The show begins this week with a lot of questions for Dean. What is Sci-Fi Valley Con? Who is Julian? There is/was a TV show called “Supernatural”? Is Detroit really Canada’s Tijuana? And a listener wants to know if Dean got bit by a monkey on “The Lone Gunmen”! You will learn the answers to all these and many more, including what Dean and Phil think of the controversy surrounding Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special. You will also learn about one of the greatest voices in comedy, about perhaps the greatest Hammond organist of all time, and about one of the most groundbreaking indie filmmakers of all time in “Celebrity Deaths”. After the break, Dean and Phil offer analysis on the new James Bond film’s box office performance in the USA and put that performance into historic context. They will do the same with the film’s quality. Finally, they will reveal what upcoming movies might get them to go back into a movie theater in the coming weeks.

Following a “cold open” all about another of Dean’s all-time favorite episodes of “The X-Files”, Dean and Phil open their mailbag to answer questions from listeners like you (yes, YOU!). One email concerns why actor Nicholas Lea never appeared on the spin-off series “The Lone Gunmen” and whether Dean would ever join the internet service “Cameo”. Another is from friend of the show Yoshi Kato, who can’t quite remember whether his friends in podcasting have ever done a show about their favorite movie musicals. They have. And episode #497 is once again available for listening pleasure! Finally, loyal listener and good buddy, Greg Vincent, asks a very compelling question about Blade Runner 2049. Dean offers up a brief review of A Quiet Place Part II, Phil offers up a surprisingly glowing review of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) before launching into an analysis of the head-scratching financial reality of the D.C. Extended Universe. Finally, “The Mod Squad” star Clarence Williams III and 80s “video vixen” Tawny Kitaen get remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”.

Dean starts off this week’s show with a full report of his Detroit adventures. Then Phil weighs in on all of this weekend’s sad happenings in his beloved City of Angels. Then, your friends in podcasting roll up their sleeves to remember one of the most famous disc jockeys of all time, and to weigh in on the ever-evolving controversy surround Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. Then it’s back to the big screen as Dean and Phil discuss a silent masterpiece, a black and white musical, another comedy from India, the poster for and the CGI on display in Ant-Man and the Wasp and another sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado.

All in all, this week’s episode is 70 minutes of big, globetrotting fun, so buckle up.

Your friends in podcasting discuss one of the most sad Christmas celebrations in history, before discussing the deaths of a pop music star, a Native American character actor, a documentary filmmaker and the mayor of SF. Then, Phil turns his attention to one of the most surprising facts to come out of the Disney purchase of 21st Century Fox and Dean tries to calm him down. Then, they delve into the trouble engulfing Matt Damon, before weighing in on three brand new Oscar hopefuls: Downsizing (starring Mr. Damon), Phantom Thread (starring Daniel Day Lewis in his final role), and the rather miraculous All The Money In The World. All that, plus Kyle Machlachlan weighs in on whether “Twin Peaks: The Return” was a terrific season of a television series or whether it was one of the best feature films of the year, and a fantastic note from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) is shared.

On this week’s brand new, action-packed episode #544, Dean and Phil are discussing great movies again, as they count down their lists of the Top Ten Action Movies of All Time!

A show ten years in the making …

The tenth “Top Ten” show of year ten …

It’s our 10th Anniversary Show!

Join Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness as they count down their Top Ten Most Memorable episodes of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. Featuring special appearances by Erynn Petrulis, Jamie Kaler, Gary Anthony Williams, Suli MCullough, Alexandra Barreto, Ilana Rein, Tom Braidwood, Bruce Harwood, Vince Gilligan, Jon Lawlor, Tucker Smallwood, Philip Newby, and Lily Holleman, there is truly something for EVERYONE in this action-packed trip down memory lane. In fact, SHARE THIS SHOW with your family, friends and colleagues, so that they can hear for themselves why and how your friends in podcasting continue to change the way people listen to the internet!

Halloween is only eight weeks away, so your friends in podcasting thought it was the perfect time to reveal their Top Ten All-Time Horror Films! Such classics as the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, its 1978 remake, John Carpenter’s The ThingThe Devil’s Backbone from director Guillermo Del Toro, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Cabin in the Woods all get discussed as “honorable mentions”. What films actually made Dean and Phil’s respective lists? Listen to find out! And keep those Netflix queues handy!

If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode #455, make sure to do so BEFORE you check out this week’s brand new show. Your friends in podcasting pick up where they left off as both Dean and Phil will reveal their Top Four favorite television series of 2015 (10 thru 5 were counted down last week). After that, Phil explains why he is so thrilled about the sequel to Blade Runner that is finally going before the cameras this summer, and in “Celebrity Deaths” one of the most important entertainment figures in Asia and a beloved American character actor are both remembered. Dean and Phil then tackle Hollywood’s award season, including analysis of the Producers Guild and Screen Actors Guild Awards, before launching into the LATEST controversy over the Oscars’ lack of diversity (#‎oscarsowhite). Boycotts generate headlines, membership changes … change the membership. Real change, however, might involve actually changing the awards themselves and your friends in podcasting have some serious ideas in this regard, changes that will reward those unsung in the business for too long, refocus the purpose of the awards AND might just lead to greater diversity. That’s all this week on YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour.

Before taking off on their holiday travels, your friends in podcasting, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness are doing what they do best: Making sense of a (show business) world gone wild …

They weigh in on the cyber terrorist attack against Sony. They celebrate a milestone achieved by one of their favorite shows. They discuss live events starring the likes of Angela Lansbury and Jeff Goldblum. They dish on an animation price-fixing lawsuit, the decades-long Roman Polanski judicial drama and the idea of actors owning a copyright interest in their performances. They discuss casting news that has them hopeful and casting news that gives them pause. They champion three outstanding films from earlier this year that you probably missed that are available now on home video and they warn you against an award-hopeful Christmas Day opener that is without a doubt one of the worst films of the year. All that PLUS much more as they wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

All together now (singing): “We need a little Chillpak, right this very minute!”

Let’s not kid ourselves … The holidays are never easy. And putting together this week’s episode of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour was particularly trying …

In fact, after an hour-long Skype-based conversation with their trans-Atlantic guest, Alex Lewczuk, your friends in podcasting, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness, were shocked to discover that almost none of it was recorded!

So, they just kept talking … Without starting over! If it seems a little bit like joining a conversation in the middle, well … that’s EXACTLY what it IS! It’s a fun, free-wheeling conversation, however, about such a wide range of topics as ageism in the media, science-fiction, academia, Roman settlements, ancient cathedrals, Christmas markets … and more!

Those of you familiar with Phil’s extra-curricular activities know that he is a regular contributor to Alex Lewczuk’s Midweek Drive program(me) for Siren FM and Southside Broadcasting in the UK. You also might remember hearing Alex as part of the 28 hour Mayan podcastathon Dean and Phil conducted last year at this time.

Though, it lacks structure, due to the structure not being recorded, this week’s show is sure to stuff your stocking with audio good cheer. The elves at Rational Exuberance have edited together several holiday-themed goodies for inclusion in this week’s show – another way in which its like no other episode you’ve heard!

Happy Holidays, one and all!