6/2 Robert Conrad Talks with Fred Willard - and YOU!

Born in the Midwest and educated in the military, actor Fred Willard has proven his talent for improvisational comedy on the stage, television, and the big screen. His characters are frequently grinning idiots or exaggerated stereotypes, but Willard's skillful timing has always added a unique spin. An alumni of Second City in Chicago, he's worked with many of the biggest-named comedians of his time. His early TV credits include a regular stint on The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour, a supporting part on the sitcom Sirota's Court, and the role of Jerry Hubbard, sidekick of TV talk-show host Barth Gimble (Martin Mull) in the satirical Fernwood 2Night. He went on to appear in subsequent incarnations of Fernwood and continued to work with Mull and his gang for the next few decades. In the early '80s, he hosted the actuality series Real People and co-hosted the talk show Thicke of the Night. Some of his small, yet memorable, performances in feature comedies included President Fogerty in National Lampoon Goes to the Movies; the garage owner in Moving Violations who's mistaken for a doctor; the air force officer in This Is Spinal Tap; and Mayor Deebs in Roxanne.

Doing a lot of guest work on television, he was also involved in Martin Mull's The History of White People in America series and was the only human actor amid a cast of puppets on the strange show D.C. Follies. In the '90s, he worked frequently in the various projects of fellow satirists Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and the like. He was travel agent Ron Albertson in Waiting for Guffman, TV announcer Buck Laughlin in Best in Show, and manager Mike LaFontaine in A Mighty Wind.

He also appeared in Eugene Levy's Sodbusters, Permanent Midnight with Ben Stiller, and showed up in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. On television, he picked up a regular spots on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Roseanne (as Martin Mull's lover), and Mad About You, along with voice-over work on numerous cartoons. He also received an Emmy nomination for his role as Hank McDougal on Everybody Loves Raymond. Since 2000, he has shown up in quite a few mainstream commercial films, including The Wedding Planner,How High, and American Wedding; but he also played Howard Cosell in the TV movie When Billie Beat Bobby. Projects for 2004 include Anchor Man: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

In 2004, however, he returned to his roots in outlandish comedies with Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. He also joined up with his Mighty Wind and Waiting for Guffman castmates again in 2006 with For Your Consideration, a satire of Hollywood self importance injected with Willard's trademark clever silliness. The next year he appeared in the spoof Epic Movie, as well as the romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman.

5/26 Robert Conrad Talks With YOU!

The show is all about you! Your letters, your emails and YOUR calls! It's a love-fest between you and Robert Conrad, today, so call in at 800-336-2225 or email Robert Conrad at rconrad@crni.net!

5/19 Robert Conrad Honors the Armed Forces - and Talks with YOU!

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense.

5/12 Robert Conrad Talks With Bill Paxton - and YOU!

A Texas twang in his voice and a willingness to play larger than life oddball characters initially gave actor Bill Paxton a steady career nailing humorous character parts during the 1980s, but directors like James Cameron and Ron Howard found the gravitas beneath his larger-than-life persona.

By the mid-1990s, Paxton had graduated to a dependable featured player and leading man in blockbusters such as “Apollo 13” (1995), “Twister” (1996), and “Titanic” (1997), but he also maintained a footing in independent films like “Traveller” (1997) and “Frailty” (1999), which marked his debut as a feature director. He also starred as the some thought, unlikely polygamist anti-hero of HBO’s “Big Love” (2006- ), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination in 2008 and a legion of television fans.

Paxton was cast in the HBO series “Big Love” as Utah businessman Bill Hendrickson, whose professional façade and successful chain of home improvement stores served as a front for his home life as a polygamist with three wives. Much of the show’s drama was derived from Hendrickson’s life as high-wire juggling act – not only was he forced to contend with three spouses of very different temperaments and tastes, but there was also the issue of Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), father to his wife Nicki (Chloe Seivgney), whose Old Testament approach to polygamy presented a serious threat to Hendrickson’s standing in the community. Critics and audiences alike gravitated towards the unusual series by its second season, and Paxton’s subtle work in his role led to a Satellite Award nomination in 2006 and Golden Globe nods in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

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Robert Conrad Talks With Actor Bill Paxton - and YOU!

A Texas twang in his voice and a willingness to play larger than life oddball characters initially gave actor Bill Paxton a steady career nailing humorous character parts during the 1980s, but directors like James Cameron and Ron Howard found the gravitas beneath his larger-than-life persona.

By the mid-1990s, Paxton had graduated to a dependable featured player and leading man in blockbusters such as “Apollo 13” (1995), “Twister” (1996), and “Titanic” (1997), but he also maintained a footing in independent films like “Traveller” (1997) and “Frailty” (1999), which marked his debut as a feature director. He also starred as the some thought, unlikely polygamist anti-hero of HBO’s “Big Love” (2006- ), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination in 2008 and a legion of television fans.

Paxton was cast in the HBO series “Big Love” as Utah businessman Bill Hendrickson, whose professional façade and successful chain of home improvement stores served as a front for his home life as a polygamist with three wives. Much of the show’s drama was derived from Hendrickson’s life as high-wire juggling act – not only was he forced to contend with three spouses of very different temperaments and tastes, but there was also the issue of Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), father to his wife Nicki (Chloe Seivgney), whose Old Testament approach to polygamy presented a serious threat to Hendrickson’s standing in the community. Critics and audiences alike gravitated towards the unusual series by its second season, and Paxton’s subtle work in his role led to a Satellite Award nomination in 2006 and Golden Globe nods in 2007, 2008 and 2009.