It’s the end of Summer. It’s the Emmy Awards. It’s “Mad Men”. It’s “Breaking Bad”. It’s SAG vs. Aftra. It’s Membership First vs. Unite For Strength. It’s Billionaire Paul Allen vs. EVERYBODY. It’s remakes vs. originals. It’s steadicam vs. shaky hand-held cam. It’s Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness. It’s YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!
Dean performed competitive improv comedy on Saturday night and he’s here with all the details. Phil’s been seeing movies and making one, and he’s here with much thought-provoking analysis on comic book movies in general, Kick Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in particular, marketing and movie trailers. Then, there’s just enough time to revisit the controversies surrounding the mosque being built near “Ground Zero” and the same-sex marriage debate in California. Finally, Dean hits us with the disturbing possibility that conspiracy theories themselves might be the conspiracy! All this week, on YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!
Phil Leirness is playing hurt. That’s why this show is coming at you one day late. Migraine hell can only keep him down for so long, however, and he joins his partner in podcasting, Dean Haglund, for another freewheeling hour of internet entertainment adventure. This week: The Las Vegas “Star Trek” convention, Claudia Christian, Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” trilogy, the arrest and incarceration of one of the experts in Dean and Phil’s The Truth Is Out There, the death of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (and an ex-NASA chief), Salt, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Animal Kingdom, Broken Embraces, Get Low, California’s Proposition 8, Phil’s fondness for television shows about fashion, plus questions from listeners.
All that, and more, on YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!
Your friends in podcasting pre-recorded one of their best interviews ever, with special guest Claudia Christian (star of “Babylon 5″, the forthcoming Showtime series “Look” and Dean’s frequent improv comedy partner at the conventions around the world). It proved to be hilarious, educational, irreverent and informative … AND IT NO LONGER EXISTS.
As soon had Claudia left the offices of Rational Exuberance, Dean irretrievably deleted the file that would be converted into this week’s show … So, Dean and Phil altered their respective travel plans and they bring you a brand new show full of the engaging, free-wheeling analysis and discussion you’ve come to expect from the “Thelma and Louise of podcasting”.
Dean discusses his trip to Puerto Rico, including making friends with a big-wig in TSA. He also previews his trip to Las Vegas for the annual “Star Trek” convention (the largest in the world!). Phil describes some of the ways he’s becoming Dean Haglund – Seeing the opera “Carmen” at the Hollywood Bowl and taking an interest in the Impro Theatre Los Angeles, home of L.A. Theatre Sports.
Then, Dean and Phil delve into the latest, most intriguing show business news, starting with “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, the entire Millennium trilogy, the forthcoming American remakes, and Noomi Rapace (lead actress in the European productions), as well as the lawsuits surrounding the as-yet-unreleased fourth book by Stieg Larsson. They follow that up with an analysis of the new television series “Aftermath with William Shatner” (where the former Captain Kirk, T.J. Hooker, and Denny Crane tackles controversial interview subjects starting with the Subway Vigilante).
Plus full reports on what movies Dean and Phil have seen. It’s all this week on YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour (NOT featuring an appearance by Claudia Christian).
A Chillpak Hollywood Hour first! An entire show dedicated to music, the music business, music distribution and music journalism. Eminent music journalist Yoshi Kato has seen a great deal of change in his twenty years of professional writing as well as in his current capacity at iTunes. He joins your friends in podcasting for an hour of fascinating conversation BEFORE turning the tables on Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness and putting to THEM three probing questions. Trust us, you won’t want to miss it! And why would you? It’s YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour, after all!
Phil gets his geek on, discussing such Comic-Con panels as The Expendables, Cowboys and Aliens, The Other Guys, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and Drive Angry (Shot in 3D).
Dean answers questions about that large scar on his forehead, about the seminars the FBI conducts with screenwriters, and about why he says, “Huzzah!”
Dean and Phil analyze and debate why cable television has Emmy Award advantages over network television, whether The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra is a good book, and whether the paintings of Da Vinci qualify as art or as propaganda. Taking on Da Vinci? Who, but your friends in podcasting would dare do that?!!
Finally, several big movies are discussed: SALT, Inception, Cyrus, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Restrepo.
It’s your Chillpak Hollywood Hour.
It’s the sequel of the summer! This week, Dean and Phil follow up on last week’s blockbuster by revisiting (and going deeper into) the legal fate of Roman Polanski, the furor over The Hulk re-casting, ageism in Hollywood, the “simulation argument” posed by listener Anthony Kilna, and the film school reference book recommended by listener Effie Dee. Of course, like any good sequel, new characters and topics are tackled. This week, your friends in podcasting offer rather staggering, surprising and insightful analysis into the troubles in which former A-Listers Mel Gibson and Wesley Snipes find themselves. All that, plus they weigh in on Despicable Me, Winter’s Bone and Departures.
Nobly serving their countries (and the world) through fine pieces of podcasting, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness come out of the gates with guns blazing and hit you with this action-packed extravaganza. You won’t want to miss this one if you enjoy or care about any of the following: World Cup, the National Gallery (in D.C.), Monet, Manet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Leger, Toulouse-Lautrec, Diego Rivera, Renoir, the Library of Congress, Carl Jung, Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, The Homestead, Washington and Lee University.
Want Hollywood news and analysis? Dean and Phil tackle the controversies surrounding Roman Polanski, The Last Airbender, The Incredible Hulk, and James Bond. They analyze the recent Emmy nominations for excellence in television, heaping cheers and/or jeers onto Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Lost, Glee, Modern Family and Conan O’Brien. They offer exciting remake news and answer a listener question about television directors. It is YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour, after all, and that’s why they discuss a VERY interesting email sent to them by a listener concerning “simulated realities”. Finally, your friends in podcasting discuss the books they’ve been reading and offer a strong book recommendation from a loyal listener.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve already heard the show once and we can’t wait to listen to it again!
It’s the day after Independence Day here in the USA, and your friends in podcasting are celebrating the “independents”. An hour dedicated to independent film, filmmaking, film festivals and the many and varied paths film artists take to get where they are going. Dean and Phil welcome special guest Josh Mandel, a Slamdance film festival programmer, a documentary filmmaker, an eloquent, enthusiastic, informative speaker, and a darn stylish fellow!
Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness really get around. We know this. That’s why they’ve been dubbed the “Thelma and Louise of Podcasting”. So, it’s only appropriate that they open this week’s show by (re)visiting the “Saudi Arabia of lithium deposits”. From there, it’s off to Mexico for the murder investigation of a “Survivor” producer’s wife, and outer space for the return of “Futurama”. Along the way, they discuss ageism, violence against women and children, Disney films, Jerry Bruckheimer, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Nolan, Inception, the Oscars, Betty White, Tom Cruise, Knight and Day, Toy Story 3, Current TV and Al Gore. This week the U.S. celebrates its Independence Day and YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour is providing the fireworks!
Those of you who follow our Blog on MySpace (wherin we preview the coming Monday’s show) know that occasionally Dean and Phil get so wrapped up in discussion that they completely forget to cover some (or all) of what they promised to discuss! This is one of those shows … And it’s all the richer for it. Hilarious, thought-provoking, inspiring, insightful. It’s YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. This week: the latest on their movie, their feelings about apologies, the idea that words are cheap, personal responsibility to our own unique creative potential, Toy Story 3, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey, Jr., Alfonso Cuaron, the World Cup and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dean flew back from Austin, Texas (on United), and Phil flew back from New York City (on JetBlue) just to bring you this evening’s installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. They begin the show by regaling you with tales of airline awfulness, before holding court on the sights, sounds and tastes of their weekend adventures. Such artists as Benini, Judy Chicago and Rene Magritte get discussed and such locales as Highline Park, the Brooklyn Esplanade and the West Hills of Texas get described. Global issues are tackled as well, from the World Cup to a remarkable discovery in Afghanistan, from the BP oil spill to urban renewal. Your friends in podcasting still discuss show business, of course, and this week they tackle The Hollywood Reporter, the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Steven Seagal, remakes from the 80’s and ill-advised sequels and remakes on the horizon. It’s a pretty darn hilarious hour. How could it not be when Dean and Phil are reunited and it feels so good?!
Film Schools. Film Distribution. Marketing. Censorship. Primary election. BP. James Cameron. The Cove. Japan. Jim Carrey. John Wooden. Sex and the City. Amtrak. World Cup. Dragon-con 2011. Dean Haglund. Phil Leirness. Your Chillpak Hollywood Hour.
Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness open this fast-paced installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour by discussing the pilot episode of Dean’s new web series, “Paranoia Will Destroy ‘Ya”. Then, they turn to a discussion about severed hands and a follow-up on last week’s conversation about “right speech” before welcoming their special guest, actor and film critic Luke Y.Thompson. What ensues is a free-wheeling crowd-pleaser covering such topics as the career of Dennis Hopper, what summer movies to see (and which ones to avoid) and the importance of seeking out and reading the reviews of critics with whom you DISagree! Finally, Phil offers an insight into the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. If that doesn’t convince you that this installment is a rollercoaster thrill ride of the summer, nothing will!
Season Four got off to a bit of a slow start last week. The Thelma and Louise of podcasting were exhausted from their constant travels and rusty after several weeks of pre-recorded and edited shows. This week, Dean and Phil are truly BACK and dare we say … BETTER. THAN. EVER!
From a spoiler-free discussion of the “Lost” finale, to an analysis of the disappointing box office showing by SHREK, to the many creative endeavors of Dean Haglund, this week’s show gets off to a flying start. Starting Wednesday, Dean will have a new web series, “Paranoia Will Destroy ‘Ya”, available at TheRoomLive.com, and he just sold two artworks thru ebay as part of the Doodles for Charity program. Plus, he updates us on his 100 Paintings in 2010 project, and on the editing of his “Hell Gigs” comedy/reality show/documentary project.
Phil has been hard at work logging selects for the documentary feature film THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE and he takes time out to talk about what’s “right” about the conspiracy theories they’ve documented. He also ties this in with a discussion on the Buddhist philosophy of “right speech”, part of the Noble Eightfold Path to end suffering in the world. What follows is a heartfelt, illuminating discussion about not only suffering and speech, but laughter, freedom and human beings’ abilities to either consciously or unconsciously co-create the world around them.
Listen for only a few minutes and you’ll know it’s YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour, where WE conspire to INSPIRE!
