EPISODE 238 - JOSH MALINA

After graduating from Yale University with a B.A. in Theatre Studies, Josh made his professional acting debut in the Broadway production of Aaron Sorkin’s A FEW GOOD MEN. He went on to star as Jeremy Goodwin in Sorkin’s critically acclaimed television series SPORTS NIGHT. Later, Josh co-starred as Will Bailey in Sorkin’s multi- Emmy winning THE WEST WING. Other Sorkin credits include the hit features THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT and MALICE.

For three seasons, Josh portrayed multi-millionaire Peter Alpert on USA Network’s hit IN PLAIN SIGHT. Josh’s film credits include the comedy A VIEWFROM THE TOP with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mike Meyers, IN THE LINE OF FIRE with Clint Eastwood, and BULWORTH with Warren Beatty and Halle Berry. For seven seasons, Josh co-starred as David Rosen on ABC’s hit show SCANDAL.

A co-creator of Bravo’s hit show CELEBRITY POKER SHOWDOWN, and a co-host of the podcast THE WEST WING WEEKLY, Josh was seen recently as President Siebert on the final season of THE BIG BANG THEORY. He can currently be seen on the final season of Showtime’s SHAMELESS

EPISODE 201- ARIANA DeBOSE

Ariana DeBose is a Tony-nominated actress known for her varying roles on stage as well as on screen. DeBose is perhaps best known for her role as “Disco Donna” in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which earned her a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. For the same role, she was nominated for a Drama League Award for “Distinguished Performance” and won a Chita Rivera Award for “Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show.” 

DeBose recently wrapped production on Ryan Murphy's Netflix adaptation of the hit-Broadway musical THE PROM, where she stars as Alyssa alongside Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden. In December, DeBose will be seen in Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated reimagining of the Academy Award-winning musical WEST SIDE STORY. DeBose was chosen from thousands of actresses to portray the iconic role of Anita, which earned Rita Moreno an Oscar in 1962. 

In 2015, DeBose appeared alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in the groundbreaking, Tony-winning musical Hamilton as a member of the original cast in both the Broadway and off-Broadway productions. A film version of the production will be released on Disney+ in July. After her departure from Hamilton in 2016, DeBose completed a run as Jane in the original Broadway cast of A Bronx Tale.

Her additional theater credits include: Leading Player in the Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin​, Mary Wilson of the Supremes in ​Motown The Musical, ​Nautica in Andy Blankenbuehler’s ​Bring It On: The Musical and ensemble in Stephen Sondheim's ​Company.​ Other credits include: ​The Breaks ​(VH1), ​Blue Bloods (CBS), OLTL’s Star Crossed Lovers Series and Season 6 of ​So You Think You Can Dance (FOX), where she was a top-20 finalist. 

Hello, World!

EPISODE 200 - ANNIE GOLDEN

ANNIE GOLDEN  considers herself the illegitimate child of the legitimate theatre, having been discovered on the Bowery fronting a rock band, and cast by Milos Forman as Jeannie in Hair, the 1978 film. Annie was an original cast member for five seasons of the award-winning Netflix series ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK; silence is golden, and so is Annie’s character, Norma Romano! She will also be seen on Season Three of HBO’s HIGH MAINTENANCE in Spring 2019 as “Bambie,” which was written for her by the show’s creators. She can also be seen in the upcoming feature film BITE ME. On Broadway and off, she was last seen in Violet, and created the role of Georgie Bukatinsky in The Full Monty; Sondheim’s original Squeaky Fromme in Assassins, the off-Broadway production at Playwrights Horizons, directed by Jerry Zaks; Ah! Wilderness with Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards; On The Town; and Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey.  Her other numerous film credits include Touched With Fire opposite Katie Holmes; Twelve Monkeys; Baby Boom; Brooklyn Rules; Suddenly Seeking Susan; I Love You, Phillip Morris; and Miles. Her television credits include “Difficult People,” “The 2-2,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Cheers,” “Miami Vice,” and “Third Watch”.

EPISODE 198- MIRA SORVINO


Mira Katherine Sorvino was born on September 28, 1967 in Manhattan. She is the daughter of Lorraine Davis, an actress turned drama therapist, and veteran character actor Paul Sorvino. Her father's family were Italian immigrants. The young Sorvino was intelligent, an avid reader and an exceptional scholar. Her father discouraged her from becoming an actor, as he knew how the industry often chews up young stars. She attended Harvard, majoring in Chinese, graduating magna cum laude in 1989, largely on the strength of her thesis, a Hoopes Prize-winning thesis on racial conflict in China, written and researched during the year spent in Beijing, which helped her fluency in Mandarin Chinese.

However, she showed interest in a career in acting from an early age, and moved to New York City to try her hand in the City's film industry, waitressing, auditioning and working at the Tribeca production company of Robert De Niro. She succeeded in getting a little television work in the early 1990s, but got her first film job in the independent gangster movie Amongst Friends (1993), on which she worked her way up the ladder behind the camera to eventually associate-produce the film, and, more importantly, was eventually cast as the female lead. The indie production was well-received, and Sorvino's performance attracted enough buzz to get her cast in two more movies, one a more prominent indie, Barcelona (1994), the other her first Hollywood feature, Quiz Show(1994), and her skillful performances brought her yet more attention.

An exceptionally poised and articulate young woman, she may have seemed inappropriate to play a crazy hooker, but Woody Allen took the chance, and her magnificent performance as the female lead in his Mighty Aphrodite (1995) proved her range as a performer and earned her an Oscar (at the tender age of 29) for Best Supporting Actress. Since winning the Oscar, Sorvino has continued to take a wide range of roles, including another stretch as Marilyn Monroe in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996), co-starring with another very intelligent and skilled young actress, Ashley Judd. Forays into action and horror, such as Mimic (1997) and The Replacement Killers (1998) show that Sorvino is not above being playful in the film roles she chooses.

However, what forever cemented her role in popular culture was her performance as charmingly silly California beach girl Romy White in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), in which she and co-star Lisa Kudrow utter one hilarious absurdity after another. She is most recently featured on Ryan Murphy's Hollywood on Netflix. 

EPISODE 196- LENA HALL

Lena Hall is an American actress, singer and songwriter best known for her work on Broadway originating the role of Nicola in Kinky Boots, and her Tony Award-winning performance as Yitzhak in the 2014 revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which also earned her a Grammy nomination for the musical's official album. She made history by becoming the first person to play both Hedwig and Yitzhak in the same production during the national tour of the musical in 2016. Her other Broadway credits include Cats, 42nd Street, Dracula, the Musical and Tarzan, the Musical.

Hall has also starred in Off-Broadway productions such as Radiant Baby, Bedbugs!!!, Rooms: A Rock Romance, The Toxic Avenger, Prometheus Bound, Chix6, and the 2017 original play How to Transcend a Happy Marriage. Hall has appeared in films such as Sex and the City (2008), The Graduates (2008), Born from the Foot (2009), The Big Gay Musical (2009), and Becks (2017), for which she received widespread critical acclaim. She has also appeared on TV shows like ABC's All My Children, HBO's Girls, Amazon Prime's Good Girls Revolt, and voiced the role of Countess Coloratura on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. In 2020, she will star on TNT's science fiction epic Snowpiercer.

Hall was the lead singer of the band The Deafening, they released an album with original songs in 2012 titled Central Booking. In 2015, Hall released her first solo album, Sin & Salvation: Live At the Carlyle.

EPISODE 195- TAYLOR TRENSCH

Taylor Trensch was most recently seen in To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway almost directly after taking over the title role in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. Other credits include the Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!, in which he played Barnaby Tucker. Other Broadway credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Matilda and Wicked. He also was featured in the off-Broadway productions of Bare and Rent and on the first national tour of Spring Awakening. He's been seen in world premieres at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Dallas Theater Center, La Jolla Playhouse, Barrington Stage. On screen, he's been seen in Nickelodeon’s Nella the Princess Knight.

Photo of Taylor - James Emmerman Photographer

EPISODE 191 - TIMOTHY BUSFIELD

TIMOTHY BUSFIELD is a Producer, Writer, Director and Emmy Award winning actor with over 650 professional credits. As a director, his most recent film Guest Artist, written by and starring Jeff Daniels, is scheduled to be released internationally in July of 2020. The film has won many awards since its premiere at The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, including Best Director at the New York Independent Film Festival.

As an actor he has been a series regular or recurring character on 20 television series including the currently running “For Life”, “Almost Family”, “thirtysomething,” “The West Wing,” “Entourage,” “Designated Survivor,” “Sleepy Hollow,” Secrets and Lies,” “ED,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Trapper John, M.D.,” “The Byrds of Paradise,” “Champs,” “Family Ties,” “Without A Trace,” “The Paper Chase,” “Reggie,” “All My Children”, “One Dollar”. He recently appeared in the mini-series “The Loudest Voice”.

Mr. Busfield has appeared in over 40 television movies and feature films, including Field of Dreams, Stripes, Revenge of the Nerds, Nerds in Paradise, Quiz Show, Sneakers, Striking Distance, Little Big League, First Kid, National Security, 23 Blast, Strays and Trucks. His short film One Smart Fellow which he co- directed, co-wrote, and also acted in, won many film festivals nationwide in 2015-2016.

Timothy has directed over 140 episodes of television, including “This Is Us“ and multiple episodes of “The Fosters” (also directed the pilot), “thirtysomething, “Children’s Hospital”, “Sports Night,” “Damages,” “Lipstick Jungle,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Without A Trace,” “Las Vegas,” “The Night Shift,” “Secrets and Lies,” “The Glades,” “Designated Survivor,” “Law and Order SVU”, “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings”, “The Rookie”, “The Conners”, and many more.

He has served as a Producing Director on six television series including “Secrets and Lies,” “Mind Games,” Lipstick Jungle,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Without A Trace,” “ED” and the mini-series “Maneater.” In theatre, he has appeared in over 50 regional theatre productions including productions at The Long Wharf, The Mark Taper Forum, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, and The Westport Country Playhouse. And on Broadway twice, most recently as Lt. Daniel Kaffee in Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men.” He has also directed more than 35 professional productions and written dozens of children’s plays. Mr. Busfield founded two of America’s most successful professional theatres, The Fantasy Theatre (AKA the B Street School Tour) and The B Street Theatre, both in Sacramento, California. Now in their 33rd season, the theatres perform annually for over 250,000 children and adults at their facility in Sacramento and in schools throughout northern California. He has an honorary PhD from Michigan State University and has served as an Artist in Residence and Director of National Content for their PBS affiliate WKAR. Timothy splits his time between New York City and Sullivan County, NY with his wife, television icon and fantastic cook, Melissa Gilbert.

EPISODE 185- JOHN SLATTERY RETURNS

John Slattery is an American actor and director. He is best known for his role as Roger Sterling in the AMC drama series Mad Men. He has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations and two Critics' Choice Television Awards for AMC's series Mad Men. He was also part of the Mad Men ensemble cast that won two SAG Awards. In 2013, Slattery directed his first feature film, God's Pocket, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. He is currently on the HBO series Veep. Apart from his role on Mad Men, Slattery is also known for roles on Homefront; the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon; the HBO series K Street; guest appearances on Will & Grace; Judging Amy; Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives. Other films include Mona Lisa Smile, Flags of our Fathers, Charlie Wilson's War and The Adjustment Bureau. In 2015, Slattery portrayed journalist Ben Bradlee Jr. in the Academy Award winning film Spotlight, and also appeared in the Netflix comedy series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, for which he earned a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series. 

EPISODE 184- ZACHARY QUINTO

Zachary Quinto hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Carnegie Mellon where he received a BFA in Acting. 

 In 2007 he was cast as Sylar on the hit NBC series Heroes. That same year, he was cast as Spock in the JJ Abrams directed reboot of the Star Trek franchise. He starred in the first season of American Horror Story in 2011, and won a Critic’s Choice Award and Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal on American Horror Story: Asylum. 

Quinto appeared in the 2010 Signature revival of Tony Kushner’s Angels In America, for which he won a Theater World Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination. He made his Broadway debut in the 2013 Tony Award winning production of the Glass Menagerie. He was also seen in MCC’s production of Noah Haidle's Smokefall and in the Joe Mantello directed revival of The Boys in the Band.

Quinto began his production company Before the Door Pictures in 2008 and produced such films as Margin Call, All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year, and Aardvark. Quinto hosts the unscripted show In Search Of on the History Channel, and is currently starring in the AMC series NOS4A2.

EPISODE 183- ZANE PAIS

Currently starring in The Perplexed at Manhattan Theater Club . Zane also appeared in Sunday at The Atlantic Theater Company, dir. Lee Sunday Evans). Other selected theater includes Dead Poets Society (CSC, dir. John Doyle), Mercury Fur (The New Group, dir. Scott Elliott), and Skylight (McCarter Theater, dir. Emily Mann). Film/TV: “Room 104” (HBO, dir. Lila Neugebauer), Margot at the Wedding (dir. Noah Baumbach), Alba & June (short, dir. Pepi Ginsberg), and Minyan (upcoming, dir. Eric Steel, premiering at Berlin Film Festival 2020). Zane also wrote a television pilot which was optioned by Sony.