Dean and Phil start the show by answering a question they posed last week about The NeverEnding Story. A question about Dean’s painting leads into a deep-dive discussion about scheduling, energy management, and the time of transition in which we all find ourselves. In “Celebrity Deaths”, a character actor-turned-acting instructor gets remembered, as does a true renaissance man known primarily for playing gangsters! Olivia Newton-John’s career also gets examined at great length, including her starring role in a 1970 science-fiction film and how history could have been different had that film been a hit. Phil is more than a little bit grumpy about a “Live Event of the Week” and he and Dean wonder if Amadeus might be the most mediocre movie ever to win Best Picture. Mediocrity itself is discussed as a business model, and Netflix is in the crosshairs!

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.

Dean regales us with details of his trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, and updates us on his teaching of improv. Phil updates us on his recovery from multiple eye surgeries, and regales us with details of a Hollywood Bowl “Live Event of the Week” before previewing an upcoming presentation at The Los Angeles Breakfast Club about silent film great Harold Lloyd and his love of 3-D Photography. Phil also sings the praises of two terrific Asian-American performers – Maya Erskine and Awkwafina – as he recommends their most recent movies, the romantic comedy Plus One and the indie drama The Farewell. Dean and Phil revisit the great Denis Villeneuve sci-fi pic Arrival, answer an email from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU) about the Manson family murders and provide updates and analysis on the CBS-Paramount merger and Netflix’s efforts to purchase the landmark Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. That a whole lot of entertainment for one hour (plus)! Of course it is YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. 

This week’s episode was delayed by half a day because Dean Haglund is spending his final hours Down Under in a hotel, and because Phil hosted a live show in Los Angeles on Sunday night. On our final intercontinental connection, Dean and Phil discuss the last entries in Dean’s Down Under Bucket List and Phil’s love for the great western star Leo Carrillo. In “Live Events of the Week” the Los Angeles Philharmonic at 100, Herbie Hancock, Katy Perry, Kali Uchis, John Williams and more get discussed. In “Lawsuit of the Week” 102 year-old Olivia De Havilland’s forthcoming appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court gets previewed. And speaking of the Supreme Court … Your friends in podcasting offer up some words they hope might be healing. Then, they turn their attention to the small screen to discuss “Stranger Things” and “The Man in the High Castle” before discussing such big screen releases as American AnimalsVenom and A Star is Born. Finally, a legendary animator, and several key figures in the history of modern music are remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”. So, sit back, relax and enjoy that Didgeridoo intro one final time …

We were going to say that after a one-week absence (during which they released a spectacular pre-recorded episode with a special guest), your friends in podcasting come out with guns blazing … And then, as they were getting set to record, ANOTHER mass shooting in the USA occurred. Dean and Phil address the event and get into a seriously fascinating conversation about rage and despair and about how people can obtain the tools necessary to explore these bedrock emotions without being taken by them. Then, in the return of “Live Events of the Week”, Tchaikovsky and a non-binary gender identifying performer are celebrated, and Dean discusses his “Down Under Bucket List”, including scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef (a list item he has checked off, thank you very much!). Romantic comedies and diversity both get discussed in the wake of Crazy Rich Asians‘ box office success (and surprisingly decent reviews) and the documentary profile Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda gets recommended. Finally, the Chillpak Morgue is opened for “Celebrity Deaths” where the lives, accomplishments and lasting impacts of a true American hero, a giant of international diplomacy, the Oscar-nominated actress who founded modern improv, the journalist who coined the phrase “champagne wishes and caviar dreams” and the Queen of Soul are all remembered. All that AND Phil finally learns the usage of modern-day pronouns!

Dean’s back in Sydney, Australia, Phil is back from The Magic Castle in Hollywood, and they embark on a fast-paced 67 minute odyssey into the realms of magic, comedy, art, classical music, vintage cars, vintage music boxes and much more …

Jerry Lewis, Mozart, Houdini, Valentino and Gershwin are just some of the big names that get discussed.

There are 7 lives celebrated in “Celebrity Deaths”.

There are multiple “Live Events of the Week”.

There are full details about Dean’s return to (season 11 of) “The X-Files”. Are The Lone Gunmen really back? Or do they appear in a flashback or hallucination or dream sequence or the like? Who wrote and directed the episode Dean shot this week? All these questions are answered by Dean.

YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. Buckle up. Enjoy. And share with someone you love …