Your Mental Sorbet: Oscar Season: The Musical

Here is another "Mental Sorbet" that we could use to momentarily forget about those things that leave a bad taste in our mouths.

Oscar Season: The Musical  

Wayside Creations 

Directed by Vincent Talenti

Music composed by Dan Martinez
Lyrics by Dan Martinez, Kevin Brooks and Michael Grebe
Created by Kevin Brooks, Dan Martinez and Michael Grebe
Executive Producers: Vincent Talenti and Dan Martinez
Produced by Anthony Clementi
Directors of Photography: Matt Ryan and Reid Nicewonder
Choreography by: Christopher Troy
Visual Effects by Robert Dastoli and James Dastoli



Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Jim Lange

Jim Lange

August 15, 1932 - February 25, 2014

The game show host and disc jockey was known to listeners in the San Francisco and Los Angeles radio markets with stints at several stations in both markets, racking up over 45 years on the air. Lange was also known to television viewers as the host of several game shows, including The Dating Game.

Good Night Mr. Lange

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

America's Family and America's Audition Coach: Next on TVC

Television director Ralph Senensky and actress and author Lar Park Lincoln will join us on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, airing Feb. 26-Mar. 4 at the following times and stations:

WROM Radio
Detroit, MI
Wednesday 2/26
8pm ET, 5pm PT
2am ET, 11pm PT
Sunday 3/2
8pm ET, 5pm PT
2am ET, 11pm PT
Click on the Listen Live button at WROMRadio.net

WYYR: Yesteryear Radio
Vero Beach, FL
Wednesday 2/26
9pm ET, 6pm PT
Click the On Air button at WYYR.com

Share-a-Vision Radio
San Francisco Bay Area
Friday 2/28
7pm ET, 4pm PT
10pm ET, 7pm PT
Click on the Listen Live button at KSAV.org
or use the TuneIn app on your smartphone and type in KSAV

Indiana Talks
Marion, IN
Weekends, various times
Click on the player at IndianaTalks.com
or use the TuneIn app on your smartphone and type in Indiana Talks

KSCO-AM 1080
San Jose, Santa Cruz and Salinas, CA
KOMY-AM 1340
Watsonville, CA
Sunday 3/2
11am ET, 8am PT
Also streaming at KSCO.com

Boost Radio Network
Paramus, NJ
Sunday 3/2
8pm ET, 5pm PT
Click on the On the Air button at BoostRadio.com

KHMB-AM 1710
Half Moon Bay, CA
Sunday 3/2
9pm PT
Monday 3/3
Midnight ET
Click on the Listen Live button at KHMBRadio.com
or use the Live365 app on your smartphone and type in KHMB

The Radio Slot Network
San Francisco, CA
Monday 3/3
10pm ET, 7pm PT
with replays Tuesday thru Friday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Click on the Talk Slot button at RadioSlot.com

PWRNetwork
Ann Arbor, MI
Tuesday 3/4
9:30pm ET, 6:30pm PT
with replays at various times throughout the week
Click on the Live Radio button at PWRTalk.com

After graduating from the Pasadena Playhouse School of Theatre, Ralph Senensky began his career directing regional theatre and summer stock productions before moving into television, first as a production supervisor on Playhouse 90, then as an assistant producer (and, later, director) of episodes on Dr. Kildare. Ralph’s experience on Dr. Kildare led to a directing assignment on The Twilight Zone, which in turn paved the way for a long, prolific career as a television director that included work on such popular series as Route 66, Naked City, The Fugitive, The Wild Wild West, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Partridge Family, The F.B.I, The Paper Chase, Dynasty, the original Star Trek, and The Waltons.

Ralph not only helmed twelve episodes of The Waltons ― which is the second-most number of shows he directed for any one TV series ― but many of the segments he did forThe Waltons rank among the very best episodes in the history of the show. We will talk to Ralph about The Waltons, as well as his experience working alongside Ralph Waite, Will Geer, Richard Thomas and other cast members, but we’ll also ask him about some of his other notable TV credits. Ralph Senensky will join us near the end of the first hour.

Ralph is also an active blogger who has shared many great stories and behind-the-scenes information about his experiences in network television. Read them at Senensky.com and Ralph-Senensky.Blogspot.com.


Also joining this week will be actress, author and "America's Audition Coach," Lar Park Lincoln. After three decades working in movies and television, including appearances in such films and TV series asHunter, Oprah, Fatal Charm, 60 Minutes, Children of the Night, Friday the 13^th: Park VII, Beverly Hills 90210, Entertainment Tonight and a three-year stint on Knots Landing, Lar has turned her attention to helping parents, young hopeful and even veteran actors pursue their goals in the entertainment industry with truth and integrity, while avoiding the pitfalls. Lar Park Lincoln will join us in our first hour.

Lar’s book, Get Started, Not Scammed, is a How To guide to navigating the entertainment industry that is filled with great stories and hands-on information, based on her three decades of experience. For more information about Lar’s book and her coaching workshops, visit www.larparklincoln.com.

TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television
Wed and Sun 8pm ET, 5pm PT on WROM Radio
Wed 9pm ET, 6pm PT on WYYR: Yesteryear Radio
Fri 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
Weekends, various times, on IndianaTalks.com
Sun 11am ET, 8am PT KSCO-AM 1080 (San Jose, Santa Cruz and Salinas, CA)
Sun 11am ET, 8am PT KOMY-AM 1340 (Watsonville, CA)
Sun 8pm ET, 5pm PT Boost Radio Network
Sun 9pm PT, Mon Mid ET on KHMB-AM 1710 (Half Moon Bay, CA)
Mon 10pm ET, 7pm PT on The Radio Slot Network
Tue 9:30pm ET, 6:30pm PT on PWRNetwork
Tape us now, listen to us later, using DAR.fm/tvconfidential
Also available as a podcast via iTunes, FeedBurner
and now on your mobile phone via www.stitcher.com/TVConfidential
Follow us online at www.tvconfidential.net
Follow us now on Twitter: Twitter.com/tvconfidential
Like our Fan Page at www.facebook.com/tvconfidential

Harold Ramis and SCTV

I never work just to work. It's some combination of laziness and self-respect - Harold Ramis 

Harold Allen Ramis (November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014)

Today we heard the sad news that Harold Ramis died in his Chicago home from complications arising from vasculitis. He was an actor, director, and writer. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981) he also co-wrote both movies. As a writer-director, his films include the Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Groundhog Day (1993), and Analyze This (1999). Ramis was one of three screenwriters for the film National Lampoon's Animal House (1978).

The first time I saw Harold Ramis was as one of the original cast members of the Canadian television sketch comedy show  SCTV  where he also served as head writer. Today many will talk about his work on the big screen, so I'd like to focus on his early work for the small screen.













Good Night Mr. Ramis

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

This Week in Television History: February 2014 PART IV

Listen to me on TV CONFIDENTIAL:

CLICK HERE for a list of Stations

As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the more that fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truth really lies.

March 1, 1954

Ronald William "Ron" Howard is born.  

Film director, producer and actor.

He came to prominence playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years. He appeared in the films The Music Man in 1962, American Graffiti in 1973, and The Shootist in 1976, the latter during his run on Happy Days.

Howard made his directorial debut with the 1977 comedy Grand Theft Auto, and left Happy Days in 1980 to focus on directing. His films include Cocoon, Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Beautiful Mind, which earned Howard the Academy Award for Best Director. In 2002, Howard conceived the idea for the Fox/Netflix series Arrested Development, on which he also serves as producer and narrator, and plays a semi-fictionalized version of himself.

March 2, 1904

Dr. Seuss is born. 

Theodor Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss, the author and illustrator of such beloved children's books as "The Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham," is born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Geisel, who used his middle name (which was also his mother's maiden name) as his pen name, wrote 48 books--including some for adults--that have sold well over 200 million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Dr. Seuss books are known for their whimsical rhymes and quirky characters, which have names like the Lorax and the Sneetches and live in places like Hooterville.

Geisel, who was born on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts, graduated from Dartmouth College, where he was editor of the school's humor magazine, and studied at Oxford University. There he met Helen Palmer, his first wife and the person who encouraged him to become a professional illustrator. Back in America, Geisel worked as a cartoonist for a variety of magazines and in advertising.

The first children's book that Geisel wrote and illustrated, "And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street," was rejected by over two dozen publishers before making it into print in 1937. Geisel's first bestseller, "The Cat in the Hat," was published in 1957. The story of a mischievous cat in a tall striped hat came about after his publisher asked him to produce a book using 220 new-reader vocabulary words that could serve as an entertaining alternative to the school reading primers children found boring.

Other Dr. Seuss classics include "Yertle the Turtle," "If I Ran the Circus," "Fox in Socks" and "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish."

Some Dr. Seuss books tackled serious themes. "The Butter Battle Book" (1984) was about the arms buildup and nuclear war threat during Ronald Reagan's presidency. "Lorax" (1971) dealt with the environment.

Many Dr. Seuss books have been adapted for television and film, including "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" and "Horton Hears a Who!" In 1990, Geisel published a book for adults titled "Oh, the Places You'll Go" that became a hugely popular graduation gift for high school and college students.

Geisel, who lived and worked in an old observatory in La Jolla, California, known as "The Tower," died September 24, 1991, at age 87.

March 2, 1944

For the first time, the Academy Awards are presented as part of a televised variety show. 
  
Jack Benny served as master of ceremonies for the event, which was held at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. Due to lack of network interest, the show was only broadcast locally, on two Los Angeles TV stations. Winners included Best Film Going My Way, whose male lead, Bing Crosby, won Best Actor. Ingrid Bergman won Best Actress for her performance in Gaslight.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa