This week’s show begins with a cold open about a … last week’s cold open! Lord Turlock then shows up to explain the unique heat patterns of the town of Turlock. From there, Dean and Phil discuss their pal, David Dean Bottrell’s remembrance of working with Anne Heche. That leads into “Celebrity Deaths” and celebrations of not only Anne Heche, but of filmmakers Wolfgang Petersen and Bob Rafelson, and actor David Warner. Then, Dean and Phil discuss movies, including Jordan Peele’s Nope, David Lynch’s Lost Highway and John Huston’s Reflections in a Golden Eye. Finally, Phil hails the finale of “Better Call Saul” and he and Dean re-visit “The Lone Gunmen” wondering what could have been if show-runner Vince Gilligan had been given the opportunity he was given on the sequel/prequel series to “Breaking Bad”.

Because Phil had to travel to Turlock, that means two things for this week’s show: 1) It features a cameo by Dean’s “Lord Turlock” character, and 2) The show was pre-recorded. And it’s a good one, wherein Dean and Phil drill down into the improv form known as “deconstruction” in “Live Event of the Week” and while posing the question “Why can’t we have nice things?” the bombing and destruction of the Georgia Guidestones gets discussed. In a “What We’re Reading” all about the FBI, the influence of “The X-Files” and misogyny, Dean provides a full book report on a terrific work in anticipation of its author being a guest on a future episode of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour! Instead of “Celebrity Deaths”, your friends in podcasting (and broadcasting) celebrate the 100th birthday of Hollywood’s greatest icon, which leads to favorite stories about Kenny Rogers and Steve Martin. Finally, the Emmy Award nominations get unpacked, with Phil wagging a finger at the omissions of “Reservation Dogs” and Selena Gomez, and particular attention gets paid to “Abbott Elementary” and to the horse race for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Since it is Valentine’s Day, it’s only fitting that Dean and Phil are offering up a show that is nothing less than a love letter to movies, movie-going AND great comedic acting on television! In addition to a great story about Howard (“Dr. Johnny Fever”) Hesseman that involves the legendary Jack (“Dragnet”) Webb, and analysis of a handful of nominated films, shows and performances, Dean and Phil also engage in free-wheeling discussion about how we judge film and TV, how these works are consumed and what awards shows need to be moving forward. All that, plus a legend of visual effects and the Queen of Italian Cinema both get remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”.

Dean and Phil follow up on last week’s awesome show by discussing more about “Hollywood accounting” and how in show biz the “bottom line” is often NOT the bottom line! Last week, while discussing the box office struggles of the brand new In the Heights, Dean and Phil were inspired to look back at two dance films based on the same craze that opened on the same day many years ago, one of which boasted a music score from Phil’s frequent collaborator, Greg De Belles. Greg composed the score for Phil’s Karl Rove, I Love You and for Dean and Phil’s The Truth Is Out There and The Lady Killers. Greg died on Friday, and Dean and Phil speak of their immensely talented friend. Of course, the box office struggles continue, so Dean and Phil discuss how a Pixar movie might have been able to change everything. That leads into a deep dive into Disney +, the movie Soul, the miniseries “WandaVision” and the episodic series “The Mandalorian”. There is also a lot of talk about painting, from the advice given by the great Leigh McCloskey to the thematic approach of the Barbizon school of artists and the brilliance of Julian Schnabel’s Van Gogh film At Eternity’s Gate. Finally, Dean and Phil celebrate the careers of an Oscar-nominated character actor and a beloved sitcom actor and director.

As loyal listeners know, Phil darn near went blind. As a result, he and Dean have not discussed books in a long time! Well, Phil’s eyesight is back, thank you very much, and so is “What We’re Reading” on this week’s show! In fact, Phil’s selection ties in very much to TWO conversations Dean and Phil will have this week. One about Buster Keaton’s “The General” (which will re-visit last week’s theme of “failure”). The other about what television your friends in podcasting are watching right now. Comedy, drama, mystery and the paranormal are all on the small screen menu! And before your friends in podcasting depart from the small screen, they discuss the current SNL controversy surrounding the firing of a recently-hired performer. 

A couple weeks back, the world, and especially lovers of documentary movies, mourned the death of the great filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker. This week, your friends in podcasting celebrate the career of this cinematic giant and also explore the history of documentary filmmaking itself and they are joined in this effort by documentary film professor Robert Nichols. The result is one of Dean and Phil’s best interviews ever and one of the most fascinating installments of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

Think quick: What show covers such a wide range of topics as UFO disclosure, Bill Clinton, Fox Entertainment’s internship problem, Star Trek Into Darkness, Vince Vaughn, Robert Redford, the future of movie ticket pricing, the disappearance of women on-screen in film, a speakeasy in Culver City and Paranoia Con?

Here’s a hint: You’re reading about it right now!

It’s the latest installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour.

Enjoy!

A week ago, your friends in podcasting, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness, were in the United Kingdom, visiting their friends at Sci-Fi London, celebrating the Royal Wedding, attending the World Premiere of their documentary The Truth Is Out There and discussing the death of Osama Bin Laden. This week, they’re back in Los Angeles, where Dean is preparing his brand new gallery for this Thursday’s Downtown Art Walk and where Phil is directing an incredibly ambitious short film. Most important of all, they’re celebrating their 4th anniversary of changing the way YOU listen to the internet!

 

 

It’s a Chillpak Hollywood Hour first! Your friends in podcasting, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness, have covered filmmaking from many different angles, but they’ve never done a show all about post-production sound. Until now. Garrard Whatley is a sound design genius and runs the boutique post-production sound facility RocketWerks in Santa Monica, CA. RocketWerks is the best friend independent filmmakers could ever have. And Garrard Whatley is one of the most engaging and fun people you could possibly meet. And just in case you think this show won’t be entertaining, Sean Connery drops by at the end to share in the laughs …. This week on YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

Robbie Consing is one of the top storyboard artists in the film biz. Since starting in 1991, Robbie has lent his illustrating talents to the pre-visualization of more than forty feature films. He has worked on such blockbusters as Batman Forever, The Rock, Face/Off, Armageddon, Inspector Gadget, The Haunting, Mission: Impossible 2, Pearl Harbor, Minority Report, X2, Terminator 3, National Treasure, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Transformers. He has collaborated with such acclaimed directors as David Fincher, Oliver Stone, John Woo, Bryan Singer, Steven Spielberg, Doug Liman and JJ Abrams. Currently, he is hard at work on the new Spider-Man reboot. Most important of all, he’s a loyal listener of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour! And now he’s our guest!