License Plate of the Day: Agent Carter Edition

Pretty sure this is an "Agent Carter" fan, and not the "America's Got Talent" creator. (Whom, I believe, is Simon Cowell... and likely would not be driving this car.)

KCRW's The Spin-Off: Married Showrunners Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters on Writing, TV and Their Unique Relationship

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, I talk to married showrunners Marc Guggenheim ("Arrow," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow") and Tara Butters ("Agent Carter," "Reaper") about what makes them tick:

Television writer-producers Tara Butters and Marc Guggenheim have been married almost 12 years. When they first met, they were both writers, and while they still continue to write, at this point, they're also each produced and overseen a couple of shows.

In this episode of The Spin-off, they tell Michael Schneider about their respective careers, how they once ended up working for rival superhero universes (Butters produced Marvel's Agent Carter and Guggenheim is a co-showrunner for DC's Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow), and what they've learned from parenting that has helped them in their jobs.

Listen below!

KCRW's The Spin-Off: "Jessica Jones" Creator Melissa Rosenberg on Marvel, Netflix and the Strength Behind Her Lead Character

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, I chat with "Jessica Jones" creator Melissa Rosenberg -- who was also behind the "Twilight" movies -- about Marvel, Netflix and the social impact of her new show:

Melissa Rosenberg has written and produced for a lot of TV shows -- Dexter, The OC, and Party of Five, just to name a few. Then, she took on Twilight, writing the screenplay adaptations of all five vampire films.

Her newest project is Jessica Jones, a Netflix series based on a Marvel character who works as a private eye in Hell's Kitchen. Rosenberg started working on Jessica Jones more than five years ago, when the series was first in development for ABC. That version of the project fell through, but it may have ultimately been a blessing -- Rosenberg tells us she loves the creative freedom (and lacks of commercial breaks!) that comes with doing a Netflix series.

Rosenberg tells us why she long-envisioned Krysten Ritter for the title role and how she worked to make a show that is more about justice than anything else.

Listen below!

MIKE ON KCRW: Mayweather/Pacquiao, DC Entertainment Woes, Age of Ultron and More

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- Disney and Marvel score another huge hit, and possibly even break box office records with The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

- Warner Bros and DC Comics, on the other hand, are struggling to find the kind of leadership that will help them be masters of their universe.

- Hulu announces several big deals at the Newfronts, most notably that they've nabbed the exclusive streaming rights to Seinfeld. 

- NBC is borrowing a page from the Netflix playbook and will make all 13 episodes of their new show Aquarius available at once at the end of May.

Listen by clicking below:





On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about "The Avengers: Age of Ultron's" big weekend, and how DC is struggling to get its film act together:

There are estimates that The Avengers: Age of Ultron will rake in as much as $230 million at the box office this weekend, which would break the $207 million opening weekend record that was set by none other than the previous Avengers movie in 2012. This is a continuation of Marvel's domination at the box office, which is more good news for Disney, still on a high following the release of the new Star Wars trailer. In the world of DC Comics, Warner Bros is hoping to replicate the same kind of success, but finding it difficult, except in the world of television, where The Flash and Arrow continue to do well in the ratings. The real test will be how audiences respond to Batman v Superman, which opens next year.

Listen below:




On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Indiewire's Liz Shannon Miller and I discussed:

As you may have heard, there was a boxing match over the weekend. Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao in the so-called Fight of the Century, and more people tuned in than expected. HBO and Showtime had exclusive rights to the match. The cable channels charged customers $100 to watch it. But many viewers pirated the fight, which is bad news for TV rights holders and pay-per-view broadcasts. We discuss this and more in our weekly television roundup.

Listen below:

KCRW's TV Podcast -- the November Edition: Marvel/Netflix, Ratings and Reality TV

We're back! And still untitled. (If you have an idea for what to call our podcast, leave a comment!) On this month's TV podcast edition of KCRW's "The Business," Variety's AJ Marechal, Vulture's Joe Adalian and I talk about Netflix's mega Marvel deal; how the networks are looking to get paid and get advertisers to embrace more extended DVR ratings; and what's next for the moribund reality TV genre.

Listen below!

Mike at Comic-Con: A Photo Gallery Round-Up

Whatta Comic-Con! For starters, that's Crystal the Monkey (of "The Hangover," "Community" and now "Animal Practice" fame) giving me a little bit of a lick. I think I now have Ebola. Here are some pics of my Four Days in Comic-Con geekville.


The cast of "Breaking Bad" on stage.


Aaron Paul in hazmat gear with fake baby.


Bryan Cranston dons his hazmat suit for the "Breaking Bad" panel.


The "Community" panel, up close.


The view of Ballroom 20's 5,000-strong crowd from the stage.


Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) recruits me for some sort of "cooking" job.


The cast of NBC's new "Revolution."


"Mockingbird Lane" and "Hannibal" writer Bryan Fuller with director David Slade (who has donned the real "Hannibal" face prop).


Me with Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster on the original "The Munsters" abd may now have a recurring role in the reboot.


Team TV Guide Magazine poses with Crystal the Monkey at NBC's Comic-Con party.


Danny Pudi "saves" Joel McHale's life on the TV Guide Magazine yacht.


Group shot of the "Community" stars who could make it to San Diego.


"Community" cast has some fun on the TV Guide Magazine yacht.


Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams of ABC's new "666 Park Avenue" on the TV Guide Magazine yacht.


Vanessa Williams poses as Terry O'Quinn looks on.


Looking dapper, John Locke -- er, Terry O'Quinn!


The cast of "666 Park Avenue."


"Fringe" star Joshua Jackson on the yacht.


Welcome to the TV Guide Magazine yacht!


View from the yacht.


Costume of the 'Con?


Mega Domo!


Spider-Man will take your Starbucks order now.


Captain America keeps the San Diego Convention Center safe.


Either "Wilfred" fans... or more likely, "Wilfred" promoters from FX. Either way, cool costumes.


"Spottacus."


More than meets the eye, it's the Transformers!


Nickelodeon's revived Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meet the fans.


A "Once Upon a Time"-themed pedicab on the San Diego comic-con streets.


Nerd Domo!


NBC's presence at Comic-Con.


Crowd looking for free Iron Man 3 swag at the Marvel booth.


Oh, Captain America, what happened??