Vicki Abelson's Broadcast: The Road Taken

What to do when in the midst of unfathomable national tragedy, and your guest is 5 x Emmy Winner, Alan Zweibel, one of the funniest humans on the planet? Face the elephant in the room head-on. We discussed how comics and monologists deliver on a day like this, and what is verboten? From there we moved into personal, current COVID crisis, where listener Julie Warner, Billy Crystal’s co-star in the film, Mr. Saturday Night, informed us we were depressing (she was playing… Alan is never is anything less than hysterical), and then we segued into his latest co-creation with Billy, Here Today, about an aging comedy writer whose memory is fading due to dementia. Har har har dee har har. Well, the story that inspired the film is crazy funny, as is Alan’s telling of it. It was all comedy gold from there, covering Alan’s many of Alan’s most memorable collaborations, more on Billy from the early 70s standup days to their Tony-winning Broadway smash, 700 Sundays. The first sold joke to Morty Gunty (still a winner toda

The Waltons Michael Learned on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson - Part 2 What’re another 14 minutes and a little hysteria between friends? The anticipation of the marvelous Michael Learned makes the slightly bumpy start a small price to pay for her delightful self. We picked up where we left off Monday and double-backed a little. Growing up on a farm, preparedness for Olivia Walton, paying back her childhood candy debt, her spy father, exhausted mother, being the oldest of 6 sisters, all but one with unusual names, boarding school, moving from dance to drama, meeting Peter Donat, initially riding his coattails, becoming the first lady of ACT Theatre, then divorce, The Waltons, and award-winning success. Missing her own kids, getting bored, leaving, then Nurse, another Emmy, complaining, regretting, back to the theatre, and eventually, TV. Second Acts, and her upcoming leading role on Ryan Murphy’s Jeffrey Dahmer series, tentatively titled, Monster. We circled back to Michael’s memoir, which I shall contin

Michael Learned on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Hello full moon lunar eclipse mercury retrograde whatever the hell made this a day from tech hell. Didn't matter! Michael Learned was gracious, lovely, fun, accessible, and wonderful. In spite of only being able to hear parts of her conversation, I loved every word I got, and even the ones I didn't. Fabulous woman that she is, she agreed to come back this Wednesday (May 18th) same bat time, same bat place. We did get to talk about her childhood, how the girl named Michael probably came to have that name, her mysterious father, living in Austria, $ for candy, finding theatre, Bill Ball, and ACT, her screen test for The Waltons, her Eskimo on set, getting sober, why she wanted to leave... we scratched the surface of the 4 x Emmy winners stint on that iconic show, and her recent award-winning turn in Second Acts, and her soon to drop starring role in Ryan Murphy's Monster, about her character's live-in grandson, Jeffrey Dahmer. We touched on COVID, Michael is

Jay Kogen on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson So fun to spend time with the funny. Four-time Emmy award-winning writer/producer, Jay Kogen ~ The Simpsons, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, Malcolm in The Middle, Tracy Ullman, to name but some. 2nd generation in the Kogen entertainment empire, son of Arnie, The Bob Newhart Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Dean Martin Show, and father to Charlie, who while still in High School performed an original song at The Kennedy Center, we talked the father/son dynamic from both sides now. Not sure Jay could be a prouder papa or a more beloved son. Arnie, one of the most successful comedy writers of his generation, paved the way for the legacy Jay carries forward. Beginning as a tyke, Jay was on set, garnering small roles in his father’s shows, with stars in his eyes and ambition to act. He did for a while, adding stand-up and then Improv which he continues to this day. You can catch him this weekend if you’re in LA. Jay’s passion for performing has not diminished an io

Felix Solis On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

Marsha Warfield On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

Are you kidding me! I suspected from the first email from Mark Metcalf that we were gonna have fun, but wow! This time with Mark exceeded all my high hoped-for expectations. The Maestro, The Master, yes, but for me, Mark has always been Neidermeyer. Even when he’s appearing in Ally McBeal, Hill Street Blues, One Life to Live, Oscar, Jag, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Seinfeld, Star Trek Voyager, Mad Men, that smug bad boy always shines through and makes me smile. Now, having met him, engaged with him, he's all of the above and so much more. I must see him do Shakespeare. On stage. And watch, once again, his brilliant, Chilly Scenes of Winter. As well as the doc about him: The Appeal of Being Typecast by Hollywood | The New Yorker Documentary https://bit.ly/3xwSvbr We talked Animal House, of course, lots on John Landis, Belushi, a great story about Donald Sutherland, how he got there, what he did once there, and the fun, the fun, the fun. Mark told great stories about Mike Nichols, Herbert Bergdorf, Uta Hage

Yes, Cathy Ladman is a renowned standup comedian, won the American Comedy Award for Best Female Standup Comic, has made 9 appearances on The Tonight Show, 5 on the Late Late Show, has been featured on Modern Family, Curb, Everybody Loves Raymond, Pretty Little Liars, had a recurring role on Caroline in The City, appeared in The Aristocrats, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead… to name just some… we talked of none of them. We took a deep dive into Cathy’s upcoming show, “Does This Show Make Me Look Fat,” and the impetus behind it. We discussed at great length about Cathy’s eating disorder, what sparked it, how it developed, and how her 36 years in recovery have served her. We talked my food obsession - always at the fore, always on a diet, including now, and what’s really going on with the eating for her, and me. Then we got fun… her first love, too juicy and fabulous to drop here… how his meteoric career started (her suggestion) and how hers did too. Influences and heroes. How the roads appeared and were

Fred Melamed On Game Changers With Vicki by Vicki Abelson

Vincent Pastore on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson I usually know our guests... it's always a little nerve-wracking to meet someone for the first time Live on the air. Before we even hit the interweb airwaves, I felt like I'd known Vinny forever and he was one of my dearest friends. That's a gift. I still can't believe how much fun that was. It seemed with every sentence we were discovering another mutual friend. From Vin's rock n' roll daze, as the purveyor of the Crazy Horse, extra work, Law and Order, Goodfellas, Carlito's Way, scoring a major role opposite Alan Arkin in The Jerky Boys, Gotti, to the game changer, Big Pussy in The Sopranos… stories, stories, stories… James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa (his cohorts in Conversations with the Sopranos - coming soon to a city near you), Tony Sirrico, Aida Turturro, Al Pacino, Robert Deniro, Cathy Moriarity, Armand Assanti, Tony Danza, Marilu Henner, theatre, his Broadway debut in Bullets Over Broadway (which I saw), Woody Allen, Chicago

John Waite on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Ridiculously talented, socially conscious, funny as hell, and easy on the eyes, the return of John Waite was well worth the waite. How I adore this man, artist, human. Damn, he's fun. With the mid-April release of his upcoming EP, Anything, his rendition of the tragically timely again, Masters of War (contained within his brilliant cover design), dropping as a single today on all streaming services, except Spotify, his activism for Ukraine––The Babys, busting the charts with his #1, chart-topper, Missing You, Bad English, Alison Krauss, Ringo Starr, great stories with Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Sheila E, Bowie, Stevie Wonder, humble beginnings, his heroes, getting sober, his art, writing, and being back out on the road and in life again––the hour and a half with this sharp-dressed man, flew by. I'm still high, and I've been straight and sober for years. John's a worthy substance of choice, and boy does he have substance. I got a new drug and happy hangover.

It just doesn't get better than this. Who knew that International Woman of Mystery, Frau Farbissina, Mindy Sterling, whom I met for a minute once, would in an hour, feel like my sister. That I like! Love! This was so much fun! We harkened back to the beginning, her Catskill entertainer dad (like mine), school plays, playing Peep-Bo in The Mikado (me 2!) to community theatre (yup), moving to LA, from commercials to Improv (yes) to The Groundlings, where she met Mike Myers, to Austin Powers, her game/life changer to the third power. Such fun stories about the process, the accent, the screaming & Mike, iCarly, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Grace and Frankie, inside with Jane and Lily, The Goldbergs— the scoop on Wendi McLendon-Covey, George Segal and Jeff Garlin. We talked memory, mommying, pandemicing, traveling, comic con’ing with no mask (what?!?), eating and binging, the other kind. I could have talked all night, and still have laughed through more. I love this woman!

I know of no one savvier about getting it done and moving forward than actor, director, inventor, innovator, mentor, treasured friend, and Golden Globe Nominee for Happy Days, Anson Williams. Anson's wisdom has been invaluable to me, and he shared loads of it with us. And, fantastic stories––how he created opportunities as a kid, and then with Garry Marshall, Ron Howard, Steven Speilberg, QVC, the IPs he’s developing now, and his lifesaving, Alert Drops, created with his 2nd cousin Henry Heimlich. 
Anson shared about the people who’ve shaped and inspired him, and a couple of examples of how he’s paid it forward––something he’s done all of his life and continues to do to this day, including wisdom for me––for us––shared here. Like, how to get off the couch and out of pandemic quicksand, the value of perceived failure, the three most important words (and why they are), and give what you want to get… these were just a few of the life tool gems Anson shared. Anson leads by example, just yesterday he was awarde

Jack McGee On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

I reached out to Roslyn Kind to uplift and inspire. I knew she’d deliver, but at the time I didn’t know it’d be personal. I came into the conversation feeling weary and listless. Within minutes my energy and mood soared. What a positive, focused, bundle of joy, this gorgeous, talented, dynamo is. Committed to her calling, as was revealed to her in a past life regression, Rozzie heals with her stunning voice, and her loving, kind, compassionate words. Yes, we talked about her sister Barbara Streisand, their brother and mother, her nephew Jason Gould, Elliot Gould, her first album, cut as she was removing her high school graduation gown, her game-changing performance on Ed Sullivan, appearing on Broadway, and TV, her great work on The Nanny! But, we focused on her humanity, how’s she’s coping in this crazy world, politically, pandemically, nutritionally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Filled with hope, and committed to making a difference, Rozzie’s steadfast diligence and discipline for her ow

We only had David Bowie's Piano Man, Mike Garson, for 45 minutes, but boy did he make every second count. His stories, golden treasures, were matched by the mastery of his impromptu music. I first saw Mike play on the Diamond Dogs Tour, where Bowie soared above the audience in a cherry picker to sing Space Oddity. Here, 47 years later, Mike told the tales of that tour (and Ziggy Stardust) with Mick Ronson, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Carlos Alomar, and bookended the show with an original Bowie Variation of said song––stunningly beautiful, soulful, and emotional. I’m still a bit teary. From backing Mel Torme, Gregory Hines, and hundreds of singers in the Catskills starting at 14, studying with Herbie Hancock and Stan Getz amongst other jazz icons, to an 8-week gig with David Bowie that endured through 40 years, 150,000 hours of playing has sure paid off. Mike’s classical training to the fore, he treated us to a few improvised gems weaved betwixt sensational stories––how he started, got the gig, played

When you’re writing with Ringo, lunching with Linda (McCartney), sharing royalties, and frolicking with the Friends, life doesn’t suck. Such is the earned, charmed life of Peabody and Emmy-winning television writer and producer, longtime Rolling Stone writer and editor, New York Times best-selling author, and prominent pop culture commentator, David Wild. When Dylan requests you, Prince plays privately for you, Van Morrison runs from then succumbs to you, life doesn’t suck. David worked at Esquire straight outta Cornell, was hand-picked by Jann Wenner to be the editor, and then wrote countless stories for the cover of The Rolling Stone, segued to television, where David’s written and produced well over a hundred high profile TV specials including all of The Grammy Awards (since 2001), all of The CMA Awards (since 2002), as well as countless other award shows and network specials, including The Academy Awards, and The Emmy Awards, garnering nominations and an Emmy win hisself. David’s written jokes for Jon

So what's 9 years between a star and a stalker? George Wendt was worth the wait and then some. It's been a rough week, a rough month, a rough two years... this time with George was the antidote to the heavy crap that's overshadowed seemingly everything. George was fun, hysterical, surprising, a little shocking, informative, self-effacing, entertaining, and a whole lot of other great adjectives. For a man whose future was based on “What won’t I hate?” he sure made good for himself. 6 Emmy nominations, three starring roles on Broadway, innumerable screen and stage appearances from high Art, to schtick, George’s iconic, NORM! to his Chicago Super Fan, The Bears! George is cross-generationally cherished, and beloved. And, it’s deserved. What a damn delight. Got the pandemic blues? Treat yourself to some “TV star who’s also just a regular guy.” One who had a 0.00 GPA at his dad’s alma mater, slept on the streets of some of the world’s most exotic cities, swept floors at Second City to becoming one of the most

Ken Levine On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

Hot, hot, hot, and it t'weren't global warming. Actor, producer, singer, songwriter, Constantine Maroulis, who rocketed to stardom on American Idol (I met him in the green room at his first appearance on The Tonight Show that season), filled us in on the before, during, and after, even singing us a bit of his audition for Simon & company. Always passionate, fun, and full of energy, Constantine gave us the skinny of growing up with a talented older brother (and sister), playing sports, doing theatre, and fronting a band, wanting and doing it all. Before Idol fame, he'd already gotten his Equity card and toured with Rent. Humble ending there led to the life-changing opportunity that he seized big time. Such great insights into the behind-the-scenes. His premature departure (placing 6th) was all part of his master plan in a way, he used being an underdog to his advantage anyway. In a big way. Starring on Broadway in Rock of Ages and garnering a Tony Award, followed - as well as more Broadway, playing and rec