TV Guidance Counselor

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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 431: Eric Deggans Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

December 28, 1996 - January 3, 1997

This week Ken welcomes NPR TV critic, musician and author of the great book Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, Eric Deggans to the show.

Ken and Eric discuss Eric's smooth radio voice, growing up in Gary Indiana, being a touring musician, becoming a TV critic in 1996 in Florida, getting sick of pop music, how hard jobs were to get as a teenager, Letterman, watching TV late night, being a fan of weirdo comedy, SCTV, Ernie Kovacs, being signed to Motown, making sure you always have an HBO Subscription, touring Japan, getting a VCR, the importance of phone trees when black people would be on TV, the paranoia of Dark Skies, the importance of criticism, Siskel and Ebert, Cybill, committing mail fraud with Columbia House to exponentially increase you record collection, experiencing White Rock Music, Quincy Jones, The original Bill Cosby Show, Saturday Morning Cartoons, Saturday Night Live, Eddie Murphy, jamming, In Concert, The Midnight Special, Meet The Press, all the people we've lost, Tim Russert, Regis, Steve Harvey, stand up sitcoms, Robert Townsend, how wrong The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer was, Larry Wilmore, difficult stars, Bernie Mac, NYPD Blue, anti-heroes, re-examining shows you liked, Ellen, good and bad network notes, lack of diverse casts, suspension of disbelief, and the absolute greatness of Homicide Life on the Street.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 430: Gigi Garner Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

In this BONUS! episode Ken welcomes former private eye, current Dog Rescue super hero and daughter of the late, great James Garner, Gigi Garner.

Ken and Gigi discuss LA vs Boston, living all over the world, being a licensed P.I. in Tennessee, living in the U.K., putting out records, writing three #1 Christian songs, having no acting talent, The Rockford Files, having to drive your Dad's work car to High School, not feeling like a Hollywood kid, getting a late start acting, James Garner's purple hearts, always being able to revisit your relative who's passed, David Cassidy, loving the Partridge Family, continuing her Dad's Legacy, the James Garner Animal Rescue Fund (jgarf.org), kill shelters, how trying to quit smoking led to having a dog, product endorsements, Mazda, Polaroid, having a natural charm, running a talent management company, The Americanization of Emily, Awards nominations, Murphy's Romance, keeping treasures from a life well lived, Grand Prix, The Cinerama Dome, being good at golf, The Notebook, voice over, and being Steve McQueen's neighbor.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 429: Jake Fogelnest Sep 28, 2020

Show notes

July 19-25, 1986

Today Ken talks to writer, host, podcaster, and bizarro Ken Jake Fogelnest.

Ken and Jake discuss the Stuff, John Waters, being a "precocious" kid, Larry Cohen, Squirt TV, Cable Access, Night Flight, working from home, branding, Midnight Blue, The Comedy Store, supportive parents, Cypress Hill, The Beastie Boys, seeing Rocky Horror live, refusing to recognize authority, Channel J, Channel 23, watching Degrassi for the first time, getting an idea of what a cool teenage room is, Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains, rebuilding cable, being an advocate for lost media, being Star Struck, Valley Girl, Steve Jones, dead malls, Kevin Smith, Tom Green, Jerri Hall sitcoms, unsold pilots, Criterion, MTV's 120 Minutes, the children of Night Flight, Maron, stand up comedy, Rachel Sweet, The Gong Show, lost movies, Penelope Spheeris, Ken's huge balls, Albert Brooks, The Day the Clown Cried, Harry Shearer, owning film prints, Private Parts, Howard Stern, 4k UHD, Vamp, James Cameron's pitch of Aliens, Evening Magazine, PM Magazine, Cheers, Meatballs vs. Meatballs II, Wet Hot American Summer, Fridays, Spenser for Hire, Back to the Beach, tours of shooting locations, Alan Thicke's Teenage Years, discogs, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Hitler's Teeth, the genius of Martin Short, Doug Benson in Captain EO, Mr. Belvedere, Working for Marvel, writing on Runaways, The Sopranos, Three's Company, The New Twilight Zone, pretentious movies, Brendon Tartikoff and Jake's promise to never assault you with his serious musical aspirations.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 428: Scott Valentine Sep 21, 2020

Show notes

June 1-7, 1968

This week Ken talks to former actor, producer, current investment banker and long time good dude Scott Valentine.

Ken and Scott talk about Ken moving to L.A., Scott moving back to New York, Scott's true love, climate change, when Scott got run over by a truck, Knight Rider, Family Ties, The Art of Being Nick, the cast of Family Ties, working with smart people, the best sitcom lines, not being no Charles Bronson, visiting the Smokey Mountains, Ginger vs. Maryanne, Raymond Burr, facing Andy Griffith while wearing tight leather pants, Petticoat Junction, My Demon Lover, Pizzatskis, movie acting, being on the stage, being blamed for film failure, The Actor starring Alec Guinness, voice over, Phantom 2040, The DC Animated Universe, Rob Paulsen: Good Dude, entitled actors, coke heads, being caught in a battle between Gary David Goldberg and Brandon Tartikoff, Aaron Spelling hating you, awful executives, becoming a producer, Maverick Pictures, being incredibly lucky, a life well lived, working with Melissa Gilbert, real heroes, digging ditches, The Killing Fields, actors without range, being method, meeting Al Pacino, Bridge on the River Kwai, striving for realism, how art should make us better people, shock humor, Twister, Pierce Brosnon, meeting a killer, The Thomas Crowne Affair, Billy Bob Thornton and Harvey Weinstein's slap fight, knocking out Weinstein, why there is never a good reason to belittle somebody, working people, your kids not being interested in y our work, mean spirited comedy, Steven Wright, Fosse, how great Sam Rockwell is, Restored, and Scott's very nice compliments.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 427: Frank Whaley Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

October 11-17, 1975

This week Ken welcomes writer, drummer, actor and all around great guy Frank Whaley to the show.

Ken and Frank discuss Ken's mispronunciation, upstate New York, being "Evicted Boy" in Spenser for Hire, being 24 and pretending you are 16, being dirt poor, getting commercials, The Freshman, getting to act with the best actors, Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Field of Dreams, After School Specials, James Earl Jones, how Little Monsters put Born on the 4th of July in jeopardy, gambling on baseball, bookies, bowling, Cornhole on TV, being a punk kid, making rednecks angry, garbage bags full of drums, sleeping on an ottoman in a sublet, the dangers of New York, trying to self sabotage, luck, The Jimmy Show, stand up comedy, doing improv in Career Opportunities, John Candy, having Burt Reynolds rub your inner thigh, making out with Ann-Margaret, loving disco, Soul Train, The Midnight Special, planning private time, loving Cher, The Bay City Roller, variety shows, loving all the women of Mary Tyler Moore, The Last Picture Show, not being Frank Gorshin, Good Times, having a crush on Mr. Kotter's wife, lifetime achievement awards, not being able to watch yourself any more. Luke Cage, Ironsides, Columbo, defective detectives, great theme songs, Barretta, Mannix, throwing your slipper at a TV, being shocked by Kojack on an ill advised family vacation, Chico and the Man, Andy Kaufman breaking character, Ray Donovan and how Jon Voight is the world's biggest asshole.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 426: Joseph Kay Sep 07, 2020

Show notes

June 20-26, 1998

This week Ken welcomes producer, writer, showrunner and creator of the new NBC Medical Drama Transplant, Joseph Kay.

Ken and Joseph discuss being in Toronto, being stuck behind a border, Transplant, a show set in Canada being an NBC co-production, The X-Files, Chris Carter, learning how to run a show working on a show, serialization in television, the ongoing story in Transplant, the difficulty of telling stories without a definitive end, Medical Dramas, E.R., immigration stories, George Clooney: Movie Star, how medical dramas are the new detective/mystery shows, re-inventing cop shows, Spielberg, secret identities, super hero origins, broken people, how 1998 is a transitional year, the end of Larry Sanders, Sex in the City, when HBO became an original programming contender, Seinfeld, Mr. Show, The Kids in the Hall, New York City, SCTV, Johnny LeRue, Toronto, the current state of TV criticism, Ted Lasso, Major League, anti-heroes, stand up on TV, Still Standing, Mike Birbiglia, Crashing, Stephen King, when things get too heavy, the importance of heart, Watchmen, why we need rules, keeping a writing staff, telling a story in the season, breaking everything and putting it back together again, being a lawyer, legal drama, This is Wonderland, Night Court, the specific, representation on TV, diversity, Maple Syrup Urine Disease, becoming a hypochondriac, Cheers, trying to "program" your kids' taste, The Simpsons, watching your parents watch shows, Star Trek, writing or not writing COVID into tv shows, being scared by crowds on TV these days, the whiteness of TV Guide, and why Veep/The Thick of It is the greatest place to work out aggression through insults.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 425: Kevin Murphy Sep 07, 2020

Show notes

July 19-25, 1969

This week Ken welcomes film fan, Rifftrax-er, and voice of Tom Servo, the great Kevin Murphy to the show.

Ken and Kevin discuss fishing, Elvis, the Apollo 11, Boy Scout Camp, the space race, the political unrest of 1968, Vietnam, Iowa, Nebraska, jock itch, hemorrhoids, corn, being too old for diaper rash, smoking, Jackie Gleason, Hardcore Corn-ography, the greatest music on television, The T.A.M.I. Show, WHA PBS, Kevin's history in television production, Mason Williams, the FCC, befriending the tape librarian, The Outer Limits "The Invisible Enemy", The Day the Earth Froze, Miss Universe, Mission Impossible, The Shock Theater package, WGN's movie library, seeing Hammer Films on TV, Creature Features, being a cool 60s cat, Tarus Bolba, "blood and thunder", Gogolos, Ken Barry, Mayberry R.F.D., profiling Paul Lynde, when Arnold directed William Hickey, The Johnny Cash Show, Green Acres, the skillsets lost in time, The Munsters, The Prisoner, The Finale Programme, Dean Martin's Golddiggers, going "full on bachelor", The Avengers, the sci-fi convention circuit, the art of panel moderation, the other Rashoman, 90 minute time slots, how amazing Bob and Ray are, Don Rickles, George Jessel, planning a TV schedule, and having outdoor movie nights.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 424: Kaitlin Huwe Aug 31, 2020

Show notes

April 24 - May 3, 2004

This week Ken welcomes actor, musician Kaitlin Huwe to the show.

Ken and Kaitlin discuss the misery of a New England climate, The Bay Area, the California Vibe, Pandemic niceness, having a great Drama teacher in High School, moving to L.A. at 17, NYC, UCLA, being completely baffled by TV Guide, PBS's Arthur, Hollywood's seedy underbelly, faking it til you....fake it, Fake film festivals, music videos, doing the training, women of SNL, TV on flip phones circa 2004, buying three throw blankets as a comfort reaction, redesigning your own bedroom, 7th Heaven, That's So Raven, why S Club 7 is too provocative, wrapping over theme songs, having a very specific set of skills, the good and bad of stand up, Ken's dislike of Stand Up specials, knowing why you don't like a thing, Two and a Half Men vs. Half and Half, Comedy Central's Bar Mitzvah, why acting is the opposite of improv...in theory, learning lines, working with Anthony Hopkins, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, getting a day boyfriend from The Young and the Restless, making out at work, sitcoms, theater, Poison Ivy, child stars re-inventing themselves as sex pots, and having never seen Showgirls.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 423: Jo Brand Aug 24, 2020

Show notes

January 13-19, 1968

This week Ken welcomes the incredible English writer, comedian and all around amazing human Jo Brand to the show.

Ken and Jo discuss the good that has come out of a Global pandemic, how incredibly shocking 1968 seems looking at it from 2020, USSR representations of the USA, Ken's deprogramming, Housewife Dracula, how to say "take the piss" in America, Female stand up comedians, the UK Alt-Comedy scene, man-hating, what makes it to the US from the UK and vice versa, remaking British Comedies for the United States, Getting On, the U.S. obsession with looks, being in the thing you create, earning your place, getting insults thrown at you, Billy Connolly, Ken having to pretend to be Canadian, Up the Creek, The New Cross Tavern, Vic Reeves, Harry Enfield, Big Night Out, Shooting Stars, heckles, bits that don't work, coughing blood, snarky sarcasm, panels shows, The Newlywed Game, Mr. and Mrs., our modern fairy tales, My Three Sons, court ordered tea parties, Morecambe and Wise. The Young Ones, Hogan's Heroes, WWII, Ken's weird hair, Dick Van Dyke, Cheers, working in a pub, Bing Crosby, Hollywood Palace, the evils of Milton Berle, The Smothers Brothers, dogs, Davey and Goliath, Sunday Church TV, The Milton Berle of Vicars, the horrors of Northern Club Comics, women on TV, Lucille Ball, Morwenna Banks, Payton Place, half an hour of boring, Man from U.N.C.L.E., beautiful heckles, learning about weather, PBS, Haley Mills, Lost in Space, The Avengers, The Flying Nun, Bob Hope, warzones, the bouncing bomb and ending with 633 Squadron, a good old fashioned feel good British War film.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 422: D.B. Sweeney Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

August 2-8, 1975

This week Ken welcomes actor, writer, director and all around good dude D.B. Sweeney to the show.

Ken and D.B. discuss enjoying the depth of TV Guide listings, growing up as townies in Long Island, when Spenser for Hire is your first day in show business, befriending Robert Urich, Lonesome Dove, being a Red Sox fan in Long Island, Billy's Triple Crown, Mary Tyler Moore vs. Emergency, Randolph Mantooth, Dead Martin and Jerry Lewis, being a comedy guy, playing real people, 8 Men Out, Gardens of Stone, Two and a Half Men, being a hocky dad, the greatness of Jon Cryer, Art Carney: Santa Claus, aliens, Rat Patrol, S.W.A.T., missing out on meeting John Houston, Peter Falk, Ireland, being mistaken for an IRA money runner, Roommates, how Hollywood changes the source material, how difficult Romantic Comedy is, The Cutting Edge, Chiller Theater, Thriller, The Saint, taking a swing at M*A*S*H via Family Guy, Good Times, old time song and dance men, variety shows, offending Tony Orlando, procedurals, Strange Luck, Harsh Realm, Karl Malden, defective detectives, good hair, Mannex, George C. Scott, making other actors better, Sean Astin, Two Dum Micks, Fire in the Sky, Almost Anything Goes, stunts, Sanford and Son, Dolemite, the greatness of James Garner, Ed Harris, Two Tickets to Paradise, being gracious to fans, and Paul Newman buying you a Coke.

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