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BY BOB ANDELMAN

Hank Rosenfeld found the kind of book writing job that guys like me salivate over. He met Irving Brecher, a brilliant and funny writer from the Golden Age of Hollywood comedy, and spent hours recording stories from Irv about everyone from Groucho Marx and the Marx Brothers to Judy Garland and Jackie Gleason.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Irv loved that movie, Meet Me in St. Louis. He had to read the entire script to Judy Garland because L.B. Mayer said, 'She doesn't want to do the picture!' She didn't want to be outshone in the movie by the little girl's part. But Judy used to come over to his house and sing. So he sold every line in the script to her like it was Shakespeare."

“The Wicked Wit of the West,” as Groucho called him, lived a long and productive live, starting out writing one-liners for Milton Berle in the 1930s, two Marx Brothers films, punching up the humor in The Wizard Of Oz, writing and convincing Judy Garland to star in Meet Me in St. Louis, creating the long running radio and TV sitcom, “The Life of Riley,” and writing the original film version of Bye Bye Birdie for Dick Van Dyke and Ann-Margaret.


Lucky for us, Brecher maintained a magnificent memory of the events of his life and spent his last years telling his stories to Hank Rosenfeld. Rosenfeld produced a book that is mostly Brecher’s memoir with some bits of Rosenfeld thrown in.  The Wicked Wit of the West is a terrific read for any fan of comedy, particularly the Marx Brothers/Milton Berle/Jackie Gleason variety. It gets my highest possible recommendation.

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BY BOB ANDELMAN

I was stuck in the car a few weeks ago, waiting to pick my wife up at work, tuning around the Sirius Satellite Radio dial, looking for a few laughs. I had already heard the Howard Stern show earlier in the day and went a few clicks past him and landed on the Blue Collar comedy channel.

The voice I heard—the inflection, particularly—sounded like Steve Martin. It wasn’t him,  but the performer had me laughing the way I used to laugh 30 years ago upon hearing new material from Martin.

This was a fellow named James P. Connolly and he had me in stitches with his routine about how men—when it came to sizing up women—were either ass, breast or leg men. I won’t try to tell his jokes here, but it was so funny I put it on pause and replayed it for my wife when she got in the car.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "When I was in Desert Storm, we were there for a little over a year, and the day we were leaving, they issued us desert boots. It was like a game show parting gift... When I go back to entertain the troops now, I strap those babies on because they probably cost the government $7,425—per boot."

Mrs. Media is not usually in the mood for standup comedy—from me or anyone else—when she gets out of work, but this time I insisted she listen. Three minutes later, she was laughing as hard as I was and I was convulsing all over again.

So I did something I never did before—I tracked down a comedian I heard on Sirius and invited him on the show based on maybe five minutes of material.

Connolly is not an unknown, having performed at the Comedy Store and the Improv, hosted “Movie Obsessions” on VH1 and appearing frequently on the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom Radio Show.” He’s also released a CD, “The Master Plan,” which you can order on his website.

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BY BOB ANDELMAN

I was a little nervous when I received an email from Jane Friedman, the publisher of Writer’s Digest magazine and books.

She was responding to my interview with one of her authors, Mike Sacks, the author of And Here’s the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on Their Craft.

Sacks was unhappy with a number of things about the way Writer's Digest published his book and wasn’t shy abut discussing it.

I thought Friedman was going to give me an earful about what a sack Sacks was and how neither of us understood anything about publishing decisions.

Much to both of our surprise, she actually agreed with a number of the things we discussed and was interested in continuing the conversation. I was only too happy to do so; this show, after all, has hosted conversations with the editors and publishers of Smithsonian, Playboy, Success, Cooking Light and many others.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "You could see the change in our magazine as well as the books we published over the last 10 years. We actually felt this affect long before we saw it coming up in the industry as far as newspapers and magazines closing. Our books and articles on freelance work, newspaper journalism, magazine journalism, those sales were falling off dramatically. But what was selling was anything related to novel writing, finding an agent, anything more creative writing related... Most people aspire to write a novel. That's where our market has shifted."  

And, as a guy who makes his living writing books and magazine articles, I certainly have an interest in the topic.

As for Jane Friedman, she is publisher and editorial director of the Writer's Digest community at F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she oversees all facets of the Writer's Digest brand, including Writer's Digest magazine, Writer’s Digest Books, annual market guides, online education, events, and competitions. Her blog, "There Are No Rules," discusses how writers can succeed in an era of change in the writing and publishing industry.


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Will Eisner: A Spirited Life autographed by Bob Andelman (me). Still two hours to bid in charity auction: http://ping.fm/ESaQj

I get a lot of compliments on the Mr. Media logos. If you looking for a great commercial artist, try mine: Andrew Skwish: http://skwish.com/blog/

BY BOB ANDELMAN

The really funny thing about Judy Tenuta?

Pretty much everything. And she’s actually quite a lovely woman, as you can see from the photos on her website—JudyTenuta.com. I wanted to get that out of the way now, before she reminds me of what a pig I and all the rest of you men are.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Here's a letter: 'Dear Goddess, I have a super-cute boyfriend who only likes to decorate and lip sync to Yentl. Could he be gay? Love, Oprah.' What is going on with her?"

Now back to our scheduled bout of wits with the Love Goddess, the persona that comedian Judy Tenuta has been bringing to stage and screen for years. The Love Goddess is loud, she’s proud and, of course, she’s plays a wicked accordian.

And, of course, her latest comedy CD is called Buy This Again, Pigs! The Best of Judy Tenuta.



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BY BOB ANDELMAN

Drew Waters possesses the kind of body that other men can only wish to emulate and women dream of well, you know.

He grew up in Texas and gave up a track & field scholarship at Rice University to join the Navy. While still serving his country, he won a modeling contest over 3,500 other contestants and—after completing his military tenure—began a career as an international print model.

You’ve probably seen him in campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Prada, Structure, Versace, Chaps, Hugo Boss, Guess, and Abercrombie & Fitch. He’s also appeared on magazine covers and ads in GQ, Vogue, Esquire, Men’s Fitness, and Men’s Journal.

Legendary fashion photographer Bruce Weber thought Waters had something more than good looks and suggested he try acting.

Good idea.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "There were rumors, but they wouldn't tell me the direction my character was going. They gave one of the characters, Max, a heart attack and pushed my character into his spot while he was recovering. Episode 10, I was sitting with Kyle and I said to the director, 'I apologize, but it's driving me crazy. What am I doing out here on this field?' Kyle goes, 'Yeah, what is he doin' out here?' And I said, 'Kyle, I can handle this.' They didn't want my character to know until the very end."

Waters has appeared in Blonde Ambition, starring Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson; Major Movie Star with Jessica Simpson; Mad Money starring Katie Holmes and Diane Keaton; It’s a Wonderful World with Matthew Broderick; and W starring Josh Brolin. He appeared in an episode of AMC’s , “Breaking Bad,” and began a recurring role during season three of the NBC/DirecTV cult favorite “Friday Night Lights,” where he plays “Wade Aikman.”

While I talk with Waters, feel free to check out his personal website, DrewWaters.com. Or visit the "Friday Night Lights" site for a preview of season 4.




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#MadMen #Community Actress Alison Brie ("Trudy Campbell") on Mr. Media Radio: http://ping.fm/HXJPH

By BOB ANDELMAN

Alison Brie is a supporting actress on two hit series—“Community” on NBC and “Mad Men” on AMC.

Not bad for a young woman whose previous acting resume is still thin enough as to include performances in community theatre shows at a Jewish Community Center in Southern California. And don’t get me wrong—I’m not knocking those credits—it’s a testament to how, when it’s your time in Hollywood, the knocks on the door can come fast and furious.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Our producers on 'Community' are big fans of 'Mad Men' and were very gracious to let me continue to recur on that show and I hope it works out for season four."

Her big break came in the first season of “Mad Men,” on which she plays “Trudy Campbell,” wife of ambitious silver spooner Pete Campbell. Pete hasn’t quite figured out married life yet—from making babies to staying away from women who are not his wife—but that hasn’t stopped Trudy from stealing most every scene she is in, including her final moment of season three.

As for “Community,” Alison plays “Annie,” the baby-faced, sometimes raw community college student who is desperately trying to fit in with the show’s band of oddball, somewhat older and more experienced characters.

The new NBC show took a few weeks to get its voice, but “Community” absolutely deserves the “Must See TV” tag and is funny from the first to the last minute of each new episode. It deserved a recent full-season pickup from the network and move to anchoring Thursdays night at 8 p.m.




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@TonyIsabella You were great on Mr. Media Radio today! Thanks for being my guest: http://ping.fm/lsVId

BY BOB ANDELMAN

I’m not a big advocate of cheating to get ahead in life.

But let’s face it, these are not normal times. So I’m willing to consider options that were previously anathema to a good two-shoes like myself.

Enter Jeff Kreisler, an old friend of the Mr. Media Radio show and the author of the new book, Get Rich Cheating: The Crooked Path to Easy Street. In this manual to the easy life, Jeff kicks ethics to the curb and puts readers on the fast track to mastering scams, frauds, steroids and public relations.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "The easy way to know that A-Rod is cheating is that he's wearing a Yankees uniform. That, right there, is the sign of the Devil."

 This is Jeff’s second appearance here; the rising humorist also came on to talk about My Wall Street Journal, on which he was an editor.





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LISTEN! Jeff Kreisler talking about My Wall Street Journal!

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By BOB ANDELMAN

How well do you know your own father?

If your stepmother died under suspicious circumstances and everyone around you harbored the belief that your father murdered her, could you stand by him no matter what?

I hope, for your sake, that it’s a situation in which you never find yourself. But it happened to Angela Dovehttp://www.angeladove.com/ on March 25, 1988, when she was a high school student in California. Her life was never the same.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "This was just a man who had a lot of difficulty in interpersonal relationships. He got in his own way. I think a lot of people do that, but it's not until you're under the lens of a homicide investigation that it starts to look suspicious."

Dove hopes to have brought herself and her family some closure with the publication of her first book, No Room for Doubt: A True Story of the Reverberations of Murder. It is the story of Debi Whitlock’s brutal and mysterious death in her own home—while her three-year-old daughter slept nearby—and the impact the long unsolved crime had on Dove’s father. It is also the tale of Debi’s mother’s long struggle for justice.

Even if you read a good deal of true crime stories, you probably haven’t read one like this. Its point of view is unique and I heartily recommend it to you.



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BY BOB ANDELMAN

Tim Pilcher has a dirty mind!

That’s what some people think, no doubt. He did just publish the second edition Erotic Comics: A Graphic History and it is filled with cartoon images of men, women, aliens and even a cat dancer engaged in all manner of physical intimacies.

Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 left off and examines how the form has become an international publishing phenomenon by showcasing artwork that has inflamed desires, incensed censors, and caused controversy.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "The history of censorship of comics runs hand-in-hand with the history of erotic comics. The two are so intimately tied, for so many reasons... Governments have really tried to suppress or stop certain materials from being sold or marketed to the general public."

Fully illustrated with rare art by Howard Cruse, Gengoroh Tagame, Melinda Gebbie, Hunt Emerson, Howard Chaykin, Giovanna Casotto (whose work graces the cover), Tom of Finland, Milo Manara, Junko Mizuno, this book covers everything: the erotic comics explosion in America in the mid-’80s; the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender comics scene; UK and European erotic comic creators since the ’70s; and the Japanese hentai phenomenon.

(If you have sensitive ears or are under the age of 18, please stop here. You might be offended by some of the content of this interview.)

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By BOB ANDELMAN

One of the delightful surprises of last spring’s crop of replacement TV shows was a quiet little romantic comedy called “Castle” on ABC. It stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, a police procedural novelist who gets permission to hang around with an NYPD homicide detective, Kate Beckett, played by the beautiful Stana Katic.

The show, which may remind viewers of a certain generation—mine—of “Moonlighting” and younger viewers, perhaps, of “Bones,” airs Mondays at 10 p.m.

Also in the cast are a number of strong supporting character actors, including Susan Sullivan, Debi Mazar and my guest today, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who plays Beckett’s boss, Captain Roy Montgomery.

Santiago-Hudson brings some heft to what could be a walk-by role in someone else’s hands.

A Tony and Obie winning actor, writer and director, Ruben Santiago-Hudson made his debut as a screenwriter with Lackawanna Blues, for which he received the Humanitas Prize, a Christopher Award, National Board of Review Honors, an NAACP Award and Emmy, Golden Globe and a WGA nomination.

I don’t usually like to just read credits, but this guy’s got some outstanding ones: on film, Santiago-Hudson starred opposite Halle Berry in Their Eyes Were Watching God; Denzel Washington and Russell Crow in American Gangster; Demi Moore and Kevin Costner in Mr. Brooks; Samuel L. Jackson in Shaft; Al Pacino in Devil's Advocate; and John Travolta in Domestic Disturbance.

He’s also got a cameo in the new Ricky Gervais film, The Invention of Lying.





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By BOB ANDELMAN

I’m gonna be honest with you—I’m far more interested in talking with Guillermo Diaz about his last role—as, curiously, “Guillermo”—in “Weeds,” in which he played Mary Louise Parker’s drug dealer, teacher, friend, antagonist, protector—hey, it was complicated.

That Guillermo was one scary mofo.

This Guillermo is starring as Nurse Angel Lopez on the new NBC drama “Mercy,” which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. It’s funny and awkward at times—just like “Weeds,” in some ways—but I think this show demonstrates how much range Diaz actually has.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "I would hope that Guillermo would really like Angel and have a little bit of a snicker with him... I'm coming back to Weeds. It's gonna work out; it's going to be interesting to see what they do with me."

He came to national attention after starring as Scarface in the cult film ​Half Baked, opposite Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer. He joined Academy Award winners Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones in ​ The Terminal​ for renowned director/producer Steven Spielberg. His varied resume also includes feature roles in indie hits such as ​Party Girl​ opposite Parker Posey, ​Stonewall​, ​I'm Not Rappaport​ with Walter Matthau, ​200 Cigarettes​ with Christina Ricci, ​ High School High​ and ​ Chelsea Walls​, directed by Ethan Hawke.

In addition to his feature film credits, Diaz is known for his three seasons on the award-winning Showtime series “Weeds” where he plays Guillermo, Mary Louise Parker's drug dealer. He has also been seen in “ER,” “Law & Order” “Chappelle’s Show,” “The Shield,” “Without a Trace” and “The Closer.”

Diaz most recently wrapped the indie feature ​ Peep World​ with Rainn Wilson and Sarah Silverman and the USA series “Royal Pains.” He will next be seen opposite Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in Kevin Smith’s feature ​ A Couple of Dicks.



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By BOB ANDELMAN

I lived in a pretty male-centric world most of my life, idolizing certain baseball players, rock stars and even a writer or two.

But when my daughter was born back in ’96, I made a marked effort to learn more about women who she might one day find influential for their achievements.

High-flier Amelia Earhart always seemed like an appropriate choice. So it’s convenient that this Friday, October 23, Amelia, a new movie biography starring Hilary Swank as the aviator will open in theatres. And today I’m fortune to have the author of a new book about Earhart join me on the show.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "Her husband, George Palmer Putnam, believed she had a special sensitivity. After she disappeared, he received psychic messages, mailbags full of them, from ordinary people all over the world, people who never had a psychic experience before but felt compelled. They were receiving messages from Amelia, sending them to him, saying 'I don't know what this means!' Her husband used that information to help direct the search location."

Susan Wels is the author of Amelia Earhart: The Thrill Of It, an extensive coffee table photo history of a pioneer of the early days of 20th century flight.





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• 3 Easy Steps to...
  
  Great advice for 8th graders (and their parents)!

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