TV Guidance Counselor

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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 585: Heather Thomas Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

This week Ken welcomes actor, writer, producer, Battle of the Network Stars Champion, Chicken Mom and all around good human being Heather Thomas to the show.

Ken and Heather discuss social media, the difference in celebrity between now and the 1980s, Mercury in Retrograde, being outraged, fat penguins, always learning, not engaging, not getting purged (go to https://dontgetpurged.org/), voting, growing up in Santa Monica, Gidget, Malibu, getting yelled at by Leonard Nimoy, James Coburn, Ford, shooting in Canada, Three Men and a Baby parties, interviewing celebrities as a teenager on the NBC show Talking with a Giant, censorship, Patty Duke, almost drowning at the beach because your mom is talking to Tab Hunter, Rock Hudson, going to film school, wanting to be a director, acting in commercials to buy film stock, Co-Ed Fever, Francis Ford Copolla, Peckenpah, how strange things happen when you are young and cute, doing your own stunts, Roy Rogers, The Fall Guy, the rough and tumble world of yodeling competitions, going to dinner with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, the poor treatment of women directors, Chicken Tik Tok, inspiration, having more eyes, shared experience, conservative television, pure Fascism, Sesame Street, people being conned, a need for Love Boat, free trips to Japan, Tony Danza, Ford: The Man and the Machine, being goofy, loving action movies, the work that goes into directing action, minor action films, Peeky Blinders, Taika Watiti, What We Do In the Shadows, not revisiting comfort shows, and Green Acres.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 584: Chris Arneson Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

April 20-26, 1985

This week Ken welcomes host of Arne Pod (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/arne-pod/id1454163890) and purveyor of the fun TikTok account @arnepod, Chris Arneson.

Ken and Chris discuss what we did at the start of the pandemic, Chris' birthday, being born in 1993, why 1985 is one of Ken and Chris' favorite years, Back to the Future, podcasting, Manhunter, Evil Dead, horror flicks, horror comedy, John Hughes, celebrity vibes, Rob Lowe, background acting, John Candy's death, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Deborah Shelton, tobacco pouches, "dippin", cigarettes, mouth cancer, mixing facts with fiction, docudrama, the truth vs the legend, baseball, why Stone Cold may be the greatest action movie of all time, The Seattle Seahawks, Charles in Charge, Mr. Mom, E/R vs ER, on set deaths, Cover Up, Faces of Death, monkey brains, Cheap Seats, baseball mustaches, BASEKetball, ESPN2, TVs Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Skabba the Hut, After School Specials, Whale Watches, Mid-Season Replacements, Hail to the Chief, a woman president!?, Double Dare with Billy Dee Williams, when Dennis Eckersley called Ken a "little dick", Product Unbecoming, Sunset Limousine, John Ritter, the lotto, Roller Derby, Rollerball, Rock n Roller Games, seeing a bear in your back yard, NH Pet stores, selling gators, parrots, the time Ken got slapped because he was blamed for a parrot's wolf whistle, Strawberry Shortcake ripoff Rose Petal Place, world's best coaches, Pat Riley, Tommy Lasorta, ice bucket motivation, Lifetime's Hot Properties, Merv, NBA Playoffs, warnings of right wing media takeovers, Stinky Pete and nicknames.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 583: Natalie Gold Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

July 30 - August 5, 1994

This week Ken welcomes actor (Succession, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Rubicon) and all around fascinating human Natalie Gold to the show for her first ever podcast.

Ken and Natalie discuss YouTuber Natalie Gold, having the same name as somebody else, social media, how Miami isn't Florida, growing up in Florida, Emerson College, Burn Notice, being a local child actor, Sheena Easton, rave theater, running lines with Jeff Goldblum, Ernest Saves Christmas, showing your children media, Christmas Vacation, shared interest friends, getting obsessed with Soaps, how OJ Simpson ruined so many things, Days of our Lives, turning into a panther, demonic possession, manning the complaint line, moving to NYC, sharing an apartment with more than five boys, getting mail, Short Circuit II, The Fame Movie, scary NYC, smoking, tobacco cigarettes, pregnancy cravings, Tom and Roseanne, the greatness of Denny Dillon, Friends, being so wealthy you can get a University to open a west coast location JUST for you, Kevin Bright, Kristen Linklater, voice teachers, oversharing in acting classes, Shakespeare in the Park, covering your face, the magic of Dennis Farina, Rubicon, watching things you're in, Law & Order, buying anti-reels, Tommy Lee Jones comedy, The Fugitive, Chicago, apocalypses movies, avoiding The Road, making a book's ending darker, Mad Max, The Walking Dead, Love Boat, Hotel Malibu, J-Lo's TV career, Teen Witch, Branson, your kid having zero interest in your job, avoiding quality TV, Mad Men, Ken's contrarian nature, binging, having no patience, watching Eraserhead in Physics class, Ken getting good grades despite failing, Cookie Puss and topping that.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 582: Ian Brownell May 29, 2023

Show notes

March 25-31, 1989

This week Ken welcomes old friend, new fan, writer (film blog www.film5000.com) and host/producer of The Brattle Film Podcast Ian Brownell.

Ken and Ian discuss Siskel and Ebert, podcast heroes, movie freaks, the religion of cinema, growing up outside of New Bedford, Providence RI stations, growing up on a farm, not having cable, Evening Magazine, The Big Dan's Rape Trial, Big Pinball, The Accused, going to boarding school, Jim Henson, The Storyteller, The Jim Henson Hour, being obsessive, not being able to watch things out of order, how the magic is gone after the creator leaves, voice actors aging, A Muppet Family Christmas, only being moved to tears by television, having two VCRs, anthology shows, film directors moving to television, The Oscars, the first gay Oscars, the infamous Snow White opening, a hatred of LA, Drew Barrymore's substance abuse struggles, After School Specials, CBS Playhouse, 15 and Getting Straight, campaigning for yourself, Bob Hope's Easter Vacation in the Bahamas, Red Skies, Satan's Children, Easter, Star Trek Original Series, Ken Burns, The Golden Girls, Beyond Tomorrow, being a life long Saturday Night Life nerd, The Smithereens, Quantum Leap, It's Gary Shandling's Show, The Tracy Ulman Show, LGBQT representations on television, The Wire, Fringe, Rex Reed, Barbara Eden in Your Mother Wears Army Boots, Private Benjamin, Bonnie Hunt, how crazy it is that Ken gets to talk to and befriend his heroes, Barney Miller, Kate & Allie, Larraine Newman, Who's the Boss, Soap, Matlock, Roseanne, taping comedy specials off HBO, tornados, Anything But Love, Ann Magunson, My So-Called Life, Bess Armstrong, Barbara Walters, bad drawings of Nick Nolte, Cheers, Taxi, Friends, bad comedy, Family Ties, dumb characters, Scott Valentine, Unsolved Mysteries, how good spirited pranks make bad TV, and the legend of Dana Hersey's TV38 Movie Loft.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 581: Connor McGrath May 22, 2023

Show notes

January 29 - February 4, 2000

This week Ken welcomes fantastic fellow New England Comedian Connor McGrath (GET HIS NEW ALBUM! "KIND, BEARDED, WEIRD" OUT NOW!) to the show.

Ken and Connor discuss Vacationland, Maine, growing up in Portland, The Fine Arts "Adult Theater"/Rock Club, Chyna, Pro Wrestling, human garbage Triple H, the awful sack of pus that is Vince McMahon, Wrestlemania, The Dark Ages of American Culture (Nu Metal, Monster Energy Drinks, etc), Mankind, Mick Foley, The Rock, The Decade of Jeers, why Lemmy from Motorhead was a bad guy, celebrities being injured on film, the age of Divorce, Jerry Seinfeld creepily dating a high schooler, Pat Buchanan, Pets dot com, the dot com boom, Super Bowl Ads, Blast from the Past, Marshall Law, Arsenio Hall, Sammo Hung, pandemics, racism, ABC's TV Movie Runaway Virus, cursed objects, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's cocaine, "Hurricane" Peter McNeeley", sports taunts, Jerry Springer, Baywatch Hawaii, Dave Holmes, Say What! Karaoke, Freaks & Geeks, James Fraco a creep, WCV vs WWF, Highlander: The Series, Homicide Life on the Street, Queen soundtracks, Tom Green Show, feeling sad for Jennifer Love Hewitt, hating Jamie Kennedy, Backbeat, Hey Arnold!, Catdog, pre-Spongebob, Talk Soup, Norm McDonald being fired from SNL, The Odd Couple starring Sherman Helmsley and Pat Morita, Billy Joel's fired band, Who's Line is it Anyway?, short form wrestling improv, Chicago Hope vs ER, AAA Luchadore Marvel tie-in wrestlers, ECW, the strange evolution of The Nashville Network, Behind the Music, E! True Hollywood Story, hanging out in Belfast Maine on PBS for an entire night and DownEast Dickering.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 580: Gabe Mollica May 15, 2023

Show notes

February 15-21, 2003

This week Ken welcomes comedian and man behind the solo show "Solo: A Show about Friendship", Gabe Mollica.

Ken and Gabe discuss what they would be talking about anyway, not being comedians talking about comedy, how Edinburgh ruined Gabe's life but he has to go back, long form stand up, growing up on Long Island, ridding yourself of your regional accent, Ken's all time favorite stand up special Johnny Vegas; Who's Ready for Ice Cream, John Cleese, performing for nobody, celebrating a 100th/200th/300th episode, The Simpsons, syndication, home town people never leaving, Long Beach NY, bad UK pizza, missing cannolis, corner Sicilians, what you'd watch as a kid vs what you'd watch now, Nickelodeon All That, The World's Strongest Man, Baseketball, Touched by an Angel, Seinfeld, The Music Man, when everyone is in Bye Bye Birdie, The Sopranos, reality TV marriages, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ken starting working at the Cartoon Network UK, Johnny Bravo, Italian dubbing, fascist horror, no longer going to movies when they premier on Thursday night at midnight, seeing shows before bed, when MAD TV replaced SNL, Tough Crowd, the craze of panel shows on TV, The Best Damn Sports Show Ever, Off Broadway show, The West Wing, Birds of Pray TV series, the Ben Affleck Daredevil movie, Friends, Scrubs, South Park, how comedians need to pivot to movies and some drama, The Surreal Life, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, the Box office game, The Klumps, and the insanity of all things Superbowl.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 579: Anna Rubanova and Adam Bozarth Part II May 08, 2023

Show notes

November 14-20, 1992

This week Ken welcomes Left Handed Radio's Adam Bozarth and Anna Rubanova BACK to the show to finally (a year and a half later) do Part II of what they started.

Ken, Anna and Adam discuss how tired Adam and Anna are, mosquitos, tubes in ears, having your tonsils removed, having bad gas send you to the hospital, Ken's kidney stone, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, placentas as extra credit, The Phillip LeBlanc Show, early morning WNYC, Marketplace, Halloween III, moving from Hard News, Fresh Scare, UPDATES on things Ken said to watch last time, including The Monster Club, That Guy Dick Miller, Charles Bronson, going on a Vincent Price kick, the modern Vincent Price, art collections, Voyager, playing poker, Steve Albini, carnival games, natural gas explosions, green room, Columbo, murder, Blade Runner, Hollywood not absolving real life people of crimes so they can exploit serial killers, Jean Smart, Aileen Wuornos, how lack of eyebrows makes you evil, Richard Bey, cleaning school buses, finding sunflower seed shells with a long stick, how gross the UCB Theater was, wearing gloves, Chuck Norris, Forced Vengeance, Titanic, George Washington, hating Tartikoff, TV Guide Letters to the Editor, The Jacksons, how a divorce lead to President Obama, Warp Drive, Seinfeld's The Contest, Night Court, reboots, Flowers for Algernon, Mr. Plow, The Simpsons, Homer's brain damage, Hard Times, Matilda the kangaroo movie, sexy kangaroos, jacked animals, Speed Weed, Jason Robards, 2001, Dr. Strangelove, Tuvok plus Nelix, copywriting characters, the twin loophole, Janeway's hatred, transporter accidents, Sightings, dead stunt people, Drag Queen Drag Races, barns, Belzer on Broadway, James Bond Jr, Fantastic Max, Darkwing Duck, Hollywood Squares, Fraggle Rock, Living in Iowa, adding muscles to things, how the 90s didn't allow open horniness, having a boner for abuse, why it is ok to kink shame, airport furries, Kennedy flipping out, sexy Superman and his marriage of convenience, Net Guide, and cocks with fat asses.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 578: Holly Knight May 01, 2023

Show notes

March 22-28, 1986

This week Ken welcomes legendary songwriter (she's in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame), author (her memoir I Am the Warrior: My Crazy Life Writing the Hits and Rocking the MTV Eighties, is a MUST read/listen), and all around incredibly cool human being Holly Knight to the show.

Ken and Holly discuss her book, growing up a big TV watcher, streaming services, the reliability of TV, having things to look forward to, Dark Shadows, The Adams Family, a love of horror, Chiller Theater, Elvira, how great Cassandra Peterson is, The Munsters, Vic Mizzy, weird instruments, Green Acres, Tina Turner, Heart, Pat Benetar, Patty Smythe the Warrior, moving to LA in the early 80s from New York, forever being a New Yorker, running away to Boston, squatting, working at the Boston Phoenix taking personal ads, The Ritz, The Filmore East, Bowie, being at the tail end of punk, the origins of Pop music, Billy Idol, music producers, Love Boat, KISS, Eva Gabor, the sexless days of television, Lucy, how your children rebel, Family Ties, The Outer Limits, Ennio Morricone, Peter Gun, James Bond, Have Gun will Travel, The Twilight Zone, trading cards, Bonanza, The Monkees, Vincent Price, Elvis, Jackie Gleason, belief in Aliens, working for an awful boss, walking on eggshells, teenagers, Miami Vice, Suspiria, Ultra HD, MTV, "MTV Cops", the style of the 1980s, pastels, Rob Zombie's Munsters, licensing music, cover songs, Cocaine Bear, using songs in Commercials, WWF Saturday Night's Main Event, using The Best in the Biden Campaign, Schitt's Creek, the influence on art on life and life on art, Obession, Nip/Tuck, Superbowl ads, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, wanting to work with Trent Reznor, and how a great song is a great song.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 577: Laura Wimbels Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

December 26 1992 - January 1, 1993

This week Ken welcomes creator of Lenora's Midnight Rental and his new best friend forever Laura Wimbels to the show.

Ken and Laura discuss how Laura is a Ken Reid fan, Ken's story on the podcast Risk!, Fred Willard Super Dad, loving horror, the wonderful terrible movie Rollerblade, opening sealed VHS tapes, Splatter The Architects of Fear, The Exchange, how contrary to his Mother's insistence Ken's favorite movie as a kid was NOT Mother's Day, Revenge of the Nerds, telling on yourself for seeing an R Rated movie, divorces, what the fuck a frush is, Cleveland and douche bags, 1992-1993, the formative time of being 10, growing up without cable, organized hoarders exposing you to TV Guides, Murder She Wrote, Angela Lansbury, being trapped despite being at the height of your power, just admitting you haven't seen something, Troll/Scholastic Book Clubs, The Good Son, reading the novelization of R Rated movies, Dick Clark watching TV in the bathroom, iPads as TVs, watching TV at work, being too old for Barney, USA Up! All Night, Silk Stalkings, sexy slow-mo, USA Made for TV Movies, John Ritter, The Colony, surrogate TV Dads, Michael Gross, Cheers, Dan Conner, Ken's emotional breakdown with Valerie Harper, Hearts Afire, Ghostwriter, wearing a pen around your neck, Suncoast Video, not being able to speak Spanish despite being Puerto Rican, not being French, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Royal Discount Books, The Stephen King Encyclopedia, The Plant, printing out web sites, TV Land, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Wonder Years, Ken getting Garden State emo, My So-Called Life, marriage as the opposite of Titanic, boats leading to break ups, The Simpons arguments, The Twilight Zone, the poor man's TV Guide, commissioned artwork of shirtless Dana Carvey, realizing you love two star movies, curation, the future of streaming, Tubi, Roku, the insanity of all the rival Amy Fischer movies, Tales from the Crypt, In The Heat of the Night, Urban Pain, Baby Snatchers, Nancy McKeon, in the wake of Hand that Rocks the Cradle, the insanity of Mikey, how sad it is that Warlock has been glossed over, when CBS gets all PBS, New Years Eve viewing, Three Stooges Marathons, Slaughter, Bick Dick Toilet Fraud, crybaby Matt Whittaker, why you should never default to Google Image Search searches, kid friendly, the Drew Carey Show, Price is Right, Scooperbowl, hating football, animated opening titles, Columbia House, VHS tapes, Laserdiscs, and the glory of Shopping Malls in Pittsburgh PA.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 576: Xanthe Pajarillo Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

April 12-18, 2003

This week Ken welcomes director-writer, podcaster and Air Force veteran Xanthe Pajarillo.

Ken and Xanthe discuss Ken's TV Guide collection, living in Germany on a military base, AFN (Armed Forces Network), catching US shows on German channels, TV via word of mouth in school, Comedy Central, being obsessed with SNL, getting shows a week late, Blade, Scooby Doo, being an only child, watching horror movies with your parents, Xanthe's podcast Kindergeist, It!, how strange brains are, the nonstop 9/11 support the troops barrage of 2001, being obsessed with the micro, hoping SNL doesn't get preempted, how Millennials really like rules, Reality TV, the terror of chaos, pranks, Xanthe's Scream influenced prank phone calls, the wisdom of Mr. Rogers, the great anti-war horror stories, Deathdream, PTSD, Dog Soldiers, Ken living in London in 2003, the Iraq War, Zoolander, cult films, Billy Madison, Adam Sandler movies, not seeing Dirty Work on a date, Virginia, taking Stephen King for granted in New England, Filipino horror, Legally Blond, Hopping Vampires, Manananggal, twist endings, movies on TV, being obsessed with South Park, Ken's inability to remember the name of the 2001 movie The Forsaken, early 2000s horror and CGI, Making the Video, pop punk, Green Day, being in punk rock bands, playing guitar, the post slasher pre-Scream era of horror, Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead screenings, naps, American Idol, William Hung, The US vs. UK, Doctor Who, College Radio Industrial music shows, Great Women on Comedy, I Love the 80s, Julia Louie Dreyfuss' shows between Seindfeld and Veep, "women aren't funny", Jamie Kennedy, Ken's love of Jennifer Love Hewitt, how Cadet Kelly isn't what basic training was really like, basing your life choices on Hilary Duff movies, Jeering war, hating Matt Lauer, March Madness, human selfishness, not lionizing serial killers, poor Jeff Fahey's Body Parts, the best worst video game movies, Double Dragon, House of the Dead, Splatter Royale mode in Evil Dead the game, being insulted by tweens when playing video games, Interview with the Vampire, Tagalog, The Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, directing the awards show remotely, and making long lists of horror movies we need to see.

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