The Halli Casser-Jayne Show

George Bernard Shaw once said that “there is no sincerer love than the love of food” and who wouldn’t agree. So it is that Wednesday, October 2, 3 pm ET, The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds will have a sincere conversation about everyone’s love of food with top chefs and food writers Norman Van Aken, Ingrid Hoffman, Sandra A. Gutierrez, Manuel Villacorta and American comic artist and musician, Lucy Knisley. Norman Van Aken is known as the founding father of New World cuisine and is recognized internationally for introducing the concept of “fusion” to the culinary world. No Experience Necessary is Van Aken’s new joyride of a memoir. Ingrid Hoffman is the international food and television personality, restaurateur, and host of the Cooking Channel’s “Simply Delicioso” and Univision’s “Delicioso.” Hoffman’s book Latin D’Lite: Delicious Latin Recipes with a Healthy Twist offers a healthy twist on Latin Cuisine. Manuel Villacorta new book, Peruvian Power Foods introduces 18 superfoods and 101 recipes and anti-aging secrets from the Amazon and Andes. In Relish, Lucy Knisley’s delightful drawings offer a crystal-clear how-to guide to do everything worth doing in the kitchen. Step aside Joy of Cooking.

Vladimir Alexandrov, the B.E. Bensinger Professor of Slavic Languages and Literature at Yale University joins The Halli Casser-Jayne Show to talk about his new book, "The Black Russian," in which he tells the little-known true story of Frederick Bruce Thomas, who left the color-conscious Mississippi Delta, seeking a better life.Frederick found freedom and extraordinary success in, of all places, Moscow where he renamed himself Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas. But thans to the Bolshevik Revolution he was forced to escape his adopted country, leaving everything he'd built behind to start over in Constantinople. Once again his brain and brawn led him to success, when he opened what became a series of celebrated nightclubs and introducing jazz to Turkey. Sadly, the long arm of American racism, the xenophobia of the new Turkish Republic, and Frederick's own extravagance landed him in debtor's prison. He died in Constantinople in 1928.   With the stamp of approval of some of the African-American communities most prominent voices, including those of Cornel West and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, "The Black Russian," is a story you won't want to miss.  

You may not recognize the name, but actor Ato Essandoh’s face is indelibly marked in the world’s consciousness for his role as the slave D'Artagnan killed in the horrific death by dogs scene in Quentin Tarrantino’s Academy Award-winning film “Django Unchained.” Currently starring in BBC America’s breakout television series “Copper” as Dr. Matthew Freeman, Essandoh will be the guest for the hour on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds, Wednesday, August 21, 3 p.m ET.   Ato Essandoh, of Ghanian decent, was born in Schenectady, New York and graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1990. He received a BS in chemical engineering from Cornell University. Essandoah joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at Cornell University, and through that organization, the Irving Literary Society. Also a playwright, he authored “Black Thang,” which is published in the anthology “Plays and Playwrights” 2003. Essandoh studied acting at the Acting Studio in New York City. He co-founded The Defiant Ones writing and performance group.   Among his other important roles, Ato Essandoh has also appeared in “Elementary,” “The Good Wife,” “Blood Diamond,” and “Nights in Rodanthe.”    

If the story of the United States has a theme so far in the 21st century, it is surely one of resilience. To hail that spirit on the 12th anniversary of September 11, 2001, The Halli Casser-Jayne Show visits a group of extraordinary people whose lives were devastated by the landmark attack on Ground Zero. Among Halli’s guests: a wife and mother, a businesswomen, a first responder, a journalist, a psychologist, a best friend, each with a unique story to tell of loss and despair, wisdom, and ultimate triumph as they share their accounts that will at once shock and sicken, move you to tears yet sometimes laughter -- all which will inspire.

In the wake of the genocide currently taking place in Syria, as the U.S. asks itself of its moral obligations to the world, and on the eve of the Jewish High Holy Days,  I hope everyone will tune in to my very important conversation with Holocaust survivor, Marione Ingram, Wednesday, September 4, 3 pm ET. Marione Ingram grew up in Nazi Germany during World War II, the daughter of a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father. As well as the Holocaust, which claimed the lives of several close family members in 1941, Ingram experienced the firestorm bombing of Hamburg in 1943, the deadliest aerial assault the world had ever seen. Her harrowing tale under the cruel hand of Hitler's regime is told in her gut-wrenching book, "The Hands of War, A Tale of Endurance and Hope, from a Survivor of the Holocaust. From her inside perspective, Marione Ingram recounts a time in history we must never forget and will discuss the lessons - learned or not - from the horrors of the past. This is a conversation you won't soon forget.

Intuitive, MBA, author, speaker and professional coach, Karen L. Garvey visits The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds for Spiritual Encounters of the Third Kind, a conversation you won’t want to miss. After obtaining her MBA, Karen L. Garvey acquired extensive business experience. But on 9/11, Garvey “received” simultaneous information about what was occurring at Ground Zero, which was her first experience learning something not through earthly means. Over time, Garvey discovered how to intentionally attune to this connection. A frequent media presence, including a guest appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, Garvey, through her conduit to universal knowledge, also provides ongoing insights for seminars, media appearances, and books. “To help shed the misbeliefs associated with words like psychic, medium, or intuitive, I simply act as a conduit to universal knowledge,” Garvey says.     

New York Times bestselling author, one of the great thriller writers of our day, Nelson DeMille, visits The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds, Wednesday, August 21, 3 p.m ET for a rare in-depth conversation. Nelson DeMille is a former U.S. Army lieutenant who served in Vietnam and is the author of eighteen acclaimed novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Night Fall, Plum Island, The Gate House, and The Lion. His other New York Times bestsellers include The Charm School, Word of Honor, The Gold Coast, Spencerville, The Lion’s Game, Up Country, Wild Fire, and The General’s Daughter, which was a major motion picture starring John Travolta. His latest book, The Panther, just released in Trade Paperback, brings back favorite characters Anti-Terrorist Task Force agent, John Cory and his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield. It is classic DeMille fare: compelling, gritty, action-packed, political and humor-filled, a story that couldn’t be more topical. Conversation is an art, and Halli Casser-Jayne is the artist of conversation. 

STRESS! is the subject of The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds, Wednesday, August 14, 3 p.m. ET, when Paul Huljich, author of Stress Pandemic, The Lifestyle Solution, the book Psychology Today named “One of the season’s most talked about books,” joins Halli in a conversation you won’t want to miss. Organic foods pioneer and co-founder of Best Corporation, Paul Huljich led his company to unparalleled success, during which its value grew to more than $100 million. But Huljich gradually developed a number of stress-related conditions. In 1998, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a result of years of unchecked stress. That same year, he experienced a complete nervous breakdown, losing his rights as a citizen and being made a ward of the state. He was told by the best and the brightest in the medical community that there was no cure for his illness.   In Stress Pandemic, a candid and informative cautionary tale, Huljich shares his journey and his ultimate success in fortifying himself and mastering his stress. His book is a primer on developing and implementing his nine-step LifeReStyle Process.

On Wednesday, August 7, 3 p.m. ET, The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds, presents The Big Scam: The Myth of Delaying Baby-Making, a 90-minute special.  Gloria Feldt is the former president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and an inspiring speaker, author, commentator and world changer. Dr. Victoria Maizes is Executive Director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, founded by natural-health guru, Dr. Andrew Weil and the author of Be Fruitful: The Essential Guide to Maximizing Fertility and Giving Birth to a Healthy Child. Award-winning writer Miriam Zoll is the author of the new memoir/expose Cracked Open: Liberty, Fertility and the Pursuit of High-Tech Babies and the co-producer of Take our Daughters to Work Day.  Janet Jaffe, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, is the co-author of Unsung Lullabies: Understand and Coping with Infertility.Leah Campbell is a two-time egg donor who became infertile as a result of hormone treatments and has since become a single, adoptive mom. Leah recently released her book Single Infertil

On Wednesday, July 31, 3 p.m. ET, The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds will introduce you to three men you won’t soon forget. You might know them as heads of large corporations, but BlogTalkRadio’s CEO Alan Levy; former CEO Ernst & Young Consulting, JD Messinger; and former PepsiCo CEO Robert Charles Hunter are more than their suit and tie personas. Who are these thought leaders beyond the boardroom? Tune in for a rare beyond the boardroom glimpse into three men known for their business acumen and about to be discovered for far more.   CEO Alan Levy is the co-founder of BlogTalkRadio powered by Cinchcast, the world’s largest online talk radio network. A former accountant and telecommunications executive, Levy, launched the service in August, 2006, as a way to allow bloggers to communicate directly with their audiences in real time. How and why the idea for this innovative technology came to Levy is a story you won’t forget.   JD Messinger is the former CEO of Ernst & Young Consulting (Singapore) and an advisor to Fortune 100 clients and governments on five continents, who helped supervise the Valdez Oil spill cleanup. Messinger’s life took a dramatic turn after breaking his neck, his story of spiritual transformation chronicled in his book 11 Days in May, The Conversation That Will Change Your Life. Nationally known business leader, speaker, film producer and author of  the book Curious Journey, Robert Charles Hunger served 23 years with PepsiCo, including 11 years as CEO of PepsiCo Food Systems. Firmly rooted in the world of logic, he found himself asking “Is that all there is?” His answer will astonish you.   The Halli Casser-Jayne Show is Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Don't miss it!

On Wednesday, July 24, 3 p.m. ET, The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds will introduce you to three people who have completed life-changing adventures. Among our guests: Pat Farmer, who accomplished a 21,000-Kilometre Pole to Pole Run, Dr. Francis Slakey  who scales the highest peak of every continent and surfed every ocean and Maria Parker, the first woman over 50 to win the 3000 mile Race Across America.    In January 2012, Australia’s Pat Farmer accomplished one of the greatest feats in human history when he arrived at the South Pole after the longest and arguably most dangerous run ever made that put him into the company of the world’s greatest adventurers. His new book Pole to Pole tells his amazing story.   In July 2009, Dr. Francis Slakey became the first person to stand on the summits of every continent and ride the waves of every ocean. The story of his phenomenal expedition coupled with his struggle from a life of rational detachment is chronicled in his dramatic memoir To The Last Breath.   In June 2013, Maria Parker became the first woman over 50 to win the 3000 mile Race Across America (RAAM), achieving this accomplishment in the face of learning of her sister’s terminal brain cancer diagnosis.

On Wednesday, July 17, 3 p.m. ET American director, producer and writer Susan Seidelman will be Halli’s guest for the hour to talk about the release of her latest film, The Hot Flashes Movie, which recently opened nationwide.   Susan Seidelman belongs to the first wave of female independent film makers in the American cinema of the 1980s. A student of fashion and arts at Drexel University in Philadelphia, her first forays into movie-making at New York University resulted in numerous awards. In 1982, Seidelman made her feature film debut with Smithereens, which was the first American independent film to be selected for competition at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. Seidelman's second theatrical film Desperately Seeking Susan, featuring then-rising star Madonna, was a major box-office and critical success and launched the film careers of co-stars Rosanna Arquette and Aidan Quinn among others. Also on the list of Seidelman’s celebrated films: Making Mr. Right, Musical Chairs and Boynton Beach Club. Seidelman was the director of the pilot of the iconic television series Sex and the City, and went on to direct future episodes.   Her latest film, The Hot Flashes Movie starring Brooke Shields, Darryl Hannah, Wanda Sykes, Camryn Manheim, Virginia Madsen and Eric Roberts opened Friday.  

CNN called him “the actor who made a character a household name,” and that’s exactly what Navid Negahban did in his critically acclaimed performance on the Emmy® and Golden Globe award-winning drama HOMELAND as ‘Abu Nazir, the enigmatic al-Qaeda overlord whose intrigues propelled the tense storyline through the first two seasons of the hit Showtime series.   In a rare, in-depth interview the 2013 SAG Award nominated actor, Navid Negahban, will share his secret to the building of the character “Abu Nazir, the al Qaeda terrorist manipulating US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody on “Homeland,” and so much more, when Negahban sits down for an intimate conversation with host Halli Casser-Jayne on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds.   Born in Mashhad, Iran, Negahban took a liking to acting at the age of eight when he first provoked laughter from a large audience while he was on stage. He grew up during the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, before leaving at the age of 20 and moving to Turkey, Germany, and eventually America. After getting his show-biz start doing commercials and modeling, he transitioned into episodic work on TV and various movie roles. Navid is on fire with more guest starring roles and projects, including his latest starring role alongside Clive Owen in the upcoming feature WORDS AND PICTURES.  Negahban’s film credits also include a powerful leading role in the critically acclaimed feature THE STONING OF SORAYA M., a significant supporting roles in BROTHERS, starring Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal; POWDER BLUE with Jessica Biel and Forest Whitaker, and CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR, starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Amy Adams.  

On Wednesday, July 3 from 3-4 pm EST The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds presents the ultimate ice cream show. Join us as we take a look at  the history of ice cream and the role it plays in our American lives with Daniel Gritzer of Food & Wine magazine. And learn about the newest trends in ice cream with artisanal ice cream makers Felecia Hatcher from Feverish Ice Cream, Sophia Brittan from Victory Garden NY and Michael Turback author of A Month of Sundaes. We'll be talking about ice cream success stories, the best-selling flavors and ice cream brands, and the resurgence of popsicles.   The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds airs on Blog Talk Radio every Wednesday from 3-4pm EST. Visit Halli's websiste for more on this show and all of our exciting shows at http://www.hallicasser-jayne.com

Comedy reigns supreme on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds, Wednesday, June 26, 3 pm ET, when Halli hosts The Halli Casser-Jayne Show’s Silent Comedy Fest starring Chaplin the Musical’s Tony Award Nominee, Rob McClure; author Trav SD; one of the leading silent film’s accompanists Ben Model, and from SLAPSTICON 2013, Richard Roberts.   That’s right, batten down the hatches for a show that promises to be a laugh a minute when Halli is joined by her guests: author Trav SD whose brand-spanking new book CHAIN OF FOOLS, Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to YouTube will tickle your soul. Meet Ben Model, historian, who has been playing piano and organ for silents at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York for the past 28 years. Ben also curated Shout! Factory's new "Ernie Kovacs Collection" DVD box set. Then travel with Halli to Indiana University Cinema for a sneak peek at SLAPSTICON 2013, a four-day Film Festival beginning June 27th that is devoted to the revived exhibition of rare silent and early sound film comedy. Rounding out the hour is an in-depth interview with Broadway sensation and 2012 Tony Award nominee for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of legendary silent film star Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin the Musical, Rob McClure.