The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby

Send us Fan Mail Katherine McNamara is an award-winning actress you know from her role as  Mia on “Arrow.”  The complete eighth and final season is out now on Digital, DVD and Blu-Ray. (From 4-22-20)

Send us Fan Mail Steve Barry joins us for a third time as we discuss his latest book "The List."

Send us Fan Mail Brad Meltzer, one of our all-time favorite guests, is enshrined in our 5-Timers Club as we chat about his new book "We Are The Beatles," the newest in his "Ordinary People Change The World" series.  A fun read for kids as well as adults.  As a ridiculously huge Beatles fan, I absolutely love it.  A fantastic introduction for kids to the fab four.

Send us Fan Mail Andy Mulvihill called in for a fun chat about his book "ACTION PARK: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park." Andy's dad was the founder and creator of the park and Andy was the original test subject for all of the rides. (From 6-30-20)

Send us Fan Mail Brian Trenchard-Smith is a film and television director, producer and writer who Quentin Tarantino has called “his favorite obscure director.”  He’s the author of “Adventures in the B Movie Trade,” now available on Amazon and Kindle.   (From 10-22-20)

Send us Fan Mail Camilla Pang holds a PhD in bioinformatics from University College London and is a postdoctoral scientist. Her career and studies have been heavily influenced by her diagnoses of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD and she is driven by her passion for understanding humans and how we work.  She joined us to discuss her book "An Outsider's Guide to Humans." (Fro...

Send us Fan Mail The Daily Show with Trevor Noah correspondent Michael Kosta called in to talk about his first one-hour stand-up special on Comedy Central, “Michael Kosta: Detroit. NY. LA.,” which was filmed in each of those three cities in a hilarious and nostalgic reminder of pre-pandemic life.  (From 12-9-20)

Send us Fan Mail "American Idol" winner Abi Carter called in to talk about her appearance on PBS's "A Capitol Fourth," her new album, and her upcoming appearance in Chicago at the Beat Kitchen on October 23rd. ABI CARTER BIO  After charming judges, audiences, and voters during her journey on Season 22 of American Idol , singer-songwriter Abi Carter went from hopeful auditi...

Send us Fan Mail Gordon Korman is a household name in the middle grade space. With over 100 titles to his name, he’s written a book for every kind of reader in this age group—from reluctant to voracious and all the shades in between. We discussed his brand-new adventure: SNOOP is the story of a screen-obsessed boy who finds himself trapped at home—and discovers that life gets harder when screens a...

Send us Fan Mail One of my all-time favorite ballplayers, Dave "Cobra" Parker passed away June 28th at age 74.  Dave's numbers speak for themselves and he should be in the Hall of Fame.  We revisit our conversation from April 12, 2021. Original episode description: Dave Parker won two batting titles, an MVP award, three silver sluggers, and played in 7 all-star games.  Of his 339 ca...

Send us Fan Mail New York Times culture reporter, best-selling author, and Twitter superstar Dave Itzkoff dialed into the show to talk about his new book Robin: The Definitive Biography and Untold Story of Robin Williams. We discussed why fans felt such a connection to Robin, how he dealt with a rocket-like ascent to fame from comedy clubs to Mork and Mindy, his struggles with substance abuse, and...

Send us Fan Mail Justin “MR. FASCINATE” Shaifer is nationally renowned as one of the top advocates for science education in the nation. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice in Technology, Science Communicator, popular TV host and producer who has starred in shows for ABC News, Hulu, PBS, and Travel Channel. On June 13th, Shaifer hosted the world’s largest K-12 science competition awards – the annual Toshiba...

Send us Fan Mail Chicago Fire star Joe Minoso joined the show to talk about tonight's crossover episodes of Chicago Fire and Chicago PD, beginning tonight at 8 CT on NBC-5 Chicago. Joe and I also discussed the stupidest Chicago winter ever and his roots in the area. (From 2-25-19)

Send us Fan Mail Debi Mazar called it to talk about her new series, “Arde Madrid: Burn Madrid Burn,” which is streaming on the Megahertz choice service. Debi plays Ava Gardner in 1960.  We also discussed meeting Frank Sinatra with Madonna, her battle with COVID-19, and the future of her series "Younger." (From 5-4-20)

Send us Fan Mail Jonathan McHugh is the director of a new documentary, “Long Live Rock: Celebrate the Chaos,”  now available on demand.  (From 3-12-21) Jonathan McHugh has been producing, directing and music supervising films and TV for decades. He has produced over 35 films and TV shows, music supervised over 75 films and produced many gold, platinum, Emmy and Oscar-nominated film and TV show sou...

Send us Fan Mail Chef Marcus Samuelsson called in to give me some tips on putting a new spin on the 5 dishes I can semi-successfully make, including getting out my olive oil rut and exploring avocado oil.  Plus: Marcus talks about his new restaurant and gives a shout out to Chicago. (From 2-20-20)

Send us Fan Mail Best-selling author Joanna Ho makes her 5th appearance on the show and earns the coveted prize as we talk about her fun new book "Becoming Boba." Joanna Ho is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of many children’s books, including We Who Produce Pearls , Eyes That Kiss in the Corners , and The Silence That Binds Us , her debut young adult novel, which...

Send us Fan Mail The Award-Winning Story of Illegal Drugs and Famous Baseball Stars On DVD and Digital Platforms on June 4, 2019 "Another masterpiece of wild and woolly Floridiana from Florida's documentarian laureate." - Vincent Mancini, FILMDRUNK Some of the biggest U.S. sports stars come under harsh scrutiny in the eye-opening - and queasily funny -  SCREWBALL , which reveals the...

Send us Fan Mail Paul Rees is an award-winning writer who has been covering rock and roll for three decades.  His new book is “The Ox: The Authorized Biography of The Who’s John Entwistle.” (From 4-29-20)

Send us Fan Mail (From 5-17-20) It was nice to welcome Clive Standen back to the show for a chat about his new show "Council of Dads."  Will there be new additions to the circle?  Will Tom Everett Scott return to the show as a ghost? Listen for the spoiler-free details!

Send us Fan Mail May is National Water Safety Month, which makes it the perfect time for parents and caregivers to contact their local Y and sign their children up for a Safety Around Water program or swim lesson. The YMCA’s Safety Around Water program provides children of all ages and backgrounds with the tools they need to be confident in and around water. Water safety expert Lindsay Mondick of...

Send us Fan Mail Ben Cohen joined us to discuss his new book "The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks."  We talked about the lack of Michael Jordan on NBA Jam for Sega Genesis, the difference between "hot hand" and "dumb luck," how to write songs like John Lennon, and a special "hot hand" Spotify playlist. (From 3-12-20)

Send us Fan Mail Will Vought has joined the cast of the multiple Emmy Award-winning "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."  We discussed his character (an Army Major who wants to be Bob Hope), the accuracy and detail of their 50s setting and re-creation of the era's comedy scene, and his on-screen relationship with Midge. (From 12-9-19)

Send us Fan Mail Mark L. Walberg is the long-time host of "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS, and is also hosting "Temptation Island," which is headed toward the two-part season 2 finale this Thursday (12/12/19) on USA Network.  We discussed some of the events of this season, how his role as host also incorporates being a counselor, and a spoiler-free hint and teaser what we can expect...

Send us Fan Mail Kate Black is the co-author, along with June Diane Raphael, of the book "Represent: The Woman's Guide to Running for Office & Changing the World."  We had a lively discussion about her inspiration for the book, her collaboration with June Diane Raphael, how to (and how not to) begin your campaign, and getting a testimonial from Hillary Clinton.  (From 9-17-19)