The Paul Mecurio Show

Stand-Up Comedian Andy Ruther. Co-host and co-founder of the hugely popular "The Dirty Sports" Podcast where Andy and his co-host Joe Praino talk sports, fandom, sex and having sex while playing sports. Andy has an amazing life story. In this really revealing talk Andy discusses his life-threatening brain injury (no joke), bouncing back from it and how it changed his life for the better. Super knowledgeable about sports Andy has a very unique take on what is right and wrong with sports, the rabid & hilarious "Dirty Sports" fans aka "The Dirtballs," and his disgusting sofa that has routinely been desecrated by him and various women.

Legendary Comedian and actor, Larry Miller. One of Hollywood's most recognizable faces, Larry has appeared in over 100 films and TV shows, starring alongside Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, in The Princess Diaries, The Nutty Professor, and numerous appearances on The Tonight Show w/Jay Leno and The Late Show w/David Letterman. Larry started comedy in NYC with Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Reiser and is part of that group of legendary comedians who made their mark after George Carlin and Richard Pryor. Larry has great stories about his early days - coming up with material by walking the NYC streets with Jerry Seinfeld and observing life, how all these great comedians of that time would help each others with their acts and what a terrible bartender Larry was.

Bianca Kajlich and Ellie Knaus are two of hollywood's hottest actresses, appearing on such hit shows as NBC's "Undateable," CBS's "Rules of Engagements," ABC's "Happy Endings," and in the hit feature films "Made of Honor" and "The Rocker." They also host the hilarious podcast, "Atomic Moms." This interview is so fun because it covers a lot of interesting, varied topics including, working in television, not mentally beating yourself up, marriage, Ellie's breasts, aka "Her Boys," cutting, "squirt camp" (you have to listen) and making out in cars.

Guest this week on the show is comedian Owen Benjamin. Regular cast member on "Sullivan & Son", seen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; really funny guy, musical prodigy, history buff, this guy is a twisted jack of all trades. We talk about the World Wars, bulldozing bodies, heckling as a 16 year-old comedian, and the appeal of being a musician to the opposite sex. Seriously funny guy, ahead of his time, with hilarious insight into stand up and improv.

The best of the best on The Paul Mecurio Show: 1) Neil deGrasse Tyson 2) Bob Costas 3) Paul McCartney 4) Adam Carolla 5) Kristen Chenoweth 6) Stephen Colbert 7) Jay Leno 8) Gilbert Gottfried

Stan Wertlieb, through his company Grindstone Entertainment and Lions Gate Films, is one of the post prolific and successful movie producers in Hollywood. A kid from Washington, DC who made good, Stan has produced such hit films as, "The Frozen Ground," "Reasonable Doubt," and "The Prince." He works with such A-List actors as Robert DeNiro, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Cage, and John Cusack. A riveting, funny conversation, Stan talks about his AMAZING life story and incredible rise to prominence, a producer's role in getting films made and life in Hollywood.

John Riggi. Producer, writer, director, comedian. You've probably heard of some of the shows he's worked on, WIll & Grace, The Comeback, 30 Rock? Great chat with John - talks about working on 30 Rock with Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan, what it's like to work as a writer & producer on some of the biggest comedy shows, and how TV shows get made. John is one of TV's heavy hitters; Entertaining insider stories, hilarious conversation and a great story about taking his mom to Paris!

My friend Bryan Bishop aka "Bald Bryan" joins me for this week's podcast. On-air personality from The Adam Carolla Show Podcast and New York Times bestselling author of "Shrinkage: Manhood, Marriage, and the Tumor That Tried to Kill Me." Bryan and I talk about writing for his town newspaper in 6th grade, how he got started working with Adam, how he got fired, that infamous tumor that tried to take him out, and how he's now thriving on the other side of cancer. Super smart dude with the funny stories; really interesting talk about life, death and tumors (which are always funny).

Aasif Mandvi, Middle Eastern correspondent on "The Daily Show," actor, comedian, writer, producer and apparently Muslim? An already hilarious and entertaining comedian, Aasif talks about how he first landed his gig on "The Daily Show", stereotypes of Southeast Asian men, his new web series "Halal in the Family", what drives him to do the projects he does. I could laugh with this guy all day. Wildly engaging, hilarious conversation.

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and host of "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" and StarTalk Radio. This brilliant scientist hasn't been heard quite like this in an incredibly compelling, revealing and entertaining interview. We talk dark matter, science as an agent for social change, spirituality, and Dr. Tyson's fleeting desire to become an exotic male dancer as a young man. Dr. Tyson even tells lawyer jokes and he's hilarious. Great man, fascinating interview! Enjoy.

Meredith Vieira, Host of "The Meredith Vieira Show," "The View," "The Today Show," "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and "60 Minutes." A super fun interview with my good friend - talk about being her Emmy award winning work as a journalist & host, growing up in Rhode Island (we are both from there), not wearing underwear, the crush I have alway had on her and why she would NEVER have dated me! A really great chat.

Greg Warren - one of the hottest comedians in the country, seen on "Late Night w/Seth Meyers, "The Late Late Show w/Craig Ferguson" and a regular on "Bob and Tom Radio." We have a hilarious discussion about Greg's days as a wrestler, not professional - the more homo-erotic kind, losing 9lbs. in 2 hours, his life before comedy-selling Pringles and Crisco, for Proctor & Gamble and what is means to be put on "the bottom shelf!"

This week we've got a special treat for you. Three interviews in one! This is a best of The Paul Mecurio Show, we've got some samples from passed interviews with Dr. Drew Pinsky, Tommy Chong, and Mick Foley. It's a great episode to acquaint you with the show, and learn a few things about these media personalities.

The Comedy Film Nerds: Chris Mancini & Graham Elwood. Chris Mancini & Graham Elwood have a podcast of their own called Comedy Film Nerds where they discuss films of today with a comedic twist. They also run the Los Angeles Podcast Festival. We talked about stand up comedy, podcasts and podcasting, the Oscar films in contention, and their documentary about podcasts.

Thomas Friedman is an internationally renowned author, reporter, and the foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, not to mention a recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes and the author of six bestselling books. He appears regularly on "Charlie Rose," CNN, NBC, CBS and ABC as a commentator. In this fascinating conversation, Friedman discusses his days as a youth in Minnesota caddying for pro golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez, learning the ropes as a journalist traveling the world, the state of affairs internationally and more. Hear from THE authority on international affairs about international politics, terrorism, North Korea, Islam, ISIS, the U.S., the use of the internet and social media as weapon of terror and more.