Category: Audio


The Newest Face in Late Night

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May 11, 2010

Originally Published: November 25, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

He is a Saturday Night Live alum, a movie star, and now he is leaving his mark on the late night landscape in a way no one has ever seen before.

Of course, I am talking about Jimmy Fallon. From using Twitter to drive people to his show’s blog (how about the fact his show even has a blog), to spoofing video games, to having the biggest names in movies, music, and sports on his show, Jimmy has already made his mark during his short tenure in the world of late night talk.

Robin Lundberg and I had a chance to talk with Jimmy about all these things and more as Jimmy gets ready to tackle his next big project…the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

To listen to Robin Lundberg and I interview the newest face on the late night landscape
CLICK HERE!

–Ray Carsillo

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Sailing Out Across the Radio Waves

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Originally Published: November 12, 2009, on Lundberg.me, Collider.com, and 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

It was an unusually warm day in November when I got word that there would be an advanced screening of Focus Features’ newest picture, Pirate Radio. In addition to the screening, I would get the chance to talk with Tom Sturridge, a bit of an acting newcomer who would serve as the film’s lynchpin, and the writer/director of the film, Richard Curtis.

Well, I grabbed The Who’s Greatest Hits album, aptly titled after one of their greatest singles, My Generation, jumped in my Chevy (would have been more fitting if it was a Mini Cooper, I know, but I drive what I drive) and sped away towards midtown Manhattan.

Being a bit of a Richard Curtis fan for his work as a writer on one of Britain’s most celebrated sitcoms ever, Black Adder, and for his directorial debut with Love, Actually, to say I was amped up would probably be an understatement. I had also wanted to desperately see this movie since I had heard of it because I usually enjoy time-period pieces about one of my favorite subjects, the history of TV and radio.

All I can say is that my anticipation did not turn to disappointment. Pirate Radio is a wonderfully done coming-of-age story about a young English boy named Carl (Tom Sturridge) whose mother has sent him to one of England’s notoriously famous pirate radio stations where his godfather (Bill Nighy) happens to be the man in charge.

Once aboard the floating piece of history, Carl becomes fast friends with many of the DJs who operate out of the waters surrounding England including an American man simply known as “The Count” (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and another known as Dr. (he’s not a real doctor) Dave (Nick Frost). While there, Carl struggles with the many problems faced by a teenaged lad of the time from drugs, to women, to making friends, and all the while finding out who he is to the greatest rock soundtrack possibly ever put together.

The music is the true driving and uniting force of this movie. When I asked Tom how he got into the character of Carl he replied: “The thing that was really useful was just listening to the music. I think the easiest way to learn about what it’s like to be young in the 60s is to listen to its most eloquent, youthful poets sing about it. So, Rich, gave me an iPod before the film that had every piece of music from 1961-66 on it and I would just constantly listen to the music.” To hear more from Tom on Pirate Radio, you can
CLICK HERE!

The music would also serve as the catalyst for much of the action in the movie as back on the shores of merry ol’ England, while Carl is busy finding himself, several members of the Parliament, spearheaded by Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) are trying whole heartedly to shut down the pirate radio stations and this would lead to the movie’s exciting climax that I refuse to spoil here.

When all is said and done, Pirate Radio is a fun to watch romp on the high-seas with a tremendous, star-studded cast, who all deliver fantastic performances. When I asked Richard Curtis how it was trying to direct all this talent at once he said, “I think you just have to tell people the truth at the beginning. All of them knew this was going to be a communal film. We shot it in a particular style with cameras on the cameramen’s shoulders so every scene anybody could be being shot at any moment. So it wasn’t one of those films where you said ‘well this is Phil’s half hour, and this is Nick’s half hour’, the camera just roamed around as we did the scene again and again and I think that meant that everybody joined up in the agreement that it was a democracy, a chaotic democracy.” To hear more from Richard on Pirate Radio, you can
CLICK HERE!

The best part of this movie is that as absurd as it is at times, it is based off a time when England really did have radio stations based out at sea and that alone brings a smile to my face. I thought Tom Sturridge wasn’t the most likable of main characters, he seemed a bit too stiff and serious at times, but if you like British humor wrapped up in zany situations, then this should be a sure fire winner for you. Now crank up Baba O’ Riley and be sure to see Pirate Radio as it comes out nationwide Friday, November 13th, 2009.

I give Pirate Radio 4.5 out of 5.

–Ray Carsillo

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Ghosts and Heroes

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April 24, 2010

Originally Published: October 19, 2009, to 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), Lundberg.me, and Comicvine.com

With numerous TV, big screen, and broadway credits to his name, Ernie Hudson is easily one of Hollywood’s most recognizable personalities. His ability to portray a gamut of emotions has earned him the chance to play a wide range of characters over his career.

His most recent character is Captain Lubbock on NBC’s Heroes, every Monday night at 8pm, as he tries to chase down Sylar and attempt to wrap his head around the concept of a world full of super powered beings at the same time.

Possibly his most famous character though is as Winston Zeddemore from Ghostbusters I, II, and Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

I had a chance to talk with the veteran actor about everything ranging from his favorite type of role to play to possibly nailing down some solid details about a third Ghostbuster movie.


CLICK HERE – to listen to my conversation with veteran actor Ernie Hudson.

-Ray Carsillo

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The King of Hardcore

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Originally Published: October 14, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com) and Lundberg.me

He is a three time world champion and has had countless matches that will forever live in infamy. His accomplishments include countless broken bones, two missing teeth, and the loss of an ear. Still, he comes back for more and that has earned him the title of the greatest hardcore wrestler of all-time. He is also one of the nicest men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and is a New York Times bestselling author.

Of course, I am talking about Long Island’s own, Mick Foley. Mick swung by the studio and Robin Lundberg and I had a chance to talk to the living wrestling legend about everything from his upcoming match this Sunday at TNA Wrestling’s Bound for Glory against Abyss to his quest to be recognized by LeBron James.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Robin Lundberg and I interview the living wrestling legend, Mick Foley.

-Ray Carsillo

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Double Dose of Winter Sports

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Originally Published: October 9, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), Examiner.com, and Lundberg.me

Many people know that I’m a sports fan, and being a video game fan, I love all sports video games as well. In that vein, I’m providing you fine folks with a double shot of sports games with reviews for both NHL 10 and NBA LIVE 10, both from EA Sports.

We will begin with NBA LIVE 10 since there were a lot of questions coming into this season for this game. Usually, the best way to answer questions about a game is to go to the source. I had a chance to speak with NBA LIVE 10 Lead Producer Sean O’ Brien, Dynamic Season feature producer Garreth Reeder, and Lead Gameplay Designer Mike Wang about all the new features in this year’s game and improvements over last year’s version considering the entire game was rebuilt from scratch.


CLICK HERE – to listen to my interview with NBA LIVE 10 Producers Sean O’ Brien and Garreth Reeder and Gameplay Designer Mike Wang.

Since I didn’t have the time to wait for basketball season to actually start, I’m going to have to take Garreth’s word on it, but it sounds phenomenal. From what I did play in Dynasty Mode, I can say that this is the premiere basketball game out there right now and this game model, closer to what the NHL series has used the past few years, is the top of the line format for sports games.

The only knocks I have against the game is that the graphics aren’t as sharp as I would like, especially when you look at other sports games from EA Sports like Madden and NHL, and the A.I. isn’t that great for your teammates. I know I put myself at a natural disadvantage by playing with the Knicks, but when there are lanes to the basket and I am looking for guys to pass to, instead of running up those lanes, my A.I. controlled guys run to the corner or right into a double team. Very frustrating, but that’s the life of a Knicks fan, I suppose.

From what I’ve seen and heard, NBA LIVE 10 is the must have basketball game of the season.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 8.0: The looks of the game are average. Maybe the Dynamic Season takes up a lot of space on the disc so the graphics aren’t as sharp as they could be, but not the most best looking game from EA Sports.

Audio 10.0: The soundtrack of the game gets your blood pumping, and authentic cheers and boos from the Garden crowd (more boos than cheers considering the Knicks’ performance the past couple of years) are awesome. Add in Marv Albert and Steve Kerr providing authentic play-by-play and color commentary and the sound cannot get any better.

Plot/Plot Development: N/A: It’s a sports sim…

Gameplay: 8.0: Garreth might be looking for a perfect score, but the A.I. could use a little more tweaking before I give this a perfect score. No lag though, a great free throw system, and basketball as authentic as it can get on a video game console still gives this a good score.

Replay Value: 10.0: If you love basketball, the Dynamic Season and Dynasty modes will keep you happy throughout the entire season and keep you playing this game for a long time.

Overall (not an average): 8.0: With the addition of Dynamic Season and the rebuilding of the game engine from the ground up, this game is just scratching the tip of its potential. It needs a little further tweaking, but this is ready to be the premiere NBA gaming franchise, starting right now.

From the hardwood we move to the ice as we look at NHL 10. Considering how in-depth NHL 09 was and how many awards it took away last year for it, all EA Sports had to do was make minor tweaks to improve on their already dominate product.

The graphics are even sharper than last year and the way the ice gets worn down as the game progresses is a beautiful thing to see.

The sound is authentic to the point that “Henrik! Henrik!” chants rise up from the Garden whenever the King makes a spectacular save and Gary Thorne and Bill Clement’s commentary are always spot on.

The most impressive thing is that the gameplay and A.I. is even sharper than last year. The puck movement and passing is more realistic and accurate than ever before and the defense reacts like a real team. If a defenseman gets beat for a breakaway, he might try to catch up now for the back check and dive and flail with his stick to try to knock the puck away.

Add in the return of all your favorite features like Dynasty Mode and Be a Pro and the inclusion of first person fist fights now and this is the greatest hockey game of all time.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 10.0: I don’t know how this game could look any better than it does. From the real-time degrading of the ice to movement of the players’ jerseys and this game is gorgeous.

Audio 10.0: The soundtrack of the game is an awesome array as always from EA Sports and Bill Clement and Gary Thorne doing an authentic feeling broadcast makes you want to jump up and shout like you’re in the Garden cheering along with a capacity crowd.

Plot/Plot Development: N/A: It’s a sports sim…

Gameplay: 10.0: The best A.I. system to date combined with the best puck physics I have ever witnessed makes this game as smooth and flawless as if you were watching a game on TV.

Replay Value: 10.0: If you love hockey, there is no reason for you not to immerse yourself in the returning Dynasty or Be a Pro modes.

Overall (not an average): 10.0: What can I say? As a diehard hockey fan, I just can’t find a flaw with this game. If you love hockey, you NEED this game.

So there is your double dose of winter sports. Both of these games are sure winners if you are a fan of these sports.

-Ray Carsillo

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Geek Movie Icon

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Originally Published: September 29, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com) and Lundberg.me

Since he exploded into the limelight as Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I, Ray Park has been a staple in geek movies. Also being cast as Toad in X-Men and Snake-Eyes in G.I. Joe, this martial arts master and admitted comic book geek is living the dream playing some of the more iconic roles in geek lore.

He has now increased his geek repetoire by being cast on NBC’s Heroes as Edgar, a speedster with a dark side (no Star Wars pun intended).

Robin Lundberg and I had a chance to catch up with the geek icon to talk about his role on Heroes, his past roles, and if he could confirm some rumors for us about the progress of a possible Iron Fist movie.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Robin Lundberg and I interview one of the great geek movie icons of our time, Ray Park.

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The Godfather of the Modern Comic Book Movie

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April 20, 2010

Originally Published: August 21, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

Michael Uslan is hailed as the Godfather of the modern comic book movie and is probably, inadvertently, solely responsible for the path in life that I have taken (now Mom and Dad know who to blame).

He is the Executive Producer of every Batman movie, animated and live-action, since the 1989 classic starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson and directed by Tim Burton. He also executively produced Catwoman, Constantine, National Treasure, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Swamp Thing, and is currently working on a Captain Marvel movie, a new Shadow movie with Sam Raimi, and, of course, Christopher Nolan’s third Batman movie.

He is also one of the foremost comic book experts around today and is the writer of September’s highly anticipated Archie #600 that begins a six-issue story arc where after 60 years the character will finally propose to Veronica.

The fact that someone so involved with the comic and movie industry was able to take some time out of his schedule for me meant that I was going to get my money’s worth. So below you can download the lengthy conversation I had with Michael as I picked his brain about everything from multi-pronged media campaigns for summer blockbusters to his thoughts on the recent death of the Dark Knight.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Part 1 of my interview with the Godfather of the modern comic book movie, Michael Uslan.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Part 2 of my interview with the Godfather of the modern comic book movie, Michael Uslan.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Part 3 of my interview with the Godfather of the modern comic book movie, Michael Uslan.

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Crush on Hu

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Originally Published: July 28, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

X-Men 2: X-Men United was easily one of the best comic book movies of all-time. It introduced some of the most memorable characters from the long-hallowed canon of the X-Men while still delivering a compelling plot. One of these infamous characters was Lady Deathstrike, played by the lovely Kelly Hu.

Kelly has a lot on her plate, though, besides appeasing her obsessive comic book fans (a group I begrudgingly admit that I fall into). As an accomplished actress and voice actress, with numerous TV and movie credits to her name, Kelly continues to build her comic book fan base as the new character Sha Shan Nguyen in the new Specatcular Spider-Man cartoon, which has new episodes airing every Monday at 7:30 PM on Disney XD.

But many of us geeks still idolize and think of her as Deathstrike. So, when Robin Lundberg and I had the chance to talk with Kelly, we both knew we were going to focus on the clawed femme fatale.

With that in mind, in honor of the passing of the recent San Diego ComicCon, Robin and I sat down with Kelly to ask her how she handles dealing with some of the more absurd individuals in the comic community (again, myself included) and how it is to play such an iconic character like Deathstrike.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Robin Lundberg and I interview the very lovely Kelly Hu.

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The Ringo Starr and Art Garfunkel of Comedy

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Originally Published: July 17, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

Wednesday nights have always traditionally been a powerhouse for Comedy Central; with South Park at 10PM, the Daily Show at 11PM, and Colbert Report at 11:30PM, Comedy Central could always breathe easy.

The problem, though, has always been finding the right comedy to bridge the gap between the four foul-mouthed youths from the Denver suburbs, to the biting, tongue-in-cheek, current events mockeries that are the Daily Show and Colbert Report.

Finally, someone has come along and attempted to bridge the gap.

Michael and Michael Have Issues is best described as a sketch show within a sitcom that follows the hijinx of a pair of comedy veterans, Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, as they try to write their weekly comedic masterpiece. During this process, insane hilarity always seems to ensue as you watch them go from one extreme to the other. In the blink of an eye, Michael and Michael transition seamlessly from the professional atmosphere of cracking jokes in the voiceover production room with producers and directors, to a sophomoric competition over the imagined affection of their intern as he writes an article about the comedy duo for his school paper.

While watching the premiere episode, I could not stop laughing. The show’s flow was very smooth from bit to bit while maintaining the overall plot of the episode. Michael and Michael and their supporting cast were able to convey some great humor in not just their words, but their actions as well. You could tell from watching their interactions with each other that Michael and Michael are indeed both longtime friends and colleagues, even though, sometimes, they were trying a little extra hard to come off as enemies. Their natural rapport with each other is evident, and will probably determine the long-term fate of the show, since their relationship is the key component to the show’s premise. With a little more polish, I could see this sitcom becoming a Comedy Central staple, if it can garner enough support that is.

To talk more about the premiere episode of Michael and Michael Have Issues, Robin Lundberg and I chatted with Michael Showalter about everything from going through the process of getting the show green-lit by Comedy Central to being a Jersey boy, like myself.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Robin Lundberg and me interview Michael Showalter.

From the board room meeting that opens the show with Michael and Michael trash-talking each other, to such instant classic bits like “The Farting Butterfly” and the “Worst Word in the History of the World,” Michael and Michael Have Issues will keep the belly laughs flowing and keep Comedy Central’s Wednesday night dominance at an all-time high as they attempt to successfully bridge the gap.

Be sure to check out Michael and Michael Have Issues every Wednesday night after South Park on Comedy Central at 10:30PM EST.

-Ray Carsillo

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1.21 Gigawatts!

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Originally Published: July 10, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

When you think of classic comedies and memorable characters in the 80s and 90s, you might include Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? or Doc Emmitt Brown from Back to the Future.

The man behind those iconic characters is actor Christopher Lloyd. Ever since he made his film debut in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Lloyd has left his mark on both the big and little screens with some of the most over-the-top performances in history.

Now, Mr. Lloyd is returning the little screen for a two-part mini-series on NBC called Meteor, which airs this Sunday, July 12, and the following Sunday, July 19, at 9PM EST. Lloyd plays Dr. Lehman, who discovers that a meteor is on a collision course with Earth, and he needs to find a way to get the proper authorities to believe him before it’s too late.

I had a chance, along with Robin Lundberg of Lundberg Doin’ Work, to talk to Christopher Lloyd about this role and some of the classic roles he’s embodied over the years.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Robin Lundberg and me interview Christopher Lloyd.

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