Media Path Podcast

We've always suspected that the key to uniting our polarized nation may lie in our shared entertainment, and now we have definitive proof. It comes in the form of comedian Bobby Collins who has toured our nation and beyond, many times over, performing in states of every color, at USO and U.S. embassy shows abroad, and at political events for both parties. He comes to us with insights from the fron...

Two artists who have left an indelible mark on American music are, in actual fact,  a married couple with a brand new album on the verge of dropping. The Bangles' Vicki Peterson and The Cowsills' John Cowsill join us! Differences between these two abound: New England vs. Southern California origins, 60s family pop vs. 80s girl-band rock, drums vs. guitar; but the parallels are even more striking.....

A Golden Age Hollywood star in every sense, at just 16 Ruta Lee was  cast in the all-time great movie musical, 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers', subsequently becoming the designated smoldering beauty, spicy sexpot and fiery vixen in  iconic TV Westerns, mysteries and dramas of  the '50s and '60s.  She is celebrating her 90th birthday in classic Ruta fashion: with a one-woman show, fabulously titl...

Sharon Scott Williams bares her soul in a play called Crazy Mama, a powerful, personal story that's at once unique and wholly relatable. It's about family, mental illness and the bonds and devotion that propel us to protect and defend those we hold dear.   Crazy Mama is running at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, CA March 26 - April 6, 2025. It stars Linda Purl and is directed by Anson Williams, bo...

Arnetia Walker has lit up stages and screens for decades and she joins us this week to review her stunning show biz resume, including her latest entry, Bookie, the Chuck Lorre Max comedy on which she is currently slaying as Grandma. We are also joined by artist and Holocaust Survivor Erika Kahn, a first-hand witness to the consequences of authoritarian rule, scapegoating, and nationally sanctioned...

In the 1970s, Gregory Harrison went east to Hollywood. The son of Catalina Island’s glass bottom boat captain, Gregory began dreaming of a career in acting when a Doris Day movie was filmed on and named after his father’s Glass Bottom Boat. Now 120 IMDB credits into his career, Gregory joins us for a debriefing. After serving as an Army medic during the Viet Nam War, Gregory’s guest star appearanc...

Alexander Polinsky began his showbiz career on stage, at seven, and soon landed a role on one of the 80s’ biggest sitcoms, Charles in Charge. From there, Alex followed his imagination into working as a toy maker, a magician, a chef, a clown, a musician and a voice actor. Alex joins us to share stories about his Universal backlot adventures, his spiritual healing journey and his new album! Alex com...

We are celebrating The Golden Girls and Disco! The masterful creative output of the 70s and 80s continues to inform and inspire! Diving deep to illuminate this point are coffee table book couple, Jim Colucci and Frank DeCaro.  Jim’s book, Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind The Lanai is packed with hundreds of exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes and never-before-revealed stories,...

Kelly Bishop, legend of stage, screen, chorus lines and iconic television joins us to talk about her magnificent book, The Third Gilmore Girl! Kelly’s media path took her from Broadway dancer to a Tony winning performance in A Chorus Line to her partial culpability for putting Baby in a corner in Dirty Dancing to Friday night dinners with Lorelei and Rory as Emily Gilmore. And the journey continue...

Paula Poundstone’s incandescently brilliant wit and comedic wisdom are world renowned and she is widely celebrated as an author, radio personality, voice actor, podcaster and touring comic. Paula is carving her indelible imprint into popular culture and she shares with us her decades of show biz stories, insights and observations. One of the most recognizable voices on NPR, Paula takes us backstag...

Producer/Writer/Director/Composer Jeffrey Sherman eagerly went into the family business, following his grandfather, Tin Pan Alley Songwriter Al Sherman and his Dad, Robert B. Sherman of the legendary Disney Songwriters, The Sherman Brothers. Jeff and his cousin Greg Sherman’s film, The Boys, chronicles their fathers’ Disney journey from Annette Funicello’s hit single, Tall Paul, through The Disney...

We’ve got Linda Blair! Pioneer Scream Queen, 70s and 80s Hollywood Trailblazer, Golden Globe Winner, cult classic icon, animal rights activist and humanitarian, Linda joins us for an exclusive conversation about her path to self discovery in a terrifying lane she navigated solo, carving her way towards light and purpose.  Linda and Fritz share a history in philanthropy. They catch up on The Linda...

Randy Newman is one of the most misunderstood and under-celebrated musicians of the modern era. Reknowned Music Journalist/Author Robert Hilburn’s new book, A Few Words in Defense of Our Country is the definitive Randy Newman biography and Bob joins us to spotlight the genius and the legend of a great American musician and storyteller. Robert Hilburn was the music critic for the Los Angeles Times...

These children of showbiz legends are ensuring that their fathers’ memories and legacies live on.  We speak with James Tormé and Melissa Tormé-March about their Velvet Fog of a dad, Mel Tormé, as we approach the 80th anniversary of his incomparable contribution to the holiday music canon, 'The Christmas Song'.  Then Joel Brokaw joins us. His new book 'Driving Marilyn: The Life and Times of Legenda...

We sit down with actor Bruce Davison. With almost 300 IMDB credits, shelves full of awards and a slew of illustrious co-stars and stories about A-listers whom he befriended pre-fame-and-fortune, Bruce is brimming with fantastic tales that feature some of the most influential figures in visual media history. Bruce joins us to talk about his career, from his start in the '60s, all the way to current...

Are Hollywood's youngest stars in any less danger now than those of past eras? We pose this question to Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman’s Claudia Lamb. At age 11 she was cast as Mary’s daughter Heather Hartman in the groundbreaking Norman Lear soap parody. Claudia offers a front row view to her traumatic life as a 70s child star, at the mercy of her abusive parents and insight into how she gnawed throu...

Are you looking for comfort, distraction, hope or optimism? We are serving it up with recommendations to soothe, calm and quiet your spirit, plus two inspirational guests! Andrew Jameson is a writer/producer/director who brings his skillset to his advocacy work and Norman Lear biographer Tripp Whetsell joins us to celebrate a life and a body of work that continues to inform, inspire and amuse gene...

Harry Shearer has been delivering groundbreaking comedy that's the stuff of legend for decades, starting off strong as a child actor on The Jack Benny Program, then cutting off every edge in The Credibility Gap, pioneering the mockumentary with This Is Spinal Tap, bringing us over 20 voices in the most culturally relevant animated series of all time, The Simpsons and continuing to revolutionize ra...

John Paizis is the creative force behind Performing Arts Studio West whose focus is elevating the talents of performers with intellectual and physical disabilities. Together with friends of the studio, Mindy Sterling and Debra Wilson, John joins us to talk about their latest project, a storybook which puts a dark, new twist on age old fairytales, Mother Goose Reanimated.  John shares his extensive...

The Walton family saga so deeply moved us that scores of devoted fans are now sharing the show with their children and grandchildren.  Set in Depression era Virginia, The Waltons invited audiences to watch a family overcome adversity through their love, perseverance and the opening of their minds and hearts.  During its nine year run, we watched the Walton kids grow up right along with us. Between...

Happy Days is the iconically classic 70s TV sensation about the 50s. Its legacy is unparalleled, its popularity ongoing. The show  launched a character who remains the embodiment of cool, Fonzie, and it cemented its cast into icon status in perpetuity.  That cast includes Donny Most, who played wise-cracking Ralph Malph, who, complete with his own catchphrase, “I still got it!” took a minor role a...

You may know William Atherton from Day Of The Locust, The Hindenburg, Looking For Mr. Goodbar, and Real Genius or you may better remember him for vigorously questioning the environmental safety of ghost busting or for receiving a blow to the face which rings in a very Merry Christmas in Die Hard.    Bill began his career on the stage, performing in Broadway plays by David Rabe, John Guare and Arth...

In the '90s, a group of legendary rock and pop artists banded together, blending inspirations, genres, influences and styles to form a uniquely collaborative sound. The Bangles, The Cowsills, REM, The dBs, and Hootie And The Blowfish were all represented in The Continental Drifters.  Author and musician Sean Kelly has written the definitive Drifters tomb, White Noise & Lightning: The Continent...

The fall of the Soviet wall and the opening of the iron curtain presented ample space for hope, optimism and opportunity for westerners eager to share culture, creativity, business and democracy concepts with the citizens of the former Soviet Union. David Junk leapt at the chance to work for Polygram/Universal Records in a country hungry for music and freedom. David’s 15 years in Russia were a uni...

Golden Globe-nominated actor, action movie star, martial artist, helicopter pilot, heartthrob, thrill seeker and  Hollywood royalty, Lorenzo Lamas joins us for an exhilarating ride through decades of entertainment history, from the Golden Age through the non-stop 1990's and beyond! Lorenzo is the son of classic era movie-making duo Arlene Dahl and Fernando Lamas. Lorenzo came into his own playing...