5/31 -Jimmy Webb, Booby Hart, Don Randi

Happy Memorial Day!









Bobby Hart - Songwriter/Performer ("Boyce & Hart")

Tommy Boyce (born Sidney Thomas Boyce, September 29, 1939 — November 23, 1994) and Bobby Hart (born Robert Luke Harshman, February 19, 1939, Phoenix, Arizona) were a prolific songwriting duo, best known for the songs they wrote for The Monkees. Hart's father was a church minister. Hart served in the Army after leaving high school, and on discharge travelled to Los Angeles seeking a career as a singer. Boyce was separately pursuing a career as a singer. After being rejected numerous times, Boyce took his father's suggestion to write a song called "Be My Guest" for rock and roll star Fats Domino. He waited six hours at Domino's hotel room to present him with the demo, and got Domino to promise to listen to the song.[1] The song hit #8 in the US and #11 in the UK, becoming Domino's biggest hit there in several years, and sold over a million copies. Boyce met Hart in 1959, and the following year played guitar on Hart's single "Girl In The Window," which flopped, but marked the first time he used the name Bobby Hart, since his manager shortened it to fit the label. Their partnership made a breakthrough with a song recorded by Chubby Checker, "Lazy Elsie Molly", in 1964. They went on to write hits for Jay & the Americans ("Come a Little Bit Closer"), Paul Revere and the Raiders ("(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone") and The Leaves ("Words"). The latter two songs provided the Monkees with hit B-sides in 1967. The duo also wrote the theme song to the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. At one point in this period, Hart also co-wrote "Hurt So Bad" for Little Anthony & the Imperials with Teddy Randazzo and his regular songwriting partner, Bobby Weinstein. In late 1965, they wrote, produced and performed the soundtrack to the pilot of The Monkees, including singing lead vocals (which were later replaced, once the show was cast). In 1966, despite some conflicts with Don Kirshner, who was the show's musical supervisor, they were retained in substantially the same role. It was Boyce and Hart who wrote, produced and recorded (with the help of their band, the Candy Store Prophets) backing tracks for a large portion of the first season of The Monkees, and the band's accompanying debut album. The Monkees themselves re-recorded their vocals over Boyce and Hart's when it came time to release the songs, including both "(Theme from) The Monkees" and "Last Train to Clarksville," the latter of which was a huge hit. Kirshner suddenly relieved Boyce and Hart as producers, by claiming they were using studio time booked for Monkees songs to record tracks for their own solo project. After their departure from the Monkees, and the negative publicity that erupted when word got out that the band hadn't played the instruments on their early records, Boyce and Hart were unsure how the Monkees felt about them personally. Attending one of their concerts, though, the duo were spotted in the audience, and singer Davy Jones invited them onstage, to introduce them: "These are the fellows who wrote our great hits — Tommy and Bobby!" Every original Monkees album (except for the Head soundtrack) included Boyce and Hart songs. While working with The Monkees, Boyce and Hart embarked on a successful career as recording artists in their own right, releasing three albums on A&M Records: Test Patterns, I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight, and It's All Happening on the Inside (released in Canada as Which One's Boyce and Which One's Hart?). The duo also had five charting singles; the most well-known of these was "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight," which reached #8 in early 1968. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[3] "Out and About" (#39) and "Alice Long" (#27) were their other Top 40 hits. The duo also performed "I'll Blow You A Kiss in the Wind" on the television show Bewitched in one of several TV series appearances that included guest spots on The Flying Nun and I Dream of Jeannie ("Jeannie the Hip Hippie"). Boyce and Hart also were involved with producing music for motion pictures for Columbia Pictures, including two Matt Helm movies (The Ambushers and Murderer's Row), Winter A-Go-Go and Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows. In 1971 a sitcom named Getting Together appeared on ABC-TV, starring Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern as two struggling songwriters, who were friends of The Partridge Family (and were introduced on their show). The series was reportedly based loosely on Boyce and Hart's partnership. At this point, they decided to work on various solo projects. Hart was nominated for an Oscar in 1983 for his song "Over You", written for the film Tender Mercies. According to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Boyce and Hart wrote more than 300 songs, and sold more than 42 million records as a partnership.

Jimmy Webb - Songwriter

Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946 in Elk City, Oklahoma) is an American songwriter. His compositions include "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston" and "MacArthur Park". His songs have been recorded or performed by Glen Campbell, The 5th Dimension, Thelma Houston, The Supremes, Richard Harris, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes, R.E.M., and Chet Atkins, among others. According to BMI, his song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was the third most performed song in the fifty years between 1940 to 1990. He is the only artist to have ever received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics, and orchestration. After transcribing other people's music for a small music publisher, Webb was signed to a songwriting contract with Jobete Music, the publishing arm of Motown Records. The first commercial recording of a Jimmy Webb song was "My Christmas Tree" sung by The Supremes, which appeared on their Merry Christmas LP, released in 1965. The following year, Webb met singer and producer Johnny Rivers, who signed him to a publishing deal and recorded his song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" on his 1966 album Changes.." In 1967, Johnny Rivers turned to Webb for songs for a new group Rivers was producing called the 5th Dimension. Webb contributed five songs to the 5th Dimension's album Up, Up and Away. The song "Up, Up, and Away" was released as single in May 1967 and reached the Top Ten. The group's follow-up album, The Magic Garden, also released in 1967, except for a recording of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "Ticket to Ride", included only his songs. In November 1967, Glen Campbell released his version of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," which reached No. 26 and became an instant pop standard . At the 1967 Grammy Awards, "Up, Up and Away" was named Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Two Webb songs, "Up, Up and Away" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", received eight Grammy Awards. Webb's success as a new songwriter was unprecedented and underscored what would become the central dilemma in his career. While his sophisticated melodies and orchestrations were embraced by mainstream audiences, his peers were embracing counterculture sounds. Webb was quickly becoming out of sync with his times. In 1968, Time acknowledged Webb’s range and proficiency when it referred to his string of hits, noting "Webb's gift for strong, varied rhythms, inventive structures, and rich, sometimes surprising harmonies." In 1968, the string of successful Jimmy Webb songs continued, with the 5th Dimension's "Paper Cup" and "Carpet Man" reaching the Top 40, Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" selling over a million copies and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge scoring a gold record with "Worst That Could Happen", a song originally recorded by the 5th Dimension. Webb formed his own production and publishing company that year, Canopy, and scored a hit with its first project, an unlikely album with Irish actor Richard Harris singing all Jimmy Webb songs. One of the songs chosen, "MacArthur Park", was a long, complex song with multiple movements that was originally rejected by the group the Association, which had commissioned it. Despite the song's seven minute, twenty-one second length, Webb released "MacArthur Park" as a single, and it quickly reached Number 2 on the singles chart. The album A Tramp Shining stayed on the charts for almost a year. Webb and Harris produced a followup album The Yard Went on Forever, which was also successful. At the 1968 Grammy Awards, Webb accepted awards for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", and "MacArthur Park". In 1969, Glen Campbell continued the streak of Jimmy Webb hits with the gold record "Galveston" and "Where's the Playground Susie", quickly becoming the finest interpreter of Jimmy Webb songs. Webb and Campbell first met during the production of a General Motors commercial. Webb arrived at the recording session with his Beatle-length hair and approached the conservative singer, who looked up from his guitar and said, "Get a haircut."

Don Randi - Legendary Musician / Owner of LA's "Baked Potato"

 A long time fixture in the Los Angeles area, Don Randi is best known as the proprietor of the Studio City club The Baked Potato and for his longtime leadership of a popular fusion/crossover group, Quest. Raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York, Don Randi had classical music lessons for 13 years. He moved to the Los Angeles area in 1954. Since then he has been a busy studio musician, appearing on and writing for a countless number of motion picture and television soundtracks, commercials and pop albums. Randi recorded as a leader for World Pacific (1960), Verve (1962 including a trio date with Leroy Vinnegar and Mel Lewis), Palomar, Reprise, Capitol, Poppy, Sheffield Lab and Headfirst. Don Randi appears at the Baked Potato with Quest on a fairly regular basis.

5/28 - Pam Krueger, Harlan Boll, Colin Michael Day,

Colin Michael Day - "The Loneliest Road in America"

In July 1986 U.S. 50 was named “The Loneliest Road in America” by Life magazine, which quoted an AAA spokesman as saying, “It’s totally empty.” Yes, traffic is light from Fernley to Ely, but you will meet friendly people in the towns along the way. In the stretch of highway east of Fallon to the Utah state line, a span of 287 miles, there are only three major towns: Austin, Eureka and Ely. There are also several ghost towns along this path. Colin Michael Day is an American actor starring in and producing the independent film “The Loneliest Road in America”.




Pam Krueger - "Small Business Week"

Pam Krueger is executive producer, co-anchor, and creator of the national public television MoneyTrack series. With a passion for economics and the stock market, Pam worked as a stockbroker for nine years before leaving her "day job" to become a full-time television Reporter and Producer. Pam was a Co-Anchor and segment producer on ABC-TV's Emmy® Award-winning program, Marketplace in San Francisco, as well as on KGO-TV's newscasts. She Co-Anchored and Produced TechTV's, The Money Machine, during the technology boom in the late 1990's and was also a Reporter for the Emmy® Award-winning PBS series, Money Moves.






Harlan Boll - Hollywood Publicist

Harlan is one of Hollywood's most popular publicists and works with a variety of big name stars. Recently, during an event he experienced the mean side of autograph seekers and is here to talk about it.   While still a teenager, in 1982 Harlan received an unexpected introduction to the industry of entertainment when he was hired as an usher for the Elitch Garden Summer Stock Theatre, but before his first day of work was instead tapped to be the driver/assistant for the Shelley Winters, who starred in the first production of the season and continuing in this capacity for the remainder of the season working with such artists as Cloris Leachman, Richard Kiley, Tammy Grimes, Tyrone Power Jr, Maureen O'Sullivan, David McCallum, etc  He and his partner currently live in the California with his partner of nine years and their two cats (Emmy and Oscar) and is an independent publicist working with the firm Davidson and Choy PR, specializing in literary, personality and event PR. A partial list of current clients include a who's who of classic Hollywood: Carol Channing, Florence Henderson, Esther Williams, Tippi Hedren, Rose Marie, Rip Taylor, Christine Devine, Julie Newmar, Alison Arngrim, Channing Chase, VOX Femina, GMCLA, and Bob Hope Enterprises, Inc.

5/27 - Colin Michael Day, Kaitlin Berry, Charles Glassman, Doug Brode,

Colin Michael Day -  "The Loneliest Road in America"

In July 1986 U.S. 50 was named “The Loneliest Road in America” by Life magazine, which quoted an AAA spokesman as saying, “It’s totally empty.” Yes, traffic is light from Fernley to Ely, but you will meet friendly people in the towns along the way.   In the stretch of highway east of Fallon to the Utah state line, a span of 287 miles, there are only three major towns: Austin, Eureka and Ely. There are also several ghost towns along this path. Colin Michael Day is an American actor starring in and producing the independent film “The Loneliest Road in America”.


Pearl Abraham -  "AMERICAN TALIBAN"

Pearl Abraham is the author of The Seventh Beggar, Giving Up America, and The Romance Reader, and the editor of an anthology about Jewish heroines in literature, Een sterke vrouw, wie zal haar vinden?. Her stories and essays have appeared in newspapers, literary quarterlies and anthologies. Abraham teaches literature and creative writing at Western New England College and lives in both Springfield, MA, and New York City.   An avid, near-six-foot-tall surfer, John Jude Parish cuts a striking figure on the beaches of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. When he isn’t on water, John lives on wheels, a self-described skate rat—grinding and kickflipping with his friends, and encouraged by his progressive parents. His hero is the great explorer Richard Burton, his personal prophet is Bob Dylan, and his world is wide open—to new ideas, philosophies, and religions. Through online forums and chat rooms, John meets a young woman from Brooklyn who spurs his interest in Islam and Arab literature. Deferring Brown University for a year, he moves to the idyllic New York borough to study Arabic. Like Burton, John embraces the experience heart, body, and soul—submitting to Islam, practicing the salaat, fasting and meditating, dancing with dervishes, and encountering the extraordinary. Burton lived the life of a nineteenth-century adventurer, but he also penetrated the ancient wisdom of secret worlds. John will too—with unforeseen consequences.


Doug Brode -  "Mr. Pop CULTURE America"

One of the major media events of the last week was the "Lost"  Finale. Some viewers loved it and some hated it, but why the popularity and so much controversy. We turn to our "Pop Culture" expert and authority, Doug Brode, who can be found on line at http://www.douglasbrode.com/ .




Dr. Charles Glassman - "Brain Drain - The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life"

The book offers a groundbreaking revelation that provides readers with the necessary tools to stop personal brain drain while helping them to find the things in life that are right for them. It explores many areas that include: how to get out of an unhappy relationship; how to improve overall physical health; how to increase energy; how to break free of bad habits; and much more. Broken down into 19 chapters and three parts: The Automatic Brain; The Power of Our Mind; and Seven Days to Belief, Brain Drain connects the dots between mind, body, spirit and wellness.  Stuck in an unhappy relationship? Always seemingly sick? Too stressed and exhausted to enjoy life? Unable to break free of bad habits and unsure how to fix the situation? Do the daily occurrences and interactions with others frustrate and anger you if someone gets in your way? When life is going great, do you find yourself constantly expecting the worst? Dr. Glassman s book, Brain Drain, discloses the universal answers to these questions, with an original and groundbreaking revelation that gives you the tools to stop your personal brain drain and help you find the things in life that are right for you.


Kaitlin Berry and Gordon McHenry Jr.-  Sun Life Rising Star

Each nonprofit organization will receive a $50,000 grant along with training, materials and the curriculum necessary to develop and provide financial education for the youth in its program. Additionally, each student will receive a $5,000 scholarship to help finance a post-secondary education. In conjunction with Sun Life Financial’s official sponsorship of the 2010 Cirque du Soleil Big Top and Arena Touring Shows, winners will have the opportunity to attend a Cirque du Soleil performance tonight, Friday, May 21 where each organization and student will be recognized at an award ceremony prior to the Cirque du Soleil show at Randall’s Island Park. An independent panel of judges comprised of local New York community leaders selected the winning organizations.   New York is the one of six cities that the program will visit in 2010, including Seattle, WA and Boston, MA. The awards program will give away a total of $1,000,000 in grants and scholarships; all winning organizations will automatically be considered for the National Sun Life Rising Star Award – an additional $50,000 grant to further their mission. As well, winning students are invited to enter an essay competition where one student will be selected as the National Sun Life Rising Star award winner and receive a scholarship worth up to $50,000 payable over four years to the educational institution of their choice. The national award winners will be announced in the fall of 2010. For more information on the Sun Life Rising Star Awards, please visit www.sunliferisingstar.com.

5/26 - Henry Winkler, William Lee Golden, Jay Taylor, Dr. Henry Punzi ,

Henry Winkler  -   "The Fonz" 

Henry Winkler’s name is synonymous with ’70s icon “The Fonz,” his too-cool-for-school character from the sit-com “Happy Days.” But his career actually touches three generations through his acting, and now, as an author, his writing. Those in their 30s and 40s know him for his work on “Arrested Development” as Barry Zuckerhorn, while those in their 20s remember him for his roles in Adam Sandler vehicles ”The Waterboy,” “Click,” and “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.”   Now kids are finding it easy to fall in love with him as well. As the co-author of the bestselling series “Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever,” he has given adolescents a reason to enjoy reading- and their parents a reason to smile. Legendary "Happy Days" star Henry Winkler, is personally familiar with the impact that upper limb spasticity can have on a person. His late mother struggled with the condition, without treatment, for 10 years following a stroke before she passed away.  "My mother was a proud woman, a busy bee, always on the go. So, it was very difficult for me to watch her revert inward as she was less and less able to do things for herself. She became fully dependent on her family and live-in nurses to help her with simple, ordinary tasks we all take for granted," Mr. Winkler recalls. "Much less was known about upper limb spasticity during her time, and now, not only do we know more about how to manage this condition, there are treatment options available. Whether you are just starting to experience what you think could be upper limb spasticity, or you've been living silently with it for years, the message is that there are treatment options and you should talk to a doctor."   To help with the management of upper limb spasticity, the FDA recently approved BOTOX®  as the first and only botulinum toxin for the treatment of increased muscle stiffness in the elbow, wrist and finger muscles in adults with upper limb spasticity. While not a cure for upper limb spasticity, BOTOX® may allow people living with upper limb spasticity to once again be able to open the affected hand or arm, which may allow the person to regain some independence.


Jay L.Taylor  -  "Point of Aim, Point of Impact"

Jay Taylor was born and raised in Albuquerque New Mexico. As a young boy he enjoyed hunting and fishing and he was active in high school sports, lettering in football, track and wrestling. Jay joined the Marine Corps on his 18th birthday in 1967. He served a tour in Vietnam as a Marine Corps Scout Sniper where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medals. After returning home Jay struggled with the memories of his actions while in Vietnam. In 1972 Jay moved to Alaska where he eventually met and married his wife Paulette. They had two boys, Lee and Bobby. Jay has worked for the same construction company for the last thirty years. In 1987 Jay and his family left Alaska and relocated to Portland Oregon. For the next six years Jay worked in Washington, Oregon, and California before relocating back to New Mexico in 1993. Jay still works for Hoffman Construction Company as a Project Superientendint and Paulette manages their thoroughbred racehorse farm. Jay is a four term past president of the New Mexico Houndsman Association and he is currently on the Board of Directors for the New Mexico Horsebreeders Association. He is a proud member of the NRA and enjoys target shooting with his son Lee and granddaughter Tamra.  Point of Aim, Point of Impact, is one man's recollection of his Vietnam experience. That young man was a Marine Corps Scout Sniper and the book addresses many issues of the Scout Snipers and Vietnam Veterans both during the war and present day. It is not a book that glorifies war or weaves a Hollywood script around lies and half truths. In telling the story of one young Marine Sniper it attempts to deal with the real issues which evolved from the traumatic experiences of killing people and watching friends being maimed and killed. Point of Aim, Point of Impact is a must read for all Veterans from WWII to today's returning warriors as well as their family and friends.

William Lee  Golden - "The Oak Ridge Boys" 

Country music icon William Lee Golden is masterfully painting his way into the historic halls of the Tennessee State Museum. There’ll be a public art exhibition featuring 23 original pieces rendered by Golden from June 3-13, 2010 at the downtown facility (located at 505 Deaderick Street). The exhibit will include celebrated paintings such as “Ozark Mountain Jubilee,” “Monet’s Water Garden,” “Calendar Lane,” and “Grand Tetons.” Golden is critically acclaimed for his captivating paintings which feature rich natural landscape images. The singer’s artistic expressions are drawn from his extensive world travels and deep passion for photography. Many of his pieces are created while on the road during Oak Ridge Boys concert tours. William Lee Golden uses a skillful technique that brilliantly infuses color and light.  The legendary artist’s work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and wineries across the U.S. His paintings can also be found among private collections. Golden’s unique ability to balance a dual career of performing and painting is well recognized in the world of art. “William Lee Golden uses the medium of paint on canvas while traveling as an outlet for his natural creativity. In recent years, the art of painting has become his second passion. Like acclaimed folk artist Grandma Moses, Golden has no formal artistic training and began painting later in life, which has certainly not deterred collectors interested in acquiring his work,” says Tennessee State Museum Executive Director Lois Riggins-Ezell.   Golden, the renowned Mountain Man, says being selected for the exhibit is truly humbling. “Having the opportunity to show my entire collection of paintings at the museum is the greatest honor I’ve received since becoming a painter 8 years ago. I have a great love for the state of Tennessee and its people. I’m grateful to Lois Riggins-Ezell and her staff for selecting my artwork,” says the award-winning singer.

Dr. Henry Punzi -  Nationally-renowned Hypertension Expert

Cardiovascular disease affects more than 81 million Americans and is the leading cause of death among Hispanics. Hypertension~also called high blood pressure~is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. And alarming more than 20-percent of all adult Hispanics have hypertension~a condition that can eventually lead to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Despite the serious nature of high blood pressure~Hispanics tend to have lower awareness of their hypertension, are less likely to be treated with medication for the condition, and have lower blood pressure control compared with African Americans and Caucasians. As if that is not enough, Hispanics also have higher rates of diabetes and obesity compared with Caucasians~additional risk factors for developing high blood pressure. Nationally-renowned hypertension expert Dr. Henry Punzi knows firsthand the effects that high blood pressure has on the growing Hispanic population. Dr. Punzi will share with your listeners~both Hispanic and non-Hispanic~his hugely sought-after practical steps to reach blood pressure goals through lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise and will suggest important ways to increase heart health awareness. In addition, Dr. Punzi will reveal new findings from a recent study which was one of the first to directly evaluate blood pressure treatment .

5/25 - Rick Maynard, Desiree Rossi , Beth Ostrosky Stern, Pam Krueger, Walter Williams ,

Rick Maynard - Director of Communications - KFC

America has spoken and the Colonel listened. The wildly popular KFC Double Down™ is going to remain on the KFC menu past May 23, when the “Limited Time Only” promotion for KFC’s first-ever bunless chicken sandwich was scheduled to end.  While the launch of the unique Double Down created unprecedented buzz for the brand, it also received a warm reception from KFC customers. Later this month, KFC will sell its 10 millionth Double Down. As a result of this continuing demand, Double Down fans will be able to keep enjoying the sandwich for an extended time period at participating KFC locations.  “This truly an example of ‘popular demand,’” said Javier Benito, executive vice president of marketing and food innovation for KFC. “Our plans were to feature the product only through May 23, but millions of Double Down fans have spoken and we won’t disappoint them. You’ll continue to be able to get the Double Down at KFC this summer.”


Desiree Rossi -   American Heart Association's " Be the Beat Program" 

Seventeen-year-old Desiree Rossi was coming home from school when she noticed a man collapsed on the street with a crowd of people around him. No one was doing anything. Desiree, who had been trained in CPR just six months earlier at her high school, recognized the man was in cardiac arrest, and she immediately started CPR. Paramedics arrived and took the man to the hospital where he was stabilized.  According to the American Heart Association, studies have shown that children as young as nine-years-old can learn and retain CPR skills. This year – the 50th anniversary of CPR – the American Heart Association is calling on teens and adults in their effort to educate 1 million Americans in CPR. 


Beth Ostrosky Stern -  "Oh My Dog"

Do you love animals? Then please help a great cause and talk with Beth Ostrosky Stern on Tuesday, May 25th! The model and TV host is the wife of radio Icon Howard Stern and author of the new book, Oh My Dog! It’s estimated that 70%of all animals euthanized each year are cats who enter shelters without identifying tags. So this huge animal lover is teaming up in the effort to get pet owners to tag their cats and save lives! On behalf of all cat lovers  Beth Ostrosky Stern is a spokesperson for the North Shore Animal League of America, the world's largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. She is also involved with The Wildlife Rescue in The Hamptons and English Bulldog Rescue on Long Island. Ostrosky Stern has graced the pages of many magazines and was named one of FHM's "Top 100 Sexiest Women of the Year" in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007. She also appears regularly on network morning and daytime talk shows and has been a guest co-host on The View. Beth is also known for her work as a television personality for Spike TV and G4 and as a special correspondent for EXTRA.



Pam Krueger - "MoneyTrack"

Pam Krueger is executive producer, co-anchor, and creator of the national public television MoneyTrack series. With a passion for economics and the stock market, Pam worked as a stockbroker for nine years before leaving her "day job" to become a full-time television Reporter and Producer. Pam was a Co-Anchor and segment producer on ABC-TV's Emmy® Award-winning program, Marketplace in San Francisco, as well as on KGO-TV's newscasts. She Co-Anchored and Produced TechTV's, The Money Machine, during the technology boom in the late 1990's and was also a Reporter for the Emmy® Award-winning PBS series, Money Moves. MoneyTrack is the award-winning public television series about investing that empowers real people of all income levels to become successful investors. Every week, co-hosts Pam Krueger and Jack Gallagher talk with real people who are living examples of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to investing. Combined with sage advice from top financial experts, such as Warren Buffett, John Bogle and well-known commentator Ben Stein, the MoneyTrack series offers unbiased, non-commercial education to give you the tools you need to become a wiser and safer investor.


Walter Williams -  Founding Member of the O’Jays

Live From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Williams Reveals For the First Time His Personal  Account of Living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)  On May 25th, the day before World MS Day, Walter Williams, founding member of the world famous O’Jays, will be LIVE from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to share his personal experience living with MS for the first time since his diagnosis at the age of 39. He can talk about why he decided to reveal his story and mention how starting treatment early helped him. He can also discuss his long-time career with the O’Jays along with their upcoming tour.  MS is a chronic and disabling disease that affects the central nervous system, and often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. It is estimated that approximately 400,000 people suffer from MS in the United States and each year, 10,000 more are diagnosed with this illness. Taking into consideration patients, family members and caregivers, there are more than two million Americans affected by MS.

5/24 - Mario Armstrong, Steve Helling, Paul Huljich,

Mario Armstrong - Tech Guru

Mario Armstrong is a radio, TV and online commentator, appearing regularly on CNN and NPR’s Morning Edition. On TV, his segments air weekly on CNN, NBC WBAL-TV, and Small Business Television.com. He has appeared on CNBC, MPT, PBS, C-Span and TV-One. He hosts and syndicates his own radio technology talk shows on XM/Sirius radio, USTalkNetwork.com, WYPR & WEAA. He was recognized as a “Top 40 under 40”



Steve Helling -  "Tiger: The Real Story"

Steve Helling is a U.S. journalist who has written over a thousand articles for People magazine, including fifty-five cover stories. He lives in Orlando, Florida.  Before the scandal, the world knew very little about Tiger Woods. After the scandal, they knew him even less. He was born to a father who described him as the Chosen One, with the power to shape the fate of nations. His mother called him the Universal Child, with the ability to hold the races together. Selecting the unlikely avenue of golf, they groomed their son for the fame and influence that they always believed was his destiny. At age twenty, Tiger Woods made his debut in a Nike commercial. "Hello, World," he said. "Are you ready for me?" The world was ready. For the next thirteen years, Tiger nearly lived up to his parents' outsize expectations. He conquered the world of golf with skills the sport had never before seen. He became a global icon and a Madison Avenue darling, earning more for his squeaky clean persona than he earned for his sport. He settled down with a beautiful Swedish model and started a family. His net worth approached a billion dollars. Everything was going according to plan - until the scandal hit. As the media breathlessly mixed news with speculation, Tiger became the poster boy for self-destruction. Corporate America exercised its fickle option and Tiger Woods was suddenly transformed from a commercial spokesman into a tabloid King. But for all the media reports on this or that revelation, Tiger's true character remains a mystery

Paul Huljich - "Mind Wellness Awareness Program"

Paul Huljich (“hull JITCH”) who was one of the pioneers of the world’s organic food movement now splits his time between New York City and his native birth land of Auckland, New Zealand, is the founder of a new U.S. non-profit, MWellA (Mind Wellness Awareness program), and the author of a new novel heavily based on his real life, “Betrayal of Love & Freedom.” He lived in a mansion with an indoor pool with his wife and three children. By the age of 45 he had a mental breakdown and lost most of the life he’d worked relentlessly to build

5/21 - Bobby Hart, Jimmy Webb, Don Randi,

Bobby Hart  - Songwriter/Performer   ("Boyce &  Hart")

Tommy Boyce (born Sidney Thomas Boyce, September 29, 1939 — November 23, 1994) and Bobby Hart (born Robert Luke Harshman, February 19, 1939, Phoenix, Arizona) were a prolific songwriting duo, best known for the songs they wrote for The Monkees.  Hart's father was a church minister. Hart served in the Army after leaving high school, and on discharge travelled to Los Angeles seeking a career as a singer. Boyce was separately pursuing a career as a singer. After being rejected numerous times, Boyce took his father's suggestion to write a song called "Be My Guest" for rock and roll star Fats Domino. He waited six hours at Domino's hotel room to present him with the demo, and got Domino to promise to listen to the song.[1] The song hit #8 in the US and #11 in the UK, becoming Domino's biggest hit there in several years, and sold over a million copies.  Boyce met Hart in 1959, and the following year played guitar on Hart's single "Girl In The Window," which flopped, but marked the first time he used the name Bobby Hart, since his manager shortened it to fit the label.  Their partnership made a breakthrough with a song recorded by Chubby Checker, "Lazy Elsie Molly", in 1964. They went on to write hits for Jay & the Americans ("Come a Little Bit Closer"), Paul Revere and the Raiders ("(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone") and The Leaves ("Words"). The latter two songs provided the Monkees with hit B-sides in 1967. The duo also wrote the theme song to the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. At one point in this period, Hart also co-wrote "Hurt So Bad" for Little Anthony & the Imperials with Teddy Randazzo and his regular songwriting partner, Bobby Weinstein. In late 1965, they wrote, produced and performed the soundtrack to the pilot of The Monkees, including singing lead vocals (which were later replaced, once the show was cast). In 1966, despite some conflicts with Don Kirshner, who was the show's musical supervisor, they were retained in substantially the same role. It was Boyce and Hart who wrote, produced and recorded (with the help of their band, the Candy Store Prophets) backing tracks for a large portion of the first season of The Monkees, and the band's accompanying debut album.  The Monkees themselves re-recorded their vocals over Boyce and Hart's when it came time to release the songs, including both "(Theme from) The Monkees" and "Last Train to Clarksville," the latter of which was a huge hit. Kirshner suddenly relieved Boyce and Hart as producers, by claiming they were using studio time booked for Monkees songs to record tracks for their own solo project. After their departure from the Monkees, and the negative publicity that erupted when word got out that the band hadn't played the instruments on their early records, Boyce and Hart were unsure how the Monkees felt about them personally. Attending one of their concerts, though, the duo were spotted in the audience, and singer Davy Jones invited them onstage, to introduce them: "These are the fellows who wrote our great hits — Tommy and Bobby!" Every original Monkees album (except for the Head soundtrack) included Boyce and Hart songs. While working with The Monkees, Boyce and Hart embarked on a successful career as recording artists in their own right, releasing three albums on A&M Records: Test Patterns, I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight, and It's All Happening on the Inside (released in Canada as Which One's Boyce and Which One's Hart?). The duo also had five charting singles; the most well-known of these was "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight," which reached #8 in early 1968. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[3] "Out and About" (#39) and "Alice Long" (#27) were their other Top 40 hits. The duo also performed "I'll Blow You A Kiss in the Wind" on the television show Bewitched in one of several TV series appearances that included guest spots on The Flying Nun and I Dream of Jeannie ("Jeannie the Hip Hippie").  Boyce and Hart also were involved with producing music for motion pictures for Columbia Pictures, including two Matt Helm movies (The Ambushers and Murderer's Row), Winter A-Go-Go and Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows.   In 1971 a sitcom named Getting Together appeared on ABC-TV, starring Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern as two struggling songwriters, who were friends of The Partridge Family (and were introduced on their show). The series was reportedly based loosely on Boyce and Hart's partnership. At this point, they decided to work on various solo projects.  Hart was nominated for an Oscar in 1983 for his song "Over You", written for the film Tender Mercies.  According to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Boyce and Hart wrote more than 300 songs, and sold more than 42 million records as a partnership.

Jimmy Webb - Songwriter 

Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946 in Elk City, Oklahoma) is an American songwriter. His compositions include "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston" and "MacArthur Park". His songs have been recorded or performed by Glen Campbell, The 5th Dimension, Thelma Houston, The Supremes, Richard Harris, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes, R.E.M., and Chet Atkins, among others. According to BMI, his song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was the third most performed song in the fifty years between 1940 to 1990.   He is the only artist to have ever received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics, and orchestration. After transcribing other people's music for a small music publisher, Webb was signed to a songwriting contract with Jobete Music, the publishing arm of Motown Records. The first commercial recording of a Jimmy Webb song was "My Christmas Tree" sung by The Supremes, which appeared on their Merry Christmas LP, released in 1965. The following year, Webb met singer and producer Johnny Rivers, who signed him to a publishing deal and recorded his song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" on his 1966 album Changes.."  In 1967, Johnny Rivers turned to Webb for songs for a new group Rivers was producing called the 5th Dimension. Webb contributed five songs to the 5th Dimension's album Up, Up and Away. The song "Up, Up, and Away" was released as single in May 1967 and reached the Top Ten. The group's follow-up album, The Magic Garden, also released in 1967, except for a recording of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "Ticket to Ride", included only his songs.  In November 1967, Glen Campbell released his version of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," which reached No. 26 and became an instant pop standard .  At the 1967 Grammy Awards, "Up, Up and Away" was named Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Two Webb songs, "Up, Up and Away" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", received eight Grammy Awards. Webb's success as a new songwriter was unprecedented and underscored what would become the central dilemma in his career. While his sophisticated melodies and orchestrations were embraced by mainstream audiences, his peers were embracing counterculture sounds. Webb was quickly becoming out of sync with his times.  In 1968, Time acknowledged Webb’s range and proficiency when it referred to his string of hits, noting "Webb's gift for strong, varied rhythms, inventive structures, and rich, sometimes surprising harmonies." In 1968, the string of successful Jimmy Webb songs continued, with the 5th Dimension's "Paper Cup" and "Carpet Man" reaching the Top 40, Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" selling over a million copies and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge scoring a gold record with "Worst That Could Happen", a song originally recorded by the 5th Dimension. Webb formed his own production and publishing company that year, Canopy, and scored a hit with its first project, an unlikely album with Irish actor Richard Harris singing all Jimmy Webb songs. One of the songs chosen, "MacArthur Park", was a long, complex song with multiple movements that was originally rejected by the group the Association, which had commissioned it. Despite the song's seven minute, twenty-one second length, Webb released "MacArthur Park" as a single, and it quickly reached Number 2 on the singles chart. The album A Tramp Shining stayed on the charts for almost a year. Webb and Harris produced a followup album The Yard Went on Forever, which was also successful. At the 1968 Grammy Awards, Webb accepted awards for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", and "MacArthur Park".  In 1969, Glen Campbell continued the streak of Jimmy Webb hits with the gold record "Galveston" and "Where's the Playground Susie", quickly becoming the finest interpreter of Jimmy Webb songs. Webb and Campbell first met during the production of a General Motors commercial. Webb arrived at the recording session with his Beatle-length hair and approached the conservative singer, who looked up from his guitar and said, "Get a haircut."

Don Randi - Legendary Musician / Owner of LA's  "Baked Potato"

A long time fixture in the Los Angeles area, Don Randi is best known as the proprietor of the Studio City club The Baked Potato and for his longtime leadership of a popular fusion/crossover group, Quest. Raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York, Don Randi had classical music lessons for 13 years. He moved to the Los Angeles area in 1954. Since then he has been a busy studio musician, appearing on and writing for a countless number of motion picture and television soundtracks, commercials and pop albums. Randi recorded as a leader for World Pacific (1960), Verve (1962 including a trio date with Leroy Vinnegar and Mel Lewis), Palomar, Reprise, Capitol, Poppy, Sheffield Lab and Headfirst. Don Randi appears at the Baked Potato with Quest on a fairly regular basis.
Click here for songs composed/written by Don Randi.
Click here for a list of people Don Randi played for.

THE BAKED POTATO 40TH ANNIVERSARY JAZZ FESTIVAL
SATURDAY MAY 22, 2010 & SUNDAY MAY 23, 2010  at
THE JOHN ANSON FORD AMPITHEATRE
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East
Hollywood, CA -  2:00 P.M. until 11:00 P.M  Doors Open at 1:00 P.M.
LEE RITENOUR; LARRY CARLTON; CHAD SMITH;  AND MANY MORE!  CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LINEUP

5/20 - Rolf Benirschke, Veronica Webb,Mark Cantor, Doug Brode. Alsion Brie.

Ariana Pierce - "Superstar Nail Lacquer" 

Ariana is a young CEO. She owns Superstar Nail Lacquer, a couture polish line. She is the host of the Young People's Success Conference, May 27-29, 2010. Guests include: Tyler Williams of Everybody hates Chris, Chris,  Wilson of the Washington Red Skins, Camara Mathis, daughter of Judge Mathis. She has a celebrity blog: http://www.thebillionheirclub.com/





ALISON BRIE ("Annie" on NBC's "Community") 
Alison Brie plays Annie, a high-strung perfectionist, on the new NBC comedy series “Community.”

Brie can currently be seen as "Trudy Campbell" on the award winning drama series, "Mad Men,” which returns in August 2009. She will also appear in a film titled “Montana Amazon” with Olympia Dukakis and Haley Joel Osment slated for release later this year.  Brie was born in Hollywood, CA and grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of South Pasadena. Interested in acting at an early age, she began her career performing in community theatre shows at the Jewish Community Center in Los Feliz. After graduating from South Pasadena High School, Brie attended California Institute of the Arts where she received her BFA in Acting. While there, she was one of the original cast members in the world premiere of “The Peach Blossom Fan,” performed as the inaugural theatre production at Disney's REDCAT Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles. Brie also studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland.  Since graduating, Brie has continued to work in all forms of media, including film, television, and theatre. She has performed in the Blank Theatre Company’s Young Playwright's festival and in shows at the Odyssey, Write-Act, and Rubicon Theatres, receiving an Indy Award for her haunting performance as Ophelia in the Rubicon's production of “Hamlet.” Brie guest starred on Comedy Central and Disney's “Hannah Montana” and landed leading roles in some independent films before her current role on “Community.”  Brie currently lives in South Pasadena.

Doug Brode - "Mr. Pop Icon America"  -  Playboy 3-D  cetnerfold

"Why did Playboy do it?"  "Why has Playboy fallen so badly in circulation - from 6.5 million at its height  to 1.5 million today-what does this 'say'  about the American male?"  "Feminists complain that Playboy was  sexist - that it "objectified" women -  do you agree?"  "What did you think of those pictures of  the Miss USA contestants that were  compared by many to Playboy type shots?"







Mark Cantor - "Jazz on Film"

The Playboy Jazz Festival’s annual ‘Jazz on Film’ night, presented by noted jazz archivist Mark Cantor, on Thursday evening, June 10th at 7:30 p.m., will celebrate the legacy of jazz with a move to a new location in Mid-City Los Angeles this year. A longtime fixture at LACMA’s Bing Theatre, the event will be held in cooperation with the Ebony Repertory Theatre at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center on Washington Boulevard. Admission is free, although tickets are required and available on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets will be available beginning at noon on June 10th at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center box office. There is a limit of 4 tickets per person. Known for his extensive collection of rare jazz films and documentaries, Cantor will share a series of rarely seen performances celebrating some of the most important as well as the sometimes forgotten names in jazz. The Nate Holden Performing Arts Center was formerly the site of a popular Los Angeles playhouse, surrounded by the city’s top jazz clubs during Los Angeles’ golden era of jazz in the 50’s and 60’s in the heart of city.

Veronica Webb - Model

 Model and Actress Veronica Webb will be available to discuss the latest skin care treatments and how maintaining healthy skin can also affect a person's mental health, image and self esteem.  Veronica Webb has appeared on covers of Vogue, Essence and Elle magazines and on the runway for Victoria's Secret and Chanel. She was the first African-American supermodel to win an exclusive contract for a major cosmetics company, becoming a spokesmodel for Revlon. She's also appeared as a broadcaster on Good Morning America and Vogue magazine's syndicated style show Trend Watch.




Former Pro Football Player, Rolf Benirschke

Former Pro Football Player, Rolf Benirschke Shares His Story of Living with Hepatitis and Discusses What you Need to Know  MAY IS HEPATITIS AWARENESS MONTH  - Rolf Benirschke was the placekicker for the San Diego Chargers from 1977 until 1987, and set 16 team records. NFL Man of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Hero of the Year, etc. During his second season in the NFL, he was struck with an  intestinal illness that required major surgery the following season, and nearly cost him his life. He also contracted Hepatitis C. Instead of giving up, he is a survivor and an inspiration.

5/19 - Paige Hemmis, Ken Davis, Wes Moore,

Paige Hemmis - "Extreme Makeover Home Edition"

Paige Hemmis, part of ABC-TV's design dream team on "Extreme Makeover Home Edition," is a familiar face on construction site, as she's a skilled carpenter, designer and home builder. Now, Paige is picking up her hammer again to join in the National Heroes at Home program, which responds to the urgent need to help military families. The program provides renovations to the homes of active soldiers and American vets who are unable to repair their own homes, due to injuries resulting from service or income challenges.  Heroes at Home is a joint effort between Sears Holdings and Rebuilding Together, the nation's leading non-profit working to preserveaffordable home ownership by providing free home rehabilitation. The mission of Heroes at Home is to ensure that military families are living in safe, warm and comfortable homes - a dream come true for many veterans.  Paige Hemmis will tell  how they can donate to the organization as well as nominate local veterans for the Heroes at Home program. In May, Sears will be kicking-off its national fund-raising effort for the program, encouraging customers to contribute to the cause.  The Heroes at Home program was established in 2007 to provide support to military service members, veterans and their families through joint efforts with various non-profit organizations. Since then, Heroes at Home has raised more than $21 million, and supported the extensive rehabilitation of 505 homes for our nation's deserving military families. The Heroes at Home program was honored in March of this year, with The Peter Glen Award, given annually to a company who gives back to their community in a unique and impactful way.


Wes Moore - "THE OTHER WES MOORE"
THE OTHER WES MOORE is the dramatic, true story of two boys with the same name―one boy becomes the first African-American Rhodes Scholar ever from Johns Hopkins University while the other boy serves a life sentence in prison. In late 2000, the Baltimore Sun published an article with the headline “Local Graduate Named Rhodes Scholar.” That article was about Wes Moore, the author of this book. At the same time, the same newspaper ran a series of articles about a jewelry store robbery that ended in the tragic murder of a police officer. These articles were about another Wes Moore―just two years older and living in the same neighborhood―who would spend his life in prison. For years, as his life took him around the world, from Oxford to a tour of duty in Afghanistan to the White House and Wall Street, the author of this book couldn’t shake the memory of the other man with his name, who was destined to spend the rest of his days in a prison cell. Wes was haunted by a simple question—how could two boys who had so much in common have such radically different futures? Wes Moore decided to write to the other Wes Moore in prison. The two began a deepening relationship consisting of letters and visits, during which both men grappled with the experiences that had shaped their fates. Violence, drugs, single mothers, uninformed choices, mentors, and simple luck all played critical roles in their development.

Ken Davis  "A NATION RISING"

People magazine has written, “Reading ( Davis ) is like returning to the classroom of the best teacher you ever had.” A self-made scholar – he coasted through high school and never finished college – Davis is not your typical historian. When his first book Don’t Know Much About History was published 20 years ago, few would have predicted that a little volume promising to teach you, “everything you need to know but never learned” would spend 35 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, rack up more than 1.6-million in sales and become the cornerstone in a twenty-book franchise that adults, children and educators have come to embrace. Amazon.com has called him “The King of Knowing” and The Orlando Sentinel has written, “Kenneth C. Davis may have done more to educate our young people, and the general public, on the topics of history, geography, and science than all of the certified teachers in the country.”  In the new book A NATION RISING, the New York Times bestselling historian Kenneth C. Davis explores six little-known, but monumental moments of America ’s history during this turbulent time – and offers a fresh and illuminating look at how America grew from a tiny, newborn nation to a near-empire stretching from “sea to shining sea.”

5/18 - William Martin , Sean Phillips, Pete Fornatale, Maureen Blaha,

William Martin - "City of Dreams"
William Martin, recipient of the 2005 New England Book Award, is the author of nine novels, an award-winning PBS documentary, and a horror movie now considered a cult classic. His first novel, Back Bay (1980) spent fourteen weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, and eighth, The Lost Constitution, appeared on the Mass Market List in 2008. The works in between have established him, in the words of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, as a "master story-teller." At the publication of Annapolis, a saga about the U.S. Navy, Publisher's Weekly said "Martin is the maritime Michener." Of his biographical novel, Citizen Washington, USA Today wrote, "Deft, spicy, and excitingly readable... This fiction is so complex in its understanding of humanity as to seem actually true."  And he has joined the historical novel and the mystery-thriller to create a genre all its own. In Back Bay, Cape Cod, Harvard Yard, The Lost Constitution, and now, City of Dreams, his characters track the passage of priceless artifacts through American history while, in alternating chapters, the history comes to life. 

Maureen Blaha - Executive Director - National Runaway Switchboard

Maureen Blaha is the executive director of the National Runaway Switchboard, a position she has held since November 2000. The organization has made great strides under her leadership – the visibility of NRS has grown, and support has increased in both personnel and finances. Also under Blaha’s leadership, NRS co-created National Runaway Prevention Month. During this interview Maureen will discuss why youth run away from home and findings from the research study as well as provide advice for parents having a difficult time with their child, talk about alternatives for children who are thinking about running away from home and explain why the hotline is so important.

Pete Fornatale - "BACK TO THE GARDEN"
BACK TO THE GARDEN: The Story of Woodstock and How It Changed a Generation (Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster), famed New York radio disc jockey Pete Fornatale goes behind the scenes at the world’s most iconic rock concert to tell Woodstock’s untold stories. Separating myth from reality and fiction from fact, he brings the experience to vivid life through original interviews with Roger Daltrey, Joan Baez, David Crosby, Richie Havens, Joe Cocker, and dozens of headliners, organizers, and fans.  Peter ("Pete") Fornatale is a New York City disc jockey, who was born on August 23, 1945. He was an important figure in the progressive rock era of FM broadcasting. Starting with WOR-FM in 1966, FM was demonstrating a large rift from AM broadcasting. Fornatale was a key figure in this trend with his weekly program, "Campus Caravan," which was heard on Fordham University's WFUV from 1964 to 1970. He began professionally in 1969 at WNEW-FM and also worked at WXRK (nee WKTU). He returned to WFUV in 2001 and is heard weekly on his current shows, "Mixed Bag" and "Mixed Bag Radio," which is also on XM satellite radio. He won the Armstrong Excellence in Broadcasting Award in 1983 . He is a native of the Belmont section of the Bronx and attended Fordham Preparatory School and Fordham University, where he received a B.A. in Communication Arts in 1967. He is a member of the board of World Hunger Year.  Fornatale has also written many books on popular music culture. He has hosted many rock-related programs on WNET, PBS's station in New York City. He has been an on-air consultant for rock music shows and specials on VH1, MTV and HBO

Jeff Lorber - "Now is the Time"
Jeff Lorber Recaptures The Spirit Of Jazz Fusion On "Now Is The Time" .  Playboy Jazz Festival  SAX FOR STAX featuring Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum and Jeff Lorber 6/12/2010.  Over three decades after breaking ground as leader of the pioneering Jeff Lorber Fusion, the Philly-born and bred composer, producer and keyboard legend is still keeping the vibes fresh and the grooves funky, inspiring contemporary jazz fans everywhere to exclaim with each new musical excursion: Heard That. On his highly anticipated Peak Records debut, Lorber keeps the soulful momentum going, collaborating brilliantly on pop, jazz, R&B and blues-influenced tracks--and even harkening back a bit to his early 80s Fusion heyday--with one of urban jazz's top hit makers and sonic architects, Rex Rideout.

Sean Phillips - Yahoo Movies Executive Producer 

 Do you think you are a movie buff who has seen all the classics? -- Yahoo! Movies, one of the prominent movies websites, has released today its list of “100 Movies to See Before You Die: The Modern Classics,” arranged chronologically and they are all notably familiar from awards circuit coverage focused on the last 20 years of cinema from Hollywood and beyond, to name a few such as: James Cameron's 3-D gold mine “Avatar”, Quentin Tarantino's “Inglourious Basterds” and Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow's “The Hurt Locker.” These classics movies - all of which were made between 1990 and 2009 - were chosen based on their artistry, originality, and pure cinematic entertainment, Yahoo! said in a statement. These are the movies that molded pop culture over the past 20 years, offered the most quotable lines, and worked their way into this generation's heart and memory. “Twenty-one of the 100 films are foreign films,” said Yahoo Movies executive producer Sean Phillips. “Hong Kong cinema, you have got French directors, sort of everything across the board.” Some of the movies are from way back, but some are current, and that is what creates an interesting mix of critically acclaimed features "Brokeback Mountain; “American Beauty” with movies that were more admired by the moviegoers themselves.

5/17 - Gordon Grice, Janet Little, Doug Jeffrey

Deadly Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals - Gordon Grice
Gordon Grice  has written for The New Yorker, Harper’s, Discover, Granta, and other magazines. His first book, The Red Hourglass, was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and the New York Public Library. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Essays. He lives with his family in Wisconsin.  How does a tiny box jellyfish, with no brain and little control over where it goes in the water, manage to kill a full-grown man? What harm have hippos been known to inflict on humans, and why? What makes our closest cousin, the chimpanzee, the most dangerous of all apes to encounter in the wild?  In this elegantly illustrated, often darkly funny compendium of animal predation, Gordon Grice, hailed by Michael Pollan as “a fresh, strange, and wonderful new voice in American nature writing,” presents findings that are by turns surprising, humorous, and horrifying. Personally obsessed by both the menace and beauty of animals since he was six years old and a deadly cougar wandered onto his family’s farm, Grice now reaps a lifetime of study in this unique survey—at once a reading book and a resource.

Janet Little - Henry's Farmers Markets

May is National Celiac Awareness Month; it is in Los Angeles this year with a national conference on May 15. Because of its symptoms, which overlap other health disorders, Celiac Disease often goes undiagnosed, although a lifetime commitment to a strict gluten-free diet usually eliminates the variety of severe, often painful symptoms.  Celiac disease is an inherited, autoimmune disease in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. According to Dr. Peter Green, one of the guest speakers at the conference, “going gluten-free seems to be a current lifestyle diet craze among foodies, but for 3 million Americans (1 in 133), a Gluten-Free diet is a necessity. Shockingly, 97% of those affected don't even know it.”  Janet Little, spokesperson for Henry's Farmers Markets, for years has given lectures, led store tours, and developed gluten-free recipes. Henry's has become well- known for their Gluten-Free products, lectures and tours and distributes a comprehensive pamphlet on the disease. They are one of the participating sponsors of the May 15 conference. She can tell listeners how to make quick and easy recipes that are tasty and, of course, gluten-free.

Doug Jeffrey - Producer  Grid 41   -   Accept

MySpace isn't the only social website feeling the "Teutonic Terror" from the brand new video from the German Heavy Metal Band ACCEPT. The band premiered their first video in 10 years, crashing their MySpace site and their band's website as longtime fans of the band clambered to get a look at the video for their new song "Teutonic Terror". One Turkish fan having seen the video entered ACCEPT pwns (meaning owns, or rules in online terms) into the update box on Twitter, only to find out that someone named @pwns was now following him on Twitter. Both the Twitter story and the video spread like wildfire across the internet as the unlikely worlds of Heavy Metal Music and technology blogs including Gizmodo, Mashable, and Blabbermouth picked the story and spread it faster than a metal guitar riff. Gizmodo and Mashable detailed very simple explanations telling their readers how to exploit the security hole, Blabbermouth focused on the fire, tanks and carnage of the video, and Twitter went into panic mode and to fix the "Accept Bug" by resetting everyone's followers back to zero. That's everyone. Even Ashton Kutcher had as many friends as the rest of us... for a couple of hours.  MySpace isn't the only social website feeling the "Teutonic Terror" from the brand new video from the German Heavy Metal Band ACCEPT. The band premiered their first video in 10 years, crashing their MySpace site and their band's website as longtime fans of the band clambered to get a look at the video for their new song "Teutonic Terror". One Turkish fan having seen the video entered ACCEPT pwns (meaning owns, or rules in online terms) into the update box on Twitter, only to find out that someone named @pwns was now following him on Twitter. Both the Twitter story and the video spread like wildfire across the internet as the unlikely worlds of Heavy Metal Music and technology blogs including Gizmodo, Mashable, and Blabbermouth picked the story and spread it faster than a metal guitar riff. Gizmodo and Mashable detailed very simple explanations telling their readers how to exploit the security hole, Blabbermouth focused on the fire, tanks and carnage of the video, and Twitter went into panic mode and to fix the "Accept Bug" by resetting everyone's followers back to zero. That's everyone. Even Ashton Kutcher had as many friends as the rest of us... for a couple of hours.

"Follow the Prophet" - Video on Demand

Based on shocking current events, FOLLOW THE PROPHET is a thriller that critics have called “a must see” and “the dark underbelly of BIG LOVE.”  Robert Chimento (Milk) , Tom Noonan (House of the Devil) David Conrad (Ghost Whisperer), Diane Venora (Heat, Insider & New York film critic award for Clint Eastwood’s “Bird”), Steve Railsback (Charlie Manson in Helter Skelter R.D. Call (Babel, Into the Wild), John Diehl and ingénue Annie Burgstede. "Follow the Prophet" tells the story of 15 year old Avery Coldon who discovers that she is to be given up as a secret bride to the new Prophet of a polygamous cult. She escapes with the help of Army Colonel Jude Marks and a renegade Sheriff named Red When they find out that another younger girl will take Avery’s place they join forces to expose the truth that lies hidden in a town in Utah. From the Executive Producer Jay Wilson, who brought you DOGTOWN Z BOYS, FOLLOW THE PROPHET is a Red Road Presentation brought to life by an award winning team of film-makers including Emmy-award winning Director, Drew Ann Rosenberg, Writer Robert Chimento, Producer Joan Sweeny, Independent Spirit Award winning Cinematographer Walt Lloyd. Following its April 30th THEATRICAL premiere at the Angelika Film Center in Houston, “Follow the Prophet”, an award winning independent feature film can now be seen on Video on Demand on over 100 cable, satellite, telco operator and online outlets including: Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Charter, Verizon, Cablevision, DIRECTV VOD, and DISH IPVOD.