This weekend, Dean and Phil got together in-person on the “American Riviera” for a fascinating discussion inspired by a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!). The conversation involves the importance of awards not only recognizing and rewarding great work, but also rewarding the great stories surrounding the making of that work! Somehow that inspires Phil to reappraise the entire filmography of James Mason. That great Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot, gets more time in the spotlight, as Dean and Phil take a little more time giving both a doff of the cap and a wag of the finger to Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile and Phil, who took the time during the week to unearth the final Peter Ustinov performance as Agatha Christie’s protagonist, has some thoughts about Appointment with Death from the infamous Cannon Film Group. Finally, in a riff on their usual “Celebrity Deaths” section, Dean and Phil discuss three non-celebrity friends who died recently.

The holidays are a time for reflection and on this week’s show, Dean and Phil really get into the act … They reflect on the lives of two very different people who died this past week and on the very dramatic influence each individual had on the world of entertainment … They ruminate on some interesting filmmaking questions sent to them by one of our regular listeners … They pontificate on the nature of “honorary” awards in the face of the controversy surrounding the forthcoming Academy Awards honoring of Jerry Lewis … Finally, they set their own personal “Christmas Movie Wish-List” (the movies they know they need to see before compiling their annual Top Ten list). It’s a lot for an hour, but that’s just Dean and Phil. “Give ’til it hurts and then give some more” is their motto. Especially at the holidays!