Upcoming TV & Radio Appearances

It's a busy time of year for me (which must explain why I'm falling behind...) . Singing a New Tune: The Re-birth of the Modern Film Musical was just published by Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, and I've begun to do some publicity on that project and my other works too.

First up, today I taped an eight-minute segment with Bloomberg radio's "On the Weekend" hosts Wes Richards and Joe Franklin. Their program airs on WBBR 1130 on the AM dial (or XM Channel 129; Sirius Stream 102) and boasts some 35 million listeners coast-to-coast. It was a delight to chat with both of these fine gentlemen and I found them knowledgeable, funny and quick-witted. We opened with a discussion of The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television (my award winner from last year) and then moved to Singing a New Tune.

This radio gig was a special privilege for me not just because I admire Mr. Richards and Mr. Franklin so much, but, well, because - as a New Jerseyite - I must confess I'm a bit starstruck by Joe Franklin. I mean this is a fellow whose TV show ran for forty consecutive years. He's a pioneer of the TV talk show format, has interviewed more than 300,000 guests, has his own restaurant "Joe Franklin's Memory Lane (which opened in 2000), has written trivia books, has spawned countless imitations and impressions (like Billy Crystal's on Saturday Night Live) and who has introduced the world to such luminaries as Woody Allen and Liza Minnelli. Joe Franklin is known as "the King of Nostalgia" for good reason - he owns an unparalleled and incredible memorabilia collection, and knows classic movies inside and out. I remember watching his TV program on WWOR TV (Channel 9) in the eighties. To be invited to talk about my work on his radio show with the great Mr. Richards was just a dream come true, not to sound too fawning (though I'm sure I do...)

Next up for me is another gig: The Toronto Film Festival. That's right, next week I'll be flying up to Canada for a three day stint at the festival, and I'll be interviewed by the film writer/critic Thom Ernst for TVOntario. It's all part of "Saturday Night at the Movies," the longest-running Canadian show on the air. Airing Saturdays at 8:00 pm, the program is entering its 31st season as the most popular adult series being broadcast in the country, and it is renowned for airing uninterrupted/uncut films. I'll be taping a segment for an upcoming show (two if I'm very, very lucky...), as part of their popular interview series. People say that Canada is the most film-literate country in the world, so I'm thrilled to be headed there to take in the festival, tape an interview, and see what's what.

I'll provide updates on this site as to when my radio segment with Mr. Franklin and Mr. Richards airs, as well as the date of the TVOntario premiere, though I imagine we won't get it here in the States.

On top of all that, I received my first review for Singing a New Tune today at Broadway.com, and by the illustrious and scholarly Ken Mandelbaum, "The Insider," no less. This gentleman and historian is a very knowledgeable book-writer himself. He opens with the thought that: "In Singing a a New Tune, author John Kenneth Muir has latched onto a good topic," and closes with the summation that the book is "a useful study, particularly if they're [readers] interested in hearing from the moviemakers themselves."

I'm honored that the author of the critically acclaimed Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops took the time and energy to really read my work closely and then feature it in his column. In the book writer's field, there are two kinds of reviews: the ill-considered hateful, personal grudge type (written by frustrated writers or fans themselves...who don't want to see you get ahead and thus slam the dickens out of you...), and then those by scholars and critics with a deep knowledge and understanding of the material; reviews filled with insight and intelligence. This was the latter, so I'm delighted.