Mr. Media Interviews By Bob Andelman

2010: Since leaving the print world, Jim Gaines has been in a couple of interesting online media situations. His most recent was as editor of FLYP—yup, with a 'Y' where you’re expecting an 'I'—which he calls a “proof-of-concept experiment in digital storytelling.” You can see it for yourself a www.FlypMedia.com. Shortly, I’ll force him to explain what that means under threat of a lifetime editorial consulting and personal services contract with the New York Post.

2010: I have to share this story; it made me laugh. I don’t know too much about the boy bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s except that they were extremely popular and that, because my son was born in 1996, I missed that entire era of pop. So I went online to school myself on 98 Degrees, in anticipation of today’s guest, singer Jeff Timmons, joining me on the show to talk about his latest work.

2010: There are two sure things we can do to make ends meet today: 1) Take any job that provides at least some income to pay the bills; and 2) Cut back on expenses. This is where “Good Morning America” consumer reporter Elisabeth Leamy can help. In addition to her regular reports on the ABC morning show, Elisabeth just published a new book called Save Big! It’s packed with an array of clever ideas to save a lot of money in this time of need.

2010: Howard J. Morris and Jenny Lee didn’t just co-author the new book Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid, they actually live together as a couple. My experience, many years removed, is that working on a book with my spouse, a gifted editor, wa s that to continue doing so would generate the title, “Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid… Couple is Divorced.” But I digress.

2010: Joining me to talk about the film "Bring It On: Fight to the Finish" is one of its stars, Christina Milian. If you have kids, they probably will remember her as Tina from Disney Channel's "Movie Surfers."

2009: One of the most daring challenges in writing novels for young adults is transferring the four-color escapades of superheroes to narrative form and still retaining the boldness ad glory of the comic book medium—while adding meat to the bones of the structure. I think Thomas E. Sniegoski (website) accomplished that—and more—with his new novel "Legacy," detailing the generational handover of the “Raptor” crown. "Legacy" is a rip-snorting good roll in the costumed character hay.

2008: My first book, "Stadium For Rent," features dozens of editorial cartoons drawn by future Pulitzer Prize winning artist Clay Bennett. Back then, Bennett was poking fun at local issues and political figures for the St. Petersburg Times. His style is sneaky—clean lines and bold images let him club you over the head with his message while you’re still chuckling. Bennett left the Times for Christian Science Monitor, where he ultimately won his Pulitzer. Today, he’s with the Chattanooga Times Free Pre

2011: I have made it a policy to almost never comment on a woman’s shape, figure or apparent weight loss or – God forbid – weight gain. It’s a no-win situation. But for two reasons, I’m going to make an exception to that policy today in my interview with Amy Parham. First it’s because she’s written a new book called 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl: Living with Less of You and More of Life. I figure she opened the door there.

2010: Can I be honest with you? The whole “Real Housewives” phenomenon slipped right past me. Oh, I don’t think they missed me; a middle-aged, bald-headed stooge is probably not their key demographic. I can think of plenty of Real Housewives of St. Petersburg! But I digress. Kelly Bensimon is a beautiful woman, one who can give the usual girls of Playboy a run for their money in my book, any day.

2010: Valentine Roncalli is 35 and feeling every bit of her years. While her friends and siblings all have families of their own, she lives in her 80-year-old grandmother’s home, amongst all of her grandmother’s trinkets and memories, Valentine wants a man. Gianluca is that man. The suave Italian lights her up like a Roman candle. That’s the issue novelist Adriana Trigiani confronts in her second Valentine story, "Brava, Valentine."

2010: I don't know much about this man whose name reminds me of a 1986 David Cronenberg movie starring Jeff Goldblum. His bio is just a couple of unrevealing sentences. Fly is the lead singer of a band called Underground, which has a new CD out called Chasing the Future, which you can find on CDBaby.com.

2009: Somehow I’ve booked an interview with LPGA Golf Hall of Famer Amy Alcott to talk about her new book, "The Leaderboard"—but it turns out the book is a collection of interviews she conducted. Has the whole world gone crazy? On the other hand, this could be my lucky break. I don’t know a damn thing about golf, so maybe it’s a good thing—we can talk about something I do know about. Thank goodness I don’t have to talk about birdies and bogeys—about which I know nothing.

2011: Michael Connelly’s name on a book is money in the bank for his publisher, so the fact that he’s good and fast means producing a new book every year – two in 2011 – makes everybody happy. I was happy when I discovered that Connelly and I share a common link – we both studied fiction at the University of Florida under the tutelage of acclaimed novelist and character for life Harry Crews. The fiction bug obviously stayed with him – me, not so much, although I did have Harry on this show a whi

2019: Some ideas for history books are sitting right in front of our noses, waiting for a smart writer to recognize opportunity and put the puzzle pieces together. That’s kind of how I imagine Jason Prufer’s new book, Small Town, Big Music: The Outsized Influence of Kent, Ohio, on the History of Rock and Roll, came into existence. The book captures a lot of great musical moments that occurred in the college town that is home to Kent State University and threads them together in a compelling narrative.

2011: Photographer Ken Regan was there when Bob Dylan meet Bob Dylan 2.0 – Bruce Springsteen – for the first time. And he was there when the Beatles landed in New York City on that fateful day in February 1964. He also shot pictures at Keith Richards’ 1983 wedding to Patti Hansen and captured images of a Rolling Stone just about as happy, healthy and delighted as you’ll ever see the man.

2011: Comedian Mo Mandel appears as Dan, a bachelor on the prowl, in the NBC series, “Free Agents,” which stars Hank Azaria and Kathyn Hahn. So Mandel, who is a regular guest on “Chelsea Lately” and has been seen on “Modern Family” and the under-appreciated “Love Bites,” gets to do his part with a lot less pressure. Mandel also has a new CD, “The M-Word.”

2011: Starring in “Being Human” are Sam Witwer as the vampire. Aidan, and Sam Huntington as the werewolf, Josh. But the story doesn’t really kick into high gear – and show its real humanity, if you will, until we meet lovely Meaghan Rath as the ghost, Sally, who died in the very apartment she now shares with Aidan and Josh.

2010: Keith Powell plays 30 Rock's Toofer on the NBC sitcom. He’s one of the comedy writers on “TGS,” the show-within-the-show.His nickname refers to his position on the staff: he’s both a Harvard grad and a minority, hence a two-for-one hire for human resources. That said, however, Toofer gets no respect, no respect at all. Powell himself, however, gets plenty of respect: he founded the Contemporary Stage Company in Wilmington, Delaware.

2010: I was a huge fan of Chris Miller’s work before he co-wrote Animal House. Arnold Roth has been a guest on this show, as was Gahan Wilson and Larry “Ratso” Sloman. I was even quoted in a Stan Mack’s Real Life Funnies—but in the Village Voice, not the Lampoon. All of which leads me to this moment, in which Rick Meyerowitz, who was literally present at the birth of the National Lampoon, talks to me about "Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Writers and Artists Who Made the National Lampoon Insanely

2010: November—and somebody remind me to ask them about that name — is made up of Hunter Briley on vocals, drummer Michael Dale, guitarists Erik Lundquist and Albert Zampino, Jeremy Brashears on bass and Jon Denney on keyboards. Representing the group today are Hunter and Erik.