Arie Kaplan, SPEED RACER and MAD MAGAZINE writer: Mr. Media Audio Interview

What red-blooded man’s heart doesn’t start racing at the “Speed Racer” theme?

My guest today is part of the revival of the immortal Speed Racer. He is IDW comic book writer Arie Kaplan, and with the release of the Wachowski Brothers’ big screen, live action adaptation of the Japanese anime classic, I thought it would be fun to talk a little Speed today.

We’ll also touch on some of Arie’s other work. He is a regular contributor to MAD magazine, for example, and also wrote the non-fiction book, Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed! This fall, his second book, From Krakow to Krypton, will be published.
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Maxim Magazine Pimps The Spirit Movie Babes

You can't blame the producers of "Will Eisner's The Spirit" for the avalanche of advance publicity promoting the movie's release - although it is still eight months off. Today I picked up the latest issue of Maxim - which I read for the pictures, not the stories - and the cover photo is of Jaime King, one of the many beautiful actress featured in Frank Miller's upcoming film. And the cover also teases a page of photos of another co-star, Scarlett Johansson.

And let me add this: as his authorized biographer, I can't say whether Will Eisner would have liked Miller's version of The Spirit, considering he always opposed the idea of Hollywood adopting his character. But as man who loved beautiful dames, I think it safe to say he would have approved of Miller's female cast!

Not Sure How to Take This

"You're not our target audience. Our target audience is MILFs."

- RC Smith, warm-up comic for "The Rachael Ray Show," explaining to Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore) on Sirius Radio's "The Wiseguy Show," why he might not enjoy Ray's talk show.

Raging Debate Over Frank Miller's "Interpretation" of Will Eisner's The Spirit

We hear a lot of whispering about Frank Miller's upcoming cinematic take on Will Eisner's "The Spirit." And with the first trailer due to be released in just a few days at New York Comic-Con, the whispering is picking up steam, especially as the first green screen images were leaked to the fan press a few days ago.

Of course, if you're old enough to remember the brouhaha about Michael Keaton as "Batman," you know it's too early to accurately judge.

On the other hand Brandon Routh as "Superman"? Terribly miscast, poor guy.

Anyway, if you'd like to keep up with the debate - or participate in the conversation - check out this message board over at The Comics Journal. You can also see green screen shots there of Gabriel Macht as The Spirit, Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus, and several more, including a hot shot of Eva Mendes.

I am Iron Man!

Bill Prady, THE BIG BANG THEORY, CBS TV sitcom co-creator: Mr. Media Audio Interview

Bill Prady is having a pretty good year, writer’s strike and all, thanks to the success of “The Big Bang Theory,” the hit CBS sitcom he co-created with Chuck Lorre.

If you haven’t seen “The Big Bang Theory,” it stars Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons as a couple of supernerds named Leonard and Sheldon – an in-joke for those of us who remember a sitcom master of old, the late Sheldon Leonard. Leonard produced everything from “Make Room for Daddy” with Danny Thomas to “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Andy Griffith Show. He was also a director, a writer, and a frequent guest star.

Sheldon and Leonard, the lead characters in “The Big Bang Theory” have absolutely nothing in common with their namesake except that he’d probably be proud of the tribute because they are smartly drawn, literate, and, most importantly, damn funny.

This isn't Prady's first rodeo; you've also seen his work on "Gilmore Girls," "Star Trek Voyager," "Dharma & Greg," "Two and a Half Men," "The Cosby Show," and "Dream On."
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Jon Provost, TIMMY'S IN THE WELL, TV star of "Lassie": Mr. Media Audio Interview

I’ve never liked dog-earing pages – you know, when you’re reading a book and you fold back the corner of a page to mark your place, or because there was something interesting on the page to which you’d like to return?

Well, I’ve never dog-eared a book as much as I did with Timmy’s in the Well, the new autobiography by Jon Provost, former child star of the “Lassie” television show.

This book is not the usual child star recitation of the ills of fame. Okay, it’s a little of that. But Jon Provost’s life is riveting – and so is the telling of his story, assisted as he was by his wife, Laurie Jacobson.

I couldn’t wait to have Jon and Laurie on to talk about this fascinating read.
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Look Who's Coming to Mr. Media This Week! (April 7-9)

April 7
1 p.m.

Jon Provost and Laurie Jacobson Provost, TIMMY'S IN THE WELL, Lassie star and co-authors: Mr. Media Interview

1 Hour
TIMMY'S IN THE WELL is the story of Jon Provost, television's first child superstar, and the low-down on LASSIE, one of television's most enduring shows. It is filled with celebrity anecdotes, rare photos, and memorabilia. Since his original seven-year run on the show, Provost has become a household name in 125 countries. His episodes continue to air in more than 50 countries, the checked shirt and jeans he wore as Timmy hang in the Smithsonian, & he has his own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

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April 8
1:00 p.m.

Bill Prady, THE BIG BANG THEORY, writer and executive producer: Mr. Media Interview

1 Hour
Bill Prady is a writer and executive producer of this year's break out sitcom hit, THE BIG BANG THEORY. But you've also seen his work on GILMORE GIRLS, DHARMA & GREG, TWO AND A HALF MEN, and DREAM ON. www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/

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April 9
1 p.m.

Arie Kaplan, SPEED RACER comic book writer: Mr. Media Interview

1 Hour
Arie Kaplan is a MAD Magazine writer, comedy writer, animation writer, screenwriter, lecturer, pop culture expert, playwright, cartoonist, stand-up comic, member of the Friars Club, and he is writing the new Speed Racer comic book mini-series for IDW Publishing. www.ariekaplan.com

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April 16
1 p.m.

Bill Adair, POLITIFACT.com editor and writer: Mr. Media Interview

1 Hour

PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly to help you find the truth in the presidential campaign. Every day, reporters and researchers analyze the candidates' speeches, TV ads and interviews and determine whether the claims are accurate. Bill Adair is the Washington Bureau Chief for the St. Petersburg Times. He's worked in Washington since 1997 and is the author of "The Mystery of Flight 427: Inside a Crash Investigation" www.politifact.com

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April 24
1 p.m.

Daniel Pink, THE ADVENTURES OF JOHNNY BUNKO, FREE AGENT NATION, author: Mr. Media Interview

1 Hour
Daniel H. Pink is the New York Times bestselling author of A WHOLE NEW MIND and FREE AGENT NATION. He lectures to corporations, associations, and universities around the world on economic transformation and the changing world of work. In 2007, he won a Japan Society Media Fellowship that took him to Tokyo to study the manga industry. The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is America’s first business book in the Japanese comic format known as manga – and the last career guide you’ll ever need. www.danpink.com

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April DATE TBA
1 p.m.

Bob Delaney and Dave Scheiber, COVERT: MY YEARS INFILTRATING THE MOB, authors: Mr. Media Interview

1 Hour
COVERT:MY YEARS INFILTRATING THE MOB by NBA Referee Bob Delaney (with Dave Scheiber) is the must-read true crime book of 2008! Covert is the never-before-told story of how in 1975, after less than two years as a NJ State Trooper, Bob Delaney left the life he knew behind and started a new one as Bobby Covert, president of Alamo Trucking, and principal undercover agent in what would become the landmark mob-busting investigation, Project-Alpha.