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I’m on a podcast with Brian Heater and Alex Cox! We talk about comics and fun stuff. I can’t objectively rate it, but I just wanted you to know it exists.

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Pretty big news announcement from former Minnesota Public Radio’s In The Loop podcast Producer Sanden Totten this week! He’ll be working on Madeleine Brand’s new show on KPCC “The Madeleine Brand Show.”
(via facebook)

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SUPPORT : KCRW

WEB : kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt

LENGTH : 28 minutes

STYLE : live interview

CONCEPT

Elvis Mitchell interviews directors, writers, comedians and other entertainment creators in the studio at KCRW.  Not the most original idea in the book, a live interview, but casting Mitchell as the show’s host was a very good concept indeed.

HOST

Mitchell really has a knack for putting his guests at ease, and I’m sure it has something to do with him being a cool, intelligent black man with sensitive eyes behind wired glasses under a mop of killer dreads.  Something about his eclectic physicality must make people feel like they could tell him anything, as if he’d seen it all already and he’s just welcoming them to commiserate.  He lets his guests speak at length about things they’re passionate about, and leads them effortlessly into their next thoughts.  I’m a pretty big fan of his interview style.  He doesn’t grill them, he doesn’t noticeably bait them, he doesn’t ask the same trite questions of every guest he meets — he just knowingly asks guests about themselves, then lets them flow.

GUESTS

Guests of the show are famous, no doubt, but when a property is hot (i.e. J.J. Abrams after the most recent Star Trek), they’re kind of too hot for The Treatment.  Michell interviews really interesting people, sure, but his show is often peppered with creators promoting properties that haven’t performed well for a national audience.  Since Mitchell’s also a fim critic, I sometimes wonder how he ends up with certain guests.

For example, Brad Silberling?  Really?  “Land of the Lost” was not well-reviewed, not to mention that Kim Masters (host of another KCRW show The Business) has ragged on his film several times for being an example of a movie that was too expensive on top of being a real flop — a model of what isn’t working for studios today and definitely a thing of the past.  So why would any self-respecting entertainment news program want to give that voice such a strong, half-hour long platform to discuss a project that’s not worth emulating?  I think the clear answer to this question is “balance.”

The Treatment is one nice way of getting a fair and balanced opinion about mainstream entertainment, so it’s worth incorporating into your too-rich diet of entertainment podcasts.  Mitchell makes it pretty painless to listen to the 80% of creators in the world that are basically forgettable.  You don’t need to hold your nose for all the episodes, but every so often there’s a guest that, in title, just seems disappointing.  If you give them a chance to speak for themselves though, they are often redeemed by the end.

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Kurt Anderson, the co-founder of Spy (one of my favorite magazines ever) and the host of the smart public radio program Studio 360, has written a pithy, inspired, and inspiring book called Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America.

In 96 pages, Anderson describes the United States’ previous boom and bust cycles and explains why the bust cycles are essential for innovation and improvement of living standards for everyone. Times of crisis, he says, open new opportunities for making positive changes.

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Related U of MN ad : LINK

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iTunes U offers colleges the chance to stream lectures, panels, speeches and video online through a special tab in the iTunes Store.

Some material is limited to college affiliates and is password protected, but there’s still plenty open-access material you can enjoy for free.
(via the iTunes U information website)

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Think outside the classroom.

Learning no longer happens only at a desk. Students now expect constant access to information, no matter where they are. Which is exactly why more and more faculty are using iTunes U to distribute digital lessons to their students.

WATCH THE VIDEO