It’s Oscar Week here in Hollywood and it’s here on the Chillpak Hollywood Hour Oscar post-game show where the games REALLY begin! Dean and Phil have, as always, ten dollars wagered on the outcome of their predicted winners in all twenty-four categories. Phil has won each of the first three years. Will Dean finally exact some revenge? Find out and enjoy Dean and Phil’s insightful, irreverent and sometimes scathing takes on the motion picture industry’s night of nights. Before the festivities can commence, however, Phil responds to the feedback and criticism he’s received over his diatribe against Kevin Smith and Southwest Airline’s shameful publicity stunt of last month. He tries to clarify his points. Let us know if he succeeds. After all, it is YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!
It’s the USA vs. Canada, Thelma vs. Louise, Batman Begins vs. The Dark Knight, the 3-D Avatar vs.the black and wihte The White Ribbon … Dean and Phil are back from Laughlin, Nevada, where they attended the UFO Congress and interviewed David Sereda and Jordan Maxwell. Along the way, they tried to visit Baghdad and got stopped for felony speeding! All that, plus what harmonic bowls can teach us about the end of the Mayan Calendar, what it means to be over forty and interested in writing for television, and the return of Jay Leno on this free-wheeling installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!
For years, Dean and Phil railed against the collective Hollywood wisdom (”Hollywood wisdom” being a contradiction in terms) that films shouldn’t open in January and early February. Now, that they’ve been proven correct and the studios are releasing box-office behemoths like Shutter Island and Valentine’s Day in the first part of the year, Dean and Phil cry out for the need to see something that’s actually, you know, a half-way DECENT film! They finally caught up with Zombieland, and it only added to their cinematic depression. Where can a true movie lover turn for quality? Netflix? Don’t get Phil started on Netflix … Or, rather, please DO get him started as it’s always delightful to hear a podcast host take on one of his show’s sponsors! After concluding their discussion with a few insightful and promising takes on the future of their own films’ distribution, they reveal the latest from their search for the truth (because The Truth Is Out There) … Interviews abounded this week, including discussions about what really happened on 9/11 with Eric and Eliza Roberts and Bruno from WeAreChangeLA. Dean also sat down with G Edward Griffin to discuss the New World Order, the United Nations, the Federal Reserve system, collectivism and the possibility of a world without cancer. All in all, it’s scary stuff. And speaking of scary, yes that WAS Phil with kind words to say about both Ashton Kutcher AND Colin Farrell … Let the apocalypse begin!
Say what you will about Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness, they are two podcast hosts unlikely to ever get kicked off an airplane because they are too fat, which is exactly what happened to filmmaker and podcast host Kevin Smith this weekend. Obesity and the industrialization of food ARE foremost on Dean and Phil’s minds, however, and on the minds of such experts as Dr. Stanley Monteith and Alex Jones, subjects that have been interviewed for THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE, individuals who believe that the New World Order is here and that its agenda involves a massive reduction in the human population. Meanwhile, it’s President’s Day here in the U.S., so Dean and Phil discuss some of their favorite stories relating to their favorite presidents. Finally, Phil dusts off his soapbox and unleashes a beauty of an oratory on subjects ranging from the Jungian “shadow” archetype to our intuitive understanding of the world and the need for biological diversity. The real question is What DON’T Dean and Phil talk about on this installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour?
Charlie Sheen reports his car as stolen hours AFTER it’s been found demolished at the bottom of Mulholland Drive … Phil worries about the budget cuts to state parks and facilities in Arizona … Tucson is apparently in dire need of toilet paper … The autopsy results in the death of actress Brittany Murphy rule that death accidental … Dean Haglund gets threatened with deportation in Texas … Dean and Phil visit the Benini Sculpture Ranch … The Oscar Nominations are announced … Dean Haglund makes a guest appearance on Alex Jones’ syndicated radio and internet show … Dean receives antagonistic emails as soon as he finishes his appearance on the Alex Jones’ syndicated radio and internet show …
Has the whole world gone insane? No, it’s just business as usual on the latest installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!
It’s time for Dean and Phil to count down their Top Ten Films of 2009. We fear it’s a show that inspires more questions than it answers, however. For example … Why did Phil even bother making a Top Ten list when he has yet to see The White Ribbon, In the Loop, or Broken Embraces? Can Dean even count to ten (you’ll hear what we mean by this!)? Is Avatar really a “game-changer”? If so, is this a good thing? Nevertheless, a more entertaining hour of free internet conversation you are unlikely to find. Trust us. This top ten show has some huge unexpected laughs.
Phil just got back from Park City, Utah, and he reports on all the Sundance and Slamdance activities. He and Dean also finish recapping their long voyage to the Pacific Northwest, with some particularly spooky stories about the area in and surrounding Yakima, Washington. This week, they’re on the road to Texas, but before they depart, they’ll be conducting an interview with the legendary Eric Roberts. They talk about this and weigh in on a wide variety of topics including Conan O’Brien’s last Tonight Show, the Producers Guild of America Awards, the Golden Globes, Avatar and what they’re reading … They even discuss complaints they’ve received about the audio quality of recent shows while actually having audio problems! It’s all this week on YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour.
On Sunday, Dean and Phil drove all the way from Calgary, Alberta to Spokane, Washington. As soon as they crossed the border into the states, they recorded this podcast while driving through the natural splendor of Idaho’s panhandle Pile into the backseat of their rented RAV 4 and listen as your friends in podcasting discuss their on-going search for the truth in a world of conspiracy and their HELL GIGS documentary they shot with Roman Danylo in various parts of Alberta and supernatural British Columbia. Other topics include the war that has broken out in late night television, Jesse Ventura’s conspiracy show and the disaster in Haiti. Deprived of their usual podcast equipment, bringing this show to you again involved a great deal of work on Dean’s part, which is no problem at all as it is a labor of love. This is YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour, after all!
Your friends in podcasting, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness, are in Canada shooting footage for TWO projects: THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE (a documentary about the world of conspiracy) and HELL GIGS (about a return to Dean’s roots as a comic). While in Vancouver, they got together with Dean’s good friends Bruce Harwood and Tom Braidwood to record this week’s show. For those listeners who were not fans of The X-Files, Dean, Bruce and Tom played (respectively) Richard “Ringo” Langly, John Fitzgerald Byers and Melvin Frohike. Collectively, those characters are known to millions of fans the world over as “The Lone Gunmen”, conspiracy theorists, computer hackers, government watchdogs and publishers of The Magic Bullet newsletter, who aided agents Mulder and Scully through nine years of investigations and who were featured in their very own spin-off series. Oh, and because Dean and Phil are traveling without their producer (Lyle Skosey, who is back home in L.A. getting plenty of rest and regaining his strength – Thanks to so many of you who asked and sent your best wishes), they weren’t able to bring all their usual podcast gear. As a result, Dean pulled an ALL-NIGHTER figuring out how to get this show online and available. Why did he do this? Because he cares And because it is YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour, after all!
Happy New Decade! Welcome to a very special episode of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. Every year, Dean and Phil have boldly proclaimed their New Year’s Resolutions. This year, they discuss the importance of resolutions before launching into a recap and appraisal of how they fared in living up to their resolutions for 2009. Finally, they state their goals for 2010, as well as the intent with which they intend to embody these resolutions.
Ten years in the making, this episode of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour is the last show of the year, the last show of the decade! And appropriately, Dean and Phil use the occasion to count down their Top Films of the past ten years. The countdown began over on their MySpace Blog where you can read their #’s 20 through 11 selections. Did your favorite film make their list? Did your LEAST favorite film make their list? Perhaps, you’ll discover a gem you’ve never before heard of, OR remember a film that somehow slipped away before you had the chance to view it. Enjoy! And from all of us here at Chillpak Hollywood Hour, have a safe and sane holiday season!
As loyal listeners know, Dean and Phil have been in production (for six months now!) on a feature film that spans the globe, seeking to document the search for the truth in a world of conspiracy. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE producer Lyle Skosey has been deeply immersed in researching various conspiracies. He is on board this week’s episode, dropping by to discuss his experience thus far, to ask questions of Dean, and to reveal shadowy details about his own mysterious past. Finally, Lyle and Dean share one of Dean’s all-time favorite conspiracy theories, involving NASA, the Nazis and Jesus, just in time for Christmas! Have a very, merry merry, everybody (and we do mean “merry”)!
This week’s installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour comes with the following warning to users: The phrase “free-balling it” gets used often, and always incorrectly, by Phil. And from that point on, everything from “stocking stuffers” to “short-handing it” to Dean’s reference to dwarfs, seems to carry dark euphemistic connotations. Forgive us, we’re drunk on the holiday spirit. And egg nog. Dean reveals some truly tantalizing tidbits about his role in the just wrapped science-fiction film ATLANTIS DOWN. Phil follows up on last week’s show with critic Luke Y. Thompson, to rail against a truly reprehensible review by a theater critic. Dean and Phil continue to examine the role of critics, the function and importance of criticism, and even mention some of the critics awards’ being handed out like candy. Finally, Phil shares a couple of inspirational stories about individuals he knows who are living proof that there is no expiration date on people’s dreams.
It’s an exciting time in the film business. The Award season is fast-approaching and critics are revealing their Top Ten Films of the year AND their Best of the Decade! So, Dean and Phil, who often talk about film critics and movie reviews, thought it was the perfect time to welcome an important critic onto the show. Luke Y. Thompson is an actor and a writer, a cultural observer, a contributor to Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood, and a film critic for E! Online as well as film critic for such print sources as the L.A. Weekly. Some of the topics he discusses with your friends in podcasting are the purpose of film critics, the future of film criticism, the best (and worst) films of the decade, why the horror genre is so maligned/misunderstood, and what films that have come out this year really deserve your attention AND need your help. You can learn more about LYT (and read his writing) at www.lytrules.com, but first, enjoy an hour of truly spirited, irreverent conversation on YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!
Phil Leirness is back from the east coast, and he brings with him a suitcase full of stories, ranging from the White House State Dinner crashers to Japanese “herbivores” to his own debut on the Broadway stage! Plus, he plugs the next production from Rational Exuberance and an interview he will be doing on Blog Talk Radio’s Good Karma Stories hosted by Ed Moy.
Dean Haglund is taking off for the east coast, for a starring role in a sci-fi horror adventure Atlantis Down. He previews that experience and discusses how his dance training has come in handy both as an actor and as a performer in action sequences.
Finally, ’tis the season for giving, so Dean and Phil leave you with a musical gift: A short snippet of the theme song from their forthcoming documentary The Truth Is Out There, written and performed by “The B-Film Extras.
