Bob Andelman Interviews

Founded in 1998, Legacy.com is an innovative online media company that collaborates with more than 700 newspapers in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia and the United Kingdom to provide ways for readers to express condolences and share remembrances of loved ones. As the leader in the online memorial and obituary market, Legacy.com is visited by more than 13 million unique users each month. It partners with 76 of the largest 100 U.S. newspapers and features obituaries and Guest Books for more than two-thirds of people who die in the United States. In addition, the company provides individuals and newspaper affiliates with new and powerful ways to connect during shared times of loss, such as the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the aftermath of national tragedies such as 9/11. Noteworthy Facts: • Legacy.com has more than 85 million obituary records on its site: 6.5 million from newspapers and 78.5 million from the Social Security Death Index. • On average, 200,000 obituary records are posted each month. • Legacy.com hosts online Guest Books for more than two-thirds of all people who die in the U.S. Combined, these Guest Books attract nearly 800,000 new entries each month. • Legacy.com features profiles of more than 8,000 funeral homes on its site, representing more than one-third of all funeral homes in the United States.

The new seven-episode drama series “THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY,” based on the international bestselling novels by Alexander McCall Smith, debuts Sunday, March 29 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Filmed in Botswana, the series stars Grammy Award winner Jill Scott as heroine Precious Ramotswe, one of the most beloved characters in contemporary fiction. “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” is a presentation of HBO Entertainment in association with The Weinstein Company and BBC. With nine novels published to date, “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” book series chronicles the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, the eminently sensible and wise proprietor of the only female-owned detective agency in Botswana. Aided by her highly efficient yet rather peculiar secretary Mma Makutsi, Mma Ramotswe investigates cases, helps people solve problems in their lives, and begins a special friendship with the highly respectable owner of a garage. Also starring in “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” are Anika Noni Rose (“Dreamgirls”) as Precious’ quirky secretary Mma Makutsi and Lucian Msamati as Mma Ramotswe’s devoted suitor JLB Matekoni. Guest stars in the pilot include David Oyelowo (“The Last King of Scotland,” HBO’s “Five Days” and “As You Like It”), Idris Elba (“28 Weeks Later,” HBO’s “The Wire”), Colin Salmon (“Die Another Day,” “Match Point”) and Tony winner John Kani (“Final Solution,” “The Ghost and the Darkness”).

Kate Torgovnick is a former Jane magazine editor who now writes for The New York Times, Page Six Magazine, and Time.com. She recently published her first book, CHEER!: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders. It' s a narrative non-fiction romp through the world of competitive cheerleading that Joyce Carol Oates called, "a spirited, fascinating, at times disturbing and always absorbing book." USA Today added, "Torgovnick has done an excellent job of reporting, bringing readers into this world most would never see." Competitive cheerleading has evolved from shaking pom-poms into something close to an extreme sport. Cheerleaders face severe risk to do the activity they love—back, head, and neck injuries are all too common—and according to many of the cheerleaders in the book, the risk is a huge part of the appeal. The aesthetic on college cheerleading squads is to have teensy women and huge men and both genders feel a tremendous amount of body pressure—the women often develop eating disorders or pop diet pills to stay skinny, and steroid use is surprisingly frequent among the men. And since there is no four-year eligibility rule, some cheerleaders cheer for 6, 7, even 8 years in college. More than anything, this is a book about a group of people who ride the fine line between passion and obsession.

Christine Lakin, who is the guest host of the Acme Comedy Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 14, gets a big break acting in the new film Race to Witch Mountain, starring Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino. Her first audition was for a TV-commercial "Got Milk?!", and after not getting that job she didn't have to wait long for her next opportunity, which was the part as the young Rose in the civil-war flick Rose and the Jackal, which also starred Christopher Reeve. In 1991 she took her first step towards big fame and landed the role as the tomboyish Al on the Friday night hit “Step by Step.” When "Step by Step" was cancelled in 1998, Christine, she landed jobs in independent films such as Big Monster on Campus, Finding Kelly and Whatever It Takes . For the latest news and photos of Christine Lakin, visit her website: Christine-lakin.com

Cartoonist Basil Wolverton was known for his grotesque drawings, fantastically odd creatures, spaghetti-like hair, smoothly sculpted caricatures and insanely detailed crosshatching. His career in the golden age of comic books lasted from 1938 until 1952, after which his illustrations and caricatures extended into such publications as Life, Pageant and MAD magazines. Stylistically, he has been regarded as one of the spiritual grandfathers of underground and alternative comix. Less well known and understood is his work for the Worldwide Church of God, headed until 1986 by radio evangelist Herbert Armstrong. From 1953 through 1974, Wolverton, a deeply religious man, was commissioned and later employed by the church to write and illustrate a narrative of the Old Testament (including over 550 illustrations), some 20 apocalyptic illustrations inspired by the Book of Revelations, and dozens of cartoons and humorous illustrations for various Worldwide Church publications. Compiled and edited by Wolverton’s son, Monte, the 304-page Wolverton Bible includes all of Wolverton’s artwork for the Worldwide Church of God corporation. Monte Wolverton delivers commentary and background in the introduction and in each section. Many of the illustrations in this book are regarded as Basil Wolverton’s finest work. Still others have never been published, and some of the humorous drawings printed here rival Wolverton’s work in MAD magazine.

The new film The Great Buck Howard was inspired by the career of world-renowned mentalist the Amazing Kreskin. The film, produced by Tom Hanks, follows the story of Troy Gable (played by Colin Hanks), a law school dropout who begins to work as the personal assistant for Buck Howard, an eccentric magician struggling to resurrect his career (played by John Malkovich). This leads to a journey across the country staging the comeback of a lifetime. “I could not have asked for a better actor to play me than John Malkovich,” said the Amazing Kreskin. “He is an incredible talent who seamlessly embodied the essence of who I am. I am truly honored to have inspired such a complex character. I hope the public can separate my public persona which inspired the film from my personal life,” he added. Watch the trailer for The Great Buck Howard, then come to Mr. Media prepared to be amazed!

Fantasy is made reality with budding Universal Motown recording artists Milla Sunde and Tom Bevan better known as The Green Children. As mysterious as the 12th century legend about a boy and girl that inexplicably appeared in the English village of Woolpit, The Green Children have strangely arrived on the music scene; quickly becoming the talk of the industry and rightfully so. Hailing from Warwick, England and Alesund, Norway, the Euro-duo is bringing their self-proclaimed “Cinematic Fantasy Pop” sound to an International audience with the help of none other than Grammy Award Winning producer, Brian Kennedy – whose credits include Rihanna’s “Disturbia” and Jennifer Hudson’s “If This Isn’t Love” on their Fall debut. And with the legend comes a legacy as The Green Children are not only changing the music industry but the world with their Green Children Foundation. In an effort to support microcredit, education and healthcare, the non-profit organization has spread hope in countries such as Bangladesh through hospitals, small business entrepreneurship and scholarships. In 2006, The Green Children partnered with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Professor Muhammad Yunus to create The Green Children Foundation. Together, they rose over $500,000 for one of the first eye hospitals in rural Bangladesh. The hospital will work towards serving 50,000 people per year, 10,000 of which will receive a vital cataracts operation and escape from a life of blindness. For more information: thegreenchildren.com

Moses Brown is the founder and CEO of one of the top destinations for casual online dating OnlineBootyCall.com. Where else can you "Invite Booty," "Rate Booty" and "Find Booty"? (On second thought, don't tell me.) There are even 10 Booty Call Commandments! Anyway, this should be fun and, as always, your calls are welcome! 1-646-595-3135

When the New York Post recently got in hot water for an editorial cartoon by Sean Delonas that appeared to portray President Barack Obama as a chimpanzee, media pundits raced to see who could condemn it the fastest. But one perspective was missing: that of the nation's African-American editorial cartoonists. Join Mr. Media as he welcomes a number of prominent male and female cartoonists from across the country to talk about the Post cartoon, Obama and modern politics, opportunities for cartoonists of color, and much more! Confirmed participants include: Tim Jackson; David G. Brown; Barbara Brandon-Croft; Brumsic Brandon; Dr. Yaounde Olu; and Ron Rogers. Your calls and comments will be welcome: 1-646-595-3135.

Actually, Ralphie May never did call in as scheduled for this show and it wound up me riffinf for almost an hour with listeners. So if you pull this show up, be warned: it's just me, no Ralphie. Hopefully, he'll make it next time.

The Whitest Kids U’ Know, the award-winning debauched comedy troupe, is coming back to IFC uncensored, uncut and in 20 all-new, 15-minute episodes in IFC’s Tuesday night AUTOMAT programming block at 10 p.m. ET. This new season of Whitest sketch comedy continues to showcase the raucous and peculiar talents of Trevor, Zach, Sam, Darren and Timmy – as they take on our culture’s obsessive fascination with celebrities, infomercials, office culture and potty humor. Absolutely nothing is off limits this year – more sexy animals, more sex with animals…and of course, lots of cross dressing! The Whitest Kids’ past season standouts include dinosaurs getting high, Hitler as a rap star, warped retellings of both Lincoln and JFK’s assassinations and the first kid sing-a-long to include a home recipe for crystal meth. Zach Creggar & Trevor Moore will join Mr. Media to talk about their TV show as well as their new movie, Miss March. The film tells the story of a young man (Zach Cregger) who awakens from a four-year coma to hear that his once virginal high-school sweetheart (Raquel Alessi) has since become a naked centerfold in a men’s magazine. He and his sex-crazed best friend (Trevor Moore) decide to take a cross- country road trip in order to crash a party at the magazine’s legendary headquarters and win back the girl.

This week on “Hell’s Kitchen”: After sending the chefs to an Asian market, Chef Ramsay challenges them to create three Asian-fusion dishes utilizing poultry, seafood and beef. The teams then present their dishes for judging by Chef Ramsay and Tanya Steel, Editor-in-Chief of Epicurious.com. The following night, the teams go head-to-head at dinner service, and tensions run high as chefs from both teams crack under pressure. Chef Ramsay throws in a last-minute twist before sending the losing chef home. “Hell’s Kitchen” airs Thursdays at 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on FOX. Cooking school owner Colleen, the fifth eliminated chef from the show, is my guest on this episode of Mr. Media!

In 2005, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, Bob Andelman's authorized biography of the late American comic book master, was published by Dark Horse/M Press. This spring, the audiobook version of the book will finally be released via Audible.com and iTunes. In celebration of “Will Eisner Week” (March 3-7, 2009) and the release of the much anticipated film adaptation of Watchmen on March 6, 2009, Tampa Digital Studios agreed to release an exclusive audio excerpt of Will Eisner: A Spirited Life for broadcast on the BlogTalkRadio.com network. Chapter 20, from which this excerpt comes, deals with Watchmen creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons reminiscing about creating the first issue of Will Eisner’s The Spirit: The New Adventures. It was the first collaboration in a decade, since the publication of the original Watchmen comic book series in 1986. Will Eisner: A Spirited Life audiobook is narrated by the book’s author, Bob Andelman. It is produced by Michael Piotrowski and engineered by Joshua Agnew for Tampa Digital Studios. Will Eisner: A Spirited Life Mr. Media's audio interview with Dave Gibbons

There is an infamous line from the Nazi era, allegedly attributed to propaganda minister Josef Goebbels: “When I hear the word ‘culture’ I reach for my gun.” By contrast, the people of Estonia, when faced with many guns, reached for their culture. Though one of the world's smallest countries, Estonia has one of the world's largest repertoires of folk songs. In 1987, these songs became the cornerstone of Estonia’s resistance against Soviet occupation, as they defied the Kremlin by singing banned nationalist hymns and anthems across the nation, liberating themselves from Soviet Rule. Filmmakers Jim and Maureen Tusty (whose parents were Estonian) have brought this story to life in The Singing Revolution, a New York Times “Critic Pick” film that documents this untold, legendary tale of freedom—ultimately and shockingly accomplished without a single life lost. Jim and Maureen Tusty will join Mr. Media to talk about this tremendous story, the ongoing political struggles of the country, and how peace became the anchor of Estonia’s values today. Visit their website: singingrevolution.com.

Variety’s The Movie That Changed My Life: 120 Celebrities Pick the Films That Made a Difference (for Better or Worse), is a new book in which Variety magazine editor Robert Hofler takes us on a ride through the best and worst of the silver screen—as seen through the eyes of some of the most beloved and controversial figures of our time. Variety asked hundreds of VIPs what movie made an indelible mark on their psyche, and their responses range from the surprising to the sublime. We learn which films inspired actors like Reese Witherspoon, John Travolta, and Anne Hathaway to embark on their careers (Splendor in the Grass, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and Pretty Woman, respectively), and which flicks share a special place in the hearts and minds of: Politicians like Senator John McCain (Viva Zapata), Reverend Jesse Jackson (Imitation of Life), Ralph Nader (The China Syndrome), Howard Dean (To Kill a Mockingbird), Newt Gingrich (Trader Horn), and Governor Bill Richardson (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) Fashionistas like Tim Gunn (Blowup) and Isaac Mizrahi (Imitation of Life) Authors like Kurt Vonnegut (The Bridge on the River Kwai), Danielle Steele (The Philadelphia Story), Anne Rice (Dracula’s Daughter), Ray Bradbury (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Candace Bushnell (It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World), Art Buchwald (Some Like It Hot), and Doris Kearns Goodwin (Gone with the Wind) Comedians like Dave Barry (Animal House), Steve Carell (Young Frankenstein), and Kathy Griffin (Klute) Athletes like Boomer Esiason (Patton), Jerry Rice (Rudy), and Shannon Sharpe (Malcolm X)