Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Guy Lawson Arms And The Dudes

Pot heads turning into the world's most famous gun runners. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with the man that investigated the true story. Guy Lawson The tale journalist Guy Lawson tells in ARMS AND THE DUDES: How Three Stoners from Miami Beach Became the Most Unlikely Gunrunners in History (June 9, 2015/$27.95 hardcover) is so strange it can only be true. The story became front page news at the time it occurred, but a full account has never been accurately reported until now. The book’s subtitle might sound like a high concept premise for a movie; in fact, ARMS AND THE DUDES is currently being filmed for Warner Brothers by Todd Phillips, director of The Hangover films, with stars Jonah Hill and Miles Teller. In 2007, three twenty-something kids from Florida—Efraim Diveroli, David Packouz, and Alex Podrizk—ended up in charge of a $300 million Department of Defense contract to supply ammunition to the Afghanistan military. Their essential infrastructure in navigating the arcane world of defense contracting consisted of a dive apartment, an Internet connection, a few cell phones, and a steady supply of high-grade marijuana. As part of the deal, the dudes bought cheap surplus Communist bloc ammunition—100 million rounds of AK-47 cartridges originally manufactured in China in the ‘50s and ‘60s. They tried to circumvent a ban on selling Chinese-made arms to the U.S. government by secretly repackaging the rounds in unmarked cardboard boxes and shipping it to Kabul—until they were caught by Pentagon investigators and the scandal turned up on the front page of the New York Times. Or so goes the “official” version of the story The truth behind this official story is far more dark, absurd, and disturbing. As Lawson shows in ARMS AND THE DUDES, as the American government tried to stand up armies in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon covertly established itself as the world’s largest gunrunning organization. Using private contractors like the dudes from Florida as middlemen, the American military knowingly purchased weapons from illegal arms dealers—the same men who sell arms to dictators, warlords, and drug traffickers. The United States government hoped to hide this reality in documents sealed in federal court, until Lawson uncovered the whole story. ARMS AND THE DUDES takes readers on an unprecedented voyage into the mysterious and murky world of global arms dealing. The improbable tale of Diveroli, Packouz, and Podrizki includes Russian geopolitical intrigue, a shady Swiss arms dealer, corruption and murder in Albania, and a Pentagon investigation that caused ammunition shortages for the Afghanistan military—all leading to federal indictments for fraud, a Congressional investigation, and a fiasco that shows the American government acting with no respect for international law. It is a tale that the government distorted, manipulated, and tried to bury—until now. ABOUT GUY LAWSON Guy Lawson is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning investigative journalist whose articles on war, crime, culture, and law have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Harper’s, and many other publications. His Rolling Stone article on this story was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. He lives in New York with his wife and two daughters. Visit www.GuyLawson.com

Grant Blackwood Tom Clancy's Under Fire

On the edge with a serious twist of the unexpected. This new Jack Ryan book rewrites what you think you already know. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with author Grant Blackwood. The writer that brought us Tom Clancy's Under Fire Each of Tom Clancy’s eighteen previous novels became a #1 New York Times bestseller, and total sales of his books worldwide are estimated at more than one hundred million copies. In total, Clancy wrote more than one hundred fiction and non-fiction books. His first effort, The Hunt for Red October, sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, and then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list in 1984 after President Reagan pronounced it “the perfect yarn.” From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. Four of his novels became the basis for hit movies (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears). Another hit film, 2013’s Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, was based on an original story about the early CIA days of Clancy’s hero. Clancy’s work spawned a videogame empire, as well, with sales of more than seventy-five million games to date. He passed away in October 2013 Grant Blackwood, who co-authored the critically acclaimed #1 New York Times bestseller Dead or Alive with Tom Clancy, superbly carries on the immensely popular Clancy franchise with TOM CLANCY UNDER FIRE. The New York Times–bestselling author in his own right of the Briggs Tanner series, Blackwood is also the coauthor of The Kill Switch, with James Rollins, and of the Fargo Adventure Series with Clive Cussler. A U.S. Navy veteran, Blackwood spent three years aboard a guided missile frigate as an Operations Specialist and a Pilot Rescue Swimmer. Please let me know if you would like an interview with Grant Blackwood.

Kelly Knievel I Am Evel Knievel

Growing up in Billings, Montana was only the first step toward looking at life and taking on every challenge. Now toss in our neighbor up in Butte. Evel Knievel saw no lines in the sand. He didn't just inspire and influence the nations fourth largest state. The world suddenly put up the ramps near ditches and began to jump. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Kelly Knievel A Star Studded Cast Pays Tribute to the World's Original Daredevil and Fearless Entertainer in a Feature Documentary Coming this June to Digital Platforms, Blu-Ray, and DVD From Virgil Films "All my life people have been waiting around to watch me die." - Evel Knievel Evel Knievel is a name you can't forget. And the new film I AM EVEL KNIEVEL, coming to Digital platforms, Blu-Ray and DVD on June 30, 2015, from Virgil Films, reveals the story behind the man you can't forget. Evel Knievel's rise to superstardom was built on nerves of steel and the ability to get up and do it again no matter the severity of the fall. He lived life like every day was his last, which led to a tumultuous life filled with stunts no man would ever dream of, encompassing meteoric success, wild hubris, egomaniacal mistakes, and ultimately redemption. Sporting flashy leather jumpsuits and a determined grin in the face of death, Knievel became a national hero whose outrageous feats were broadcast on live TV. "My father was truly an awe inspiring character and an original in every sense of the word, and his legacy has grown even more amazing over the years", states Kelly Knievel, "There was a reason my dad so captured the imagination of the world. This film captures the man's character, determination, successes and failures." I AM EVEL KNIEVEL is the untold story of this legendary figure who gave birth to the culture and the meaning of the word "extreme". The film also showcases Knievel's rise from a small town rebel in Butte, Montana, to a cultural icon. The enduring legacy of Evel Knievel is his unforgettable death-defying jumps. The film - from producer-director Derik Murray (I Am Chris Farley, I Am Steve McQueen, I Am Bruce Lee), and writer-executive producer Paul Gertz (I Am Chris Farley, Johnny Cash: American Rebel) - features footage of Knievel's greatest jumps, including his first major attempt, over the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Snake River Canyon jump in Idaho and London's Wembley Stadium jump. A cast featuring those who knew him best and were inspired to achieve greatness of their own, including Matthew McConaughey, Kid Rock, Michelle Rodriguez, Guy Fieri, Robbie Maddison, daredevils Spanky Spangler and Mike Vallely, Willie G. Davidson of Harley-Davidson, funnyman Bob Einstein (known as Super Dave Osborne), Chris and J.C. Agajanian, and family members including sons Kelly and Robbie, and former wives Linda Knievel and Krystal Kennedy-Knievel.

Travel Expert Kendra Thornton

Every year at this time the battle of the sexes breaks out. Who gets their way when it comes to traveling? More importantly who gets to take the most luggage versus how much money will be spent? Its time to talk to a travel expert. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Kendra Thornton With a lifetime of travel industry experience, Kendra Thornton is a nationally recognized travel expert, successful entrepreneur, second-generation family business owner, public speaker, wife and mother of three young children. Kendra grew up in the travel industry with parents who founded Royal Travel & Tours, the largest travel agency chain in north central Illinois. The family business afforded her the opportunity to travel the world starting at a young age - her first international trip was to the Bahamas at 3 months old. A wife and mother of three young children, Kendra has been traveling with her kids, oftentimes solo, since they were infants.

Monday, June 29, 2015

John Waters Returns....Car Sick

John has become a regular with me on iHeart Radio's Unplugged and Totally Uncut. It's always fascinating to sit down with the movie maker and tap into his creative imagination. Especially when its based on hitch hiking across America in 2015 A cross-country hitchhiking journey with America's most beloved weirdo John Waters is putting his life on the line. Armed with wit, a pencil-thin mustache, and a cardboard sign that reads "I'm Not Psycho," he hitchhikes across America from Baltimore to San Francisco, braving lonely roads and treacherous drivers. But who should we be more worried about, the delicate film director with genteel manners or the unsuspecting travelers transporting the Pope of Trash? Before he leaves for this bizarre adventure, Waters fantasizes about the best and worst possible scenarios: a friendly drug dealer hands over piles of cash to finance films with no questions asked, a demolition-derby driver makes a filthy sexual request in the middle of a race, a gun-toting drunk terrorizes and holds him hostage, and a Kansas vice squad entraps and throws him in jail. So what really happens when this cult legend sticks out his thumb and faces the open road? His real-life rides include a gentle eighty-one-year-old farmer who is convinced Waters is a hobo, an indie band on tour, and the perverse filmmaker's unexpected hero: a young, sandy-haired Republican in a Corvette. Laced with subversive humor and warm intelligence,Carsick is an unforgettable vacation with a wickedly funny companion--and a celebration of America's weird, astonishing, and generous citizenry. JOHN WATERS BIO (FROM ALL MOVIE GUIDE Of all the dubious titles awarded him -- "The Sultan of Sleaze," "The Baron of Bad Taste," and so forth -- filmmaker John Waters prefers "The Pope of Trash." Born in Baltimore to an upper-middle-class Catholic family, Waters has always been fascinated (obsessed, actually) with violence and gore. He claims that the biggest rush of his childhood occurred when he found dried blood on the squashed remains of a derelict automobile (he also claims to have used binoculars to watch X-rated movies at his local drive-in). For his 17th birthday, Waters was given an 8mm camera. Wasting no time, he gathered together a group of his like-minded chums -- including obese high-school classmate Harris Milstead, better known as female impersonator Divine -- into a repertory troupe called the Dreamland Players, then began churning out his own films. Unlike other teenaged amateurs whose first films consist of warmed-over Godzilla movies and stop-motion GI Joe dolls, Waters' oeuvre was the basest, most vomit-inducing form of poor taste. His avowed purpose in life was to smash every middle-class value that his uptight Baltimore brethren held dear. After completing such early short-subject gems as Hag in a Black Leather Jacket and Eat Your Makeup!, Waters would screen his films in rented church basements, heralding their showings by blanketing the town with mimeographed invitations. Borrowing 2,000 dollars from his father, Waters put together his first feature film, Mondo Trasho, in 1969 -- and was arrested on the eve of its premiere on a charge of "conspiracy to commit indecent exposure" (say what?). As in all of his films, Mondo Trasho pokes fun at its offensiveness even while wallowing in it. In 1972, Waters outdid himself with his midnight-movie masterpiece Pink Flamingos (lensed on a reported budget of 10,000 dollars), wherein faithful Dreamland players Divine, Mink Stole, and David Lochary vie for the title of "World's Filthiest Person" (Divine wins by a mile and a furlong by ingesting a handful of doggy doo-doo). The film went on to become known as one of the most revolting movies of all time, as well as a timeless cult classic. Waters finally got into first-run theaters with Polyester (1981), which not only featured a mainstream actor (Tab Hunter) but revived the old promotional trick of handing out scratch-'n'-sniff cards to the patrons. The director then backed off from filmmaking for about six years, writing witty, perceptive articles for such publications as National Lampoon and teaching courses in film humor to prison inmates. He returned with Hairspray (1988), a 1950s piece set in Baltimore which, despite Waters' claim that he prides himself in the fact that his work has "no socially redeeming value," carries a strong and well-articulated plea for racial tolerance (Waters' star in Hairspray was future talk show host Ricki Lake, who played Divine's daughter). With the exception of Mink Stole, most of Waters' stock company have vanished from his later films; in their stead are such pop-culture icons as Johnny Depp, Pia Zadora, Deborah Harry, Troy Donahue, Iggy Pop, Sonny Bono, and even Patty Hearst, whom Waters once described as "The Lindbergh Baby who lived." Indeed, the director had even managed to accumulate enough respectability over the years that his 1994 Serial Mom starred no less than Kathleen Turner. Though comparatively highly budgeted, the film displays the same energetic, class-clown tackiness as Waters' earliest, cheapest films. His next effort, the 1998 film Pecker, brought him a little further into the mainstream -- or at least into respectable arthouses everywhere. The story of a young Baltimore photographer (Edward Furlong) who becomes a reluctant art-world darling, Pecker managed to be surprisingly sweet while retaining the usual Waters trademarks, such as amiable dysfunction, public copulation, and casually graphic shots of genitalia. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and went on to win wide praise. The praise leveled at the film mirrored the director's real-life ascent into relative respectability: although he continued to dress and comport himself like a potential child molester, Waters matriculated from "fringie" to one of Baltimore's leading citizens. When audiences learned that Waters' next project was to be a film concerning a renegade director who kidnaps a top Hollywood starlet in order to force her to act in his latest feature, advance word no doubt had audiences recalling such Waters classics as Multiple Maniacs. Edgier than Pecker but lacking the sharp satire of Serial Mom (and sadly lacking the sleazy-listening tunes that highlighted his early efforts), Cecil B. Demented ultimately fell somewhere in the middle of trash cinema purgatory; though it certainly spat in the face of traditional mainstream cinema values, it still wasn't quite outrageous enough to be truly effective. While Cecil B. Demented may not have been the film that once again found Waters winning back his "Prince of Puke" crown (that award would likely have gone to Takashi Miike at that point) it was never dull and certainly showed that the spark was still there and that Waters still had a few tricks up his sleeve. For his next effort, entitled A Dirty Shame, Waters rounded up an impressive cast that included the likes of Tracey Ullman, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Isaak, and Selma Blair. Though A Dirty Shame failed to make any big waves at the box-office, Waters' fans did manage to get a few smutty laughs (as long as they didn't catch the butchered "Neuter Version") from this lighthearted tale of sexual debauchery. Three years later, the director got to feed his love for true crime as host of 'Til Death Do Us Part -- a morbid look at unions that ended in murder. The wit, wisdom, and philosophy of John Waters has been distilled in his books {-Shock Value: A Tasteful Book About Bad Taste} (1981) and {-Crackpot: The Obsession of John Waters} (1986). Furthermore, those wanting additional insight into the director's outlook would do well to check out Divine Trash, the acclaimed 1998 documentary about Waters' life.

James Head Guiliani Dogfella

You're once a member of John Gotti's crime family. You do your time behind bars. Once out... its a life of imprisonment by way of alcohol and drug abuse. It leads to a suicide attempt. The voice and or figure that saved you? A dog... True Story!!! From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with James Head Guiliani How did an addicted ex–con on the verge of suicide become a caring member of the community? With a little help from a Shih Tzu named Bruno. James “Head” Guiliani, a confidante of the Gotti regime, was arrested and jailed on a weapons charge. After his release, he fell back into alcohol and drug addiction—until, one day, he came across an abandoned, abused Shih Tzu in the street. He rescued the dog, whom he lovingly named Bruno, and, in the process, turned his own life around. Dogfella recounts the story of Guiliani’s life, from his involvement in street gangs and the infamous Gotti crime family to his incarceration and eventual redemption through animal welfare. Guiliani’s new career has led him to save pit bulls from a dog-fighting ring and drive through six-foot snowdrifts to reach 200 cats stranded at a Long Island sanctuary. "In this funny, touching tale, a wise guy barks back at his addictions by rescuing a shih tzu named Bruno. Guaranteed to warm every animal lover's heart."— Bruce Goldstein, author of Puppy Chow is Better than Prozac ABOUT JAMES GUILIANI James Guiliani is the fifth of six kids born to a religious, working-class Italian American family. He turned to petty crime in high school and was the enforcer for mob boss John Gotti of the Gambino crime family by his mid-twenties. After serving time both in prison and in odd jobs, he now spends his days caring for and rescuing animals with his wife, Lena.

Finesse Mitchell from Beat The Champions

From Saturday Night Live. The King of Atlanta. The man that can fit into any situation and create laughter inside every corner of the circle. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Finesse Mitchell. “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Finesse Mitchell will next be seen in the cable comedy series “Brothers In Atlanta.” He recently appeared in “Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops,” with all proceeds benefiting the Armed Forces Foundation. He also was a member of the “2013 Shaq All-Star Comedy Jam” tour. Mitchell has made numerous television appearances, including “A.N.T. Farm” and “Centric’s According To Him & Her.” Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Mitchell graduated from the University of Miami and is a distinguished member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. He is a former student-athlete who was a walk-on for the University of Miami’s national champion football team, Miami Hurricanes. AMATEUR COMPETITORS TRY TO BEAT WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES ON ALL-NEW SPECIAL “BEAT THE CHAMPIONS” AIRING TUESDAY, JUNE 30, ON FOX Amateurs to Compete Against Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin, New England Patriot and Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkowski and NBA Champ Scottie Pippen Comedian Finesse Mitchell Set To Host The fun and games have just begun as FOX gives amateur athletes with big egos and big dreams the chance to BEAT THE CHAMPIONS, a new competition special in which everyday athletes are epically mismatched against some of the world’s best athletes – four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin, Super Bowl champ superstar Rob Gronkowski and six-time NBA champ Scottie Pippen. To level the playing field, the champs will be faced with increasingly absurd and hilarious handicaps, while the amateurs will be given increasing levels of assistance to beat their elite competition – whether in the water, on the line of scrimmage or on the hardwood. The greater the assist needed by the contestant, however, the less prize money awarded. Over the course of three rounds, competitors will have a chance to win more than $100,000. Will these disadvantages be enough for the amateurs to BEAT THE CHAMPIONS? Find out when the one-hour special, hosted by comedian Finesse Mitchell, airs Tuesday, June 30 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Caseen Gaines Back To The Future

Hey its 2015. Isn't this the year of Marty McFly? Shouldn't we be preparing to go Back To The Future? From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with an author that knows every detail as to how, why, where and when every itty bitty piece of puzzle took place. Caseen Gaines Back to the Future was the brain child of the “two Bobs” – director Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, who worked tirelessly to break into the film industry with a hit. During their journey, they encountered unprecedented challenges and routinely took the difficult way out. For the first time, the story of how these two young filmmakers struck lightning is told by those involved. In WE DON’T NEED ROADS: The Making of the Back to The Future Trilogy, Caseen Gaines includes original interviews with both Zemeckis and Gale, as well as stars Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Huey Lewis, and more than fifty others from the cast and crew of this legendary film. Caseen Gaines reveals little known facts: •Johnny Depp, John Cusack, George Newbern, and Charlie Sheen were among the up and coming stars who read for the role of Marty McFly. •Universal’s Sid Sheinberg is rumored to have disliked the title Back to the Future and wanted to call it “Spaceman from Pluto” •Minor script changes would turn out to be iconic—Marty’s mom’s name was changed from Eileen to that of Sheinberg’s wife, Lorraine; Professor Brown was instead nicknamed “Doc”, and his pet, originally a Chimp named “Shemp” was replaced with a dog. •At the rough-edit screening starring the first Marty, Eric Stoltz, Zemeckis admitted “there’s a hole in the middle of our screen. The lead actor doesn’t work.” •Jeopardizing one of the film’s best gags, Chuck Berry initially wavered on letting “Johnny B. Goode” be used in the film, but eventually allowed the song to be used for a $50,000 fee. •Due to a 1979 vehicle safety law, the DeLorean’s speedometer topped out at 85. In order to hit the magical 88 miles per hour, the manufacturer’s speedometer was replaced and a digital display was added for effect. WE DON’T NEED ROADS is the ultimate read for anyone who has ever wanted to ride a hoverboard, hang from the top of a clock tower, travel through the space-time continuum, or find out what really happened to Eric Stoltz after the first six weeks of filming. About the Author Caseen Gaines is the author of Inside Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomenon, which received a 2012 Independent Publisher Book Award Silver Medal, as well as A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic. Caseen also directs theater and teaches high school English in New Jersey, where he lives. @CaseenGaines / www.caseengaines.com

Phil Collen of Def Leppard and Delta Deep

From the iHeart Radio Studio. Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Phil Collen of Def Leppard and Delta Deep. I still remember playing my first Def Leppard 45 on KOOK in Billings, Montana. Every jock cranked up the tunes to unheard of volumes. I'm shocked they didn't have to replace the entire sound system in the studio. I credit Def Leppard for saving the life of AM radio. We would've been long gone if it hadn't been for the Phil, Rick, Joe and Vivian. It was an age when MTV was pouring our vidoes and FM was hiring air talent with personalities. Def Leppard continues to pour their soul into the road. They're endless with touring and solo adventures. Phil has created with Man Rave as well as his new release from Delta Deep. While still writing and recording music for a new Def Leppard album set for release in October. Then in January. The first ever Def Leppard Cruise complete with a hidden away island.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Cadillac Three

A couple of things happened to me inside the iHeart Radio Studio when the three guys that make up Cadillac Three walked in. They're from Nashville. It's 2015! What Country performer is from Nashville? The other shocker... Long hair! Musicians are supposed to have an edge. Not look like employees of a banking institution. I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Cadillac Three While The Cadillac Three, formally The Cadillac Black, whose members include native Nashvillians Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason and Kelby Ray have been friends and musical co-conspirators since they were kids. They’ve weathered their wild teenage years and even wilder tours, weathered major label letdowns, major league triumphs and a major name change, conquered Music Row – Johnston co-wrote Keith Urban’s #1 single “You Gonna Fly” – and crashed on the couches of strangers in far flung cities. These boys have seen more ups and downs than a Smoky Mountain tour guide. But in spite of all the trials and tribulations – or perhaps because of them – The Cadillac Three have emerged with a sound all of their own, a sound that hovers between radio-ready country anthems, hard-and-heavy rock and traditional Southern folk. You could call it country fuzz, you could call it hipster-billy, you could call it any number of over-hyphenated, adjective-strewn things but when you boil it all down there’s only one way to describe it: damn good music, as pure and refreshing as a country creek. It’s a sound that works as well in front of an amphitheater full of ZZ Top fans or the Dierks Bentley crowd as well as it does in the dive bars and dark corners of the underground music. Though, truth be told, The Cadillac Three’s sound probably works best blaring out of your car speakers as you fly down the highway, wind blowing through your hair on the way to another wild Saturday night. Built around Mason’s thundering, melodic percussion and the sinewy intertwining of Johnston’s guitar with Ray’s lap steel, songs like “I’m Southern”, “Days of Gold” and “Whiskey Soaked Redemption” on their self-produced debut bristle with energy and explode at a moments notice. Tracks like “Down to the River”, “Get Your Buzz On” and “Back It Up” evoke the legends of Southern Rock – your Molly Hatchets, your Outlaws, your Ozark Mountain Daredevils – but they aren’t nostalgic, aren’t fetishistic reconstructions of by-gone eras. This the new sound of the New South, bigger and badder than ever.

Jeff Apploff from FOX's BOOM

Tonight on FOX. Let the BOOM begin. The game show that will become the most talked about event of the summer. We all think we're experts in knowledge. Especially defusing bombs. What happens when the boom boom pow is overflowing with a lot of fun on the inside waiting to explode on everyone outside. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with the Executive Producer Jeff Apploff New quiz show BOOM!, hosted by comedian Tom Papa (“The Marriage Ref”), combines high drama and high stakes with high comedy in a fun-filled, trivia-charged, slime-soaked entertainment blast. Watch as teams compete – if they get the questions right, they could win big money; if they get it wrong or run out of time, they are showered with anything from guacamole to maple syrup. Tune in to the all-new “It’s the Maple Syrup Bomb!” Series Premiere of BOOM! airing Thursday, June 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. OFFICIAL SHOW TWITTER: @BOOMonFOX OFFICIAL SHOW FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/boomonfox JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #boom

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Paula Poundstone

The Levine Center for the Arts in Charlotte, NC welcomes comedian Paula Poundstone on Saturday, July 11th. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with the one of the hot stars of the movie Inside Out Paula Poundstone Thirty two years ago Paula Poundstone climbed on a Greyhound bus and traveled across the country -- stopping in at open mic nights at comedy clubs as she went. A high school drop-out, she went on to become one of the great humorists of our time. You can hear her through your laughter as a regular panelist on NPR’s popular rascal of a weekly news quiz show, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me. Watch for Paula as she lends her distinctive voice to the character “Forgetter Paula” in the new Disney Pixar film “Inside Out” about a young girl Riley who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job. The movie chronicles and the emotional roller coaster that change can bring. Riley’s emotions include; Joy (Amy Poehler,) Fear (Bill Hader,) Anger (Lewis Black,) Disgust (Mindy Kaling,) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith.) “Inside Out” opens nationwide June 19, 2015. Check out the trailer at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/. THE LEVINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS WELCOMES THE COMEDIC BRILLIANCE OF PAULA POUNDSTONE FROM NPR’S NEWS QUIZ SHOW “WAIT WAIT DON’T TELL ME” ON SATURDAY, JULY 11th GET A LAUGH with Paula’s comedy CD: I Heart Jokes - Paula Tells Them In Boston cdbaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/paulapoundstone1/ Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-heart-jokes-paula-tells/id632789944 Watch Paula on Craig Ferguson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6WnBZ5G6fc Visit Paula at: http://www.paulapoundstone.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/paulapoundstone Twitter: http://twitter.com/PaulaPoundstone . Showtime: 8:00PM / Tickets: $19.50 - $44.50 / Call: 704-372-1000 Visit: www.blumenthalarts.org The Levine Center for the Arts is located at 430 S. Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202

I Am Charlie Wilson

The true roots of American Music history move through each of us without realizing the birth of the seed. The age of digitally hitting next on the Ipod would end if we stopped to hear the shape of what's become our favorite place in music. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Soul/R&B legend. From the unforgettable funk of the Gap Band and beyond its Charlie Wilson As lead singer of the Grammy-Award winning 80’s sensation, The GAP Band, Charlie Wilson appeared to have it all: immense talent, critical acclaim, fame and fortune. But all that glitters is not gold. A bad contractual agreement with an unscrupulous manager, tensions and ego clashes amongst the band members (his brothers), and Wilson’s low self-esteem and unresolved issues from childhood created a toxic environment that led him to drugs and alcohol to mask his pain. After years of homelessness on the streets of Los Angeles, a chance encounter led to a drug rehabilitation program that would prove to be a pivotal turning point in Wilson’s life. Through the guidance of a dedicated drug counselor, Wilson got sober and began to put his life back on track. The personal transformation would lead Charlie to experience even greater success in his career, including Grammy nominations and collaborations with the most sought after artists today, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dog, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake and beyond. In his highly anticipated memoir, I AM CHARLIE WILSON (37 INK/Atria Books; On-sale date June 30, 2015; ISBN: 978-1-4767-9007-7; $25.99; 304 pages), the songwriter, producer and celebrated music icon reveals in candid detail the highs and lows in his extraordinary life. From a devastating addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol to meeting the love of his life while in recovery to his collaborations with music royalty to a challenging battle with prostate cancer, Wilson delivers a no-holds barred account of the forces that sent him into a downward spiral as well as the positive influences that brought him back from the brink of despair, reignited his career and have kept him stay clean for over twenty years. Charlie Wilson has one of the most recognizable and beloved voices in R&B and his hit singles and multiple Grammy nominations have put his name in the books and at the top of the charts. Despite these successes, Wilson experienced a series of setbacks including a manager who deliberately sabotaged opportunities to work with Kenneth “Baby Face” Edmonds, LA Reid, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and managerial fiscal malfeasance so notable, his money literally ran out, which led him to live on the streets, sometimes sleeping under U-haul trucks, with just the clothes on his back. “I had cardboard for a bed and a brick under my head for a pillow,” Wilson recalls. “A couple who camped out in the area often shared their shelter of shopping carts and plastic tarps with me. If they had a sandwich, they shared it.” Wilson also notes that during these years on the street, no one who knew him realized he was down and out. Avoiding soup kitchens and shelters and cutting off all ties with family, he used work as an excuse for the lapses in contact. “I was embarrassed,” Wilson admits. “You could still hear my records on the radio. People gave me drugs because they thought I was still on top. Nobody knew I had sunk so far.” It was on the streets that, in 1995, Wilson ran into his cousin, Shirley, with whom he used to get high. “I was happy to see her and she was happy to see me, too, but she was not crying tears of joy for seeing her cousin after three long years,” Wilson recounts. “Her tears were laced with fear. Panic. She knew I wouldn’t have long on this earth if I didn’t get help—fast.” When Wilson asked Shirley for a crack hit, she went on to explain that she had been clean for three years. “The thought of three years having gone by since she and I had gotten high together blew my mind.” he says. “For addicts, time doesn’t exist.” Through Shirley’s intervention, Wilson was admitted into a 28-day program. Though He’d tried rehabilitation before, this time, with the help of the program director with whom he fell madly in love and ultimately married - he committed. Once again clean, Wilson reclaimed his rightful place as an R&B elder statesman and even earned the nickname, “Uncle Charlie,”from admirer Snoop Dogg whom Wilson regards as a nephew by love‟ and whom he credits as the artist who got him back in the music industry. Once he returned to the business, Wilson worked with Master P, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder and many other superstars. But even with his sobriety intact and impressive collaborations, every day was an uphill battle in terms of proving himself to the naysayers who thought he was washed up, dated and too old to make a comeback. Wilson, however, remained true to himself and his inimitable style and with the releases of the albums Charlie, Last Name Wilson and Uncle Charlie, he earned two Grammy nominations--sweet revenge against those who had counted him out. Having overcome addiction and homelessness may have also uniquely prepared Wilson for waging war against another serious enemy: prostate cancer. Diagnosed in 2008, Wilson is now healthy and uses his celebrity platform as a vehicle for urging men to get tested. And despite all of the trials and tribulations he has faced, Wilson says he’s far from a man who is putting himself out to pasture. “With six decades under my belt, some of it full of hard living and difficult lessons, I’ve been working every single day to appreciate my second chance,” he says. “My life is a miracle. And this is just the beginning. My story continues.”

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Rollingstone Magazines Fredd Goodman

Think of it this way. If you were controlling the success of both Home Depot and Lowes... Would you be looked upon as being a genius? What if you were the manager for the Beatles and The Rolling Stones at the same time? It happened. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Rollingstone Magazine Investigative Reporter Fred Goodman The biggest bastard in the valley. The original music business manager. Feared, hated, revered—Allen Klein was like no one the music industry had seen before. The hard-nosed businessman who came from humble beginnings became infamous in the 70’s for allegedly catalyzing the Beatles’ breakup and robbing the Rolling Stones, but the truth is both more complex and more fascinating. As the manager of the Stones and then the Beatles—not to mention Sam Cooke, the Who, Donovan, the Kinks, and numerous other performers—Klein taught young soon-to-be legends how to be businessmen as well as rock stars. In so doing, Klein made millions for his clients and changed music forever. In the new biography ALLEN KLEIN: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock and Roll (On-Sale: 6/23), veteran music business journalist Fred Goodman uses unprecedented access to Klein’s archives to tell the full story of how the Beatles broke up, how the Stones achieved the greatest commercial success in rock history, and how the music business became what it is today. MORE ABOUT ALLEN KLEIN The story of a manager more often vilified than any other in the history of rock.At his peak, Allen Klein (1931-2009) managed both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, but both relationships led to legal action and acrimony, with Klein largely depicted as unconscionably rapacious even by the dubious ethical standards of the music business. Since former Rolling Stone editor Goodman has previously explored the seamier side of rock's underbelly (most notably in The Mansion on the Hill, 1997), readers might expect him to pile more dirt on the legacy of his late subject. Instead, he humanizes Klein with a nuanced and multidimensional account of how a boy raised in an orphanage looked for validation by courting artists who had been cheated by their record companies and promising to rectify their financial situations. The author benefits from access to previously unavailable material, provided by Klein's son without editorial stipulations. "When you hired Klein, you hired a pistolero," writes Goodman. "He'd run the rustlers and varmints outs of Dodge, but then you'd have to figure out how to live with a mercenary in the sheriff's office." The author shows how Klein earned the trust of Sam Cooke and how he came to be seen by both John Lennon and Keith Richards as a kindred spirit while arousing the enmity of Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger. (Goodman also acknowledges that Klein engaged in a conflict of interest in buying the rights to the Stones music while he was managing them and shifting sides on the "My Sweet Lord" copyright suit.) Klein loved a battle, and he would engage in litigation long after it was to his benefit to settle. But Goodman builds a convincing case that Klein fought the good fight for his artists and that depicting a man in his business as greedy is akin to calling a lion a carnivore. Klein changed the way rock does business. In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives him credit where it's due. – Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW ABOUT FRED GOODMAN Fred Goodman is a former Rolling Stone editor and the author of the books Fortune’s Fool, The Secret City, and The Mansion on the Hill, which was a New York Times Notable Book and received the Ralph J. Gleason Award for Best Music Book.

Taya Kyle American Wife

By now... You have seen the movie or read the book. But you have to know. There's a story beyond the story. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with The American Snyper's wife Taya Kyle In one of the most remarkable memoirs of the year, AMERICAN WIFE (William Morrow, May 4, 2015), Taya Kyle shares her private story—a universal chronicle of love and heartbreak, service and sacrifice, faith and purpose that will inspire every reader. Chris and Taya’s remarkable story has captivated millions through Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster, Academy Award-nominated film American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper as Chris and Sienna Miller as Taya, and because of Chris’s bestselling memoir, in which Taya contributed passages that formed the book’s emotional core. Now, with trusted collaborator Jim DeFelice, Taya writes in never-before-told detail about the hours, days, and months after his shocking death when grief threatened to overwhelm her. Then there were wearying battles to protect her husband’s legacy and reputation. And yet throughout, friendship, family, and a deepening faith were lifelines that sustained her and the kids when the sorrow became too much. Two years after her husband’s death, Taya has found renewed meaning and connection to Chris by advancing their shared mission of “serving those who serve others,” particularly military and first-responder families. She and the children now are embracing a new future, one that honors the past but also looks forward with hope, gratitude, and joy. ABOUT TAYA KYLE TAYA KYLE founded the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation in honor of her late husband Chris Kyle, legendary U.S. Navy SEAL and author of the bestsellers American Sniper and American Gun. The foundation is devoted to strengthening the marriages of veterans and first responders. An active public speaker, Taya Kyle makes frequent appearances at fund-raisers and other events, inspiring others to find strength and persevere through struggles. She and her two children live in Texas.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Neal Schon Vortex

A man that needs no introduction. The artist whose gallery is heard world wide. The man. His love in life is his best friend and wife. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with the legendary Neal Schon New York, NY --- Mascot Label Group's Music Theories Recordings and Neal Schon have announced the release of Vortex on June 23. The 2-CD all-instrumental album utilizes rock as its foundation, while also embracing elements of jazz, classical and world music in an 18-track stunning, sonically explosive collection of original compositions. The release is dedicated to Schon's best friend and wife, who serves as his true inspiration every day (Both "Lady M" and "Triumph of Love" were written for her, the latter of which he performed at their wedding on December 15, 2013). Schon shares, "This is an evolutionary album for me. I’ve always aspired to be a better player and push musical boundaries. And sure, I’ve sold 80-million records with Journey, and I’m proud of that, but this album is really me — all based on my guitar, which is my ‘voice.’ It’s bold. There’s love, and there’s definitely fire and an element of danger. And the energy level is off the hook.” That’s evident from the first, mysterious-sounding measures of “Miles Beyond,” the scalding tribute to jazz genius Miles Davis’ pioneering fusion recordings that opens the album. The tune blends Schon’s soaring leads, tectonic plates of grinding rhythm and brilliantly layered melodies within an arrangement that embraces Middle Eastern flourishes plus flashes of African drumming by Steve Smith. “Schon & Hammer Now” is a furious jam between the guitarist and his longtime friend and creative foil, Grammy-winning keyboardist Jan Hammer, whose many accomplishments include charter membership in the groundbreaking Mahavishnu Orchestra. And the two match their brilliant technique and relentless invention throughout, sparring with the grace and speed of a young Mohammad Ali. Schon reveals, "Jan is all over this album. I wrote the material to give Jan room to stretch. There are not many three minute ditties. It’s all huge, epic, bombastic…futuristic.” After hearing the completed album for the first time, Hammer made a succinct observation, “This is fucking amazing.” “Airliner NS910” is further proof. It’s all speed and swagger, with Schon skywriting the song’s sweetly singing theme in the indelible vapor trail of the instantly recognizable operatic tones of his signature model Paul Reed Smith guitars. He reflects, "Since Vortex is a two-record set, it's both my ninth and tenth solo albums. That’s where the ‘NS910’ comes from." The music of Vortex originated in the hard drives that Schon is constantly filling with ideas for riffs, melodies and chord progressions at home. But they came to life at Berkeley’s Fantasy Studios, his preferred spot for recording since Journey cut the 10-times-platinum number-one album Escape there in 1981. Schon states, "It’s my home away from home. I spend so much time there that they’ve given me my own locker.” Schon produced and played bass on Vortex, too, and was joined in the studio by Smith and keyboardist Igor Len. Hammer and Len also appeared on Schon’s seventh solo album, The Calling, which was followed by the blues-inspired hard rock album So U. He offers, "Igor and Jan complement each other, and me, beautifully." And Vortex’s “Eternal Love” is a testament to Len’s creativity. The song, a richly emotional ballad, features Len alone on piano. The guitarist observes, “He sat down and played the tune spontaneously, and it was so gorgeous and deep that I had to have it on my album.” Schon offers his own reflective solo performance on Vortex with the sparsely arranged acoustic guitar meditation “Mom,” dedicated to his mother, Barbara Schon. He reveals, "Like most of the performances on this album, it wasn’t premeditated. I’d just pick up a guitar and tell my engineer Jesse Nichols to hit ProTools.” The intensely creative guitar giant has always had a seemingly innate ability to make glorious music. He began playing at age five and was inspired by soul vocalists like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and blues and jazz guitarists ranging from B.B. King Albert King, and Eric Clapton to Wes Montgomery. When Schon was just 15 years old, Carlos Santana invited him to join his band. Schon’s recording debut was on the classic 1971 album Santana III. He played the solo on the LP’s hit single “Everybody’s Everything.” Recently Schon has been working with Carlos Santana on a new album, co-writing songs and playing key performances including homecoming Santana concerts in Guadalajara and Mexico City that included Journey as the opening band. Schon formed Journey in 1973 and has led the band through its astonishing 42-year history. Along the way Journey has sold well over 80 million albums, amongst which the band's Greatest Hits release was certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales in excess of 10 million copies. To date sales now exceed 15 million copies. Eight other Journey album releases have been certified multi-platinum. Neal Schon co-wrote the timeless hit “Don’t Stop Believin,’" which now holds the title as the most digitally downloaded song in history. Seventeen additional Journey singles were Top 40 hits, Schon has received multiple Grammy award nominations for both his work with Journey and his solo recordings. And Journey has been nominated for the Rock ‘n’ Hall of Fame. Besides solo albums and tours and his historic work with Journey, Schon has an extensive history of blue-ribbon collaborations. These include co-founding the supergroup Bad English and forming bands with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Sammy Hagar. He released two collaboration albums with Jan Hammer, Untold Passion and Here To Stay, while also performing on releases from Michael Bolton, Return to Forever’s Lenny White and many others. One thing he’s never done is considered resting on his laurels. Schon reflects, "I feel more aware and alive now than I've ever been. Part of that is the sobriety I've had for the last seven years. I’ve also evolved as a person and a player though understanding the value of being in the moment – letting things happen and not thinking too much. There's an old blues saying: ‘If you’re thinkin’, you’re stinkin’. When you stop thinking and just play from the heart, you discover your own voice. That’s the real thing, and that’s what Vortex is about for me.”

Michelle Miller from The Underwriting

The world of dating has leaped from webpages to physical dating aps. That serves as the breeding ground for a hot new book from an author that knows the world of billionaires and their secret shadows. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with author Michelle Miller THE UNDERWRITING centers around a $14 billion IPO for the world’s hottest dating site app. Expertly capturing the universe it inhabits – from the slick, cut-throat financial world of New York to the new counterculture of the Bay Area where high tech start-ups can make twenty-somethings billionaires overnight, Miller draws on her own background to create a savvy, highly entertaining and utterly addicting glimpse into the power centers of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. Miller offers a stunning debut that is both riveting page-turner and incisive social commentary. Wall Street playboy Todd Kent is young, hot, and on his way to the top when the eccentric founder of Hook, the popular new dating app, handpicks him to lead its IPO. Given just two months to pull it off, Todd and his investment banking team—brainy Neha, party-boy Beau, and old college flame Tara Taylor—race to close the $14 billion deal of the decade. It’s the chance of a lifetime for Tara, too, who sees her opportunity to break through the glass ceiling and justify six years of sacrifices for her career. But nothing is what it seems in Silicon Valley, and when tragedy strikes Stanford University’s campus, there’s no telling where the sparks will fly. Michelle Miller started writing fiction while enrolled in business school and published anonymously for several years before leaving the corporate world to pen The Underwriting. Her works include the young adult novels Social Code and The Next Big Thing by Sadie Hayes, and the essays “Why SF Really Is That Bad,” “Perfect Seven,” and “Introducing the Muppies.” In her prior life, Michelle worked in the Palo Alto and Greenwich offices of JP Morgan’s Private Bank and as a management consultant in New York and Europe. She holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Stanford University, and currently splits her time between New York and her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina.

Kevin Sorbo from Hope Bridge

In what was supposed to be a conversation about his brand new film Hope Bridge. Actor Kevin Sorbo and I dove into this nations poor educational system. Two real guys that just happened to be in the entertainment business talking about what takes place outside our four walls. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Kevin Sorbo Hailing from Norwegian ancestry, Kevin was born in Mound, Minnesota, USA. His mother worked as a nurse and his father taught junior high school resulting in a down to earth upbringing that forged the outstanding work ethic Kevin holds to this day. By the time he was in University, Kevin was covering tuition costs with modeling work which swiftly translated into a career in television with his first appearances on prime time shows such as Murder She Wrote and The Commish. In 1993, Kevin emerged as a full fledged international TV star when he was cast as the lead role of Hercules in a series of TV films that would lay the groundwork for the immensely popular series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Kevin also guest-starred as Hercules in episodes of the successful spin-off series Xena: Warrior Princess as well as providing his voice to the animated Hercules films. In 1997 Kevin accepted his first leading film role in the fantasy action feature Kull the Conquerer. Along the way, Kevin played characters in video games such as Mortal Kombat 4, God of War and The Conduit. Just as the Hercules series came to an end, Kevin received a call from the wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, personally requesting him to play the lead role in Roddenberry’s second sci-fi series, Andromeda. The show ran for five seasons and further fueled Kevin’s already ferociously loyal global following! Kevin guest starred on the sitcom Two and a Half Men and played a recurring role on the final season of The O.C. One glimpse at Kevin's imdb and it's clear that this hard working actor takes no breaks! In addition to his work onscreen, Kevin now also produces films, recently serving as Executive Producer and star of the movie Abel's Field. Kevin recently authored the widely praised book, True Strength, that recounts the painful recovery from serious health setbacks that changed his life during his Hercules years. Sorbo married actress Sam Jenkins, whom he met during her guest appearance on Hercules in 1998. They have three children together, Braeden, Shane and Octavia. Besides his successful career in entertainment, Kevin has always devoted a hearty portion of his time to causes he believes in. In 2005 he was named successor to Arnold Schwarzenegger as the national spokesperson for The Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit working to ensure that all children have access to quality after school programs, and since ‘97 Kevin has donated his time as the spokesperson for the non profit organization, A World Fit For Kids. Please visit WorldFitForKids.org to learn more. SYNOPSIS FOR HOPE BRIDGE, NOW ON DVD After his father’s shocking suicide, Jackson (Booboo Stewart) begins a search for the truth behind the devastating decision his father made. A violent outburst at school crosses his path with a counselor, Eric (Kevin Sorbo) who wants to help Jackson deal with his grief, and Sophie (Rebeca Robles,) a girl with a troubled past of her own. With Sophie’s assistance, Jackson travels down a twisting road leading to a decades-old secret that could destroy him. As Eric’s guidance falls on deaf ears, Jackson’s quest for answers is only breeding more questions. Will he be doomed to repeat the same cycle, or will he choose to journey forward and find hope for his future? Trailer and more info here: http://www.hopebridgemovie.com/

Friday, June 19, 2015

Josh Wiggins and Boaz Yakin From Max

Josh and Boaz from Max hit the iHeart Radio Studio to talk about their incredible new film Max. Opening June 26th. Meg Butterly from 969 The Kat is Unplugged and Totally Uncut. OPENING DATE: “MAX” OPENS IN THEATERS – FRIDAY, JUNE 26 CAST: Josh Wiggins, Lauren Graham, Thomas Haden Church, Robbie Amell, Luke Kleintank, Dejon LaQuake, Mia Xitlali, Carlos (Max) DIRECTOR: Boaz Yakin (REMEMBER THE TITANS, UPTOWN GIRLS) JOSH WIGGIN’S CHARACTER: “Justin Wincott” ABOUT “JUSTIN WINCOTT”: After losing his brother, a Marine stationed in Afghanistan, Justin Wincott must rehabilitate his dog, Max who now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. “MAX” SYNOPSIS: A precision-trained military dog, Max serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott (Robbie Amell). But when things go terribly wrong on a routine mission, Max is left without the companionship of his best friend. Sent stateside, the only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin (Josh Wiggins). But Justin has issues of his own, including the stress of living up to his father’s expectations. Soon, Justin’s growing trust in Max helps the four-legged veteran revert back to his heroic self, and the pair race to unravel a mystery, where they find more excitement—and danger—than they bargained for. JOSH WIGGINS BIO: (Justin Wincott) is one of Hollywood’s rising young actors. He recently wrapped production on Trey Nelson’s “Lost in the Sun,” starring Josh Duhamel and Lynn Collins. The action thriller is scheduled for release in 2015. Wiggins first gained critical attention in 2014, when he made his big screen debut in “Hellion” at the Sundance Film Festival. In the film, Wiggins portrays Jacob Wilson, a troubled 13-year-old boy who is dealing with the loss of his mother and the hardships of a neglectful father. Although rebellious, Wiggins’ character attempts to take care of his younger brother. Directed by Kat Candler, the cast also includes Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis and Deke Garner. Wiggins currently resides in Texas. BOAZ YAKIN BIO: (Director/Writer/Executive Producer) made his first directorial effort with “Fresh,” which was based on his own screenplay. It attracted talent such as Samuel L. Jackson and Giancarlo Esposito to star in it, and the film earned the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, as well as prizes in the Tokyo film festival and other festivals throughout Europe. Yakin’s experiences with the Chassidic community informed his next directorial effort, “A Price Above Rubies.” Yakin next took on “Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington, for producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The film was a box office success, and a perennial audience favorite. He then made a foray into comedy with “Uptown Girls,” starring Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning. Yakin wrote, produced and directed “Death in Love,” a controversial film that had its premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. He has also written several graphic novels, including The Remarkable Worlds of Phineas B. Fuddle, illustrated by his brother Erez Yakin and released by Paradox Press. He wrote two other graphic novels published by 1st Second Books: Marathon, illustrated by Joe Infurnari, came out in June, 2012, and Jerusalem, illustrated by Nick Bertozzi, was released in April 2013. Yakin most recently wrote and directed “Safe,” an action film starring Jason Statham, released in April of 2012, and wrote and served as an executive producer on Louis Letterrier’s 2013 box office success “Now You See Me.”

Rachel Feinstein

One of the hottest freshest approaches to reality comedy. Rachel turns every verb into a noun then follows it with a twist you can't resist. Which is my way of saying, "She is no fake." From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with one of the hot stars from the new movie Trainwreck Rachel Feinstein.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Dennis Dunaway from Alice Cooper

It was an era of music fresh from the waters of John and Paul. Led Zeppelin was playing the Blues and anything close to Classic Rock forgot the art of showmanship. So along came Alice Cooper. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with bass guitarist Dennis Dunaway As the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame says: "Before the world heard of KISS, the New York Dolls, Marilyn Manson or Ozzy Osbourne, there was Alice Cooper, the original shock-rock band." When Alice Cooper became the stuff of legend in the early '70s, their shows were monuments of fun and invention. Riding on a string of hits like "I'm 18" and "School's Out," they became America's highest-grossing act, producing four platinum albums and hitting number one on the U.S. and U.K. charts with Billion Dollar Babies in 1973. Their utterly original performance style and look, known as Shock Rock, was swiftly copied by countless bands. Dennis Dunaway, the bassist and co-songwriter for the band, tells a story just as over-the-top crazy as their (in)famous shows. As teenagers in Phoenix, Dennis Dunaway and lead singer Vince Furnier, who would later change his name to Alice Cooper, formed a hard-knuckles band that played prisons, cowboy bars and teen clubs. Their journey took them from Hollywood to the ferocious Detroit music scene, along the way adding new dimensions of rock theater. From struggling for recognition to topping the charts, the Alice Cooper group was entertaining, outrageous, and one-of-a-kind. Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! is the riveting account of the band's creation in the '60s, strange glory in the '70s, and the legendary characters they met along the way.

Alexandra Petri

Most twenty-somethings spend a lot of time avoiding awkwardness. Not Alexandra Petri. She is a Washington Post columnist and blogger, an International Pun Champion, a playwright, and a Jeopardy! loser, and she’s been on your TV a couple of times. She is also a congressman’s kid, if that will make you talk to her! (Just kidding.) A FIELD GUIDE TO AWKWARD SILENCES is Petri’s hilarious debut essay collection. Alexandra Petri is a connoisseur of the kind of awkwardness that most people spend whole lifetimes trying to avoid. If John Hodgman and Amy Sedaris had a baby…they would never let Petri babysit it. Alexandra Petri does all the things we secretly wish we could do ourselves – and maybe things we wouldn’t wish upon our enemies: •She puts herself on the line auditioning for reality television, for both America’s Got Talent (for which she doesn’t, really, have talent) and America’s Next Top Model (her catwalk and pout can’t convince the judges). •She wins Pun Championships, but loses Whistling Contests. •She crashes a dinner celebrating the publication of the International Textbook on Geriatric Care. •She loses Jeopardy! by answering “Who is that dude?” on national TV. •She does the things that every woman in her 20s does but with a twist – like trying to fall in love while wearing a Jabba the Hutt costume at a Star Wars convention. •One time, she let some cult members she met on the street baptize her, just to be polite. But Petri is here to tell you: Everything you fear is not so bad. Trust her. She’s tried it. And in the course of her misadventures, she’s learned that there are worse things out there than awkwardness—and that interesting things start to happen when you stop caring what people think.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Dakota Bradley

His producer is the legendary Tim McGraw. But he knows where the success of true country music is. In the hearts of fans. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Dakota Bradley From writing to recording to performing, Dakota's music is his life's mission. In Dakota's eyes, his music is more than lyrics and melodies; it is emotion. For Dakota, "music is everything." Before he discovered music, Dakota's first love was sports. He grew up in St. Louis playing basketball, soccer, hockey, and junior football. He still jumps into a pickup game of basketball every chance he gets. At the age of twelve, Dakota discovered his love of music when he found an old guitar hidden away in the family basement; after spending an entire day plucking away, he never put it back down. He began learning songs from rock bands like Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, and Motley Crue.. Discovering the heart-tugging lyrics of country music a few years later, he knew he had found a musical home.. By the eighth grade, Dakota had already formed a band with some friends and, despite their youth, they soon were picking up gigs at local clubs around town. They played only a few shows, quickly garnered a following, and managed to win a local "Battle of the Bands" competition against more established musicians. Dakota and his family made the move to Nashville from St. Louis while he was still an early teen. A devastating house fire prompted the move; their home was destroyed. The tragic experience motivated the young musician, fueling his dreams of a bigger and better life.. Things quickly turned around for Dakota. He found new encouragement among the other musicians in town, and he found a manager eager to represent him. He also made friends with others his age, sharing his dreams, and even started making music with them. On a chance occasion, Dakota and a friend made a video of a performance of Michael jackson's "The Girl Is Mine," which became an Internet hit on YouTube. The video of their duet made its way to the producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Dakota soon received an email inviting the two boys to be on the show. Within only a few weeks, there they were, performing that same song for Ellen herself and an audience of television viewers tuning in from around the country. Thrilled with the opportunity to perform, Dakota still maintained his focus on developing as a writer. He began writing songs with some of Nashville's best producers and writers including hit songwriters Brett and Brad Warren ("Highway Don't Care," "Feel That Fire,") and Taylor Swift producer, Nathan Chapman. Then came the call from Grammy-winning producer Byron Gallimore. Gallimore has produced records with some of Nashville's biggest hitmakers - (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sugarland) - and was so impressed with Dakota that he signed him to his own label, Streamsound Records. Gallimore also was quick to introduce Dakota to McGraw himself, and Dakota made quite an impression. During his initial audition for McGraw, Dakota cut his finger wide open on a guitar string; never missing a beat, he continued to play and sing, blood running down the front of his guitar and onto the floor. His enthusiasm so impressed McGraw that the superstar called in his own band to record with the young talent. If Dakota had to describe where he is in his life now in one word, it would be fearless. "I've been through some tough things early on in my life," he says, "and that's the reason I'm fearless .. .' cause I've lived through those kinds of things. So, for me, being in front of people singing is no big deal compared to what I grew up dealing with. That's the reason I'm so positive, because I don't ever want my life to look like that again!" He continues, "I'm gonna make my life happy, and I believe what you put into something is what you get out. Life is what you make it, and I'm very excited about my future in music and what it can be!"

Dave Broome from The Briefcase

You walk outside. There's $101 thousand dollars sitting in a briefcase. What do you do? Who do you call? How do you spend the money? What if you've been instructed to give it away. Fro the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with the Executive Producer of CBS's The Briefcase Dave Broome All across America, families are finding ways to get by with less - putting off ballet lessons and football camp for their children and vacations and retirement for themselves. They are stretching their dollars and rising to the challenge of shrinking paychecks. Many folks have become stronger in these tough times, surviving on love, finding humor and deepening their faith. THE BRIEFCASE will follow two deserving families that have been dealt a tough hand. They will be given a briefcase with one hundred thousand dollars inside, and face a life altering decision. They can keep all of the money, some of the money, or none of the money. Whatever they don’t keep will go to a family in as much need as they are. What they don’t know is that the family they are considering giving money to was also given a briefcase. THE BRIEFCASE is a social experiment that will make you question what really matters in your life… For our two deserving families, the money could change their lives, but the journey will change everything. The Briefcase has been misrepresented as “pitting poor people against each other,” referred to as “poverty porn” and likened to “The Hunger Games”… which is not the case at all. In the series, the $100,000 is a catalyst and becomes secondary to the journey of these families. It is raw, emotional and inspiring because these incredible families look beyond their own needs and extend a helping hand to complete strangers because they want to… not because they have to. Below are the links to the media coverage, the first two episodes, and some of the conversation happening on social media around the series. The premiere drew over 7 million viewers last week and was trending on Twitter throughout the premiere.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Time Manager Laura Vanderkam

She says women are not overworked. The goal is to stop thinking about a 24 day and start putting focus on 168 hours. The best family meal isn't dinner. Have breakfast together. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Time Manager Laura Vanderkam Instead of relying on the stereotype of the frenzied career mom, time management expert Laura Vanderkam adds hard data to the debate in I KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT: How Successful Women Make The Most of their Time (Portfolio; 6/9/15). Vanderkam collected hour-by-hour time logs from 1,001 days in the lives of women who make at least $100,000 a year. And she found some surprising patterns in how these women spend their 168 hours, including the good news that successful people don’t work as much as you would think. In fact, time diary studies find that very few people consistently work more than 60 hours per week, even if they claim they do. She shares specific strategies that her subjects use to make time for the things that really matter to them. For instance, they work split shifts, take it easy on the housework, and guard their leisure time. Vanderkam also reveals: **How women create meaningful interactions with children, and partners. For example, instead of rushing home for dinner, women can use breakfast as their meal to spend time together as a family. **Women spend more time with their kids and have more leisure time than they think. Instead of thinking in intervals of 24 hours, think in 168 hours instead. The weekends count as real life. This means women can and do work and play, sleep and cook and hang out with their kids…and it counts! **The myth of working part-time: It doesn’t always mean you’ll be working significantly fewer hours. You might wind up working fairly similar hours for lower pay and at a high cost when it comes to promotion. **Be strategically seen: Don’t fall into the trap of “I’m a working parent and therefore can’t go to post-work events.” **Childcare: Be honest about how much coverage you need—and don’t feel guilty about it. Using child care is not a sign of parental failure. If it helps your income and work success—which can help your family—go for it. **How sleep is the biggest source of distortion between impression and reality in people’s lives. If you work 60 hours and sleep 8 hours per night, that leaves 52 hours for other things. Many of us have space to lean deeper into our careers if we wish, but stories and assumptions—that leaning in will require harsh trade-offs—have great power over our lives. Taking a clear look at all our hours at work and at home is the first step to building a life that’s truly balanced. I KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT shows the good life can be a full life. It will inspire people to build a life that works, one hour at a time. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: LAURA VANDERKAM is the best¬selling author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, All the Money in the World, 168 Hours, and Grindhop¬ping. She is a frequent contributor to Fast Company’s website and a member of USA Today’s board of contributors. Her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, and other publications. She lives with her husband and their four children outside Philadelphia. For more information see, www.lauravanderkam.com @lvanderkam

Late Night's Seth Myers

What do you talk about when the person you're talking with talks with the most talk-a-tive entertainers on the planet? By day he's a writer. By night he's knows how to speak to third shifters and those who can properly work the DVR. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Late Night host Seth Myers. "Late Night with Seth Meyers" is home to A-list celebrity guests, memorable comedy and topical monologue jokes. It is hosted by Emmy Award-winning writer and one of the 2014 TIME 100, Time magazine's 100 most influential people, Seth Meyers. Previously, Meyers served as head writer on "Saturday Night Live" and anchor on the show's wildly popular "Weekend Update." An established comedian, Meyers is known for his perfectly-timed wit and off-the-cuff satire. Meyers' fellow "Saturday Night Live" cast member and friend Fred Armisen serves as lead guitarist for the house band,"8G Band With Fred Armisen." From Universal Television and Broadway Video, "Late Night with Seth Meyers" is executive produced by Lorne Michaels ("The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," "Saturday Night Live") and produced by Michael Shoemaker ("Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "Saturday Night Live"). ON LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS. THIS WEEK: June 16 : Guests Amanda Seyfried, Judd Apatow and Katie Lee. Chad Smith sits-in with The 8G Band. Show 0221. **Wednesday, June 17: Guests Mindy Kaling, Adam Scott and musical guest Tove Lo. Chad Smith sits-in with The 8G Band. Show 0222. **Thursday, June 18: Guests Taylor Schilling, James Taylor and musical guest James Taylor. Chad Smith sits-in with The 8G Band. Show 0223. Friday, June 19: Guests Jerry Seinfeld and David Remnick. Jon Theodore sits-in with The 8G Band. (OAD 6/9/15). **Monday, June 22: Guests Maya Rudolph, Joe Manganiello and musical guest Belle and Sebastian. Show 0223.

American Idol Producer Rob McLeod

American Idol is holding full auditions for the final season this Saturday June 20th in Baltimore. Monday June 22 in Pittsburgh. Being at the open auditions has turned out to be a huge place for fun an entertainment. Not only can you show up and support, sing along with the contestants but you still have time to get signed up and perform.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Steve3 Mazan

You've just been told you have cancer. You have five years to live. Your reaction would be? Comedian Steve Mazan had a dying wish. To make it to the David Letterman Show. From the iHeart Radio Studio. Only hours before he jumped on a plane to perform comedy for our U.S. Trooper. I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Steve Mazan STEVE is embarking on a military comedian tour here’s some brief info to also incorporate into interview in addition to promoting the film trailer attached the military shows. They are all on bases in Japan and Korea so there is no real marketing done except on the bases themselves.. I can tell you that I will be doing about a dozen show over two weeks on various naval and army bases. I’ll be doing the shows with fellow comedian Cash Levy. I’ve done these to Japan & Korea before, and I’ve also done 8 trips to Iraq & Afghanistan since 2003. David Letterman gave us all a lot more than laughs in his 30 plus years on late night tv. With his recent retirement, this is a well-timed story. Faced with a fatal diagnosis and only a few years to live, what would you do? Comedian Steve Mazan chose to follow his life long dream and get as many laughs as he could. Dying to Do Letterman, an award-winning documentary, is the result. It's a film now available free from Hulu, and it will leave your audience laughing, and ultimately, inspired. I hope you'll take a few minutes, watch the trailer and read the following, and then please contact me to schedule an interview with Steve. Thank you! Movie Trailer: https://youtu.be/2Pt0NlbZBgE

Ian Halperin Whitney and Bobbi Kristina

You know the story. But do you know what led to the story making headlines? What haven't we heard and why hasn't anything been done about it? From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Ian Halperin Author Ian Halperin details new revelations in book “Whitney & Bobbi Kristina: The Deadly Price of Fame” released Tuesday. Shocking details of Whitney Houston and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown’s lives were revealed in a new unauthorized biography released early Tuesday morning. “Whitney & Bobbi Kristina: The Deadly Price of Fame” by Ian Halperin details how eerily similar the Grammy winning singer’s daughter is to her mother and how both their lives were marred by drug abuse and tragedy. Disturbing claims include how Bobbi Kristina was battling drugs and was suicidal by age 14 and even tried to stab her “Bodyguard” star mother before slashing her own wrists. Houston died in 2012 at age 48, while Brown, 22, was found face-down and unresponsive in the bathtub of her Georgia home in January. Her grandmother, Cissy Houston, has said that Brown has “global irreversible brain damage.” On Jan. 31 when she was found, Brown was rushed to North Fulton Hospital in Roswell, Georgia. She was later moved to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and transferred to a medical rehabilitation facility at the end of March. Published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, “Whitney & Bobbi Kristina: The Deadly Price of Fame” is now available on Amazon. Author and investigative journalist Halperin is the New York Times best-selling author of “Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson” and “Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain,” among other biographies. He has also directed and produced several films, including the highly acclaimed documentaries “Gone Too Soon,” “Chasing Gaga,” and “The Cobain Case.” Read 7 of the book’s most shocking revelations here: ' 1. Hospital drama: The Houston vs. Brown Family Battle Tensions between Bobby Brown and Whitney’s family continued even after Bobbi Kristina fell into a coma. When grandmother Cissy Houston arrived in Atlanta from her New Jersey home six days after Bobbi Kristina was hospitalized, the Houston and Brown families had to work out a visitation schedule to ensure that Cissy and Bobby Brown “never had to cross paths.” Halperin also wrote that Hollywood multi-hyphenate Tyler Perry loaned Bobby Brown the private plane that flew him from Los Angeles to Atlanta to be by his daughter’s bedside. The mogul also supplied a plane to fly Whitney’s body from L.A. to New Jersey after her death in 2012. ' 2. Nick Gordon and the hard-partying crowd, bad influences on Bobbi Kristina Before her near drowning, Bobbi Kristina was hanging with a rough crowd and susceptible to bad influences, claims Halperin, which included boyfriend Gordon. “The past couple of years she hung with a bunch of crazies, they were wild and reckless,” a friend told the author. Another friend who was staying in her Atlanta home when she was found claimed, “Kristi does all the drugs that Whitney did and more, including heroin. She uses anything that is put in front of her.” ' 3. Bobbi Kristina was hooked on drugs and suicidal by 14 According to Ann Davis, a relation of Bobby Brown‘s mother, Bobbi Kristina was sent for psychiatric evaluation two weeks before her 15th birthday. The troubled teen allegedly tried to stab her mother before slashing her own wrists in a suicide attempt. 4. Whitney Houston was blackmailed over lesbian relationship reports Halperin claims that prior to her marriage to R&B singer Bobby Brown, Houston had a lesbian relationship with close friend Robyn Crawford and a blackmailer threatened to go public with intimate details on the eve of the 1992 premiere of “The Bodyguard.” It is unknown whether the full $250,000 demand was paid, however on the eve of Houston’s wedding to Brown the diva bought Crawford a black Porsche “as a token of their friendship.” The singer’s father, John Houston, was worried that Crawford would go public and told bodyguard Kevin Ammons: “We’ve got to do something about that motherfucking bitch. She’s ruining my family and driving everybody nuts. She’s lost her grip on reality. I’ll pay you $6,000 if you put the fear of God in her.” 5. Whitney was in bad shape in her final years A bodyguard who worked security for three of Whitney’s London concerts in 2010, two years before her death, told Halperin that the star was in very bad shape at the time. “Whitney was drugged up. She didn’t seem to know where she was,” he said. “Michael Jackson had died a year earlier and I got to see him rehearsing during his final months in London at the same venue. To me, he truly seemed to be in better shape than Whitney.” 6. Bobbi Kristina’s bathtub: Cold water plunge and facial bruises After Bobbi Kristina was found by friend Max Lomas and aided by Gordon, Danyela Bradley noticed that “the bathwater was ice-cold and that the girl had strange marks around her mouth and chin,” wrote Halperin. Just under 20 minutes later, Brown was rushed to North Fulton Hospital in Roswell, Georgia. The author theorizes that Bobbi Kristina could have been subjected to what is known by drug-takers as “the plunge,” which involves immersing an overdose victim into cold water while administering slaps to revive them. “Despite the countless warnings against this dangerous practice,” he wrote, “I find a staggering amount of people on drug abuse forums advising people to use the cold-water method and slap the victim’s face.” ' 7. Future of Whitney’s estate if Bobbi Kristina dies Halperin asserts that if Bobbi Kristina fails to come out of her coma the singer’s estate will go to her next of kin under Georgia law and not to Nick Gordon, who has claimed they were secretly married. “Unless Nick [Gordon] can provide evidence that the couple were legally wed,” he wrote, “her father, Bobby Brown, will inherit everything.” According to Halperin, 90 percent of the trust set up for her after Whitney’s death has not been disbursed.

Jackie Collins The Santangelos

One of the most dynamic writers today. She's not afraid to dig up drama, emotion, connection, breakup and sex. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Jackie Collins. With a true insider’s knowledge of the private lives of the international rich and famous, mega bestseller Jackie Collins is the undisputed queen of the blockbuster novel. Brazenly pushing the envelope for years, her explosive books have captivated hundreds of millions of readers, blazing the trail for such racy upstarts as the Fifty Shades series and its many contemporaries. Summer 2015 will sizzle hotter than ever with the release of Collins’ latest delicious foray into the sex, power and glamour-filled world of THE SANTANGELOS (June 16, 2015, St. Martin’s Press, $27.99). "Somebody’s going to die… the devastatingly thrilling conclusion to the Santangelo saga." A vicious hit. A vengeful enemy. A drug addled Colombian club owner. A powerful and lusty Italian-American dynasty. And the ever-powerful Lucky Santangelo has to deal with them all, while planning to build a first-of-its-kind hotel and movie studio complex in the heart of Las Vegas. Max, her teenage daughter, is fast becoming the "It" girl in Europe’s modeling world, while getting over her first heartbreak, courtesy of Hollywood heartthrob Billy Melina, the ex-husband of Lucky’s close friend, superstar actress Venus. Her Kennedyesque son, Bobby, well on his way to becoming a nightclub impresario and dating a hotshot deputy district attorney, finds himself drugged and set up for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s determined to find out who’s behind the frame-up, and what they want. Meanwhile, bad girl actress Willow Price, famous for her record amount of stays in rehab, several D.U.I.’s and her outrageous public behavior, is busy working Alejandro Diego, son of the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Diego, to finance an indie film with her as the star. And behind it all, King Emir, of the oil-rich country Akramshar, plots his revenge against Lucky, blaming her for the death of his favorite son. But Lucky can deal. Always strong and unpredictable, with her husband, Lennie, by her side, she lives up to the family motto—Never f**k with a Santangelo. With THE SANTANGELOS, Collins takes readers from Beverly Hills to Las Vegas, from London to Rome and on to St. Tropez, bringing us an epic family saga filled with all of the glitz, drama, and scandal that courts this clan

Friday, June 12, 2015

Craig Shoemaker Re-Wire-Ment

Craig Shoemaker has played his final show. One of the nations funniest men has pulled his tour bus off the road. Actor/Comedian Craig Shoemaker isn't retiring. He's in Re-wire-ment. The world of entertainment is still his passion. Rather than be on the road. He's with his family. He's starring in movies. He's rewiring his approach to keeping his brilliant comedy alive inside a world of always on the go. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Craig Shoemaker.

Tom Papa From FOX's BOOM

Nearly every high stakes television cop show has dealt with a boom being defused. We've stayed up watching late night news. Now FOX is bringing the BOOM to prime time. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Tom Papa. With more than 20 years as a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa has found success in film, television and radio, as well as on the live stage. Papa currently can be seen alongside Clive Owen in Steven Soderbergh’s cable series “The Knick.” He was featured alongside Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in Soderbergh’s Emmy Award-winning 2013 cable film “Behind the Candelabra.” Personally chosen by Jerry Seinfeld, Papa hosted the series “The Marriage Ref.” He also has been seen on “Inside Amy Schumer”; in a recurring role opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus on “The New Adventures of Old Christine”; and starring in his own series, “Come to Papa.” Papa starred opposite Matt Damon in Soderbergh’s 2009 feature film “The Informant,” and opposite Paul Giamatti in Rob Zombie’s animated feature, “The Haunted World of El Superbeasto,” as the voice of “El Superbeasto.” He appeared in the movies “Top Five,” “Analyze That” and “Comedian.” He also had a voiceover role and was a writer on Seinfeld’s animated feature, “Bee Movie.” His first one-hour special, “Tom Papa Live in New York City,” premiered in January of 2012. His second one-hour stand-up special, “Tom Papa: Freaked Out,” was directed by Zombie and was named one of the 10 Best Comedy Albums of 2013 by Laughspin.com. Papa is host of the hit SiriusXM show, “Come to Papa,” which airs on channel 99. The weekly, one-hour program features extended interviews with comedians, including Mel Brooks, Ray Romano, Carl Reiner and Seinfeld. The program also features Papa hosting a live, scripted radio play, with top comedians playing the roles. When not touring, Papa lives in New York and Los Angeles with his wife and family. New quiz show BOOM!, hosted by comedian Tom Papa (“The Marriage Ref”), combines high drama and high stakes with high comedy in a fun-filled, trivia-charged, slime-soaked entertainment blast. Watch as teams compete – if they get the questions right, they could win big money; if they get it wrong or run out of time, they are showered with anything from guacamole to maple syrup. Tune in to the all-new “It’s the Maple Syrup Bomb!” Series Premiere of BOOM! airing Thursday, June 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. OFFICIAL SHOW TWITTER: @BOOMonFOX OFFICIAL SHOW FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/boomonfox JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #boom

Sarah Lee Chase

There's a huge movement to get more involved with local farmers. New England's also inviting the fisherman. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Sarah Lee Chase From a born-and-bred New Englander comes a book that sings with all the flavors and textures of the beloved region. Sarah Leah Chase is a caterer, cooking teacher, and prolific writer whose books—including The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook (as coauthor) and Nantucket Open-House Cookbook—have over 3.4 million copies in print. For New England Open-House Cookbook, she draws from her memories of growing up in Connecticut and Maine; her experience living and cooking on Cape Cod; and her extensive travels meeting farmers, fishermen, and chefs. The result is a wide-ranging cookbook for everyone who has skied the mountains of Vermont, sailed off the coast of Maine, dug for clams on Cape Cod, or just wishes they had. It reflects the bountiful ingredients and recipes of New England, served up in evocative prose, gorgeous full-color photographs, and 300 delicious recipes. All of New England’s classic dishes are represented, including a wealth of shellfish soups and stews and a full chapter celebrating lobster. From breakfast (Debbie’s Blue Ribbon Maine Muffins) to delightful appetizers and nibbles (Tiny Tumbled Tomatoes, Oysters “Clark Rockefeller”) to mains for every season and occasion: Baked Bluefish with New Potatoes and Summer Rib Eyes with Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic. Plus: perfect picnic recipes, farmstand sides, and luscious desserts. Some recipes include: Toby’s Blueberry Cheesecake - The blueberries, which must be large and juicy highbush ones as opposed to tiny wild ones, are folded right into the magically light filling, making it unlike any other cheesecake I have ever tasted. Bluefish Flambéed with Gin - If you are one who enjoys sipping gin and tonics, you will likely covet the recipe. Castine Ginger Cookies - Gingerbread in cake form has long been a very popular dessert throughout New England, but personally I’d rather munch on a batch of Hildy Whitaker’s ginger cookies any day of the week. The cookies are a perfect candidate for cookie jars but are also nice to pack for boating excursions since ginger is reputed to combat seasickness. Clothbound Cheddar Cheese Wafers - the ever-growing abundance of top- notch artisanal cheeses throughout New England cries out for a revival of such cheese-anchored treats. Fig N Pig - bruschetta combining a blue cheese and onion compote base with roasted fresh figs and the restaurant’s own in-house raised and cured pancetta. Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Beach Plum Balsamic Glaze Pork, Pepper, and Smashed Pumpkin Ale Stew Pork Pepper Pumpkin Stew - Every autumn food stores in New England seem to get more and more pumpkin crazed. While I’m not sure I really want to eat pumpkin- flavored Greek yogurt or pumpkin hummus, there is something to be said for cooking with and sip- ping the pumpkin ales being made by local New England breweries. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah Leah Chase, who founded the Massachusetts specialty food shop and catering business Que Sera Sarah, collaborated on The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. Her other books include Nantucket Open-House Cookbook and Cold-Weather Cooking. Currently she writes a weekly food column for Nantucket’s Inquirer and Mirror newspaper and is recipe consultant to Ina Garten. Sarah and her husband, Nigel, are the owners of Coastal Goods, a retailer of fine seasoning blends. They live with their son on Cape Cod.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Beach Boy Brian Wilson And His Wife Melinda

It's not every day that you're able to share the music in a part of your heart that nobody can hear. Sometimes it takes a war to create the perfect love song. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with Beach Boy Brian and his wife Melinda Wilson Love & Mercy is an intimate and unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the enigmatic singer, songwriter and co-founder of the Beach Boys. Set against Wilson’s groundbreaking, era-defining music, the film examines the personal voyage and ultimate salvation of a cultural icon whose success came at extraordinary personal cost. Made with the full cooperation of the musician and his wife, Love & Mercy offers a never-before-seen glimpse of Wilson, the boy genius who co-wrote such ebullient pop hits as “Surfer Girl” and “Fun, Fun, Fun” and the game-changing masterpieces “Good Vibrations” and “God Only Knows” before disappearing from the public eye for years. Actors Paul Dano and John Cusack share the role of the troubled musical virtuoso who defined the “California sound” with sumptuous harmonies and visions of endless summers of surf and sand. Spanning more than three decades of Wilson’s life, the film reveals the darker and more complex story that lies beneath the music’s sun-kissed surface, including Wilson’s battle with mental illness and drug abuse, his years under the influence of therapist Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti) and his redemptive relationship with Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks), all in the context of his unparalleled musicianship. Love & Mercy stars John Cusack (Maps to the Stars, Being John Malkovich), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, 12 Years a Slave), Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect) and Paul Giamatti (Sideways, The Amazing Spider-Man 2). The film is directed by Bill Pohlad (Oscar®-nominated producer of The Tree of Life, 12 Years a Slave) from a script by Oren Moverman (I’m Not There, The Messenger) and Michael Alan Lerner. Producers are Bill Pohlad, Claire Rudnick Polstein (August: Osage County, The Company Men) and John Wells (August: Osage County, The Company Men). Director of photography is Robert D. Yeoman, ASC (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Bridesmaids). Production designer is Keith P. Cunningham (The Gambler, The Social Network). Editor is Dino Jonsäter, SFK (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Let the Right One In). Costume designer is Danny Glicker (Milk, This Is the End). Score by Atticus Ross (The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo). Executive producers are Ann Ruark (Revolutionary Road, Babel), Jim Lefkowitz (When the Garden Was Eden, Da Brick) and Oren Moverman. Brian Wilson “NO PIER PRESSURE TOUR” with special guest, Rodriguez June 18 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery June 19 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay June 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre June 23 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center June 24 - Dallas, TX - Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie June 26 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre June 27 - Nashville, TN - Carl Black Chevy Woods Amphitheater June 29 - Philadelphia, PA - The Mann Center for the Performing Arts June 30 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater July 1 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center July 2 - Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion July 4 - Toronto, ON - Sony Center (Brian Wilson and band only) July 5 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre July 6 - Chicago, IL - Ravinia Festival July 8 - Denver, CO - 1STBANK Center July 9 - Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Garden July 10 - Las Vegas, NV - Chelsea Theater at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas July 12 - Seattle, WA - Benaroya Hall - S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium July 24 - River Rock Casino Resort - Richmond, BC July 25 - Spirit Mountain Casino - Grand Ronde, OR

The Big Show from Vendetta

Be it Monday Night Raw or Wrestle-mania. The Big Show has attained the right to being called one of the greatest of all time. And yet... the moment I talked about Rick Flair and Mick Foley being in my iHeart Radio Studio...the giant loosened up. I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with The Big Show. Dean Cain and WWE Superstar The Big Show star in “Vendetta,” an action-packed thriller about a detective pushed beyond his limits who will stop at nothing for vengeance. When his wife is killed by a criminal that he put away, Mason (Cain), a hard-nosed detective, deliberately gets arrested in order to get revenge. While inside, Mason discovers a new criminal enterprise that those behind it would kill to protect. Lionsgate presents a WWE Studios production. Here;s the trailer: