Chillpak Hollywood Presents ...

Welcome to a show 19 years in the making! Special guest co-host Jon Lawlor and special guests Erynn Petrulis, Yoshi Kato, Lily Holleman, and Marc Hershon join the festivities and help Dean and Phil celebrate this milestone event! Topics include movie-going here and in Japan, improvisation in jazz and in deejaying, performance art, laserdiscs, and the guests’ earliest memories of both Dean and Phil and of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour. Jon Lawlor is the purveyor of numerous Chillpak theme songs throughout the years, as well as the co-host of the Chillpak Hollywood Presents shows “The Art Life” and “Celebrity Deaths”. Erynn Petrulis is an accomplished performer and musician whose persona “Kalinda” records on a major label. Yoshi Kato is a well-respected music journalist, and one of the true authorities on jazz. Lily Holleman is a brilliant actress and comedic stage performer. Marc Hershon is a branding expert, veteran podcaster and podcast reviewer, longtime professional in both the television and comedy industries, and star of the Chillpak Hollywood Presents show “Television with Marc Hershon”.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” was always when they celebrated the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Now that Celebrity Deaths has become its own podcast in the Chillpak Hollywood Presents … universe of shows, these celebrations are no longer merely interesting and inspiring. They have also become truly bizarre and hilarious, especially with frequent contributor Jon Lawlor now along for the ride. This episode covers the fields of popular music, fine art, and actors of the stage, as well as the silver and small screens, wherein the following notables get remembered …*Founding member of Traffic, Dave Mason*Singer and songwriter for the first female hip-hop group, Gwendolyn Chisolm*Pat Steir, a pioneering painter and art instructor whose “Waterfalls” series sold for millions of dollars*Three-time Tony-nominated actress (and star of notable motion pictures), Mary Beth Hurt*Beloved veteran character actor James Tolkan*Oscar-nominated actress and co-star of the first two “Superman” films, Valerie PerrineA special note to all celebrities: As long as you keep dying, Dean and Phil (and Jon Lawlor) will keep talking about you!Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*Dean’s personal exploration of abstract art*Groundbreaking furniture design*Tim Cook’s departure from Apple and what it says about leadership*The great AI race and Demis Hassabis, the man who just might win that race*Information vs. wisdom, and facts vs. truth*What 2001: A Space Odyssey and Contact can teach us about living in our contemporary ageChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

We are one week away from Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness celebrating 19 years of “changing the way people listen to the internet” through YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour (now the flagship of the “Chillpak Hollywood Presents” expanded universe of podcasts on Substack). On this week’s show, Dean and Phil come to humorous grips with just how long they have been doing this show through discussions of celebrity deaths and conspiracy theories surrounding dead and missing scientists. They also go deep on the, perhaps unfortunate, legacy of “The X-Files” inspiring people to “trust no one”, especially when it comes to journalists. Two great Vietnam War films get discussed briefly before an in-depth discussion about all that is wrong AND right with the recent blockbuster Project Hail Mary, as well as the most recent installments in both the Predator and John Wick cinematic universes.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” was always when they celebrated the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Now that Celebrity Deaths has become its own podcast in the Chillpak Hollywood Presents … universe of shows, these celebrations are no longer merely interesting and inspiring. They have also become truly bizarre and hilarious, especially with frequent contributor Jon Lawlor now along for the ride. This episode proves to be a true time-traveling, audio fun-house in which the following notables get celebrated:*Jim Whittaker, the first American to stand atop Mount Everest*Afrika Bambaataa, who helped give rise to hip-hop, whose 1982 recording "Planet Rock" helped define electro-funk, and whose legacy is certainly problematic*One-half of Seals & Crofts, a duo at the vanguard of the soft rock genre of the 1970s, Dash Crofts*Sid Krofft, the puppeteer and television producer who alongside his brother Marty (who died in 2023) built a children’s television empire*Melvin Edwards, a pioneering sculptor who proved that abstract art could engage with issues of history, race and injustice*A martial artist who became a tough guy icon in film and television, Chuck Norris Welcome to the Chillpak Morgue. Please touch nothing.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*Dean’s reasons for spending the week in Los Angeles*The art Dean saw while in Southern California, and a new comedy club downtown*How his time away will aid Dean in terms of his art commissions*A song that Jon has completed and is waiting to release until he can make the accompanying music video*The importance of thinking about and forming a relationship to death*Age vs. youth in politics, and power/control dynamics*The ritual of being married and why so many Americans are eschewing marriageChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

After a cold open wherein Phil gives everyone the lay of the land, outtakes from last week’s show are picked up off the cutting room floor, dusted off and used, revealing an obviously drunken Dean and (a perhaps tipsy) Phil continuing their discussion of commuter trains before delving into Project Hail Mary and a couple of vintage James Bond films. Then, after a midpoint musical interlude that allows Dean and Phil to become sober as judges, good pal Jon Lawlor joins the conversation for analysis of the Live Nation and Ticketmaster court case and the pending Warner Bros.-Paramount merger. During the show, Phil learns the difference between a Japanese bathhouse and the Alamo Drafthouse, and the difference between the words “vacillate” and “oscillate”.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Tucker Smallwood is an actor, an author, a musician, a decorated combat veteran, an activist for veteran’s causes, a keen social observer, and a longtime friend of (and frequent collaborator with) Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness. Tucker’s credits as an actor include major movies, television series, and stage work and span five full decades before his recent retirement. On this episode of “Interview”, Tucker speaks in heart-wrenching detail about the reason for his retirement. He speaks about his love of the blues. He shares the tale of where he was the night of the Apollo moon landing on July 20th, 1969 and how he compares that time to the recent Artemis II mission. He delves deep into such topics as AI, multiverse theories, alternate timelines, Maine Coon cats, and much more! Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Dean Haglund is back in Los Angeles and he and Phil Leirness went up to the rooftop studio high atop the historic neighborhood of Los Feliz to get their drink on and to record this episode all about travel, commuter trains and movies. Dean sings the praises of Waymo, tells tales of getting “upgraded” during his flights, and says the word “bathhouse” way too many times for Phil’s liking or comfort. Phil discusses a potato chip brand he really enjoys and shares the cocktail recipe for a “Manhattan Noir”. In between, the film noir classic Odds Against Tomorrow, the current Japanese movie Exit 8, and the Japanese classics Spirited Away and Shall We Dance? all receive deep-dive discussion. The great Harry Belafonte and the brilliant Koji Yakusho are both celebrated, and Dean explains a bit about Noetic Science as depicted in Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Marc Hershon traveled to Los Angeles this week and during a spontaneous in-person get-together with Phil Leirness, recorded this episode. It follows up on their last show, wherein Marc introduced three categories in which to place contemporary television shows: “Guilty”, (for those shows that are guilty pleasures) “Binge” (for those excellent shows that demand binge-watching) and “Nope” (for those shows that you just can’t muster the energy to watch no matter how good they might be). This time, Marc and Phil decided to discuss all-time shows from the long history of the medium that fit into these three categories for them. In addition, they discuss two other categories: which all-time shows they wish they could go back and watch again, but as if it was the very first time, AND which all-time shows they wish they could go back in time and watch getting filmed! Marc Hershon is a branding expert who has dreamt up names for countless hit products. He is a comedy veteran, a comedy impresario, and he teaches improv comedy. He has penned several television movies, and is the co-author of I Hate People, a guide to getting “what you want out of your job.” He has reviewed comedy podcasts for The Huffington Post and Splitsider and was the longtime producer and host of “Succotash” the comedy podcast podcast. Marc has spent much of his adult life trying to get people to stop using the word “podcast” and to use “soundcast” instead.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*Taking time away from creative works to avoid “tunnel vision”*The gifts of suburban life*The splendor of Virginia and the historic magnificence of Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia*Churches as performance venues and as inspiration to “sing and give praise”*Phil’s nephew Henry Brown and his a cappella brilliance*Auto-Brewery Syndrome, beloved cocktails, and brand new cocktails Jon is being tasked to invent*The way movie trailers seem to be changingChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

In his final show from his current trip to the East Coast, Phil regales with thoughts of Easter and tales of cherry blossoms. Dean explains why he did not see Project Hail Mary. An email from a friend of the show leads to further discussion of the 1978 sci-fi cheese-fest Starcrash and to the entire concept of “guilty pleasures” getting analyzed. An email from another good friend of the show causes Phil and Dean to go deep into dead actors taking roles away from living ones and into the exact role Doja Cat played in denying Timothee Chalamet a Best Actor Oscar. Then, Dean and Phil turn their attention to the big show biz news of the weekend: the Writers Guild of America striking an unexpected deal with the AMPTP, and the latest headlines to come out of the Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively lawsuit. Finally, the proceedings wrap up with your friends in podcasting sharing personal recollections of the 31st greatest movie theatre in the world right now according to Time Out.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*Art thefts and the appeal of the “gentleman thief” in fiction*The art of Mark Leithauser and the painstaking, intense process of printmaking and the creation of etchings*Takeaways from the “No Kings” protests*Why the phrase “in cahoots” doesn’t hold any legal weight*What Jon is reading*AI and “practice”Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Chris Mancini is a comedian, author, podcaster, filmmaker, parent, and a longtime friend of Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness. On this show, Chris reminisces about stand-up comedy, the disastrous Death of a Horror Movie (aka Asylum), and he answers philosophical questions about his long, artistic journey. He also discusses the latest goings on at his White Cat Entertainment, including graphic novels and scripted audio series. White Cat is the home of Conversations From the Abyss, Long Ago and Far Away, Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master, Vol 1, and the storytelling/relaxation podcast The Quiet Journeys of Professor Atwood.**Note: Dean’s audio is a bit of a problem for the first few minutes of the show, but trust us, the problem gets resolved!Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Phil is in the nation’s capital, and reveals that he really doesn’t understand much about weather at all. Dean is in Birmingham, Michigan, where the ongoing airport delays prevented him from participating in this weekend’s “No Kings” protests. Phil shares with Dean the favorite signs he saw while protesting with his in-laws. Last week, Dean and Phil discussed the 107 year-old Santa Monica Airport, soon to close operations for good and set to become public parkland. Phil regales Dean with tales of one very famous and beloved movie filmed there. This leads to a discussion about built sets that were too big for any studio soundstage to hold. After that, three very disparate, and somewhat unusual, films get analyzed: the recent Japan-set Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser, the 1978 sci-fi schlock movie Starcrash (featuring Christopher Plummer!) and the 2025 faith-based historical fiction family film Sarah’s Oil. Finally, Dean and Phil do some more delving into the Time Out list of the 100 Greatest Movie Theaters in the World RIGHT NOW. Oh, and a belated Happy National Respect Your Cat Day to all who celebrate!Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Marc Hershon introduces three categories in which to place contemporary television shows: “Guilty”, (for those shows that are guilty pleasures) “Binge” (for those excellent shows that demand binge-watching) and “Nope” (for those shows that you just can’t muster the energy to watch no matter how good they might be). Such series as “The White Lotus”, “Shrinking”, “Stumble”, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy”, “Andor”, “Adolescence”, “All’s Fair”, “Ghosts” “What We Do in the Shadows”, “Tracker”, “High Potential” and “The Chair Company” get discussed. Plus, Marc teases future discussions and host Phil Leirness reveals the big news surrounding behind-the-scenes creative changes on “Severance”.Marc Hershon is a branding expert who has dreamt up names for countless hit products. He is a comedy veteran, a comedy impresario, and he teaches improv comedy. He has penned several television movies, and is the co-author of I Hate People, a guide to getting “what you want out of your job.” He has reviewed comedy podcasts for The Huffington Post and Splitsider and was the longtime producer and host of “Succotash” the comedy podcast podcast. Marc has spent much of his adult life trying to get people to stop using the word “podcast” and to use “soundcast” instead.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*The new art commissions Dean has received and how painting sites he has not physically visited differs from everything he has ever done*Phil’s recent stories of travel to Washington D.C., the stress of flying for the first time since his wife’s cancer treatments began, and the celebrities he encountered along the way*The niche distribution pattern for faith-based movies, and how niche programming going all the way back to early 1990s has had some unintended consequences*A major debate surrounding the movie Field of Dreams, which naturally evolves into a discussion of … Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (“What does God need with a starship?”)*The importance of absurdism in the comedy of Monty Python *The many ways “joy is the revolution”Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s episode starts off with a follow-up to a fascinating bit of silent film history discussed on this weekend’s “Celebrity Deaths” show. That leads into discussion of the landmark 107 year-old Santa Monica Airport and what is to become of that land now that the airport is (finally) shutting down. AI is creating a “new” Val Kilmer performance for an upcoming feature film. Dean and Phil have thoughts. Likewise they have thoughts about three movies: the 2016 classic zombie thriller Train to Busan, the most recent film from indie film legend Jim Jarmusch, and an all-time masterpiece from The Archers. Then, your friends in podcasting wrap up the festivities by discussing several more of the theaters that made Time Out’s list of the 100 Greatest Movie Theaters in the World RIGHT NOW!Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” was always when they celebrated the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Now that Celebrity Deaths has become its own podcast in the Chillpak Hollywood Presents … universe of shows, these celebrations are no longer merely interesting and inspiring. They have also become truly bizarre and hilarious, especially with frequent contributor Jon Lawlor now along for the ride. On this episode, you will learn about laws governing alcohol sales, you will learn about the downtown Los Angeles locations used for a long-running comedy series set in Philadelphia, you will hear of Dean’s hilarious attitude towards synth-pop, and you will hear Phil epically melt down because of the topic of auto-erotic asphyxiation and the movie The Big Red One.All that PLUS, the following notables get celebrated:*The luminous Jennifer Runyon, who was a “legitimate phenomenon” in 1984’s Ghostbusters*Real-life silent film sleuth and time traveler John Bengtson*Pioneering musician, producer and songwriter Dave Ball of Soft Cell*Beloved character actor, Shelly Desai*Tom Noonan, the actor, playwright and filmmaker who was so unforgettable as a villain in films and on T.V.*Revenge of the Nerds Star and a member of a Hollywood Royal Family, Robert Carradine Welcome to the Chillpak Morgue. Please touch nothing.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! Of late, the gentlemen have been ruminating on what should be in a modern, arts-focused “Declaration of Independence” (a manifesto, if you will). Pertaining to that ongoing discussion, there is much conversation this week about “purpose” as differentiated from “goal” or “objective” of engaging in any work, let alone creative work.Other topics include …*Violence perpetrated against Waymos and the people who ride in them*The brilliance of Hal Ashby and Bound for Glory*Parallels between Paul Thomas Anderson and Hal Ashby*Bud Cort and a movie about the Great Depression in Western Canada*The importance of fun and the power of whimsy*A particularly vivid and resonant dream*Gratitude*The sacred role of witnessingChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s show begins with Dean and Phil discussing the World Baseball Classic and sharing (and answering) an email from a loyal listener who wanted to celebrate the recent 25th Anniversary of Dean’s series “The Lone Gunmen”. Recorded on Sunday morning before the Oscars (and before the big “Firefly” announcement), the bulk of the discussion surrounds what Dean and Phil are looking for at Hollywood’s big night. They discuss how talented filmmaker and entertaining video host Ryan Casselman might just have devised scientific formulae for “decoding” Oscar voting. The controversy surrounding Timothée Hal Chalamet’s comments regarding ballet and opera get full analysis. Then, five films go under the microscope, including two by classic thriller director Henri-Georges Clouzot, two tales of nuclear paranoia from Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow, and the multi-Oscar-winning 1983 classic Tender Mercies.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! Of late, the gentlemen have been ruminating on what should be in a modern, arts-focused “Declaration of Independence” (a manifesto, if you will). Some new ideas concerning this occur to them during this week’s discussion.Other topics include …*The struggle to adjust to Daylight Saving Time*The classic Canadian film Why Shoot the Teacher and the indelible images of the Great Depression*This Friday the 13th of March vs. the last one, and what the pandemic should have taught us about planning and about purpose*Whether it be war, or business, or the current World Baseball Classic, the shocking lack of leadership on display at present in the USA*Why everyone needs to see WarGamesChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

After comparing notes on their forthcoming respective travel plans, Dean and Phil roll up their sleeves and discuss the 25th anniversary of “The Lone Gunmen” series. Then, in what will be a multi-week exploration, they begin to delve into Time Out’s list of the 100 Greatest Movie Theaters in the World that are still in operation. The movie business is foremost on their minds these days, and they pose some of the big, perplexing questions regarding the possibly sinister and definitely nonsensical merger of Paramount with Warner Bros. Then, because it’s STILL awards season, they tackle the really odd, almost desperate nature of the recent SAG-AFTRA “Actor Awards” on Netflix. As a bonus, you will learn what the following phrases uttered by Dean Haglund in this episode actually mean: “We made the Ramones cry!” and “funky, artisanal whatever”.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported joint. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” has always been when they celebrate the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Some listeners have even let us know they would gladly listen to whole shows about celebrity deaths. Now, thanks to Chillpak Hollywood Presents …, those listeners have their chance!On this episode, the following notables get celebrated:*Blues guitarist John Hammond *Éliane Radigue, a French composer who redefined electronic and experimental music*Neil Sedaka, who had numerous chart-topping hits as both a singer and songwriter*A founding force behind the Wu-Tang Clan, Oliver “Power” Grant*Beloved Australian actress Lorraine Daphne Bayly*Harold and Maude star-turned-longtime character actor Bud Cort *"Dawson's Creek" and Varsity Blues star James Van Der BeekWelcome to the Chillpak Morgue for a very funny AND touching installment. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

The gentlemen continue their ruminations on what should be in a modern, arts-focused “Declaration of Independence” (a manifesto, if you will) … For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s specific topics include …*The significance of March the 4th*Purpose vs. Objective or Goal*Striving vs. Achieving*Being yourself and having the courage to be vulnerable whether in a one on one conversation, or giving a one on 300 presentationChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Dean and Phil discuss the fallout from Paramount supposedly closing the deal to acquire Warner Bros. and its assets. They celebrate the feat that Richard Linklater became the first-ever American filmmaker to achieve this week. They review three new genre films: a horror sequel (28 Days Later: The Bone Temple), an homage/deconstruction of 1960s Eurospy movies (Reflection in a Dead Diamond), and a sci-fi comedy that gives genuine 1980s “feels” (Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die). They revisit the much-loved “classic” Field of Dreams. In honor of Dean’s first wedding anniversary that takes place this month, Phil offers previews of two forthcoming cinematic marriage stories. Finally, the big casting news for the reboot of “The X-Files” gets analyzed.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” has always been when they celebrate the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Some listeners have even let us know they would gladly listen to whole shows about celebrity deaths. Now, thanks to Chillpak Hollywood Presents …, those listeners have their chance!On this episode, the following notables get celebrated:*Greg Brown, a founding guitarist of the alternative-rock band Cake*Jerry Kennedy, who helped shape country music while working for more than six decades as a guitarist, record producer and industry exec*Billy Steinberg, an acclaimed American songwriter whose lyrics helped define 1980s and '90s pop music*Civil rights activist, Baptist minister, and politician, the Reverend Jesse Jackson*Perhaps the greatest American documentary filmmaker of all time, Frederick Wiseman*Philippe Gaulier, a French master clown and influential theatre teacher who shaped generations of actors and comedians*Jane Baer, a pioneering animator on classic films like Sleeping Beauty and Who Framed Roger Rabbit*Oscar-winner Robert Duvall, regularly hailed as one of the great American actors of the 20th and 21st centuriesPostmortems are rarely as funny, fascinating and inspiring as they are on this installment of “Celebrity Deaths”! Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*Wine-based cocktails*Explosionism Rock *Comedy as a “funny way of being serious”*The writing of Monty Python*In an age of algorithms, AI, populism, corporate media mergers and divisiveness, what themes would need to be included in a contemporary manifesto that could serve a “Declaration” of independent artistsChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

After discussing the latest news regarding Netflix, their attempts to purchase Warner Bros, and what the current President of the U.S.A. is demanding they do, Dean and Phil talk about more of the intriguing movies coming out in 2026 (including period pieces, biopics, and crime films). Hollywood still hasn’t recovered from the dual strikes of a few years back, and with the negotiations for new contracts upcoming, the Writers Guild seems to be imploding. Dean and Phil analyze the latest labor strife. The recent movie Anaconda gets reviewed, and the French classic Amelie gets re-appraised in time for its 25th anniversary. In the return of “What We’re Reading” the latest by Dan Brown and a work of historical fiction about legendary filmmaker G.W. Pabst get discussed. Finally the murders of two groundbreaking physicists has Phil troubled, so he asks Dean about whether the deaths might be part of a conspiracy. And speaking of conspiracy, Dean and Phil conclude with the latest news surrounding Ryan Coogler’s reboot of “The X-Files”.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*The AI-generated fight sequence that has sent shock waves throughout Hollywood and that has filmmakers fearing for their livelihood*Stephen Colbert vs. the FCC and CBS *CBS and its parent company (Paramount) vs. Netflix*Wim Wenders and the Berlinale (the Berlin Film Festival) in political hot water*The need for a new Declaration of Independence for artists today (an art manifesto, if you will)Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to part two of the inaugural episode of the newest podcast in the “Chillpak Hollywood Presents …” extended universe! If you have yet to avail yourself of part one, please do so now!Today’s show picks up the conversation in progress as Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness take a “Deep Dive” into the legacy of actor Robert Redford as a leading man. Specifically of interest to your friends in podcasting is the period from Redford’s 1962 screen debut through his directorial debut in 1980. Several films get analyzed and many facets of Redford’s stardom and artistry get appreciated.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Your friends in podcasting discuss Netflix’s (perhaps misleading) embrace of movie theaters, they celebrate the resurrection of Todd Hayne’s seemingly dead but now forthcoming detective film (with Pedro Pascal replacing Joaquin Phoenix), and an upcoming movie starring Simon Pegg, Sofia Boutella and Quentin Tarantino. Nia DaCosta’s Hedda gets analyzed, as does the Thai comedy A Useful Ghost and the Charlie Chaplin masterpiece Modern Times. More upcoming movies get previewed and the outstanding discodelic soul of Say She She gets celebrated in the return of “Live Event of the Week”.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the newest podcast in the “Chillpak Hollywood Presents …” extended universe! In many ways, our recent expansion of Chillpak Hollywood Hour here on Substack was inspired by our desire to take some of Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ longer form conversations and put them in one place where people can easily find them by topic.For example in late 2024, your friends in podcasting spent a lot of time on MANY episodes singing the praises of, and analyzing the work of, the great French leading man (one of the greatest leading men of all time) Alain Delon …Well, today, we inaugurate DEEP DIVE with an in-depth appreciation of the legacy of Robert Redford the actor. Specifically, this two-part exploration examines the period from his big-screen debut through 1980, including his unprecedented run as a leading man from 1972 through 1976. Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*Anti-woke warriors and how often while criticizing contemporary cultural works, they hold up as positive examples works of the past that were, in fact, the "woke” of their eras*Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show and the very human impulse to criticize anything we don’t understand*The John Lithgow “Dumbledore” casting controversy in the new “Harry Potter” television series*The first sentence of the Declaration of Independence and the purpose of having an economy*How the death of movie theaters has been depicted in some recent films, which, of course, leads to discussion of CERN and the Hadron Super ColliderChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

It’s part two of a special two-part episode! 2025 was a truly great year in cinema and Dean and Phil have a great many topics to discuss as they each reveal their Top 5 films from the year that was (consult Year 19 Episode 39 for their #10 thru #6 selections). Afterwards, they take a look at, perhaps, the most promising fantasy film to be coming out in 2026! So, keep those streaming queues handy. Your friends in podcasting may just be coming up with some titles you will want to track down!Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

If you have yet to listen to this week’s “Celebrity Deaths”, you may want to do so, as certain topics covered on this new installment of “The Art Life” relate back to that episode’s remembrances of controversial “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams, and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir …For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*The Washington Post and the bizarre strategy of trying to make the business more viable by greatly diminishing the product*Live storytelling as an act of spontaneous writing*Whether painting fulfills Dean’s creative impulse to be funny*When Jon first had the impulse to write music and how he goes about doing so now that his usual methods are not available to him*How to provide audiences, especially younger audiences, the context they need to understand and appreciate a movie (especially a movie from another country, like The Secret Agent)Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” has always been when they celebrate the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Some listeners have even let us know they would gladly listen to whole shows about celebrity deaths. Now, thanks to Chillpak Hollywood Presents …, those listeners have their chance! On this installment, nine notables get celebrated:*TV produce man Pete Napolitano*French actor Tchéky Karyo*Tony-winning actress Elizabeth Franz, whose work on the stage included such indelible Broadway classics as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Death of a Salesman*The beloved co-star of Redd Foxx’s “Sanford and Son”, Demond Wilson*Valentino Garavani, the designer known as fashion’s “Last Emperor” and “The Sheik of Chic”*Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir*Chariots of the Gods? author Erich Anton Paul von Däniken*Scott Adams, the controversial creator of the satirical “Dilbert” comic strip*One of the most brilliant and beloved actresses and sketch performers of all time, Catherine O’HaraEulogies probably shouldn’t be so funny, but trust us, this show packs in the laughs!Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

It’s part one of a special two-part episode! After a rather hilarious cold open, Dean and Phil immediately get down to the serious (ridiculous?) business of counting down their respective lists of the Top Ten Best Films of 2025. This week, they reveal #10 thru #6 on their lists. As with years past, Dean’s list includes films he has hopefully seen, and Phil’s list stretches the definition of “ten” in “Top Ten”. Because they actually accomplish this week’s task in less than an hour, Phil takes some time at the end to regale Dean with what might be the best sci-fi movies to be coming out in 2026! So, buckle up and prepare to celebrate the (recent) past AND look forward to the (near) future.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

According to this week’s episode, this show is “where it’s at!”For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include …*Celebrating “baby steps”*A secret shopping mall apartment built by eight young artists in Providence, Rhode Island*Getting a job by being good at getting attention instead of being good at the job and the advice to “be so good they can’t ignore you”*The need to eliminate ideas of “good or bad” and “like or dislike” from discussions of creative works, with a particular focus paid to the film If I Had Legs I’d Kick You*Separating the art from the artist, when it comes to “controversial” (or worse) behavior on the part of the artist (inspired by the current stories surrounding Marty Supreme director Josh Safdie) *Dean gives Phil advice on how to prepare for a live storytelling show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

(2016, Photo by Lily Holleman)Phil is playing hurt with a nasty head cold. Dean is braving the sub-zero temperatures. And somehow, they manage to bring you one of the most epic installments yet of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour! They start the show by discussing some of the upcoming 2026 cinematic releases that the Criterion Collection has on their list of the films they are most anticipating. Then, they analyze the Academy Award nominations, the surprises, the snubs, and the historic trends they see unfolding. From the best in cinema 2025 to the worst in cinema, an email from a loyal listener inspires Dean and Phil to discuss the Razzie Awards. Finally, your friends in podcasting wrap things up by revealing each of their lists of the five films that angered them, frustrated them, or downright confused them in 2025.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, host Phil Leirness applauds a couple of Marc Hershon’s past television recommendations. Phil then runs through IMDB’s list of the ten most anticipated new shows coming in 2026 to see which ones Marc finds most compelling. This is particularly informative as Marc places these shows in helpful contexts. Finally, Marc concludes the proceedings by discussing a handful of new seasons of shows that have recently become available. Marc Hershon is a branding expert who has dreamt up names for countless hit products. He is a comedy veteran, a comedy impresario, and he teaches improv comedy. He has penned several television movies, and is the co-author of I Hate People, a guide to getting “what you want out of your job.” He has reviewed comedy podcasts for The Huffington Post and Splitsider and was the longtime producer and host of “Succotash” the comedy podcast podcast. Marc has spent much of his adult life trying to get people to stop using the word “podcast” and to use “soundcast” instead.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

How is America, right now, best described as a person “freaking out at a vending machine”?How is a good conversation best described as a “hallway with infinite doorknobs?”Why is the Vancouver World Expo of 1986 a time and place that offers profound insights into the makeup of both Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness?All these questions are explained and answered on this brand new episode of “The Art Life”!For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s other topics include …*Jon’s music writing process*Birmingham, Michigan, as a hub for art galleries that end up on the police blotter and as an architectural blueprint for post-war America*What the Meisner technique taught Jon and his classmates about being present to the moment in life, as well as in art*Stories about Phil’s father and about Phil’s love affair with the Golden State Warriors, dating back to his being a ball boy in the 1970s*The emotional intelligence on display in the 1987 movie The Untouchables This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

(Dean and Phil exploring “The Mystery of Life” in 2016)Phil gets things started by singing the praises of “The Lowdown” (and its emotional intelligence), and of Marc Hershon, who had this Sterlin Harjo-created Ethan Hawke-starring series on his list of the best television of 2025. Some casting news (regarding season 4 of “The White Lotus”) has Phil greatly enthusiastic. Then, for the first time in ages, but as they used to do on the regular back in the day, Dean and Phil analyze the long four-day weekend’s domestic box office, paying particular attention to the lack of performance by (the supposedly excellent) 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple and the milestone achieved by bona fide movie star Timothée Chalamet. Then, the conversation about IMDB’s list of the 20 most anticipated movies of 2006 picks up where it left off last week. The incredible achievement Sentimental Value pulled off at the European Film Awards gets placed in a historic perspective. Two movies get reviewed: Dean wags his finger at the Edgar Wright remake The Running Man and Phil doffs his cap to Bi Gan’s masterful Resurrection. This week’s show is EXCELLENT, but don’t take our word for it – just hit “play”!Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Luke Y. Thompson is a movie reviewer, journalist, pop culture writer, unashamed atheist and a longtime friend of Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness. On this show, LYT discusses the state of arts criticism in the current media climate and shares some of what he has been writing about on his Substack. The discussion goes deep into the Star Wars franchise, with particular attention paid to “Andor”, “The Mandalorian” and its forthcoming big-screen incarnation as well as Shawn Levy’s forthcoming Star Wars: Starfighter. LYT shares his favorite films of 2025, hips Dean and Phil to a couple of overlooked gems, and even reveals what movies he thinks the majority of his film critic colleagues “got wrong” in hailing as among the best of the year. Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week …*Jon is fully residing in computer hell.*Is it possible that Dean has never before heard Wham's “Last Christmas”?*Dean saw an abandoned painting in an otherwise empty art gallery and Phil is fascinated.*The importance of worrying less about getting attention and instead doing admirable work.*We shouldn’t tell people they “look tired”.*How to depict violence in art and storytelling, with Unforgiven and The Long Goodbye being held up as examples.*How work of all kinds is becoming “gamified”.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

On the eve of the Golden Globes, Dean and Phil got together via Zoom with the Best of 2025 very much on their minds. They discuss the recent Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild award nominations. They discuss why the Writers Guild awards pale in significance compared to the DGA and SAG. That leads to a review of the multi-Golden Globe nominated, but WGA-ineligible South Korean dark comedy No Other Choice from writer-director Park Chan-wook, and his co-writer Don McKellar, as well as to a discussion of some Park Chan-wook movies from the past that Dean and Phil hope to track down. From one dark comedy to another, Phil and Dean then tackle Ari Aster’s Eddington before cleansing their palate with the utterly delightful Nouvelle Vague from Richard Linklater. Finally, the CNN documentary “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” gets analyzed before Dean and Phil set aside fifteen bonus minutes to peek ahead to what IMDB considers ten of the “most anticipated” movies coming out this year.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” has always been when they celebrate the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Some listeners have even let us know they would gladly listen to whole shows about celebrity deaths. Now, thanks to Chillpak Hollywood Presents …, those listeners have their chance! On this installment, Phil sets the tone by reading a poem from Betsy Holleman Burke’s new collection Family Veil. Dean and Phil then pay tribute to the following notables:*Iconic movie star and sex symbol of the 1950s and 60s Brigitte Bardot*May Britt, the Swedish actress who became a symbol of Hollywood’s golden era and the social struggles of America of the 1960s *Veteran character actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., whose work was unforgettable in such series as “The Wire”, “Veep” “Your Honor” and Netflix’s recent “The Residence”*The beloved star of “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”, Gil Gerard*James Ransone III, who lent his considerable talent to numerous series and movies of the past twenty years, and who died by suicide at the young age of 46*Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a poet and mother, who spoke her final words “I’m not mad at you” to the ICE Agent who responded by summarily executing herChillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week, Jon discusses getting waylaid by computer problems AND sewer line problems before more artistic subjects get discussed, namely: resonant themes in Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, the series of art works Dean is currently undertaking, the importance of deadlines, and how the way Phil builds itineraries for his travels mirrors exactly how he plans each day of shooting on set. All that plus Picasso, Kubrick, “Pluribus” and more!Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please become a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

Our first installment of 2026 finds your friends in podcasting discussing why the President of the United States is so insistent on there being another Rush Hour movie from director Brett Ratner. Then, Dean and Phil delve into the two final “Mission: Impossible” movies, both 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and 2025’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Then, they delve deep into the strengths and weaknesses of Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix film version of Frankenstein. Finally, just in time for Twelfth Night, they go thru a whole lot of seasonal fare, both movies and television specials, including “Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special”, the Rankin-Bass “Frosty the Snowman”, The Muppets Christmas Carol, and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Marc regales hosts Phil Leirness and Dean Haglund with both his Top 5 and Bottom 5 shows of 2025. These can be brand new shows OR brand new seasons of established shows. When we use the word “Bottom”, we mean that these are the shows that most disappointed Marc, not necessarily the shows he found to be the worst. Yet, when we use the word “Top”, we DEFINITELY mean these are the shows Marc found to be the best of the year! Marc Hershon is a branding expert who has dreamt up names for countless hit products. He is a comedy veteran, a comedy impresario, and he teaches improv comedy. He has penned several television movies, and is the co-author of I Hate People, a guide to getting “what you want out of your job.” He has reviewed comedy podcasts for The Huffington Post and Splitsider and was the longtime producer and host of “Succotash” the comedy podcast podcast. Marc has spent much of his adult life trying to get people to stop using the word “podcast” and to use “soundcast” instead.Chillpak Hollywood Presents ... is a listener-supported publication. To receive new shows and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deanandphil.substack.com/subscribe