Podcast
TV Confidential with Ed Robertson
Hosted by ed robertson · EN
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television brings you lively conversations every week with the stars, writers, directors and other creative people behind the scenes of some of America's most popular shows. An engaging blend of talk and entertainment, TV Confidential often compares today's programs with those of the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s.
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Episodes
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Jim Meskimen of Landman and Hungry
Yesterday00:19:48Tap to summarizeTVC 738.4: Ed welcomes back actor, comedian, voice artist, and impressionist Jim Meskimen (Landman, Gaslit, Welcome to Chippendales, The Big Door Prize). Topics this segment include how Jim's early background acting in commercials provided a training ground for delivering a full performance, even when doing a one-line, one-scene, five-second bit (such as his recent appearance as the "cranky diver" in the new commercial for AppleWatch); why a good actor is also a good listener; and how the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Modern Health helped Jim refocus his career path. Jim's latest movie, the action thriller Hungry, becomes available for viewing on demand on all streaming platforms beginning Tuesday, June 23.
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Jim Meskimen on his gift for mimicry
2d ago00:15:08Tap to summarizeTVC 738.5: Actor, comedian, voice artist, and impressionist Jim Meskimen talks to Ed about when he first discovered his gift for mimicry; how his repertoire includes voices that most people probably wouldn't think of as impressionist material (such as actor Paul Giamatti); and how he determines when to add a new voice to his arsenal. Jim's latest movie, Hungry, becomes available for viewing on demand on all streaming platforms beginning Tuesday, June 23.
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David Spencer, The Novelizers, and The Rockford Files
1w ago00:22:06Tap to summarizeTVC 737.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with David Spencer, award-winning musical dramatist, author, critic, musical theatre teacher, and the author of The Novelizers, a deep dive into the world of media tie-in writing that not only introduces readers to many of the people who have adapted film and TV screenplays into original tie-in novels, while also making the case that tie-in writing is an honorable tradition with artistry of its own. The Novelizers is available through Bear Manor Media as well as Amazon.com. Topics this segment include a discussion of the Rockford Files tie-in novels written by Stuart Kaminsky in the mid-1990s (and how they reflect the older Jim Rockford, as portrayed in the CBS reunion movies of the same era), and the difference between "high context" dialogue and "low context" dialogue.
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David Spencer, The Novelizers, and Passing Fancy
1w ago00:21:15Tap to summarizeTVC 737.2: David Spencer, author of The Novelizers, talks to Ed about how he came to write Passing Fancy: Alien Nation, Book 6 (Pocket Books, 1994), the tie-in novel based on the Alien Nation television series (FOX, 1989-1990). Also in this segment: the Three Most Common Misconceptions About Tie-In Novels, plus three examples of tie-in novels that were unauthorized. The Novelizers: An Affectionate History of Media Adaptations and Originals, Their Astonishing Authors, and the Art of the Craft is available through Bear Manor Media as well as Amazon.com.
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Don Sainte-Johnn, author of San Francisco's Last Top 40 Disc Jockey
1w ago00:23:20Tap to summarizeTVC 737.3: Ed welcomes Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Don Sainte-Johnn. For more than twenty years, Don was one of the voices heard every day on KFRC, The Big 610 in San Francisco, the powerhouse station that not only shaped a generation of listeners in the San Francisco Bay Area, but was one of the most successful radio stations anywhere in the U.S. throughout the 1970s. Don's memoir, San Francisco's Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, not only takes you behind the scenes of KFRC and the world of Top 40 radio, but is filled with many great stories about a career that also took him to Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, and other media markets. San Francisco's Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is available through Amazon.com. Topics this segment include how Don fell in love with radio from a very young age; the important role that angels, sponsors, and mentors played in his path to becoming a broadcaster; and how he helped develop his vocal muscles early in his career by reading aloud with a cork in his mouth.
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How Wilber Johnson became Don Sainte-Johnn
1w ago00:22:51Tap to summarizeTVC 737.4: Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Don Sainte-Johnn, author of San Francisco's Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, talks to Ed about how he came to choose his radio name; the importance of show prep in the course of a daily broadcast; and the role that Joe Adams, Ray Charles' manager, played early in Don's career. San Francisco's Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is available through Amazon.com.
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Don Sainte-Johnn on some crazy moments behind the scenes at KFRC
1w ago00:14:01Tap to summarizeTVC 737.5: Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Don Sainte-Johnn, author of San Francisco's Last Top 40 Disc Jockey, shares a few of the crazier moments that went on behind the scenes and on the air at KFRC-AM, The Big 610. San Francisco's Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is available through Amazon.com.
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The bond between Robert and John Mitchum
2w ago00:08:53Tap to summarizePlease enjoy this special preview of our upcoming conversation with Cindy Mitchum, youngest daughter of legendary character actor John Mitchum and the niece of screen legend Robert Mitchum. Cindy has just rereleased Them Ornery Mitchum Boys: The Adventures of Robert and John Mitchum, a rollicking look at the lives and careers of her famous dad and famous uncle as they move through decades of adventure, war, celebrity, vice, loyalty, and loss, while also crossing paths with such legends as John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, John Carradine, Joi Lansing, and many, many others. Them Ornery Mitchum Boys is available in hardcover and in paperback through Henry Gray Publishing, Amazon.com, and JohnMitchum.com. Our complete conversation with Cindy will air in a few weeks on TV Confidential. Cindy Mitchum is scheduled to appear at the annual National Day of the Cowboy weekend celebration in Tombstone, Arizona from July 23 through July 26.
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Why Centennial remains a point of pride for many actors
2w ago00:08:21Tap to summarizePlease enjoy this special preview of our upcoming conversation with Perry Hibner, author of Centennial Revisited: An Oral History of the Epic TV Miniseries that includes exclusive interviews with more than thirty members of the original cast of Centennial (NBC, 1978-1979), including Gregory Harrison, Barbara Carrera, Cristina Raines, Cliff DeYoung, Mark Harmon, William Atherton, Glynn Turman, Les Lannom, executive producer John Wilder, and many, many others. Centennial Revisited is available in hard cover, paperback, and as an eBook from DorrancePublishing.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and wherever books are sold online. In this clip, Perry and Ed talk about how Centennial remains a point of pride for just about every actor who appeared in it, both at the time they filmed the miniseries in 1978 and when they look back on the experience today. Our complete conversation with Perry will air in a few weeks on TV Confidential.
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Ruta Lee on the inner light of Marilyn Monroe
3w ago00:07:38Tap to summarizePlease enjoy this special preview of our coverage of last night's opening night ceremonies for From Norma Jean to Marilyn Monroe: A Centennial Celebration, the new exhibit at The Hollywood Museum that is now open to the public and which features, among other items, an exclusive look at never-before-published photographs of the screen legend. Monday, June 1 marks the 100th birthday of Marilyn Monroe. We will bring you more highlights of the festivities in a few weeks on TV Confidential.
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