Homicide

The Ultimate Rabbit’s Favorite Podcasts

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

Everybody has a podcast these days to where there are far too many to catch up on. However, there are a few which I refuse to miss as they lighten up my day which usually has me wondering how I can continue to survive in an insanely cruel world. Considering that I spend a good portion of the day in my car, they are my go-to whenever I go place to place, and these are the ones I am always determined to be up to date on.

The Ralph Report

Created and hosted by actor, podcaster and voiceover artist Ralph Garman, “The Ralph Report” is the first podcast I listen to each day. This podcast came about after Garman was unceremoniously laid off from the “Kevin & Bean Show” on the KROQ-FM after 18 years, and you can find it on the Patreon platform. It’s never political, and Garman is just aiming to take you away from your daily troubles for an hour and change.

Garman is joined by his “vice host,” standup comedian Eddie Pence who was a classmate of mine at Second City in Los Angeles and has quite the reserved palate when it comes to food, resulting in a daily segment where a certain food is talked about and whether or not Eddie will eat it. Also on the show is Garman’s wife, Jen Stewart (a.k.a. Queen J) who helps run on the visual part of the podcast known as “Garmyvision,” and she also has the most infectious laugh of any human being I have ever met.

Among my favorite segments on “The Ralph Report” include one-hit wonders where Garman talks about a band or a singer who reached the top just once and never experienced the same level of success ever again (the episode on Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” is classic). Others include “Sex U” which discusses sexual practices in ways that are both informative and educational to where I wonder if other sex education classes offered anywhere could ever be this informative. And there is the “Video Vault” segment on Fridays where Garman and Pence recommend movies many people have not seen or heard about. Garman always has the classiest of choices, while Pence tends to recommend those which only he seems to enjoy. Still, maybe Pence is right to find the good in such films as “Megaforce” and “Leprechaun 4: In Space.”

WTF with Marc Maron

Now granted, this one just came to an end, but there are still 16 years of episodes for you and I to catch up on. Hosted by stand-up comedian and actor Marc Maron, “WTF” is not so much an interview show as it is a conversation between him and his guest. What started as a simple podcast, back when the term was in its infancy, turned into one of the biggest as Maron got to have great talks with such people like Jodie Foster, Spike Lee, Louis C.K. and even President Barack Obama who came back to do the final “WTF” episode. We also got to hear Maron deal with his sobriety and daily anxieties which have resulted in crippling emotions and catastrophic thinking for him, something I can very much relate to as anxiety has been the bane of my existence.

Fresh Air

If there is a single person who has come to influence the way I interview actors and filmmakers about their projects, it is most definitely Terry Gross. Few other people can ask such intelligent questions about the arts, movies, politics and sports than her, and that’s the reason why she has remained so popular for the past few decades. In the past few years, “Fresh Air,” which airs from WHYY in Philadelphia, has brought other hosts who occasionally sit in for Terry like Dave Davies, Tonya Mosley and David Bianculli who, like me, has a great love for the classic television series, “Homicide: Life on the Street.”

Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum

Actor Michael Rosenbaum, best known for playing Lex Luthor on the TV series “Smallville,” started his podcast “Inside of You” back in 2018, and it has talking with fellow celebrities he has worked with as well as those he admires. He has made it clear to all that this podcast is no way political, and much of his questions deal with mental health which makes it a must for people like me. I also like how he talks with people who usually don’t get to appear on other big-time podcasts like Gates McFadden, Barbara Crampton or Jonathan Frakes to name a few. I especially liked his talk with Gates as she took the time to discuss her role on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

The Everything Sequel Podcast

If there is any kind movie which is especially difficult to make, it is the sequel as it more than likely to pale in comparison to the original. But perhaps there a few sequels which can improve upon their predecessors, and that’s where “The Everything Sequel Podcast” comes in. Hosted by Michael Christopher Shantz, a classmate of mine from my UC Irvine days, and Tom Steward, they thoroughly dissect every follow-up to an original film we know and love to where nary a single detail is left out.

Recently, both Michael and Tom took great delight in dissecting the sequels to Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and they came to agree that “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare” was the best of the bunch (of course they didn’t).

The Sackhoff Show

I have had an enormous affection for Katee Sackhoff ever since she portrayed Starbuck on SyFy’s “Battlestar Galactica,” and I have followed her career from there and continue to do so. Like “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum,” Katee uses her podcast to talk with those actors she has worked with on different projects as well as those she has a deep admiration for. Her interviews with her fellow “Battlestar Galactica” actors like Jamie Bamber, Edward James Olmos, Tricia Helfer, Mary McDonnell and James Callis prove to be endlessly fascinating as they discuss not just how their brilliant remake of a classic science fiction show stands on its own, but of how they continue to deal with the fame it all brought them.

But in addition to all of that, Katee talks about her struggles and adventures at being a wife and mother of two children, and of how she continues to rise above her circumstances to be the best person she can be in all the madness life has to offer.

Homicide: Life on the Set/Homicide: Life on Repeat

As I said earlier, I am as big a fan of “Homicide: Life on the Street” as David Bianculli is. With the classic show having finally arrived on the streaming services Peacock and Tubi, a couple of podcasts have emerged to look at what went on in front of and behind the camera, and both have proven to be deeply informative and enthralling in equal measure.

“Homicide: Life on the Set” is a largely look at what went on behind the scenes of the Baltimore cop show, and it is hosted by Susan C. Ingram, a camera assistant on the show for six years, and Chris Carr who is a director and podcaster based in London. So far, they have had great interviews with the show’s assorted editors, directors of photography, and actors like Melissa Leo, Reed Diamond and Daniel Baldwin, the latter of which proved to be incredibly lively and exceptionally entertaining.

“Homicide: Life on Repeat” features two actors from the show: Kyle Secor who played Tim Bayliss, and Reed Diamond who played Mike Kellerman. So far, they have covered “Homicide’s” first season which lasted nine episodes which Secor starred in, and which sparked Diamond’s intense desire to get a role on this show. They have also taken the time to interview key figures involved in the show’s creation such as Paul Attanasio and Tom Fontana who executive produced this show along with Barry Levinson.

Now if there are any other podcasts I can possibly add to this list, I will do so at a near or future date. I shudder to think at what I could have left out.

‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Commentary on ‘Son of a Gun’

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

It has been a bit, but I am now back with another “Homicide: Life on the Street” commentary track. This time it is for “Son of a Gun,” the fourth episode of the first season. This episode contains several plot threads as the detectives furiously investigate the shooting of Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen), Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor) and Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) continue to investigate the murder of Adena Watson, Stanley Bolander (Ned Beatty) goes out on a date with Doctor Carol Blythe (Wendy Hughes), and there is also the case of Calpurnia Church (Mary Jefferson) who has murdered many people for the insurance money. This is a lot for any hour-long drama to handle, but everyone involved seems to find the right balance to where nothing feels superfluous.

“Son of a Gun” was directed by Nick Gomez who helmed a couple of indie crime dramas back in the 1990’s: “Laws of Gravity” and “New Jersey Drive.” It marked the first appearances of Sean Whitesell who portrays Dr. Eli Devilbiss, Edie Falco who portrays Chris Thormann’s wife, Eva, and Walt McPherson who plays an patrolman who may or may not be Roger Gaffney, the most odious and bitter character in the “Homicide” series.

This episode was the first thing I ever saw Edie Falco in, and she previously appeared in Gomez’s “Laws of Gravity.” From here, Falco would go on to play a role in Tom Fontana’s HBO prison drama “Oz,” and she would eventually make her breakthrough a few years later on “The Sopranos.”

There are also other memorable performances to be found in this episode. The great Luis Guzman appears as Bolander’s next door neighbor, Lorenzo “Larry” Molera, who has quite the love for wood. Then there is the late Wendy Hughes who plays a potential girlfriend to Bolander in Carol Blythe, and seeing her and Beatty together provides this episode with the series’ more intimate moments.

Check out the commentary below. The complete series of “Homicide: Life on the Street” is currently available to purchase from Shout Factory. To this date, it is still not available to stream on any service. This is likely due to music rights.

‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Commentary on ‘Night of the Dead Living’

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

I am back with my latest audio commentary on an episode of “Homicide: Life on the Street,” and the one on display here is “Night of the Dead Living,” a nice little play on words on the title of the classic horror film, “Night of the Living Dead.” It was directed by Michael Lehmann who gave us one of the greatest black comedies ever made, “Heathers” which starred Christian Slater and Winona Ryder. Lehmann also directed “Hudson Hawk” which starred Bruce Willis and proved to be a critical and commercial bomb, but has since become a cult classic of sorts. The teleplay was written by Frank Pugliese who won a WGA Award for his work on this episode. Pugliese is a writer and playwright, and his plays include “Aven’U Boys” which an Obie Award, and he wrote the screenplay for the 2006 film “Infamous.”

“Night of Dead Living” was the third episode of “Homicide’s” first season, but NBC decided to air it as the season finale due to its slow pace and the fact they were trying hard to “woo” more viewers for this show which was already suffering a decline in ratings. For me and many others, the airing of this episode in this order was confusing as hell as it looked as though Tim Bayliss and Frank Pembleton had another chance at closing the Adena Watson case. Watching it now, it feels like the cruelest of teases.

What I love about this particular episode is how unusual it is for “Homicide” let alone any other police drama as it is one without any murders or crimes committed. The detectives are working the night shift during a hot summer night, and Lieutenant Al Giardello is furious because the air conditioning is off in the office and everyone is sweating like crazy to where they are taking off their ties. That is, except for Frank Pembleton who remains as cool as can be despite the heat.

Please check out the commentary track below and let me know what you think about this episode.

‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Commentary on ‘Ghost of a Chance’

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

So here I am with another commentary track for an episode of “Homicide: Life on the Street.” This one is titled “Ghost of a Chance,” and it is the second episode of the first season. The story is by Tom Fontana, the teleplay was written by Noel Behn, and the episode was directed by Martin Campbell. Campbell would later go on to direct to James Bond films, “Goldeneye” and “Casino Royale.” After the brilliance of “Gone for Goode,” I wasn’t sure the next episode would be anywhere as good. Thankfully, it was.

“Ghost of a Chance” starts off with the murder of Adena Watson, the first case for rookie detective Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor), and the one case which would haunt him the most throughout this series. There are also some other plotlines explored here. John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Stanley Bolander (Ned Beatty) investigate the death of Thomas Doohen whose widow, Jessie (Gwen Verdon), cannot wait to be rid of him, Kay Howard (Melissa Leo) and Beau Felton (Daniel Baldwin) work to find much-needed evidence in a murder case, and Bolander develops a crush on Carol Blythe (Wendy Hughes) which has him acting rather awkwardly.

We are also introduced to Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen), a character who will become especially important in later episodes.

Please check out the commentary below.

‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Commentary on ‘Gone For Goode’

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

So here I am with another commentary track after the one I did for “Pump Up The Volume.” But this time, it is for an episode of one of my favorite television shows of all time, let alone of the 1990’s, “Homicide: Life on the Street.” Specifically, the commentary is on this show’s very first episode, “Gone For Goode,” which did a brilliant job of introducing us to various Homicide detectives, and also showed how it was not going to be your usual cop show. Instead, it was initially designed to be one without onscreen violence, something which executive producer and showrunner Tom Fontana thought was crazy, and he quickly signed up with the show as a result.

What hooked me onto this show was the fact it was being developed by Barry Levinson, the Oscar winning filmmaker of “Rain Man.” He also directed the “Gone For Goode” episode and introduced its cinematic style which no other director could direct their way out of.

With this commentary track, I express my thoughts on this episode and the show at large. Upon watching “Gone For Goode,” I was immediately hooked into what this groundbreaking series had to offer, and I did my best to provide as much trivia about its making as I could. I’m not sure there will ever be a perfect commentary track to anything unless it is done by Martin Scorsese or Bruce Campbell, but I would like to think this one comes close. If you say it does, it will do wonders for my fragile ego.

Please feel free to listen to the commentary track below as you watch this episode on your DVD player. At this time, “Homicide: Life on the Street” is not available to stream, most likely due to music rights, but you can purchase the complete series on DVD from Shout Factory. It was previously available in a box set from A&E Home Video, but it has long since gone out of print.