TV Guidance Counselor

Today Ken welcomes writer Matt Oswalt to the show. Ken and Matt discuss the hierarchy of showbiz, cute kids, The Hollywood Hills, Satanism on Television, Poor Devil, The City Connection, being a pro-TV family,Saturday Night's Main Event, Wrestling on TV, Santa Claus as Pro Wrestler, Mud Wrestling,Gimme a Break's infamous blackface episode, Joey Lawrence, In Search Of...,, booster STDs, Saturday Night NBC Lineup, 227, Facts of Life, back door pilots, late night Cinemax, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, TV Versions, creepy Private Lessons, Mystery!, The Honeymooners, Sports Machine, Hot Dog the Movie, Nick at Nite, buying the wrong Voltron, Faces of Death, the wonders of Hollywood, killing Klaus Kinski, Robin Williams, Don Rickles, the boring unfunny charismatic Sondra and Elvin, Friday Night Videos, and what the lighting in Heaven is like.

March 2-8, 1996 Today Ken welcomes (former) comedian and (current) socialist Shawn Donovan to the show, Dinosaurs, Growth, Environmental Collapse, Ken and Shawn discuss workplace pleasantries, moving to LA to be a Communist, the nature of manifestos, the Salem Witch Trials, childhood field trips, problem kids in schools, NYPD Blue, Propaganda, the nature of Art in Communism, Second Noah, Beach Cops, the Nerd, Chow Daddy, Kelsey Grammer's accident, TV 56 Creature Double Feature, Space Cases, My So-Called Life, Kung Fu, Murder She Wrote, actor replacement, Menopause, affairs, nature, stoners, River's Edge, Wrestling, Murphy Brown, 90s UK sketch shows, The League of Gentlemen, Chris Morris, Kickin' Aspen, Buddies, dumped pilots, the American Comedy Awards, sexy Proletariat, Awards Shows, The Vijy, North Shore movie theaters, Candence Bergin, Before They Were Stars, Satanic Panic, getting "yourself" stuck in the pool, Caroline in the City, Due South, tainted horse meat, and being forbidden to see Four Weddings and a Funeral.

March 23-29, 1991 Today Ken welcomes actor, writer Ben Schwartz to the show Ken and Ben discuss roped off areas, electro-shock collars, stunt boys, people's injuries, glass tables, House of Lies, Ramen Noodle Julia Roberts, Whoopie from Ghost, The Oscars, Dusty Hoff, testing Ken's brain, Gerald McRaney, J.J. Abrams, Undercovers, Fringe, living forever, Count Duckula, In Living Color, SNL, The Bronx, Kevin Nealon, Adam Sandler, Giraffe Coach, the beauty of curtain calls, the final Family Ties, cuban finales, Leon Redbone's Mr. Belvedere theme song, I Married Dora, Huey Lewis News, The Incredibly Strange Film Show with Jonathan Ross, Russ Meyer, Midnight Madness, Back to the Beach, keeping props from everything you've done, Robert DiNero, The Simpsons, Northeastern University, owning the greatest prop from Parks and Rec, Voices that Care, The Late Late Show, christening a set, Wrestlemania, stealing cable, Sporscenter, The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire, blaming children who's second language is English for your sins, children swearing, Video Games, throwing tennis balls at The Celtics, the one man climbing empire, Beauty and the Beast, Real Genius, Back to the Future, mysterious Chinese throat drops, Ducktails, the Disney Afternoon, Mac & Cheesin', Gargoyles, Final Fantasy 7: The Best Game of All Time, Punch Out, the power of ringtones, Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, TGIF, Inspector Gadget, Cheer, Billy West, MST3K, Sledge Hammer and shows who thought they were getting canceled but didn't.

Today Ken welcomes writer, director Penelope Spheeris (Wayne's World, The Decline of Western Civilization). Ken and Penelope discuss growing up poor, sneaking TV, the Wonderful World of Disney, Saturday Matinees, hippie drug culture, Dragnet, punk rock scare films, 60 Minutes, the horrors of corporate mergers, the death of true journalism, Wayne's World, Beverly Hillbillies, The Little Rascals, Green Acres, Ken as Wikipedia, drones, comedians and the dark side of life, Richard Pryor, The Decline of Western Civilization, The Boys Next Door, Dudes, tone shifts, horror and comedy as cousins, Ken finding a dead body, UCLA Film School, being a music video pioneer, filming The Parliament Funkadelic Mothership, directing opportunities for women, Albert Brooks, Saturday Night Live, Real Life, Lorne Michaels impressions, being a good person, fear of being poor, American Family, Suburbia, cooking shows, violence on TV, being perplexed by Game of Thrones, true documentaries, and Ken's weird brain.

On the third annual TV Guidance Counselor Halloween special Ken welcomes friend and believer in the good of Monsters Sam Furst to the show. Ken and Sam discuss haunted houses, Ghostbusters costumes, The Nightmare on Elm St series, Terminator 2, Halloween TV edits, "making of" TV specials, The Witches, Spawn, the depressing nature of Pet Semetary, Stephen King, New England Halloween, not wanting to be disturbed, loving allegories, SFX, gore, praise for the Evil Dead remake, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, Rick Baker, Alien Bar Mitvahs, the fear of mentally challenged adults handing out candy, the Halloween sense of community, TV38's Movie Loft, why Friday the 13th isn't the best Halloween viewing, peeping into people's houses, taking dogs trick or treating, Heavy Metal Horror, Jon Mikal Thor, Black Roses, Iron Maiden, Satanic Panic, Judas Priest, Alice Cooper's Feed my Frankenstein, unusual VHS boxes, C.H.U.D. II, USA Up All Night, USA's Saturday Nightmares, Commander USA's Groovy Moovies, disappointing demons bands, one vs two earrings, not being a Charlie Brown guy, homemade costumes, getting married on Halloween, Paperama, Salem, MA, Hocus Pocus, The Adventures of Pete and Pete Halloweenies, how Nightmare Before Christmas is NOT a Halloween movie, Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, SNICK, E.T., and recommending "The Guest".

September 30 - October 5, 2000 FALL PREVIEW ALERT! Today Ken welcomes comedian, podcaster and movie lover Doug Benson to the show. Ken and Doug discuss Chinatown hotels, le petite cine, tv vs. movies, the importance of recognition, Jeff Goldblum: President, Lorne Michaels' New Show, Fall Previews, Geena Davis, roads not taken, When Things Were Rotten, canceled shows, 9/11 and Television, Ed Asner, Strikes, Yasmine Bleeth, Deadline, Ed, America's Next Top Model, The PJs, depressing dirty lives, David E. Kelley, Ally McBeal, UPN, too much Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Boston Public, Rashida Jones, The WB, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Michael Richards Show, Summer Seasons, the birth of Reality TV, Survivor, Once and Again, Sela Ward, Tim Daly in The Fugitive, Dawson's Creek, trying to milk Star Trek, Ben or Noel?, Will & Grace, Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place, Grosse Pointe, and a love of Popular.

Today Ken welcomes musician, writer Tracy Newman to the show. Ken and Tracy discuss pre-interviews, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Ricky Jay, card magic, telling a story in 20 minutes, Ed McMahon, false confidence, knowing a performer, being yourself on stage, improv, The Groundlings, The Three Stooges, Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Betty White, live TV, Phil Silvers, Ernie Kovacs, Don Knotts: Love God, Sid Caesar, growing up in LA, Tom Poston, playing cards on the set of Bob, writing for Cheers, helping Ellen come out of the closet, According to Jim, having no apologies, High School Reunions, UK TV licenses, Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, Lisa Kudrow, winning an Emmy, the dangers of wearing heels on TV, calling James Arness, Gunsmoke, calling Kelsey Grammar "Fraiser", Have Gun Will Travel, and writing a TV theme song.

October 17-23, 1998 Today Ken welcomes Boston comedian Tawanda Gona to the show. Ken and Tawanda discuss Tawands'a first trip to Ken's home, thesuburbs, Hyde Park, Wilmington North Carolina, being born inZimbabwe, Fast 5, African bootlegs, never having a real birthdayparty, Atlanta, having parents who are super smartbio-statisticians, Smart Guy, molestation, Ken's Comedy Centraldebut, the wonders of gentrification, Maya Angelou vs. Tupac, whyJanet Jackson is too good for Tupac, Halloween parties, Blackchurches with Koreans, Dirty Skype, long distance cheating, GrowingPains, Tawanda's Leo Theory, Tales from the Hood, Rusty Cundieff,Hulk Hogan, Mad TV, SNL, forging checks to buy Scholastic books,Star Trek, sci-fi, King of the Hill, Hunchback of Notre Dame, SimonSez, Selena, the state of hip hop, Biggie Smalls, rap murder,African homophobia, OJ the Juiceman and Guchi Man, Tawand's worshipof criminals, keeping it real, moral ambiguity, Tawanda's whiteguilt, Spider-Man, fighting, punk rock pasts, Breaking Bad, livingthe life, 50 Cent, being selfish, and the power of lifeexperience.

April 9-15, 1983 Today Ken welcomes author and actor Diane Franklin (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Better Off Dead, The Last American Virgin) to the show. Ken and Diane discuss Diane's compliments for Ken, bringing your own TV Guides (BYOTVGs), Long Island, modeling, Soap Opera acting, That Girl, being a first generation American of German descent, Lawrence Welk, size vs. time, Valerie Bertonelli, not knowing actors' personal lives, One Day at a Time, commissioning art, Better Off Dead, St. Elsewhere, "it was all a dream", Amnityville Horror, As the World Turns, Made for TV Movies, Deadly Lessons, Donna Reed, Summer Girl, Cable, being before your time, The Excellent Adventures of the Last American, French Exchange Babe of the 80s, One Crazy Summer's Better Off Dead connection, How I Got Into College, being a TV actor vs being a movie actor, taking your time, TerrorVision, The Final Interview, Waking Nightmare, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, seeing life through your children's eyes, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, sci-fi, the importance of physical media, curls, and how to best spend your $2.00.

April 23-29, 1994 Today Ken welcome actress, comedian and fellow Massachusetts native Erica Rhodes to the show. Ken and Erica discuss Boston accents, Newton Pedigree, Prairie Home Companion, The Nutcracker, Jason Alexander's clothes, Hollywood, Robert Altman, PT Anderson, Pee Wee's Playhouse, TV Contests, not having a TV until you're 7, the horror of Alice in Wonderland on TV, being scared of horror films, Modern Family, New England impressed, Family Matters vs. Blossom, Punky Brewster, shopping at Delia's, Baywatch, Classical Music, Oldies 103.3, Come Baby Come, America's Most Wanted, the Sound of Music, Zoom, Julia Child, Pam Grier as Phillips old flame on The Fresh Prince, John Candy's directorial debut, SCTV alum cartoons, Full House, Made for TV Movies, John Ritter as Frank L. Baulm in The Dreamer of Oz, Roseanne, The Witches vs. Hocus Pocus, 30 year old teenagers, Million Dollar Mystery, finding treasure, Home Improvement, mid-season replacements, Mad About You, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Cheers, Kenny Rogers as Hannibal Lector, Step by Step, David Gregory, zombie children in Ireland, and judging a book by its cover.