The BUZZ had a sit down with author Fran Metzman, who wrote the Amazon bestseller, "The Cha-Cha Babes." While we did discuss the latest installment, "The Cha-Cha Babes: Dance with the Devil," we discussed the serious topic of human trafficking. This topic does not get the attention it needs to, and we talked about what we can do as a whole to help prevent sex trafficking. This is one of our more serious topics at THE BUZZ, and we implore you to listen to what we have to say on this important subject. We also hope you take what you hear and pay attention to potential warning signs if you ever notice this happening in your area.

Gene Pope stopped by the podcast to chat about the film, "Queen of Knives." While this is a follow-up to, "King of Knives," this has a more comedic take than the previous where it was more drama-centric. Pope spoke with us about how we can consider this a coming of age film, and how Frank, Pope's character, has to go through new stages in his life. We spoke about the stellar cast in this film, including Mel Harris, who many fans remember from her role as Hope on the ABC drama, "Thirtysomething." Pope gave us some behind the scenes stories that took place and his biggest takeaway from the film. "Queen of Knives" is available on Pay-Per-View, VUDU, and Apple TV for viewing. 

The BUZZ had the chance to catch up with "Days of our Lives" star, Blake Berris. The actor returned to the soap in a new role, Everett Lynch, and there is still a mystery surrounding him. Who is Everett? Who is Bobby Stein? What connects him to Jada and Stephanie? Berris told us to stay tuned and watch what happens when they, "poke the bear," so to speak. We also spoke with him about how he had the chance to return to "DAYS" in a new role. Fans would remember him from playing the character of Nick Fallon. We were able to see Nick turn from nerdy teen to a semi-villainous man. Berris spoke that the two characters of Nick and Everett are very different. Find out what it has been like to work alongside Deidre Hall as Dr. Marlena Evans, working on the AMC series, "Breaking Bad," and his thoughts on the Horton House fire. We then shared some wonderful thoughts and memories of the late Bill Hayes, who played Doug Williams. Follow Blake Berris on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/blakeberris/?hl=en. "Days of our Lives" streams new episodes weekday mornings on Peacock.

The BUZZ had the chance to speak with the showrunner of the Netflix series, "House of Ninjas," Dave Boyle. The show premiered on the streaming network on February 15th, and it follows a family of ninjas that were trying to get accustomed to living a normal life. However, a threat to their family calls them back to action. We spoke with Boyle on how and when the show was created, with the concept coming from Kento Kaku, who plays Haru in the series. Hear our thoughts on the many fight scenes that occur during the series. Also, find out what we had to say on the breakout characters, including Oki, played by Tokio Emoto, and Ayame, played by Bambi Naka. What can happen in a potential season 2? We also quickly spoke about where can this story now lead after the twist that occurred in the season finale. "House of Ninjas" is available for streaming now on Netflix.

The BUZZ had the pleasure to sit down with Joel Goldes, a veteran Hollywood dialect coach with over 20 years in the industry. He has worked with tremendous talent including Emmy Award winning actress Viola Davis. Goldes spoke with us about some of the techniques he uses in order to have talent speak in certain different dialects. We also got to talk about his travels across the globe while coaching. Later this year, HULU is set to air, "Washington Black," a miniseries based upon the novel of the same name written by Esi Edugyan. The story follows the 11 year old boy, "Wash," on a Barbados sugar plantation who must flee after a gruesome death threatens to upend his life. Tom Ellis, Rupert Graves, Billy Boyd, and Ernest Kingsley Jr. are set to star in the limited series. Sterling K. Brown not only will star in the series but also serves as executive producer. Goldes spoke with us about the filming of the series, which majority took place in Nova Scotia, and several different themes that will be showcased and taken away from the show. More conversation was had about the documentary, "76 Days," which premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival this month, Goldes volunteer work, and more travel stories. Follow Joel Goldes online at: Website: http://www.thedialectcoach.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joelthedialectcoach/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoelTheDialectCoach

As the BUZZ continues with its coverage of the 39th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, we got to speak with Rebecca Coley, who directed the documentary, "Point of Change." The story follows two surfers finding the the perfect wave on the island of Nias, but what they discover is far from perfect. We spoke with Coley about how she became involved with the project, and she also told us about her story of being a surfer. We also talked about how this film does not just speak from a surfer's perspective but also showcase many themes and elements that does reach a broader audience. One of the aspects we did get to speak on was how the music composition in the film really brought out the the scenes in the documentary. Coley also shared her thoughts on having the documentary be a part of SBIFF and the fan reaction during the premiere screenings.

As we continue with our coverage of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), we spoke with the crew involved in the documentary, "LUCHA: A Wrestling Tale." The story follows a group of young teenage girls who join the women's wrestling team at Taft High School. As they are competing in championships, they also are facing struggles outside of the wrestling mat. We spoke with the girls about how watching their struggles in the film really hits home. When you have instances of giving up your dream to make ends meet, grades are suffering, and even learning your first English words, the entire film depicts how everyone dealt with their blows but came out of it stronger than ever. We also spoke with one of the girls, Samantha, on her joining the boys' wrestling team. The film made its debut at SBIFF on Friday, February 9th, with an encore screening on Saturday, February 10th, at 12 PM PT.

Our coverage of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) continues with Linsey Stewart and Dane Clark, who wrote and directed the movie, "SUZE." The story follows a mother who has to adjust to empty-nest syndrome, on top of a divorce, and caring for someone she cannot stand. This leads her into a journey of self-discovery and understanding that she never had before. As we spoke with Clark and Stewart, we spoke about how this movie can be also classified as a, "coming of age," film, even though we sometimes relegate that term to younger people. We also dove into how the concept was conceived and the inspiration behind it. Another piece we talked on was how this could relate to many who watch the film who are going through kids not wanting to be around their parents, as well as the standout performance of Charlie Gillespie as Gage. "SUZE" is set to premiere at SBIFF on Saturday, February 10th, with an encore screening on Sunday, February 11th.

The BUZZ sat down with Mike Manning, who stars in the film, "Edge of Everything," which is set to premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF). The film follows a young teenage girl dealing with the loss of her mother and moving in with her father and younger girlfriend. From there, she befriends someone from the wrong side of the tracks and begins exploring many facets in her journey. Manning portrays Zach in the film and spoke with us about how he became involved in the film. We also spoke with him about his time on, "Days of our Lives," as well as his continued involvement with the series, "The Bay." "Edge of Everything" premiered on February 8th and will have a second screening on Monday, February 12th, at 8:10 AM PT in Metro 4 Theatre, Auditorium #2.

Our coverage of this year's Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) continues as we sat down with Matt Ogens and 'Kachi Benson, who directed the documentary, "MADU." The story follows Anthony Madu, who leaves his family in Nigeria to study ballet in England. Young Anthony garnered attention from a 44-second video that went viral in 2020, where he was seen ballet dancing. We spoke with Ogens and Benson on capturing the nuances that viewers could not help but feel what Anthony was going through. We talked about how ballet is not accepted in Nigeria and about finding acceptance. This film will resonate with many if you are trying to achieve your dream(s) but are faced with struggles and obstacles that you never thought could happen. The documentary was the opening night premiere at SBIFF, and will stream on Disney+ starting March 29, 2024.