Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with “Shark Tank” judge Daymond John, who celebrates 30 years since founding the hip-hop apparel company FUBU. They spoke in 2020 about his entrepreneurial book "Power Shift” and the success of TV’s “Shark Tank.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with actor Chris Sullivan, who played the beloved character Toby, as "This Is Us" returns for its sixth and final season tonight on NBC. They spoke in 2017 during the mid-season cliffhanger of Season 1. Sullivan also describes voicing the hilarious Hump Day Camel in a series of GEICO commercials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices....

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with "Impractical Jokers" stars James 'Murr' Murray and Joe Gatto, who announced over the weekend that he is leaving the hit prank-comedy show for personal reasons after nine seasons. They spoke in 2020 during the release of "Impractical Jokers: The Movie." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with arguably the greatest Broadway actress of all time, Chita Rivera, who hosts the New Year's Eve special "United in Song" tonight on PBS. They discussed her prolific career, originating such iconic roles as Anita in "West Side Story," Rose in "Bye Bye Birdie" and Velma Kelly in "Chicago." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, who co-host the annual “New Year’s Eve Live” special tomorrow night as the Times Square ball drops on CNN. The duo called in to discuss their comedy tour AC2 at the historic Warner Theatre in Washington D.C. back in 2015. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with "Blue's Clues & You" host Joshua Dela Cruz about the show's 25th anniversary on Nickelodeon. He also describes meeting original host Steve Burns, who made headlines this year with a viral video to fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley revives this chat with Richard Gere to make up for the COVID cancellation of “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” which was slated to open today at National Theatre in Washington D.C. Gere and director Oren Moverman joined WTOP in 2015 to discuss their gritty indie film "Time Out of Mind" about the life of a homeless man. They also discussed his most iconic roles,...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with the "Smackdown" tag-team champions, The Usos, who perform tomorrow night at the WWE Holiday Tour at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. The twins stopped by in 2015 en route to “Smackdown" the same month their father, Rikishi, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates Festivus with Jerry Seinfeld! They spoke twice at the Kennedy Center, first in 2017 for "A Night of Laughter & Song," then in 2018 at the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. You'll also hear from "Seinfeld" co-stars Steve Hytner and John O'Hurley discussing their respective roles as Kenny Bania and J. Peterman. Learn more about your ad choices....

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with director Liesl Tommy, who hopes her "Respect" star Jennifer Hudson will compete for Best Actress against Frances McDormand of "The Tragedy of Macbeth." Tommy stopped by the studio to promote her production of "Macbeth" at Shakespeare Theatre in D.C. in 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Ron Howard's Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer to mark the 20th anniversary of "A Beautiful Mind," which opened on Dec. 21, 2001. They spoke in 2015 during the release of his book “A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life," as well as his memories of "Splash" and "Apollo 13." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Comedy Central creator Art Bell as the cable network celebrates its 30th anniversary this year since its founding in 1991. They spoke in 2020 about his memoir "Constant Comedy: How I Started Comedy Central and Lost My Sense of Humor." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with actor Keith David to mark today's 35th anniversary of Oliver Stone's "Platoon." They spoke in 2019 to promote TV’s “Greenleaf," his latest role in a prolific career from “Armageddon” to “There’s Something about Mary," not to mention narrating a series of acclaimed documentaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with actor Tom Berenger to mark tomorrow’s 35th anniversary of Oliver Stone's "Platoon,” as well as memories of playing catcher Jake Taylor in the baseball comedy "Major League." They spoke in 2017 when Berenger came to D.C. for the G.I. Film Festival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Andrew Garfield, who just won Best Actor at the Washington Area Film Critics Association for his role in "Tick, Tick...Boom." They discussed the legacy of Jonathan Larson, the genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda and even a little Spider-Man as "No Way Home" opens nationwide today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with movie critic Leonard Maltin about his new book “Starstruck: My Unlikely Road to Hollywood.” They discuss Maltin’s rise from growing up in New Jersey to becoming one of the most famous film critics in America, a household name to rival Siskel & Ebert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with drummer Jeff Plate of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which rocks Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. on Dec. 23. They discussed the band’s biggest holiday hits, from the guitar-shredding “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” to the melodic “Christmas Canon," staples of the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with drummer Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad, which plays at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia this Friday night. They discuss the band's biggest hits, including "We're an American Band," "The Loco-Motion" and "Some Kind of Wonderful." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with rap legend Kurtis Blow, who brings "The Hip-Hop Nutcracker" to Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland on Dec. 20-22. He also discusses pioneering the hip-hop genre with "Christmas Rappin'" and "The Breaks," as well as being sampled by Next and Nas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with actor Michael Urie, who stars in the new Netflix holiday film "Single All the Way." They spoke in 2018 when Urie starred in "Hamlet" at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with keyboardist Jeff Kazee of Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, which performs tonight at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. They spoke in 2015 for the Rock & Roll for Children benefit concert in Bethesda, Maryland. He also describes playing for Bon Jovi's band. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Oscar-winning film composer Justin Hurwitz to mark the 5th anniversary of "La La Land." Hurwitz even sits behind his piano during the interview and plays snippets from his Oscar-winning score. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Blondie, which released its self-titles debut album 45 years ago today. Lead singer Debbie Harry called in to discuss her 2019 memoir "Face It" ahead of her book signing at Sixth & I in Washington D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley marks the release of the new film "Being the Ricardos" by chatting with Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. They spoke in 2019 when Fathom Events screened five classic, colorized episodes of "I Love Lucy" in movie theaters nationwide. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Chris Jericho, who 20 years ago became the first undisputed champion of WWF and WCW by beating both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin on the same night. Jason spoke to Y2J in 2015 as Jericho prepared to host WWE's reality competition "Tough Enough." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices