TV Guidance Counselor

Latest Episodes:

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 381: Russ Woody Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

Today Ken welcomes TV veteran and author of the new book "Tuesdays with Ted", Russ Woody.

Ken and Russ discuss Burbank, wildfires, worshiping television, Ted Danson, Becker, Cheers, seeing the top of your head, Dick Van Dyke, Working at MTM, Newhart, St. Elsewhere, comedy vs. drama, Barney Miller, multi-cam sitcoms, how hard it is to tell a story in 19 minutes, bad people on TV, Cybill, Roseanne, Cosby, insane stand up comedians, how remarkable it is that anything good ever gets made in Hollywood, Green Acres, Tom Poston, Absolutely Fabulous, The Royle Family, US remakes of UK shows, network censors, Jacob's Ladder, Norsemen, Liam Neeson's improv, Toast of London, working in a writers' room, navigating personalities, Dabney Coleman, Slap Maxwell Story, winning people over, living with depression and anxiety, empathy, perspectives, the solitary nature of writing, Murphy Brown, being perfect like an orange, Jay Tarses, mentors, George Clooney, sticking up for people because you can, treating people right, cost benefit analysis, Ken's respect for Bonnie Hunt and a P.A. who's never had a tomato.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 380: Margaret H. Willison Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

September 7-13, 1991

Today Ken welcomes librarian, podcaster and best all around Margaret H. Willison.

Ken and Margaret discuss shortened versions of your name, feminine flowers, post it notes, ribbons, splitting the bill, The Appointment Television podcast, Northern Exposure, Homicide Life on the Street, Highlander the Series, Twin Peaks, The New Leave it to Beaver, Murder, Murder She Wrote, Permeable vs. Impermeable, Amateur vs. professional, Bringing Up Baby, Who's that Girl?, screwball comedies, Totally Hidden Video, being a family of nerds, Larry's thievery, classic radio, model train people, pretending to be somebody else, alter egos, Spaulding Grey, Herman's Head, Avonlea, Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Judy Bloom vs. Beverly Cleary, being a Private Eye, focus groups, Colombo, The Charles Stuart Murder case, Rescue 9-11, the late Mayor Menino, sidescrapers, cults stealing babies, The Last Prostitute, Night Court, Quantum Leap, The Simpsons, pop culture blind spots, The Office, Poirot, being accused of thievery, why Ken is a monster, Ferngully, yuppie aspirations, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, The Ultimate Challenge, and the Legend of Spanky Spangler.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 379: Halloween Special 2019 Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's a super sized 2019 Halloween Special.

This year Ken welcomes back Lamont Price, Sam Furst (Monsters are Good) and Rachel Reid to the show. We watch the first three Halloween episodes of Roseanne (Season 2, 3 and 4) and discuss it and all things Halloween.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 378: Ethan Marsh Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

April 23-29, 1994

This week Ken welcomes comedian Ethan Marsh to the show. Ken and Ethan discuss swingers, Jason Alexander's commercial work, John Candy's death, George Wendt in "Hostage for a Day", what Tammy Faye Baker watches, talk shows, getting your pet spayed or neutered, having a lawyer father, growing up in rural New Hampshire, SNICK, Clarissa Explains it All, Roundhouse, Ren & Stimpy, Dunkaroos, Malcolm X, The Fresh Air Program, Dick Sweat, the power of truck liners, Dollar Bill's, The Mommies, tub time, Judge Shows, The Movie Loft, TV38, pre-ordering Honey I Shrunk the Kids on VHS using identity fraud, teenie weenies, MTV Unplugged, Living Single, Grace Under Fire, Mario Van Peebles, Lifetime comedy specials Dana Gould appeared on but doesn't remember, Blaxploitation, Pam Grier, Ed McMahon is EVERYWHERE, The Fresh Prince, ken getting fired from Newbury Comics, modern country, getting outside your comfort bubble, solving problems, gun violence, simulcasts, Zach Galifinakis on late night TV, Beverly Hills 90210, The B.A.G. and his rap career, Home Improvement, cool teachers, Sons of Anarchy, TGIF, Boy Meets World, and repackaging history however you want.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 377: Michael Grasso Oct 13, 2019

Show notes

November 12-18, 1983

This week Ken welcomes writer/editor Michael Grasso (We Are the Mutants/Hold My Order podcast) to the show.

Ken and Michael discuss Mr. Big's Toyland, Waltham, MA, The Outer Limits, large Italian families, Hi/Low Brow, decades starting on the 3s, The Beige Age, Candlepin Bowling, commercial jingles, syndication laws, Reagan, MTM, issue sitcoms, The 1996 Telecommunications Act, distribution, gate keepers, how easy it is to find TV Guides, We Got It Maid, first run syndication, Punky Brewster, Too Close for Comfort, Three's Company, MTV, Choose or Lose, Ed Hunt, Roswell, In Search Of..., DB Cooper, The British Ministry of Precognition, Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World, Fawlty Towers, TV38, The Deer Hunter, The Movie Loft, Solid Gold, broken spines, Vietnam, Fantasy Island, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Dancin' to the Hits, WKRP, Chiefs, movie events, Throb, TV68, V66, Rollerball, dystopian futures, when Bill O'Reily worked in Boston, Tom Bergeron, People are Talking, Haverhill is Riverdale, This Old House, Geraldo, Al Capone's Vault, Night Flight, Atomic Cafe,zombies, Ghostbusters, Threads, and how we were all damaged by The Day After.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 376: Rich Wentworth Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

June 12-18, 1978

This week Ken welcomes artist, podcaster, and all around cool dude Rich Wentworth to the show.

Ken and Rich discuss voice over, Boston family acts, obnoxious brothers, pupcorn, hut dogs, what hugs, UFOs, Project UFO, Malden MA, The Abandoned Ruderman's Furniture Flea Market, Supah Rahre, Lament Configuration, lighters & video games, thrifting, hot plastic comic book bags, gluing on applications, old man Rob Reiner, obscure live action Disney films, Bionic Woman, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Circus of the Stars, Little Seen Canadian Teen Girlfriends, Lou Rawls on Ice, Thanksgiving episodes, Little House on the Prairie, servitude, The Brady Bunch, Leaves + Crayons + Wax Paper = Art, Cheerwine, Salem's Lot, David Soul, Return to Salem's Lot, Sam Fueller, Laserblast, Deadly Weapon, Lemora, Hunt's Photo & Video, Tobe Hooper's Fun House, Budman, parents smoking pot, Three's Company, Buck Rogers, Barney Miller, Oral Roberts, Grease Day, Drake's Cakes vs. Little Debbie vs. Hostess, Street Trash, TV Guidance Counselor Bingo, Hulk Out List, Percey Rodriguez Excel spreadsheets, and Jeering the Plague Dogs.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 375: Dr. Janet Painter Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

April 11-17, 1987

This week Ken welcomes Dr. Janet Painter to the show.

Ken and Dr. Janet discuss the North Shore/South Shore rift, bad drivers, Carol Burnett meeting Alton Brown, Mr. Wizard, Science, Sci-Fi, having your brother advocate for you to watch Little House, living in the 18th Century, pre-electricity, ancient recording devices, patents, ghosts, theremins, science trial and error, old car phones, building your own Telervisor, Hiding Out, The Big Dig, 21 Jump St vs. Silver Spoons, Sesame St., getting historical fiction wrong, teen crushes, The Muppets, Ricky Shroeder, child actors, being Bewitched three times a day, Watcher in the Woods, collecting for your paper route, recording your own voice, My First Sony, Brewster's Millions, Ann of Green Gables, The Peanut Butter Solution, The Last Starfighter, Rags to Riches, Baby Jessica, Dawn French, Ab Fab, black and white, Night of the Living Dead, KidCo., Scotty Schwartz, the Summer of Courtney Thorne-Smith, Cybill Sheperd Moonlight and Seducing you at the same time, Max Headroom, and the power of Andy Williams and the NBC Kids combined abilities.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 374: Kimberly King Parsons Sep 21, 2019

Show notes

November 13-19, 1993

This week Ken welcomes author of the new short story collection "Black Light", the amazing Kimberly King Parsons.

Ken and Kimberly discuss Cambridge Air BnBs, early bed times, the dick in the Fly, when your parents want to be alone, Skinemax, Real Sex, HBO, Taxi Cab Confessions, MTV's Sex in the 90s, Dream On, Llamas vs. Boobs, Playboy vs. Playgirl, psychedelics, when Hillary Clinton met Big Bird, Judy Bloom, Ecco The Dolphin, Mariah Carey, SNICK, babysitters, the wonder of watching TV in your parents' room, being a snoop, Debbie Does Dallas, breaking things, bodies, David Cronenberg, dread, shocks, horror, when plot doesn't matter, character, Columbo, Murder She Wrote, The X-Files, America's Most Wanted, Unsolved Mysteries, Punky Brewster's Very Special Episodes, Mr. Bicycle Man, Alan: World's Biggest Jerk, Glomer, Mork and Mindy, MTV's Week in Rock, Kurt Loder, 120 Minutes, Nine Inch Nails, My So-Called Life, the pressure of being an only child, Full House, Roseanne, Grace Under Fire, True Crime, how all dudes are garbage, doing the best you can, intuition, the nature of touch, Twin Peaks, good writing vs bad writing, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210, hoopsters, Date Rape, David Bowie, The Hunger, Bauhaus, Halloween costumes, Near Dark, the wonders of being the chosen, Sinbad, Seinfeld, molten lava Kraft singles, Family Matters, Boys Meets World, how taboo makes things appealing, and how having tons of kids will (not) cure anxiety.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 373: John Hodgman 3-D Sep 15, 2019

Show notes

John Hodgman is back for a third time!

This week on TV Guidance Counselor Ken welcomes back noted mustache creep and author of the new book "Medallion Status", Mr. John Hodgman.

Ken and John discuss the insanity of Marriott Hotel naming conventions, hotel security, The Boston/TD Garden, The Leonard Zakim Bridge vs. The Bunker Hill Bridge, racism, The Doughboys Podcast, Pizzeria Regina vs. Regina Pizzeria, horny parsley, accents, adding "r" to words without them, gorging as a job, throwing tennis balls, Medallion Status, the nature of fame, televised team sports, bowling, ruining the day of people in like, just really liking rice balls, busting rice balls, trying meatballs, Downeast Dickerers, fucking blueberry pies, Ken's lack of understanding of liquor stores, Tony Bennett, reality TV, The Property Brothers, Restored, Brett Waterman, White Privilege, gripe culture, working class complaints, resentment, fleshy balloons, Frequent Flyer Miles, status, First Class, bathroom reading, pick pockets, hiding money in your shoe, death taxes, not earning things, free stuff, the right now vs the long game, how fame changes you, how fame and infamy are the same thing now, car fluids, the Acela train, Mad Dad Sudes, and famous Corgies of Instagram.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 372: Sharon Marcus Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

June 9-15, 1973

This week Ken welcomes professor and author of the book The Drama of Celebrity Sharon Marcus.

Ken and Sharon discuss how TV Guides can summon up memories of hot New York Summers, Queens, staying up late and watching old movies, classic movie theaters in New York, seeing old movies at your local library, sparking an interest in research and academia, The Hollywood system, Bette Davis, the creation of celebrity, how not smiling is fascinating, Liz Taylor, the thrill of the hunt, stumble on culture, Sarah Bernhardt, the 19th Century in theater, being social through live performances, Ina Claire, the transition into talkies, Lillian Gish, Bela Lugosi, traveling shows, New York as the Center of the Universe, Astoria, Wonderama, the craze of theater scrapbooks, the mass press, cheap photographic reproduction, the negative connotation of celebrity, how now isn't worse, the loss of common references, fads, overalls, Maude, All in the Family, shared experience, pop culture and social class, TV Guide's editorializing in movie descriptions, Paul Newman, boxing, James Dean, Sadie Thompson, Joan Crawford, the mysterious Channel 31, Watergate, classical music, discovering pop music later in life, reverse engineering sitcom structure, One Day at a Time, dealing with commercials, serializing movies over several days, the Million Dollar movie, the value of anticipation, WPIX, WOR, and the wonders of Columbo.

Buy her new book here!:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=drama+of+celebrity&ref=nb_sb_noss

Powell's: https://www.powells.com/book/-9780691177595

Princeton UP: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/13535.html

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