To celebrate the 55th birthday of "Sesame Street," I had a wonderfully inspiring chat with the legendary Noel MacNeal about his incredible decades-spanning career. From wrangling puppets on "Sesame Street" in 1982 to becoming "Bear in the Big Blue House" in 1997 to currently working as the resident puppeteer on "Last Week Tonight" Noel's rich, candid, & witty stories about everything from the tricks of the trade to how children on the spectrum & with special needs respond to puppet characters will warm your heart.

Bio: Noel MacNeal launched his career performing on PBS’s award-winning Sesame Street, where he honed his craft with puppetry legends Jim Henson and Frank Oz. He is a script and television directorial adviser and consultant for the international versions of Sesame Street, and has directed episodes of Sesame Street, Bear in the Big Blue House, and has won an Emmy Award for his direction on Sesame Street. Noel is currently the resident puppeteer for the HBO series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. His puppet-making book 10-Minute Puppets with Noel MacNeal and the follow-up BOX are both with Workman Publishing. He’s also written his autobiography “Hey, This Was Really Fun: Life Lessons from Sesame Street to The Big Blue House & Beyond” available on Amazon. Noel lives in Brooklyn with his wife, novelist Susan Elia MacNeal (of the award-winning Maggie Hope historical mystery series and Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy from Penguin Random House).

Originally Posted on Patreon (11/18/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/116245968

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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My dear friend, Letterboxd managing editor Mitchell Beaupre returns to the show to discuss the filmography & mystique of one of cinema's coolest counterculture icons, Elliott Gould. Giving a thoughtful overview of the way that his work has evolved over the years, in this engaging conversation, we focus on three of what we consider to be Gould's greatest cinematic staples: THE SILENT PARTNER, THE LONG GOODBYE, & CALIFORNIA SPLIT.

Mitchell's Bio:

Mitchell Beaupre is the Managing Editor for Letterboxd, whose writing on film has also appeared at Paste Magazine, The AV Club, The Film Stage, Little White Lies, & The Playlist.

Originally Posted on Patreon (11/10/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/115729513

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It’s Jen x2! In easily the most stressful week of an incredibly fraught fall, I know we could all benefit from a little extra kindness and positivity, which just so happen to be two of the qualities most filmgoers associate with actor Paul Rudd. Chatting with Vulture's delightful TV critic Jen Chaney, who literally wrote the book on writer-director Amy Heckerling's masterful 1995 romcom CLUELESS, the two of us spent a breezy hour celebrating some of Rudd's most iconic & intriguing roles, including the films CLUELESS, WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY, I LOVE YOU MAN, OUR IDIOT BROTHER, & ANT-MAN, in particular. Touching on everything from his ability to play both broad & more character-based comedy to his work on the small screen as well as his loyalty to the friends he collaborates with repeatedly (sometimes in tiny indies with next to no budget), I hope this episode gives you a mini-escape from election week stress, especially because Jen tells so many stories that are sure to make you smile.

Guest Bio:

Jen Chaney is a TV critic and writer for Vulture and New York magazine. She's also the author of the book AS IF: THE COMPLETE ORAL HISTORY OF CLUELESS. She previously worked at The Washington Post and has contributed to the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and other publications.

Originally Posted on Patreon (11/3/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/115288406

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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