It’s a Labor Day edition of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour and Dean and Phil regale with tales of the labor they had to put into Labor Day Weekend, and discuss the history of the day itself. Phil rants about the truncating of summer before he and Dean revisit the following topics from last week: Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s 11th hour bid to take over Paramount, the cinematic legacy of the great leading man Alain Delon, and the nonlinear nature of Strange Darling. Many classic and recent films get appraised, including the Ryan Reynolds-starring If and the 2014 indie neo-noir Man From Reno. On the small screen, the new season of “Only Murders in the Building”, the third season of “Slow Horses” and the rookie season of “Bad Monkey” all get discussed, as does the literary voice of author Carl Hiaasen. All that plus, Phil reveals some very interesting tidbits about his essays and podcasts at “The Voice of Los Feliz”.

This week’s episode finds Phil in the “DMV” (DC-Maryland-Virginia) area and Dean safely ensconced back in Michgan. Phil quizzes Dean about Renaissance man Martin Mull, iconic Winnipeg musician and broadcaster Ray St. Germain, two Oscar-winning composers, and an Oscar-nominated documentarian. Dean and Phil also sing the praises of perhaps the greatest actor to NEVER get nominated for an Oscar! Such streaming fare as “Tulsa King”, Season 4 of “The Boys”, “Ripley”, Season 2 of “Tokyo Vice”, and Richard Linklater’s Hit Man all get reviewed as well.

This week’s show begins with a correction about the great Death Race 2000 (discussed two episodes back) and about the talented filmmakers behind it. Then, in “What We’re Reading”, Dean discusses the Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries and Phil reveals his thoughts inspired by Brian Greene’s The Hidden Reality. These thoughts, in turn, lead to stories about UCLA great Bill Walton, who died this past week, and the Integratron, which Phil visited before last week’s show. After discussions of Multiverse theory, sound baths, and the wit and wisdom of John Wooden, focus shifts to a staggering array of movies and television shows. The movies include Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Egyptian comedy Voy Voy Voy, the Canadian vampire film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, and the great Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman. The television shows are “The Mandalorian”, (followed by a deep dive into the entire Star Wars small screen universe), “Star Trek: Discovery”, (followed by an examination of a fatal flaw that has doomed “Star Trek” at various points in its history), and the genre mash-up Colin Farrell vehicle “Sugar” (for Apple TV +). After that, a question from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) leads to a discussion about the large screen format ScreenX. Finally, in “Celebrity Deaths”, Phil quizzes Dean about a convicted felon-turned-actor and a two-time Oscar Winner for Best Picture!

The best thing about being podcast-only (again) is that for the first time in years, Dean and Phil can produce shows of whatever length tickles their fancy. Indeed, this week’s Chillpak Hollywood Hour gives you more than 10% more “hour”! The show begins with a cold open, wherein Phil reveals that he is not the only filmmaker who gets upset when other filmmakers don’t follow the rules they themselves have set up for a particular movie. In this instance, it’s Quentin Tarantino taking a much-loved modern horror classic to task. Then, Phil briefly revisits his recent travels to Catalina and Dean’s forthcoming travel plans, revealing that Dean has added a NYC trip to the mix in order to see a little-known, conceptual gem of a gallery. Phil previews where he will be spending Independence Day this year, and how a re-watch of Jim Jarmusch’s early classic Mystery Train has him jazzed to visit Memphis (and Graceland!) again this November. Standing ovations at Cannes, the impending financial train wreck that is Kevin Costner’s multi-part big-screen Horizon: An American Saga, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two all get discussed. Phil then reveals the latest news regarding a potential defamation lawsuit against Netflix and “Baby Reindeer” and explains why he is willing to now give the show and its creators the benefit of the doubt. After discussing the brilliance of actor Dabney Colemna and how Phil once ruined a birthday party for the 9 to 5 star, the “Funniest Man in America” and a groundbreaking recording engineer get remembered before “Celebrity Deaths” turns into a quiz testing Dean’s cultural/show biz literacy. Finally, after a brief musical interlude, Dean re-joins the festivities, this time from London, where he files a “boots on the ground” report. Phil concludes by previewing next week’s show, including an extraordinary adventure he took to the Integratron!

Is Dean’s Detroit-adjacent neighborhood of Birmingham, Michigan, a winter wonderland? What are bath bombs? What is conveyor belt sushi? These are just some of the pressing questions answered by your friends in podcasting (and broadcasting) at the outset of this week’s show, before they get down to the business of remembering a founding member of Moody Blues and Wings, an Emmy-winning TV cop, a 1960s TV star-turned-casting director, a big screen star of British cinema, an award-winning Canadian filmmaker, and a wonderful character actor (and friend of Dean’s) in “Celebrity Deaths”. Then, Dean and Phil roll up their sleeves and dig deep into Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, the brand new Wonka, Godzilla Minus One and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

The night before Thanksgiving, Dean and Phil met high atop a certain “historic building in downtown Los Angeles” for a very thoughtful conversation about gratitude, authenticity, a Japanese tea house, three restaurants in Malta, an American cemetery in Tuscany, Veterans Day, and yes, even Hall & Oates (in the return of “Lawsuit of the Week”). It’s heartfelt, its hilarious, it’s your friends in podcasting (and broadcasting) at their best.

Phil is back from his continental adventures and he and Dean actually got together in person on the mean-streets (and rooftops) of Los Feliz to have lunch and record this week’s show! Hear all about Dean’s epic improv performance in San Jose, Popeye Village in Malta, the Blue Lagoon in Comino, jellyfish stings, the movies Showing Up and Five Nights at Freddy’s, and learn why Dean and Phil think the recently negotiated SAG-Aftra contract might not get ratified by the actors and what they think will happen if it doesn’t. All in all, it’s a truly hilarious, free-wheeling, globe-trotting installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

Because Phil is still traveling in Europe, this week’s episode is a very special show. Several weeks back, Slate published a “hit piece” on the comedic actor Martin Short, questioning his talent, his career, and accusing him of being nothing but annoying (while also acknowledging that he might just be the most genuinely decent and kind person in show business). Many people have weighed in and come to Martin Short’s defense since that article. This week, Dean and Phil take their turn, as they count down their all-time Top Ten “Martin Shorts”. Grammatically incorrect? Sure. Fascinating and hilarious? You bet!

This weekend, Dean and Phil recorded one VERY LONG conversation that will be edited into the next two installments of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. The next time they record, they will be together in Dean’s Motor City-adjacent stomping grounds! This week, you will hear your friends in broadcasting and podcasting discussing the new cinematic releases Medusa Deluxe, Afire and Barbie as well as a new Taiwanese film on Netflix (Marry My Dead Body). You will hear the latest developments in the negotiations between the writers and the media companies (and yes, there HAVE BEEN negotiations!). You will hear another in Dean’s suggestions of vintage television shows you might wish to binge while your favorite new shows will be gone for a while. There is an email with a correction from a loyal listener that itself gets corrected! And because everyone loves a sequel, Dean and Phil follow upon last week’s all-music edition of “Celebrity Deaths” with another all-music edition, as they discuss the lives and legacies of many music notables that died over the past weeks. 

This week, after a cold open involving Pee Wee Herman and David Hasselhoff, Dean and Phil discuss Dean’s travel plans, a big 30th anniversary “X-Files” convention and the latest news involving the Hollywood labor battles. Then Dean offers up another suggestion of a vintage television series you might want to avail yourself of while no new series are being produced. An all-music edition of “Celebrity Deaths” will focus on a groundbreaking Chinese American performer, a beloved bass player, an influential punk rock star, and a chart-topping singer. Then, Dean and Phil celebrate the enduring comedic legacy of true cinematic genius Jacques Tati, discussing his life, his career, his artistry and two of his most beloved films. Phil then asks Dean to weigh in on why the exceptionally funny Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves lost so much money. A show that starts out creepy, albeit hilarious, ends that way as well!