CooperTalk

Steve Cooper talks with actor Beth Littleford. Beth won widespread notoriety during her four years on The Daily Show. She ultimately left for network television spending two years on ABC's Spin City. Other series regular roles include Nancy Blaford on Method and Red and Suzanne Berger on The Hard Times of RJ Berger. She has had recurring roles on Desperate Housewives, Rules of Engagement, One on One, Life with Bonnie and the Cleveland Show. She has guest-starred on many others shows including The Mindy Project, CSI, CSI: Miami, Melissa and Joey, Frasier, The West Wing, Boston Public, Still Standing and Without a Trace. In the past she was a fixture on shows like Politically Incorrect, Hollywood Squares, Talk Soup and most I Love the...shows on VH-1. She recently starred on Disney's hit sitcom, Dog with a Blog which has received multiple Emmy nominations and has been in numerous national commercials.

Steve Cooper talks with comic Brian McDaniel. Brian can be seen in the new Entourage movie, as a regular contributor on CBS’ The Talk and of course he was a correspondent on TMZ for 8 years. He grew up in Prince George's county Maryland, riding the bus to school where comedy was the ultimate factor in deciding social status. Mostly, he just tried to avoid being embarrassed by the popular kids and the foul­mouthed big­banged girls that followed them. But he was learning by osmosis, picking up on what was funny and what was just swagger, which jokes made everybody laugh, and which ones just unified the cool clique in their superiority. He couples this experience with the pop culture expertise of a TMZ veteran to write material that's incisive, ridiculous, and surprising that he performs all over the Los Angeles area and on the road.

Steve Cooper talks with writer/host/gossip columnist A.J. Benza. A.J. is a regular contributor to Playboy and Penthouse. He was New York City’s most celebrated gossip columnist in the 1990s, writing and editing both Hot Copy and Downtown columns for the Daily News (New York). He also continues to be a regular on the Howard Stern Sirius radio show. His television credits include hosting and producing E!’s Mysteries & Scandals, co-hosting Game Show Network’s highest-rated series, High Stakes Poker, and creating, producing, writing, and hosting his own late night talk show, A.J. After Hours. He recently released a critically acclaimed memoir title 74' and Sunny.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Richard Gunn. Richard is best known for his starring role in James Cameron's Dark Angel for which he won a People's Choice Award in his early 20's, after taking a break from the entertainment industry to live on a ranch for several years in his 30's, he is back and has now become a critic and fan favorite as the iconic hero Chief of Police John Sanders in the cable hit Granite Flats opposite Christopher Lloyd, Parker Posey, and Carey Elwes. He also had a recurring role on Hemlock Grove and has guest starred in many shows including The Mentalist, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Dexter.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Brett Cullen. Brett's lengthy and successful career started with his first television series, The Chisholms. Since then he has appeared in such TV shows such as  The Incredible Hulk, Tales from the Crypt, M*A*S*H, V, Matlock, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ally McBeal, Walker, Texas Ranger, Once and Again, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The Mountain, Monk, CSI: Miami, NCIS, Desperate Housewives, Pepper Dennis, Lost, Ghost Whisperer, Private Practice, Ugly Betty, The Mentalist, Castle, Damages, White Collar, Burn Notice and Friday Night Lights and in 2013, Cullen was cast in the television series Devious Maids and in 2014 Cullen had recurring roles on the television shows Revenge, Criminal Minds, and Under the Dome. He has also appeared in the HBO mini-series From the Earth to the Moon and numerous movies including The Replacements, The Dark Knight Rises, Apollo 13, Ghost Rider, 42, Red Dawn, The Runaways, Gridiron Gang and many, many more.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Jillian Armenante. Jillian is best known for playing the role of Donna Kozlowski on the TV show Judging Amy. Her feature-film credits include Contagion, Bad Teacher, A Mighty Heart, North Country and Girl, Interrupted. On television, she has made guest appearances on several shows including Shameless, Medium, Party Down, Castle, The Closer, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Las Vegas, ER, Six Feet Under, The West Wing, and Northern Exposure. Also very active on stage, in Seattle, she was a member of Annex Theatre for eight years, where she appeared in The Fatty Arbuckle Spookhouse Review, Bessemer's Spectacles, Tattoo Girl, and Hamlet The Musical. At Annex, she directed Triplets In Uniform, Exquisite Torture, and Running From Boomerangs. She was the Associate Artistic Director for Alice B. Theatre where she produced Pretty, Witty and Gay and Memory Tricks by Marga Gomez at the Broadway Performance Hall and she played Melony in a stage version of The Cider House Rules which was performed at The Atlantic Theater in New York City, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, and at The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. For this role she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, received a Garland Award and a Theatre World Award for Debut on the New York Stage. The show also received a Theatre L.A. Ovation Award for Best Production in a Larger Theatre. She currently is a recurring character in ABC's Fresh Off the Boat and stars, produced, directed and co-wrote Kittens in a Cage. 

Steve Cooper talks with actor Willie Garson. Willie is best known for his roles as Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City and as Mozzie in White Collar. His other television appearances include Mr. Belvedere, My Two Dads, Coach, Quantum Leap, Monk, Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World, Ally McBeal, Party of Five, Star Trek: Voyager, Special Unit 2, Just Shoot Me!, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Friends, The X-Files, Cheers, Yes, Dear, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Pushing Daisies, Stargate SG-1, Wizards of Waverly Place, CSI: Miami, Mental, Spin City and Taken and co-starred in the 2007 HBO series John from Cincinnati. He has also appeared in three movies from the Farrelly brothers—Kingpin, There's Something About Mary and Fever Pitch. His other film credits include Groundhog Day, Just Like Heaven, The Rock, Fortress 2: Re-Entry, Being John Malkovich, Freaky Friday, Labor Pains, and Out Cold and made a cameo in the end credits of Jackass Number Two, with the full context of the cameo being explained in Jackass 2.5.

Steve Cooper talks with actor/producer Natalie Burn. Natalie is a fast-rising Hollywood actress, dancer, Prima Ballerina, choreographer, fighter, writer, singer, composer, model and a producer who has a resume that is genuinely unique. Currently starring in Awaken, a feature film that she created and produced, co-starring Darryl Hannah and Edward Furlong, Burn has also recently had key roles in Expendables 3, Killer Mermaid, Mechanic Resurrection and lead roles in Karla, Downhill and Ghosts of Garip in addition to prominent spots in several Russian films like Brigada Naslednik and several TV series like Petrovich in the last decade. 

Steve Cooper talks with actor/comic Stephen Kramer Glickman. Stephen is best known as Gustavo Rocque on the Nickelodeon television series Big Time Rush. In 2007, he was cast as Shrek in Shrek the Musical that opened on Broadway. He hosted the popular YouTube show Equals Three for one day while Ray William Johnson was out recording his album as the persona YourFavoriteMartian also found on YouTube. He has also voiced Billy Bob in an animated web series named "Trailer Trash" produced by Stupid Factory Studios and Titmouse. He runs a clothing line called Giant Creature whose proceeds go to help anti-bullying, appears at the top comedy clubs in LA regularly and co-hosts the popular podcast #DateFails.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Deirdre Lovejoy. Deirdre is best known for her role on the HBO television series The Wire as Rhonda Pearlman. A familiar face to stage, she appeared recently on Broadway in the sold out run of Nora Ephron’s Tony Award winning Lucky Guy, starring Tom Hanks and has other Broadway credits including John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation plus numerous Off-Broadway and regional theatre credits. She has also appeared in the series Girls, Orange is the New Black, Bones, American Horror Story, Body of Proof, Private Practice, The Forgotten, The Medium, Criminal Minds, Lie to Me, The Closer, Nip/Tuck, Saving Grace, Strong Medicine, Outlaw, Close to Home, Shark, The Protector, The Lion's Den, The West Wing, Law & Order, Law & Order Special Victims Unit, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Cold Case, Close to Home, Numbers, Without a Trace, Brothers and Sisters, Eli Stone, NYPD Blue, Ed, Third Watch, Perfect Murder Perfect Town: The Jon Benet Ramsey Story, The Kennedys of Massachusetts and many more and films including the upcoming Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (directed by Ang Lee), Thirsty, Step Up, Bad Teacher, The Stepfather, Lionhead, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Gloria and Eric, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, Random Hearts, Sour Grapes, Shaft, and The Freshman.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Lori Alan. Lori is perhaps best known for her award-winning voice-over work. Recently honored by her peers at the First Annual Voice Arts Awards (the Academy Awards for Voice-Overs) she took first-place prizes for Outstanding Body Of Work and Outstanding National Television Commercial. She starred as Diane Simmons on Family Guy, Pearl the Whale on SpongeBob: Squarepants, and Sue Richards, The Invisible Woman, on Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four, among many other fantastic animated roles (Monster's University, Toy Story 3, Despicable Me 2, WALL.E, Henry Hugglemonster, Metal Gear Solid, Cow and Chicken, Animaniacs, and Futurama) and a long, successful commercial career. She also has firm roots in theatre, where she's thrived for over three decades. She most recently mounted a smash solo show, Lori Alan: The Musical, and appeared alongside Paul Reubens in The Pee-Wee Herman Show. Of her role as Queen Celia in the hit musical Sneaux!, Backstage West proclaimed, "Lori Alan might give Carol Burnett pause!" She originated the role of Mae in the award-winning musical Reefer Madness, a performance that earned raves from Kenny Morse of CBS Radio, who called her "a standout whose talent will take her very far". On TV from roles on the gripping Showtime drama Ray Donovan, to the hilarious Comedy Central gem Workaholics, to the deliciously naughty Desperate Housewives, her energy and natural essence flow effortlessly from genre to genre. A true character actress in every sense of the word, when Lori speaks, the world listens. She delves deeply into her material, emerging with the power to make the audience laugh and cry in the same moment. Her television career has flourished with appearances on Bones, Southland, CSI, 90210, Law and Order (both LA and the original), and every other show imaginable.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Elaine Hendrix. Elaine currently stars in the FX comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll.  She’s also been in many movies including The Parent Trap, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, Inspector Gadget 2, Superstar, Romy & Michele's High School Reunuion. She is a familiar face to TV too, appearing on hit shows such as Two and a Half Men, The Client List, NCIS: Los Angeles, Castle, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, and CSI: Miami to name a few and she recurred on the new Beverly Hills 90210 as well as two years on the critically acclaimed CBS series Joan of Arcadia and has been in three holiday TV movies: Anything But Christmas, Mr. St. Nick and The Munster’s Scary Little Christmas.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Ken Davitian. Ken began acting full time in the early 1990s and spent the majority of his career being typecast as a short, fat, bumbling, and sometimes sleazy character in low budget B-movies before gaining small guest spots on television in such series as the HBO sports comedy Arli$$, The Shield and the HBO hit drama Six Feet Under. However in 2006, he would land a role that would dramatically change his life and acting career forever. He auditioned for a supporting role in the Sacha Baron Cohen project Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The part he was going for was that of Azamat, the stout, rotund production assistant to the naïve, yet endearing, foreign reporter Borat. It was reported that during the audition, he began reading lines in an Eastern dialect of Armenian, prompting a comically entertaining back-and-forth between he and Cohen. Cohen instantly demanded that he be given the part of Azamat. His performance became somewhat of a cult, comedic classic and led him to more roles in feature films like the parody Meet the Spartans, the spy comedy Get Smart, the Oscar winning The Artist and others. His TV credits include It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Hawaii Five-O, Two and a Half Men, Big Time Rush and Ray Donovan. 

Steve Cooper talks with singer Annabella Lwin.  Annabella at the tender age of fourteen, was one of the most photographed, talked about and popular vocalists in the early 80’s with her band, BOW WOW WOW, who enjoyed success with massive hits such as I Want Candy, Do U wanna Hold Me?,  Go Wild in the Country and C30, C60, C90, Go! As well as writing and recording original material as a solo artist, she has been a featured vocalist on numerous transatlantic dance favorites with Tony B (LA’s hottest radio dance DJ) the Utah Saints (England's’ most innovative and popular DJ Duo) and Jason Nevins (Run DMC remixer of Walk this Way.)
 Her songwriting/co‐production brought her collaborations with Guy Chambers (songwriter for Robbie Williams’ chart hits) and seasoned producers such as Michael Lattanzi (Mariah Carey, Paula Abdul, Sly & Robbie, Anastasia.) After doing a commercial for Nike, writing songs for movies such as Desperate But Not Serious (starring Claudia Schiffer and Henry Rollins) and partnering with Mike Bradford (producer of the hits Follow Me by Uncle Kracker, You Get What You Give by the New Radicals, American Bad Ass by Kid Rock) Annabella has written and recorded songs for film: Scandalous with Sir John Gielgud, Phoenix Point starring Angelo Moore of Fishbone and  Salsoul Queen Cecilia Noel, (Cecilia & the Wildclams) Thief of Hearts starring Steven Bauer (Scarface) and produced by Harold Faltemeyer and Sofia Coppola’s 2006 hit Marie Antoinette to name a few.


Steve Cooper talks with writer Candy Bennici and actor Taran Noah Smith. Candi spent eighteen years as a manager for her daughter who was an international model and her son Taran Noah Smith who played Mark, the youngest son on the hit show Home Improvement for eight years. Using this experience Candy's main goal is helping parents care for their children while acting or modeling and has been on several talk shows including Jim J. and Ann and Caryl plus Marilyn: Real Friends. She has also worked as a script supervisor. Taran has left acting but has pursued various endeavors including set design and also opened a Vegan restaurant.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Tim Russ. Tim's first professional job came while he was at St. Edward's University in Austin, when he appeared in a PBS Masterpiece Theater production, but he started to pursue acting full time in 1985. During that time he's been on many TV shows and movies - including The Twilight Zone (1985), Amazing Stories (1985), Thirtysomething (1987), Jake and the Fatman (1987), 21 Jump Street (1987), Beauty and the Beast (1987), The People Next Door (1989), Mancuso, FBI (1989), Family Matters (1989), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), Tequila and Bonetti (1992), SeaQuest 2032 (1993), Dark Justice (1991), Murphy Brown (1988), Monty (1994), Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Melrose Place (1992), Any Day Now (1998), The Highwayman (1987), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), among others. Along with his television experience he has also played in a variety of films, including Crossroads (1986), Fire with Fire (1986), Timestalkers (1987), Spaceballs (1987), Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987), Pulse (1988), Bird (1988), Roots: The Gift (1988), Eve of Destruction (1991), Dead Silence (1997), Night Eyes II (1991), Mr. Saturday Night (1992), Star Trek: Generations (1994), Dead Connection (1994), East of Hope Street (1998). During his comprehensive acting career he appeared in numerous theatrical productions including Romeo & Juliet, Barrabas, Dream Girls, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Cave Dwellers among others. When not acting, he finds time for music and film producing. Songs sung by him are available on the CDs Only a Dream in Rio, Tim Russ, Kushangaza and Brave New World.

Steve Cooper talks with writer Jillian Lauren. Jillian is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Some Girls: My Life in a Harem, and the novel Pretty, both published by Plume/Penguin. Some Girls has since been translated into eighteen different languages. Her new memoir Everything You Ever Wanted was just released in May. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Los Angeles Magazine, Flaunt Magazine, The Rumpus, and Salon, among others. Her work has also been widely anthologized, including in The Moth Anthology and True Tales of Lust and she is a regular storyteller with The Moth and has performed at numerous spoken word and storytelling events across the country. She has been interviewed on such television programs as The View, Good Morning America and Howard Stern. She regularly blogs at MSNBC Today Moms, The Huffington Post and Jillianlauren.com, which was named a top 100 mom blog of 2012 by Babble Magazine.

Steve Cooper talks with actor John Ales. John is currently one of the stars of FX's hit show Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll. He got his start as the host of MTV's Lip Service and then quickly started his professional acting career. He has been seen in movies including The Nutty Professor, Spy Hard and Nutty Professor II: Meet the Klumps and has appeared in countless TV shows such as Mad Men, The Mentalist, Longmire, Boomtown, Chicago Hope, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, In Plain Sight, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Beavis and Butt-head, Burn Notice, Rizzoli & Isles, Major Crimes and Ray Donovan. He also produced a documentary series with Hank Azaria called Fatherhood.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Marilyn Ghigliotti. Marilyn is best known for her role as Veronica in the indy classic Clerks. She initially pursued a career in cosmetology after graduating high school. But in 1988, she began studying at The Actors Training Institute located in New Jersey in the techniques of Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg. She followed her studies there with time in community theater where she performed in many productions. It was in response to auditions for a student film that landed her her most notable role in Clerks. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1998, she has continued to pursue her acting career and has since appeared in several shorts and independent features. Aside from acting, she has also added producing to her credits with a theater production titled Bedroom Stories, a series of one act plays in which she also acted in with rave reviews. 

Steve Cooper talks with comedy Mike Rowe. Mike, as a teenager, started as a stand up comic in New York City where he performed at such notable clubs as The Improv, The Comedy Cellar and Caroline's. From there he landed a job writing jokes for SNL's Weekend Update and sketches for shows on MTV, A&E and Comedy Central. This soon brought him to Hollywood where he wrote on a comedy sketch show starring Martin Short. This led to his sitcom writing career where he wrote and produced shows for such stars as George Clooney, Ted Danson and with Eddie Murphy on his animated show, The PJ's. This launched his animation career as a writer and producer on such series as Family Guy and Futurama. Along the way he was awarded 5 Emmy nominations (with 1 win), 2 Annine Awards (with 1 win) and a WGA Award for his Futurama episode, Game of Tones. He was also co-exectuive producer on Comedy Central's animated series Brickleberry and a contributing writer on Danny McBride's animated series CHOZEN on FX. In 2013 he wrote and produced a documentary on The Improv comedy club. It starred many of the comics Mike started with like; Larry David, Ray Romano and Sarah Silverman. He still finds time to write The Comedy Central Roasts every year and he's a contributor to Vanity Fair magazine.

Steve Cooper talks with actor W. Earl Brown. W. Earl's first major movie role came as a dialogue coach in the film Backdraft teaching actors to speak with a Chicago accent. He also had a brief appearance on-screen in the film. One of his first higher profile roles was as Cameron Diaz's mentally challenged brother Warren in There's Something About Mary. His other film credits include Scream (1996), Being John Malkovich (1999), Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000), and The Alamo (2004) among many other projects, including television appearances on Numb3rs (2006), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Six Feet Under (2001), Charmed (2001), and The X-Files (1993). He is also the co-founder of the country band Sacred Cowboys, performing as a vocalist and guitar player. He joined the cast of the HBO western drama Deadwood as a star for the first season in 2004. The series was created by David Milch and focused on a growing town in the American West. Brown played Dan Dority, a trusted henchman to ambitious criminal and bar owner Al Swearengen. He remained a starring cast member for all three seasons of the show. He joined the crew of Deadwood as a writer for the third season in 2006. He wrote the episode A Constant Throb.

Steve Cooper talks with writer/therapist Leah Krinsky. Leah started out doing stand-up comedy in New York. After being a regular at all the city clubs and many TV spots, she shifted her focus to comedy writing. She started out on The Dennis Miller Show and then ended up on Dennis Miller Live where she was nominated for 6 Emmys and won 2. After years in that profession she focused on a different field and now is a licensed Therapist.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Keith Coogan. Keith is the grandson of legendary character actor Jackie Coogan, and began his acting career doing TV commercials -- his first gig was as a stand-in in a McDonalds TV spot -- as well various TV shows and made-for-TV movies. He did the voice of Young Tod for the charming animated Disney picture The Fox and the Hound. His first on-screen role was as the smitten Brad Anderson in the delightful teen comedy cult favorite Adventures in Babysitting. He gave a very funny and engaging performance as Christina Applegate's stoner layabout brother Kenny in the equally enjoyable Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead and was impressive as Jonathan Snuffy Bradberry in Toy Soldiers. Among the television programs Coogan has made guest appearances on are The Love Boat, Eight Is Enough, Mork & Mindy, Knight Rider, CHiPS, Starman, 21 Jumpstreet and Tales from the Crypt.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Larry Thomas. Larry is best known for his Emmy nominated role as the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. His other credited acting gigs are on the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Hot Properties, General Hospital, The Geena Davis Show, Martial Law, L.A. Heat, The Tony Danza Show, USA High, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction and many others and he has been in movies such as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Postal and Paranormal Calamity to name a few. A very popular figure at Hollywood conventions across the country he also just released his first book, Confessions of a Soup Nazi that is about his career plus is a cookbook. 

Steve Cooper talks with actor Larry Thomas. Larry is best known for his Emmy nominated role as the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. His other credited acting gigs are on the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Hot Properties, General Hospital, The Geena Davis Show, Martial Law, L.A. Heat, The Tony Danza Show, USA High, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction and many others and he has been in movies such as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Postal and Paranormal Calamity to name a few. A very popular figure at Hollywood conventions across the country he also just released his first book, Confessions of a Soup Nazi that is about his career plus is a cookbook. 

 

 

Steve Cooper talks with comics/actors Jamie Alcroft and Philip Proctor. Jamie and Philip are the stars of the YouTube hit Boomers on a Bench. Jamie has been entertaining audiences as one-half of the comedy duo Mack & Jamie for over 25 years. They had been working together for less than two years when the call came from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. His audience howled at their fast-paced bits, and they were asked back immediately. That and other TV appearances led to their own syndicated show in the 80s, Comedy Break with Mack & Jamie. They taped 125 half-hour shows in less than a year. He is also in the elite corps of LA Voice Actors. Having provided numerous voices for many National Commercials, as well as The Simpsons, Rugrats, Power Beach, Justice League, Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights and scores of Video Games, most recently Gears of War I & II.

Philip was a member of the Firesign Theatre. He plays Rocky Rococo and Nancy in the Nick Danger series, attended Yale University, where he contributed to campus humor magazine The Yale Record and had voice roles in Pixar films, including Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo. He has acted in shows such as Daniel Boone, All in the Family and Night Court and has lent his voice to shows such as Rugrats and All Grown Up! and to video games like Assassin's Creed, Adventures in Odyssey and Dead Rising. He also was the announcer for Big Brother season 3 through 6.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Randy Ryan. Randy worked in NYC theatre for 10 years before moving to Los Angeles. His first TV role was in the final episode of Sex & the City on HBO. He also played Julius Rice in Public Enemies and wrote Joy Division, a short film that debuted nationally at the Nantucket Film Festival and has appeared in dozens of hit TV shows. A US Army XVIII Airborne Corps veteran, he has been a spokesperson for the Farmer Veteran Coalition, which helps combat veterans reintegrate back into society through farming. In 2011 he joined Kelly Meyer, The American Heart Association and The California Endowment to lead Teaching Gardens to national prominence. The program fights childhood obesity by teaching children how to successfully grow, harvest and replant organic vegetable gardens in urban communities. There are over 400 Teaching Gardens in the United States.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Anthony Starke. Anthony is well known for his one episode role in Seinfeld playing the 3rd person-speaking character Jimmy,  as well as playing Jack on The George Carlin Show on Fox. His first screen role playing quadriplegic teenager Dean Conroy in the CBS Movie of the Week, First Steps and his first feature film was Nothing in Common. He also played Truman-Lodge in the James Bond film License to Kill and other movie credits include Return of the Killer Tomatoes, Repossessed and Nowhere to Run. On TV he has been a regular on series such as One Big Family, Suddenly Susan, The Last Frontier, Prison Break, The Magnificent Seven, Make It or Break It, Shake It Up! and Hand of God. In addition he has made numerous guest star appearances on series like Cheers, 21 Jump Street, Perception, Cold Case, Castle, CSI, Lie to Me, NCIS, Burn Notice, Mad Men and many more.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Peter Breitmayer. Peter started his professional acting career at Dudley Riggs BraveNew Workshop and worked in numerous professional Theatres in the Minneapolis area over the next eight years, did dozens of OC and VO Commercials, and landed roles in several Hollywood produced films shooting in the state including Drop Dead Fred, Jingle All the Way, Larry Nordic and The Stranger Within. He moved to LA in 1996 and has since worked regularly in television, film, commercials and VO, his most recent substantial role being Lt. Ben Schmidt in the Fargo series. Other recent notable roles were in Austin Film Fest winner Coffee, Kill Boss, NCIS, A Serious Man, The Changeling, Greys Anatomy, The Middle. Most people recognize him as the A-Nother Insurance Company idiot, Bill, in the Progressive Insurance campaign. He also continued his stage career, acting in award winning productions in LA as well as touring Nationally and to Dublin, Ireland with the long running hit show Triple Espresso.

Steve Cooper talks with writer Peter Mehlman. Peter's first job out of college was as a writer for the Washington Post. He slid to television in 1982, writing for SportsBeat with Howard Cosell. From 1985-90, he returned to forming full sentences as a writer for numerous national publications including The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Esquire, and a multitude of women’s magazines. In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles, where he bumped into Larry David, whom he’d met twice in New York. David, developing Seinfeld, invited him to submit a sample script. Having never written one, Mehlman sent a humor piece he’d written for the Times Magazine and got an assignment, which became the first Seinfeld freelance episode, The Apartment. Over the eight-year run of the show, he rose to executive producer and coined such Seinfeld-isms as Yada Yada, spongeworthy, shrinkage and double-dipping. In 1997, he joined DreamWorks and created It’s like, you know… a scathing look at Los Angeles. In recent years, he has written screenplays, a novel, and humor pieces for NPR, Esquire, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times, several of which were published in his collection, Mandela Was Late. In addition, he has also appeared on-camera for TNT Sports and the Webby-nominated Peter Mehlman’s Narrow World of Sports, while also starring in his short film BLANK, for which he won best writing at the Los Angeles Comedy Festival.

Steve Cooper talk with actor Jim O'Heir. Jim is best known for his role as Associate Director Jerry Gergich in NBC's critically acclaimed comedy Parks and Recreation. A Chicago native, Jim has worked successfully in every medium as a well-known character actor. His ability to move easily between drama and comedy in role after role is a testament to his skill and adeptness. Upon moving to Los Angeles in the late 90's, he got rave reviews on stage in the cult classic Stumpy's Gang which garnered him a Dramalogue Best Actor Award. With his love for theater, he always made sure he continued his passion while on camera as well. But his work in TV and film kept him busy, as he's worked in over 60 different series, movies of the week and feature films. Having been cast in numerous pilots, he also worked as a regular character on two Comedy Central series, Strip Mall and Knee High P.I.  Other memorable portrayals were in Raising the Bar, Boston Legal, Without a Trace, Cold Case and Friends.

Steve Cooper talks with actor/writer/singer/musician Claudia Christian. Claudia is best known for her four year stint as Commander Susan Ivanov on the syndicated sci-fi series, Babylon 5. She got her start with a 1984 guest-spot on Dallas, which she parlayed into regular roles on short-lived series like Berringer's and Blacke's Magic, as well many guest-starring appearances in episodic TV on shows such as NYPD Blue, Nip/Tuck, Relic Hunter, Everwood, Criminal Minds, Castle and The Mentalist.  She made her feature debut as a exotic dancer whose body became host for an alien being in The Hidden, was part of the fine ensemble of Clean and Sober and was the lead in Hexed and has appeared in countless movies throughout her career. She also has recorded albums, written the popular book Babylon Confidential and is currently working on the documentary One Little Pill that deals with alcoholism and it's cure through the Sinclair Method.

Steve Cooper talks with actor William Morgan Sheppard. WIlliam graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts 1958 before spending 12 years as Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company.  He appeared on Broadway in 1966 with Marat/Sade and later in 1975 with Sherlock Holmes. He won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for The Homecoming in 1995, at the Matrix Theatre. He appeared in several episodes of different series of Star Trek, as well as the feature films Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and in Star Trek. Outside of Star Trek, he is probably best known for his roles as Blank Reg on Max Headroom and Confederate General Isaac Trimble in the films Gettysburg and God and Generals. A few other movies and TV shows that appear on his resume are MacGyver, Babylon 5, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Prestige, Wild at Heart, Transformers, SeaQuest 2032, The Elephant Man, Cold Case, Alias, Gilmore Girls, Criminal Minds, American Gothic, Mad Men and many, many more. He has also lent his voice to many projects including Biker Mice from Mars, Gargoyles, The Legend of Prince Valiant, Mighty Ducks, Timon & Pumbaa, Medal of Honor, Justice League, Atlantis: Milo's Return and Civilization V.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Scott MacDonald. Scott is a veteran character actor with an extensive and eclectic list of credits in film, television, commercials, voice overs and on the legit stages of regional theaters across the U.S. and on Broadway. He has voiced or appeared in hundreds of national commercials and CD ROM games. He is one of a rare cadre of actors who have guest starred on all four of the modern Star Trek series as no less than 6 different creatures. He has performed Hamlet and Bullwinkle Moose on the boards, and even had a 7 year run as the lovely "Hilda" while wearing a dress in the long running Bud Light Ladies campaign which included thousands of personal appearances. Some of his movie and TV credits include a recurring role in Carnivale and guest-starring roles in Jarhead, Law & Order, Frasier, Jack Frost, Chicago Hope, The X-Files, The Practice, CSI, The West Wing, NCIS, Monk, JAG, Major Crimes, Mob City, Scorpion and many more.

Steve Cooper talks with actor/director/writer Michael McDonald. Michael got his start training with the Groundlings started working in television, landing guest spots on Seinfeld, Ellen, Just Shoot Me and News Radio before landing on MAD TV in 1998. During his ten-year run, he created several weird characters - most notably man-child Stuart Larkin, Marvin Tikkvah Rusty Miller, and The Depressed Persian Tow Truck Man. In 2007, he left MAD TV and went on to guest star on more television shows, including Scrubs, Desperate Housewives and Pushing Daisies and had recurring roles on House of Lies and Web Therapy and has been seen on the big screen in the hits The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and Spy starring the latter. When not acting he directs TV working on sitcoms as including Scrubs, Cougar Town, Don't Trust the B in Apt 23, Save Me, Men at Work, Enlisted, Benched, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Mike & Molly. He also tours the country when he has free time to headline comedy clubs.

Steve Cooper talks with actor/comic Kent Kasper. Kent was a New York City Assistant District Attorney in 1985 and then spent 14 years touring as a National Headline Stand-Up Comedian and making various TV appearances before coming to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting. Since then he has been a very busy actor who is constantly working. He made numerous appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and has been seen on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He has also guest starred on many popular series including Mad Men, Monk, Roswell and Rules of Engagement to name a few and has had roles in many movies including Husbands and Wives, City Slickers II: The Legend Curly's Gold, Apollo 13, Space Jam, Reno 911!: Miami and Rush Hour 3. He was Dr. Phil's Celebrity Lookalike on his television show for 5 seasons and has been featured in countless reality shows like Barter Kings, Tattoo Nightmares, Prank My Mom, Unusual Suspects, Reality Hell, 1000 Ways to Die and The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator. Despite his busy schedule he also teaches acting and gives seminars about the Biz part of Show Business.

Steve Cooper talks with drummer Brian Tichy. Brian is best known for playing with Whitesnake, Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol. A graduate of Berklee College of Music he has also played with Seether, Velvet Revolver, Pride & Glory, Slash's Snakepit and many others. While he has primarily toured and recorded with others playing drums, he has fronted his own band, Ball, in which he sings and plays guitar. His writing partnership with Billy Idol sparked the recording of Billy Idol's first CD since 1993. Devil's Playground was recorded in 2004 and contained 8 Idol/Tichy tracks. The CD was released in March 2005 and they toured for the remainder of the year. Besides being big in the drum world he is very popular in the speed bag world. During the 2009–10 tour with Foreigner, he hung several speed bag wall units inside the bands equipment truck and created the infamous Speed Bag Truck, hosting area speed bag enthusiasts from various areas when the band played in their town. Some of the best speed bag talent in the U.S. joined him in the truck before concerts, punching away.

Steve Cooper talks with actor/writer/singer/producer Julie Brown. Julie’s outrageous talent brought her to the stand-up comedy scene in LA and San Francisco in the 80s, where she quickly grabbed the attention of the gay community. Discovered by comedy legend Lily Tomlin, her life changed forever when Tomlin cast her in The Incredible Shrinking Woman. After writing and starring in Earth Girls Are Easy with Jim Carrey & Geena Davis, she skyrocketed into the national spotlight. Some of her other commended movie roles include Attack of the 5’2” Women, Plump Fiction, Like Mike, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment and Clueless. With things moving at full steam, she jumped back and forth from movies to TV, capturing roles on hit shows like Laverne & Shirley, Murphy Brown, Quantum Leap, Buffalo Bill, and The Jeffersons. Recently, she flaunted her amazing talent on fan favorites CSI, Six Feet Under, and The Wizards of Waverly Place. She hosted her own comedy show Just Say Julie on MTV for several seasons. This led to her star turn on The Edge on Fox, and Strip Mall on Comedy Central-shows she also helped create. When the film Clueless was spun off as an ABC sitcom in 1996, she reprised her role as Millie, the gritty, hilarious gym coach. Undeniably talented, she has made a huge impact as a musical artist. After the release of her first album Goddess In Progress, her style and sound grabbed the attention of the international crowd, and caught fire all across the globe. Her singles, Girl Fight Tonight, The Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun and I Like ‘Em Big And Stupid were instant hits and received heavy airplay throughout the country.

Steve Cooper talks with bassist Juan Alderete. Juan met renowned guitarist Paul Gilbert in 1985 and the two started the ground-breaking metal outfit, Racer X. The band released two studio albums, both of which showcased the band’s incredible speed, dexterity and skill in what many have dubbed “shred metal.”  After releasing couple of live records,  the members of Racer X went their separate ways in 1988, but reformed eleven years later, recording Technical Difficulties and touring throughout Japan where the album reached gold status. Post-Racer X,he formed another Los-Angeles-based rock band, The Scream, which produced two albums then moved onto Pet. In 2003, he was approached in 2003 by Omar Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta to be the touring basist for the run of the band’s debut album, De-Loused in the Comatorium.  After a successful, year-long tour, he became a permanent member of the group and went on to record The Mars Volta’s landmark second album, Frances the Mute (Universal).  It was this album that inspired Bass Player Magazine’s editors to put him on the cover of their March, 2005 issue. In addition to his work with The Mars Volta, he frequently contributed to Rodriguez Lopez’s countless solo releases and toured extensively with the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Jim Turner. Jim is probably best known as ex-football-star-turned-agent Kirby Carlisle on the HBO comedy, ARLI$$ and as the perpetually out-of-sorts hippy, Randee of the Redwoods, that MTV ran for President in 1988. Turner has carved out his television career of playing lots of small town doctors, lawyers, preachers, and teachers on Grey's Anatomy, Perception, Franklin & Bash, Happy Endings, Castle, Big Bang Theory, Young & the Restless, Boston Legal, Dharma & Greg, Party Down and many others. He's also had major roles in several movie comedies: Kicking & Sceaming, Bewitched, Meet Dave, JOBS, The Ref, Joe's Apartment, Golf in the Kingdom and dozens more.  He can currently be seen on the series Granite Flats where you can find on Netflix.

Steve Cooper talks with entrepreneur/restaurateur/actor/musician Tony Luke Jr. Tony opened a sandwich shop in South Philadelphia in 1990 and Tony Luke's has turned into an international brand with 22 stores currently open in Bahrain, the Mid-Atlantic region and Florida. Tony Luke's has twice been hailed by Gourmet Magazine for quality and innovation, renowned by GQ Magazine, The New York Times and is a member of Philly Mag's Hall of Fame. The sandwich shop is featured on episodes of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, Dinner: Impossible, Man v. Food and Food Wars. Tony a man of many hats has appeared in many feature films including Invincible, 10th & Wolf and The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone, which he co-wrote and co-produced. He also has written and produced songs for Billy Paul, A&M Records and even topped the CD Baby charts with his song, Right Here and was a series judge on SpikeTV's first culinary based reality show, Frankenfood.

Steve Cooper talks with host/comic Frank Nicotero. Frank started his stand-up comedy career in Pittsburgh. His career eventually moved him to LA where an appearance on Lifetime TV’s game show DEBT hosted by the legendary Wink Martindale won him over $14,000. He ended up writing and producing various game shows and got his big break when he was asked to help write and produce a pilot called Street Smarts and then hosted the gig for over 5 years. After the show ended he dove back into standup with appearances on Comics Unleashed, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The Wayne Brady Show and numerous other cable shows.  He was the narrator for two seasons of TruTv’s It Only Hurts When I Laugh and in 2014 was a cast member on TruTv’s newest hit How To Be A Grown Up. He proudly made his network standup debut on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson in November 2014 and his debut album, That Street Smarts Guy, can be purchased on all major streaming sites. He recently got done shooting the CMT show Pontoon Payday where he serves as the host.

Steve Cooper talks with drummer Jason Sutter. Jason has recorded, performed and toured with such artists as: The Rembrandts, Kenny Babyface Edmonds, Pink, The Campfire Girls, Joe Walsh, Butch Walker, Our Lady Peace, Dean and Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots) as well as many others. He has also made numerous television and feature film appearances Including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The late show with David Letterman. In 2001 he was cast in Stanley Kubricks AI directed by Steven Spielberg and in 2005 completed an extensive UK, US and Japanese tour with his band American Hi-Fi. In 2006 he helped develop and was an original cast member/musician for the hit broadway musical Rock Of Ages and in the same year went on to record and play with multi platinum artists Smashmouth. Following three years of international touring and recording with Soundgarden front-man Chris Cornell, he recorded and toured with Vertical Horizon. In 2010 he completed the "Cant Slow Down" world tour with American rock legends Foreigner and immediately began touring with punk rock icons the New York Dolls. After two successful tours with Dolls in the US and UK, he was enlisted by shock rocker Marilyn Manson during the recording of his Grammy nominated "Born Villain" album and spent the next two years touring internationally for Manson's "Hey Cruel World" tour. He currently is touring with Smashmouth.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Fred Melamed. Fred's voice became a familiar presence on television, serving as the sound of the Olympics, Mercedes Benz, CBS Sports, USA Network, the Superbowl, and numerous commercials and television programs. He became known within the industry as a voice actor, appearing in the Grand Theft Auto series, and dubbing several actors' entire performances in films. But it was for his portrayal of sensitive villain Sy Ableman, in Joel and Ethan Coen's 2009 film, A Serious Man, which was nominated for Best Picture, at the 2010 Academy Awards, that he became most widely known. In addition, Melamed has appeared in a host of Woody Allen films, including Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days, Another Woman, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Shadows and Fog, Husbands and Wives, and Hollywood Ending. He has also played significant supporting roles in Suspect, The Good Mother, The Mission, The Pickup Artist and other films. On television, some of his roles have been Larry David's smug psychiatrist, Dr. Arthur Thurgood, on Curb Your Enthusiasm, tough-guy jurist Judge Alan Karpman on The Good Wife, Judge Nelson on Benched and many more. This summer he can be seen as one of the stars of Hulu's Casual.

Steve Cooper talks with drummer Matt Starr. Matt is a Los Angeles based drummer/vocalist, clinician, educator, Modern Drummer contributor and producer. He recently filled in for Mr. Big drummer Pat Torpey on their latest tour. He spent 3 years as the touring & recording drummer for KISS founding member Ace Frehley. He is also a member of Burning Rain and in the past has worked with Kevin Dubrow, Dizzy Reed, Love/Hate, Beautiful Creatures and many others. He is the creator of Who's Next Publishing and his songs have been placed in dozens of television programs and movies.

 

 

Steve Cooper talks with actor Melinda McGraw. Melinda was a regular this past season on the shows NCIS, State of Affairs and Crisis and can be seen in the new TNT series Proof which premieres this month. She has played numerous recurring roles in television for over two decades. From her first major role in The Commish, she went on to appear in prominent guest roles for shows such as The X Files, The District, Inconceivable, The West Wing, Journeyman, Ben and Kate, Men of a Certain Age, Hank, Desperate Housewives, The West Wing and Mad Men. She also held regular roles in several television shows, albeit they were cancelled within one season The Pursuit of Happiness and Center of the Universe. She has also had prominent roles in films, such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, The Dark Knight and Weather Girl. 

Steve Cooper talks with comic Craig Shoemaker. Craig is most known for his unmistakably engaging, iconic, baritone-voiced character, The Lovemaster. But his stand-up has been seen by millions in his decades of successful stand-up comedy. His specials have been aired on Showtime, HBO, ABC, CBS, NBC and just about every other major network and has been seen in TV shows and movies like Parks & Recreation, The Bold and The Beautiful and Scream 2. He also has been heard in Pleasantville, many characters in numerous animated series, and all the voices (and even the title song) for the BBC cartoon, Big Foot, Little Foot. He currently has dedicated using laughter as healing modality. With his recent retirement from stand-up comedy he is now focusing his efforts on his new organization dedicated to the cause Laughter Heals and he has also just released a best selling comedy album The Last Stand (Up). 

Steve Cooper talks with actor Peter Murnik. Peter started to study acting in Hollywood in 1985, and has never looked back. He is best known for his current role of Hershel Jenkins in Granite Flats and as trooper Tom Bergen in Justified. His Journeyman career has now spanned nearly 30 years, including over 50 guest-starring spots on episodic TV series, roughly 100 commercials, and 30+ movie roles. Some of his credits include Quantum Leap, Father of the Bride, Seinfeld, Northern Exposure, It's My Party, ER, Hard Rain, Armageddon, JAG, Desperate Housewives, Rizzoli & Isles, Shameless and many more. He is also a lover of classic cars, motorcycles and dangerous, outdated and high-powered machinery of all sorts and is an avid surfer. He briefly held the World record for long-distance windsurfing and is known as Cal Worthington's Evil Twin for his ability to sell classic cars around the world. 

  

Steve Cooper talks with Ali Spagnola. Ali is a pop/rock/electro musician. She created a Power Hour Drinking Game Album that contains 60 one-minute songs that are also a drinking game. She self-released the album on a USB drive kept within a shot glass. She has also created several of the ringtones shipped on multiple android phones. In 2008, she started a project called Free Paintings. She takes requests online via email about what she should paint. She fills one request a day creating a 12x12", bright, pop art, acrylic painting. She then mails the painting to the requester for free. Requests are filled on a first come first served basis. The wait list is reported to be over 1,300 people long. She has completed over 2,000 paintings for the project and still continues to create one square foot of art a day. She recently moved to LA to record a new CD and has also toured the country many times playing her music and was at one time a Pittsburgh Penguins Ice Girl.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Mark Moses. Mark is probably best known for his roles as Duck Phillips on Mad Men, Dennis Boyd in Homeland and Paul Young in Desperate Housewives. He made his film debut in the Best Picture Academy Award winner Platoon and then appeared in Born on the Fourth of July and The Doors, each directed by Oliver Stone. Among his other movies have been Ridley Scott’s Someone to Watch Over Me, Ronald Maxwell’s Gettysburgh, Mimi Leder’s Deep Impact, Sean McNamara’s Race to Space, Brett Ratner’s Red Dragon and After the Sunset, Robert Luketic’s Monster-In-Law, John Whitesell’s Big Momma's House 2, Joshua Stern’s Swing Vote and Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima. He is also a very familiar face to TV being a regular on series including Grand, The Single Guy, The Killing and Manhattan and guest starring on numerous shows including Criminal Minds, Family Ties, The Practice, Blue Bloods, Elementary, Scandal, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Covert Affairs, The Closer, Human Target, Castle, Law & Order: SVU and many, many more. He can be seen starting in June playing President Jeff Michener in The Last Ship.