Your friends in podcasting connected via Skype on Christmas Morning to slide down your virtual chimney and stuff your audio stocking full of podcasty goodness! Topics include comic book cataloging, engagement party advice, the role of the arts in the heart of a nation, travel guardian angels, an all-time great voice, a punk rock pioneer, and two actresses-turned-directors who are big reasons why we don’t need to say “female directors” any more. We can just start calling them “directors”. Happy Holidays! We think you will really enjoy this festive, 68 minute installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

“From a secret location somewhere in America …” Dean Haglund is in temporary digs somewhere in his new home state of Michigan. So, when he and Phil Leirness recorded this week’s episode, it wasn’t the official start of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour’s Motown Era. Nevertheless, we learn about Dean’s early D-Town and Michigan discoveries, as well as about the road trip he took from D.C. this past week. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles … Celebrations in anticipation of Phil’s upcoming nuptials have begun with an engagement party. Shocking stories and a hangover ensued! The bulk of this week’s show focuses on a handful of fascinating “Celebrity Deaths” and a slew of great movies. As for the former, a Norwegian World War II hero, a terrific filmmaker, one of the greatest character actors, a tech giant and philanthropic billionaire, and perhaps the most mysterious figure of the 20th and early 21st centuries are remembered. In the latter discussion, two classic horror films and a recent, groundbreaking documentary are recommended and four new cinematic releases are analyzed, including The Old Man & the GunBad Times at the El RoyaleGreen Book and your friends in podcasting’s very own The Lady Killers! Dean and Phil’s dark comedy has been described as “exactly the kind of film we need right now” and it’s available on demand across a variety of platforms in the U.S. and Canada. Learn more at http://theladykillersmovie.com and on this very podcast!

Phil just got back from rubbing elbows with the D.C. social set. Dean stayed in town and hit a Hollywood party and hit it hard based on the stories he shares (Fran Drescher? Poop? Three bottles of champagne?). In addition to comparing notes on their holiday hijinx, Dean and Phil discuss the many films they’ve seen during the past two weeks. Phil saw several foreign language films, including a couple of fantastic ones you won’t want to miss. Dean reveals he saw The Spirit. This makes Phil very angry. Truth be told, though, from the Screen Actors Guild to Proposition 8, from people not knowing history to Dean’s viewing habits, Phil really comes out swinging … The boys are back and 2009 can finally begin!