Monday Morning Critic Podcast

Send us a textSTEVE TOM is a prolific television, film and commercial actor, as well as a recognized voice over talent. Steve just wrapped a prime supporting lead role in one of 2014’s most highly anticipated sequels, Dumb and Dumber To - alongside Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Turner. He also plays the role of 'General Maddoxton' in the IFC mini-series The Spoils of Babylon, starring Tobey McGuire and Kristen Wiig. For two seasons, Steve was the critically acclaimed host of Will Ferrell's “Funny or Die Presents” on HBO. His most recent television work includes a recurring role as 'Judge Craig Richwood' on TNT's “Major Crimes.” With dozens of prime time guest starring roles to his credit, Steve has also recurred on “Prison Break,” “Weeds,”“Commander in Chief” and the long-running CBS sit-com “Two and a Half Men.” In 2012, he appeared (as Senator Chris Dodd) in the Emmy Award winning HBO drama, Too Big to Fail - opposite William Hurt, Paul Giamatti, James Woods and John He

Send us a textDaniel Bernard Sweeney was born on November 14, 1961 in Shoreham, Long Island, New York. He got his start in the New York theatre with appearances in dozens of productions including a run on Broadway in "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial". He was selected by Francis Ford Coppola to star in the Vietnam era drama Gardens of Stone (1987). This began a string of performances including Shoeless Joe Jackson in Eight Men Out (1988), Dish Boggett in Lonsome Dove (1989), Travis Walton in Fire in the Sky (1993), and as Doug Dorsey the hockey player turned figure skater in the classic romantic comedy The Cutting Edge (1992). For many years D.B. has devoted himself to supporting our Troops and their families. He’s been overseas to war zones several times and made scores of appearances at posts, bases and ships stateside.  Meet the very talented: D.B. Sweeney.

Send us a textBernard "Bernie" White is a Sri Lankan–American actor, screenwriter and film director. Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and raised in Detroit, White received his bachelor's degree in theatre at Michigan State University. Bernard has over 104 movie credit's in his IMDB profile. Some include: Bernard's movies include: Captain America: Winter Soldier, It's Kind of a Funny Story, Quarantine, Matrix Revolutions, Matrix Reloaded, The Scorpion King, Pay it Forward, City of Angels, Hill Street Blues, Highway to Heaven, Knight Rider and Street Hawk. Meet the awesome: Bernard White.

Send us a textFrançois Scarborough Clemmons is a singer, actor, playwright, professor, writer, university lecturer and father figure to so many people. He is perhaps best known for his appearances on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood throughout the 1970's as "Officer Clemmons"Meet the giving and wonderful: Francois Scarborough Clemmons

Send us a textDavid Lee is a household name in South Africa where he worked predominantly in theatre and television. His outstanding performances on stage garnered him multiple nominations all around Southern Africa. In 1995, David completed a post graduate drama course at Drama Studio London, where he was nominated as Actor of the Year for his powerful and moving performance of "Othello". His first film, "Paljas", was an official selection for the Academy Awards in 1998. His last film before departing for the United States, "Final Solution", produced by Messenger Films (USA), was an official selection at 11 film festivals and has earned 6 awards, including the I.C.V.M Award for best film. 2017 saw David join the Marvel family with his contribution of the villainous character, "Limbani", in Marvels latest super hero installation, the 2018 record setting "Black Panther", working alongside Michael B. Jordan(Eric Killmonger) and Andy Serkis(Ulysses Klaue). Prior

Send us a textTomas Arana co-starred as Quintus in Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR, the Dreamworks-Universal movie and winner of five Oscars, including Best Picture, starring Russell Crowe & Joaquin Phoenix.He has appeared in more than 60 films, ranging from large budget Hollywood Studio pictures to Independent films in both the U.S. and Europe. His studio pictures include THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, LIMITLESS, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, LA CONFIDENTIAL, THE BODYGUARD (as Portman, Kevin Costner's antagonist), HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (as Loginov, the Russian Saboteur), among others. He played Lazarus in Martin Scorsese's controversial LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, starring Willem Dafoe & Harvey Keitel.Tomas Arana grew up in San Francisco and studied classical theatre at its prestigious American Conservatory Theatre, afterwards relocating to New York and acting in off-Broadway productions. He then hitchhiked throughout Europe and ended up living in Naples, Italy, where he worked in the

Send us a textJimmy Vee is a Scottish actor and stunt performer. He is best known for playing a number of Doctor Who and Harry Potter playing a number of monsters and aliens, as well as the actor who took over for the late, great Kenny Baker as R2-D2 in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens. Meet: The fearless,  Jimmy Vee

Send us a textNathaniel Philbrick was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he attended Linden Elementary School and Taylor Allderdice High School.  He earned a BA in English from Brown University and an MA in America Literature from Duke University, where he was a James B. Duke Fellow. He was Brown University’s first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978, the same year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, RI.In 2000, Philbrick published the New York Times bestseller, In the Heart of the Sea, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction. The book was the basis of the 2015 movie of the same title directed by Ron Howard.  The book also inspired a 2001 Dateline special on NBC as well as the 2010 PBS American Experience film “Into the Deep” by Ric Burns.Philbrick’s writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe. He has appeared on the Today Show, the Morning Sho

Send us a textTom Wood is an American film and television actor. He is known for his portrayal of police characters, especially Deputy Marshal Noah Newman in the 1993 film The Fugitive and its spinoff, the 1998 film U.S. Marshalls.He's worked for a variety of film directors including Andrew Davis, Ron Howard, Barry Levinson,  Nora Ephron and Victor Nunez.On Broadway, Wood starred with Jason Robards and Christopher Plummer in Harold Pinter's four-character No Man's Land.Tom is also very passionate about music, the arts and his family.Meet: Tom Wood.

Send us a textActress Tantoo Cardinal, a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest civilian honors. The Order of Canada recognizes Cardinal for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada.Arguably the most widely recognized Native Actress of her generation; Tantoo has appeared in numerous plays, television programs, and films, including Legends of the Fall, Dances With Wolves, Black Robe, Loyalties, Luna, Spirit of the Whale, Unnatural & Accidental, Marie-Anne, Sioux City, Silent Tongue, Mother's & Daughter's and Smoke Signals. Recent work includes the films Eden, Maina, Shouting Secrets and From Above.Her stirring performance in Loyalties earned her a Genie nomination, American Indian Film Festival Best Actress Award, the People's choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, plus Best Actress Awards at International Film Festivals in Zimbabwe and Portugal.Cardinal was just honored with the 2015 ACTRA Award of Excellence,

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Send us a textBorn in the 12th ward of New Orleans, Lance is most widely known for his role as the preacher in the 2008 Academy Award nominated film, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, alongside Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Following the success of this role, Nichols landed a part in the Warner Bros. summer blockbuster THE CAMPAIGN (2012), starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. Throughout his 30+ years of acting, spanning from the early 80s to present day, Nichols has made over 75 appearances on multiple award winning and critically acclaimed television series including: CHEERS, MURDER SHE WROTE, MATLOCK, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.  Lance is also a passionate New Orleans Saints fan and acting teacher/coach. Meet: Lance E. Nichols.

Send us a textPeter Vecsey has been one of the most prominent basketball columnists in the world for more than 40 years. He has covered the NBA and ABA for decades and been an expert analyst on both network and cable television in the United States. He is best known for his exclusives and biting commentary in his “Hoop du Jour” column that ran for years in the New York Post.Vecsey’s inside information and access to the league’s top players, coaches and executives helped earn him recognition as one of the “Most Powerful People in Sports” by The Sporting News. He was honored with the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2009 by the Basketball Hall of Fame.In addition to the Post, Vecsey has also worked at USA Today, the New York Daily News, NBC, TNT/TBS, NBA-TV and the USA Network. Active on Twitter since leaving the Post in 2012, Vecsey is now back in the game and covering the NBA. Meet: Peter Vecsey

Send us a textAntowain Drurell Smith (born March 14, 1972) is a former American Football Running Back in the National Football League who played nine NFL seasons, most notably with the New England. At 6'2", 232 pounds, Smith's powerful running style made him an effective runner between the tackles. He is a two time Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots and was a huge factor in developing the dynasty the Patriots are today. Meet: Antowain Smith

Send us a textAs a senior at Arizona State University he was a Heisman Trophy and Doak Walker Award candidate, and was one of the premier kick returners in the country. He ranks third in ASU history with 3,299 career rushing yards. His total career yardage ranks 26th in Pac-10 history.Redmond is best known for his role on the 2001 New England Patriots. Redmond caught three passes in the Patriots' game-winning overtime drive during the famous "Snow Bowl" playoff game against the Oakland Raiders. Most famously, in SuperBowl XXXVI, with the Patriots on their own 30-yard line with 41 seconds left, Redmond caught a 3-yard dump-down pass from quarterback Tom Brady, dodged a tackler to pass the first down marker and then dragged a second tackler to the sideline, extending the ball out of bounds to stop the clock. The stopped clock allowed the Patriots to keep the drive alive and led, plays later, to a Patriots victory on an Adam Vinatieri field goal. Charlie Weiss, the Patriots offensive coordinator a

Send us a textRon Thomas is internationally known for his portrayal of Bobby Brown, the Cobra Kai bad guy who hurt Daniel-San’s leg in the original and iconic film, The Karate Kid. He’s achieved numerous successes in a town where most fail and, having done so, has had the privilege of working with some of the best and biggest names in Hollywood.Ironically, Ron is a real-life martial artist and true “Sensei.” He’s a high-ranking black belt, 2-time world champion, and former member and trainer of the United States Sport Ju-Jitsu Team. Sensei Ron founded the World Class Training Center in Los Angeles where he personally mentored and trained several national and world champions, priming not only their physical game but their mental game as well. Meet: Ron Thomas.

Send us a textLois Lowry (born Lois Ann Hammersberg; March 20, 1937) is an American writer credited with more than forty children's books. She has won two Newbery Medals, for Number the Stars in 1990 and The Giver in 1994. As an author, Lowry is known for writing about difficult subject matters within her works for children. She has explored such complex issues as racism, terminal illness, murder, and the Holocaust among other challenging topics.  A film adaptation of The Giver was released in 2014.Welcome, Lois Lowry.

Send us a textInterview with Andy Weir,  Andy is the author of the Golden Globe winning, and Academy Award nominated blockbuster "The Martian" starring Matt Damon. Andy has also won many literary awards.  Andy and I talk about the writing process, NASA, Science Fiction, and everything under the Sun (and around it) and we even mange to sprinkle in some Star Wars, Star Trek and Interstellar! Meet the very funny and bright: Andy Weir.

Send us a textXander Berkeley is a fantastic actor who has had significant parts in some of the best movies in history, a few of which were Academy Award winning movies. Some of Xander's filmography includes: Terminator 2, A Few Good Men, Heat, Apollo 13, Leaving Las Vegas, Air Force One, Gattaca, Amistad, Taken, Kick-Ass, Faster and currently Proud Mary. Xander is involved in many projects, most notably as Gregory, Mayor of the Hilltop on The Walking Dead (and he's phenomenal). Meet the very funny and talented: Xander Berkeley. 

Send us a textMonday Morning Critic welcomes actor Faran Tahir!  The very talented Faran Tahir talks about his Pakistani roots, being an actor who is Muslim,  his unique journey into acting and his amazing life. We talk movies, TV, Bollywood, theater, Iron Man, Star Trek, Elysium and so much more.  Meet the very humble: Faran Tahir