Rerun: Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
Today's episode is a rerun of my interview acclaimed astrophysicist, author, and a highly popular science communicator Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Today Dr. Tyson talks about his new #1 New York Times Bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and why he wants to make science accessible and understandable for all. He shares his thoughts on how movies and television portray science. He reveals just how rapidly the universe was born and why the debate over the big bang theor
Rerun: Carol Burnett
The great Carol Burnett joins me to reminisce about some of the best times on The Carol Burnett Show. She shares stories about Harvey Korman, Tim Conway and Vickie Lawrence, including which one she almost had to fire and which one could always crack her up in front of the cameras. She talks about the boys club that was network television in the 60’s and 70’s and she reveals the comedy sketch that she wished she hadn’t done and some of her favorite questions from the audience
EP 204: Richard Dawkins Has a Soul for Science
Famed evolutionary biologist, author, and science communicator Richard Dawkins shares his wonder for science, debunks the entire premise of intelligent design, and calls on the scientific community to stop calling evolution a theory. He talks about Berkley University’s recent decision to uninvite him to speak and what he calls higher learning’s dangerous elevation of opinion over truth and objective facts. Plus the well known atheist talks about his friend the late Christop
EP 203: Al Madrigal on Comedy, Trump, and Avoiding Cilantro
Comedian Al Madrigal (The Daily Show, I'm Dying Up Here) talks about exploring the dark side of the 70's stand-up comedy boom on his new Showtime series, why he’s resisted being pidgeonholed as a latino comic, and why he thinks white guys actually have it tougher in comedy. He discusses his audition for The Daily Show, and faking a border crossing as a field correspondent. Plus seafood as revenge,
why you might want to avoid cilantro for the next 4 years, and Al Madrigal o
EP 202: Dennis Prager on Politics, Religion, and Happiness
Radio host and author Dennis Prager discusses the politicization of his recent classical concert at Walt Disney Hall, explains why the media is a greater threat to America than Vladimir Putin, and warns that America may be in the middle of a "second civil war." Dennis says he'd rather spend most of his time talking about the big issues in life than politics, he shares his philosophy of happiness, and why he believes happiness is not just a feeling but a moral obligation. Pl
EP 201: Rob Reiner Talks Movies, Politics, & Presidents LBJ to Trump
Director Rob Reiner talks about his new film LBJ and how his own view of President Lyndon Johnson has changed since he was a young man of draft age during the Vietnam War. He shares some favorite LBJ legends and talks about the evolution of Johnson as a civil rights warrior. He discusses growing up in showbusiness, his father Carl Reiner's remarkable energy at 95, and the time a very young Rob Reiner got in trouble for grabbing Mary Tyler Moore's ass on the set of his dad's
EP 200: Anthony Atamanuik, Host of Comedy Central's THE PRESIDENT SHOW
Anthony Atamanuik, host of Comedy Central's The President Show joins me for the 200th episode of Kickass News! Anthony reveals what goes into his dead-on impersonation of the President, he shares his mixed feelings about having his own fortunes tied to those of Donald Trump, and explains why he thinks "The Donald" is a lot more like "an old lonely dowager" than the macho man he pretends to be. Atamanuik describes how Trump is not that different than the guys he grew up with
EP 199: Snopes Founder David Mikkelson on Fighting Fake News
Snopes founder and CEO David Mikkelson talks about combatting fake news and why he's asking fans of the popular fact checking site to help save Snopes. David reveals what inspired him to start Snopes 20 years ago, how it grew from a site that debunked urban legends to the most reliable fact checking site that is depended on by everyone from Facebook to the Washington Post, and a few tips on how you can verify the news you consume. He discusses the danger of misinformation,
EP 198: The Creators of Amazon's COMRADE DETECTIVE
The creators of the new Amazon series COMRADE DETECTIVE Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka and series director Rhys Thomas talk about recreating a Cold War-era Romanian police drama that satirizes both Soviet and American propaganda of the 80's. They discuss the 80’s cop shows and a popular Czech TV series that inspired COMRADE DETECTIVE, why graffiti was such a problem for them in post, and working with a Romanian crew that included a foul-mouthed translator. Plus, a les
EP 197: The Other Russia Scandal w/ Filmmaker Bryan Fogel
Filmmaker/cyclist Bryan Fogel set out to see if he could take performance enhancing drugs and get away with it, but he soon found himself in the middle of the most notorious doping scandal in sports history as he helped scientist Grigory Rodchenkov escape Russia and expose an elaborate state-run conspiracy to dope Russia's Olympic athletes. It's all in his thrilling documentary ICARUS which is available on Netflix and in theaters starting on 8/4. Bryan Fogel discusses how he