TV Guidance Counselor

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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 421: Gabrielle Moss Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

October 19-25, 1996

This week Ken welcomes journalist, writer and fellow former New England punk teen Gabrielle Moss.

Ken and Gaby discuss good microphones, how people no longer care about quality, Connecticut, War Pigs, where bands play, 1996, BYOTVG, Gargoyles, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Brooke Shields, Sexy Babies, Townies, Halloween costumes, depression fueled nostalgia, TV novelizations, Alex Mac, Claire Danes, The Wrong Devon, My So-Called Life Goes On, Pasadena shooting locations, avoiding Prime Time, syndicated anthology horror, The New Twilight Zone, X-Men, Bobby's World, the less popular Stephen King movies, WPIX, Tales from the Darkside, Glim Glim, Monsters, New Kids on the Block, Baywatch Nights, Dark Skies, Weird Science, a life of The Simpsons, Blue Rodeo, Unsolved Mysteries, The Warrens, haunted bunk beds, being born to write for Beach Patrol, MTV's House of Style, Home Improvement, Homeboys in Outer Space, Wings, Third Rock from the Sun, Boston Common, Townies accent issues, how Friends is the new Brady Bunch, a generation without a mass extinction event, an aging Seinfeld, Winnie the Pooh Halloween, Halloween goblins, tall people walking in ditches, hating corporate synergy, and local TV racism.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 420: Sarah Rodman Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

FALL PREVIEW ALERT! September 12-18, 2004

This week Ken welcomes writer Sarah Rodman to the show.

Ken and Sarah discuss staying in an attitude of gratitude, the first year Sarah worked as a TV critic, recommending shows to people in lockdown, Cheers, Ted Danson, the importance of the Fall Preview, not knowing what shows will go on forever, The Television Critics' Association Press Tour, getting an angry letter from Trump about your hair, the golden boom of Reality TV, The Surreal Life, billionaires making TV, local television productions, Knotts Landing, Desperate Housewives, Lost, Fringe, Rick Springfield, Mission Magic, LAX, Mark Valley, sports dramas, House, Hugh Laurie, batting at Dodgers Stadium thanks to a short lived Dean Cain show, Two and a Half Men, Veronica Mars, how Joey was the least popular DVD set in the Big Lots! cut out bin, Episodes, Matt LeBlanc: Hometown Boy, fixing George Clooney's eyebrows, Sisters, being really into Extreme, Boston Public vs Boston Legal, Keen Eddie, 24, how 9/11 killed a bunch of comedy shows, Keen Eddie, North Shore, Gilmore Girls, NYPD Blue, seeing The Killers at the Roxy, Scrubs, Early Edition, CS Lewis vs. Freud, Life as We Know It, how Kelly Osbourne is NOT a fat girl, Chris Lowell vs. Christopher Lowell, The O.C., the Hills, Everwood, Mechanical Bulls, Boston Rob, Mark McGrath, Klover, Miss America, Saturday Night as the Death Slot, Tommy Lee Jones' rug and how Ken needs to watch Friday Night Lights RIGHT NOW

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 419: Dave Holmes Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

March 17-23, 1984

This week Ken welcomes writer, former MTV VJ, editor, performer and all around good dude Dave Holmes to the show.

Ken and Dave discuss Dave's COVID-19 negative test result, Duff, cutting the line, Tickling Priscilla Presley, ruined childhoods, Gilbert and Sullivan, The Tennis Pro career of Kent Golden, Tom Villard, more tickling, confusing Jeff Goldblum for Eddie Deezen, the "lost" Hollywood Squares, Gallagher's ID, Night of the Dribbler, Fred Travalena, We Got it Maid, Price is Right, the satisfying colors of Tattletales, being over Diff'rent Strokes, Joel Higgin's love life, Martin Mull, Maggie Briggs, Mid-season replacements, Rich Little: Female Impersonator, Hot Hits, V66, Friday Night Videos, Linda Lavin in a challenging duel role, drawing Jack Nicholson, why The Sure Thing is the best movie ever, being not the Gary Cooper who is dead, athletes having plates of drugs for breakfast, TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Foul Up, Bleeps and Blunders, how Kate & Allie is truly great, Cagney and Lacey, trying to impress boys by pretending you like AKA Pablo, Sting's acting career, Hart to Hart, Real People, The Facts of Life, Dynasty, America's Australian fever, Thicke of the Night, SCTV, Gimme a Break, Dolph Sweet, missing the Cosby Show, Simon and Simon, Webster and Benson, The Funny Boys, the sophistication of Season 2 of Double Trouble, The New Show, Game Shows that never happened, and believing Jack Palance OR ELSE.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 418: Stephanie Crawford Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

October 24-30, 1998

This week Ken welcomes writer, film critic, cool gal, and kindred spirit Stephanie Crawford to the show.

Ken and Stephanie discuss Las Vegas, Reno, The Luxor, Crime Story, Horror scopes, Mom and Pop Casinos, Premiere Magazine, Sassy, a love of movies, the internet in the 90s, being inspired by Almost Famous, Rolling Stone, The Good Wife, The Nest, over selling things, how Holden Caufield IS Opie Taylor, X-Rated Dick Van Dyke, Carrie II: The Rage, the awful graphic design of the late 90s, Mr. Show Bowling shirts, suburban terror, being too old to trick or treat, best Halloween costumes, The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror, Tim Thomserson, Crimewave, the humor of Xena, Tales from the Crypt Demon Knight, The Frighteners, convincing your mom to take you to movies, From Dusk Til Dawn, only children, The Surreal Life, sketch shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Baywatch, vigilante life guards, The Monster Club pop ups, boxtops for SNICK, erotic thrillers, Silk Stalkings, Libras vs Cancers, The Seventh Seal, The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer, Gary Busey, Witches, call backs, Turkey Horror, Celebrity Death Match, The Secret World of Alex Mac, The Good Wife, ER, TGIF, and examining Evil Twins.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 417: Julia Sutherland Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

UK TV Times August 23-29, 1986

August 23-29, 1986 UK TV Times

The international virtual travel continues during lockdown as this week Ken welcomes the fabulous Scottish TV Presenter/Stand Up Comedian and radio personality Julia Sutherland to the show.

Ken and Julia discuss old timey radio, the conspiracy theory of the government's spying, panel shows, UK TV and Radio Times, doing stand up on U.K.'s Got Talent, missing some UK TV because you were teaching snowboarding in Vale, CO, Ant and Dec, Biker Grove, London Palladium, age ain't nothing but a number, TV licenses, Julia's father's collection or Radio and TV times, being a STV continuity presenter, Ken's dogs, The Wide Awake Club, Julia's first joke on TV, Timmy Mallett, Neighbors, Home and Away, crime series, serial killers, Jim Thompson, Poirot, The Salem Witch Trials, wanting to be a Crime Profiler, Taggart, Glasgow, Broadchurch, "Dallasty", ads for awful products, fashion, Joan Collins, The Doomsday Project, Gaz Top, sketch shows, Absolutely, Morwenna Banks, meeting your heroes, learning by doing, Role playing games, the wasteland of TV that is Sundays in the UK, why there are so many Scots in Canada, The Highland Clearances, The Campbells and being on it as a child, Spitting Image, Red Dwarf, Jimmy Tarbuck, quiz shows, The Good The Band and the Unexpected, Stop the Press, Dylan Moran, Bullseye, the greatest ad in the history of the world, Sure Deodorant, What's My Line?, Eamonn Andrews, This Is Your Life, Blockbusters, Take the High Road, Let's Face It, what a face actually is, The Sullivans, Electronic Program Guides, The Yellow Pages, J.R. Hartley, SuperMarionation, Gerry Anderson, Terrahawks, The Stand UK Club, why Thursdays are the best night to do stand up, The Golden Girls, not "getting" Bruce Forsyth, Cosby Show, and all the great stand up comedian who are not sex pests.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 416: Joseph DeBenedictis Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

August 15-21, 1998 CANADIAN EDITION

The lockdown sessions continue as Ken welcomes another international guest, the incredible vlogger, magician and Canadian YouTube sensation Joseph DeBenedictis.

Ken and Joseph discuss the differences between Canadian and American TV Guide, Durgy Spade, David Blaine, making your own videos pre-YouTube, stage magic vs. street magic, being the oldest sibling, passing around VHS tapes, Canadian magazine pride, Canadian Content laws, SCTV, Toronto, Twitch City, Don McKellar, David Cronenberg, Last Night, being an unstructured mess, Hockey Night in Canada, comedy sketches, always wanting to do video production, The Comedy Network, America's Funniest Home Videos, YTV, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, SNICK, having a 1 and 1/2 year old, being unproductive in lockdown, The Simpsons, LBJ's Presidency, PBS vs. CBC, Read All About It, Comedy Now, Canadian Stand Up, Dr. Katz, Last Comic Standing, Who's Child is This?, Baby Jessica, OnTV, Channel 11, This Hour has 22 Minutes, Mike Wilmont, Everybody Loves Raymond, Miss Teen USA, Buffalo NY, Much Music, Pearl Jam, having a go to "home" channel, The Truman Show, reality TV, Jim Carrey movies, Liar Liar, The Joe Schmo Show, Kristen Wiig, Breaking the Magician's Code, Penn and Teller, TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Doug Henning, The Mike Bullard Show, doing stand up, Gerry Dee, Mr. D, Just for Laughs, Seinfeld, The Drew Carey Show, Who's Line is it Anyway?, The Amazing Richard Turner, Dealt, Ricky Jay, The Beaches Jazz Festival, YouTube, Candid Camera, not revealing the joke, and the CFL (Canadian Football League) and how it changed Joseph's life.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 415: Joel Hodgson Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

August 31 - September 6, 1968

The remote sessions chug along as Ken welcomes longtime Ken Reid hero, original MST3k space castaway Joel Hodgson.

Ken and Joel discuss drinks, the free newspaper TV Guide, blue collar butlers, major appliances, Isaac Asimov writing about The Prisoner, PBS, Python, The Rover, local TV Guide art and ads, golf tournaments, how impressive the speed and accuracy of TV Guide was, Philly, local TV, watching school, the farm report, Bozo, Wisconsin, SCTV Celebrity Blow Up, using TV to learn how to be an adult, the stand up boom, late night DJs, broadcasting into the ether, wondering how TV got made, local horror hosts, Green Bay's Horror Host Alexander on WFRV's Eerie Street, Alexander's parking space, Ken's Dad on Bozo, Carol Spinney, dancing with a robot to a swing song called Chicken Curry, High School USA, auditioning for Woody on Cheers, being alone together, when singles turned to albums, AOR radio, The Omega Man, being a big fish in a small pond, public domain monster movies, writing for Jerry Seinfeld, knowing your place in showbiz, appearing on SNL, profound advice from Joe Piscopo, getting to write your own stuff, using an indie rock model to make television, why stress is the enemy of creativity, The Mike Douglas Show, and TV produced outside of New York and L.A.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 414: Anna Lee Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

September 21-27, 1985

In our first international remote episode Ken welcomes writer, director, VR innovator and all around new BFF Anna Lee to the show.

Ken and Anna discuss Canadian lockdown, YouTube, Tik Tok, being an editor, Highlander the Series, The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, Canadian Tax Shelter Horror Films, Vancouver, Toronto, David Cronenberg, mo-cap, digital animation, Pin: A Plastic Nightmare, Scanners, Cube, Karate, Martial Arts, opening for Bruce Lee, stoicism, Jamaica, focus and discipline, 2049 Entertainment, learning by doing, other people paying for your mistakes, selling papers, Degrassi, Golden Girls, The Facts of Life, moving to Toronto in 1984, seeing snow for the first time, seeing Superman and having it change your life, breaking the fourth wall, Harder They Come, Popcorn, Midnight Movies, Ken's wish to do a red carpet event, the reality of a red carpet event, starting as a child actor, efficiency, editing in camera, VR pornography, innovation due to lack of resources, feeling vs. plot, the importance of soundtracks, Blade Runner, being in a reality show, Bruce Campbell, the importance of putting in time and committing to finding something, the original version of Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights, meeting Seka, befriending your heroes, the generation who won't pay for things, the future of entertainment, Nocturna, Vamp, Fright Night, Grace Jones documentary Bloodlight and Bami, loving Katheryn Bigelow, Point Break, living through multiple financial crises, running a phone sex company, freaking out, not knowing how to unplug, balls, Who's The Boss?, Growing Pains, Gimme a Break, Small Wonder, Remington Steele, Pierce Brosnon, Highway to Heaven, growing up Catholic, Quantum Leap, working with the same people over and over again, Epix Sex Life, Night Court, the tallest cast in TV, Bruce Willis, Knight Rider, Twilight Zone, Webster, being a car person, Audi 5000, Dodge Challenger, To Live and Die in LA, visiting Los Angeles, Sidekicks, watching ANY martial arts media, Brandon Lee, Martial Law with Sammo Hung, and being BFFs now.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 413: Kathy Valentine Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

March 21 - 27, 1970

This week Ken welcomes Go-Go, and author of the great new memoir "All I Ever Wanted", Kathy Valentine.

Ken and Kathy talk about how ubiquitous TV Guide used to be, stumbling upon Suzie Quatro on Top of the Pops as a kid and having your life changed, how television helped The Go-Gos get big, radio vs. tv, procrastination, watching your old clips, playing on SNL, sexist ads, cartoons, George of the Jungle, TV theme songs, Mission Impossible, ad jingles, I Dream of Jeanie, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, serial killers, how TV would stop some times, Davey and Goliath and LSD, The Archies, not liking the Monkees, Kurt Russell's teenage singing career, meeting Burt Ward, Westerns, Austin Texas, the 1987 Writer's Strike, why Monday is the greatest TV night, Hollywood Squares, Paul Lynde, how the Munsters helped Kathy's sobriety, It Takes a Thief, doing something nice for someone, Dick Cavett, Day of the Triffids, Art Linkletter, knowing Johnny Cash, pipe organ enthusiasts, Joel Grey singing the hot hits of the day for the kids, Agnes Moorehead, wanting to be an ad exec, supportive mothers, Here Come the Brides, Where the Boys Are, snarky TV Guide descriptions, Buffy St. Marie, cigarettes, hating Hee Haw, re-watching Curb Your Enthusiasm, Better Call Saul, and realizing how your time on Earth is limited and feeling a need to get things done.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 412: Eric Fusco Jun 08, 2020

Show notes

October 7-13, 1978

The remote sessions continue as this week Ken welcomes super listener, and creator of "TV Guidance Counselor Bingo", Eric Fusco, for some talk about being alone together.

Ken and Eric discuss how to pronounce Fusco, Italians, birthday weeks, when baseball ruins everything, Richard Dreyfuss dramadies, Rhoda, working with people younger than you who don't know anything, shows that represent NYC, The Warriors, hardcore shows, the 1970s obsession with aliens, knowing what cars are going to get wrecked, CHiPs, Love Boat, Battlestar Gallactica, Archie Bunker, Sam the Butcher's Drinking Problem, The Gumball Rally, pimple popping, WKRP, punk rock episodes, Ray Boulger, fighting M*A*S*H with M*A*S*H, Doctor shows, surgery, SCTV, Sally Kirkland, modeling schools, Mercedes McCambridge, Vega$, U.F.O., Space 1999, Project UFO, In Search Of..., What's Happening parodies, Quincy M.E., The Muppet Show, Ken's interview with John Cleese, feeling incredibly old, horny Bernie Kopell, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk, using Roddy McDowell's bathroom, the plague of tennis pros, Big John Hamilton, westernization of Chinese TV, Timeless, Time After Time, Match Game, and not always being able to relax by watching old TV.

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