When does an hour turn into 80 minutes? When it’s this week’s installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour! Dean is back in Michigan and has travel horror stories. Dean and Phil tackle the latest bizarre turn in the ongoing saga of Paramount changing ownership. An “all icons” edition of “Celebrity Deaths” involves the fascinating story behind the creator of Famous Amos, the hilarious reason Peter Marshall became the long-running host of “Hollywood Squares”, and appreciations of an 80’s music hitmaker, a groundbreaking and format-creating talk show host, and one of the greatest, most important leading men in movie history. Speaking of movies, Dean reviews the new Strange Darling, Phil tries to understand the failure of the recent Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Dean and Phil close with an appreciation of the great Michael Powell. Then, before the show ends, Marc Hershon joins the festivities to celebrate what just might be the best show on television.

This show runs the gamut geographically from the U.K. to Detroit, and from Los Angeles to Laguna Beach. And it features a wide array from topics, including the supposed demise of radio in general, the new hopes for one station’s programming in particular, the death of a great actress, the acquisition of a legendary Hollywood company, and the latest (and final?) news in the prosecution of Alec Baldwin. There are also a slew of TV and movie reviews, including “Tulsa King”, MaXXXine, Remembering Gene Wilder, I Used to Be Funny and Janet Planet. Join Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness and special guests Alex Lewczuk and Lily Holleman as they bring you the insightful, the irreverent, the inspiring and the deeply felt. And if you are so moved, please visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/witham-radio/. Donate if you can and share if you will.

Dean and Phil got together in Los Angeles this week to watch David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows, to see if it’s as good as they remember OR if, as Quentin Tarantino claims, the film does not “play by its own rules”. You will hear the discussion in real time as your friends in podcasting watch the film and analyze it. First though, because a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) asked, Dean & Phil will tackle the controversy surrounding the use of AI-generated art in the recent Late Night with the Devil (a film Dean loved and which Phil pointed out definitely discards its own rules 75 minutes in). Finally, actress-singer-writer-improviser Lily Holleman drops in to discuss Juneteenth, her birthday, the latest “refurbishments” at Disneyland, the demise of Siren Radio and the music of comedian Sinbad!

The best thing about being podcast-only (again) is that for the first time in years, Dean and Phil can produce shows of whatever length tickles their fancy. Indeed, this week’s Chillpak Hollywood Hour gives you more than 10% more “hour”! The show begins with a cold open, wherein Phil reveals that he is not the only filmmaker who gets upset when other filmmakers don’t follow the rules they themselves have set up for a particular movie. In this instance, it’s Quentin Tarantino taking a much-loved modern horror classic to task. Then, Phil briefly revisits his recent travels to Catalina and Dean’s forthcoming travel plans, revealing that Dean has added a NYC trip to the mix in order to see a little-known, conceptual gem of a gallery. Phil previews where he will be spending Independence Day this year, and how a re-watch of Jim Jarmusch’s early classic Mystery Train has him jazzed to visit Memphis (and Graceland!) again this November. Standing ovations at Cannes, the impending financial train wreck that is Kevin Costner’s multi-part big-screen Horizon: An American Saga, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two all get discussed. Phil then reveals the latest news regarding a potential defamation lawsuit against Netflix and “Baby Reindeer” and explains why he is willing to now give the show and its creators the benefit of the doubt. After discussing the brilliance of actor Dabney Colemna and how Phil once ruined a birthday party for the 9 to 5 star, the “Funniest Man in America” and a groundbreaking recording engineer get remembered before “Celebrity Deaths” turns into a quiz testing Dean’s cultural/show biz literacy. Finally, after a brief musical interlude, Dean re-joins the festivities, this time from London, where he files a “boots on the ground” report. Phil concludes by previewing next week’s show, including an extraordinary adventure he took to the Integratron!

In a cold open, this week’s show begins where last week’s show left off, with Phil delighting Dean with some surprising facts about the late comedic genius Tommy Smothers. After that, Dean and Phil dive into “Awards Season” news, offering up thoughts on the recent Emmy Awards, the forthcoming Oscar nominations, and on how viewing of awards shows might change in the years to come. Suffice it to say, your friends in podcasting and broadcasting have both bones to pick and things they hope to see. Speaking of “see”, Phil saw The Zone of Interest in the recently remodeled and re-opened movie theater where he was married. Dean saw the highly acclaimed romantic comedy from Finland, Fallen Leaves, and explains why he did not enjoy it. He also takes the time to explain why Phil does not enjoy the all-time classic screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby! Dean and Phil also weigh in on their thoughts regarding Alec Baldwin (once again) getting charged with involuntary manslaughter for the on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. All that, plus Phil turns “Celebrity Deaths” into a game, quizzing Dean on his cultural literacy, and there is a crackerjack production meeting on the air!

Phil is back from his continental adventures and he and Dean actually got together in person on the mean-streets (and rooftops) of Los Feliz to have lunch and record this week’s show! Hear all about Dean’s epic improv performance in San Jose, Popeye Village in Malta, the Blue Lagoon in Comino, jellyfish stings, the movies Showing Up and Five Nights at Freddy’s, and learn why Dean and Phil think the recently negotiated SAG-Aftra contract might not get ratified by the actors and what they think will happen if it doesn’t. All in all, it’s a truly hilarious, free-wheeling, globe-trotting installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

This week’s show spans three weeks, three cities, and three different time zones. It starts with a conversation about the Detroit Institute of Art and the “Murder She Wrote” board game, recorded in Birmingham, Michigan, during a terrifying storm. It continues with a conversation recorded for last week’s show about a message Dean received from a fan and about Phil’s enjoyment of the FX revival series “Justified: City Primeval”. Then, after the break, Dean checks in from Minneapolis and the PhileFest celebrating the 30th Anniversary of “The X-Files”. He reports on all the goings-on, including the comedy, the fans, the stars and the possibly forthcoming reboot of the show from Ryan Coogler. Finally, Dean and Phil turn their attention to the just-concluded Venice Film Festival, to an award-winning Japanese filmmaker and to movies made in secret.

This week’s show begins with Dean and Phil discussing one of Dean’s all-time favorite films and filmmakers: My Winnipeg by Guy Maddin. Phil hails it as perhaps the greatest film NOT to be on the Sight and Sound poll of the 250 greatest films ever made. From great movies to great television, your friends in podcasting and broadcasting shift gears to discuss the end of “Succession”, the end of “Barry”, the end of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, the end of “Ted Lasso”, Season 1 of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”, and Season 2 of “Star Trek: Picard”. And speaking of “Picard” the actress who played the Borg Queen will get remembered in Celebrity Deaths, as will a beloved French-Canadian actor, an incredible Mexican character actor, the stunt man who inspired Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” … And the lead character in that film has also died?!

A cold open about the horror classic (?) Phantasm gets the ball rolling on a fascinating, funny, free-wheeling conversation between Dean and Phil about such topics as Dean’s forthcoming creative endeavors, Phil’s stressful experience judging a costume competition, the ongoing Los Angeles city council scandal and the difference between “representing” and “reflecting”. A message from someone very close to Dean about the most recent Palme d’Or winner at Cannes leads to a spirited appreciation of the comedy in Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend and a message from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) leads to hilarious stories about Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre and to a discussion of the very first episode of the new season of “Documentary Now” (a parody about Werner Herzog)! Kanye West’s ridiculous claims about Django Unchained and the onslaught of criticism directed at the new season of “The Crown” get examined before your friends in podcasting (and broadcasting) offer up a very lengthy, (and way too short!) celebration of the “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, Loretta Lynn.

You might not know the name Don Phillips, but you will definitely know the names of many the performers whose careers he launched as a casting director, and the films with which he was involved. He is one of four cultural titans that Dean and Phil remember in “Celebrity Deaths” on this week’s show, including a poet and founder of the mythopoetic men’s movement, an iconic Broadway composer, and a trombonist who received the highest honor ever bestowed on jazz musicians. Dean will update us on the latest in his bout with Covid-19, his travel plans, his live ghost hunts and his “Hellacious Renovations”. Phil will regale us with his birthday adventures, his deep dive into historic movie locations, and his exploration of the Manzanar “War Relocation Center”. Several movies will get analyzed as well, including a Kurosawa classic ripe for a modern-day remake, a film noir with a claim to the best dialogue of any movie ever, and a current box office hit that begs the question, “Does bustin’ make Dean & Phil feel good?”