LIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE! with Amadeus
99.9 Gator Country morning show host Amadeus shares stories that did not make it on the air, and he takes a deeper dive into those that did make the cut. Fans of Your Hometown Morning Show will enjoy a more behind the scenes look at what goes into the making of a country radio morning show. Listen daily for this PG-13 version of the top stories making pop culture headlines, artist interviews, and much , much more.
LIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE! with Amadeus
Cooking, Houses, and Rocky Horror: Jacksonville's Entertainment Triple Threat
Jacksonville's entertainment calendar is exploding with star power this fall as celebrities, musicians, and unique live experiences arrive in Northeast Florida. From legendary performers to reality TV favorites, the city is becoming a magnet for top-tier talent.
The culinary world meets live entertainment when MasterChef All-Stars Live comes to the Thrasher-Horne Center on October 1st. Winner Chef Michael Leonard shares how his life transformed after Gordon Ramsay compared him to his younger self: "It's boosted my confidence not only as a person but also as a chef." Leonard reveals his journey from irrigation specialist to culinary champion, now running his own cooking business. The live show promises audience participation and the competitive cooking excitement fans love from the TV series.
Home renovation enthusiasts won't want to miss twin sisters Leslie David and Lindsay Lamb from HGTV's "Unsellable Houses" at the Jacksonville Home and Patio Show on October 3rd and 4th. Their path to television stardom began unexpectedly through a YouTube video with clients. "We're people people that happen to land in real estate," they explain, describing how their work often involves supporting homeowners through difficult life transitions. Their genuine approach to both business and relationships shines through as they prepare to meet Jacksonville fans.
The ultimate highlight for film buffs arrives October 14th when Barry Bostwick, the original Brad Majors, brings the Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Spectacular Tour to the FSCJ Artist Series. "We're doing 50 cities within 50 days and using 50 different shadow casts from all over the country," Bostwick explains, emphasizing the tour's mission to honor the dedicated fan community that has kept the cultural phenomenon alive for half a century.
Music fans have plenty to celebrate with John Cleese, Billy Bob Thornton, the Steve Miller Band, Jon Batiste, the Oak Ridge Boys Farewell Tour, and Trace Adkins all scheduled to perform at venues throughout the city. As Jacksonville's entertainment scene continues to flourish, now's the time to secure tickets before these highly anticipated shows sell out!
Welcome to another episode of Live from Jacksonville. I'm your host, amadeus. It is getting busy, busy, busy towards the end of the year here in Jacksonville. We have a lot of great shows coming in, and that's not even including the Christmas shows. We have three amazing guests joining us on the episode today. So let's get straight to what's coming to town in the next few weeks.
Speaker 1:The Florida Theater has John Cleese I'm Not Dead Yet live on stage after a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's the 50th anniversary of that movie. Can you believe that? Illusionist Michael Carbonero from the TV show the Carbonero Effect will be at the Florida Theater on Sunday September 28th. I bought tickets for this show the day they went on sale. I cannot wait to see Michael Carbonero live. Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters will be at the Florida Theater on Sunday October 5th and the Vampire Circus performs on Tuesday October 14th. The website for details and tickets, floridatheatercom. The St Augustine Amphitheater has the Steve Miller Band coming Thursday October 2nd. Fyi. The Saturday October 4th Gavin Adcock Show is completely sold out. John Batiste is performing at the Amp on Saturday October 11th and from the TV series Yellowstone, ryan, bingham and the Texas Gentleman are coming to the Amp on Saturday, october 18th. Check out TheAmpcom for all the details and to purchase your tickets for those shows.
Speaker 1:Coming to the Thrasher Horn Center on Wednesday, october 1st, it's MasterChef All-Stars Live. We'll be talking with Chef Michael Leonard in just a few minutes about that unique show, also coming to the Thrasher Horn Center 1964, the tribute. It's called the Best Beatles Tribute on Earth by Rolling Stones. So if you're a fan of the Beatles, you do not want to miss that show. Sunday, october 12th, it's the Oak Ridge Boys Farewell Tour. It is going to be sad to not see these guys coming back around in the future. I've seen them a couple of times and they're amazing live. Don't miss that show. And country music icon Trace Adkins will be at the Thrasher Horn Center on Friday, october 17th. Thcenterorg is the website for info and to purchase tickets to any of those shows. Before we get to our guests, I do want to mention that Five in Riverside has Buck Cherry and Nashville Pussy coming on Friday, october 3rd and country music group Parmalie on Saturday, october 18th. That is going to be a great show, an amazing venue for Parmalie. The website for tickets is 5jackscom.
Speaker 1:As I mentioned earlier, we have three amazing guests on this episode. We'll be chatting with Barry Bostwick, the original Brad from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. He'll be talking about the show coming to Jacksonville and from HGTV's Unsellable Houses, twin sisters and realtors Leslie David and Lindsay Lamb. But first I had a chance to chat with MasterChef All-Stars Live star Chef Michael Leonard about the show coming to the Thrasher Horn Center. Here we go. We started off talking about how Gordon Ramsay said that Chef Michael reminded him of his younger self.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that was huge. I remember I was just shocked. I was trying to stay into the cook because you know it was the audition dish and it was important, but when he said that I was just like whoa.
Speaker 1:That's pretty cool. So I know this show runs over about four months on Fox, but how long does it take to actually shoot?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it takes probably about almost two months of shooting.
Speaker 1:And you guys are just like housed like what?
Speaker 3:in a hotel or yeah, yeah, we're all in a hotel and basically we do our filming and we head back to the hotel.
Speaker 1:Did you already know most of the other contestants?
Speaker 3:No, no, I didn't. I didn't know any of them, you know, until we got there to the hotel, and then, you know, we all kind of met up and said hi to each other and whatnot.
Speaker 1:What's that process like? Because you want to make friends with these people, but also you want to beat every single one of them.
Speaker 3:Right, you know that's funny, that's the interesting part, because you get close to these people and you know we become kind of friends and it becomes. You know there's camaraderie there. So even though it is competition, you know we are technically against each other. You know we are technically against each other. You know you don't really want to see anybody fail, but at the same time you do want to win. It's a double-edged sword, it really is, yeah.
Speaker 1:What led you up to MasterChef All-Stars? What's your history with cooking?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I mean I've been in the kitchen since I can remember. I mean since I was about four years old, I've had a spatula in my hand. I'd like to say my dad used to cook a lot growing up and do dinner parties for him and his friends and family and whatnot, so I always helped out. I always took a liking to cooking and just trying to make up recipes and do different things, and then as I got older, I just continued to cook.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't like to brag, but I've also been in the kitchen since I was four years old. Mine was mostly with Cocoa Pebbles, though, right, I mean I have zero talent in the kitchen and I moved out on my own when I was 18, and I mean I can make rice and that's about it.
Speaker 3:Hey rice is pretty difficult to make.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it can be. I've got to tell you one of the dishes that I saw that you made, that I was literally craving, like just through the screen, was the shrimp and grits. That looked absolutely amazing.
Speaker 3:That was one of my favorites, actually the shrimp and grits. I remember Aron said it was one of the best he's ever tasted, which is an insane compliment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, aron Sanchez, one of my absolute favorite chefs. I'm a big fan of Chopped and I try not to miss him when he's on there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I grew up watching Chopped. That was one of my favorite shows.
Speaker 1:So Sean Evans was like a guest judge for that Shrimp and Grits. What was it like cooking for him?
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, that was so cool. I'm actually a big Hot Ones fan and when Sean Evans was there I was psyched. So cool to meet him. I was just nervous about bringing the right level of spice when he was there, because I know he's used to eating those, you know, super hot, hot sauces.
Speaker 1:So yeah.
Speaker 3:I wasn't exactly sure how hot I should make it, because you know you got him and then you've got Gordon Ramsay and their own. But I try to balance it out to see what level of spice will meet it for all of them.
Speaker 1:It looks like you did a great job and the presentation of that dish was freaking amazing, like I was looking at it going. I want that, thank you, thank you. There was another episode that really fascinated me and that was the captain of the rooftop restaurant takeover when I guess your team picked you to lead things. Was that nervous? Was that like a nervous moment for you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so originally during that challenge I wasn't the captain, Mert was actually the captain and Ramsey got angry so he switched over captains just because that's Ramsey style, you know, got to yell at somebody at some point, but yeah, that was. That was definitely nerve wracking. I mean cooking in his kitchen. With his reputation on the line, you really got to make sure you bring it, and you know, to his standards. So definitely a lot of pressure.
Speaker 1:But it seemed like everyone on your team wanted you to be like the leader of the ship.
Speaker 3:Possibly, I'm not really sure. You know, I just did what I had to do. Whatever position I was put into, I just made sure, you know, I did the best that I possibly could.
Speaker 1:It looked like you did a great job. So it's been about a year since you won, right, yes, yes, what's the last year been like for you? Like, how's your life changed?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it's, you know, I mean personally for one, it's just kind of boosted up my confidence, you know, not only as a person but also as a chef, obviously, you know, just made me more confident in what I cook and my abilities. You know, having those compliments from these high level people in the food industry, you know, telling me that I can cook good, it's always a good boost for the ego. And then on top of that I've just kind of tried to switch over from Because I had a business prior to this doing irrigation I wasn't cooking professionally or anything, but I slowly am shifting over to actually having my own cooking business where I do private events, pop-up things like that. So it's kind of changed my mentality and really afforded me the ability to cook in the industry and do the things that I want to do.
Speaker 1:Wow, to go from doing irrigation to something that you're really, really passionate about. What a blessing.
Speaker 3:Yes, absolute blessing.
Speaker 1:So tell us about the MasterChef All-Stars live show. What are the fans going to expect from this event?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So it's exciting. It's basically just going to be a live recreation of what you see on the show, just like the show is structured where there's a challenge and you know we've got a time frame and we've got to complete the challenge. It's going to be a similar thing, except it's going to be live. There's going to be audience participation, things of that nature. So it's really really, really cool show.
Speaker 1:Are you saying there's a chance if I go I could eat something?
Speaker 3:There is a chance. It's not impossible.
Speaker 1:I'm all about that Awesome. Well, the show is coming to the Thrasher Horn Center on Wednesday, october 1st. Tickets are available at thcenterorg. Chef Michael Lerner. One last question before I let you go Do you aspire to be on Chopped?
Speaker 3:Oh man, that's a good question. You know I've gotten asked that question a lot. I'm not really sure I wouldn't say no if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, one of my favorite episodes, or the frequent episodes that I like, are the ones where they have chefs that we know from other competition shows and to watch them under that kind of pressure, because I know it's kind of a different thing and it's just one of my favorite shows.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, that would be really, really cool. I've definitely I've been asked that question a few times and, yeah, I mean I wouldn't be opposed to it.
Speaker 1:I hope it happens. I'd love to see you on it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Chef Michael, thank you so much for being with us today. Again. The tickets are on sale at THCenterorg. Wednesday, October 1st, MasterChef All-Stars Live. Thank you so much, man.
Speaker 3:Thank you, I had a great time.
Speaker 1:Okay, the Fall Jacksonville Home and Patio Show will be in town October 3rd through the 5th, and this year's show features Leslie, david and Lindsay Lamb from HGTV's Unsellable Houses. Here's a bit of my conversation with the sisters. I'm so excited to be talking with you guys.
Speaker 4:I'm such a fan, oh thank you, I'm so excited to be talking with you guys.
Speaker 1:I'm such a fan. Oh, thank you. And Liz Morgan had told me that you guys are so much fun, just like you are on TV.
Speaker 4:Oh, Liz is the sweetest.
Speaker 1:She is the sweetest. She and I have been friends for almost 30 years.
Speaker 4:Oh, we love her.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how are you guys?
Speaker 4:We're doing great. Yeah, the sun's out, it's a beautiful day in Washington, so can't complain.
Speaker 1:You guys are coming to the Jacksonville Home and Patio Show on Friday, october 3rd and Saturday the 4th and we're super excited to see you. We're doing a meet and greet with you guys, so we're getting some fans excited to register to hang out with you guys.
Speaker 4:Oh, awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what is it like for y'all when you do these shows.
Speaker 4:Oh, it's so fun. We love traveling, getting to meet fans. We always say we're people, people that happen to land in real estate. We really could have done anything as long as we were with people, because we just we love being around people and so that's really what energizes us and like gives us like so much of our like crazy energy, and so just getting to visit with people and talk to them and answer questions, that's the part we really really love.
Speaker 1:I think I can relate to that because I worked for a grocery chain here. Are you guys familiar with Publix?
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, we are. Are you kidding the big scale in the entry? Oh my gosh, in Florida we know Publix.
Speaker 1:Oh, ok. Well, I worked for Publix for almost 15 years before I got into radio full-time and I loved working at Publix because I love people and I love being in radio because I love people. So I can totally relate to that.
Speaker 4:That's awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for those that don't know or haven't seen Unsellable Houses, tell us about that show.
Speaker 4:So it's a fun concept. We invest our own money into the projects to fix up someone's home that they've been trying to sell and we always say it's not about being unsellable, it's about being unsellable at top dollar. So we go in, we invest our money, then put it on the market and sell it at top dollar.
Speaker 1:And then you guys get your money back and split the rest with the seller.
Speaker 4:Correct.
Speaker 1:Yep, it is such a fun concept. I'm kind of an HGTV junkie so I kind of follow all the new shows, and when that one came on I'm like this is such a cool idea.
Speaker 4:Oh, thank you. Yeah, we've been doing it for about 12, 15 years now, and so when HG approached us about doing a TV show they didn't really have a concept yet. They just knew that they wanted to use us as talent. We were like, hey, this is what we do, we feel like this would be fun, so it was a good match.
Speaker 1:So Lamb Co is your company, right.
Speaker 4:Lamb Co yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, or Lamb and Co. And so that started then before the show, because that started 16, 17 years ago, right?
Speaker 4:Correct and it started as just real estate, but now we branched into, we have a design firm and we have a renovation company as well.
Speaker 1:So how does HGTV find you two specifically.
Speaker 4:They found us on a silly YouTube video that we had posted with some of our clients doing like a car karaoke video.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's awesome. Had you any idea at that time that you guys would be like this kind of megastar?
Speaker 4:No, not at all, and we still don't feel like that, like we were just having fun with our clients dancing, goofing around and we got the phone call and, yeah, it was pretty surreal.
Speaker 1:One of my favorite parts of the show is the stuff they show outside of work when you're with your families. I love that aspect of you both.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we enjoy that too. We enjoy that the family gets to be a part of it and we show, like the, you know the other side of who we are, not just the business side.
Speaker 1:To me that adds to the appeal of the show because, like you said, you're people, people and I think that completely comes across in those you know aspects of the show.
Speaker 4:Oh, thank you.
Speaker 1:Are there any favorite episodes or standout things from over the years that you filmed that you, that you loved?
Speaker 4:That's a tough one, I would say. You know, a lot of our favorite episodes really have to do with the people we work with. Yeah, so we build relationships with these homeowners, and often we're working with these homeowners for months, if not over a year, before we ever get to the point of the television show, because they are either hoarders that need a lot of, you know, time and just assistance and and support in the idea of downsizing or moving on from their home, or it's widows or widowers that have emotional connections to their properties. So there's just a lot of things that there's a lot more that go into the selling of the home and often, when people are in a financial situation where they need our support, there know there's a life circumstance that has brought them there. So we often are not only playing the role of, you know, renovators, investors, real estate, but also, you know, friends and counselors, and so it's really amazing the people that we meet and the friendships that we make that last a long time.
Speaker 1:The episodes that I find myself liking the most are the ones where there has been some kind of tragedy or maybe a loss of a parent, and there's something therapeutic about watching the process, and you guys are so good at delicately handling the situations.
Speaker 4:I appreciate that. Yeah, we definitely enjoy being able to help people through circumstances, for sure.
Speaker 1:That comes across. It goes back to that whole people, people, people thing. I love that. I love that you call yourselves people, people.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Well, you guys will be in town, like I mentioned earlier, friday October 3rd and Saturday, october 4th.
Speaker 4:We're going to speak on Friday at 5 and then on Saturday at 1 o'clock.
Speaker 1:And we'll be there for the Saturday event. So I can't wait to meet you guys and watch your show.
Speaker 4:Awesome. Well, thank you so much for having us on.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and people can go to our website and register to win tickets and also jackshomeshowscom to purchase tickets early. Save a couple bucks, purchase early and we'll see Lindsay and Leslie at the Home and Patio show.
Speaker 4:Thank you See you soon.
Speaker 1:And finally, the end of the year is really heating up for the FSCJ Artist Series, starting with the Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Spectacular Tour. It's a mouthful and it features the original Brad Major's Barry Bostwick. This man is an absolute legend but still was gracious enough to find time to chat with little old me. Hi, barry, this is Amadeus. Hi, how are you doing? Great. Thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2:I'm so excited, right now to be speaking with you, thank you.
Speaker 1:We're very excited. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is coming to the Performing Arts Center here in Jacksonville on Tuesday October 14th and you're going to be here with the show?
Speaker 2:Yes, I am. We are covering all of our bases this year because it's the 50th anniversary. We're doing 50 cities within 50 days and we're using probably 50 different shadow casts from all over the country. We get a shadow cast wherever we are and it gives us a chance to really, I think, give thanks to the diehard fans who are not only in the audience, but specifically the ones that are our shadow casters, who have just created this community, this lovely, wonderful, far-reaching community.
Speaker 1:When you say we are doing 50 cities, who else from the original cast is involved?
Speaker 2:We've got a little Nell, we've got Patricia Quinn and then we're doing one or two shows in LA area with Tim. We're doing a big one in Anaheim towards the beginning of November and also we're doing one at the Academy of Motion Picture where they're honoring Tim, and we're doing a whole evening with a shadow cast in LA.
Speaker 1:That's fantastic. I saw that CBS I believe it was CBS Sunday Morning interview with Tim and I mean, for me Tim will always be the legend character Darkness. I loved him in that. But Rocky Horror even the Muppet movie like he did so many amazing things. I'm such a massive fan of all the cast of Rocky Horror but Tim in another way, just kind of like raised me.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, no, Tim has had an amazing career and there's not a lot of actors who can command the stage like he has in many shows and the film and music. He's did three or four albums and his voice is so distinctive and his wit and sense of humor in all of the narration and the animated stuff that he's done. Thank God he's getting back to that now that he had a horrible stroke 10 years ago and it's taken him this long to get back to where he can actually use his voice in the way that we all know it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I love it. And you, I remember you also from Spin City. I was a big fan of that show, mayor Winston, just a great character.
Speaker 2:Thank you. He was sort of it's a hard character to do because on the surface he looked like an idiot, but you know that he could never have been voted in to that position if he was an idiot.
Speaker 2:Right right, but thank God that there's a structure to hold up those mayors, like Mike Fox being the deputy mayor. I mean, in New York, I think when we were there, there was two or three deputy mayors who kept the city going, while the real mayor was just meeting people in his office and receiving, you know, baseball caps.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was watching the Weakest Link earlier this week and they had the cast of Glee and I knew this interview was coming up and I remembered you were in the Rocky Horror episode of Glee, weren't you?
Speaker 2:Yes, meatloaf and I were, but we didn't sing or anything and we were just station executives, being surly.
Speaker 1:Which you're absolutely entitled to be.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, well, thank you. Yeah, well, you know, we had scenes with the female coach. You know what was her name Jane Lynch, jane Lynch, and Jane is a formidable opponent when it comes to slinging sarcasm, and she was wonderful to play with.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm sure she was. Well, the Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th anniversary is happening Tuesday, October 14th. It's part of the FSCJ Artist Series right here in Jacksonville. Barry Bostwick, the original Brad, you will be here. We are so excited to see you and we cannot wait for the show.
Speaker 2:Well, I can't either. Thank God, are you coming? I'm coming. Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss that. Okay, well, you must say hello to me, and I want you to dress up like Frank and Kruger, because he's the only one that ever went to the costume contest.
Speaker 1:I'm kind of a more of a meatloaf sized guy. You don't want to see me dressed like that.
Speaker 2:Well, okay, come as meatloaf and make sure that you have a working saxophone so that you can make the noise on the stage.
Speaker 1:Perfect, absolutely perfect. Brad, thank you so much for your time. It is such an honor to be speaking with you. I mean, you're a legend, thank you. I've been a fan my whole life, so I appreciate your time.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you. Well, I'm looking forward to meeting you in person and coming to Jacksonville.
Speaker 1:That wraps up this episode. Like I said at the beginning, it is getting busy, busy, busy in Jacksonville for the holiday season, so I'll drop another episode soon to let you know what's happening live from Jacksonville.