Get A Monkey!
Director Michael Lehmann helmed the cult hit Heathers, the notorious flop Hudson Hawk, and a bunch of episodes of every good show you've ever watched, ever. His particular journey includes a Bay Area radio station known as KPOO, studying philosophy in Germany, being Francis Ford Coppola's receptionist, championing Beaver Gets a Boner at USC Film School and so much more...
Read MoreMartha Davis picked up her two kids, pet and house plant and left Berkley, California for the Los Angeles music scene with her fledgling band in the mid-70s with high hopes and big dreams. Then everything fell apart. But somehow - through a combination of determination and a touch of madness that all artists seem to have - she stuck with it. What happened was The Motels and one of the most prominent sounds of the New Wave/MTV era. Hear her story here...
Read MoreJack Epps, Jr. has had a hand in writing some huge hit movies in the 80s (Top Gun, Legal Eagles, The Secret of My Succe$s, Turner & Hooch) and now teaches the craft of screenwriting (and rewriting) at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Learn how tenacity, discipline and setting a high standard are just as important (perhaps more so) than just having a great idea and writing snappy dialogue...
Read MoreThree of the best, long-time Upright Citizens Brigade performers (The Smokes, ASSSSCAT, Last Day of School and others) from the Hollywood campus talk improv, how they got started, how it's done right/wrong and how it's changed the entertainment industry...
Read MoreTo celebrate the opening of the much-talked-about NWA biopic we catch up with and re-post our very cool conversation with one of the writers of Straight Outta Compton...
Read MoreYakov Smirnoff rocketed to fame in the 80s with his Russian-in-America stand-up routine ("What a country!") but when The Cold War cooled so did his career. Listen to how he reinvented himself on a journey that includes Branson, MO, an Ivy League education, and some deep talk about how laughter can bring love. (Or is it vice-versa?)
Read MoreSpandau Ballet came out of the U.K. New Romantic scene to take the world (largely via MTV) by storm in the mid-80s with their hits "True" and "Gold." They toured the world, played Live Aid and wore some pretty snazzy fashions (and used a LOT of mousse.) But after a split, a lawsuit and nearly 20 years apart, the original lineup has come back together and returned to the road - feeling better than ever about their music. Much of this journey is documented in the fascinating film Soul Boys Of The Western World and we talk with three of the members about Spandau's re-formation and rejuvenation...
Read MoreWriter/producer Trey Callaway (The Messengers, Revolution, CSI: New York and the forthcoming TV reboot of the Rush Hour franchise) talks about variety in your creative life, how every experience informs the next and geeks out a bit on old-school radio jingles...
Read MoreEmmy-winning writer, producer and professor (oooh, fancy!) David Isaacs had a major hand and voice in only a couple of the greatest sitcoms of all time (MASH, Cheers) as well as many others. Now as an instructor at the USC School of the Cinematic Arts he has helped establish a Comedy Initiative there. We dig into it all in this terrific conversation...
Read MoreLong-time stand-up comedian Jeff Altman talks about his early days at The Comedy Store, saying "no" to Johnny Carson, Pink Lady & Jeff and his close friendship with some guy named Dave.
Read MoreBrad Hall is a very funny actor/writer/producer/director who went from sunny Santa Barbara to the theater and sketch comedy hotbed of Chicago to the Weekend Update desk of Saturday Night Live to behind the scenes in film and TV with shows like Brooklyn Bridge and The Single Guy. Oh, and he married Julia Louis-Dreyfus. A great conversation about creativity and show business and how they don't always intersect the way you want them to...
Read MoreWhat's Michael Reagan been up to since the end of the nationally syndicated radio show? A lot, actually - and we talk about that, as well as growing up part of Hollywood Royalty, learning to succeed with no nepotism, why Republicans and Democrats are so much at odds with each other and much more...
Read MoreWriter/Producer/Director Jeff Greenstein (Friends, Will & Grace, Desperate Housewives, Mom) went from computer science nerd-to-be in Atlanta to getting a degree in Film & Dance in Boston, to writing some of the most-watched ("Must See") TV of all time. Funny, insightful, very thoughtful (and super-freakin'-damn-smart) Jeff talks about being adventurous, open to new experiences and creating a welcoming creative environment...
Read MoreAs Dave wraps up a remarkable run in late night TV, we pay tribute with special guests Jeff Altman, Mark Jonathan Davis, the former wife of Warren Zevon & the voice of Worldwide Pants himself...Jay Gardner
Read MoreDirector Peter Segal (Tommy Boy, Anger Management, Naked Gun 33 1/3, Get Smart) talks Chris Farley, DeNiro, Nicholson, the meaning of "Shamofo" and even has a great O.J. story. (Yes, that O.J.)
Read MoreLisa Arch, host of the new TLC series Labor Games, has had a weirdly varied and wildly interesting path in Hollywood. Seinfeld, MADtv, Hannah Montana and Windy City Heat ("Jiggly Wriggly" anyone?) only begins to scratch the surface. So...we scratch a li'l deeper...
Read MoreA ragtag band of SuperSnarkers have assembled to make the world safe for movies, TV, and other stuff. Jason, Brad and Larry rattle the MonkeyCage in this latest groupcast...
Read MoreWriter Alan Wenkus' circuitous path has taken him from a wacky 80s teen comedy starring Johnny Depp to the new NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton - how'd this guy get there? Listen...
Read MoreYour current American Idol mentor, Scott Borchetta, has a quiet intensity that can be a little, er...scary. But his acumen for identifying and nurturing talent is undeniable (Taylor Swift, anyone? Anyone?) and his path to get to President and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group takes him from punkers and hair bands in Hollywood to Reba, George Strait, Waylon, Willie...and beyond! Listen and learn....
Read MoreHe's funny, he's creepy, he's bothered, he's happy...mysterious and spooky, he's altogether ooky...Max Koch is a jack-of-all-trades, man-about-town and has seen a lot and done it all - most of it from North Hollywood! Actor, voice talent, sketch comedy player, podcaster, viral YouTube sensation, curmudgeon and now, in addition, wine blogger! You have GOT to hear this one...
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