Monday Morning Critic

Marc Mero, Former WWE Wrestling Champion and Author of “How to be the Happiest Person on the Planet,” reached the pinnacle of sports-entertainment success – then lost it all — but in the process discovered what’s most important in life.  Everyone faces adversity.  “It’s not how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get back up.  You can do anything you set your mind to!” Marc shares his captivating journey with audiences worldwide and inspires people to examine their life choices.  Listeners feel a greater sense of appreciation toward their relationships and the “gift of time” – and are empowered to make a difference in their personal life, school, career, and community.   Meet Marc Mero.

Born in North Carolina Nick Searcy is one of the best actors working in Film and TV. His filmography is extensive.   As of 2018, he has been in 5 films that were Oscar nominated for Best Picture: The Prince of Tides (1991), The Fugitive (1993), Moneyball (2011), The Shape of Water (2017), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). The Shape of Water is a Best Picture winner.   Meet Nick Searcy.

Randy Havens is an actor and a life long resident of Georgia. His portrayal of Scott Clarke remains one of the most beloved on television in recent memory. Randy's other credits include Halt and Catch Fire and Archer.   Randy has some amazing projects on the Horizon which include Godzilla King of The Monsters, Boy Erased, The Front Runner and Instant Family.   Meet the affable: Randy Havens

Phil Burke attended the American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in New York, on a Board of Trustees Scholarship. He graduated with an Associates Degree in Fine Arts in 2003. Burke continued his acting training at various performing workshops and studios throughout New York. On stage, Phil Burke holds a noticeable list of leading-roles to his credit while holding mixed work in leading and supporting roles on the screen. Burke's screen debut was in 2005 and since that year, he has performed in various films and on numerous television series. Notable television series of the latter 2000s include The Good Wife (2009) and Hell on Wheels (2011) on which he held a recurring role. Meet the very funny. Very cool: Phil Burke.

"While working on the Mars Pathfinder mission at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, I came to a fork in the road. It was a moment when I had to decide whether to move out of my comfort zone and take a risk. NASA was putting together a 25-person launch team that would temporarily move from California to Florida near the Kennedy Space Center. All of my best buddies were going to be on this team. I knew it was going to be a “work hard, play hard” scenario, and I really wanted to go. Up until that point I had been working as the lead for the simulation software that was used to prepare for the mission. At one point, a colleague and I were tasked with fixing the flight simulation code, including the star scanner—the eyeball of the spacecraft. The flight simulation code fakes out the spacecraft so it thinks it’s flying to Mars when it’s really sitting in the lab in Pasadena. The work had fallen nine months behind schedule, and my teammate Miguel and I had been given eight weeks to complete the code. Neither of us had ever written this kind of code before, but failure was not an option. In one way, the entire Pathfinder mission was a risk—it was an attempt to reinvent space travel, an experiment to see just how cheap and how fast we could put a spacecraft on another planet. And we didn’t want to disappoint America. Working night and day, we got the code written and meeting performance targets, and then it was time for some folks to head to Florida to prep for the launch. I really wanted to go. But, I wasn’t on the list because my role was not critical to the Florida operations. My coworker was the UNIX system administrator, and he was on the list. But, he and his wife were having a baby, and he didn’t want to go. In one moment, I had to make a critical decision: would I take a risk? I had no idea how to do the job. But I love a challenge, and I really wanted to go to Florida. I raised my hand and said, “I’ll do it, just teach me how to be the UNIX system administrator.” As if it’s so easy. So my coworker trained me, and I was just writing everything in a notebook, scribbling down as much as I could. Those notes were all I would have to help me do the job."   Meet: Cindy Healy.

JIM FLORENTINE is a stand-up comedian, TV host, actor, podcaster and voice artist. He is best known for co-hosting VH1 Classic's heavy metal talk show series "That Metal Show" that ran from 2008-2015. JIM FLORENTINE is also known for his work on Comedy Central's show Crank Yankers where he performed the voice of Special Ed and Bobby Fletcher. Recently, JIM FLORENTINE has appeared in the hit movie Trainwreck as the one night stand guy and on the critically acclaimed TV series Inside Amy Schumer and Louie on FX. He was submitted for an Emmy for best supporting actor for his role of Kenny on Louie. JIM FLORENTINE appeared on an episode of Girls in 2014. JIM FLORENTINE also appears in the feature film "A Little Help" starring Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesley of The Office). JIM FLORENTINE plays the character Brian, who is Jenna Fischer's love interest in the film. A Little Help won best film in several different film festivals. JIM FLORENTINE played a pimp on an episode of Californication in 2014. JIM FLORENTINE played a Cop on an episode of Red Oaks on Amazon in 2015.   Meet: Jim Florentine. 

Robert C. Treveiler is an extremely talented actor who has been in some of the best movies in history. These include The Mist, The Accountant, Prisoners and Sully. Robert's TV resume is quite length and includes amazing series like Banshee and Ozark. Meet: Robert C. Treveiler. 

A few minutes with iconic actor Tom Berenger.

Lael Wilcox is an Ultra-Endurance Cyclist who has won both the Trans Am Bike Race and The Tour Divide. She was the first American to win the Trans Am and the first woman to win the Tour Divide.  She also set world records for her time on the Baja Divide route.   She is considered by many to be the best endurance cyclist in the world.   Meet: Lael Wilcox 

A look at the latest in movies, televison and streaming servies! Welcome to the Summer of Solo Special!

Michael Tourek was Born in Charleston, SC, raised in Omaha, NE, Michael came about acting at young age. Some of his fondest memories are performing with his local community theatre. After spending a number of years in NYC, Michael moved to Greensboro, NC where his career took an interesting turn. Michael is still extremely active in his acting, however, he now finds his greatest successes in raising his two beautiful children Grace and Isaac. Some of Michaels credits include: Ozark, Office Christmas Party, Logan Lucky and Boss Level which will be released later in the year.   Meet Michael Tourek!

Doug and I compose a list of 5 fantastic actors that have never been nomintaed for an Academy Award, plus a Wild Card!   Enjoy, Breaking Down 8!

Gary Stevens was born in Caldwell, Idaho, on March 6, 1963. He began working for his horse trainer father, Ron, as a groom at age 8. By the time he was 14, Stevens was riding American Quarter Horses.     Stevens began his career as a thoroughbred rider in 1979 at Les Bois Park in Boise, Idaho, winning on his first mount. From there, he soon became a leading rider in Washington and then California. By 1985, Stevens had made a name for himself at the larger tracks and was riding primarily in Southern California.     Stevens burst upon the national scene by winning the Kentucky Derby in 1988 with Hall of Famer Winning Colors He won the Derby again in 1995 with Thunder Gulch and also in 1997 with Hall of Famer Silver Charm.     Along with his three victories in the Kentucky Derby, Stevens won the Preakness Stakes three times (with Silver Charm in 1997, with Hall of Famer Point Given in 2001 and with Oxbow in 2013), the Belmont Stakes three times (with Thunder Gulch in 1995, Victory Gallop in 1998 and Point Given in 2001) and eight Breeders’ Cup races.     Stevens has also won a record nine runnings of the Santa Anita Derby and in 1993 became the youngest jockey to surpass $100 million in career earnings. He won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1996, the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 1998 and the Mike Venezia Award in 1999.     Other notable races won by Stevens include the Travers Stakes (2), Kentucky Oaks (2), Santa Anita Handicap (4), Arlington Million (2), Pacific Classic (2), Jockey Club Gold Cup, Eddie Read Handicap (2), Del Mar Debutante Stakes (4), Japan Cup, Canadian International Stakes (2) and the Dubai World Cup.     Stevens retired in 2005 with 4,888 career wins and purse earnings of $221,212,704. He returned to the saddle in 2013 and won the Preakness with Oxbow for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. He has also found success as an actor and television commentator. Stevens portrayed Hall of Fame jockey George Woolf in the film “Seabiscuit,” starred in the HBO series "Luck" and has done racing analysis for NBC Sports, HRTV and TVG.     Gary Stevens was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1997.

Cecil Garner quit his job as an ISGN mortgage loan processor to pursue a unique career: He hauls a mock-up prison set featuring a 16-foot guard tower, hires a zombie (so to speak), and poses for photos with fans of AMC's "The Walking Dead." Garner boasts the genetics to pull it off. The 43-year-old professional cosplayer is a dead ringer (pardon the pun) for Rick Grimes, the star of the smash television series "The Walking Dead" played by British actor Andrew Lincoln. Meet: Cecil Garner.

Rob Schmidt is an American film director and writer. His film credits include Wrong Turn and Crime and Punishment in Suburbia.    Meet: Rob Schmidt.