Table for Two

In her junior year at Temple University, Da’Vine Joy Randolph was essentially forced out of the school’s opera program. Unsure of what to do, she decided to join the school’s musical theater track—and immediately, Randolph turned heads. Her ability to bring something wholly her own to a wide variety of characters eventually impressed the Yale School of Drama, from which she eventually graduated. There, Randolph honed the warmth and presence that shines through in her role as Mary Lamb, the cafeteria manager and head cook in The Holdovers, for which she has been nominated for an Academy Award. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the Philadelphia-born actress sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss the development of her interest in the dramatic arts, the philosophies that guide her acting style, and the singular experience of working alongside Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti. Listen and subscribe to Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi is excited to be back for a new season! Join host Bruce Bozzi each week as he sits down at one of his favorite restaurants for a meal with some of the most well-known people in Hollywood, media, and beyond for intimate, revealing, and hilarious conversations about big breaks, heart breaks, and of course food. Guests include Matt Bomer, Colin Jost, Michael Mann, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and many more! So, pull up a chair and join us for Season Two!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Countless lunches and dinners—not to mention glasses of rosé—later, the inaugural season of Table for Two with host Bruce Bozzi is coming to a close. We’ve whiled away afternoons with Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Anna Wintour, Matthew Broderick, and Scarlett Johansson; laughed over cacio e pepe with Mindy Kaling, Rob Lowe, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and John Stamos; and heard delightful and captivating personal tales from so many others. This week, we share some favorite moments from each of our last 25 episodes. When the next season rolls around in early 2024, we’ll be sure to save you a chair at The Tower Bar, Via Carota, and any other tables we end up at.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Nicole Avant moved to the Caribbean to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Bahamas, she left behind her husband, her friends, and a life and job in which she was comfortable. But it was because of these new challenges that Avant turned to the guiding force that has, in her mind, entirely shaped the person she’s become: her family. Avant writes lovingly of her recently deceased parents in her new memoir, Think You’ll Be Happy—its title echoing the last words Avant's mother ever spoke to her. On this week's episode of Table for Two, the political activist and producer joins host Bruce Bozzi to further discuss the values imparted by her relatives, and the importance of always living in the present. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When John Stamos landed a role on General Hospital, his father, a restaurateur, required that the then-teenager keep working around the kitchen in addition to his acting gig. Today, Stamos doesn’t resent this ordinance, and in fact he credits it as being particularly important to his later success. For this reason and others, he considers his father as one of his mentors, among others such as Anthony Geary, Jack Klugman, Don Rickles, and Sammy Davis Jr. Stamos speaks to the importance of each of these role models—as well as the invaluable lessons they imparted to him—in his newly released memoir, If You Would Have Told Me. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the Emmy nominated performer sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss the affecting stories in his new book, including the lasting influence of a childhood bully, his relationship with sobriety, and the recent passing of his close friend Bob SagetSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To say that Irving Azoff makes being in the music business look easy would be an understatement. After relocating from his hometown, Danville, Illinois to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, it was only a few years before he was managing the Eagles. He’s since run companies including Ticketmaster and his own Full Stop Management, and has signed artists from Fleetwood Mac and U2 to Harry Styles and Lizzo. Despite the immediate success he achieved in the rock-and-roll era, though, Azoff thinks today—the age of streaming and social media—is the true musical gold rush. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Azoff reflects on exactly why the modern entertainment industry is so compelling, and delves into the lessons he learned in his early career that he still calls upon all these years later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though Bette Midler has performed on the largest theatrical stages, sung to the grandest audiences, and appeared in beloved films from The Rose to Hocus Pocus, “The Divine Miss M” still gets nervous before her shows. It’s because of this persistent fear that the Grammy, Emmy, and Tony award-winner so dutifully prepares herself for each and every act, no matter the medium and the size of the crowd. She believes this vigilance—an “alertness”—has allowed her to realize the murky vision of success she came to New York City with in the late 1960s. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Midler sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to reflect on her five-decade career in show business, including recollections of an early gig as a bathhouse singer, her first forays into Hollywood, and the realities of working in entertainment as a woman before the turn of this century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While growing up in Massachusetts, Mindy Kaling felt like an outsider. Yet the Tony-winning producer, actress, and comedian believes that her upbringing as the child of immigrant put an edge on the singular tone and wit that defines her projects, from The Sex Lives of College Girls, soon to premiere its third season, to the forthcoming Legally Blonde 3. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Kaling meets host Bruce Bozzi to discuss the specific influences that helped shape her career, and to gossip about Sex and the City, The Office’s Christmas episodes, and raising her two children.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though Matthew Broderick enjoyed watching his father, an actor, perform on stage, he had little desire to pursue the profession himself. That is, until he scored a small part in a high school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The laughter and applause of the audience relieved some of his pre-performance jitters and simultaneously kickstarted his career. And though the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Producers star has since established himself as one of his generation’s great actors, he can still fondly reminisce about his “early days” spent auditioning for Bubble Yum radio advertisements and headlining in flooding (and empty) theaters. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Broderick joins host Bruce Bozzi to delve further into his personal history, recounting stories of co-starring alongside Marlon Brando, the New York Times article that altered the course of his professional life, and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leaping from Algiers, Louisiana to the Broadway stage and, ultimately, the top-tier of Hollywood, is no simple feat. In Patricia Clarkson’s case, it required a daring jump from her native New Orleans to Fordham University, and the fortuitous, essential mentorship of actress Debra Monk. But Clarkson never truly left the South behind, and in fact she relishes her upbringing there, recalling it fondly—especially her mother’s Creole cooking. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the Golden Globe Award-winner sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to reflect on her early roles in The House of Blue Leaves and The Untouchables, her adoration of actress and singer Jennifer Holliday, and the values she’s gained by growing up the youngest of five sisters. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.