As the evolution of web based television (Intervision, as Kevin Pollak calls it) progresses, we are seeing more and more recognizable celebrities join the fray. At first, that was mostly due to the network produced extras, as we’ve seen with Battlestar, Scrubs, etc. Slowly though, familiar faces are appearing in more independent productions. One such example is the Kevin Pollak Chat Show. It’s kind of like Charlie Rose, only on the internet, and with a whole lot more Christopher Walken.
The Charlie Rose comparison is obvious right off the bat, just from the look of the show. But it’s even more apt when you get to what is the best feature of the show. Time. Nothing beats time for making an interview interesting. If Leno, Conan, or Regis have Matthew Perry on, you might get one short quirky bit before getting to the plug for whatever he’s up to next. Here though, there is no clock and Kevin’s curious nature leads down the strangest paths. So we end up hearing about Perry’s illustrious teenage Canadian tennis career. Or the time, pre-Friends, when his career had bottomed out to the point that he would take any role, even that of a baggage handler from the future, specializing in alien baggage even. They do, of course, make their way back around to Friends, but the oddball stories and exchanges are the real charm of the show. You’ll also learn about Paget Brewster’s time as a bouncer, and her late night talk show. Jon Hamm compares Don Draper to Tony Soprano. And Felicia Day explains why her cat is named Speedbump.
Also setting KPCS apart from its talk show peers is the level of interaction for the viewer. The show airs live on Sunday evenings, complete with a chatroom and the monitoring of twitter. To hear Kevin tell it, his experience learning about twitter played a role in launching the show. Periodically he will take questions from the chat room and the show’s twitter feed. It adds just that extra little bit of randomness that makes things fun.
The list of guests is also rather eclectic. Matthew Perry is joined by Jon Hamm, Paget Brewster, and Lavar Burton in the big TV actor category. But you’ll also find Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible, The Guild), Curt Smith (Tears For Fears), Christopher McQuarrie (Writer, The Usual Suspects), Alex Albrecht (Diggnation), and Elon Musk (Tesla Motors), to name a few.
Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the humor. Kevin Pollak is a funny guy, and at his best when turned loose with free reign. Each episode features a number of the impersonations he’s famous for, and one of those has even become a regular feature for guests. It’s the Larry King game. Each of them is tasked with a simple construct. In your best Larry King voice, reveal something personal about him, and then go to a caller in a city with a funny name. The results are always rather amusing. Have a look at a few examples.
The Kevin Pollak Chat Show airs live on Sundays, and you can catch up with all of the past episodes over at the website. Next week, Rich will be back with a big bowl of Trek.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on May 21, 2009 @ 13:46 EST5EDT
You should check out Robert Llewellen’s Car Pool. It is available on itunes and his own web site.
*POST AUTHOR*
Another solid choice. I posted about Car Pool back in January. There’s even a comment there from Robert Llewellyn himself.
The Matthew Perry Episode is marvelous. I now watched/listened to it three times and still I’m in tears when he goes
“I’m sitting in my own sauce – Wichita, hello!”
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