TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 750.1: From September 2016: Tony, Donna, and  Ed remember the first national broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show (Syndicated, 1986-2011) in September 1986.

TVC 750.2: Ed welcomes actress, entrepreneur, licensed psychotherapist, and social media influencer Lorraine Bencivengo-Ziff. In the world of gaming, Lorraine is known as The Goddess of Slots, and, as such, she frequently appears at casinos across the country to test her luck on slots, while handing out "lucky lanyards" and interacting with fans. Lorraine will soon be in Un$uited, the forthcoming...

TVC 750.3: Lorraine Bencivengo-Ziff, the actress and social media influencer known in the world of gaming as The Goddess of Slots, talks to Ed about her role in the upcoming streaming comedy Un$uited ; crossing paths with Dolly Parton when she was a young girl; and how she combines the goodwill of Parton and the glee of Marilyn Monroe as the Goddess of Slots.

TVC 749.1: From September 2016: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the premiere of That Girl (ABC, 1966-1971) in September 1966. Topics this segment include how That Girl portrayed a single woman living on her own in a major metropolitan city, five years before The Mary Tyler Moore Show famously did the same; how Marlo Thomas had difficulty getting the series, as she had originally conceived it, on the...

TVC 749.4: Ed welcomes Randy Oglesby, the film and TV character actor who plays Chief of Police McNamara on the MGM+ series Spider Noir and Bill Festersen on the Peacock series The Burbs . (Peacock recently renewed The Burbs for a second season.) Topics this segment include Randy's early career as a stage actor with the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco; his affinity for performing di...

TVC 749.5: Actor Randy Oglesby ( The Burbs, Spider Noir ) talks to Ed about some of the many odd jobs in various industries that he worked early in his career, to support his efforts as an actor; how he got on the radar screen of Junie Lowry Johnson, the casting director for many David E. Kelley shows (including L.A. Law ); and his experience acting with and being directed by Clint Eastwood in Pal...

TVC 749.6: From September 2016: Ed welcomes Kevin Martin, owner and CEO of Piece of the Past, and author of An Insider's Guide to Autograph Collecting , an A to Z look at the world of autograph collecting that features useful tips to ensure that the autographed celebrity item that you're thinking of purchasing online and from an outside source is, in fact, authentic.

 TVC 748.1: From September 2016: An expanded edition of This Week in TV History in which Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the premiere of the original Star Trek on NBC in September 1966, and how the Star Trek franchise continues to influence our culture.

 TVC 748.2: From September 2016: An expanded edition of This Week in TV History that discusses the sixtieth anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek (NBC, 1966-1969). Topics this segment include Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , which opened in theaters in 1986.

TVC 748.3: From September 2016: An expanded edition of This Week in TV History that discusses the sixtieth anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek (NBC, 1966-1969) and the legacy of the Star Trek franchise. Topics this segment include a look at our favorite Star Trek movie and favorite Star Trek characters.

TVC 748.4: From September 2016:  Part 4 of an expanded edition of This Week in TV History in which Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the sixtieth anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek (NBC, 1966-1969) and the legacy of the Star Trek franchise.

TVC 748.4: Ed welcomes Linda Kaplan Thaler , Advertising Hall of Fame executive and the creative genius behind the Aflac Duck, the Toys R Us Kids jingle, Clairol's "Yes! Yes! Yes!" campaign, and many other popular ads that have become permanently engrained in American culture. Linda's memoir, My Life in 30 Seconds , is a very funny, yet often very moving, book that not only looks at creativity, re...

TVC 748.5: Advertising legend Linda Kaplan Thaler talks to Ed about the important role that goose bumps play in the creative genius; working with then-Governor Bill Clinton on his 1992 presidential campaign and with comedian Gilbert Gottfried on the "Aflac Duck" campaign; and why "What keeps you up at night" is an important question to ask. Linda's memoir, My Life in 30 Seconds , is available at A...

TVC 747.1: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the life and career of Tom Dreesen , the pioneering comedian, actor, and motivational speaker who was also the opening act for Frank Sinatra for many years. Tom Dreesen passed away on June 17, 2026 at the age of eighty-six. Topics this segment include the night when Dreesen visited Story Salon in 2009 (shortly after the publication of his first book, Tim & T...

TVC 746.2: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the career of actress and comedienne Catherine O'Hara, from her early work at Second City Toronto to SCTV, Home Alone, Schitt's Creek, The Studio , her appearances in the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest, and more. Catherine O'Hara passed away on Jan. 30, 2026 at age seventy-one.

TVC 747.3: Ed welcomes back Charlotte Stewart , the actress known around the world as Miss Beadle on Little House on the Prairie and as Betty Briggs on Twin Peaks . Charlotte will join Alison Arngrim, Dean Butler, and many other members of the Little House cast at the huge Little House on the Prairie 50th anniversary cast reunion that will take place Sept. 11-12-13 at the historic Grand Ole Opry i...

TVC 747.4: Actress and author Charlotte Stewart ( Little House on the Prairie , Twin Peaks , Little House in the Hollywood Hills ) talks to Ed about why the composition of a film was always important to director David Lynch, and how her long association with Lynch began when he was a student filmmaker and continued with Eraserhead and Twin Peaks . You can meet Charlotte Stewart, along with many ot...

TVC 746.1: Ed welcomes Richard Lefkowitz, author of Welcome to Fabulous Angeles: The Rock 'n' Roll Adventures of a Wayward Westside Teen , a coming of age memoir about Richard's years growing up as a teenager in 1970s Los Angeles along with his best friend—a character known in the book as "Moxie"—while also searching for validation and fulfillment. Throughout the pages of Fabulous Angeles , Richar...

TVC 746.2: Richard Lefkowitz, author of Welcome to Fabulous Angeles , talks to Ed about why Van Halen , the 1978 debut album by Van Halen, is the quintessential L.A. album; why "The Fuse" and many other songs by Jackson Browne capture the vibe and imagery of L.A.; and why the murder of actor Sal Mineo in 1976 hit close to home for Richard in many ways. Welcome to Fabulous Angeles is available wher...

TVC 746.2a: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the career of actor Demond Wilson before, during, and after Sanford and Son , including why he was an underrated straight man to Redd Foxx; co-starring with Ron Glass on The New Odd Couple , and with Denise Nicholas and Helen Wilson on Baby, I'm Back ; Wilson's career as a television preacher in the 1980s, and his attempt to use his platform to bring prayer...

TVC 746.3: Tony, Donna, and Ed commemorate the recent passing of iconic children's television producer Sid Krofft by discussing some of the many Sid & Marty Krofft shows that catered to adult viewers, including D.C. Follies, Barbara Mandrell and The Mandrell Sisters, Donny & Marie, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour , and Pink Lady and Jeff . Sid Krofft passed away on Apr. 10, 2026 at age ninety-six.

TVC 745.1: Ed welcomes Michael Tove, writer and producer of Yale Saleing , a thirty-minute short with elements of Alfred Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone about a young couple that find themselves embroiled in a twenty-year-old mystery after purchasing a strange box at a yard sale. Directed by Tom Logan, and starring Eric Roberts, Yale Saleing was making the film festival circuit at the time this in...

TVC 745.2: Actor, writer, and producer Michael Tove shares a few stories about his early experiences working as an extra on The Handmaid's Tale (1990), including his encounters with Aidan Quinn, Natasha Richardson, Elizabeth McGovern, Amy Aquino, and Gregory Peck. Yale Saleing , the new short film written and produced by Michael Tove, can be viewed online at EmeraldOakProductions.com .

TVC 743.3: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the life and career of Ted Turner, the legendary businessman, producer, media mogul, sports team owner, and philanthropist who founded CNN, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, superstation WTBS, and many other platforms. Ted Turner passed away on May 6, 2026 at age eighty-seven.

TVC 745.4: Ed welcomes  Martha Reeves , the legendary Motown powerhouse who is also one of the most influential voices in American music. Searching , Martha's first new album in twenty-two years, is a blend of jazz, gospel, blues, R & B, and lived experience that was recorded in New Orleans, alongside acclaimed trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, and co-produced by Marsalis and Martha's longtime manager...