Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

We went Live with Lee Sklar one of the most storied and successful musicians to ever grace a stage or session, and holy hell! Kicking off the show with a kick ass Phil Collins tune... we launched into everything Leland... how he started... where he went, and loads of the inbetween. Meeting James Taylor, being managed by Bill Graham, The Wrecking Crew playing for him, and a few years later playing...

Have I heard a better storyteller? I'd be hard pressed to name them. Larry Hankin took us through initial audition to shooting Breaking Bad and the follow-up film, El Camino ... from casting director, to creator/director, Vince Gilligan, to stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, with excruciating honesty. Getting Barry, working with Bill Hader whom he loves, an actor's director who just let him go.....

We went Live with James Gadson, one of the most recorded drummers in R&B history: Bill Withers, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Beck, B.B. King, Thelma Houston, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Joe Cocker, Paul McCartney, Donald Fagen, Kelly Clarkson, Phoebe Snow, Ray Charles, Melissa Manchester, Jose Feliciano, Aaron Neville, Rickie Lee Jones, Boz Scaggs, Natalie Cole… stories about them...

Game Changers Live With Vicki Abelson & Pete George by Vicki Abelson

We were Live with Terry Wollman, from piano lessons and the clarinet to music director/guitarist/producer/composer. Terry opens the show with his version of The Little Drummer Boy. For a couple of Jews sittin' around the table talking, he spread a lotta holiday cheer from his Christmas album, A Joyous Noise. Next up current events... I love the smell of impeachment in the evening... spider bites.....

I listened to alternative R & B songstress & guitarist, MALIA, who's got over 4 million streams and a million fans, all day long, and I'm still listening. Fascinating woman, with wisdom and success, mostly due to her gratitude and happiness––oh yeah, there's that brilliant talent thing. Pretty much self-taught, this self-proclaimed late bloomer is breathtaking. Tough start, broken heart, hitting b...

Ridiculous fun chatting with Lainie Kazan at Connie Stevens house... what? I know! Lainie talked growing up in Brooklyn, Erasmaus High with Barbara, who she would soon understudy in Funny Girl, and is that a fabulous and ultimately funny story... starting out as a dancer, then singer, first acting experience was at camp, where her drama counselor was... wait for it... Anne Bancroft. Hello? A few y...

So much fun and music with singer/songwriter/guitar man Carlos Calvo. He talked about starting to play at 3 1/2, being self-taught music reader, taking classical guitar lessons at Carnegie Hall, coming out to LA to attend the Music School... early gigs, no plan B, no non-music jobs, ever, great Stevie Wonder stories, segueing into teaching, gave Maroon 5s Adam Levine his first guitar lesson at age...

I was more than a little intimidated to sit down with 6x Grammy Winning, Oscar Nominated renown jazz trumpeter and composer, Terence Blanchard. I’m jazz challenged. I’d forgotten the warm, present, enthusiastic, sans ego, great storyteller with amazing tales I heard speak last year at a BlacKkKlansman screening, In personal conversation he was all that and a can of Gaga. Did we have fun! We talked...

Crazy fun with Robert Wuhl. We talked Newbomb Turk, Mike Binder, Fran Drescher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tony Danza, all discovered in The Hollywood Knights, alongside Robert, its star. How could we not, it's arguably still his most talked about role. We talked Good Morning Vietnam and Robin Williams, their friendship, Bill Durham, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, neither first choices... and who was......

Ridiculous fun with Grammy Winner, Tony Braunagel. As funny as he is stick gifted––great stories, he even acted some of 'em out. That High School Dracula, and the According To Jim gig paid off, big time. Man, is this boy entertaining. Tony blew out of here post show to hook up (not that way) with Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi for a Blues Brothers gig... poor guy. Bonnie Raitt, Rickie Lee Jones, Etta...

It just doesn’t get much better than this. Marcus Eaton, who David Crosby said is, “… a really brilliant writer. Brilliant musically. Brilliant lyrically. And he just plays guitar like God on a good day." Having borne witness, I say, Amen. Marcus, who composed the score of the recently released, critically acclaimed doc, David Crosby: Remember My Name, and has recorded, toured and written with Dav...

The show must go on… cause I’m a neurotic, Jew with OCD. L’Shana Tova! I hadn’t missed a BROADcast since starting, July 12th in 2016. When I found out late last night that our scheduled guest, Lainie Kazan, was under the weather, I thought I’d take my first Wednesday off and watch some TV… at about 6:10 pm tonight I realized I couldn’t do it. There are a core of lovely peoples who show up here eac...

If you weren't Live with us and 2019 Grammy Nominees, Teresa James and Terry Wilson (Best Contemporary Blues Album - Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps; Here in Babylon), about 15 minutes into the BROADcast, the camera shut down under heat distress in the studio built for 2, which four of us and a whole lotta instruments were crammed into, closed door, no windows, sans A/C, as it was making a racket...

We were Live with Billy Idol drummer, Erik Eldenius, who killed it Monday at The Fonda Theatre, backing up Billy, Jack Black, Gavin Rossdale, Juliette Lewis, and everyone else he played with. I call him a full-body drummer, the way he attacks his kit. A monster. In the best possible way. We chatted about growing up Swedish, say what... yup, Swedish is his first language... getting his first kit at...

What was I thinking, or not thinking?!? How did I not make clear that we preferred to go to his place, where keys abound, so that we could have the best of the best, keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, Mike Finnigan do his thing?!? How exactly?!? We opened with the video of his What a Life, with The LA Blues Alliance. It’s killer. I’ve been watching it in heavy rotation for weeks. We closed with th...

We went Live with multiple Emmy award winning writer/producer, Jay Kogen ~ The Simpsons, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, Malcolm in The Middle, School of Rock, and what a fun ride it 'twas! Had a blast and learned so much about the business of show. Jay has fabulous stories of getting there, being there, and working to stay there. Great humility, huge talent, terrific suggestions. Tales of Trace...

Fabulous conversation with Obie Award winner, Drama Desk and SAG Award nominee, Jason Butler Harner, who's about to co-star with John Slattery in neXt on Fox. You may remember him from Ozark, Ray Donovan, The Blacklist, Scandal, Alcatraz, Changeling, Bernhardt Hamlet… screens large and small, stages from Broadway to the Geffen... here with stories of Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Janet McTeer, Sara...

Great fun with Golden Globe and Emmy Winning writer, producer, director, Cindy Chupack. We talked her just dropped Netflix feature, Otherhood, the ten years and effort it took to get to screen, and the people who brought it to life: Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette and Felicity Huffman for three... Jake Hoffman, unbeknownst to me ~ Dustin's son... the close encounter with Meryl Streep. From eleme...

Wisdom, inspiration, and guidance from actor, writer, director, producer, Peter Paige, who chartered his course and did the work to live his dreams… even a few he didn’t realize he had. Growing up always moving, and starting over, he became a keen observer of human behavior. Finding his way in drama club, conservatory at Boston University, regional theatre, always doing the work, his best, securin...

From unknowing to extreme fandom in five easy minutes. For those in the know, this is a given. For those not, the opening of the show, where pianist composer, Mike Lang treats us to his Rural State of Mind, makes the case in certain terms. The man is a musical genius. From his gift at the keys, to his vast knowledge, expertise, finesse and collections, he’s a gift. I had the great good fortune to...

While the Democrats were debating, I was going flat hair to flat hair with 6 time Emmy Winner, Dan O’Shannon. I believe the victor is clear. He has more height, and 6 other Emmy nods. Whilst running the room at Cheers, barely 30ish, the boss of our Tracy Newman, he coined the phrase, “I’m sorry, was that out loud?” I didn’t believe it either, but it’s documented. I know. From a lightning bolt mome...

Sandy Helberg, an original Groundling, sure's got the gift of the gab. From his early days coming over from Germany, there's his dad, who survived the camps and took over Toledo Ohio, boasting about his son, Spielberg's partner, not, Gopher on Love Boat, sorta; a great story teller, no doubt. Sandy sure is. The whole family's doing it... like his brother, the doctor. Not. But practicing. You can't...

Fred Willard’s a national treasure. Spending time with him in his kitchen reminiscing about how he got to Fernwood 2 Night, and all that followed was a thrilling joyride. There’s no way to begin to assess the gazillions of laughs he’s responsible for. In my house alone. We talked about fun at Phil’s with current Emmy Nominee, Phil Rosenthal, Second City, Ace Trucking Company, Fernwood 2-Night, Mar...

Doing this show is always life-affirming, fun, and thrilling for me. Tonight I got all that, plus touched to my core. Sam Harris went balls to the walls and deep to the feet. Alright, shitty metaphor, shoot me. From the left. That's my good side. Yes, Sam, it's still all about me. Except this glorious time we spent together. As promised truths, heretofore kept private, came out in a thoughtful, lo...