Chillpak Hollywood Hour

Chillpak Hollywood Hour

There are two Carolinas in the USA. North and South. Phil is exploring both of them. So, this week’s show was pre-recorded quite a few days earlier than usual. In it, Dean and Phil discuss The Actor’s Gang, a well-respected theater company and training ground for talented performers (like their pal, Steve Benaquist). Dean and Phil continue to talk about the late, great artist David Hockney, his love of smoking, and the ways in which he taught the world to think of Los Angeles, namely as it pertains to light. Light and its interplay with shadows is absolutely top of mind for your friends in podcasting and they go deep into film noir, talking about such great actors as George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, Burt Lancaster, Edmond O’Brien, and Edward G. Robinson, and such great directors of noir as Fritz Lang and Robert Siodmak. The movies They Drive by Night, The Killers and Scarlet Street all get appraised. Finally, Phil holds court about the 1980 neo-noir The First Deadly Sin, which was the final motion picture produced by Frank Sinatra, and the final lead performance for Sinatra as an actor. It was supposed to have been directed by Roman Polanski, which has Phil asking, “What if it had been?” He also suggests another young director (at the time) who would have been a better choice than the film’s eventual director, Brian G. Hutton. Nevertheless, Hutton did director a couple of Dean’s favorite movies, so Phil shares the quite interesting details of Hutton’s career. Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe [https://deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Interview

Lily Holleman Leirness is an acclaimed and accomplished actress, sketch comic and improviser. She has lived in Los Angeles for more than two decades and has spent much of that time getting up every morning and letting the City of Angels know why she is there, be it as the longest-tenured president in the history of the Los Angeles Breakfast Club, or as a “care actor” doing standardized patient work in an effort to help train medical students. She is married to your friend in podcasting, Phil Leirness, who interviews her on her birthday about the significance of having a birthday on the Juneteenth holiday, about her year-long cancer journey, about the ways in which acting saved her life, and what she sees herself pursuing as an actress moving forward. Lily is also an artist (and an art historian) and she discusses where those paths may lead her. Finally, she shares her thoughts about the brilliant Steven Soderbergh movie The Christophers, and the entire conversation takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina! Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support out work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe [https://deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

The Art Life

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include: *The creation of paints, the origin of painting, and the meaning of cave paintings *The history of musical instruments and the musical inspiration derived from simply creating or discovering sounds *The artistry of machinists *The reasons why 1977’s Star Wars was so able to change the entire landscape of cinematic sci-fi and what some of the ramifications of that change have been for the genre (and maybe for society) Finally, as this will be their last episode of this particular podcast until early July, Dean, Jon and Phil take turns revealing what artistic work they plan to accomplish between now and then, and what artful living they will be embracing and experiencing during this time. Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe [https://deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Chillpak Hollywood Hour

In a rather shocking cold open, Phil reveals not only that he has World Cup Fever, but also that he is genuinely thrilled about the early tournament achievement accomplished by Team Canada! Brief remembrances of artist David Hockney and journalist Gene Shalit (both of whom died during the past few days) are offered. Then, things turn dark, as Dean and Phil explore some of the shabbiest corners of show business, with the latest on the impending Paramount merger with Warner Bros. and the return of the It Ends With Us lawsuit between director Justin Baldoni and star Blake Lively. Last week, Dean and Phil talked about actress Ann Savage, who starred in Dean’s all-time favorite My Winnipeg. This week, Phil reveals to Dean that the Academy Museum will be hosting a “Weekend with Guy Maddin” featuring four of this master filmmaker’s greatest works. Dean convinces Phil to attend the entire weekend. A couple weeks back, Dean and Phil discussed the all-time classic Some Like it Hot and in so doing, Dean made some comments about that film’s indelible supporting player Joe E. Brown that inspired friend of the show Maurice Terenzio to hunt and peck his way through a lengthy, fascinating and rewarding missive about this great comic actor (and humanitarian). Film noir has been foremost on Phil’s mind of late, and he offers detailed appreciations for two of his all-time favorite actors: Sterling Hayden (in the process analyzing the revered Nicholas Ray-directed and Joan Crawford-starring western Johnny Guitar and the classic John Huston crime procedural The Asphalt Jungle) and Veronica Lake (with particular attention paid to the Raymond Chandler original The Blue Dahlia). Finally, it’s no secret that Dean loves action, and he offers a full report on the just-released action film The Furious. Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe [https://deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Celebrity Deaths

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” was always when they celebrated the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Now that Celebrity Deaths has become its own podcast in the Chillpak Hollywood Presents … [https://deanandphil.substack.com] universe of shows, these celebrations are always interesting, occasionally inspiring, frequently delightful, and sometimes downright bizarre and hilarious! This week, the gentlemen set a personal record by remembering and celebrating the following TEN media notables: *Astronomer Alan Hale *Oscar-winning and Tony-nominated costume designer Albert Wolsky *Oscar-winning editor Marcia Lucas *Two character actors who made their marks on the big screen, the small screen and in the world of “The X-Files”: James Handy and Charles Cioffi *Transatlantic television and stage star Anthony Head *Musician, educator and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” regular Joe Negri *Graphic novelist and award-winning filmmaker Marjane Satrapi *Chart-topping R&B great Robert “Peabo” Bryson *Happy, the 55 year-old Asian elephant whose uncommon intelligence made her the focus of a legal emancipation fight Celebrity Deaths: Because as Dean Haglund says, “Remembering things is fun!” Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe [https://deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]