Frank Buckley Interviews

Suzi Weiss-Fischmann is a co-founder and brand ambassador of OPI Products, a global nail care products company. Suzi founded the company with George Schaeffer as a dental supply business in 1981 before adapting their products to the acrylic nail market. It came to redefine the nail industry and Suzi became known as the First Lady of Nails. During this podcast, Suzi discusses her immigrant story of success and her new book "I'm Not Really a Waitress: How One Woman Took Over the Beauty Industry One Color at a Time," she recounts the highlights and setbacks of creating and scaling OPI, and Suzi reveals how she develops colors and names them.

Katelyn Ohashi is a gymnast who competes for UCLA. She finished the 2018 season ranked No. 1 in the nation in floor exercise and is the NCAA floor exercise co-champion. A video capturing Katelyn performing a perfect 10 in a floor exercise routine in January 2019 went viral, and her unabashed joy during that routine captured the imagination of people around the world. During this podcast Katelyn talks about that performance and the importance of her team and her coaches, she reveals how she'd left gymnastics years before after an injury left her Olympic dreams shattered, she shares some of her spoken word poetry, and she discusses her plans for the future.

Kunal Nayyar is an actor who plays Rajesh Koothrappali on the popular CBS-TV show "The Big Bang Theory." The show will airs its network series finale on May 16, 2019 after 12 years on the air. Kunal has appeared in every episode of the series run. During the 2017-2018 TV season, it was the most-watched network TV show in America. During this podcast, Kunal discusses his feelings about the end of the series, he also candidly reveals how success and worldwide fame affected him and how he's grown as a person, and Kunal talks about his plans for the future including a possible podcast.

Taylor Dayne is a singer-songwriter and pop music icon best known for her 1987 hit "Tell It To My Heart." Taylor's new book incorporates the song into its title: "Tell it To My Heart: How I Lost My S#*T, Conquered My Fear, and Found My Voice." During this podcast, Taylor discusses her life and career including her father's reaction to revelations in the book that she and other family members were victims of his abuse in the home.Taylor details her journey from aspiring singer to global star, and she reveals how medical challenges, panic attacks and agoraphobia, and her determination to have a child all contributed to who she is today.

Yeardley Smith is an actress and voice artist best known for being the voice of Lisa Simpson on the long-running animated series "The Simpsons." She is also a podcaster whose true-crime podcast "Small Town Dicks" with co-host and fellow producer Zibby Allen just premiered its fourth season of episodes on March 15, 2019. On March 30, 2019, Yeardley will receive the National Leadership Award from the Human Rights Campaign. During this podcast, Yeardley discusses her life and career and explains how she developed the voice of Lisa Simpson. She also reveals how "Small Town Dicks" came to be and how the series is produced, and Yeardley tells us what she's working on with her production company Paperclip Limited with business partner Ben Cornwell.

Diane Shader Smith is the mother of the late Mallory Smith who authored the posthumously published memoir "Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life." Mallory was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of three and began writing a journal at 15. She continued writing in that journal until she died at the age of 25. Diane worked to get those pages published in book form and the result is the memoir published this month by Penguin Random House. During this podcast, Diane shares her daughter's story and her own story, including how she and her husband handled raising a child with CF. Diane reveals the struggles and the triumphs that Mallory and her family experienced, their determination as a family to try to beat CF, and she details the inspiring way that Mallory lived her life.

Professor Leonard Kleinrock is a distinguished professor of computer science at UCLA. His mathematical theory of packet networks is one of the underlying technologies of the internet. Professor Kleinrock directed the first-ever transmission of a message on the internet from his lab at UCLA to the Stanford Research Institute on October 26, 1969. In 2007, the professor received the President's National Medal of Science, the highest achievement in science bestowed by the President of the United States. During this podcast, Professor Kleinrock describes the moment the internet was born and explains why it was created. He also talks about the vision he and others had for the internet and what drove them in the early days to develop it. And Professor Kleinrock also reveals one thing that he didn't anticipate about how the internet is used today.

Richard Lewis is a comedian and actor who currently stars in HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." His comedy act focusing on his personal struggles and angst led to his nickname: The Prince of Pain. Richard is also the author of two books "The Other Great Depression" and "Reflections from Hell: Richard Lewis' Guide on How Not to Live." During this podcast, Richard discusses his close friendship with "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator Larry David and reveals how the show is produced. Richard also talks about where his comedy comes from and how watching comedy on TV with his family as a child contributed to his desire to make people laugh.

Kobe Bryant is a former NBA basketball player who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe is a five-time NBA champion, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time Finals MVP, and he was the 2007-2008 regular season MVP. He is third among all-time NBA points leaders. He retired from basketball after scoring an astonishing 60 points in the final game of his career on April 13, 2016. During this podcast, Kobe talks about what he's been doing since retiring from basketball in film, books, and TV, and now a partnership in a sports facility known as the Mamba Sports Academy. He also discusses the state of the Los Angeles Lakers and his view of critics who blame coach Luke Walton, Kobe reveals how he feels about his former teammate Shaquille O'Neal, and he answers the question: Would he ever consider playing NBA basketball again?

Fiona Crombie is a production designer who is nominated for a 2019 Academy Award for Best Production Design along with set decorator Alice Felton for the film The Favourite starring Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Colman. It's a quirky film set in 18th century England and the ailing Queen Anne and her intimate friend Lady Sarah who effectively runs the country. That is until a conniving servant arrives and proceeds to disrupt the status quo in a darkly hilarious way. Fiona won the British equivalent of an Oscar last weekend for Best Production Design at the BAFTA Awards. During this podcast, Fiona talks about what it means to be the production designer on a film, she discusses her process on The Favourite, and she reveals that part of that process included creating sets and settings for scenes that would not be lit by artificial light because the film's director Yorgos Lanthimos insisted on using only natural light and candles.

Terence Blanchard is a jazz musician and film composer who has scored all of Spike Lee's films since composing the score for Jungle Fever in 1991. He is nominated for a 2019 Academy Award for Music (Original Score) for composing the score for Spike Lee's film BlacKkKlansman. Terence has won several Grammy Awards as a jazz trumpeter and as a composer including most recently winning a 2019 Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for the song Blut Und Boden (Blood and Soil) from the BlacKkKlansman soundtrack. During this podcast, Terence discusses his process when working with Spike Lee, and he dissects some of the scenes from BlacKkKlansman revealing how the music was created for those scenes. He also talks about what it's like to receive his first Academy Award nomination and what it would mean to win an Oscar.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) is chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Intelligence Committee oversees America's intelligence agencies and is investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election and whether Trump campaign officials colluded with Russia to interfere. During this podcast, Chairman Schiff describes how the investigative priorities and tactics of the Intelligence Committee will change under democratic leadership. He also explains what the committee hopes to learn from former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and answers why the testimony scheduled for Friday, February 8th, is being held behind closed doors. Rep. Schiff also responds to critics including President Trump who suggest the Russia investigation is a partisan effort to try to bring down the president.

Jaime Camil is an actor who currently stars in the popular CW show "Jane the Virgin" which airs on KTLA 5. The fifth and final season of the program premieres on Wednesday, March 27th. Jaime has been nominated twice for Critics Choice Awards for his role as Jane's father Rogelio De La Vega. He has also won a Teen Choice Award and received an Imagen Award which encourages positive portrayals of Latinos and recognizes excellence. During this podcast, Jaime discusses his work on "Jane the Virgin" and his multi-faceted career which includes singing and acting including starring as Billy Flynn in a two-month run of "Chicago" on Broadway, and hit TV shows in his native Mexico. Jaime also reveals his feelings about the challenges of being a Latino actor in Hollywood. 

Justin Brooks is the director of the California Innocence Project (CIP) based at the California Western School of Law in San Diego. Justin and his team of pro bono lawyers and law students work to free prisoners who have been wrongfully convicted. To date, their work has resulted in 30 people being freed including high profile cases like Brian Banks, the USC-bound high school football star who was wrongfully convicted of rape and served five years in prison before being exonerated when the alleged victim confessed to fabricating the story. During this podcast, Justin explains how he determines if a person has been wrongfully convicted, he reveals how the California Innocence Project works to free those prisoners, and he takes us inside some of the high profile cases including the story of Brian Banks.

Sam Rubin is the award-winning entertainment anchor for the KTLA 5 Morning News. He's been reporting on the entertainment industry since he joined KTLA in 1991. Sam also appears regularly on Australian TV's 9 Network Australia and the UK's ITV. During this podcast, Sam takes us behind the scenes of the awards campaign process including how A-list actors and studios wine and dine awards voters and influencers. Sam also reveals who he thinks will win in some of the top categories at the 2019 Academy Awards.

Michael Breus is a clinical psychologist and sleep specialist known as "America's Sleep Doctor." He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine who appears regularly on TV programs like "The Dr. Oz Show" and the KTLA 5 Morning News. He is the author of books including "The Power of When" and "The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan." During this podcast, Dr. Breus discusses common sleep issues and disorders including different types of insomnia, and he provides listeners with techniques to help them to get a good night's sleep. Full show notes available at http://ktla.com/frankbuckleyinterviews.

Ralph Lawler is the play by play announcer for the Los Angeles Clippers.  The broadcasting legend has spent 40 years of his 60 year career with the Clippers. Whether on radio or television, he has broadcast virtually every Clippers game since the team moved from Buffalo, New York to California in 1978. His enthusiastic commentary has made him a fan favorite, coining catchphrases like, “Oh me, oh my!” and “Bingo!" In September of 2018, Lawler announced he would retire at the end of the 2018-19 season. During this podcast, he reveals why he made the decision to retire after having broadcast over 3,000 Clippers games. He also shares why he considers himself to be a part of the L.A. Clippers team, and reveals how he came up with his beloved catch phrases. Full show notes available at http://ktla.com/frankbuckleyinterviews.

The Frank Buckley Interviews team is off for the holidays so we've put together a special New Year, New YOU mixtape to keep you company and to inspire you as we head in to a new year. But it's not the cliche "lose 10 pounds" kind of new you that we're hoping to inspire. We've gathered three guests who can inspire you to re-charge your soul and to become more productive with your time. During this podcast, you'll hear portions of previous FBI podcasts with Andy Puddicombe, co-founder of the wildly popular Headspace guided meditation app. We also have Erin Falconer, author of "How to Get Sh*t Done: Why Women Need to Stop Doing Everything so They Can Achieve Anything." She's also the editor in chief and co-owner of the self improvement website "Pick the Brain." And you'll also hear part of our conversation with Jay Shetty, a former monk who now makes inspirational videos seen on Facebook and other platforms with the guiding principle to “make wisdom go viral.” Full show notes available at http://ktla.com/frankbu

Jake Olson is a USC football player who first came to prominence in 2009 as a 12-year-old USC football fan when he was featured on ESPN's "College Game Day." The story on ESPN detailed how then coach Pete Carroll invited Jake to be a guest of the team at a practice the day before a surgery that would leave Jake blind. Jake is now a senior at USC who has played in three USC football games as a long snapper. During this podcast, Jake recounts the experience of being invited to USC as a 12-year-old and then losing his vision, he discusses what it was like to play in his first USC football game as a blind player, and he reveals his plans for the future including a new venture (Engage), and the possibility that he might someday play--not professional football, but professional golf. Full show notes available at http://ktla.com/frankbuckleyinterviews.

Jason Coffman is the father of the late Cody Coffman, 22, who was shot and killed during the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California on November 7, 2018. He was one of 12 innocent people who were killed by a gunman who entered the venue on "College Country Night" and began shooting. His motive remains unknown. During this podcast, Jason tells us how special his son was, he discusses the horror of living through the events of that night and the following morning, and how he has managed to move forward in the days since. Jason also reveals the sympathy he has for the mother of the shooter and his hopes to speak with her. Full show notes available at http://ktla.com/frankbuckleyinterviews.