Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley

Jason Fraley celebrates the 250th birthday of the United States of America, which was founded on July 4, 1776 with a Declaration of Independence from the British crown. He spoke with author David O. Stewart in 2021 about his biography “George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Father." (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley chats with Robert "Kool" Bell as Kool & The Gang rocks “A Capitol Fourth” this Friday, July 3rd to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. They break down the band’s biggest hits, including “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Ladies Night,” “Celebration,” “Get Down On It,” “Fresh” and “Cherish.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley interviews Grammy and Oscar winner Melissa Etheridge, who rocks Wolf Trap tomorrow night, sharing a bill with Wynonna Judd & Maggie Rose. They spoke during her previous visit to Virginia when she played The Birchmere in Alexandria in 2018. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley marks Flag Day by honoring a real American hero in NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, who made history as both the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. They discuss her new documentary “Spacewoman,” now streaming on Apple, Amazon, YouTube, GooglePlay and Vimeo. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley previews tonight's Tony Awards by chatting with Ken Davenport, one of the producers of Broadway's “Titanique,” which competes for the top prize of Best Musical. Ken knows a thing or two about the Tonys, having previously won for “Kinky Boots” and “Once On This Island.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley interviews lead singer Mike Love as The Beach Boys play Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, followed by Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia on Sunday. They spoke when The Beach Boys played the "A Capitol Fourth" concert in 2018. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley marks the 15th anniversary of Scotty McCreery winning Season 10 of “American Idol,” sparking a career of country music hits like “Five More Minutes,” “This Is It” and “Damn Strait.” They spoke when Scotty performed at the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington D.C. in 2017, so it’s only fitting to re-air it today for Memorial Day. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley interviews Gary Sinise, who returns to co-host the National Memorial Day Concert with Joe Mantegna tomorrow on PBS. He called in the first time 10 years ago when he co-hosted the event in 2016, capping a busy weekend where his Lt. Dan Band rocked the G.I. Film Festival at Howard Theatre and performed for the wounded vets at Walter Reed. They also discuss the legacy of his Oscar-nominated role as Lt. Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump,” which won six Oscars, including Best Picture. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley interviews singer/songwriter Rachel Platten, who headlines the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s AcceptAbility Gala in Washington D.C. tomorrow night. She previews the event and reflects on her career of inspirational tunes like “Fight Song” and “I’ll Stand By You.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Darryl "DMC" McDaniels teams with Public Enemy alumni Brian Hardgroove and DJ Johnny Juice to form the new hip-hop supergroup FREEDOM, dropping their new single "I'm On Your Side" tomorrow. They also praise each other's greatest hits from Run-DMC's "It's Like That," "Rock Box," "King of Rock," "It's Tricky" and "Walk This Way" to Public Enemy's "Rebel Without a Pause," "Bring the Noise," "Don't Believe the Hype," "Fight the Power" and "Shut Em Down." (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley marks tomorrow's 70th anniversary of Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s “Pather Panchali” winning Best Human Document at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival, sparking a trio of landmark films known as “The Apu Trilogy." Jason spoke to Criterion Collection President Peter Becker and Criterion Technical Director Lee Kline about the trilogy’s exciting 4K restoration in 2015. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Jason Fraley celebrates Tony nominations day with Kelsie Watts, the current star of Broadway's “Moulin Rouge: The Musical." This week also marks the 25th anniversary of Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge” making its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival with iconic performances by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")

Julie Pacino, daughter of Al Pacino, makes her feature-length directorial debut this week with the new horror flick “I Live Here Now," available on Video On Demand. She joined me to discuss the film’s psychological allegory and her own evolution as a filmmaker, following in the footsteps of her legendary father, star of classics like “The Godfather,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Scarface.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion")