As the longtime senior editor of Los Angeles magazine, Chris Nichols has accumulated more knowledge about this city than anyone else we know. As an author and frequent tour guide, he loves sharing his discoveries, which is why his newest book BowlaRama (Angel City Press, written with Adriene Biondo) is so much fun. Leonard and Jessie enjoy diving into the fad-like growth of bowling alleys in the Baby Boom years of the 1950s and early 1960s. (Leonard is still mourning the loss of his Pepsi Cola bowling team shirt.) Chris’s enthusiasm for everything he does is positively infectious.
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1:16:39
Revisiting casting director Avy Kaufman
Avy Kaufman’s name should be familiar to anyone who reads credits, as we do. She has cast scores of films and television series, from The Ice Storm to Succession, and launched many a career along the way. You can hear the pride in her voice when she recounts how she brought young Haley Joel Osment to meet the star and director of The Sixth Sense. Recent credits include some of the most talked-about television shows of our time: Mare of Easttown, Under the Banner of Heaven, Billions, and Fellow Travelers, which could earn her a fourth Emmy Award. (She has three: one for Damages and two for Succession). Avy wears her passion on her sleeve and that makes for great conversation.
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53:30
Revisiting Frank Oz
Last year, Leonard and Jessie got a rare opportunity to interview Frank Oz at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas before a live audience. His alter egos are world-renowned, but Leonard and Jessie didn’t focus on Miss Piggy or Yoda in this conversation. The main topic was directing movies, which Oz has done so well for so many years: The Muppets Take Manhattan, Little Shop of Horrors, In & Out, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Bowfinger, and What About Bob? are just a few of his credits. What is the through-line, if any, from puppetry to filmmaking. Listen and hear what the amazing Oz has to say.
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1:01:15
Harry Medved
He’s an author, film buff, publicist, and now the host of a web series called Locationland that brings us to the spots around Los Angeles where memorable movies were shot—fromGrease to Plan 9 From Outer Space. Harry is a lifelong cinephile lover who first made his mark writing about the worst movies of all time, which led to the Golden Turkey Awards—now reincarnated as the Razzies. He and Leonard shared the same career-defining book editor ages ago in New York City. They also share a fascination with finding the answers to questions about who shot what and where. You can learn more at pbssocal.org/Locationland orwww.locationland.net. Harry also works with the National Association of Theater Owners (formerly known as NATO) which, newly dubbed Cinema United, will be staging CinemaCon in Las Vegas the week of March 31.
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1:06:12
Jon Seda
For Jessie, busy actor Jon Seda will always be Selena’s loving husband Chris Pérez, but he’s had many memorable roles in films and television: The Pacific, Chicago PD, Homicide: Life on the Streets, Treme, and La Brea, to name just a few. If you’re a fan you already know that he was heading for a career in boxing when he was hired to appear in Gladiator, which was literally a life-changing experience. As you will hear, he’s an unpretentious guy who enjoys what he does, appreciates the people he works with, and goes home to his wife and four children knowing he’s earned an honest day’s pay. His latest movie, Into the Deep, also stars Richard Dreyfuss and is available on demand right now. ...
Legendary film critic Leonard Maltin and his daughter Jessie are the ultimate movie fans. They love talking about movies, especially with people who share their enthusiasm—from living legends like Mel Brooks, Al Pacino, Angela Lansbury and Quincy Jones to such contemporary artists as Amy Adams, Tim Burton, Laura Dern, and Jordan Peele. You’ll meet all kinds of interesting people and hear their recommendations of unsung movies you ought to know...
USA