Although this show is 85 minutes long, there’s no truth to the rumor that we will be changing our name to YOUR “Chillpak Hollywood Hour AND A HALF!” Celebrities just keep on dying and your friends in podcasting keep right on remembering them! On this week’s show, music legend João Gilberto, Disney star Cameron Boyce, “Laugh-In” comic Arte Johnson, and automotive icon Lee Iacocca have their lives and accomplishments celebrated. Then, Dean and Phil dig into the archives to sample what they were talking about 12 years ago this week. Roswell, UFOs and an ill-fated “sister” podcast all get discussed. After that, Dean and Phil share an email from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) involving the best ways to ensure a television series’ quality during its entire run. This leads to a conversation about the best TV finales, the worst TV finales and how lucky we are when some awesome shows don’t even GET finales! Oh, yeah, and Phil has eye surgery and post-op procedure stories to share! 

This week’s epic, 80 minute long show begins with an hilarious update about Phil’s medical adventures before the return of “Live Event of the Week”, where classical music, Dean’s forthcoming live comedy show, and a sordid chapter of the Los Angeles Breakfast Club’s history get discussed. Then, the Chillpak Morgue is opened as character actress Sylvia Miles, heiress Gloria Vanderbilt and Jim Pike, lead singer of famed 60’s vocal group The Lettermen, are remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”. And speaking of “Lettermen”, David Letterman has returned to Netflix with season 2 of his series “My Next Guest …” Phil raves about an episode featuring Ellen DeGeneres, on that boasts a cameo by Clint Eastwood, which gets Phil thinking about Clint’s acting career. HIs films Where Eagles Dare and The Bridges of Madison County get discussed. And those are far from the only movies Dean and Phil discuss. They re-examine the classic Hong Kong actioner The Killer on its 30th anniversary. They also analyze the recent box office failures of several previously unassailable cinematic franchises and offer suggestions of what franchise producers and studios can learn from the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as from the John Wick and James Bond series of films. 

Longtime listeners know that Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness care about your health and the health of society. This week’s episode gets started with a discussion of Phil’s eyesight loss, the NBA Finals, the catastrophic injuries that marred the NBA Finals, and the pressure everyone feels, not just athletes, to get back to work as quickly as possible, even if they are injured or if their health is compromised. Then, Dean discusses the latest about his streaming improv web series “Gravity Hole”, the conspiracy-themed live comedy performance he will be giving in July, before he and Phil dig into some of the great comedy series and how they reveal the truth. Finally, Phil brings up the recent implosions at the box office before singing the praises of a recent superhero release, a silent classic and a brand new Zombie comedy. The show closes with part 2 of Phil’s conversation with actress-singer-producer Chase Masterson and her profound efforts to build a healthier society through her anti-bullying Pop Culture Hero Coalition

Phil is back from Washington, D.C. with stories of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Civil War Re-enactments, and high school baccalaureates. Dean is back from X-Fest 2, which was like a high school reunion for him, “X-Files” style. He has tales of being reunited with his fellow “Lone Gunmen” with “Spender”, with “Krycek” and with Frank Spotnitz. He also discusses Legos and his graphic novel as well as future plans to explore Chicago. Then, actress-singer-producer-activist Chase Masterson joins Phil for part 1 of their conversation.

Your friends in podcasting begin with an update on what is being done to restore Phil’s eyesight, and the advice Phil has for those dealing with medical and insurance bureaucracies. They then dig into more than an hour of 20th century history, celebrating Doris Day, novelist Herman Wouk, comedian Tim Conway, architect I.M. Pei and the Arizona mining town of Bisbee.

This week, Dean and Phil continue to change the way people listen to the internet with the final episode of year 12 of this podcast! They will remember an Oscar-nominated director, a trailblazing jurist, a delightful character actor and a sci-fi icon in “Celebrity Deaths”. They will update on the Writers Guild’s battle with the talent agents, including what the endgame is … And speaking of “endgames”, the latest news about the Marvel box office behemoth gets analyzed. All that, plus Dean and Phil lock horns while discussing a documentary about David Lynch, and discuss two 2018 releases, “Rampage” and “The Spy Who Dumped Me”, because they represent a lot of what is wrong with the movie business. Join us as we turn 12!

As many of you know, our ten most recent shows are now available on iTunes and on our newly re-launched website. We would not have made it this far without a lot of hard work without support from several loyal listeners. If you would like to pitch in with a donation to help your friends in podcasting as they continue the time-consuming effort of re-building, please drop us a line (chillpakhollywood at yahoo dot com). The gents will be back on Monday with another brand new episode where they will be discussing some amazing good news to come out of the Notre Dame fire, a preview of their forthcoming trip to Rhode Island, what TV shows Dean is watching now that he resides in the USA again, the breakdown in negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the talent agents, and three recent movies, including two superhero films! All that plus an Oscar-nominated director fights for life, a brilliant television comedienne is remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”, Roman Polanski returns in a “Lawsuit of the Week” and the yet-to-launch Disney + streaming service announces what film won’t be available and what classic will be edited before it is available. YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. Back and better than ever. Monday at 5 pm Pacific. Wherever good podcasts can be found!

Oh, man, is this week’s show a good one! 72 minutes long and featuring a “cold open” AND an “Easter egg” (post-credits scene?), this epic installment boasts big laughs,. two poems, celebrations of the lives of poet Mary Oliver, Tuskegee Airman John “Jack” Lyle, Broadway legend Carol Channing, CIA Operative Tony Mendez, and a tribute to good friend of the show John Girodo, who was feted as one of L.A.’s Impact Makers to Watch in 2019. There is all that, PLUS Dean and Phil engage in a thoughtful, fascinating discussion about recent movie casting controversies and Dean regales us with reviews of three TV series available now for binging!

On this week’s brand new installment #609, your friends in podcasting discuss the adventures they are looking forward to in 2019. From an update on a certain graphic novel, to an X-Files convention in Illinois in June where the Lone Gunmen will reunite, from Phil’s wedding weekend, to the three or four feature film projects they will be working on, Dean and Phil point the compass of their brains to a journey on the map of the entire infinite! Then, they welcome a special guest, producer and host of Succotash, Tyson Saner! And if you can’t get enough of hearing Dean and Phil, or hearing ABOUT their film, The Lady Killers check out this interview Tyson did with them all about the movie!

Your friends in podcasting get 2019 underway with this epic 69 minute installment. As you loyal listeners know, last week, Dean and Phil only got through the first nine months of 2018 as they examined how and when the 52 best films (according to critics) and some of the biggest hits were released. This week, Dean and Phil tackle the final three months of the year, discussing no less than 20 awesome movies. Then, they switch gears to briefly discuss episodic binge-watching, tackling several television shows, including “The Man in the High Castle”, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, “Norm Macdonald Has a Show” and more! Finally, Dean and Phil wrap things up by celebrating the lives of a brilliant comedic actor, the male half of one of the most iconic recording duos of the 1970’s, and a nun who became a television star. Happy New Year from YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!