The name Bob Kushell may not mean anything to you, but you probably know his work. Writer and producer of Samantha Who?, producer on Malcolm in the Middle, executive story editor on The Simpsons … just to name a few. Now, add to that the title of Internet Talk Show Host. Yes, even people behind the cameras like to get in front of them once in awhile!
Anytime with Bob Kushell, which airs on the ever-expanding Crackle.com is a funny five (sometimes six) minutes that takes a jab at the late-night talk show format. And, while some of it may be parody, it’s a full talk show, complete with monologue, sketches, and star interviews. We’re not talking about C-list stars like The Hills Spencer and Heidi, mind you. Thanks to his many years in Hollywood, Bob is able to pull in some decent A and B-list talent for his little talk fest.
Supposedly out of a garage somewhere in Van Nuys, California, Anytime is part satire, part honest-to-goodness interview program. The monologue (or sometimes lack of) and follow-up sketch are normally send-ups of what your average talk show host would do. For example, one sketch featured the ghost of the garage (who hung himself 40 years ago) giving Bob some tips on how to run the show. Another sketch featured an interview with a representative from the North American Zombie Institute, otherwise known as N.A.Z.I., who happened to be the dead brother of one of the band members.
The real Bob (at least it seems like the real Bob) comes out during the star interviews, which take up the 2nd half of the webisode. He has a charm and a comfort that makes these stars, who are talking to a fake talk show audience, feel okay. He’s also able to come up with some information on them that, personally, I wouldn’t know without searching the Internet. For example, during his interview with Jenna Elfman it was revealed that she was a classically-trained ballerina. In his interview with Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston it was revealed that the former Malcolm in the Middle star actually did voice dubbing work on Japanese cartoons early in his career.
There are two “seasons” of Anytime so far. Like any show of this kind, even an Internet show, some of the first episodes are a bit rocky. This newest batch of webisodes, featuring interviews with Jon Cryer, Bob Saget, and 24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub, feature a Kushell that’s more of a listener than an interrupter. He’s also calmer in this second season. Well, calmer in the sense that he’s doing a talk show in about five minutes, which means not as hyper. Should his show ever expand to ten minutes, I could see him being downright glacier-like.
To get a sense of Anytime with Bob Kushell I leave you with an episode featuring guest Jerry O’Connell. What I found interesting was Jerry’s total denial that he was a big-boned boy back in the Stand by Me days and his astonishment that he’s married to Rebecca Romijn.
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on Jun 11, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
