Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with The Revivalists guitarist Zack Feinberg as the band rocks The Anthem in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night. They spoke when the band previously played The Anthem in 2020, discussing how the New Orleans band formed during the city's revival from Hurricane Katrina to record hit songs like “Wish I Knew You.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Nancy Springer, author of the "Enola Holmes" book series as the new movie "Enola Holmes 2" hits Netflix today starring Millie Bobby Brown. They spoke in 2020 when the original film premiered on Netflix for a deep dive into how Springer created the teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Grammy winner Richard Marx, who performs live at the Capital Turnaround in Washington D.C. tomorrow night. They discuss his biggest hits from "Don’t Mean Nothing” to “Right Here Waiting,” as well as songs he wrote for other artists like “This I Promise You” for NSYNC, "To Where You Are" for Josh Groban, “Dance with My Father” with Luther Vandross...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Sophia Anne Caruso, who is currently starring in the Netflix original movie "The School for Good and Evil." They spoke in 2018 alongside Tony-nominated co-star Alex Brightman for the pre-Broadway world premiere of "Beetlejuice: The Musical" at National Theatre in Washington D.C. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion&...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with best-selling author David Baldacci about his new novel "Long Shadows," the seventh installment of his "Memory Man" series about Amos Decker. They also discuss his Virginia roots and his quest for improved literacy in America. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates Halloween by chatting with "A Nightmare on Elm Street" composer Charles Bernstein, who wrote the music for Freddy Krueger. They spoke in 2020 about his memories of working with Wes Craven to craft the creepy ditty "1, 2, Freddy's coming for you." He even recreates the music live on his piano during the interview. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Cl...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Howie Mandel, who made his television debut in "St. Elsewhere" 40 years ago this week in October of 1982. They spoke in 2017 when he called in to promote the “Howie Mandel All-Star Comedy Gala” on The CW, as well as memories of creating “Bobby’s World," hosting “Deal or No Deal” and judging “America’s Got Talent.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "C...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with 14-year-old Jalyn Hall, who plays Emmett Till in the new movie "Till," which opens nationwide today. They discuss his chemistry with co-stars Danielle Deadwyler, Whoopi Goldberg and Frankie Faison, his admiration for director Chinonye Chukwu, and the film's relevancy to racism in America today. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates the 25th anniversary of Destiny’s Child releasing its first single “No, No, No” on Oct. 27, 1997. He spoke to Michelle Williams in 2017 during National Women’s Health Week organized by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with actor Charl Brown, who earned a Tony Award nomination playing Smokey Robinson in "Motown: The Musical" on Broadway in 2013. They spoke about his upcoming cabaret show "Smokey & Me," which hits the Weinberg Center in Frederick, Maryland on Sunday. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates Magic Week by chatting with magician Jon Dorenbos, who was also a former two-time NFL Pro Bowl long snapper for Philadelphia Eagles. They spoke last year when Dorenbos perform a magic show at MGM National Harbor near Washington D.C. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with enigmatic magician David Blaine to kick off Magic Week, which is always the last week of October. They discussed his death-defying stunts when Blaine mystified MGM National Harbor near Washington D.C. back in 2018. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with successful horror children's author R.L. Stine, who visits the Library of Congress tomorrow to celebrate 30 years of "Goosebumps." They discuss his personal favorite books and his most popular characters in the series. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with legendary singer/songwriter Jim Messina, who performs live at Rams Head in Annapolis, Maryland on Sunday. They discuss his time in Buffalo Springfield, Poco and the duo Loggins & Messina, which recorded hits like "Danny's Song" and "Your Mama Don't Dance." (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastcho...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Rachel Bloom, who stars in the new Hulu comedy series “Reboot” alongside Keegan-Michael Key and Johnny Knoxville. They spoke in 2016 just days after winning Best Actress at the Golden Globes for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” on The CW. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Hootie & The Blowfish lead guitarist Mark Bryan, who performs live at the Weinberg Center in Frederick, Maryland on Saturday night with the Screaming Trojans, a mix of his high-school buddies from Seneca Valley and Gaithersburg High Schools. They also discuss him meeting Darius Rucker at the University of South Carolina to record hits like "Hold...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman, who wrapped the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival last night in Washington D.C. with his new documentary "Retrograde" about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Heineman joined WTOP in 2015 to discuss his Oscar-nominated documentary "Cartel Land." (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Lear...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with musician Kris Allen, who beat Adam Lambert in Season 8 of "American Idol" and performs tonight at The Hamilton in Washington D.C. They spoke in 2017 when Allen brought his Christmas tour to the Miracle Theatre on Barracks Row in D.C. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb as tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of her hit single "I Do" on Oct. 14, 1997. They spoke in 2017 when Loeb performed at the AMP by Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Middleburg Film Festival, which kicks off tomorrow in Middleburg, Virginia. Here's one of his favorite conversations from 2018 when the festival screened Alfonso Cuaron's masterpiece "Roma." Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio joined Jason via interpreter to discuss starring in her very first movie. (Theme Music: Scott Bu...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley marks the launch of the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival this week in Washington D.C. by reviving this convo from the festival's inaugural year in 2015 with "Spotlight" director Tom McCarthy and screenwriter Josh Singer, who went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. You'll also hear a conversation with "The Wire" creator David Simon, who hosted...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with comedian Adam Ferrara, who performs live at the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse in Virginia this Friday and Saturday. They spoke in 2017 when he played the D.C. Improv in Washington D.C., breaking down his standup career and memories of his TV roles in "Rescue Me" and "Nurse Jackie." (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with stage and screen legend Betty Buckley to mark the 40th anniversary of "Cats," which premiered on Broadway on Oct. 7, 1982 and won Buckley a Tony Award as Broadway's original Grizabella. They spoke in 2019 when she played the title role in "Hello, Dolly!" at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. They also discuss her film and TV roles in "Carrie,"...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Everclear frontman Art Alexakis as tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the band's smash 1997 album "So Much For the Afterglow," which featured hits like "I Will Buy You a New Life" and "Father of Mine." They spoke over the phone in 2020 when Alexakis played a solo show at City Winery in Washington D.C. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with actor and comedian Will Forte to mark the 20th anniversary of his "Saturday Night Live" debut on Oct. 5, 2002. They spoke in 2015 about his Fox comedy series "The Last Man on Earth," while also reflecting on "MacGruber" and "Nebraska." (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices