On this week’s episode of 3rd & Fairfax, the official podcast of the Writers Guild of America, the guest is screenwriter-director Bill Condon, whose screenplays include Dreamgirls and Chicago. He talks about bringing Kiss of the Spider Woman to the screen, the creative challenges of adapting Broadway musicals to feature films, finding your own authentic voice, and more.
On this week’s ‘Not My Job’ segment of the NPR quiz show Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the guest contestant is musician Vicki Peterson. Her conversation with guest host Tom Pappa covers her early years as guitarist for The Bangles (as a founding member), as well as The Go-Go’s, and touring now with her husband John Cowsill, formerly of the 1960s band The Cowsills, on which the TV series, The Partridge Family is based on.
This is the full Wait, Wait… broadcast, but you can jump directly to the “Not My Job” segment, it starts right before the 21:30 mark.
When searching for the latest episode of the Naked Lunch podcast hosted by Phil Rosenthal and David Wild, I came across this 8-minute video that Phil did for his new Somebody Feed Phil page on YouTube. And I had to post it. It's a brief, behind-the-scenes look at the legendary restaurant The Smoke House, across the street from Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.
I had to post it because it's one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. Not that's epicurean food or high end. It's not. But it's good, solid cooking in a very comfortable old world atmosphere. It has a classic Hollywood sense to it, with photos of renowned people who've dined there over the decades. I don't go often, because it's a bit of a drive for me, over the hill in the Valley, but I do get there periodically and it's a place that my friend and the producer on my The Wild Roses movie project Michael Ewing get to as often as we can.
I have a few favorite dishes there, but I must admit it's their garlic cheese bread that I inhale. And lest you laugh, when you watch the video, Phil Rosenthal spends a lot of time on it. It's not just me. On the few times I've been there for their Sunday buffet brunch, it's almost embarrassing how much of the garlic cheese bread I scarf down.
(Years ago, I was a teeny-tiny, miniscule investor in a restaurant, Hampton's Hollywood Cafe. No longer there, the owner sold to a real estate investor who made a great offer. Our chef, Felipe, had worked at The Smokehouse -- and he was able to create for us the garlic cheese bread. Trust me, I took advantage of whatever teensy-tiny investor status I had to dig into the bread bin. I even created a dish with it that we'd put on as a special -- and it always sold out: our grilled chicken breast sandwich on a French roll...but for the special it was served on a roll of the garlic cheese bread! O heaven. In fact, when I go to The Smoke House, I often ask if they make it. And they will.)
They talk in the video about all the celebrities who eat there, being across from Warners. But honestly, I've never seen anyone there I recognized. In part because I haven't looked, but in part, too, because I tend to go there on the weekends, and when I'm there with Michael, we eat late -- on what is known as Ewing Standard Time.
So, here then is a short look at The Smoke House. Established 1946.
And yes, that screen grab is the garlic cheese bread. Hey, I told you, it's not just me...
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Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting.
Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, has two sort-of best-selling novels, and was a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and Huffington Post. Among his other writing, he's had a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel. As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.
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