for 18 years in the Mr. Media household will forever change: Rachel is going to college to start her freshman year. I joke about being ready to see my daughter head off and mostly that’s true. And I know she is more than re

Today's Guest: Jeff Black, singer-songwriter, B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two   Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Jeff Black by clicking on the video player above! Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience looking for a good story, put to music, to get their day off to a great start… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'B-Sides And Confessions Vol. 2' by Jeff Black, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the album cover above! I heard the first song on singer-songwriter Jeff Black’s new album, B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two, and that was all it took. One stanza of the lyrics, in fact, cemented his appearance here: I dropped down to see the doctor He gave me some strange strange news He said I think you’re going to live forever boy But you’re to die a little bit before you do JEFF BLACK podcast excerpt: "There are as many different concert nights as there are people on the planet. Luckily for me, the kind of music I write and perform is s

Today's Guest: Jeff Black, singer-songwriter, B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two   Watch this exclusive Mr. Media interview with Jeff Black by clicking on the video player above! Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience looking for a good story, put to music, to get their day off to a great start… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'B-Sides And Confessions Vol. 2' by Jeff Black, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the album cover above! I heard the first song on singer-songwriter Jeff Black’s new album, B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two, and that was all it took. One stanza of the lyrics, in fact, cemented his appearance here: I dropped down to see the doctor He gave me some strange strange news He said I think you’re going to live forever boy But you’re to die a little bit before you do JEFF BLACK podcast excerpt: "There are as many different concert nights as there are people on the planet. Luckily for me, the kind of music I write and perform is s

Today's Guest: Mark Cousins documentary director, The Story of Film: An Odyssey Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of American film students who think they know it all after watching all of the Harry Potter and Twilight films… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'The Story of Film: An Odyssey' by Mark Cousins, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD box set above! There is a lot an American can learn about film from an Irishman. Mark Cousins’ new 15-hour documentary, The Story of Film: An Odyssey, offers a perspective that is dramatically different from a Hollywood-centric view of the celluloid universe. He packs this surprisingly fast-moving epic with film clips and filmmaker interviews from around the world, from Bernardo Bertolucci, director of The Last Emperor, to American Buck Henry, writer of The Graduate. In between, he visits sites of film history on every continent and takes a global view of an industry that Americans incorrectly think

Today's Guest: Joe Murray, animation creator, "Rocko's Modern Life," "Camp Lazlo" Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of two-dimensional, banana-mouthed warthogs in the new new media capital of the world and home of the best team in baseball… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above Joe Murray has a natural flair for animation and characters that are bursting with... character. But between you and me—and I gotta be honest here—he is also responsible for creating some of the ugliest cartoon characters in history. Have you ever really looked at Rocko, the star of his original Nickelodeon hit, Rocko’s Modern Life? What is that? And Lazlo—OMG! But his cartoons look great, despite the somewhat hideous characters, and kids love them. I know this first hand; my almost 14-year-old daughter to this day insists she is Camp Lazlo’s #1 fan. Order 'Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series' by Joe Murray, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD boxed set a

Today's Guest: Dule Hill, actor, "Psych," "The West Wing" Dule Hill, co-star of "Psych"   Order 'Psych: The Complete First Season' starring Dule Hill and James Roday, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVD box cover above! Dule Hill has led a pretty charmed career as an actor. Today he co-stars in the wonderfully wacky dramedy, “Psych,” now in its third year on USA Network. But before that, he spent seven seasons as Charlie Young, assistant to the President of the United States, on The West Wing. Reaching further back, he debuted on Broadway opposite Savion Glover and Jeffrey Wright in “Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. " He also worked with Gregory Hines. And your kid probably knows him from his role in the movie adaptation of “Holes.” Dule Hill Twitter • Facebook • IMDB • Wikipedia • Instagram • Tumblr • Order Psych: The Complete Series from Amazon.com The cast of Psych, starring Dule Hill and James Roday You Might Also Enjoy These Mr. Media Interviews: Eddie Griffin (Audio) • Darryl Lenox

Today's Guest: Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman, Rick Kirkman, comic strip co-creators, "Zits," "Baby Blues" Order Jeremy and Mom: A Zits Retrospective You Should Definitely Buy for Your Mom (Zits Treasury) by Jim Borgman and Jerry Scott, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Not too surprisingly, when my son Charlie was born, it didn’t take long for me to see the humor in the “Baby Blues” comic strip by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott. It was so relatable! And when Charlie hit 6 or 7, he started reading it himself and thought it was hysterical. He was sooo cute then! CHARLIE: DAAAAAAAD! What? You’re interrupting my introduction! CHARLIE: Yeah, well, you’re embarrassing me! AGAIN! Here’s a plotline I’ve never seen in a comic strip: Dad invites son to co-host his international, hit podcast and all he does is whine! CHARLIE: DAAAAAAAD! What now? CHARLIE: You’re hardly an international hit! I don’t even think Mrs. Logan knows about this show and she knows everything about us! Thanks kid. Do you mi

Today's Guest: Howard Cruse, cartoonist, Stuck Rubber Baby I met cartoonist Howard Cruse in March 2004 at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. He was one of the featured guests at the college’s “Comics Summit on Diversity,” an event that included Mary GrandPre, illustrator of the Harry Potter novels and American master Will Eisner, whose biography I was just finishing at the time. Howard and I had corresponded a few times via email at that point as part of my research. To be honest, I only knew him as a cartoonist; I don’t recall connecting that he was attending this event as a gay cartoonist. I just knew that Eisner held him in high esteem—as did the teaching staff at the school—and that was good enough for me. Since then, I’ve learned more about what an important role Howard played over the years as both a cartoonist with a strong social voice and as a gay advocate. He illustrated his own coming out over the years in his comics and no doubt gave other young men strength in their own