The JV Club with Janet Varney

Creator and Founder of the famed live alt-comedy LA-based show The Uncabaret, Beth Lapides, joins JV this week to talk about her brand new star-filled audiobook, So You Need to Decide  and much more! Such as: breaking comedy conventions and glass ceilings, the perfect Cobb salad, and the yet more perfect sex appeal of Mulder and Scully!

Sit in on this chuckle-filled, giggle-infused, laughter-packed episode with the utterly magnificent Georgia King (“Vice Principals”), who patiently discusses with JV what makes a British accent “posh,” and plenty of other things that are far more worth discussing, including the gals bonding over many a gangly-and-bumbling-tall-blonde-kid memory, the glory of tap-dancing, and her upcoming podcast! 

JV is thrilled to chat with the wonderful Halle Stanford, who’s living what many of us could consider a dream job: as President of Television at The Jim Henson Company! Hear about Halle’s proud nerdy beginnings in San Diego, including a very memorable and thoroughly delightful tale of her stint as the school mascot. And listen in on a conversation about how to keep evolving and growing stories for kids in a swiftly-changing world! All this and much more in this must-listen! 

Why not treat yourself to the human joy that is Hey Riddle Riddle’s Erin Keif? If you don’t yet know this hilarious, kind, incredibly talented improviser and actor, you should! Find out about her teenventures, her dear friend Wizzie, and her brand-new podcast. Plus! You’ll have the chance to ask yourself… what would be in YOUR library of magical objects?

Unbox your 18th century-era pink powdered wig and throw on your ripped collarless Flashdance sweatshirt for this time-bending chat with the sublime Sarah Marshall (You Are Good, You’re Wrong About pods), who delivers her signature thoughtfulness and wit as she and JV talk Oregon, Max Headroom (!), and solving a centuries-old mystery!

It’s Jennie Kwan (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”)! This week, Jennie and JV dig into Jennie’s teenage years in the LA area (& their mutual obsession with the history of LA overall), the “runner’s high,” and the Titanic... without so much of the sinking part. If you’re an ATLA fan and you loved hearing from Jennie Kwan (“Suki”) on the Braving the Elements pod, get ready for this embarrassment of riches!

This week JV is joined by Dani Green, a member of the fantastic Nashville-based band, Birdtalker! Among many things, Dani chats about the communal, emotional benefits of live music in a time when that’s been challenging. And she and JV celebrate certain of life’s delights, including the mighty avocado, the movie Willow, and the marvelous Dev Patel!

No better way to start the New Year off right than with the simply dynamite Bonnie Gordon (Star Trek: Prodigy)! JV and Bonnie do some serious bonding over the joy and anxiety of escape rooms, as well as a little something we all know as “imposter syndrome!” Plus! Bonnie's Peter Pan crush, the adventure of growing up in the bayou, and a M.A.S.H.-generated apartment building of misfit geniuses!

From the recent live show at LA Podfest, Janet is joined by a couple of great beards and the wonderful men sporting them: Charles “Chuck” Bryant (Stuff You Should Know) and Timothy Omundson (Galavant, Psych), and one spectacular woman who happens to ALSO look great with a beard: Natalie Morales (Parks and Rec). Settle in and nibble on your candy necklace for an hour of stories and songs!This episode was originally published in 2016

Put on your 70’s platform shoes! And then take them right back off again because those things are PAINFUL! From the ‘burbs of New Jersey to the busy streets of New York City, it’s the most wonderful P.J. Byrne (“The Legend of Korra,” “Big Little Lies”), who talks Bolin, voting, and so much more!