Gentry Thomas
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On today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we go in depth with actor, boxer, musician, and teacher Tony Danza. The two talk about his recent performances of music from the American songbook. The 71 year old singer is touring all across the country and bringing joy everywhere he goes reviving the songs of the early 20th century. Tony even describes how working on the Emmy award winning show Taxi led to his interest in performing music on stage.The Italian boxer explained how his boxing career actually landed him the role for Taxi after he came into the audition all banged up from a bout he had the night before. The native New Yorker gives his thoughts on the recent youtuber boxing matches that have been blowing up everywhere and if they belong in the sport. Tony gives his take on the recent defunding of the police movement because of his involvement in the police athletic league. Danza talks with gentry about all of his famous co-stars, civil rights, the state of boxing today and so much more, all on today’s episode of The Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas. Make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes releasing.
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David Gergen perhaps is best known for his role serving as an adviser to four American presidents, Republicans and Democrats alike. He helped President Nixon write his resignation letter after Watergate, that now resides in the Smithsonian Institute. He assisted President Gerald Ford navigate out of inflation and saw President Reagan go from actor/cowboy to true leader in The Situation Room. During this podcast with Gergen, our host Gentry Thomas discusses our current President Joe Biden, how to attack inflation and his biggest moments while being a public servant. David Gergen fresh off his 80th Birthday just a couple weeks ago discussed his new book, Hearts Touched With Fire: How Great Leaders are Made. Gergen gave his perspective on how hardship can breed strong leaders, and the state of political leaders today.
David has often been praised for his ability to see both sides and work across the isle. Some in politics call him the last reasonable American man. Hear his takes on Russia Ukraine and the moment in public service that has brought him the most joy. Subscribe and tell a friend to listen to Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas. For more great interviews go to ThePodcastPlayground.com
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On today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we are joined by an actor, game show host, and a stand up comedian Cedric The Entertainer. The two talk about Cedric’s show on CBS, a sitcom called The Neighborhood. The series revolves around a white family moving into a predominantly black neighborhood and their day to day lives. Cedric even gives his own advice for any white families in the same situation.Due to the recent spike in comedians being attacked on stage firstly with Chris Rock and now with Dave Chapelle being tackled in LA Gentry asks Cedric for his take on the matter. The stand up comedian tells his own horror story about his worst heckler and how he ended up shutting him down. The 58 year old Hollywood star gives his take on State Farm, all-time comedy legends, Dubai, and so much more on today’s pod. Make sure to subscribe and follow for all of the latest episodes.
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Today on Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we are joined by the one and only WWE legend The Big Show or as he likes to be called Paul Wight. The two talk about his recent move to AEW (All Elite Wrestling) where his name is no longer The Big Show but instead he has decided to keep his name Paul Wight at least for the time being. Gentry also does his best to organize a match between Paul and The Big Aristotle AKA Shaq. The 50 year old wrestler talks about his involvement with an NFT sci-fi series in the GenZeroes universe. The show’s plot is chosen by the viewers who provide monetary donations and in return choose the direction of the show. Paul talks about his time acting as Walter Krunk in the movie Knucklehead and how he related to the character because of his larger than life size. The two talk about basketball, wrestling, comedy, technology, the internet, and he reveals his new wrestling name which is…… Make sure to subscribe and follow Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas for the latest episodes.
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On today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we are visited by a four time Grammy award winning musician John Elefante. The former lead man of Kansas, a band made famous by songs such as ‘Carry on Wayward Son ‘and ‘Dust in the Wind ‘, has just released his own solo album. Promptly named ‘The Amazing Grace’ the album is dedicated to understanding God’s faith and is available on Spotify, YouTube, and his website JohnElefante.com.John and Gentry discuss the recent resurgence of vinyl records and which records were their favorites as young kids. John even tells a story how as a young man he sold 50 of his records for just 25 cents. He then describes how he used his award winning voice to become the front man of Kansas despite him stating how his knees were shaking during the audition. John Elefante gives his takes on Steve Walsh, Kerry Livgren, social media, faith, Tennessee Titans, and so much more on today’s podcast. Make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes.
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On today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we listen to author and director Kevin Smokler. The two talk about Smokler’s new documentary ‘Vinyl Nation’ which looks into the new resurgence over the past decade of vinyl records. The documentary is available to watch on YouTube, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime. They also touch on the coming up vinyl record day which is August 12th where you celebrate by going out and supporting a local record store.
The director discusses his obsession with 80s movies and how he always wanted to live in Hill Valley California with Marty McFly after stating he has watched ‘Back to the Future’ more than anyone ever. The two also speak on how the production of vinyl records have changed and how large companies have reduced the quality of the records they sell to make a quick buck. Gentry and Kevin chat it up about records, music, new technology , 80s movies, and so much more on today’s podcast. Make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes.
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On today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we get to talk to the Fonz from Happy Days, the one and only Henry Winkler. The two talk about Winkler’s ongoing show ‘Barry’ which is about a low level hitman traveling to LA and ends up wanting to be an actor. The show’s first three seasons are available to watch on HBO Max and Hulu. The legendary actor gives Gentry his own mini acting class revealing inside tips on how to be a Hollywood star.
The 76 year old author additionally speaks about his book series he co-wrote with Lin Oliver. The now trilogy series is called Alien Superstar and is about a teenage extra-terrestrial crash landing on Earth and becoming a famous actor. Henry and Gentry chat it up about Adam Sandler, Happy Days, Shaq, and so much more on today’s podcast. Make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes.
Today on Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we are visited by actor, writer, producer, and legendary comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Jeff has a new special called The Good Old Days which is available now to watch on Netflix. The special talks about whether or not if the good old days were really even the good old days and compares modern day life to when rotary phones ruled the land. Jeff and Gentry also talk Georgia sports and how recently they’ve been on fire. Jeff was especially excited to talk about his Georgia Bull-Dawgs who recently won the Natty against Alabama.
The Georgia native talks about how coming back to comedy after the covid-19 quarantine actually made him nervous like it was his first time performing. He also talks about how much not only comedy but the world has changed since his first stand up gig. Jeff tells an especially risqué story about how while trying to find a good Italian place it led him down a dangerous path on the internet. Jeff and Gentry talk about rednecks, technology, sports and so much more on todays episode of backstage pass, make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes.
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On todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we get to listen to a renowned actor, producer, Emmy award winner, and a Brooklyn Native Omar Epps. His newest film is titled The Devil You Know hitting theatres April 1st. The movie is a thriller about family, brotherhood, and justice. Omar also comments on the latest Oscar debacle between Will Smith and Chris Rock and how he feels the two will likely solve any of their beef behind closed doors. Speaking of The Oscars Omar talks with Gentry about his favorite Oscar winner of all time Sidney Poitier who was the first African American to ever win the award and one of Omar’s biggest role models going into the movie business.
Epps also talks about what his time on the hit show House as Dr. Gant was like as well as how it influenced his career moving forward. He additionally believes that part of the reason the show became so popular was because House played by Hugh Laurie was one of Hollywood’s first ever anti-heroes. The 48 year old movie star talks with Gentry about rapping, producing, movie soundtracks, modern technology, New York sports, and so much more on todays rendition of Backstage Pass, make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes.
On todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we get to listen to an interview with a former sportscaster, model, journalist, and Playboy Bunny the beautiful Lisa Guerrero. She talks about the new docuseries which she’s involved with called The Secrets of Playboy currently streaming on A&E. The series is an in depth look at Hugh Hefner and the early years of Playboy where the Bunnies tell all of their horror stories with the company and Hugh. Many of the stories in the series have interviews with former Bunnies and according to the former Playboy models Hefner was a controlling, sociopathic monster.
Gentry even gets scolded for his stance on the whole controversy by Lisa who defended her former Bunny co-workers. She also talks about her journalistic career and how she was involved in the Jeffrey Epstein case and how she got one of the first looks at the now famous Epstein island. Lisa gives a woman’s perspective as a sportscaster and how it is an extremely male controlled field and how it caused her to even feel suicidal at points. She talks about mental health, sports, Playboy controversies, her journalism career, and so much more on todays episode of Backstage Pass make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes.
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This week we are joined by Jackass star and comedian Steve-O on todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas. Steve-O talks about his new Bucket List Comedy Tour which recently kicked off and is going all across the country. Gentry talks about his own personal experience with the new movie Jackass Forever and how seeing all the male genitals on the big screen has affected him. Steve-O speaks on how he feels his penis makes everything funnier and maybe part of the reason Jackass Forever got such good reviews. Do you think 47 year old Steve-0 will ever do hard core stunts again? He talks about his future when it comes to stapling his sack to his leg, and letting a swarm of bees attack his penis. The Jackass star describes his most painful stunt of all time and how it has influenced him.
The stuntman extraordinaire gives his take on the recent Nelk boys controversy as their podcast with Donald Trump was recently taken down off of YouTube. Steve-O talks about his own show the Wild-Ride podcast coming up on its hundredth episode, which will involve his big sister as his special guest. Steve-O gives his recommendations for shows and music to watch based on the entertainment he’s been consuming on the tour bus. We went in deep in this interview with the Jackass stuntman and comedian in this episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes.
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On today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we get an in depth interview with Steve Stifler from American Pie and Doug The Thug Glatt from Goon, Mr Seann William Scott. He talks about his new show on Fox called Welcome to Flatch a mockumentary where the native Minnesotan plays the local minister in a small town in Ohio. Seann also talks about his relationship with Eugene Levy and how he has remained a successful actor and director for so long. The movie star talks about his favorite roles that he’s played and which characters he relates to the most.
Gentry also asks Seann how he’s able to stay off of social media and out of the microscope that most Hollywood stars are under. Stifler does describe what his mother is actually like at the request of Gentry and the rest of the studios dirty curiosity. He additionally speaks about his early career and how he first got into movies and how his family and early life influenced him into going to LA. The two talk about his involvement in Jackass, American Pie, Goon, and about his bucket list, along with so much more in today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes releasing.
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On today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas he talks with University of Florida legend, a BCS National Champion, Heisman Trophy winner, NFL quarterback, and an avid Christian, Tim Tebow. In this interview Gentry talks with Tebow about his new book ‘Mission Possible’ which is about finding your faith and finding your purpose in life. They reminisce on the dodgeball tournament Shaq held during Shaq’s Fun House event where Timmy apologized for taking out the Big Diesels family jewels with a dodgeball.
The now 34-year-old newlywed Tebow describes his childhood and how his father helped mold him into the compassionate unafraid Christian he is today. The former Gator QB dropped some solid advice on resisting temptation playing sports and being in locker rooms his whole life. He states how the average Joe can help others and have purpose without using some of the resources he has, being a celebrity. Have you ever played NCAA Football on Playstation? Maybe you have been under center with the left handed #15 QB in the game? A lot has been talked about recently on the new NCAA NIL rules. Tebow tells us if he ever got paid for any of his appearances in the video game or for any of the #15 Gator jerseys sold. Tebow talks NCAA NIL deals, country music, his future plans, and Florida’s new coach Billy Napier along with so much more in today’s episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes releasing.
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On todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomaswe get an in depth look at one of the biggest social media influencers of all time King Bach. The Vine star has a new upcoming comedy tour “Laugh Now, Laugh Later”which kicks off March 4th. King Bach aka Andrew Bachelor (the name his mama gave him) talks about his early comedy gigs and how much he has grown as an artist leading up to his new comedy tour.
The King of social media speaks on his transfer from Vine to Instagram & TikTok and how much has changed since the Vine era. He additionally talks about his acting careerand what it was like transferring to the silver screen. A native Canadian himself King Bach gives his opinions on the recent controversy of the Canadian governments restrictions on citizens due to Covid-19. The social media star / comedian / movie star / director / musician shares his personal stories of Drake, Kevin Hart, Lebron, Eddie Murphy and so much more on todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest episodes.
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On todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas he talks with one of the NBA’s most legendary enforcers Charles Oakley. The NBA Hall of Famer has recently wrote a book ‘The Last Enforcer’. Which goes in depth about his NBA career and the people he’s met along the way. With Tom Brady’s recent retirement the two talk about where he stacks up in the GOAT debate and if he has passed Michael Jordan. They revisit the historic rivalry between the Knicks and Bulls in the 90s and his relationship with MJ.
The Big Oak talks about his relationship with Donald Trump who he’s known before his political career. He also speaks on the mentality he had when stepping on the court and how he got his reputation as an enforcer in the NBA. This year The NBA All Star game is hosted in Oakley’s hometown of Cleveland. The 58-year-old enforcer is is sticking with his home state team the Cincinnati Bengals for The Super Bowl this year, he and Gentry also talk celebrities, pizza, and the NBA All Star game.. Listen to this and more on Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas, make sure to subscribe and follow for the latest interviews.
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On todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas he is joined by famous member and front man of Jethro Tull 70s rock star Ian Anderson. The Scottish flautist talks about his new album ‘The Zealot Gene’ with Jethro Tull. it is quite amazing considering the last time they released a full length album George W. Bush was in office and the original Finding Nemo was topping the charts. The singer songwriter speaks on the inspiration for the new album being the Bible and how he’s leaving in the good, the bad, and the ugly and not worrying about what the critics think.
Mr. Anderson also speaks on his unique style of play and how he believes it helped catapult Jethro Tull and himself into the stratosphere aided them in separating themselves from the cluttered field of 60s and 70s British rock bands. He additionally speaks on how he’s been doing his best to avoid Covid and how thankful he is to wake up every morning healthy with the ability to make the music he loves. The perennial rock star talks all this and more in todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas. Make sure to subscribe and follow for more of the latest interviews.
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On todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas, Gentry converses with a well known actress, author, cook, football fan, and former wife to Rockstar Eddie Van Halen Mrs. Valerie Bertinelli. The two talk about the NFL playoffs, the best foods to serve at a super bowl party, and how exciting the recent games have been along with her brand new book called ‘Enough Already’. Gentry gets all the facts about her time as a young teen on the show ‘One Day at a Time’ and how it affected her future career in stardom and how working in Hollywood can be a challenging path for young women trying to find their own way.
Valerie also illustrates upon the relationship she had with Eddie Van Halen who she met as a young 20 year old. She additionally speaks on how his recent passing and how it has affected her while also talking about her fondest memories of the perennial Rockstar. Valerie tells us in the episode what her all time favorite Van Halen song is. She also goes in depth articulating upon how her new book is a culmination of how she has felt along the past couple years. Bertinelli talked about how going into a new year has left her feeling uneasy, which she feels is where the rest of the nation is at emotionally. The 61-year-old actress and mother goes in depth on how she feels the average person can cure these uneasy feelings. Subscribe and listen to other episodes of The Backstage Pass wherever you get your podcasts.
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On todays episode of Backstage with Gentry Thomas he interviews legendary musician Don McLean. Gentry reaches out to Don and thanks him on behalf of all DJs for making the well known eight minute – thirty six second classic American Pie. They also go in depth about McLean’s relationship with Buddy Holly, how he had influenced his music, and how devastating his death was to him.
They additionally went in depth about the upcoming 50 year anniversary tour for Don McLean’s all time classic American Pie. Gentry asks all the right questions about American Pies lyrics and there deeper meanings and which conspiracy’s are right and which ones are wrong. Don also talks about his thriving buckle collection along with a plethora of other interesting tidbits and more on todays episode of Backstage with Gentry Thomas.
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On todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas we have an in depth and dirty conversation from the king of dirt Mike Rowe! Mike speaks upon his new hit Christmas song’Santa’s Got a Dirty Job’ which is currently topping the charts and what’s even better about the song is that all the money made from the tune is being donated to charity.
https://youtu.be/49dCobL213M
Mike describes how he began his music career as young man with a stutter and how he moved on from singing to use his vocal talents to narrate nature documentaries. Mr. Rowe also talks about the upcoming final season of ‘Dirty Jobs’ and what originally inspired the show and how tough it has been physically on him through the years. He also illustrates the dirtiest jobs out there and how they’ve been etched in his mind for the rest of time.
Mike who’s an advocate for trade schools gives his take on the importance of the youth weighing out the worth of going to a trade school versus a traditional college. Additionally, he gives us insider tips on how to deal with the political extremists in our families on todays episode of Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas click play and listen to it all.
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Former star of M.A.S.H. and now podcaster Alan Alda stars in todays episode of Backstage with Gentry Thomas. Alan talks about his new podcast Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda and his recent guest who’s an actor and an author Max Brooks. Alan and Gentry also talk about how todays warfare is fought over cyberspace and how much has changed since the former Golden Globe winners days at M.A.S.H.
The six time Emmy Award winner talks about going to college in the Bronx at Fordham University and how he had his own radio show and describes how his time in radio prepared him for starting his own podcast. He also debunks and confirms several of the rumors following him through his career on todays episode, press play and find the answers.
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Nowadays you can find former Head Coach Bill Snyder trying to keep up with his ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren. The legendary college football Hall of Famer joined Gentry to discuss his new book called My Football Life and The Rest of The Story. When Coach Snyder took over at Kansas State, not one of the kids on the team had ever won a college football game. What makes this story so special is the perseverance of the team along with Snyder’s dedication to the program taking a team with no hope and no wins to just one win in his first season. Which in everyone’s mind was a huge victory. After that season the Wildcats went on to win 4 games, then the following year it was 5, then 7, then 9, then 10, Wow! Then 11. Coach stated “this was the basis of our program, it wasn’t about anything other than us becoming a little bit better every single day.” The life lesson’s of persistence and patience is something that he talks about in his new book.
At 82 years young Coach Snyder reflects about his upbringing and credits his single mother for setting the standard for his life. In his new book he talks about his family and the one thing that really still bothers him which was the 1998 Big 12 Championship Game in which his Wildcats lost a triple overtime thriller on a last second play losing to Texas A&M.
Coach Snyder commented on the departure of Brian Kelly from Notre Dame to LSU before the Irish play in the Fiesta Bowl this year vs Oklahoma State. During his coaching career Coach Bill Snyder always stayed true to his morals, that if a team wanted to talk about hiring him for a coaching position they would have to wait until the end of the season. “Leaving my team before a bowl game is not something I would entertain.” coach told us. He really tells a fascinating story in his new book and on the podcast Backstage Stage with Gentry Thomas. Listen to the entire interview and subscribe to our podcasts.
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Actor and four-time NAACP winner Wesley Snipes has been making a bit of a comeback as of recent. The star appears in the new Netflix limited series True Story where he plays the role of Carlton, the burdensome and seemingly jealous older brother to the show’s lead character, the Kid, played by Kevin Hart. Snipes brings the same level of intensity and awe aspiring energy to the TV screen as he’s done in several timeless films including his seminal role in the Blade trilogy, New Jack City (1991), and Demolition Man (1993), but it felt as though Snipes had disappeared over the last decade.
Well, he did disappear. Snipes spent 28-months locked away in a federal prison facility in northern Pennsylvania after being convicted of tax evasion. The star was intertwined in a lengthy legal battle over unpaid taxes for years following the court’s decision to fine him up to $5 million for the outstanding fees.
True Story Netflix Series
Now the 59 year-old actor is back with a 7 part series on Netflix Now Streaming. On this episode of The Backstage Pass, Snipes talks about his famous role as Sidney Deane in the (1992) classic White Men Can’t Jump and tells Gentry what is was like working with guys like Sly Stallone, Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy.
Snipes has been quoted as saying that “Hollywood is still run by white people for white people. I don’t expect a white guy to go out and write the experience of a black guy growing up in the Bronx the way I grew up. How is he going to know that?” And that’s why he says black artists should follow the example of film-makers in, for example, South Korea or Nigeria. “The South Koreans are not sitting there complaining about not being included in Hollywood. They went and built their own.” He did tell us that we have come along way since he first got to Hollywood in the late 80s. Listen to this and previous episodes of The Backstage Pass on The Podcast Playground.
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His Mother called him Douglas, the hip-hop world calls him “The World’s Greatest Entertainer,” most know him as Doug E Fresh. The Human Beatbox joins Gentry Thomas on this episode of The Backstage Pass to talk about his new album and wanting to spread good vibes and energy. Fresh grew up in Harlem, N.Y. and says the best thing he did was get the permission to use the Inspector Gadget theme for his hit song The Show with Slick Rick. On the podcast he tells us how he got connected with Prince through Sinbad and what made the The Artist so special. He also gives us a preview of his new album This One’s for Chuck Brown paying homage to The Godfather of Go-Go music. The 55-year old told us that he was introduced to Go-Go music in DC. Listen to this episode and all the episodes of The Backstage Pass now available wherever you get your podcasts.
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Dennis Quaid joined us on the Backstage Pass with Gentry Thomas to talk about his up coming music tour this Fall. Everyone has at least seen one of Dennis’ movies right? Breaking Away (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), The Big Easy (1986), Innerspace (1987), Great Balls of Fire! (1989), Dragonheart (1996), The Parent Trap (1998), Frequency (2000), Traffic (2000), The Rookie (2002), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Vantage Point (2008), Footloose (2011), Soul Surfer (2011).
These days the 67 year old Quaid just wants to play his music and share his story with people. He told us on the podcast that he and his new wife Laura Savoie just recently moved to Nashville to be in Music City, so that he can be even closer to the action of song making. For a full list of tour dates and to buy tickets click this link https://www.dennisquaidishere.com/ . Dennis will make stops in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan.
In this interview Dennis talks about his relationship with Meg Ryan and opens up about how he still feels about her 20 years after their divorce. On February 14, 1991, Quaid married actress Meg Ryan. Quaid and Ryan met during the shooting of their second film together, D.O.A. Quaid and Ryan have a son, Jack Henry Quaid (born April 24, 1992). The couple announced their separation on June 28, 2000, saying they had been separated six weeks by then. Their divorce was finalized on July 16, 2001. On this Podcast you can tell Dennis still cherishes many of those years while married to Ryan.
Gentry shared that he recently watched the 1989 Great Balls of Fire starring Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis. This film also had a role for a young Alec Baldwin playing evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. In this Podcast Dennis admits to having shot a prop gun just days ago for a new film. “Enough is enough, this can’t happen again. There is a protocol when it comes to the use of prop guns and obviously this was not followed” said Quaid during our interview. A woman has died and a man has been injured after actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a New Mexico film set for the 19th Century western Rust.
Finally Dennis shared with us that he has a new film coming out in 2022 titled Reagan. Reagan is an upcoming biographical historical drama film directed by Sean McNamara.
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Television legend Ed Asner has won seven Emmy Awards for performing which is more than any other male actor. He is primarily known for his role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff series Lou Grant. Asner has had an extensive voice-acting career and starred as the voice of Carl Fredericksen in Pixar’s award-winning animated film Up (2009).
On this podcast the 91-year-old Ed Asner tells us stories about where it started and opens up to our Gentry Thomas about being a Son of a Junkman and the journey of the Junkyard to bright lights of Hollywood!
You can tell that Ed is no fan of Donald Trump. He calls President Trump a liar and says that better years are ahead of us with President elect Joe Biden.
Ed has had a chance to work with some of the biggest stars of all time. During this episode of Backstage Pass the Emmy Award winner talks about being on screen with Elvis and what made Mary Tyler Moore so special.
Recently Ed Asner went on Kelly Clarkson’s new daytime TV show and commented on how she smelled. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX9FJrbGMoU
Other television appearances with Ed Asner include The Bronx Zoo, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Hawaii Five-O (1975), Hawaii Five-O (2012 remake), The Middle, The Trials of Rosie O’Neill, Hearts Afire, The Untouchables, Curb Your Enthusiasm, CSI: NY, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, Working Class, Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays, The Glades, just to name a few and many made-for-television movies.
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Pauly Shore talks new movie Guest House and his favorite bands of all time.
Marie Osmond told us she is channeling every diva she has ever worked with for her latest role in Lifetime’s Christmas Edition. In this new holiday flick Marie plays a media tycoon, we asked how she felt about the new “Fake News” term, along with the media’s responsibility to tell the American people the truth about the news. Osmond wanted to make it clear that she loved our country, and that the people need to make sure to be responsible themselves, when getting their news. “They need to not just be listening, but they really need to do their research”. The 61 year singer and actress added that “I don’t do politics, who cares what celebrities think when it comes to politics? I don’t.”
Fans have fallen in love with Marie since the 70’s when she starred on the variety show Donnie and Marie, some will remember her 1973 #1 hit Paper Roses and some know her from her recent stint on The Talk. She did not want to discuss her exit from the daytime talk show, but did open up with us about her music. The singer said she has more music on the way and talked about winning a CMA Award in 1986 for Country Vocal Duo with Dan Seals on the song Meet me in Montana. Music has always been her medicine she explained, Marie is one of the founders of The Children’s Miracle Network and wanted everyone to check out her music video for her song Music is Medicine.
Finally we asked Marie what a typical Christmas was like in the Osmond household. Her answer may surprise you when it comes to the Holiday’s at Marie’s!
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When it comes to long careers in television, few can rival the success of TODAY’sAl Roker. Hailing from Queens, a borough of New York City, the beloved weatherman has been one of NBC’s most trusted voices for over 40 years.
Now, he’s out with his 13th book, “You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success,” in which he shares the lessons he’s learned over his distinguished career.
Al tells us the story of when his Father took him to get his drivers license in a 1967 Ford Squire station wagon and how he got his start in show business on the radio in college.
He gave us the gravy on this years Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. This will be the 94th year of the historic event and the parade must go on! It will be “reimagined as you might imagine” Roker told us, “Santa will hit Harold’s Square this year and NBC will be there to cover it”. Even with an increase in Covid cases in NYC, they will have a revised version of the parade this year in the City. NBC’s coverage begins Thanksgiving Day 9am all times zones.
The beloved weather man expressed that “climate change is a real and there is no question that it’s happening.” he also told us that “You can have good paying jobs, you can have job growth and be a steward to the planet”. Roker also said that Donald Trump was incorrect when he called NYC a ghost town. Roker lives on the upper eastside of Manhattan and says “it’s just as crowed as ever”.
After 40 years of broadcasting with NBC Al Roker has had a front row seat to 9-11, the #MeToo movement, presidential elections and the latest being Covid-19. We wanted to focus on the positive moments in his career covering musicians, authors and celebrities. Al admitted that meeting Charles Schultz the American cartoonist, who is credited for the Peanuts comic, was a dream come true.”
Listen to the podcast to hear the rest of our conversation with Al Roker.
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Actress Lea Thompson reflects on her Back To The Future days playing Lorraine and working with Michael J. Fox. The 80s actress admits she has been spending a lot of time cooking and cleaning lately for her family due to covid-19. Lea recalls another virus that swept the planet in the 1980s when she was starring in blockbuster movies. That was the AIDS virus. Since the first cases were reported in the U.S. in 1981, 39 million people have died from the HIV virus, including 619,000 globally last year alone according to unaids.org. Lea says she is really proud of America right now and how many are coming together but still have work to do. “We’ve started appreciating people that we took for granted in the past (and in the future) “like grocery store workers and people who pick the crops and of couse the nurses and the janitors.” Thompson told us on the podcast.
Lea has been married to director Howard Duetch since 1989. The 59 year old Thompson opened up to our own Gentry Thomas about how they met on the set of Some Kind of Wonderful in 1987. She reminisced with us about their first photo together and how she recently posted it on her Instagram Page. Her husband is known for directing Pretty in Pink, The Great Outdoors and Grumpier Old Men to name a few. Both her and Duetch have directing creds now since Lea has directed 7 episodes of ABC’s hit show The Goldbergs. Lea and hubby Howie often share directing notes these days, but she wanted to make it clear that Howard does not have back to back hit shows with a network like she has done recently.
Listen to this week’s episode of Backstage with Gentry Thomas and for even more interviews and content join us on The Podcast Playground.
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Always great to catch up with Danny Tanner on this episode of Backstage he tells us that he and his wife have been sleeping in separate beds. Saget claims that Pets and Dirty Jokes can help everyone through this tough time. You will hear plenty of jokes when Bob Saget returns to host the 34th annual Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine fundraiser, benefiting the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF), on Sunday, Oct. 18. The comedian will be joined by celebrity chef and restaurateur Susan Feniger as co-host of the now online event.
The fundraiser will for the first time be a virtual experience open to global audiences, according to a press release. The event will be live-streamed on YouTube and feature a bey of special musical and comedian guests, including Jack Black, Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah, Ray Romano, and John Stamos.
Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine was started in 1987 by SRF founder and first CEO Sharon Monsky to help raise funds and awareness for scleroderma. To date, the event has raised more than $45 million to fund scleroderma research.
To register for the event, go here. Sponsorships begin at the “Friend” level for $100.
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Rob Reiner joins Gentry Thomas Backstage this week to get “The Band” back together. They discuss Trump and Archie Bunker similarities, along with heading down memory lane with Reiner’s commentary on some of the iconic movie scenes that have made him one of Hollywood’s most accomplished directors.
Listen to the podcast and hear the 73 year old Reiner recall the train and bridge scene from Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally’s restaurant orgasm scene with Meg Ryan, “You can’t handle the truth” in the court room with Jack Nicolson in A Few Good Men and the final kiss from The Princess Bride.
America fell in love with Rob Reiner when he played the character Meathead on All in the Family. The star of this 70s sitcom was Archie Bunker played by Carroll O’Connor. The character “Archie” was often described as a racist, sexiest, bigot, some of the same names you will hear people call our current President Donald Trump. Gentry Thomas asked Reiner if their were any similarities between the two? Hear Rob’s response and his outlook on the future of movie making in this episode of Backstage with Gentry.
The cast and director of classic rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap are reuniting for a virtual table read that will be moderated by Patton Oswalt. Released in 1984, the Rob Reiner (The Princess Bride) movie starred Christopher Guest (The Princess Bride), Michael McKean (Better Call Saul) and Harry Shearer (The Simpsons) as the hapless British heavy metal band, Spinal Tap.
The table read will take place on October 14th, 2020 and will aim to raise money for the Philadelphia Democrats ahead of the November 3 General Election.
Follow Rob Reiner on twitter https://twitter.com/robreiner
Check out more about supporting the Pennsylvania Dems @ https://www.padems.com/
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In his new book “Disloyal” Michael Cohen describes the president as “a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man.”
In our interview Cohen recalls the first time he met Donald Trump face to face calling it “a day he will never forget”. On that same day he landed the role as Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization and special council. He admits to admiring Trump for 20 years prior to that meeting having read The Art of The Deal twice and feeling a true connection in their personalities. Cohen opens up to Gentry Thomas about the pivot moment when he realized he had made the biggest mistake of his life aligning with Donald Trump.
From 2017 to 2018, Cohen was deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. In April of 2018 the FBI came to showed up at Cohen’s doorstep, but according to him they waited until his son left for school and the officers where very cordial with Cohen who at the time was the lawyer for The President of the United States. They took a bunch of documents from his home, his law office and a hotel room he was staying at. Cohen would go on to plea guilty to five counts of willful tax evasion; one count of making false statements to a bank; one count of causing an unlawful campaign contribution; and one count of making an excessive campaign contribution. Looking back on these mistakes our host Gentry Thomas asked Cohen what did he learn from all this? “I want people to understand this, that when Donald Trump hired him he was a real estate guy and once he became President he changed” explained Cohen.
Michael Cohen joined us from house arrest as he was among some of the inmates at Otisville Federal Prison in upstate NY, who were released into home confinement because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Mr. Cohen, 53, is serving a three-year sentence for federal crimes and has one more year left to serve.
Click the link to listen to Cohen’s new podcast called “Mea Culpa” with Michael Cohen
Buy Michael’s new book “Disloyal”
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The rapper turned actor has stayed hustling since breaking on the scene in the early 80s. His real name is Tracy Marrow but his friends call him Ice! When we sat down with him on this week’s episode of Backstage he told us that when he recorded Cop Killer he felt like “people just looked at me as a rapper out of LA with palm trees and Hollywood limelight and thought police brutality didn’t exist”. But now he says the biggest difference is “accountability” Ice credit the cell phones on the streets capturing the wrong doing of police officers.
In his new movie called “Equal Standard” Ice-T plays a gang member In his latest film highlighting tensions between police and the black community.
Nearly three decades ago, Ice and his heavy metal band Body Count recorded a song called “Cop Killer,” about a man fed up with police brutality, that threw gasoline on the already raging rap culture wars. In 2017, Body Count released the song “No Lives Matter,” about racism and classism in America. In between messages, Ice has spent 21 years playing NYPD Detective Fin Tutuola on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” And last month, the Grammy winner executive-produced and acted in “Equal Standard,” a movie available to rent online about a black cop shooting a white cop and the ensuing community fallout. “It costs nine dollars, but you spend that on Starbucks so stop playing,” Ice said.
Ice did the movie for free for the same reason he spends most of his social media energy lobbing f-bomb-laced truths at his over 2 million followers across platforms: “We’re at a very important part of history right now, world history.” We caught up with Ice to talk racism, hip-hop and how he does things differently at age 62.
Check out this week’s episode with Gentry Thomas and Ice T plus download even more content @ The Podcast Playground.
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Jessie James Decker Dishes on New Music and Her First Cookbook!
Jessie James Decker has been busy balancing her thriving career and home life while under quarantine, and tells our Gentry Thomas that her Mother recently told her she should slow down. When we spoke this week with the 32-year-old, she talked all about how quarantine has been going for her family of five, as well as her new music and her highly anticipated first cookbook, Just Feed Me.
Jessie shares down-home and simple-to-make recipes for drinks, appetizers, and full dinners–many Italian, Southern and Cajun dishes which were handed down to her from her mom.
Jessie and her husband, Eric Decker, share three young children together — 6-year-old daughter Vivianne and their two sons, 5-year-old Eric II and 2-year-old Forrest. Jessie admits that she roots for the Jets on Sundays.
If you are looking to get this Southern Girl who likes City Lights on the dance floor she says that anytime she hears the song “I want you back” by The Jackson 5 she is dancing in her boots!
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Colin Jost Of ‘SNL’ Knows You’re Laughing At His ‘Very Punchable Face’
Listen to this episode of Backstage Pass with Colin Jost the top writer for SNL and the lucky guy that has Scarlett Johansson’s heart.
Jost’s new memoir, A Very Punchable Face, describes his experiences growing up in a middle-class household on Staten Island.
He talks about living in NYC in the midst of the pandemic and talks his days attending Harvard with Mark Zukerberg. Jost recalls being one of the first users on Facebook and opens up about how in most cases an Ivy League education is over rated.
Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost knows there’s something about his clean-cut image that rubs some people the wrong way. When he joined SNL as a writer in 2005, he worked off-camera — and didn’t have to think about his looks. Colin admits that his favorite sketch on SNL so far has been Drunk Uncle that he wrote for Bobby Moynihan.
In his new book, which is a NY Times best seller, Jost has a chapter about Donald Trumps appearance on SNL prior to him being elected President in November of 2015. Listen to the Podcast to find out what Jost said about our commander and chief.
Colin Jost may be best known for his role as the lead anchor for Weekend Update. He let us know that the crew will be back live at Rockefeller Plaza LIVE for Saturday Night again in late September. The newly engaged Colin Jost talks wedding bells and first dance song selection for his upcoming wedding with Scarlett Johansson.
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Rob Schneider wants to remind people that he started his career as a stand up comedian. Long before he was on “Saturday Night Live” alongside Adam Sandler, David Spade and Chris Rock, Schneider was writing jokes and mailing them to the “SNL” offices in the hopes of being discovered.
“I remember when I was 16, I used to write jokes and send them to the show,” Schneider says. “And then 7 years later I was on the show.”
When Rob sat down with Gentry Thomas he told us “there are a lot of brilliant comedians that I admire today; Dave Chapelle, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Amy Schumer, to name a few. But his best advice for stand-up comedy was from Jay Leno. Schneider recalls riding around in San Francisco early in his career with Leno when he told him “you better have 5 minutes that kills”! Also some sound advise came from Rob’s friend Jerry Seinfeld, he told Rob once that if you are not funny within 2 minutes then you have no act”!
For the past several years he’s been touring small comedy clubs around the US working on material for his first Netflix special, “Asian Momma, Mexican Kids.” As the title suggests, he talks a lot about his family during the show.
“I’m at the point in my life where I don’t mind being honest. This is the least amount of lies I’ve ever told in any comedy routine.”
In the interview Rob opens up about his relationship with longtime friend Adam Sandler whom he met in 1988. Sandler once told Gentry that Rob is obsessive compulsive with his vitamins. Schneider admits to taking 72 vitamin a day. Hear his list of must have supplements to add to your daily regime. His new Netflix special has been dedicated to Raymond Francis who has penned a handful of books that Schneider says will give you better quality of life. His favorite book from Francis is Never Be Sick Again. During these days of covid-19 we could all use some sound advise when it comes to our immune system. We personally feel that sometimes laughter can be the best medicine. So listen to our latest episode of Backstage with Gentry Thomas and share it with all your friends!
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