Hollywood Babble-On

Last updated
Hollywood Babble-On
Hollywood Babble-On Logo.jpg
Presentation
Hosted by Ralph Garman
Kevin Smith
GenreTV & Film, Comedy, Pop Culture
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesVariable (Weekly/Fortnightly/Monthly)
Length90-151 minutes
Production
Production Kevin Smith
Ralph Garman
Josh Roush
Audio format MP3
No. of episodes400
Publication
Original releaseAugust 24, 2010
RatingsM- Mature
Provider SModcast.com
Related
Website www.smodcast.com/channel/hollywoodbabbleon/

Hollywood Babble-On is a weekly podcast featuring filmmaker Kevin Smith and radio personality Ralph Garman. The show features Smith and Garman discussing the week's celebrity, movie, and other pop culture news.

Contents

Show history

Kevin Smith was a frequent guest on a popular Los Angeles Ca, Radio show Kevin and Bean on 106.7 KROQ-FM, and suggested to Ralph Garman (entertainment reporter) they do a show on the station. They recorded two pilots, which were passed on. The show was called The Showbiz Beat (after Garman's regular spot on the Kevin and Bean Show) and was released in 2012 as Hollywood Babble-On #91. In August 2010, Garman and Smith started recording Hollywood Babble-On at Smith's SModcastle theater; the podcast was subsequently moved to the larger capacity Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theatre, formerly known as the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club . The show also tours, but this is limited due to Garman's day job. On April 22, 2013, Smith announced through Twitter that the podcast would no longer be recorded at the Lovitz after a falling out with Lovitz. He announced on April 25 that the show's new regular home will be The Hollywood Improv from May 24 onwards. Said comments and a further explanation on the falling-out with Lovitz were addressed at the beginning of Episode #126 of the podcast (recorded on May 4, 2013 but was later removed). [1]

Garman gained a significant amount of public attention in December 2017, after being let go from his long-time position at KROQ, due to downsizing by new management. [2] On a wave of support from local, national, and international fans (accumulated from his work on both KROQ & Hollywood Babble-On) Garman launched his own new podcast called The Ralph Report. [3] He now hosts this podcast full-time, as well as co-hosting Hollywood Babble-On. With Garman no longer tied to KROQ, Hollywood Babble-On has been freed up to tour more than it was able to in earlier years. [4]

On September 14, 2018, Ralph Garman announced that both and he and Kevin Smith were being sued by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for unauthorized use of the image of the Hollywood sign, and of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in their visual representation of the show.

Format

The show discusses current events happening in Hollywood, and includes segments (of variable frequency) such as:

Each segment is preceded by a characteristic lead-in introduction song.

Other recurring segments on the show have involved the hosts discussing the latest exploits of celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Farrah Abraham and Amanda Bynes.

When discussing current events with Smith, Garman will also perform impressions of famous actors such as Harrison Ford, Al Pacino, Charlton Heston, Adam West, Truman Capote, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Wynn, and Sylvester Stallone. Fans of the show have created an informal drinking game (mostly centered on Garman's phrase "How dare you, sir?" and Smith's overuse of the word "whatnot"), which the hosts have mentioned approvingly.

Hollywood Babble-On Comic Con Theater

Smith has had all three issues of his comic series Batman: Cacophony "dramatized" during three special episodes of his podcast, entitled Hollywood Babble-On Comic Con Theater. Primarily performed by his co-host Ralph Garman, who used several of his better-known impressions to represent the main characters, both episodes were essentially a read-through of one of the issues of the story. Garman's voicing of the main characters included the "voices" of Adam West as Batman, Ed Wynn as the Joker (initially, this was Garman's impression of Cesar Romero's Joker, but Smith suggested using Wynn's voice instead), Sean Connery as Commissioner Gordon, and Al Pacino as Maxie Zeus. Smith acted as the "omnipotent narrator" and voice of Onomatopoeia in both episodes. In the first episode (podcast #43), an audience member was brought up to cover several other minor character roles; in the second episode (podcast #65), Smith brought in voice-over actor/announcer Kyle Hebert to voice Alfred (which he did in a cockney accent somewhat reminiscent of Michael Caine, who played Alfred in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight ) and others, and cohort Jason Mewes to voice most of the female characters. (Smith and Hebert also voiced two of Zeus' henchmen, as well as other characters in the second episode.)

Smith's other comic Batman: The Widening Gyre , which is a six-part series, is also being "dramatized" on Hollywood Babble-On Comic Con Theater.

Garman and Smith also acted out their collaborative comic series special issues where Batman (Adam West's version) and Green Hornet (Van Williams' version) met again to take on General Gumm (Roger C. Carmel's Colonel Gumm with a higher ranking) and The Joker (Cesar Romero's version). The comic series is significant for being the first crossover between the 1966 Batman series and The Green Hornet series since the 1967's episode "Batman's Satisfaction" (with guest stars from The Green Hornet's Van Williams and Bruce Lee).

In Episode 306 (New Year's Eve Episode 2017), Ralph and Kevin perform Babble-On Theatre for the first time on a work not written by either. Batman 66, Issue 27 "Bane Enters the Ring", serves as the centerpiece for the episode.

In Episode 337, Ralph and Kevin perform a portion of Kevin's Green Arrow: Quiver comic book (Green Arrow, Vol 3, Issue 4 of ten).

ContentEpisode(s)
Batman: Cacophony Episode 143
Batman: Cacophony Episode 265
Batman: Cacophony Episode 3104
Batman: The Widening Gyre Episode 1147
Batman: The Widening Gyre Episode 1, 2268
Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet Issue 1 Fatman on Batman Podcast #66
Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet Issue 2175
Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet Issue 3180
Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet Issue 4184
Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet Issue 5188
Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet Issue 6193
Batman '66 Issue 27306
Green Arrow Vol 3 Quiver Issue 4337

TV show

In July 2012 Smith and Garman announced they were in negotiations with an unnamed network about a Hollywood Babble-On TV show. [5] They revealed in February 2013 that it would not be going ahead as the network wanted them to stop the podcast as a part of the deal and other network negotiation/communication issues. [6]

In November 2013 the duo revealed that AMC had shown interest in a TV show [7] and in March 2014 The Hollywood Reporter [8] confirmed AMC have ordered a pilot which will be filmed on Sunday August 3 following an August 2 rehearsal. [9]

On October 10, 2014, AMC announced that they have decided not to continue its line of Unscripted Television shows except for Comic Book Men and Talking Dead . Because of this the Hollywood Babble-On TV Show was not picked up. [10] The pilot was released via BabbleVision in 2017.

BabbleVision

Starting from June 2, 2017, each show of Hollywood Babble-On is now available as a full, professionally shot, video at BabbleVision.com as part of SModCo's subscription based service SModCost. During weeks in which there is no show, supplementary bonus material will be provided in the way of Classic Babble episodes. The show is shot and edited by Josh Roush of Roush Multimedia. [11]

Awards and recognition

In 2010, the podcast was placed upon iTunes' Best Podcasts of 2010 [12] and won the 2012 Stitcher award for Best Film & TV podcast. [13] It then won the Best Entertainment + Pop Culture podcast at the 2013 Stitcher awards. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Smith</span> American filmmaker (born 1970)

Kevin Patrick Smith is an American director, producer, screenwriter, actor and comic book writer. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Lovitz</span> American actor and comedian

Jonathan Michael Lovitz is an American actor and comedian. Lovitz is best known for his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. Outside of SNL, he starred as Jay Sherman in The Critic and played a baseball scout in A League of Their Own. He has performed in 20 episodes of The Simpsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Garman</span> American journalist

Ralph Garman is an American actor, comedian, musician and radio host best known as the host of The Joe Schmo Show, for his voice work on the Fox animated series Family Guy, former entertainment reporter and impressionist for the Kevin and Bean morning show on Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM, and his podcast with co-host Kevin Smith Hollywood Babble-On. Garman can currently be heard on his daily podcast, "The Ralph Report" on the Patreon platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Schwalbach Smith</span> American actress

Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and former reporter for USA Today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Johnson (comic book writer)</span> American actor, writer, and television personality (born 1967)

Bryan Lee Johnson is an American podcaster, actor, television personality, screenwriter and comic book writer associated with filmmaker Kevin Smith and the View Askewniverse. He is best known by his local fame in New Jersey and appearances in Smith's New Jersey films as comic book store owner Steve-Dave Pulasti. He was also the basis for the Clerks character Randal Graves.

<i>Batman</i> (franchise) Franchise based on DC Comics character, Batman

The DC Comics character Batman has been adapted into various media including film, radio, television, and video games, as well as numerous merchandising items. The Batman franchise has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hardwick</span> American comedian and actor (born 1971)

Christopher Ryan Hardwick is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts Talking Dead, an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, as well as Talking with Chris Hardwick, a show in which Hardwick interviews prominent pop culture figures, and The Wall, a plinko-inspired gameshow on NBC, Hardwick created Nerdist Industries, operator of the Nerdist Podcast Network and home of his podcast The Nerdist Podcast, which later left the network and was renamed to ID10T with Chris Hardwick. His podcast has broadcast 1,000 episodes as of December 2019.

SModcast Podcast Network is a podcast network owned by Kevin Smith. The network was started in January 2010 to host the podcast SModcast alongside the popular Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! and Highlands: A Peephole History.

<i>Batman: Cacophony</i>

Batman: Cacophony is the title of a three-issue comic book limited series starring Batman. The series was written by Kevin Smith with art by Walt Flanagan, and ran from November 2008 through March 2009 due to delays with issue #3. The comic chronicles Batman as he attempts to stop a turf war between the Joker and crimelord Maxie Zeus. Batman also encounters a new adversary, Onomatopoeia.

<i>Kevin and Bean</i> Former KROQ-FM Radio Show

Kevin and Bean was the morning show on KROQ-FM, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California. It was hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter. The show was on the air from 1990 to 2019 and interspersed music and news with comedy, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins, and live music performances.

<i>The Green Hornet</i> (TV series) American television series

The Green Hornet is an American action television series broadcast on ABC during the 1966–1967 television season, starring Van Williams as the Green Hornet/Britt Reid and Bruce Lee as Kato. It was produced and narrated by William Dozier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Catherwood</span> American radio personality (born 1979)

Michael Dwight Catherwood, also known as Psycho Mike, is an American radio personality. He is known primarily for his work at KROQ-FM on Kevin and Bean and as the co-host of Loveline from 2010 to 2016, and Neon Black podcast.

<i>Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40</i> 2010 TV series or program

Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40 is the fourth installment of Kevin Smith's Q&A series and was broadcast on epix on October 23, 2010. The title is a reference to his feud with Southwest Airlines. In the film, Smith's announced attempt to answer a multitude of questions quickly is derailed entirely when the first, and ultimately only, question posed is about working with Bruce Willis, which begins a near-two-hour rant in which he discusses, among other things, the adult use of marijuana, the highs and lows of making his 2008 film Zack and Miri Make a Porno and the stress of working with Willis during Cop Out.

<i>Comic Book Men</i> American TV series or program

Comic Book Men is an American reality television series which aired on the AMC network from 2012 to 2018. It is set at Kevin Smith's comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey.

<i>Spoilers with Kevin Smith</i> 2010s American film review talk show

Spoilers with Kevin Smith is a film review talk show that premiered June 4, 2012 on Hulu. The show, described as an "anti-movie review" show, is hosted by Kevin Smith and produced by Smith's SModcast Pictures. A second season of Spoilers aired on The Comedy Network in Canada. Ten new half-hour episodes were shot in Los Angeles. The first series was filmed at "SModCo Studios", the upper floor of The Jon Lovitz Podcast Theatre at CityWalk in Universal Studios Hollywood. The second series was filmed at Raleigh Studios.

<i>SModcast</i> Comedy podcast featuring Kevin Smith

SModcast is a podcast featuring filmmaker Kevin Smith. The show was initially co-hosted with Smith's long-time producing partner Scott Mosier, although over the years, Mosier's appearances have been sporadic with a series of guest hosts taking his place. New episodes were initially released each Sunday night/Monday morning, with more recent episodes being released on a much more infrequent schedule. The episodes are generally one hour in length and feature Smith and Mosier, or a guest co-host, discussing current events and other non-sequitur topics.

<i>Batman 66</i>

Batman '66 is a superhero comic book series published by DC Comics featuring Batman as a continuation of the 1966–68 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The series was written primarily by Jeff Parker and Tom Peyer, with cover art by Mike Allred. It published 30 issues from 2013-16, although the setting has been used in occasional crossovers since 2016.

<i>Fatman on Batman</i> Pop culture podcast

Fatman on Batman is a podcast and video series in which hosts, filmmaker Kevin Smith and writer Marc Bernardin explores their geeky interests, originally focusing on the DC comic property Batman. The podcast was retitled Fatman Beyond after Smith's weight loss. The show is part of the SModcast Podcast Network.

<i>Geeking Out</i> American TV series or program

Geeking Out is an American late night talk show comedy television series co-hosted by Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg. It premiered on AMC on July 24, 2016, during San Diego Comic-Con International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Zapcic</span> American actor

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  7. "Hollywood Babble-On TV Show MIGHT Be Happening…Again…". Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  8. Mikey O'Connell michael.oconnell@THR.com mikeylikestv (2014-03-26). "AMC Developing Late-Night Series With Kevin Smith, 'Comic Book Men' Renewed". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  9. Hollywood Babble-On podcast episode #176
  10. Melrose, Kevin (2014-10-10). "Comic Book Men and Talking Dead only survivors". Spinoff.comicbookresources.com. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
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  12. "Archived copy". iTunes . Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2015-03-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. 2012 stitcher awards Archived 2012-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "The 2nd Annual Stitcher Awards!". Archived from the original on 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-02-19.