After almost 19 years of “changing the way you listen to the internet”, your friends in podcasting are about to change the way they continue to … change the way you listen to the internet! They discuss their plans on this week’s absolutely excellent show. Dean discusses a big improv performance he gave this weekend and goes deep into explaining the improv game “crime endowment”. In the long-awaited return of “Celebrity Deaths”, iconic rock guitarist Ace Frehley, and all-time great actress Diane Keaton get remembered. During those celebrations, Dean and Phil take a detour into a deep dive analysis of people dying from falls. A little-known 1973 film about the JFK assassination gets discussed, as does whether we can ever truly know history in general, and JFK assassination history in particular. Finally a rather terrible documentary about beloved actor John Candy gets reviewed.

Big changes are on the horizon for YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour! This week’s show begins with Dean and Phil discussing them. Then, they shift gears into a wide array of topics including: Unexpected events at local screenings of One Battle After Another, the variable frame rates of the silent era, a movie that had wildly different endings depending on in what country you saw it, a documentary about the making of The Night of the Hunter, the fragility of darkness in the Atacama Desert, the lack of planning or funding for the forthcoming Cultural Olympiad (the arts programming that is supposed to be part of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles), the death of R&B great D’Angelo, and the story of the fictional band Eddie and the Cruisers.

Happy Halloween! Come trick-or-treating with Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness as they take a cinematic tour of “Horrorville USA”, the new nickname Phil has coined for Detroit! Several horror films get discussed, including the current Detroit-set shocker Barbarian as well as non-Detroit-based classics like The Leopard Man and Séance on a Wet Afternoon. Dean has started watching HBO’s “Avenue 5” and he finds that scary! Phil also weighs in on the Jon Hamm vehicle Confess, Fletch and a big-time Oscar front-runner, The Banshees of Inisherin from Martin McDonagh. In “Celebrity Deaths”, the “killer”, Jerry Lee Lewis, the beloved comedic actor Leslie Jordan and the stop-motion animation giant Jules Bass all get remembered. And finally, in a re-visitation to a past “What We’re Reading”, Phil talks about ghostly radio signals! All in all, it’s a spooky good installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour.

This week, YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour turns 15 years old! And Season 3 Episode 13 features several anniversary celebrations, including wisdom from a special guest, a story from Dean about why he is no longer a vegetarian and the return of a classic movie ad from the Vintage Movie Ad Game that saw Dean and Phil through the pandemic! There is also an email from a loyal listener who both asks a question and throws accolades in the direction of longtime friend of the show, Page Branson. Movies and moviemakers get discussed, including the very first big-budget, major studio adaptation of a television series, and the great director of last year’s Oscar-winning Drive My Car. Bill Murray has found himself in a lot of hot water. Dean and Phil will tackle the controversy, Bill Murray’s thoughtful response, and discuss empathy in great detail. Finally, in “Celebrity Deaths”, a rock drummer, a country music legend, a teen idol, and a chart-topping singer all get remembered.

 

 

 

 

Dean fills us in on his spooky adventures at MIParacon (the Michigan Paranormal Convention), including the hilarious new one-man improv show he performed for the first time. He and Phil discuss the return of conventions in the wake of Covid-19. Then Phil regales with a little story about David Duchovny’s new music that took place in Montecito. After that, Dean and Phil get personal, remembering three friends who died recently: the enchanting character actor Howard Fong, the luminous singer Pamela Lillard and the delightful researcher, reviewer, and journalist Skylaire Alfvegren. This leads into a thoughtful conversation about “magical thinking” and “blood sports”. Finally, in “Celebrity Deaths” the most Emmy-honored actor, a groundbreaking musical theater performer, an influential rock drummer, a trailblazing rock vocalist and the story of one of rock’s most iconic songs get celebrated.