Posts by Live Talks LA

From the award-winning screenwriter and director of cult classic Bull Durham, the extremely entertaining behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film, and an insightful primer on the art and business of moviemaking.
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“The only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the church of baseball.”—Annie in Bull Durham
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Ron Shelton’s Bull Durham launched a writing-directing career that includes White Men Can’t Jump, Blaze (1989), Cobb, and Tin Cup, among other films. He also directed Jordan Rides the Bus, a documentary about Michael Jordan’s year in the minor leagues. A former professional baseball player, he holds degrees from Westmont College and the University of Arizona. 
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Kevin Costner is an internationally recognized director, producer and actor. Costner has starred in memorable roles in films such as JFK, the Untouchables, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, No Way Out, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, The Bodyguard, and Wyatt Earp  among others. He recently starred in the dramas  Black or White and the Disney film, McFarland, USA.  

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“The Church of Baseball is a heart pumping ride, from pitch to script to screen to the Oscars, as Ron Shelton turns his minor league love triangle into the greatest sports movie of our time. No filmmaker has given such an unfiltered glimpse into the storytelling process. Shelton has a mutual love for filmmakers and ballplayers—the grunts who take field and the management that controls their dreams. While chasing through the white knuckle pace of movie production, Ron Shelton somehow finds that strand of DNA in all of us that roots for the man at the plate as he chases love, success, good scotch, high fiber, and the hanging curveball.” –Jason Reitman, writer-director of Thank You for Smoking; Juno; Up in The Air; and Young Adult\

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Bull Durham, the breakthrough 1988 film about a minor league baseball team, is widely revered as the best sports movie of all time. But back in 1987, Ron Shelton was a first-time director and no one was willing to finance a movie about baseball—especially a story set in the minors. The jury was still out on Kevin Costner’s leading-man potential, while Susan Sarandon was already a has-been. There were doubts. But something miraculous happened, and The Church of Baseball attempts to capture why.
 
From organizing a baseball camp for the actors and rewriting key scenes while on set, to dealing with a short production schedule and overcoming the challenge of filming the sport, Shelton brings to life the making of this beloved American movie. Shelton explains the rarely revealed ins and outs of moviemaking, from a film’s inception and financing, screenwriting, casting, the nuts and bolts of directing, the postproduction process, and even through its release. But this is also a book about baseball and its singular romance in the world of sports. Shelton spent six years in the minor leagues before making this film, and his experiences resonate throughout this book.
 
Full of wry humor and insight, The Church of Baseball tells the remarkable story behind an iconic film.
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During a career as a sports columnist, author and commentator for NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” Ron Rapoport has covered sporting events all over the world and written books on subjects ranging from the legendary golfer Bobby Jones to the musical comedy star Betty Garrett and to Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen, the first—and last—black and white comedy team in the history of show business. Ron has written for the Los Angeles Times and Daily News and the Chicago Sun-Times. His latest book, Let’s Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, The Life of Ernie Banks, is the definitive and revealing biography of one of baseball’s most iconic, beloved–and misunderstood—heroes.

From the author of the New York Times bestseller This Town, the eyewitness account of how the GOP collaborated with Donald Trump to transform Washington’s “swamp” into a gold-plated hot tub—and a onetime party of rugged individualists into a sycophantic personality cult.
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Mark Leibovich is the recipient of the National Magazine Award for profile writing. He is the author of four books, including the New York Times best-seller This Town, about the political culture of twenty-first-century Washington, D.C.  He recently joined The Atlantic, after a 10-year stint as the chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine. Before joining themagazine in 2012, Leibovich covered national politics in the Times’ Washington bureau. He previously worked at The Washington Post and the San Jose Mercury News. He lives with his family in Washington, D.C.
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Jon Favreau served as Barack Obama’s head speechwriter from 2005-2013. Since leaving the White House, Favreau has written and spoken about politics and speechwriting to audiences throughout the world. In 2017, he co-founded Crooked Media, where he’s a co-host of Pod Save America and host of both Offline and The Wilderness. Jon grew up outside of Boston, graduated from the College of the Holy Cross.

In the early months of Trump’s candidacy, the Republican Party’s most important figures, people such as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham, were united—and loud—in their scorn and contempt. Even more, in their outrage: Trump was a menace and an affront to our democracy. Then, awkwardly, Trump won.
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Thank You for Your Servitude is Mark Leibovich’s unflinching account of the moral rout of a major American political party, tracking the transformation of Rubio, Cruz, Graham, and their ilk into the administration’s chief enablers, and the swamp’s lesser lights into frantic chasers of the grift. What would these politicos do to preserve their place in the sun, or at least the orbit of the spray tan? What would they do to preserve their “relevance”? Almost anything, it turns out. Trump’s savage bullying of everyone in his circle, along with his singular command of his political base, created a dangerous culture of submission in the Republican Party. Meanwhile, many of the most alpha of the lapdogs happily conceded to Mark Leibovich that they were “in on the joke.” As Lindsey Graham told the author, his supporters in South Carolina generally don’t read The New York Times, and they won’t read this book, either. All that cynicism, shading into nihilism, led to a country truly unhinged from reality, and to the events of January 6, 2021. It’s a vista that makes the Washington of This Town seem like a comedy of manners in comparison. 
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Thank You for Your Servitude isn’t another view from the Oval Office: it’s the view from the Trump Hotel. We can check out any time we want, but only time will tell if we can ever leave.

From the bestselling author of Women Rowing North and Reviving Ophelia-a memoir in essays reflecting on radiance, resilience, and the constantly changing nature of reality.
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Mary Pipher is a psychologist who has earned her the title of “cultural therapist” for her generation. She is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including Reviving Ophelia, The Shelter of Each Other, Another Country and most recently, Women Rowing North. She lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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Lisa Napoli has had a long career in journalism, including staff reporting jobs at public radio’s Marketplace, the pioneering New York Times CyberTimes, and as a columnist/correspondent at MSNBC. She is the author, most recently, of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR.  Her previous books include Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News; a biography of NPR benefactor, the McDonald’s heiress, Joan Kroc, Ray & Joan, and a memoir about media’s impact on the tiny kingdom of Bhutan, Radio Shangri-La.
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“In this memoir in essays, Mary Pipher reflects on her life with profound insight, unflinching honesty, and deep compassion for others-and herself-that will help all of us learn to live a life in light.” ―Gretchen Rubin, New York Times-bestselling author of THE HAPPINESS PROJECT
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In her luminous new memoir in essays, Mary Pipher-as she did in her New York Times bestseller Women Rowing North-taps into a cultural moment, to offer wisdom, hope, and insight into loss and change. Drawing from her own experiences and expertise as a psychologist specializing in women, trauma, and the effect of our culture on our mental health, she looks inward in A Life in Light to what shaped her as a woman, one who has experienced darkness throughout her life but was always drawn to the light.
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Her plainspoken depictions of her hard childhood and life’s difficulties are dappled with moments of joy and revelation, tragedies and ordinary miseries, glimmers and shadow. As a child, she was separated from her parents for long periods. Those separations affected her deeply, but in A Life in Light she explores what she’s learned about how to balance despair with joy, utilizing and sharing with readers every coping skill she has honed during her lifetime to remind us that there is a silver thread of resilience that flows through all of life, and that despite our despair, the light will return.
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In this book, she points us toward that light.

The stand-up comedian and co-host of chart-topping podcasts 2 Bears 1 Cave and Your Mom’s House, hilarious real-life stories of parenting, celebrity encounters, youthful mistakes, misanthropy, and so much more.
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Tom Segura is a comedian originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Well known for his Netflix specials Ball Hog, Disgraceful, Completely Normal, and Mostly Stories, Segura has also made feature film appearances that include Instant Family, Countdown, Flinch, and The Opening Act, among others. Tom is one of the top selling touring acts in the world. Additionally, he co-hosts two of the most popular comedy podcasts, Your Mom’s House, with his wife, comedian Christina P. and Two Bears, One Cave with fellow comedian Bert Kreischer. Segura also produces multiple podcasts under his YMH Studios brand. 
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Greg Fitzsimmons is a stand-up comedian, Emmy Award winning writer; and TV, radio and podcast host. He hosts the popular FitzDog Radiopodcast and The Greg Fitzsimmons Show, on SiriusXM’s “Howard 101”. He is currently writing (and appearing) on the hit Judd Apatow HBO series, Crashing. Other writing credits include HBO’s Lucky Louie, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, The Man Showand many others.  He was recently on the Netflix series, Santa Clarita Diet, and he co-starred on the Emmy-winning FX series Louie, and spent five years as a panelist on VH1’s Best Week Ever, and he starred in two half-hour stand-up specials on Comedy Central.
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“Tom Segura delivers a treatise that is as timely as it is thought provoking and…actually, he did something better…a book that’s ridiculously funny!!!! If you want to live inside the mind of one of the best comics out there, here’s your chance. I hear the audio version is for shit, though…”―Jon Stewart
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Tom Segura is known for his twisted takes and irreverent comedic voice. But after a few years of crazy tours and churning out podcasts weekly, all while parenting two young children, he desperately needs a second to himself. It’s not that he hates his friends and family — he’s not a monster — he’s just beat, which is why his son’s (ruthless) first full sentence, “I’d like to play alone, please,” has since become his mantra. 
 
In this collection of stories, Tom combines his signature curmudgeonly humor with a revealing look at some of the ridiculous situations that shaped him and the ludicrous characters who always seem to seek him out. The stories feature hilarious anecdotes about Tom’s time on the road, including some surreal encounters with celebrities at airports; his unfiltered South American family; the trials and tribulations of parenting young children with bizarrely morbid interests; and, perhaps most memorably, experiences with his dad who, like any good Baby Boomer father, loves to talk about his bowel movements and share graphic Vietnam stories at inappropriate moments. All of this is enough to make anyone want some peace and quiet. 
 
I’d Like to Play Alone, Please will have readers laughing out loud and nodding in agreement with Segura’s message: in a world where everyone is increasingly insane, sometimes you just need to be alone.  

From the bestselling author of The Beauty of What Remains, a guide to writing a meaningful letter about your life.
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Steve Leder is the senior rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles. After receiving his degree in writing and graduating cum laude from Northwestern University, and spending time studying at Trinity College, Oxford University, Leder received a master’s degree in Hebrew letters in 1986 and rabbinical ordination in 1987 from Hebrew Union College. He is the author of five books: The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things, More Money Than God: Living a Rich Life Without Losing Your Soul, and the bestsellers More Beautiful Than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us, and The Beauty of What Remains.
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Amanda Kloots serves as host of The Talk, CBS’ Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show. Her first memoir, Live Your Life, co-written with her sister was published in 2021. The book tells of her 95-day struggle and love story with her late husband, Nick Cordero, the Broadway star, and Tony Award nominee, whose public battle with COVID-19 and tragic death made headlines around the world. A former Broadway dancer and Radio City Rockette, she met Cordero, when they starred together in Bullets over Broadway. Kloots performed on a variety of stage, film and TV productions for over 17 years. Her love of dance and fitness led her to work and lead classes at one of New York’s premiere fitness studios and developing the AK! Fitness brand. In addition, Kloots and her sister, Anna Kloots, launched the apparel company Hooray For®.
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For You When I Am Gone: Twelve Essential Questions to Tell a Life Story
Writing an ethical will, a document that includes stories and reflections about your past, is an ancient tradition. It can include joy and regrets, and ultimately becomes both a way to remember a loved one who is gone and a primer on how to live a better, happier life. Beloved Rabbi Steve Leder has helped thousands of people to write their own ethical wills, and in this intimate book helps us write our own.
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Because our culture privileges the material over the spiritual, we sometimes forget that our words carry greater value than any physical thing we can bequeath to our loved ones. Rabbi Leder provides all the right questions and prompts, including: What was your most painful regret and how can your loved ones avoid repeating it? When was a time you led with your heart instead of your head? What did you learn from your biggest failure?
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Including examples of ethical wills from a broad range of voices—old and young, with and without children, famous and unknown—For You When I Am Gone inspires readers to examine their own lives and turn them into something beautiful and meaningful for generations to come.