Interview

Podtalk: Playwright Desiree Burcum Wishes You 'A Judy Christmas’

A Judy Christmas

CHICAGO – This year was the 100th anniversary for the birth of the classic movie star/singer/performer Judy Garland. In 1963, as part of her regular CBS-TV variety series, she presented a Christmas episode, featuring her family … including Liza Minnelli. Playwright Desiree Burcum has created a musical comedy about this historic moment in television, appropriately titled “A Judy Christmas.” The show, presented by FAMOUS IN THE FUTURE productions, will have three performances the week before Christmas, December 15th, 16th and 17th, at the Den Theatre in Chicago. For tickets and more information, A JUDY CHRISTMAS.

Podtalk: Director, Co-Writer & Lead Actor Nate Boyer is an ‘MVP’

CHICAGO – What links the military and football players? The uniforms, the camaraderie and a shared purpose are some examples. The new film “MVP,” currently available through Video On Demand, explores those links and what happens when those careers get separated from the individual. Nate Boyer co-wrote, directed and is the lead actor in the film.

Podtalk: Writer/Director Elegance Bratton Passes ‘The Inspection’

CHICAGO – The journey of Elegance Bratton took him from homelessness to the U.S. Marine Corps to to his first film … all based on his life. “The Inspection” is about Ellis (Jeremy Pope). a gay black youth who decides he has one last shot at a chance to get off the streets … if he can survive Marine boot camp.

Podtalk: Louise Palanker is a Host on the ‘Media Path Podcast’

Louise Palanker, Media Path Podcast

CHICAGO – Recently topping over its 100th episode, the popular “Media Path Podcast” continues its eclectic journey through the podscape and the two host’s curiosity. Focusing on pop/media culture for boomers and beyond, Fritz Coleman and Louise Palanker covers the show biz culture of the 1960s, ‘70s and other fancies of that era.

Podtalk: Actor Anna Diop is the Title Character in ‘Nanny’

CHICAGO – Starfire from the TV series “Titans” has heroically taken on another persona. Actor Anna Diop breaks out as the title character in “Nanny,” an Amazon Studios film getting a limited release in theaters on November 23rd, before streaming on the Prime Video platform beginning on December 16th.

Podtalk: Director David Siev for His Doc on Hometown ‘Bad Axe’

CHICAGO – The combination of the divisive Donald Trump election and the pandemic affected many U.S. communities. David Siev, an American filmmaker from a Cambodian-origin family, turned on his camera to tell the story of that time in his hometown of Bad Axe, Michigan. The results became the documentary “Bad Axe.”

Via Zoom: Introducing Karen Cardarelli, Exec Director of FACETS

CHICAGO – Karen Cardarelli has a plan. She was named Executive Director of Chicago’s FACETS Multi-Media in February of 2020, and during that time she has overseen its evolution. Currently, the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival is being presented through November 20th. Click CICFF for info/schedule/tickets.

Podtalk: Director Lila Neugebauer on the ‘Causeway’ Effect

CHICAGO – Lila Neugebauer has made her transition complete. The well-known stage director morphed into a behind-the-camera director, beginning with TV and culminating in her recent Apple TV+ film debut “Causeway,” featuring Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry in a film of hope and redemption.

Podtalk: Sacha Jenkins Directs ‘Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues’

CHICAGO – One of the most prominent Americans musicians in the 20th Century, if not one of the greatest, was Louis Armstrong. The memorable black trumpeter, vocalist and outsized personality found success in the Jim Crow era, and how he did it is spotlighted in Sacha Jenkin’s documentary “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

Via Zoom: Soprano Group Tres Belle to Perform at Davenports in Chicago, Oct. 29, 2022

Tres Belle

CHICAGO – In this spooky season of Halloween, why not get “Bewitched” by three women Sopranos, under the group name Tres Belle. Marisa Buchheit, Kimberly Jones and Kirsten Leslie will perform an eclectic set of opera, show tunes, the Great American Songbook and even pop at their appropriately entitled show “Bewitched: A Spooky Night of Song with Tres Belle.” Click BEWITCHED for details and tickets.

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  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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