Showing results by narrator "Bob Andelman" in All Categories

Collins became a next generation Mickey Spillane, creating memorable titles and characters of his own such as Road to Perdition and Quarry. He's worked in all kind of media, from scripting Dick Tracy daily comic strips from 1977-93 to writing the novelizations of movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Air Force One and American Gangster and creating his own one-man show Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life. The crowning achievement of his career, however, may have been when Mickey Spillane - the best-selling mystery writer of the 20th century - chose Collins to be his literary executor.

If you've been watching the AMC drama Breaking Bad over the years, you've had the privilege of seeing some extraordinary performances by the lead actors, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn. But some of the greatest moments have been of the smaller, more isolated type. Like the ones featuring my guest today, Mark Margolis, who plays - or should I say played - Hector "Tio" Salamanca. You remember Hector, the notorious, bloodthirsty bastard we met as an old man and later in flashbacks as a young badass.

If I were the president of one of the broadcast networks, I'd take another look at signing up A.J. Jacobs to make a sitcom based on his life. (And yes, I know it's been tried before – as described by A.J. himself in Esquire magazine last fall, but this idea is worth a second look.) All the basic elements are there: A.J. is a neurotic, Jewish writer living in Manhattan with his grounded wife and naturally funny three boys, two of whom are twins.

Imagine stretching a rubber band between the index finger on one hand and the thumb on the other. Now visualize pulling your fingers as far apart as possible. That's it...keep pulling...and pulling...OUCH! Somebody will always get hurt when you do that. That's what I pictured happening upstairs to Margo Martindale's character, Janice Trimble, in her new movie, Scalene. And that's just in the opening minutes.

Mr. Media interviews Paige Howard. Yes, yes, Paige Howard is one of those Howards. Sister of Bryce - who played Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3, niece of Clint, granddaughter of Rance and, yup, daughter of Ron and Cheryl. That had to be said, I'm told, because Paige hasn't accrued enough screen credits yet where you wlll drop what you're doing when you hear the name "Paige Howard". But if you have time, take a look at her performance in a new film called Cheesecake Casserole.

It's easy to point out that George Kennedy, in a career spanning five decades, worked with some of the greatest names in Hollywood history. Paul Newman. Cary Grant. Kirk Douglas. Frank Sinatra. Leslie Nielsen. Bettie Davis. Clint Eastwood. John Wayne. Maggie Smith. Peter Ustinov. Carol Burnett. David Niven.

In addition to continuing in his role as Dotcom alongside Grizz Chapman as Tracy Jordan's posse on NBC's 30 Rock, comedian Kevin Brown's standup career has truly blossomed and it keeps him out on the road whenever Tina Fey doesn't need him on the award-winning sitcom.

The ironic thing about Michelle Borth's role as Jamie, a woman whose fiancé won't commit to monogamy in the new HBO series "Tell Me You Love Me," is that she is the kind of sexy, intoxicating woman that could probably drive the best-intentioned married man to cheat on his wife.

Let me see. The last time I stopped what I was doing to listen a world class violinist was… Okay, it hasn't happened yet. But after watching Philippe Quint move gracefully between classic violin and pop-jazz in David Grubin's new indie film Downtown Express, it is definitely more likely to happen in the future.

Jonathan Katz is neither a doctor nor a cartoon. But he has been known to be one entertaining funnyman. His old show on Comedy Central, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, was perhaps best known for two elements during its six-year run: its squiggly animation and the remarkable list of guests who sat on Dr. Katz's couch, including Ray Romano, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and Louis C.K. Now Katz is back with a new animated show, Explosion Bus.

Kurt Andersen has one of those careers that makes him the envy of a lot of folks in media. The guy has had a fairly golden touch, starting with the birth of the late great humor magazine, Spy, which he co-founded with Graydon Carter and Tom Phillips. He's also been a columnist for The New Yorker and editor in chief of New York. And he currently hosts public radio's popular Studio 360, which has won a Peabody Award.

I was studying Samaire Armstrong's IMDB page when I saw that she played "Emily" on several episodes of the HBO comedy Entourage. Why is that significant? Well, as fans of the long-running podcast Sex With Emily will recognize, a clip from Entourage helps open every episode of that show.

Of course there are stereotypes in Hollywood! Look up "Scary Mofos" in any dictionary and you'll find a picture of actor Danny Trejo. Even when he's smiling, he's frightening. (No disrespect, sir.) Mention his name in casual conversation and watch the visceral fear come rising up in someone's eyes. As the master thespian Jon Lovitz once said, "Acting!" Yeah, maybe.

Raquel Welch promotes her new book, Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage, about beauty and health tips and along the way presents a virtual manifesto for the modern, mature woman. I think this story will appeal to two types of women: those of any age who want to be like Raquel, and those who think a woman as sexy and famous as Raquel Welch couldn't possibly relate to their lives. Because, from what I read in Beyond the Cleavage, I think she does.

Back in '82, I used to be able to throw a pigskin a quarter mile. What actor doesn't dream of at least one role for which they will forever be remembered? For Jon Gries, no doubt, that character is "Uncle Rico" in the 2004 cult classic high school comedy Napoleon Dynamite. Uncle Rico is a ball of confusion, hard-packed with conflicting characteristics, the classic enigma hiding inside a mystery hiding in plain sight.

An audiobook narrated by author Bob Andelman, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life is the authorized biography that explores Eisner's amazing life, detailing a career that spanned 70 years. The biography features interviews with many of Eisner's contemporaries, such as Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Neil Gaiman, Denis Kitchen, Jim Warren, Dave Sim, Denny O'Neil, and Stan Lee.

Is it fair to call Carl Wilson the "accidental" Beach Boy? He was the youngest brother - and cousin - in the world’s most enduring and prominent California surf band, the one that probably had other youthful pursuits in mind when older brother Brian recruited him to the band in the early 1960s at age 15. But the rest of The Beach Boys were lucky he got around - I mean, came around - as Carl eventually became the band’s musical director, lead vocalist, and its conscience in the absence of brother Brian.  

Like a lot of bands from that era, The Cowsills soon disappeared from view - 1910 Fruitgum Company, anyone? - and I didn’t give them much thought, until last week, when I was invited to watch a new documentary film by Louise Palanker, Family Band: The Cowsills Story, about the real family behind the singing family. Joining me today to talk about his family, the band, and the documentary is Paul Cowsill. Paul still leads The Cowsills, but his day jobs are equally interesting.

Toni Tennille: A Memoir is an okay title for the Alabama native’s life story, but once you read it to the end, you might agree with me that "Toni Tennille: Happy at Last" is more fitting. I cannot deny that I had low expectations as I began reading the autobiography of this singer who I always adored as a teen and held on to over the decades as a guilty pop pleasure. The glamour, the celebrity friends, parties, etc. - ho-hum, we’ve certainly heard it all before. But trust me, you haven’t heard this story.

If you’re going to write a book about the Rolling Stones at this point in their history, you damn well better have something unique to say - which brings us to former Rolling Stone magazine associate editor in London, Robert Greenfield. I am happy to report that the author has added several new colors to what we know of the band. If you love the Stones, you’ll find this tale irresistible. Hear more about it in this interview.