The Paul Mecurio Show

A Jersey guy ex-teacher, salesperson ..Goes to a baseball game with buddies. ..notices an umpire and decides that life is short, I want to try that. This is the amazing life story of how Phil Uzzi became a Major League baseball Umpire. A fascinating and rare insider's look at the world of Major League Baseball from the vantage point of an umpire. Hear what it's like to go to umpire school, the hardest thing about umpiring and the pressure of umpiring some of the greatest athletes in the world. Phil has funny, outrageous stories about his days umpiring and talks about how he got his start umpiring, the keys to calling a good game, and the biggest surprises and challenges of being a major league ump. 

A really fun conversation with my good friend Phil about his hit Netflix travel food series. Phil has amazing stories about his world travels hosting his travel food show, like - a great story how he tried not to embarrass himself with the President of Finland, his favorite countries to visit, and trying to eat food that moves (he gagged). It's fascinating to hear why Phil says his show is more than just about travel and food. And it's riveting to hear what it was like creating the hit sitcom, "Everybody Loves Raymond" and the challenges of running a massive hit show like that. He also gives us a very interesting glimpse at the streaming landscape and how large companies like Netflix operate and make decisions on shows they create and put on their service.

A fascinating look into what made Kobe Bryant tick, what drove him to pursue greatness, how growing up in Europe made him a stand-out in his suburban Philadelphia high school and how his life in Europe matured him in a way growing up in America couldn;t. We talk about Kobe's issues with his racial identity, his hard upbringing at the hands of his father, his unique perspective on life and much more. An incredibly captivating look into ALL aspects of one of the greatest athletes in the last 100 years.

Can you do 2,222 push-ups a day AND cook for the most powerful person in the free world? Chef Andre Ruch can. Hear his AMAZING story that started with him becoming an overnight sensation after a picture of his 24-inch biceps went viral, then his suffering from PTSD, and culminates in a stellar career as a chef for four different U.S. Presidents. Hear how cooking helped save his life after battling PTSD post his military career.  Andre tells what Presidents love and hate to eat, the pressure of cooking for powerful world leaders and much more. A riveting story you've NEVER heard before.  

A really fun, interesting conversation with the hilarious comedian/actor about his big shot in comedy that got him known, his approach to stand-up, trying to figure out the line of political correctness in life and in doing stand-up, what it was like working the infamous showcase Los Angeles shows "Phat Tuesdays" at the Comedy Store and much more.

A really fascinating conversation with award-winning actor/rapper Omar Epps about the roles he chooses to take as an actor and why. For instance, in his ground-breaking movie "The Devil You Know," hear his very compelling reasons for doing the film - he was drawn by his character's conflict between loyalty to family and doing the right thing, how rapping and poetry at a young age formed his creative/artistic voice and what he loves about those art forms. Omar gives a very cool behind-the-scenes look at working with great actors like Stanley Tucci, Meg Ryan, James Caan and what he's learned about acting and about himself from his years as an actor.

In this great conversation with Seann hear what he did in his audition to get the iconic part of Stifler in American Pie" and how that role changed his life, how he avoided typecasting after that movie, what he loves about how different his new role playing a minister is in "Welcome to Flatch,"a jock in high school the risk he took leaving home in Minnesota (1 of 7 kids) at a young age to pursue his dream in Hollywood and how naive he was moving to Hollywood and why he thought he wouldn't make it once he got there and much more. A really interesting look into an actor who tends to be very private, but here is very accessible, open, honest and funny about his life and career.

Robert is known for his iconic role in Terminator talks his dark, edgy role on the hit HBO Max show "Peacemaker," how he became enamored with acting as a young boy and why he left college for acting, how failure in one thing led to success in another, how the role in Terminator 2 changed his life. The importance of sports and the NFL in his life and his relationship with his kids.

Hakeem has an incredible life story. Raised very poor, from a broken home, homeless, at the age of 9 helping his Dad harvest and deal drugs, becoming a drug dealer and user himself as an adult.  Hakeem overcame all these life challenges and obstacles to attend Stanford University, earn a doctorate and become one of the most renowned astrophysicists in the world. His story is amazing and one you don't want to miss, with every turn it is jaw-dropping. 

A unique behind the scenes look at the important work of world renowned veterinarian, Dr. Pol. The Dr. is utterly fascinating and passionate as he explains: how fear in treating animals is the worst thing, how he had to create NEW techniques on the fly he wasn't taught in Vet school to treat large farm animals - like how to properly stick your hand up the rear-end of an animal and not be killed, why few Vets want to care for farm animals these days and how that can be a problem for ALL of us, the day as a young boy in Netherlands he knew he wanted to care for animals and much more.

A brilliant singer/songwriter whose iconic song "American Pie" is one of the top 5 songs of the 20th Century.The always outspoken McLean gives us a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the ups and downs of his 50+ year career, his writing process as he takes us on a journey of how “American Pie” came about, what inspired him to write it and what he was trying to say with the song. He isn’t shy about his unapologetic approach to music and life, sharing why he can be tough to live with in his personal and business relationships. After "American Pie" became a huge hit he was pushed to sell-out and write empty pop songs to make millions of dollars, Don refused and followed his own path which he does to this day. This is an amazing window into one of the last of the true rebels and artistic genius.

Ever wonder what it's like to be a world class hockey player in the intense National Hockey League - wonder no more. Shawn Thornton gives an absolutely mesmerizing insider's account you've never heard before of his storied career in the NHL. Hear why he was an "enforcer" and how he carried out those duties-like the key to winning a fist fight on ice, the important leadership skills one needs in pro sports and how they translate to life, how he thought when he was drafted he thought it was a prank, what it's like to struggle in the minor leagues and how he never lost hopes of making it to the NHL, what advice he gives to players now that he's a "front office" guy and much more.

Chris talks about his character Toby's relationship with Kate on the smash hit "This is Us."  He gives a sneak peak at what the future holds for the pair, how he and Chrissy Metz (Kate) approached the difficult scenes dealing with the divorce of the pair and fascinating insight into the behind-the-scenes process the show follows in shooting the show. Chris is fascinating in explaining how his improv training has allowed him to get the most out of his scenes, his surprise at how big a hit the show became and how that has changed his life, the challenges he faced and prep he did in directing his first episode of the show this year and much more. 

Oscar nominated Reginald Hudlin, one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation shares hilarious, never-before-heard stories about the birth and rise of "Phat Tuesdays at The Comedy Store," the subject of his new Amazon docuseries "Phat Tuesdays."  The series documents the importance of the influential comedy showcase that launched the careers of some of the most famous Black comedians, including Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey, Chris Tucker, Jamie Foxx, Martin Lawrence and MORE. Founded by comedian Guy Torry, Phat Tuesdays provided an historic opportunity for amazing Black comedians to finally showcase their talents to the industry. It changed the face of stand-up comedy and the TV landscape by ushering in talented Black comedians who created their own unique brand of television. Hear how the Rodney King LA Riots affected development of this famous comedy showcase and much MORE. 

Famke does very few interviews so we get a special window into this terrific actress as talks about her approach to taking on roles, what drew her to acting after modeling, the challenges in adapting a movie from a book, what happened in South Africa that changed her life and much more.