TV Guidance Counselor

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TV Guidance Counselor 3rd Anniversary Episode: Sean Sullivan guest hosts with guest guest Ken Reid Feb 13, 2017

Show notes

In this episode recorded this very week Sean Sullivan guests hosts as Ken Reid guest guests to discuss THIS week in Television 2017.

Hear Ken Reid try to pretend he pays attention to current affairs, as Sean swears and they both reminisce about the past guests on the show, the early days of the show and the general state of the world.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 207: Frank "Dr. Frank" Portman Feb 09, 2017

Show notes

Fall Preview! September 18-24, 1976

In this episode recorded live at Piano Fight in San Francisco during SF Sketchfest Ken welcomes musician and author Frank Portman to the show.

Ken and Frank discuss growing up in the Bay area, being banned from television, Mike's two Grandmothers Edna and Jean, The Chesterfield vs. The Davenport, agricultural game shows, The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, being terrified of hippies, the Zodiac Killer, The Spirit of '76, Ken's odd childhood habit of making political jokes at his neighbors house, Richard Nixon, Watergate, Streets of San Francisco, anti-hippies, the literary status of TV Guide's writing, Holmes and Yoyo, Mr. T and Tina, the secret origins of The Mr. T Experience, ethnic comedies, tone shifts, All in the Family, Maude, Norman Lear, beating up the Gooch, Mr. T's angry comic book years, punk rock scare TV, Quincy M.D., Fantasy Island, being treated like a monkey only to be replaced by Christopher Hewitt, Filmmation's Saturday Morning Shows, Kroft, Elektra Woman and Dynagirl, Speed Racer, having your life saved by the theme from Spider-Man, Love American Style, Charles in Charge, songwriting lessons from Gilligan's Island, The Greatest American Hero, Mr. Smith, trying to figure out the dumbest show ever on TV, the Flying Nun, Six Million Dollar Chico and the Man, the importance of correct lunch box decisions, the secrets of Furniture Care, Say Yes to the Dress, Ellery Queen, Angel Heart, The Muppets, Jan Brady accent, Baretta, The Love Boat, writing misunderstood Murder Ballads, and how Bob Newhart is eternal.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 206: Paula Marshall Feb 07, 2017

Show notes

Today Ken welcomes actor Paula Marshall to the show.

Ken and Paula discuss the fiction of Hollywood tours, Maps to the Stars Homes, Circus of Books, wanting to work, Seinfeld, staying close to home, The Wonder Years, Gary Unmarried breaking the curse, BeaBea's Breakfast, growing up in Maryland, cold and humid climates, All in the Family, all of our Dads, loving sitcoms, watching football with Mom, loving the Colts, NFL, crushed based decisions, the annual tradition of The Wizard of Oz, event television, variety shows, mood rings, unlimited television, over parenting, working for the government, a love of photography, Evelyn's advice, modeling in NYC, One Life to Live, Hellraiser II: Hell on Earth, Warlock The Armageddon, being sick on set, Fred Savage is a piece of tape, auditioning for comedy in the wrong environment, The Flash (1990), Apollonia's eyebrows advice, the importance of hair, Chicago Sons, Jason Bateman, Cupid, remaking Cupid, Jeremy Piven, Hidden Hills, Snoops, holding for laughs, Ted Danson, Cheers, coaching a Boston accent for Ray Donovan, working with Candice Bergen, House, David Duchovny, conservative Republicans, improvisational vomiting during sex, getting the button, getting recognized at the airport, Cheaper by the Dozen, SVU vs SVU, and Tupperwear Party nostalgia with Mariska Hargitay and J. Lo.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 205: Nick Chambers Feb 03, 2017

Show notes

September 16-22, 1995

Today Ken welcomes incredibly talented comedian, fake song Friday musician, and Old School Game Show utility player Nick Chambers to the show.

Ken and Nick discuss the White Nick Chambers, Mark Harmon, Worcester's Mid-Town Mall, local television jingles, Mom and Pop Amusement Parks, why Judith Light means bargains, Boston knee surgery, Church, 7th Day Adventists, frozen juice concentrate, Forest Gump math, David Allan Grier, Tea Leoni in The Naked Truth, short pitches, Fall Previews, New York Undercover, Full Boss aka Hudson Street, The Kennedys, ER with Journalists, vaguely racist television, Boku, White Grape Juice, Ellen Claghorne, SNICK, Alex Mack, Fire on the Fresh Prince, growing up vegetarian, Killer Bee Honey, All That!, Cybill, Kung Fu The Legend Continues, Peanut Butter Popcorn, Rockwell's Obscene Phone Caller, Disney, getting lost, London Underground, Home Improvement, UPN, Tina Turner, The 7 Ups, why Robert Townsend is amazing, The Wayans Bros, Voodoo, and the shocking revelation of Gerbert.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 204: Alison Rosen Jan 31, 2017

Show notes

March 28 - April 3, 1987

Today Ken welcome podcaster, writer and fellow Facts of Life superfan Alison Rosen to the show.

Ken and Alison discuss the weird Hollywood Hills, Cat elope and Watermelon worries, why Ken continues to live in New England against his will, odd things found in snowbanks, growing up in Orange County, wanting to be a child actress, being an extra on Life Goes On, "F-You" Nicknames, Chad Lowe, No Means No, if Very Special Episodes hold up to 21st Century ideals, the meanest thing ever said on TV, The Night Stalker, the importance of 1987, Baby Jessica, Marilu Henner's peanut obsession, being in bands, pregnancy brain, Rags to Riches, the horrors of pre-preemption, Hull High, orphan wish fulfillment, Wildfire, Out of This World, Day by Day, 80s TV show Tributes to 60s TV shows, The Facts of Life's "Seven Little Indians", Ken's extreme jealousy of Alison having had Mindy Cohen on her show, The Adam Corolla Show, Valerie, Our House, video vs. film, Jeff Smith The Frugal Gourmet, ALF, Who's the Boss, Alyssa Milano, being depressed by Cheers, Blair's Mother's abortion talk, Growing Pains, why being offered cocaine makes you not want to go to the bathroom, auditioning for Quantum Leap, What a Dummy!, The Monster Squad, The Gate, vaguely Canadian, TV killing dogs, Highway to Heaven, reusing the hallway from Head of the Class, Boys Meets World, A Different World, Roomies, Andrea Martin, teachers on TV, and the scary reveal that Mr. Lazaroni is the dead grandfather Andrew McCarthy was pretending to be in Amazing Stories.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 203: Stuart Pankin Jan 24, 2017

Show notes

Today Ken welcomes actor Stuart Pankin (Dinosaurs, Not Necessarily The News, Second Sight) to the show.

Ken and Stuart discuss holding your own microphone, being a quintessential sitcom guest star, growing up in Philly, Mel Torme', Night Court, not being enough of a you type to get a part calling for a you type, Scavenger Hunt, Winky Dink, Romper Room, appearing on Howdy Doody, Free to be You and Me with Marlo Thomas, Dinosaurs, Jim Henson, Barney Miller, warm up comedians, Not Necessarily The News, Conan O'Brien's first job, HBO, No Soap Radio, The San Pedro Beach Bums, Love at Stake, Dearly Departed, SCTV, Joe Flaherty, the power of no, Vaudeville to Burlesque to Radio to Television, Milton Berle, Dinah Shore, hating Roasts, hateful comedy, loving horror, the mechanics of comedy, Dawn of the Dead, John Amplas, George Romero's Martin, Tremors, 50s Monster Movie Matinees, the creative seeds planted by limitations, Stuart as the interviewer, Breaking Bad, The Wire, Mad Men, Phil Silvers, Sid Caesar, playing poker with comedy greats, a world without movie stars, Dee Wallace, Eddie Albert, having a good lead in, remote controls, Second Sight, Boston, the writer's strike, Fatal Attraction, parody songs, actors five people inside them, and the pros and cons of being a specific character actor.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 202: Candy Clark Jan 20, 2017

Show notes

In this episode recorded LIVE! at the NorthEast Comic Con Ken welcomes actress Candy Clark (American Graffiti, The Man Who Fell to Earth) to the show.

Ken and Candy discuss growing up in Texas, moving to NYC, being a teen model, John Houston, Fat City, Susan Tyrrell, the high cost of living in Manhattan, Room 222, auditioning for American Graffiti, THX 1138, working with George Lucas, the amazing soundtrack of American Graffiti, revitalizing the Hot Rod World, meeting Jeff Beck, The Dating Game, The Man Who Fell to Earth, David Bowie, Nick Roeg, how being an actress can be like waiting tables, Circus of the Stars, being mauled by a tiger, Pat Morita : Magician, Barbie Benton being put in danger, Faerie Tale Theater, The 1988 remake of The Blob, the new Twin Peaks, child actors, Ron Howard, the fight over the title "American Graffiti", how Frances Ford Coppola almost personally purchased the movie, the Thighmaster, and the difficulties of working with George Peppard on Banachek.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 201: Caitlin Durante Jan 18, 2017

Show notes

March 16-22, 1991

Today Ken welcomes writer/comedian Caitlin Durante to the show.

Ken and Caitlin discuss geographic issues, being a mature 4 year old, rural Western PA, developing poor television viewing skills, Star Wars, not liking Seinfeld, the early days of DVD players, screenwriting, stand up New York, The Wizard of Oz, Netflix discs, stupid film students, Barbara Walters as a Ninja Turtle ally, Voices that Care, The Gulf War, The Black Eyed Peas changing of history, Big Bird's Birthday, the world after The Real World, Fox's High School Documentary experiment "Yearbook", earthquakes, America's Funniest Home Videos, Indiana Jones, Wilfred Brimley and Ricky Schroeder: Cowboys, John Carpenter, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Made-for-TV movies, The Princess Bride, Return of the Jedi, Major Dad, TV edits, Repo Man, disecting fetal pigs, pulling teeth out of cow heads, the power of Alan Thicke, local haunted houses, The Danvers State Mental Hospital, John Waters, Unsolved Mysteries, After School Specials, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Babes, Babe Pig in the City, Maniac Mansion, TGIF, Dark Shadows, Perfect Strangers, sitcom porn parodies and development deals for murderers.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 200 - Billy West Part II: On the Move Jan 12, 2017

Show notes

In this very special Very Special 200th episode Ken welcomes Billy West (Ren & Stimpy, Doug, Futurama) back to the show.

Almost two years to the day from Billy's last appearance on the show (at the Riot LA Comedy Festival) Ken and Billy sat down at North East Comic Con for Round II of chats.

Ken and Billy discuss the traumatic origins of Billy's talents, TV sign offs, the infamous CNN "End of the World" video, Ted Turner, The Critic, Maurice LeMarche, Pinky & The Brain, Ed Wood, Orson Welles, the debut of Star Trek, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the horrors of internet trolls, raising a little hit man, the value of a shared experience, Beanie & Cecil, ABC Television's Children's TV Standards and Practices, a life in comic books, the Batmobile, rage society, the assassination of JFK, Mel Blanc, G. Gordon Liddy, the tutelage of Barry Crimmins at the Ding Ho, being a Chicken McNugget, The Howard Stern Show, Trump, Futurama, Ren & Stimpy, Bob Clampett, Kurt Loader, Doug, Booster Gold and Skeets on JLU, Fry, Nickelodeon, Matt Groening, classic showbiz Marblemouths, Jay Leno: Drug Kingpin, Adam Carolla: Master of the Simile, The Cincinnati Reds, Boston Racism vs. Detroit Racism, Irish vs. Italians, Richie Reardon from Revere, Boston's ability to coin phrases, wanting to do good work, how your future is unwritten, confessions of a $900 Million dollar loss, treating people right, Tom Kenny, Molasses spills, the character vs. the voice, Jack Kirby, meeting Les Paul, Jackson Beck, The Comedy Channel, Percy Rodriguez, Paul Frees, Elvis, and the influence of Captain Marvel Jr.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 199: Allee Willis Jan 10, 2017

Show notes

Today Ken welcomes songwriter, queen of kitsch, and personal hero Allee Willis to the show.

Ken and Allee discuss The Color Purple on Broadway, hating theater, swearing, having a TV in every room on every wall, growing up in Detroit, TV as a babysitter, a diet of candy, the sophistication of Health Bars, CHiPs, Erik Estrada's tight beige uniform, disco scores, writing songs for Earth Wind and Fire, Wonder Woman's disco devil, American Bandstand, Soul Train, Hullabaloo, Shin Dig, the invention of the teenager, cutting edge Variety, The Smothers Brothers, Laugh In, counter culture, Columbia Records, falling in love with Los Angeles, Freaks and Geeks, falling in love with cable news, Car Chases, 30,000 hours of footage, Just Say Julie, Allee's amazing wonderful house of treasures, rooftop drums, The Breakfast Club, being a music video production designer, The Cars "You Might Think", Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More", painting, combining music with art, writing "I'll Be There For You" the theme from Friends, returning the AFI Women's Directing Award in 1991, Kevin Bright, hating the Memphis school's bastardization of mid-century modern, storage spaces filled with treasure, Storage Wars, Sid & Marty Kroft, HR Puffnstuff, Electrawoman and Dynagirl, collecting lunch boxes, Greatest American Hero, the loss of the theme song, R&B, "Friends" at sporting events, a sea lion's love of "Boogie Wonderland", the wonders of the internet, Vice TV, enjoying The Principal's Office, hating foreign real housewives, and having a brand identity.

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