I’ve been busy the last few days and I need to catch up on press releases that have come into the Fang’s Bites inbox. So I’ll post some stuff that you would probably want to know.
First, NFL Network has announced that it’s going to make Rich Eisen’s popular podcast on NFL.com into a weekly series. Rich’s podcast has not just focused on football but on a variety of topics and that is what will happen on the show. You can look forward to seeing Larry David of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm on a future show as well as tennis analyst John McEnroe, fellow former ESPN’er Dan Patrick and TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley. It’s a chance to see a different side of Rich that you don’t get to watch when you see him hosting NFL Total Access.
Here’s the press release.
THE RICH EISEN PODCAST DEBUTS ON NFL NETWORK
First Show on Thursday, June 16 at 8:00 PM ET Features Pittsburgh Steelers WR and ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Champion Hines Ward
‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Edition Featuring Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Bob Einstein & J.B. Smoove Airs July 7 at 10:00 PM ETRich Eisen, host of NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated NFL GameDay Morning pregame show, takes NFL.com’s first podcast to the small screen with the television debut of The Rich Eisen Podcast on Thursday nights at 8:00 PM ET only on NFL Network. Beginning June 16, the weekly edition of the podcast – which remains available for download on NFL.com and iTunes – will air on NFL Network, featuring a mix of NFL personalities and stars from the world of entertainment.
“Putting the podcast on television is a natural extension of the show, and will either bring the program to a wider audience to enjoy or offer me a larger platform on which to flame out spectacularly,” said Eisen.
On the television premiere of The Rich Eisen Podcast, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and latest winner of Dancing with the Stars, Hines Ward, joins the program in-studio. Ward becomes the eighth Super Bowl MVP to appear on The Rich Eisen Podcast joining Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Ray Lewis, Troy Aikman, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Phil Simms. Rounding out the guest list on Thursday’s debut program is NBC’s Sunday Night Football game analyst Cris Collinsworth and Kyle Chandler, the star of this past weekend’s top-grossing movie, Super 8 and the critically-acclaimed television show Friday Night Lights. The podcast will be available for download on NFL.com and iTunes Thursday immediately following the network debut.
Rich Eisen with Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David (Photo courtesy NFL.com/Gary Vasquez)
Eisen (center), with Curb Your Enthusiasm cast (L-R): Bob Einstein, Jeff Garlin, J.B. Smoove and Larry David (Photo courtesy NFL.com/Gary Vasquez)
Additionally on Thursday, July 7, Eisen hosts a special Curb Your Enthusiasm edition of the podcast airing at 10:00 PM ET, following the season finale of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets on NFL Network. With the eighth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm premiering Sunday, July 10 at 10:00 PM ET on HBO, Eisen sits down for an exclusive one-on-one chat with the show’s creator, executive producer and star Larry David. Then Eisen does his best to control a roundtable discussion with David, executive producer and actor Jeff Garlin, and actors Bob Einstein (Marty Funkhauser) and J.B. Smoove (Leon Black), recounting the best moments from the previous 11 years of the Emmy Award-winning comedy, as well as offering a preview of what’s to come.“The ‘Curb’ podcast is a perfect example of what this show is and can be,” Eisen said. “It provides a forum for guests that might not ordinarily be associated with NFL Network while creating a whole new type of programming for NFL Network. I couldn’t be more excited about planting this flag.”
In less than one year since its launch, The Rich Eisen Podcast has developed a significant following, amassing more than one million downloads. On the program, Eisen not only discusses the pertinent topics in the NFL, but he also expands his reach into television and movies with interviews involving pop culture celebrities such as Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Larry King, Snoop Dogg, Jon Hamm and Paul Rudd. In other words, no other show on the internet – and now, television – blends the sports and entertainment worlds quite like The Rich Eisen Podcast.
Other prominent guests to appear on The Rich Eisen Podcast include:
- Longtime play-by-play announcers Marv Albert, Al Michaels, Joe Buck and Mike Tirico
- NBC Football Night in America studio host and former ESPN colleague Dan Patrick
- Best-selling author and ESPN columnist Bill Simmons
- NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley
- Tennis legend John McEnroe
- Grammy Award-winning musicians John Legend and The Black Eyed Peas
- Academy Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh
And there you have it.
