Ken Burns and Lynn Novick on Ernest Hemingway
Kickass News
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick come back to the podcast to discuss their new 3-part documentary on Ernest Hemingway. They share their own memories of the first Hemingway books they ever read, the challenges of getting to the real person behind the legend, and what it was like to re-examining some of the trouble aspects of the writer’s personality from his views on women and race to his struggles with mental health. They reveal what they learned from the many contemporary authors with whom they spoke as
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Comedian Jo Koy
Kickass News
Comedian Jo Koy talks about growing up as a biracial military brat, his mom’s immigrant hustle, and his first taste of the spotlight as a childhood Michael Jackson impersonator. He recalls selling tickets door to door for his first comedy show, encountering racism in Hollywood, and how he's now paying it forward to other Philippino artists and comedians. Plus Jo talks about embracing our stereotypes, Philippino crucifixion rituals, and why there really are so many Phillipino nurses.
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Melissa Bernstein of Melissa & Doug Toys
Kickass News
Melissa Bernstein co-founded the wildly successful toy company Melissa & Doug. You might think that this happily-married mother of 6, who has created over 5,000 toys which have sold over a billion dollars, is always chipper and full of positivity, but Melissa reveals that many days she wonders if she'll make it tomorrow. She opens up about how her lifelong battle with existential anxiety and depression almost drove her to suicide, why she finally learned to manage it at age 50, and how she’s now on
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Admiral James Stavridis and Novelist Elliott Ackerman
Kickass News
Former commander of NATO Admiral James Stavridis and decorated Marine and novelist Elliott Ackerman envision how a naval clash between the US and China in the South China Sea could lead to World War III in their disturbingly plausible work of speculative fiction titled 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. They discuss how they came together on this project and the power of fiction to draw attention to real world issues and potential areas of crisis. Admiral Stavridis talks about the China’s increas
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A Huge Announcement from Kickass News
Kickass News
It's official! We're launching a brand new podcast network called Airwave this May! In addition to Kickass News, Airwave will be the new home for many of your other favorite podcasts. Airwave will also debut over a dozen original shows hosted by some of the leading thought leaders and storytellers in audio entertainment, including many of my most popular past guests.
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Walter Isaacson on the Next Scientific Revolution
Kickass News
Bestselling author Walter Isaacson (Jobs, Leonardo DaVinci) shares how Nobel Prize-winning scientist Jennifer Doudna and her collaborators blazed a trail in a field dominated by men and turned a curiosity of nature into an something that will transform the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. He reveals how the technology known as CRISPR has launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies. Walter talks the controversy over so-called
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Comedian Howie Mandel
Kickass News
Howie Mandel talks about making his first comedy special in 20 years, his childhood growing up in Toronto, and how the show Candid Camera inspired him to pull an elaborate prank that got him expelled form high school. He shares how "winging it" the first time he want on stage turned into his signature improvisational style, and how he still finds much of his comedic inspiration from interacting with his audience. He recalls opening for Diana Ross in Vegas, his very first TONIGHT SHOW appearance, how the H
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The Egyptian Indiana Jones Dr. Zahi Hawass
Kickass News
Dr. Zahi Hawass is the former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities and Director of Excavations at Giza, Saqqara, the Bahariya Oasis, and the Valley of the Kings. He is often referred to as “the real Indiana Jones, and some of his major finds include the Tombs of the Pyramid Builders at Giza, the Valley of the Golden Mummies, and multiple undiscovered pyramids. Now he’s leading the biggest archeological excavation ever attempted in Egypt, and he is documenting the adventure in a new 2-hour special for dis
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Mark Bittman on Our Complicated History with Food
Kickass News
James Beard Award-winning food writer and #1 bestselling author Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of how the frenzy for food has driven human history to some of its most catastrophic moments, from slavery and genocide to our current moment, wherein Big Food exacerbates climate change, plunders our planet, and sickens its people. Mark reveals how he first got the world to take food issues seriously, how we can rethink our food distribution systems, and take a different approach to feeding the wo
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Director Lee Daniels on Jazz Icon Billie Holiday
Kickass News
Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler) talks about his latest film The United States vs. Billie Holiday and how the 1971 movie Lady Sings the Blues inspired him to go into entertainment. He reveals that he always has a personal connection to each of his films, that The United States vs Billie Holiday was the first movie that he has ever directed sober. and how his own struggle with drugs and alcohol gave him insight into Holiday’s lifelong addiction. We discuss how the iconic s
info_outlineIn this 2017 interview, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talks about his 50 year friendship with the "Wizard of Westwood" UCLA Coach John Wooden. He says Coach Wooden was more concerned with his players’ grades than with winning basketball games, he shares some of the wisdom that Coach Wooden imparted, and talks about the time Coach helped Abdul-Jabbar forgive another one of his early mentors who used a racial slur. He talks about how he felt when the NCAA banned dunking and how Coach Wooden helped him overcome that setback by showing him how use his signature "skyhook" to maximum effect on the court. Plus Kareem shares some of Wooden’s favorite inspirational quotes, the Coach's essential advice on how to put on your shoes and socks, and Kareem explains how his two loves - basketball and jazz are really very similar.
Order Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's new book Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court on Amazon or download the audiobook for free with a special trial offer just for our listeners at www.audibletrial.com/kickassnews. You can learn more about what Kareem is up to these days at www.kareemabduljabbar.com and support his charity The Skyhook Foundation at www.skyhookfoundation.org. Follow Kareem on Twitter at @KAJ33.
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