Media Path Podcast

The Walton family saga so deeply moved us that scores of devoted fans are now sharing the show with their children and grandchildren.  Set in Depression era Virginia, The Waltons invited audiences to watch a family overcome adversity through their love, perseverance and the opening of their minds and hearts.  During its nine year run, we watched the Walton kids grow up right along with us. Between the ages of seven and sixteen, Kami Cotler portrayed the youngest Walton, Elizabeth and while doing show she gained the additional families of her Walton co-stars and fans.  Kami joins us to talk about a childhood spent on the set of an iconic historical drama, her illustrious and inspiring career as an educator  and the ongoing events and celebrations which continue to unite The Waltons and their audience. Kami's career as a teacher and administrator was rooted in her own  education, a unique hybrid of inventive and creative on-set tutors and public schools.  On-set learning did harken back to the one room schoolhouse where Kami learned alongside her older casemates and could easily audit some of their fascinating lessons which were way ahead of her grade level. Additionally, The Waltons’ set doubled as a constantly evolving, hands-on classroom. Post-Waltons, Kami’s first teaching job was in rural Virginia, which provided a real life emersion into the fictional setting she had inhabited for nearly a decade, and it's where she developed her style and approach as an educator.  We talk to Kami about her Youtube channel where she reacts to beloved episodes and interviews her wonderful Mom. She tells us what she wishes she’d asked Will Geer and Ellen Corby about working with Woody Guthrie and Laurel and Hardy and she shares how fans are consistently helping her better remember specific events and episodes! Today, Kami organizes Waltons themed gatherings around the country that are proving to be an enormously rewarding experience for both cast and fans. And, Kami pretty much aces a round of Waltons Trivia!  Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Social Studies on FX and Hulu and Score on Prime. Path Points of Interest: Kami Cotler on Wiki [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami_Cotler] Kami Cotler on IMDB [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0182853/] Kami Cotler on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/kamicotlerpage] Kami Cotler on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kamicotler/?hl=en] Kami Cotler on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@kami-cotler] Gift of Democracy [https://giftdemocracy.com] Social Studies [https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/social-studies] Score - Amazon Prime [https://www.score-movie.com]

Happy Days is the iconically classic 70s TV sensation about the 50s. Its legacy is unparalleled, its popularity ongoing. The show  launched a character who remains the embodiment of cool, Fonzie, and it cemented its cast into icon status in perpetuity.  That cast includes Donny Most, who played wise-cracking Ralph Malph, who, complete with his own catchphrase, “I still got it!” took a minor role and turned it into the stuff of legend. Don joins us this week to look back on his decades in Hollywood, the magic formula that brought Happy Days to fruition, and created a lasting legacy, and his tireless pursuit of creative expression that continues to keep his schedule full and fulfilling. Don shares stories about his first foray into show business, as a Catskills performing teen, his early guest starring roles on Emergency and Room 222, how he dropped out of college to maintain his acting momentum and landed a small role on Happy Days which he initially turned down until a fateful basketball playing encounter between his manager and Garry Marshall upped the incentives and sealed the deal. Donny and his cast-mates developed a strong, life-long bond which he credits to the collaborative set atmosphere, the genius of Garry Marshall and the strong example set by Ron Howard, which helped anchor egos aboard the Happy Days rocket ride.  Type-casting came with the Happy Days territory and it took years or hard work on stage for new opportunities to present themselves. Don has since gone into directing and producing and his most recent roles are the most compelling and diverse of his career.  Potsie took most of the lead vocals in the Happy Days band but Donny has been a singer since childhood and his most recent big-band, American Songbook recording, New York High has a BBC reviewer calling him, “The new Sinatra.” All this plus the truth behind the lawsuit against CBS,  Happy Days trivia and Don’s dramatic Baywatch rescue! And, in recommendations, Fritz and Weezy are discussing Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval and Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story, both on Netflix. Path Points of Interest: Donny Most [https://realdonnymost.com] Donny Most on Wiki [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Most] Donny Most on IMDB [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609182/] Donny Most on Twitter [https://x.com/most_don?lang=en] New York High on Apple Music [https://music.apple.com/us/album/new-york-high/1700375932] Far Haven [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23647954/] Harsen's Island Revenge [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21062442/] Unsung Hero [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsung_Hero_(film)] Gallatin Comic Con Appearance [https://nashvilleparent.com/gallatin-comic-con-to-welcome-tv-icons/] Ellen DeGeneres: or Your Approval on Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/81037130] Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story on Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/81665094] Gift of Democracy [https://giftdemocracy.com] Media Path Podcast [https://mediapathpodcast.com]

You may know William Atherton from Day Of The Locust, The Hindenburg, Looking For Mr. Goodbar, and Real Genius or you may better remember him for vigorously questioning the environmental safety of ghost busting or for receiving a blow to the face which rings in a very Merry Christmas in Die Hard.    Bill began his career on the stage, performing in Broadway plays by David Rabe, John Guare and Arthur Miller. The Ghostbuster and Die Hard franchises brought him to Hollywood and he joins us to discuss his fascinating history, his heroes and influences and his range of experiences with such performers as Anne Bancroft, George C. Scott, Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, and Diane Keaton.  Did you know that Bill sings What’ll I Do in Nelson Riddle’s Great Gatsby score!? He tells us all about it and talks about recognizing the greatness of Stephen Spielberg even as a baby director when Bill stared in Sugarland Express. He remembers how Anne Bancroft would not stop talking about Mel Brooks on the set of The Hindenburg, he shares what he learned from the casts of Lost and Desperate Housewives and he addresses the internet’s most time-honored question, is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending Will & Harper and Nobody Wants This on Netflix. Path Points of Interest: William Atherton [https://williamatherton.com/bio/] William Atherton on Wiki [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Atherton] William Atherton on IMDB [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040472/] Gift of Democracy [https://www.giftdemocracy.com] Media Path Podcast [https://mediapathpodcast.com] Nobody Wants This on Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/81591296] Will and Harper - Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/81760197]

In the '90s, a group of legendary rock and pop artists banded together, blending inspirations, genres, influences and styles to form a uniquely collaborative sound. The Bangles, The Cowsills, REM, The dBs, and Hootie And The Blowfish were all represented in The Continental Drifters.  Author and musician Sean Kelly has written the definitive Drifters tomb, White Noise & Lightning: The Continental Drifters Story and he joins us this week, along with iconic Drifter Peter Holsapple, to take us on a journey from Hollywood to New Orleans, in the late 90s, through the rich layers of alternative, folk, California pop and Americana that shaped the remarkable story of this legacy mega-group. We kick off the show with comedian and Emmy winning comedy writer Brian Kiley, who shares his experiences in the writing trenches with Conan O’Brien and Ellen DeGeneres. Brian joins us fresh from his experiences performing overseas for the U.S. military and recording his Dry Bar Comedy special. Brian will be opening soon for Fritz at The El Portal Theater in North Hollywood! Sean and Peter then offer a Continental Drifters deep dive into their origin story, their musical heritages and their founding members, including New Orleans legend, Carlo Nuccio who inspired the band’s move from a weekly residency at Raji’s in Hollywood to one at Howlin’ Wolf in New Orleans. The Drifters quickly ascended from a supergroup to a force of nature. Peter talks about his time with R.E.M. and Hootie and the Blowfish, Sean and Peter give us an in depth look at the band’s inner wiring and how their on-stage chemistry met with conflicting ingredients in the studio. The beating heart of The Drifters was always the personal bonds and when the romantic energy within the group began to shift, just like within any family, the entire group was thrown off balance. Sean and Peter relay their frustration with their record label's confusion as to how to market The Drifters, what members were seeking in contrast to their previous industry experiences, what inspired Sean to write the book, why Vermillion is Peter's favorite Drifters album and details about the brand new tribute album featuring Drifters songs performed by 25 artists including Marshall Crenshaw, Debbi Peterson and John Cowsill! Plus, Weezy is recommending, the MSNBC doc, From Russia With Lev and Fritz is looking ahead with 'What's Next? The Future With Bill Gates' on Netflix. Path Points of Interest: Brian Kiley [http://www.briankiley.com] Brian Kiley on X [https://x.com/kileynoodles] Brian Kiley at Fritz Coleman's Unassisted Residency [https://elportaltheatre.com/fritzcoleman.html] The Continental Drifters [https://continentaldrifters.com] White Noise & Lightening by Sean Kelly on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/White-Noise-Lightning-Continental-Drifters/dp/B0DDB95N3V/] Peter Holsapple on Wiki [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Holsapple] Peter Holsapple on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/peter.holsapple/] Continental Drifters on Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Drifters] Continental Drifters on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdHd6uIr08U40sFX-AYLBCQ] Continental Drifters on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/ContinentalDrifters1] Continental Drifters on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/continentaldriftersbook/] From Russia With Lev [https://dcdoxfest.com/films/from-russia-with-lev/] What's Next? The Future With Bill Gates [https://www.netflix.com/title/81609333] Gift of Democracy [https://www.giftdemocracy.com] Media Path Podcast [https://mediapathpodcast.com]

The fall of the Soviet wall and the opening of the iron curtain presented ample space for hope, optimism and opportunity for westerners eager to share culture, creativity, business and democracy concepts with the citizens of the former Soviet Union. David Junk leapt at the chance to work for Polygram/Universal Records in a country hungry for music and freedom. David’s 15 years in Russia were a unique window of time between Gorbachov’s Glasnost and Putin’s re-consolidation of power.  David stepped into a landscape that he called “the wild, wild, east,” teaming with gangsters and corruption and also talented, enterprising Russians, eager to explore new possibilities. David’s journey is documented in his book, Rockin’ The Kremlin which gives readers an inside look at boots-on-the-ground life and work in Russia from the perspective of a Russian speaking, idealistic American.  David and his co-writer Fred Bronson join us for a fascinating dive into David’s adventures… Contract negations with Polygram which included kidnapping insurance, Russian kids’ obsession with hip hop, discovering and exporting Russian talent including two young girls called t.A.T.u. who kissed on The Tonight Show, wearing “F*** War” tee-shirts which they got past everyone because the words were written in Russian. David says that those tee-shirts are now being worn by kids in Ukraine.  This window in time introduced a generation to a complex intersection of culture and politics which was ultimately snuffed by Putin’s coalition with the Russian Orthodox Church and a renewed, vehement opposition to LGBTQ rights and individual expression. Ultimately, it was David’s deep disappointment in colleagues’ support for the invasion of Ukraine and concerns for his family’s safety which brought him back to the states. But still, so much was learned and exchanged. All this, plus Fritz and Weezy are recommending The English Teacher on FX (streaming on Hulu) and the making of The Sopranos doc, Wiseguy on HBO Max. Path Points of Interest: Rocking The Kremlin: My Incredible, True Story Of Gangsters, Oligarchs, And Pop Stars In Putin's Russia by David Junk with Fred Bronson [https://www.amazon.com/Rockin-Kremlin-Incredible-Gangsters-Oligarchs/dp/1538178753] David Junk on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/davidjunkauthor] David Junk on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/davidjunk1] Fred Bronson on Twitter [https://x.com/FredBronson] Art During Wartime Podcast [https://www.artduringwartime.org/] Gift of Democracy [https://www.giftdemocracy.com]   The English Teacher FX and Hulu https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/english-teacher [https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/english-teacher] Wiseguy - HBO https://www.hbo.com/movies/wise-guy-david-chase-and-the-sopranos [https://www.hbo.com/movies/wise-guy-david-chase-and-the-sopranos]