House of Crouse

On this episode of the Richard Crouse Show we get to know Bonnie Stern. If you are a foodie, or even if you aren’t, you already know Bonnie. She has studied and taught cooking around the world, hosted three national cooking shows, and for 17 years, wrote a weekly column for the National Post. Her latest cookbook, “Don't Worry, Just Cook,” co-written with her daughter Anna Rupert, aims to take the intimidation factor that some people feel every time they step into the kitchen. Filled with delicious, widely appealing, and timeless recipes, the book is perfect, not only for home cooks but anyone who loves food. Then we meet actor and writer Jim Piddock. For four decades he has appeared on Broadway and on the big and small screen in movies like “Independence Day,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” “A Mighty Wind,” “Austin Powers in Goldmember” and shows like “Modern Family,” “Mom,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Lost,” Monk,” “Friends”… the list goes on. Jim looks back at his career in a funny and frank new memoir called “Caught With My Pants Down & Other Tales From A Life In Hollywood.” It is available now wherever fine books are sold.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet director Brett Morgen and producer Debra Eisenstadt of the film “Moonage Daydream,” an impressionistic look at the life and work of iconic artist David Bowie, now playing in theatres. Bowie led one of the most eclectic show business careers of the last sixty years. He was a seeker, an artist whose work flirted with everything from mime and music to acting and art. He was never less than a free thinker who valued artistic joy over fame. Morgen’s film emphasizes the restless spirit that defined David Bowie, but don’t buy a ticket expecting a cradle-to-grave “Behind the Music” style expose. This is an experience, a collage of sound and vision, that over the two-and-a-quarter-hour running time creates a portrait that doesn’t attempt to define the artist as much as it does to illuminate his ever-changing philosophical mindset. To achieve this Morgen mixes never-before-seen footage and performances, forty remastered songs spanning the singer’s entire career and, as narration, excerpts from fifty years of Bowie interviews. There are no talking heads or re-enactments, and neither is this one long music video. It’s an ephemeral collection of ideas and images with a solid intellectual underpinning, a philosophical edge and an emotional component for diehard Bowie fans. It also has a good beat and you can dance to it… most of it anyway. We also get to know Ke Huy Quan, the star of the most aptly titled movie of the year, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” You can say a lot of things about “Everything Everywhere All At Once” but you can’t say you’ve ever seen anything quite like it before. An eye-popping reflection on the power of kindness and love to heal the world’s problems, it is exhilarating that mixes and matches everything from family drama and tax problems to martial-arts and metaphysics into a whimsical story that moves at the speed of light. The result is a singular film that milks intentionality out of its madness. What does all that mean? Stick around as I chat with one of the film’s stars Ke Huy Quan. You know him as Short Round, the plucky kid companion to Indiana Jones in The Temple Of Doom and from a role in cult classic comedy-adventure The Goonies. We’ll talk about why he chose to return to acting in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” after a twenty-year break from Hollywood.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we meet Nuela Charles. This year the SOCAN Foundation announced Nuela as a winner of the second annual Her Music Awards. She has amassed over 4 million career streams to date and over 738,309 total YouTube worldwide views and now, her self-titled album is available on all streaming platforms. Over the last few years, Nuela has brought her distinct voice to various stages, having performed at Reeperbahn Festival in Germany, London, UK, and has shared the stage as direct support for some of Canada’s musical icons including Sam Roberts Band, Jann Arden and Stars. Then, we’ll meet Barbie Latza Nadeau. She has worked as the Rome bureau chief for Newsweek Magazine and currently holds that position for The Daily Beast. She is an on-air contributor for CNN and a writer for Scientific American. She is also a true crime novelist, with a new book, The Godmother, about the rise of women in the mafia. Publishers Weekly calls it “A must for true crime fans,” and it is a great read.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we meet Peter Hitchcock, director of ‘A Song For Us,’ a new film about a British folk singer who reconnects with her long-lost lover. The world of folk music is a subject Peter knows well. As a younger man he ran beatnik folk clubs in England and hired Paul Simon for a mere £20 when the future superstar was unknown in the UK. He also has a rich background in film, from working as an extra at age ten to working with Wes Craven and so much more. Then, Ayan Tani and Émeraude Domingos Mbuku, co-directors of “Reel Black: Our Film Stories,” an exploration of Black Canadian filmmaking, you can see in person and on line at the 17th Annual CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, stop by. Find out more details at caribbeantalesfestival.com Later in the show we’ll hear from some people you’ve been listening to you entire lives. The American TV Guide ranked Sharon, Lois and Bram the number two children’s entertainers of all time, just behind Fred Rogers. Sharon Hampson, the late Lois Lilenstein and Bram Morrison are iconic for generations of Canadians. Today, Sharon, Bram and Sharon’s daughter Randi join me to talk about their new picture book, Sharon, Lois & Bram’s One Elephant Went Out to Play, and we’ll reveal s tightly held secret… the true meaning of the word Skinnamarink!

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet director and actor Valerie Buhagiar. Her film “Carmen,” now in theatres and coming to VOD on September 30, is a new coming of age story set on the island of Malta, that sees the title character, played by “Kalifornication” star Natascha McElhone, rediscover her own life and desires after her brother, the village priest, passes away. It is an empathetic and optimistic movie about a second chance at living life to the fullest. We’ll also meet actor Dylan Smith. You know him from his performances in films like 300, Total Recall, Murder on the Orient Express and many others. He will next be seen in Prime Video’s largest title to date, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The series serves as a prequel to the events we all know from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and focuses on the forging of the Rings of Power and the One Ring in the Second Age. It begins it Prime Video run on September 2. Then, I’ll tell you about “Elvis,” the film about the King of Rock and Roll from Moulin Rouge director Baz Lurhmann. It’s been a big hit in theatres and I caught up with director Baz Lurhmann and his stars Austin Butler, who hands in a terrific performance as Elvis and Olivia DeJong who plays Elvis’ wife, Priscilla. We talked about what the story of Elvis’s life can tell us about America, Priscilla’s role in the singer’s life and much more.

On this episode of the Richard Crouse Show we meet father and daughter Neil Osborne and singer/songwriter Kandle. Neil is the lead singer of 54-40, and has a remarkable catalogue of hit songs, including "Baby Ran," "I Go Blind," "Ocean Pearl" and the award-winning "Since When." Kandle is a musician, singer and songwriter with a solo career, and has collaborated with her father in the past, but they’ve now officially formed their own band: a modern-day psychedelic blues rock duo called A Family Curse. The A Family Curse collaboration actually began a few years ago when Neil and songwriter Danny Michel, recorded some instrumental jams together. But due to their busy schedules, the songs were left to collect dust until Neil sent them to Kandle. She added fresh new melody and lyrics and from there, Kandle and Neil decided to form the band and make an entire album. Then, Kelly McCormack stops by. You know her as combative hockey player Betty-Anne on the hit show Letterkenny, but she is back in a new show now streaming on Amazon Prime. In “A League of Their Own” Kelly plays Jess, a shortstop from Moosejaw who utters the original film’s most famous line, there’s no crying in baseball.’ We round things out with Joy Fielding, the New York Times bestselling author called "an ingenious master of domestic suspense," joins me to talk about her new novel “The Housekeeper.” It’s a suspenseful story about a woman who hires a housekeeper to care for her aging parents--only to watch as she takes over their lives.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show, Zac Hanson, drummer of the multi-platinum band Hanson, visits on a quick stop between gigs to talk about tjeir new album "RGB," how he juggles having five kids with life on the road, Hop Jam, Hanson’s annual beer and music festival and why he thinks Hanson has always been a bit of an anomaly. Then we’ll meet Award winning and bestselling Canadian author Lilian Nattel. Her new book “Only Sisters” follows the lives of two sisters: Joan, the reliable one who stayed behind to care for their widowed mother, and the globe-trotting Vivien. When Vivien dies while working in a remote village, Joan is pushed to impersonate her online, leaving Joan tangled between right and wrong and adventure and tragedy.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Dylan Smith. The son of filmmakers, Smith had an eye on a career in hockey until he was sidelined by an injury and discovered theatre. He is now an accomplished stage and film actor who has performed on Broadway, appeared in films like in films like “300,” “Total Recall,” “Murder on the Orient Express” and many others. He will next be seen in Prime Video’s largest title to date, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The series serves as a prequel to the events we all know from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and focuses on the forging of the Rings of Power and the One Ring in the Second Age. It begins it Prime Video run on September 2. Then, you know jenny Slate as the voice of Tammy Larsen on the critically acclaimed animated sitcom “Bob's Burgers,” as Mona-Lisa on the series “Parks and Recreation,” as well as films like “Obvious Child” which won her the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy, “The Secret Life of Pets” film franchise, “The Lego Batman Movie,” and “Despicable Me 3” and recently in the critically acclaimed “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Her latest film “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” expands on her popular YouTube videos that feature a talking seashell outfitted with a single googly eye and a pair of miniature shoes. It is one of my favorite movies of the year.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show, the Classic Rock Special! It’s August, and for many people the soundtrack to the late summer is classic rock, so I thought I’d take a trip through the vault and give some of my favorite interviews with classic rockers another spin. We’ll meet Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson who talk about the early days of the band and finding success in Japan. Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of KISS stops by to talk about working with his former band, his new music and why he doesn’t approve of all of the KISS merchandise that features his image. Liberty DeVitto, author of the memoir Liberty: “Life, Billy and the Pursuit of Happiness” talks about the thirty years he spent playing drums for Billy Joel. We talk about how they met and get some inside scoop. For instance, did you know Only the Good Die Young was written as a reggae song? Finally, we meet John Lennon’s personal photographer Bob Gruen. The legendary photographer opens up about taking famous pictures of every rock ‘n roll star from David Bowie and Led Zeppelin to The Clash and The Sex Pistols.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show Martin Freeman stops by. You know the Emmy, a BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award winning actor from playing Tim Canterbury in the original British series of “The Office.” He was Dr. John Watson in the British crime drama series “Sherlock” opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” film trilogy and will soon be seen in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” reprising the role of Everett K. Ross. Today we’ll talk about his newest project, the critically acclaimed police series “The Responder,” now playing on Brit Box. Then, we meet Emmy-award winning documentary filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine who have created a fascinating look at iconic Canadian singer and poet Leonard Cohen called “HALLELUJAH: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” that uses one of his most famous songs as a starting point. We’ll find out why one of Cohen’s most famous songs was rejected by his record company and more. Later in the show we’ll meet Gregory Sestero, star of a new found footage film called “Infrared.” In the film he plays the creepy caretaker of an abandoned schoolhouse. If Greg’s name rings a bell, it’s likely because you’ve attended one of the midnight madness screenings of “The Room,” a movie so deliciously awful, it has become a cult favorite since its release in 2003. Gregory turned the experience of making the so-bad-it’s-a-hoot movie into a book, which eventually went on to become the Oscar nominated movie The Disaster Artist, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen. We talk about “Infrared” and whether or not, twenty years on, if “The Room” is an embarrassment or a source of pride.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet Chris Strikes and Joella Crichton. Their movie “Becoming a Queen,” which is now on VOD, is a documentary about Joella Crichton, Canada’s most decorated Caribbean Carnival Queen. The film, directed by Chris Strikes, covers Joella’s attempt to win a historic tenth title in her last ever competition. The movie explores expressions of cultural identity, Caribbean artistry and a community’s struggle against a lack of understanding of Carnival in the larger society. We’ll also meet author KL Armstrong. She has written over 40 books, including the bestselling young adult series the Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising, the YA book Aftermath, the middle-grade novel A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying and the adult thriller Alone in the Wild. On television the SyFy series Bitten was based on her book the Women of the Otherworld. Her new novel is “The Life She Had,” a thriller about two women with secrets they want to keep buried, but when a body is discovered nearby, they must move quickly to prove their innocence and protect the lives they've built for themselves. We talk about how she comes up with her intricate stories and characters, and why she sometimes writes under a pseudonym. Finally, we’ll get to know Jon Harvey, bassist and lead singer of Monster Truck. The JUNO Award-Winners are one of Canada's hardest-working rock and roll bands, a reputation they've cemented by touring relentlessly. Their new single, “Get My Things & Go” is available now wherever you legally buy and download great music.

On this episode of the Richard Crouse Show we meet Maestro Fresh Wes. He’s the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop," a record producer, an actor, and author who adds competition show host to his resume with “Race Against the Tide.” He plays host to 10 of the world's best sand sculpting duos and throws down a challenge each week on the show: create show-stopping sculpture at New Brunswick's iconic and beautiful Bay of Fundy, before the world's largest tides flow in and wash their sculptures away. Watch the show on Sundays on CBC and CBC Gem at 8:30 p.m. We’ll also meet Ken Hall. If you are a fan of The Umbrella Academy, the Netflix series about a a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reunite to solve the mystery of their father's death and the threat of an imminent apocalypse, you’ll know Ken Hall. He’s played two roles on the show, Pogo, the talking chimpanzee and analytics specialist Herb. We’ll talk about working on the series and how he went from social work to the business of being funny. Finally, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, director of a new film called Stanleyville a new darkly humorous social satire now on VOD, stops by. Imagine if Samuel Beckett wrote “Squid Game,” minus the giant Kewpie doll, and you’ll get the idea of “Stanleyville.” It is a social satire, structured around a series of strange games administered by an odd moderator called Homunculus. The contestants are challenged to everything from balloon blowing contests to “writing a national anthem for everybody everywhere through all time.” As the games go on, escalating consequences pit the players against one another. It’s a cool move that is part Squid Game, part Lord of the Flies and part Samuel Beckett.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet Chris Pratt and Taylor Kitsch. You know Chris Pratt as the star of the "Jurassic World" franchise and as Star-Lord in Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy." Taylor Kitsch is a Canadian actor, known for his work as Tim Riggins in the NBC television series "Friday Night Lights," and starring in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "Battleship," "Lone Survivor" and for playing David Koresh in the miniseries "Waco." They are teamed to talk about their new series on Amazon Prime, "The Terminal List." The series follows James Reece, played by Pratt after his entire platoon of Navy SEALs is ambushed while on a covert mission. Reece returns home to his family with conflicting memories of the event and questions about his culpability. As new evidence comes to light, Reece discovers dark forces working against him, endangering not only his life but the lives of those he loves. Kitsch is Ben Edwards, Reese’s best friend and fellow Navy Seal. We’ll also meet Chloe Traicos. You know her from the black comedy "The Righteous Gemstones," a series created by Danny McBride that follows a famous yet dysfunctional family of televangelists. You can find the show on Crave here in Canada. Chloe played Gloria Freeman, the wife of televangelist "Baby" Billy Freeman, who abandoned her and their son in a pet store. She also stars in “Introducing Jodea,” a comedy about a struggling young actress whose fortunes change when a world-famous movie director drives into the back of her car. It’s available wherever you legally buy and download movies. She has a fascinating story. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, she is unable to return because she made a controversial documentary about the country's former leader, Robert Mugabe. Then, we’ll spend some time with Clare Pooley, the Cambridge educated author of "Iona Iverson’s Rules For Commuting." After working in advertising for twenty years it dawned on her daily ‘wine o’clock’ habit was out of control. She wrote the popular "Mummy was a Secret Drinker" blog and a memoir, "The Sober Diaries," published in 2017 to critical acclaim. Her debut novel, "The Authenticity Project," was inspired by her life and her seemingly perfect facade. Her new novel, "Iona Iverson’s Rules For Commuting," is an entertaining novel about unexpected friendships and the joy of connecting.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we meet Jeff Burrows, drummer of the multi-Platinum selling and multi-JUNO award-nominated Rock band The Tea Party, who will be returning to Canadian stages this summer with their first tour in almost three years. The tour follows the release of The Tea Party’s “Sunshower” EP, a companion piece to the “Black River” EP, presenting a message of hope in the face of one of the most challenging years we as a society have endured so far in the 21st century. We’ll also get to Know Daniel Paisner. He is one of publishing's most in-demand ghostwriters, the writer who actually writes those celebrity biographies that sit on the front of the racks at your favorite bookstore. His latest novel, “Balloon Dog” – a provocative, comedic, tender and contemplative book on middle age, social media, art, and belonging… asks: what happens when the life you are living is no longer the life you imagined? Apart from Apart from being a novelist, my final guest today, Fiona Barton, has worked as a senior writer for the Daily Mail, a news editor for the Daily-Telegraph, and also as a news-editor for the Mail on Sunday. After an award-winning career in British newspapers, she gave it all to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world. She has also penned four worldwide bestselling thrillers, “The Widow,” “The Child” and “The Suspect.” She returns to bookstores with “Local Gone Missing,” a new crime novel featuring Detective Elise King investigating a man’s disappearance in a seaside town where the locals and weekenders are at odds with each other.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we tell you about “Elvis,” the new film about the King of Rock and Roll from Moulin Rouge director Baz Lurhmann. The movie covers the twenty-ish years in the lives of Elvis and his manager Colonel Tim Parker. Through the birth of rock ‘n roll of the late 1950s and the cheesy Hollywood years to the legendary 1968 Comeback Special and the Las Vegas rise and fall, Elvis and the Colonel shimmied and shook their way to the top of the charts and into the history books. I caught up with director Baz Lurhmann and his stars Austin Butler, who hands in a terrific performance as Elvis and Olivia DeJong who plays Elvis’ wife, Priscilla. We talked about what the story of Elvis’s life can tell us about America, Priscilla’s role in the singer’s life and mushc more. Then, Nyla Innuksuk, director of “Slash/Back,” a cool new coming of age story with an Indigenous and sci fiction twist, and a message about friendship and what it means to fight for community, stops by to tell us about the challenges of taking a crew of 50 people to Baffin Island in the summer of 2019, to make this film. Finally meet writer Cian KEY ANN Cruise. He has a degree in film studies and philosophy and is a new dad. He combines all those avenues from his life in his new book, “Dad Bod: Portraits of Pop Culture Papas.” A clever collection of essays about father figures in popular culture, he has a look at everyone from Gandalf to Homer Simpson, to unpack the qualities that inform our collective image of fatherhood. Stick around and find out what he says Rambo, as seen in First Blood, can teach us about the behaviour of toddlers.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet actor and musician Noah Reid. He became involved in theatre around age six, has been regularly appearing on television since his high school years and has appeared in films like "Buffaloed" and "Disappearance at Clifton Hill," but it was his performance as Patrick Brewer, business partner and later husband, of Dan Levy’s character David on "Schitt's Creek" that made him a household name. Patrick was already a well-loved character on the series when, in season 4, episode 6, he serenaded his David with a very familiar tune. The “Simply the Best” scene is one of the most emotional scenes in the entire series for the iconic couple, and is now a fan favorite. It also taught us something new about Noah Reid… he can really sing. Turns out, he’s an accomplished musicians with three albums featuring his powerful vocals and honest delivery. His first two albums, “Songs from a Broken Chair” and “Gemini,” collectively have garnered 145 million streams, two nominations at the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards in the Songwriter of the Year and New/Emerging Artist of the Year categories and landed Noah on four Billboard charts. His latest album is “Adjustments,” which will be available everywhere you legally download and buy music this month. We get to know Noah, and talk about his latest, on-going project, starring on Broadway in “The Minutes,” a show about the inner-workings of a city council meeting in the fictional town of Big Cherry.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet actor Alana Hawley Purvis. In “Range Roads,” now available on Super Channel and to rent or buy on VOD, she plays an actress who tries to reconnect with her estranged brother after their parents die in a car accident. But there’s a mystery as well. Frankie finds a life insurance policy that names a woman whose name she doesn’t recognize. What’s her connection to the family? We’ll also meet award-winning comedian Leslie Seiler. Leslie is from Halifax and now lives in Los Angeles. The focus of her mew comedy album, “Check For Snakes,” is moving to L.A. in 2016 and experiencing the Trump and Covid era from the perspective of someone from Canada. We talk about her comedy and her side gig… decorating Christmas trees for Jennifer Lopez. Then we meet David Cronenberg. If it is true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Cronenberg must be basking in the reflected glow of some pretty serious film fawning. The OG of Body Horror’s influence can be seen in lurid detail in recent movies like the Palme d'Or winner “Titane” and Natalie Portman’s biological thriller “Annihilation” among many others. The director of “Eastern Promises,” “A History of Violence,” “The Fly” and “Videodrome,” among many others, returns to theatres after an eight-year break with “Crimes of the Future,” an all-star story of eroticized human evolution starring Kristen Stewart, Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux. Sharing a name with a movie the director made in 1970 and based on a script he wrote in the early 2000s, “Crimes of the Future” takes place in a time when "Accelerated Evolution Syndrome" has all but eliminated pain in most humans.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet Elamin Abdelmahmoud. He is the host of CBC's weekly pop culture podcast POP CHAT, co-host of CBC's political podcast PARTY LINES, and a frequent culture commentator for CBC News. He's a culture writer for BuzzFeed News, and now adds author to his list of cr4edits with the release of a memoir called “Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces.” In this interview we discuss moving to Canada from Sudan at age twelve, in addition to wrestling, turn of the century metal bands and the influence of TV shows like “The O.C.”. Then we’ll meet Martin Freeman. You know the Emmy, a BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award winning actor from playing Tim Canterbury in the original British series of “The Office.” He was Dr. John Watson in the British crime drama series “Sherlock” opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” film trilogy and will soon be seen in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” reprising the role of Everett K. Ross. Today we’ll talk about his newest project, the critically acclaimed police series “The Responder,” now playing on Brit Box.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet author Eugene Marten. His latest powerful new novel “Pure Life” is the sprawling story of the rise and fall of a former professional American Football player, Nineteen, who claws his way from a working-class background to wealth and fame before losing everything. Then, we get to know Mark O’Brien. As an actor, Mark is one of the stars of Showtime’s "City on a Hill," starring opposite Kevin Bacon and produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. You’ve seen him on the Amazon series "The Last Tycoon" opposite Kelsey Grammar, and will soon see him in the recurring guest star role of ambitious Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Thomas Milligan in the second season of HBOs popular “Perry Mason” reboot. Today we’ll talk about “The Righteous,” his debut as a feature film director… oh, and he also wrote it and stars as well as Aaron, a mysterious young man who turns the life of a former priest upside down. Finally, director Sunnie McFadden-Curtis stops by to talk about “Broken Vows: Stories Of Separation,” a new documentary that takes you into the lives of women experiencing separation.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet Kevin Doyle. He is one of the stars of “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” the big screen continuation of the adventures of the aristocratic Crawley family. Doyle plays the Abbey's former second footman, and now village school master, Joseph Molesley and was a regular on the beloved television series for all six seasons. I spoke with Kevin Doyle during the release of the first Downton Abbey movie, on the show’s popularity and learning the ins and outs of being a footman at the Abbey. We’ll also meet award-winning Sri Lankan Canadian novelist Shyam Selvadurai. His new novel “Mansions of the Moon” is a reimagining of ancient India through the extraordinary life of Yasodhara, the woman who married the Buddha. Then: Did you have a toy light sabre when you were a kid? I did… it was a Kenner Inflatable Light Saber that kept me and my friends safe from the Darth Vader and the Dark Side when I was thirteen years old. Later in the show we’ll meet Roger Christian, the English set decorator, production designer and feature film director who won an Academy Award for his work on the original Star Wars and was Oscar-nominated for his work on Alien. He is the man who built the lightsaber, probably one of the most famous props in movie history. He stops by to talk about his new film, a memoir documentary called Galaxy Built on Hope, which fills in a major missing chapter in the history of the making of "Star Wars." The film tells the story of the Star Wars Art Department and how Roger worked with the brilliant production designer John Barry to bring George Lucas' fantastic vision to the big screen on a budget.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we revisit an interview with the late, great Gilbert Gottfried. As you probably already know, the legendary comedian passed away last month at the age of 67. I saw him perform just two weeks before his died, and while he looked frail, he delivered a show that was sweet, funny and incredibly rude, sometimes all at once, and that was Gilbert’s magic. There was no one else quite like him, no one as fearless as he was on stage, or as funny. This conversation dates from the release of the 2017 documentary Gilbert. We talk about the beginnings of his stand-up career, why he doesn’t want his kids to follow in his footsteps and his legendary telling of The Aristocrats, the filthiest joke ever told, in the weeks following 9/11 and how that brough laughter back to New York City. Then we’ll meet Professor William Irwin of the Philosophy Department of King's College in Pennsylvania. He is a philosophy professor, literary critic, and heavy metal scholar whose new book “The Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics,” takes a serious look at the lyrics of metal’s biggest band, disentangling double meanings, explaining stories, uncovering sources, and illuminating themes such as hope, despair, rage, resilience, power, liberty, justice, love, death, and insanity. Do you have young kids at home? If so, a new series might be just the thing you’re looking for. “Luna, Chip and Inkie: Adventure Rangers Go” is a new series for 3-6 year olds will be available free and commercial free across Canada on the Knowledge Kids app and website. Within British Columbia, the series will also be available to watch on television on the Knowledge Network station. Creating the music for the series is my guest Daniel Ingram. He is one of the top songwriters working in Children’s/Family entertainment and he has written songs for Emily Blunt, Zoey Saldana, Kristin Chenoweth and even Weird Al Yankovic. He has scored hundreds of episodes of television and most popular songs on YouTube have over 100 million online views, with a cumulative catalogue approaching one billion views.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we have a look at a new series on Prime Video that reunites one of Canada’s favorite comedy troupes. From 1989 to 1995 the Kids in the Hall, comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson, bounced around the dial, with their eponymously named television show, bringing with them subversive comedy and loads of laughs. These days there is a Kids in the Hall renaissance of a sort happening. A biography by Paul Myers titled “The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy” is available wherever fine books are sold, a two-part documentary called “The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks” will feature archival footage from the quintet's earliest years, behind-the-scenes clips from their sketch series and in-depth interviews… most excitingly, there the Kids are back together in front of a camera for a new eight-episode season on Amazon Prime, executive produced by Lorne Michaels. The revival is set to broadcast on May 13, 2022. Joining me to talk about the Kids in the Hall, past and present is co-founder Dave Foley and Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet drummer Don Pyle, whose song "Having an Average Weekend", was used as the theme to original Kids TV show.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet comedian Jessica Kirson. We talk about how her grandmother influenced her to follow her dreams and how she cultivated her talent. Keep up with Jessica check out her website jessicakirson.com and check out her entertaining podcast, “Relatively Sane Podcast,” which is available everywhere you listen to podcasts. Then author Michael Barclay stops by. His book “Hearts on Fire” is about the creative explosion in Canadian music of the early 2000s. In the conversation we talk about how the fiercely independent Canadian spirit of the early 2000s plus musicians and bands like, Arcade Fire, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Feist, Tegan and Sara and Alexisonfire, who embraced, what Barclay calls their weirdness to great success. If you love music, you’ll want to hear this interview. Then we’ll meet Raeann Brown who joined me from Wabush, Newfoundland to talk about her new book “Bedtime in Nunatsiavut,” which is described as an “Indigenous fairytale of dreams."

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we get to know Jamie Chai Yun Liew. She is a lawyer and law professor specializing in immigration, refugee, and citizenship law and the creator of the podcast Migration Conversations. She brings that experience to her critically acclaimed debut novel “Dandelion,” the story of an Asian woman who traces her mother's past journey in order to learn who she really is and where she belongs. Then, we meet Mayim Bialik. She has played neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on the incredibly popular “Big Bang Theory,” written books, earned a Phd in in neuroscience from UCLA and currently stars in the new sitcom Call Me Kat and hosts the primetime version of Jeopardy. Today she joins me to talk about her directorial debut “As They Made Us,” a family drama starring Candice Bergen and Dustin Hoffman. We wrap up with NoViolet Bulawayo, whose new novel “Glory,” is set in the fictionalized country of Jidada. It is a brash and boisterous take on NoViolet’s home country of Zimbabwe and its political life.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we meet Katherine Ryan. She is a Canadian who moved to England in 2007 and now Brits know and love her from the many panel shows she’s appeared on, her wildly popular no-filter podcast Telling Everybody Everything or her Netflix comedy-drama “The Duchess.” On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we meet Katherine Ryan. She is a Canadian who moved to England in 2007 with a boyfriend who wanted to start a comedy She's known for being hilariously herself in a non-apologetic way, so it doesn’t comes as a surprise that her latest project, a memoir that details her rise to U.K. fame and her Canadian life before that as a Hooters waiter and Ryerson student, and before that her life in Sarnia, is called “The Audacity.” We’ll also get to know actor Tim Roth. The English actor is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino… movies like “Reservoir Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Four Rooms” and “The Hateful Eight.” He is a Golden Globe and Oscar nominated actor who returns to theatres in Sundown, an intriguing film about a man who radically changes his life. We’ll talk all about that movie, his memorable turn in Pulp Fiction and his upcoming role in “She-Hulk,” opposite Tatiana Maslany later in the show. The we meet comedian Charlie Demers. CBC radio called him “one of the smartest comics out there.” He is an acclaimed Vancouver playwright, author, radio personality, voice actor and comedian and also has a new comedy album called “I Hope I Don’t Remember This My Whole Life” available now wherever you legally buy and download albums.

An in-depth conversation with the late, great Gilbert Gottfried.

On this episode of the Richard Crouse Podcast we’ll meet Ke Huy Quan, the star of the most aptly titled movie of the year. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a wild and woolly adventure where the quirk factor is turned up to 11 and literally anything could happen. It’s a full tilt boogie story about a laundromat owner in trouble with the IRS who is sent off to another dimension to battle an evil spirit called Jobu Tupaki. You know Ke Huy Quan as Short Round, the plucky kid companion to Indiana Jones in The Temple Of Doom and from a role in cult classic comedy-adventure The Goonies. We’ll talk about why he chose to return to acting in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” after a twenty year break from Hollywood. Then, we’ll meet meet Nicole Lundrigan. She is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including her latest book, “An Unthinkable Thing.” It is the story of a young boy scarred by tragedy that brings him into the home of a "perfect" family--one whose dark secrets begin closing in, until a horrifying moment changes everything.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show I’ll tell you about a new movie playing in theatres right now. “Run Woman Run” is the story of Beck, an Indigenous single mom at a crossroad. Ambitionless, when she isn’t binge eating, she’s hopping in the car to go check the mail… from the mailbox at the end of her driveway. Following a health scare, she decides to change her life through marathon running. "Run Woman Run" is a lighthearted film with serious messages of recovery from residential school trauma, self-discovery and the erasure of Indigenous languages. It doesn’t shy away from the big topics, but at its heart it is an underdog story about overcoming obstacles and belief in one’s self. I spoke with the film’s director Zoe Hopkins and breakout star Dakota Ray Hebert in separate interviews, which I have stitched them together to tell the story of the making of this wonderful film. Then, Chris Hadfield, astronaut, engineer, singer, and fighter pilot and now author of a thriller called “The Apollo Murders” stops by to talk about his book and much more.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we chat with “Big Gold Brick” star Andy Garcia. In the off-beat comedy he plays an enigmatic, middle-aged father of two who enlists the help of a fledgling writer to pen his biography. He stars alongside Emory Cohen, Megan Fox, Lucy Hale and Oscar Isaac. “Big Gold Brick” is available on digital and on demand. We also talk about the scene that scene that made him a star, the Odessa Steps sequence in “The Untouchables.” Then, we’ll meet actor and writer Jim Piddock. For four decades he has appeared on Broadway and on the big and small screen in movies like “Independence Day,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” “A Mighty Wind,” “Austin Powers in Goldmember” and shows like “Modern Family,” “Mom,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Lost,” Monk,” “Friends”… the list goes on. Jim looks back at his career in a funny and frank new memoir called “Caught With My Pants Down & Other Tales From A Life In Hollywood.” It is available now wherever fine books are sold.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Annmarie Morais and Ronnie Rowe Jr, the show runner and star, respectively of “The Porter,” a great new CBC drama, set in the 1920s, about the moment when railway workers from both Canada and the United States joined together to give birth to the world’s first Black union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. We also get to know meet author Daniel Stolfi, author of “The Comedian Vs Cancer” a raw, moving and comedic memoir detailing his journey through cancer treatment at the young age of 25 and Mark Williams who played the English wizard Arthur Weasley in seven of the hit Harry Potter films and can now be seen in the BritBox drama “Father Brown,” one of the UK’s longest running Daytime Drama series.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet Shawn Levy, the Montreal born producer and director, known for Stranger Things, Real Steel, the Night at the Museum franchise and the recent mega hit Free Guy with Ryan Reynolds. He has reteamed with Reynolds for the Netflilx sci fi family drama The Adam Project. He joined from Los Angeles via Zoom to talk about the why the film isn’t simply a sci fi epic and finding a child actor who could keep up with Ryan Reynolds. Then, Canadian comedian, actor, writer and YouTuber Julie Nolke also stops by to talk about how she amasses one million followers on You Tube and her new role in the hot sitcom Run the Burbs. Then, multi award winning humanitarian and community activist Akilah Newton joins me today to discuss her latest project, Big Dreamers: The Canadian Black History Activity Book for Kids Volume 2. It is a celebration of the Black Canadians who overcame adversity and went on to achieve greatness while changing the course of history. To wrap things up, we meet Mark Williams who played the English wizard Arthur Weasley in seven of the hit Harry Potter films and can now be seen in the BritBox drama “Father Brown,” one of the UK’s longest running Daytime Drama series.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet multi-instrumentalist and Barenaked Ladies pianist Kevin Hearn. The Canadian Hall of Famer has just released a beautiful new solo record titled “There and Then: Solo Piano Improvisations” and he joined us via Zoom to talk about it. Then, actor Manny Jacinto stops by to talk about how = his character in the new Amazon Prime rom com “I Want You Back,” was inspired by two characters from his last TV show, the great sitcom, “The Good Place.” Then we meet CS Porter. We’ll learn about how and why he sat down to wrote a thriller called “Beneath Her Skin” after being diagnosed with MS. Finally, Aba Amuquandoh of “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” stops by, but she’s not here to talk about politics. She has her eye on something much smaller… tiny in fact. She’s the host of a new CBC Gem show called “Best in Miniature.” Listen and learn how creators shrink down their designs to itty-bitty proportions.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet Keala Settle. If you were a fan of the musical The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman, and who wasn’t?... then you’ll know her as the powerhouse voice behind the Academy Award nominated song This is Me. Today, we’ll talk about why she had such a difficult time singing that song, a brain disease she says has changed her life and we’ll find out all about her new project, Murder in Provence, a new detective series now available on BritBox that investigates the murders, mysteries, and dark underbelly of the idyllic area in the south of France. Then we meet actor, woodworker and author Nick Offerman. If you have been watching “Pam & Tommy” you know my next guest as Uncle Miltie, porn producer and all-round scumbag. Or maybe you know his role in “The Founder,” in which he portrays Richard McDonald, one of the brothers who developed the fast-food chain McDonald's. You absolutely know him as Ron Swanson, the mustachioed, libertarian guy in the corner office on the hit sitcom “Parks and Recreation.” This weekend he’ll co-host the “37th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards” with Megan Mullally, who also happens to be his wife.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Sarah Weinman. Her new book Scoundrel, is the wild and true story of a murderer who conned the people around him—including neo-conservative thinker and National Review founder William F. Buckley—into helping set him free. Then, Tara Mckenna stops by to talk about her book Don't Be Trashy: A Practical Guide to Living with Less Waste and More Joy. The author says she’s always been environmentally aware, but seriously began my low waste journey early in 2017 after travelling. Snorkeled through trash in Bali, Indonesia, or picking up litter on trails in Southern Ontario, Canada, taught her that waste is a worldwide issue.

Richard joins host Jim Richards of the NewsTalk 1010 afternoon show The Rush for Booze and Reviews! Today we talk about the Tom Holland action adventure “Uncharted,” the newfangled werewolf tale “The Cursed” and the man-and-his-dog tale of “Dog” with Channing Tatum. Then, instead of ordering in a pizza, why not try a pizza beer?

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Haley McGee, a Canadian living in London, England, who has written a book called “The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale,” a memoir about her attempt to pay off credit card debt by selling gifts from her exes. In the book she tries to calculate exactly how much romantic relationships cost in time, money and effort. Then we’ll get to know Celeste Bell, co-director of a great new music documentary called “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché.” It’s the story of Bell’s mother, legendary punk rock singer Poly Styrene, whose band X-Ray Specs were one of the first punk rock bands to find commercial success with their album “Germfree Adolescents.” The documentary is a rarity, a movie about punk rock that casts its eyes beyond the musical anarchy to portray the real person behind the music. Finally, we chat to Clark Backo. You know her as Wayne's love interest Rosie, on the television series “Letterkenny.” You can now see her in “I Want You Back,” a very funny rom com now playing on Amazon Prime.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Jann Arden. With 19 top ten singles, like “Could I Be Your Girl,” “I Would Die For You” and “Insensitive,” she is one of Canada’s best-known singer, songwriters. She has also written five books and has a hit sitcom on CTV called “Jann.” Her latest project is an album of new material called “Descendant,” a 15-song collection that represents the last 18 months of her life and headspace. Then we’ll get to know multi-hyphenate Kevin Smith. He’s a filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, and podcaster. You know his movies like “Clerks,” “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” Now he adds another hyphen to his resume. Documentary subject. The documentary “Clerk,” now on VOD, touches on every aspect of his work, from the film that put him on the map to the View Askewniverse to his health problems and a new found self-awareness.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet David Pevsner. Over the course of his 35-year career in show business, David has done it all. He’s acted on Broadway, off-Broadway, in independent films and on numerous TV network shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family and Criminal Minds. Now he has added author to his resume… Damn Shame is his new memoir. It is a passionate and poignant look at one journey from a thin, shy boy ashamed of his body and sexuality to a defiant, fearless person exploring his erotic desires. David Pevsner joined me via Zoom from his home in Los Angeles. Then, stand-up comedian K. Trevor Wilson stops by. You know him as the long-winded Squirrely Dan on Letterkenny. Or maybe you’ve seen him do stand up on the Jimmy Kimmel Show or perhaps you’re a fan of his acerbic jabs on Roast Battle Canada… today he stops by to talk about his latest project, LOL: Last One Laughing Canada. It’s a six-part competition series on Amazon Prime where 10 of the best comedic talents from Canada are pitted against each other in a celebrity showdown. As the clock counts down their objective is to eliminate others from the house by making each other laugh, while not laughing themselves.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet best-selling author Michael Harris. In his new book, “All We Want: Building the Life We Cannot Buy,” Michael has a look at consumer culture and finds a roadmap to a healthier future through three realms… the worlds of Craft, the Sublime, and Care. Then, “The Montague Twins: The Witch's Hand,” is a graphic novel written by Nathan Page and illustrated by Drew Shannon, and available now wherever you buy fine books. The book, the first in a series for Young Adult readers, tells the story of twins Al and Pete, their stepsister Charlie, and Rowan, their tutor in the ways of magic. It is a return to the old school amateur detective genre with a refreshing modern update that tells a compelling story with important social awareness.

This week on the Richard Crouse Podcast we meet Andrew Phung. You know him as the award-winning actor who played Kimchee in the CBC Television sitcom "Kim's Convenience," and have seen him in guest starring roles on shows like "The Beaverton" and "Wynonna Earp" but he’s back with a new show, now playing on CBC. On "Run the Burbs," he plays Andrew Pham, a suburban stay-at-home dad of two children whose wife is an entrepreneur. Then, we spend some time with Kaya Usher. Her new album, "All This Is," was recorded with two of her children, fulfilling a dream that she and her husband, the late Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie, shared… to create music as a family. The result is an album of songs that represent not only an artistic awakening but personal healing.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet the cast of a new CBC Television show called “Son of a Critch.” If you are a fan of the political commentary and social satire of “This Hour Has 22 Minutes,” you already know Mark Critch. Since 2003 he has starred on the political parody show. He’s photo-bombed Justin Trudeau, offered Pamela Anderson a million dollars to stop acting, and poked fun at characters like Rex Murphy, Don Cherry and Donald Trump. His latest project is much more personal. A couple years ago Mark wrote a warm and funny look back at his formative years, growing up in St. John’s, Newfoundland in the 80s called “Son of a Critch: A Childish Newfoundland Memoir”. That bestseller is now the basis of Son of a Critch, which airs on CBC television and CBC Gem on Tuesday nights. Later in the show we’ll meet Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who plays the eleven year old Mark on the show, and we’ll spend some time with the legendary actor Malcolm McDowell, the star of “A Clockwork Orange” and so many other films, and who plays Mark’s grandfather. McDowell talks about his new found love of Newfoundland and offers advice to young actors.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet the "Marie Kondo of Digital." Her name is Christina Crook, and she has written a thoughtful book about realigning our energies, increasing intentionality, and prioritizing our well-being in the digital age. She is a pioneer and leading voice in the field of digital wellbeing and the author of a new book called "Good Burdens: How to Live Joyfully in the Digital Age.' Then, musician Jon Batiste stops by. Perhaps you know him as the bandleader on the "Stephen Colbert Show," or as an Oscar winner for his score to the Pixar movie "Soul." Today we find out about his album “We Are,” which is available now wherever you buy fine music. Then we meet Robert Matzen, acclaimed Old Hollywood biographer and author of the new book "Warrior: Audrey Hepburn," which you may have seen featured in a four-page spread in a recent issue of "People" magazine. Finally, author Jaime Weinman stops by. His new book is Anvils, Mallets & Dynamite "The Unauthorized Biography of Looney Tunes,“ an affectionate tribute and history of the home of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester and Tweety Pie, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Porky Pig, and many other iconic cartoon characters.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show Podcast we get to know legendary film critic Leonard Maltin. His new book “Starstruck: My Unlikely Road to Hollywood,” is on shelves now and details his 30-year run on Entertainment Tonight, his interviews with golden age of Hollywood elites like Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, Shirley Temple, and Jimmy Stewart and insights into moviemaking with stories from the past, present, and future stars of film, like George Lucas, Kevin Feige of Marvel, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro. Then, Helen Walsh, author of "Pull Focus: A Novel," a book that has been described as “Part Real Housewives, part grown-up Nancy Drew,” stops by. Set within the inner workings of an international film festival, the novel details Hollywood power brokers, Russian oil speculators, Chinese propagandists, and a board chair who seemingly has it out for Jane, the book’s main character.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast. If you are like my wife and I, for the better part of fifteen years, most Tuesday nights you would tune into "The Rick Mercer Report," hosted by my guest, Rick Mercer. Part travelogue of our beautiful country, part news satire, part sketch comedy. He golfed with Anne Murray, climbed to the top of a roller-coaster at Canada's Wonderland and even skinny dipped with Bob Rae. Find out how that happened later in the show. And don’t forget the Rants, his minute long diatribes about whatever was on his mind that week. Then, after fifteen years he quit "The Rick Mercer Report," a job he called, the best job in the world, at the peak of its popularity. Why? We'll find out. After that he did stand up and then Covid-19 struck. In lockdown, after four books based on content from the shows, he began writing his most personal story yet. His story. The result is a revealing and hilarious memoir called "Talking to Canadians: A Memoir" and it is available now wherever you buy fine books. Stick around… we talk about everything from why the critics called one of his first shows it We Have No Pity for the Audience to turning down a big money offer to head to the United States to host a game show to why his drama teacher told him quitting the school drama club would be, “one of the biggest mistakes of his life.’”

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Danny Goldberg. Regular listeners of this show may remember my interview with him from a year or two back when we talked about his rock ‘n roll life as the manager of Nirvana, the publicist for Led Zeppelin and record a company executive who released Stevie Nicks’ solo records and Warren Zevon's Grammy winning "The Wind," Steve Earle’s Grammy winner "The Revolution Starts Now," and the Baha Men’s "Who Let The Dogs Out." What you may not know is that he is also an activist, sitting on the Board of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California and the Nation Institute and Americans for Peace Now and many others. His new book is "Bloody Crossroads 2020: Art, Entertainment, and Resistance to Trump." It’s available wherever you buy fine books and takes a look at how singer Taylor Swift became an unwitting idol of the neo-Nazi movement, explores the impact of entertainment celebrities in communications, fundraising, and campaigning to support the election of Joe Biden and much more.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet “Furious Devotion: The Authorised Story of Shane MacGowan” author Richard Balls. The best-selling biography is a portrait either in self-destruction or the indomitable spirit of someone whose demeanor suggests a hangover come to life. It is also a vivid look at the life of the complex, contradictory and talented man best known as the lead singer of The Pogues. Then, we’ll get to know Indigenous singer-songwriter Anyma, whose debut, 6-track EP “Humans” offers a glimpse into what she sees at the center of her balance – art, community, introspection, love, nature, wisdom, and humanity.

On this week's Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Commander Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space and served as commander of the International Space Station. Now, on earth, the astronaut and bestselling author, is turning to fiction for the first time. James Cameron, director of “Avatar” and “Titanic,” called Hadfield’s new book “The Apollo Murders,” “Nail-biting. I couldn’t put it down,” he said. The new thriller is set in 1973. In this alternative history the Cold War is still burning hot and is now being projected into space with the Soviets building an orbiting spy station while looking to mine the moon for precious radioactive minerals. With Apollo 18 (the real Apollo missions ended at 17) the U.S. is out to frustrate these plans. It may be that the Soviets are one step ahead though, as they already have someone inside the Apollo program. Hadfield is also the author of the memoir An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, the children's book The Darkest Dark, which was illustrated by the Fan Brothers, and the photo book You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes. Commander Chris Hadfield joins me via Zoom from Las Vegas to talk about his new book The Apollo Murders. Then, Katherine Ryan is a Canadian who moved to England in 2007 with a boyfriend who wanted to start a comedy career in the UK. His comedy career didn’t take off, but hers did, and now Brits know and love her from the many panel shows she's appeared on, her wildly popular no-filter podcast Telling Everybody Everything or her Netflix comedy-drama The Duchess. She also has a new series, Backstage with Katherine Ryan, which will showcase live stand-up sets from beloved and emerging comedians. It’s slated to premiere on Amazon Prime in 2022. She's known for being hilariously herself in a non-apologetic way, so it doesn’t comes as a surprise that her latest project, a memoir that details her rise to U.K. fame and her Canadian life before that as a Hooters waiter and Ryerson student, and before that her life in Sarnia, is called The Audacity.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we celebrate Halloween with two of the stars of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,”Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell. They both appeared in the original stage production and the movie, as castle maid Magenta and the tap-dancing Columbia respectively. Then, we’ll spend some time with horror maestro Guillermo Del Toro, director of movies you love like Academy Award winning “The Shape of Water,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pacific Rim” and many more. In a conversation we recorded nine years ago, we talk about why he is drawn to the horror genre, why children play such large roles in his films and much more. Land finally, I recommend “Let Me In,” a great vampire movie you may not have seen… something fun to watch this weekend. We’ll also meet the director, Matt Reeves, who’ll talk about the movie and why we get scared when we go to the movies.

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show Podcast we get to know Hilary Brown, author of the new book War Tourist, available now on Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. In a career that spanned almost four decades, she was ABC’s first female foreign correspondent, and reported from every continent except Antarctica. TVO’s “The Agenda” called her “Canada’s best-ever female foreign correspondent.” She was one of the last journalists to be lifted by helicopter from the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon in 1975, during the Communist takeover of South Vietnam. One of her ABC reports later appeared in the motion picture “The Deer Hunter” in what Brown calls her “fifteen seconds of fame.” She has interviewed everyone from President Hamid Karzai, Condoleeza Rice and the Shah of Iran to Sidney Poitier, Lawrence Oliver and John le Carre. She retired from what she calls “the best job in the world” in 2009, and has now documented her life in her fascinating new memoir, “War Tourist.” Then Samantha Fish, a guitarist, songwriter and singer, voted by guitarworld.com as oner of the 10 best blues guitarists in the world today joins us. Calling her a blues guitarist is a little misleading because in a career spanning over 10 years, the Kansas City, Missouri musician music features multiple genres, including blues but also rock, country, funk, bluegrass and ballads. Her latest album, “Faster,” available now wherever you buy fine records, adds a new twist or two… On the new record she explores new ground adding in elements of pop, contemporary R & B and hip-hop into the music.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we get to know Rob Lindsay, director of “No Responders Left Behind,” a documentary about the fight waged by former “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, social activist John Feal and FDNY hero Ray Pfeifer to get health benefits and compensation for 9/11 first responders. The film is now streaming on Discovery Plus in Canada. Then, Rebecca Ferguson, star of the much anticipated sci fi movie “Dune” stops by to talk about her character Lady Jessica, and why she described reading the book to be like doing a crossword puzzle. Then, Elaine Taylor Plummer stops by. She is a former actress. You’ve seen her in comedies like “Diamond for Breakfast” and “Half a Sixpence,” and she was even a Bond girl in 1967's “Casino Royale.” She dropped by the show today to talk about her husband of more than 50 years, the late, great Christopher Plummer and a new commemorative stamp issued by Canada Post in his honor. The couple met while filming Lock Up Your Daughters in 1969, and were together until the actor’s death in 2021 at age 91.