Comedy Writer Tess Rafferty whose new book “Recipes For Disaster: A Memoir” talks about cooking, writing for television, eating, bleeding and her amazing parties. Plus Film Critic Michael Snyder. Review this podcast on iTunes.
Comedians Eating It
Category: Full Interviews With Our Guests
California Ban On Gay Therapy Is Put on Hold
California State Senator Ted Lieu authored legislation that passed this summer banning gay therapy. David Feldman spoke with him right after it was signed into law.
California – State Ban on Therapy Too Change Gays Is Put on Hold – NYTimes.com.
My interview with Senator Ted Lieu the author of the legislation:
Jonathan Miller: Talking With Evil
Does forgiveness play any role in politics? Jonathan Miller is a cofounder of No Labels, a bipartisan think tank committed to prodding lawmakers towards reaching across the aisle. He served as Kentucky State Treasurer from 1999 to 2007. He is the author of The Compassionate Community which tackles Judeo-Christian values in politics with a forward by Al Gore. He is also cofounder of No Labels a bipartisan think tank committed to prodding lawmakers to reach across the aisle. Jonathan is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and considers himself a moderate Democrat. You can find him at The Recovering Politician.
More on Jonathan Miller: Jonathan Miller is the former two-term elected Kentucky State Treasurer, the author of the critically-acclaimed The Compassionate Community: Ten Values to Unite America (2006) and the brand new The Liberal Case for Israel: Debunking Eight Crazy Laws About the Jewish State (2012). Miller is also the founder of the bi-partisan political blog, The Recovering Politician, the co-founder of the national grassroots movement No Labels, and a regular contributor to The Huffington Post.
In his nearly two decades of public service, Miller also held several other senior positions in state and federal government, including serving in Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear’s Cabinet as Secretary of Finance and Administration, as Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Energy, as Legislative Director for Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN), and as a longtime aide to Vice President Al Gore.
Miller waded knee-deep in the political muck from an early age, founding Students for Gore for President in 1988, reviving College Democrats of America in 1989, serving as a Deputy Political Director for the Clinton/Gore 1992 presidential campaign, chairing the Kentucky Democratic Party in 2007, and running successfully twice for State Treasurer (1999, 2003), and unsuccessfully for Congress (1998) and Governor (2007).
To compensate for his political obsessions, Miller has also devoted himself to his faith. As a high school student, Miller served as President of the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY), the Reform Jewish movement’s youth organization that his father headed a generation before. For more than a decade, Miller has taught Sunday School to high school students at Temple Adath Israel on the subject of Tikkun Olam, the Jewish mandate to help make the world a better place.
In April 2011, Miller left the political arena to join the private sector. He serves as Senior Adviser to Wellford Energy, a firm dedicated to helping develop and finance affordable clean energy technologies across the country and in Israel, and he practices law at the Lexington office of Frost Brown Todd, a full-service law firm with offices in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Indiana.
Also in 2011, Miller founded The Recovering Politician, a bi-partisan Web site, featuring more than 20 former politicians who share their views on the issues of the day, informed by their service in the arena, but no longer inhibited by the pressures of incumbency. He also is the Co-Founder of No Labels, a national grassroots movement of Democrats, Republicans and Independents who understand that, on occasion, we need to put aside our labels to do what is right for the country.
Miller and his wife of 22 years, Lisa, have two teenage daughters: Emily (18) and Abigail (16), who have begun to follow their own policy passions, without too much noodging from their beaming father.
Jonathan Katz
Jonathan Katz won an Emmy for his work on Comedy Central’s “Dr. Katz Professional Therapist.” His new animated series is “The Explosion Bus.” He co-wrote “House Of Games” with David Mamet, and has appeared in films such as “State And Main,” “The Spanish Prisoner” and “Homicide.” He is considered by comedians and comedy writers as one of the funniest people ever to grace our planet. On today’s show he pretty much talks about losing his virginity to Suzy Feinblum on his parent’s bed.
Comic Jeff Ross
Host of Comedy Central’s The Burn. Called “an heir apparent to such old-school masters as Buddy Hackett and Rodney Dangerfield” by the New York Times, Jeffrey Ross is feared and revered for his appearances at celebrity roasts. He also stars in a stand-up DVD, Jeffrey Ross: No Offense, as well as an award-winning documentary about his time entertaining U.S. troops in Iraq, Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie. Jeff divides his time between New York, Los Angeles, and the road.
“Happy” The Movie
Michael Pritchard stars in the new documentary “Happy” about our quest for happiness. Also Jimmy Dore, Stephane Zamorano and Frank Conniff. Plus Will Ryan & The Cactus County Cowboys.
Michael Pritchard is a nationally acclaimed keynote speaker praised by the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Time for his ability to use humor to inspire and educate his audiences on communication skills. Michael Pritchard is a big guy with a warm heart who as one student described him, “truly walks as he talks.”
He began his career on both the comedy stage and as a juvenile counselor in San Francisco’s Youth Guidance Center. In 1980, Michael Pritchard won first place in the San Francisco International Stand Up Comedy Competition as well as winning the prestigious California Probation Officer of the Year.
Michael’s offers from Hollywood rolled in including a guest appearance on an Emmy Award winning episode of “Taxi”. His sensational standup comedy billed him with Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Dana Carvey and Whoopi Goldberg playing venues as Caesar’s, the Comedy Store, Universal Ampitheater and opening for such names as Diana Ross, the Grateful Dead, Kenny Rogers, Mike Mc Donald and Boz Scaggs. But Michael rejected offers from Hollywood to focus on using his comic talents for inspiring youth and adults.
Drawing from his counseling background, Michael Pritchard began using humor to inspire, teach communication skills, anger management, diversity, conflict resolution and overcoming burnout and stress.
His broad base of audience from corporate employees, healthcare workers, government and state officials have honored him with countless standing ovations and numerous awards including: President’s Volunteer Action Award, Commendation – Office of the Attorney General , Paul Harris Fellowship – Rotary International, Toastmaster’s International Speaker, Outstanding Performance – Federal Executive Board , Josephine Duveneck Humanitarian Award and the Key to the City of San Francisco.
As a result of his work, Michael Pritchard has been featured on CNN, NBC’s “The Today Show”, “The Tonight Show”, CBS “Sunday Morning” with Charles Kuralt, “Time” magazine and “People” magazine.
His seven educational series for PBS and distribution has been seen by millions and focuses on youth guidance in the areas of violence prevention. “The Power of Choice” “You can Choose”, “Big Changes, Big Choices”.
Forming Heartland Media, he continued with “Red Ribbon Week” and “PeaceTalks” teaching students to make positive choices.“SOS: Saving Our Schools from Hate and Violence”, featured in both Time magazine and on CNN, filmed after the tragic Columbine disaster. His new series: “Lifesteps” builds the social and emotional intelligence in youth and has already received the Parents Choice Award
For his work in promoting nonviolence with youth, Dr. Michael Pritchard was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Hartwick University and winning, 2001 Lewis Hine’s Award for Service to Children & Youth Certificate of Appreciation and the 2002 Marin Community Foundations Beryl Buck Fund Award for achievement in Promoting Nonviolence.
As an extension of Heartland Media, he established Heartland Media Foundation building character and emotional intelligence, violence prevention, inciting motivation and leadership in both youth and adults to improve schools and communities. The foundation provides youth guidance programs, including video, print curriculum, and live presentations by Michael Pritchard to aid in schools and communities where the funding is limited.