Vicki Abelson's Broadcast: The Road Taken

Jack McGee cameth! Funny, funny, funny... great stories, great storyteller, what fun. Just what the doc didn't order #NoDrugs #BothSober One of my favorite actors, from one of my favorite (maybe my favorite) shows of all time, Rescue Me, was in the house. We talked Dennis Leary, Peter Tolan, Lenny Clarke, and Steven Pasquale, yes, Jack I listened to him sing on YouTube, WOW. Loved him on Rescue Me... and now, this. Touched on The Fighter, talked NYPD Blue, a Broadway audition at age 8 against a 6 yr old redhead named Ron Howard... walking down the exact same alley 61 yrs later to make his Broadway debut opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh. We talked about the Bronx, being in the NYFD, practical wisdom about getting agent. We talked Slappy, Jack's bride and true love, and he crooned her a tune. Still smiling... happy time! Shouted out Jimmy Smagula ~Jack wants to take singing lessons! Liberty Devitto, next week's guest, and new friend Pete George, who embodies generosity and kindness. Jack McG

Oh how I loved spending time with James Lee Stanley, a one of a kind, gazillion threat: amazing songwriter, stupendous voice, charming, handsome, smart, funny... fabulous! And, oh the life he's lived. A pro at 16 with a recording contract and friends like Cass Elliot and Peter Tork, before the Mamas and Papas and The Monkees... Henry Dilz, early advocates Les Paul, Bill Graham, a 10 album recording contract with Wooden Nickel (RCA), Jerry Weintraub... starting his own label, Beachwood Recordings, the first artist to record a Stephen Bishop tune, having hits of his own, running around with author Tom Robbins who put him in a book or two, the inside on how Peter became a Monkee, and Graham Nash joined Crosby & Stills, sharing Billboard raves with Queen, Loggins & Messina, and Alvin Lee; opening for Bonnie Raitt, Robin Williams (a mensch), Steven Wright (for 3 yrs), missing opportunities, Seinfeld, Jermaine Jackson, making opportunities, all over the place. An Emmy, Cable Ace Award-Winner, who's always earned h

When Anson Williams comes to call, I’m newly inspired, informed, and fantastically entertained. My years-long mentor, time spent here 'splains why. Anson's all about moving forward, focusing on what we do have, not what we don't; finding the diamond in the rough on the table in front of us and mining it for all it's worth. Throughout the BROADcast, Anson demonstrates through his life experiences, the essence of why I created this show... how to successfully merge creativity and commerce... which, still eludes me. Dammit. But, I'm blessed to have Anson in my corner, helping to steer my ship. A listen here as he guides me through my current travails I trust will inform others, pray tell, you, too. Iffin' you don't need such things, if you're already banking coin, stay for the stories. Not only a Golden Globe Nominee for his work on Happy Days, Anson, a Humanitis award-winning writer, award-winning director, who's amassed major product marketing successes, and, is a mensch to the max. We talked talent... Jules

Jimmy Brogan, consummate comedian, took us through the glory days of stand-up with Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Larry Miller, Carol Liefer, Dennis Wolfberg… what it took to make it his life. Connecting to Hillary Rollins, which connected him to her father, Jack Rollins, who fortuitously became his manager (other clients included Woody Allen, Robert Klein, Letterman,. Billy Crystal - not bad company) and changed his life. He did The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, who was already a fan of his, starred in the ABC sitcom Out of The Blue, where he also guested on Happy Days and Robin Williams kicked off his sitcom. He became closeasthis with Jay Leno, becoming his go-to guy, which landed him a gig on The Tonight Show, working with Jay and booking the comedians, becoming the power broker of TV funny. There was the standoff with Oprah, the battle of wills for a raise, the every Sunday night gigs at The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach opening for Jay, which he’s done for 26 yrs through to present day. We

Fantastic stories from AJ Benza ~ JFK Jr, Nicholson, Depp, Fallon, Joan Rivers, Winona Ryder, Tori Spelling, SNL, Seinfeld, the one I shall not name, Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade, Harvey Weinstein, Chris Cornell, Rocky Balboa, the demise of newspapers... we agree on next to nothing, but his balls to walls straight talk is always crazy fun! AJ Benza on The Road Taken, Celebrity Maps to Success Wed, 7/18/18, 7 pm PT/ 10 pm ET With Samantha Abelson Live on The Facebook Full replay here: https://bit.ly/2mvW37Y Aj's moving, coming of age memoir, '74 And Sunny https://amzn.to/2uxoMh5 Fame is a Bitch Podcast https://apple.co/2zOe5f3 All BROADcasts, as podcasts, also available on iTunes apple.co/2dj8ld3 Stitcher bit.ly/2h3R1fl tunein bit.ly/2gGeItj This week's BROADcast is brought to you by Rick Smolke of Quik Impressions, the best printers, printing, the best people people-ing. quikimpressions.com And, Nicole Venables of Ruby Begonia Hair Studio Beauty and Products for tresses like the stars she coifs

Days don’t get happier than this. Don Most ~ it’s ok with him if we call him Donny… sings and swings! Oh boy does he! He opened and closed the show with song ~ cool standards, and it just doesn’t get any better. Don went Inside Happy Days, great stories about Henry Winkler and his creation of the Fonz, Ron Howard, Robin Williams, Garry Marshall, his stronger than ever friendship with Anson Williams ~ his journey as a 9 yr old from Bklyn to hitting the stage and falling in love… from camp at Shrub Oak with my old boyfriend Ira to performing in the Catskills, commercials, TV and film, serious actor, to iconic comedic television… back to the stage, TV, more film, award-winning directing, to rediscovering his passion for singing, performing with an orchestra, a new CD, a new film, his upcoming show at The Catalina Club for WeSpark ~ cancer support of the highest order under the direction of his former co-star, the gorgeous inside and out, Nancy Allen, & pretty much everything in between. What a dollface. To kn

Oh My God! She said it. More than once. Maggie Wheeler was hilarious! We talked Friends, Matthew, Jennifer, Ellen, Suddenly Susan, being a Jewish girl as opposed to being a Jewess, sexy redheads, the powers that be, Seinfeld, and having Larry share her ranking whilst shooting her screamingly funny, Curb… we got the LOL, too. There was Everybody Loves Raymond, and, Maggie (and I) loves Phil, and Jeremy… her old boyfriend, David Duchovny, I know. The X-Files, Californication, and Henry Jaglom making Someone To Love based on her life, where she played her in her life, with the before mentioned, now ex, Duchovny. Being on Johnny Carson…Lorne Michaels, The Golden Bridge Choir, A Course in Miracles, Marianne Williamson, voiceovers, radio, lots of voices, stories, tons of fun! I love her! Maggie Wheeler on The Road Taken, Celebrity Maps to Success Wed, 6/27/18, 7 pm PT/ 10 pm ET With Louise Palanker Live on The Facebook Full show replay here: https://bit.ly/2KhLpQk All BROADcasts, as podcasts, also available

Crazy fun with Oscar, Grammy Nominee, Stephen Bishop. We were voyeurs in his amazing home which houses Gold and Platinum Records, the back off the guitar John Belushi smashed in Animal House––signed by the entire cast, a pic of The Beatles, signed by The Beatles; a huge painting of Hendrix, ridiculously cool stuff everywhere. Nothing cooler than Stephen, who’s written over 650 songs… say what…. he sang one of his latest, Almost Home, the theme of the new Benji Movie on Netflix, the first song he ever wrote, a song sung with his first band, The Weeds, his version of a Jagger song, the theme of Animal House, and, the song he sang in the film, plus, the Theme of Tootsie, Separate Lives, and, oh yes, On and On! Hell yeah! Plus, Blue Window, from his latest CD, Blueprint. More than a mini-concert, with stories, stories, stories… Bette, Barbra, Whitney, Clapton, good friend of both of ours, James Lee Stanley, who was the first to record a Stephen tune, Art Garfunkle, who had Stephen sing on his version of my weddin

The only answer is “Yes.” Dan Navarro’s creedo which has served him well, and, saved my ass more than once. With 24 hrs notice Dan stepped in, swung away and gave it 110%, as he always does. Opening the show with the beauty, Let it Ride, from his newly dropped solo CD, Shed My Skin, he told stories… Barry Cowsill *swoon*, Hanson, Cameron Dye, Deborah Pearl, Severin Browne, his cousin Dave, The Bangles, and, of course, his longtime collaborator, creative and performing partner, Eric Lowen who passed of complications of ALS in 2012, forever changing Dan’s life, in innumerable ways. He did a little Javier Bardem, talked Family Guy, and closed out the BROADcast with a mini-concert, two killer cuts from his new CD, not to be missed, and, his mega-hit for Pat Benatar, We Belong, currently featured in the box office smash, Deadpool 2. Nothing like Dan the creator performing his song. We laughed like hell, had a ball, but alas, no tightie whities, or whacky blackies. Next time. Dan Navarro on The Road Taken, Celebr

They just don't come cuter than Kathleen Rose Perkins. As fabulous as her Carol Rance on Episodes, Kathleen's all that, and then a lot! Hysterical, gorgeous, adorable, warm, accessible, authentic and fearless. I adore her even more than I did binging five seasons of her, tracking her down and getting an instant "Yes." We talked growing up in Michigan with her creative PE teacher dad, four brothers, and supportive, encouraging mom... starting out wanting to be a CEO and kind of becoming one, or playing one, sort of on TV. Musical theatre in college and rep to moving to Hollywood, working day jobs and lying to sneak off to auditions. Working with Ben Affleck in Gone Girl, Brad Garrett in 'Till Death, Jay Mohr in Gary Unmarried, to Matt LeBlanc and John Pankow in Episodes. The British cast, mad love for Tamsin Greig who shared the screen with for five seasons, maybe four lines with Mr. LeBlanc... her longtime love, Christopher, creator, and showrunner of Merlin, going into their 2nd season, their story to pilot,

Emmy-winning, writer, producer, performer, Larry Wilmore is a rare guest I hadn’t met before, yet, within moments in his good company I felt as if we’d known each other forever, Starting with Obama and the White House Correspondents Dinner controversy––for everyone except the president––Larry gave us his eye view. Barack got it, he felt the love. It would be tough not to. Warm, open, direct, hysterical, thoughtful, intelligent, passionate, and intent on being understood, Larry is a master communicator, who’s synthesized what works for him, and what doesn’t, and, he’s enthusiastic to share the wisdom. Patient and generous, he orchestrated each point with care, and great good humor. We talked where he started, where he’s been and where he still wants to go. CNN, Cosby, In Living Color, Jon Stewart, The Daily Show, The Nightly Show, Eddie Murphy, Phil Rosenthal, Richard Benjamin, Black-ish, Insecure, Black on The Air were covered, as were Larry’s two great passions, being a father, and being in show biz. There

How many nights as a teenager did I sit in my room in Queens, watching The Mod Squad, dreaming of being Peggy Lipton… tonight I kinda was-ish––Michael Cole’s wing woman. As much as I adored Pete Cochran, I love Michael Cole, more… his warmth, sensitivity, empathy, humanity––he was overcome with emotion more times than I can count. He jumped into every story he told, acting out each one… and, did so with passion and conviction. He spoke at length, and in depth, of his tough and troubled childhood, his devotion and love for his mother and brother––the alcohol, which he started, oh so young, and which was his constant companion though homelessness, insane success, and the in the in-between… the genuine soul connection with Peggy and Clarence, which carries forward to this day… starring in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, and his unusual preparation… how he went from zero to 100 in a moment… the pain he’s carried about his father, and is releasing with his son thanks to the love of Shelley, who changed everything. The

A quintuple threat––guitar, keyboards, sax, accordion, and vocals, Korel Tunador's a ridiculously talented sweetheart who put the doll in Goo Goo. From a small town outside of Pittsburgh to Berklee College of Music, Korel's always been a musician, with no Plan B. In bands since high school, Korel treated us to a couple of tunes from his early days and one of my favorites from his spectacular solo CD, No Tomorrows. Breaking (kind of) with pop's Hanson (MMMBop), to Jada Pinkett Smith's heavy metal Wicked Wisdom, the Goo Dolls, Katy Perry, and then back for another 12 or so years with the Goo Goos, living the stuff rockboy dreams are made of... playing the Grammys, The MTV Awards, Red Rocks, Stadiums, MTV Unplugged... Abby Road... meeting McCartney... Korel's now refocused on making his own music to follow his brilliant, The Early Mourning, and, his passion for teaching, primarily voice, after studying with his mentor, legendary vocal coach, Dave Stroud, who's worked with Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and

Jules Galli. What an inspiring example of talent, grace, vision, artistry, service, sensitivity, intelligence, gorgeousness–which, as stunning as he is, is far from just a handsome face... the rest of him ain't bad neither. Soulful, empathetic, passion-driven, he may truly, have it all. Opening the BROADcast with the title cut from his just dropped EP, Without Your Love, even just sitting there in a chair, Jules is riveting. Closing the show with his latest, The Beginning. Wow, just wow, can't wait till he records it. How does a 24 yr old French immigrant enmesh himself with the best of the LA music scene in just a few years? Be great. be gracious, play, play, play, and, connect. Like with our good friend Steve Postell, who produced a track, and opened the door to his joining the Tribe... LA's philanthropic musical creme de la creme who've raised loads of money for LA's homeless. Shot in the home Jules shares with his family, we got to visit with his lovely mother and celebrity chef father, who chefs for

America's Funniest Host, Tom Bergeron, was, as always, an easy, affable, adorable, fantastical guest. Great stories from an amazing storyteller who continues to challenge himself creativity every time he picks up a mic. What other TV host is so present, in the moment, trusting of himself, and, trusted by the networks to let the funny rip, off the cuff, every single show. That would be Tom. As a 16 yr old broadcaster he tracked down Larry Fine, interviewed him, and from Larry got to Moe Howard––are you kidding me? I'm not. Tom spoke of his early radio days, stretching beyond DJ'ing, creating his own niche, bringing Tom to everything he did, and does, from radio to morning TV, to hosting Hollywood Squares, winning an Emmy, America's Funniest Home Videos for 14 years, Dancing With The Stars for 12 years and counting, winning another Emmy... co-hosting the Emmy's, and turning that not so great adventure into another funny. He's been a rare male to sit in for Whoopie and co-host The View, was the first man to gue

On the road to PAULA POUNDSTONE'S house we were greeted by the sound of drums (Paula), her 15 housemates, Lucy, Desi, Bogie, and The Three Stooges benches, and, a few tech issues. And the password is... we finally got it, got online after a bit of a sweat, mine. The video is a tad compromised... oh lord let this be a bandwidth issue... but it doesn't really matter. God is she funny! "I'm a slow reader. I can read a current event and by the time I finish it's history." We talk Paula's very interesting sleeping habits, her first rave comedy review (Kindergarten), to her just received nominations for two Audie Awards: Best Humor AudioBook, and, Best AudioBook of the Year, hell yeahs, for her The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness. Then we talked a ton of stuff in between. Her 40th High School reunion, working at the salad bar, her first open mike, and her second, the comedy boom in the late 70s, Boston, San Francisco, Robin Williams, Letterman, SNL, Carson... how she crafts her act..

Comedy gold! Paul Provenza took us on a thrill ride through comedy from his earliest memories of stand up on Ed Sullivan, afternoon talk shows in the 60s, Klein, Carlin, to Davi, the early days of The Improv... the funniest of the funny Aristocrats, Penn, TV sitcoms, the earliest days of Comedy Central to The Green Room, Set LIst... to his current passion project, a documentary about sexual abuse which is... hysterical. Yup. Who but Paul could pull that off?!? Put it all together and this man who created his own degree, his own club scene, theatrical success, television shows, a one-joke movie, this innovative talented creative is all in for the work. Monetary rewards have come... he's used them to finance his dreams. Dollars don't drive him, his passions do. His just filmed arc on I'm Dying Up Here will no doubt lead to the next gig, and the one after that, enabling him to continue to make his own cutting edge, game-changing, great art. Motivating, inspiring, damn entertaining! Paul Provenza on The Road T

Katzapalooza! Spectacular show with one of the most generous, gracious, informative, fun guests, ever. Barry Katz barely mentioned himself, it was all about how to help us, the listeners, still seeking. And, about others... those he respects, admires, and why he puts himself all in for those he believes in. He knows at the first handshake... hmm... wonder what he can tell from a hug. I loved every second of this. I cannot recommend spending your time here, enough. Whether you're in "the business," in real estate, a house painter, Lyft driver, be an A. Invaluable advice on moving forward from one who's living his dreams at the paramount of success. Barry Katz maps the path on this special edition of The Road Taken. Very little about Barry, he generously made it all about you, and me. How to get there, and win. From the amazing Will Lee, "Vicki, I'm glued to this Barry Katz episode more than the others I've seen & you've had some great ones! This is life-changing. Thanks for doing what you do. XXX" A little

Who you gonna call… me, please. Ray Parker, Jr., swoon. We talked growing up in Detroit, racial injustice, police brutality first hand, playing the clarinet and getting tired of blowing. I know. Ray’s first gig with The Spinners, to going on the road with Stevie Wonder, at 18 ~ without having to audition! Craziness… I saw that tour! Little Stevie Wonder opened for The Stones, with Ray on guitar and David Sanborn on sax. What a band, what a concert! What stories Ray has to go with it. One girl, one ticket, two girls, two tickets, three girls, three tickets. The boy was busy! Ray moved to LA, started playing on records, and played with… everyone. Those were the daze. Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, getting ripped off writing You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, which won the Grammy, and Ray didn’t get his due credit. But, other than that it’s been a pretty sweet ride. We talked about his successful marriage, 24 yrs and counting, four sons, one making music in the studio while we were there. This is a good m

I don't even know where to start... Henry Jaglom has lived a life beyond my imagination. He's shared intimate relationships with Orson Welles, Jack Nicholson, Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider, Natalie Wood, Georgia Brown, Tuesday Weld, Peter Bogdanovich, and those are just a few he spoke of here. Who suggested Davy Jones for The Monkees, helped edit Easy Rider, directed Orson's last filmed performance, got Nicholson, already a star, in his own first film... Henry did. Actor (Gidget, to name one) stand up comic, partnered with Richard Pryor, or Ritchie, as he calls him, playwright, screenwriter, author, filmmaker, artist... with stories around each. One better than the next... to his current passion projects, Train to Zakopane, which will have its theatrical release in May and, his upcoming memoir… The Third Stone on the Second Row, A Family Memoir, And A Brief History of the Jewish People. Henry is a fascinating, prolific man, who has spent his life and his career celebrating women. His films revolve around them.