My first in-person meeting with Annette Funicello was back in the 70′s at Dick Clark’s Malibu Beach house home at a party on the beach, and there Annette was, standing next to her co-star in all those beach party movies, Frankie Avalon! Frankie had visited with me in studio a couple of times before that, but seeing Annette in-person as Dick Clark introduced us there on the sand was surreal after seeing her beach party movies, and having Frankie right there too! Couldn’t have been a better moment ever in my radio career up to then, with 3 of the nicest people in the entertainment business standing there under the Malibu moonlight with the Pacific Ocean waves crashing on the beach and an opportunity for me to talk to the girl every boy who grew up back then had a crush on! Click on the video for a CNN capsule of her life & career, and then click on the links below for a couple of clips from the last phone interview I had with Annette on January 15, 1988. As I posted on Facebook Monday, she was one of the nicest and most kind people I have ever met, and you’ll hear that coming through in these interview clips below, and certainly one of the most beautiful people ever, inside & out!

Charlie Tuna talks with Annette Funicello 1-15-1988 – Part 1

Charlie Tuna talks with Annette Funicello 1-15-1988 – Part 2

It was one of the Academy Awards most famous moments in their long TV history, when Robert Opel somehow slipped through security and streaked the stage completely nude, behind a bemused David Niven. After all, it was the year the streaking fad was at it’s peak, so it was almost expected. And in later years, there was enough evidence many people thought that this actually was a publicity stunt designed to get the Oscars back in the spotlight in a big way again! Take a look at the actual incident, and then listen to my morning after interview below, with the streaker himself, Robert Opel, who I tracked down in the Los Angeles phone directory.

Charlie interviews streaker Robert Opel Part 1

Charlie interviews streaker Robert Opel Part 2

I first met Mindy McCready when she was a fresh-faced 20 year old Country star who’s career took off like a rocket when she hit Nashville, signed with a record company, and her first album “10,000 Angels” went double platinum, and produced 4 big singles, including 2 number ones, on the country charts in 1996! But 3 albums and 17 years later, her life & career looked like a bad country song and her name had made the front page headlines of every tabloid there was! Everything from a reputed affair with baseball star Roger Clemens since she was 16, drugs, alcohol, broken relationships, charges of identity theft, violating her parole, child custody battles, even a sex tape littered the pages of her bio at this point. The final straw appeared to be the suicide just a month ago of her record producer boyfriend, David Wilson. And now Sunday night, Mindy McCready is dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after she had killed her dog, in the exact same spot her boyfriend took his life a month ago. Her 2 children had been taken away by her parents for their safety as Mindy sank deeper & deeper into drugs, alcohol & depression after her boyfriend’s death. Her song “10,000 Angels” seems somewhat prophetic in retrospect!

Here’s my brief 1996 interview with an excited 20 year old Mindy McCready who’s career was just taking off & setting the Country Music world on fire! Click to listen Charlie Tuna 1996 interview with Mindy McCready

Whatever happened to the old nursery rhyme “Baa Baa Black Sheep”? Goats sure don’t make that kind of noise, they yell or scream like humans! Check out this compilation video of goats that will have everyone running around to see what’s wrong if your computer speakers are up:)

This past Sunday, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees died at age 62, following a long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. Robin had a history of health problems stemming from a 2010 liver and colon cancer diagnosis. His twin brother Maurice died in 2003 due to complications from a twisted intestine. I’m remembering Robin & his twin brother on my radio shows this week, pictured here with Robin & Maurice in 1972 as they sat down for their first studio interview together with me. Click on the links below for 2 of my interview clips from my syndicated daily and weekend radio shows. Listen for more on the radio, including a chilling story of how psychically connected Robin & Maurice really were as twins!
Robin & Maurice Gibb with Charlie Clip 1
Robin & Maurice Gibb with Charlie Clip2

Always a lot of fun every time I get to be on stage at the Greek Theater helping host a big star-packed concert, and then hanging backstage talking to the artists! So much history at one of Southern California’s most intimate and beautiful settings for summer concerts! Here’s some of the people I caught up with Sunday night at our K-Earth 101 70′s Boogie Night Concert and what we talked about!

Charlie talking with Magic Johnson backstage about Magic’s favorite new team, that he just happens to be part owner, The Los Angeles Dodgers! Click on the audio link below to hear what Magic had to say!
Charlie with Magic Johnson

Everyone knows “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, one of the top dance hits of all-time, by Thelma Houston, but Charlie asked Thelma to tell the story of how there was always the confusion that Thelma & Whitney Houston were related somehow, and how Whitney finally told Thelma how to handle it. Click on the audio link below for Thelma’s story!
Charlie with Thelma Houston about Whitney Houston

Charlie was Program Director & Morning Man in the mid-70′s at a Los Angeles radio station where he was one of the first major stations in the country to play Maxine Nightingale’s “Right Back Where We Started From”! Sunday night, Charlie & Maxine found themselves right back where they often talked, backstage at the Greek Theater, and Charlie asked Maxine to share who inspired her to follow her dream to become a singer! Click on the audio link to hear Maxine!
Charlie with Maxine Nightingale

And one final note from Charlie! During his time onstage at the Greek Theater 70′s Boogie Night Concert, he was also recording & taking pictures of the audience with a promise to make them part of his jingle at 9:30 this coming Saturday morning, May 26th, if they would sing K-Earth 101′s jingle melody! Listen for that this coming weekend, but in addition, Charlie also promised the Greek Theater audience that they were so good, he would post their recording on his personality page of the K-Earth 101 website so they could brag to their friends, and try and pick out their own voice from the crowd! Take a listen as Charlie explains & records the audience below, and if you were there, can you hear your voice?
Greek Theater Crowd sings K-Earth 101

Sunday afternoon, May 20th, I hosted a 5 hour remote broadcast at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on K-Earth101, leading up to our 70′s Boogie Night Concert! Check out the highlights!

Charlie with Katrina Parker from NBC’s “The Voice” & Ryan Black, Director Of The California Music Festival! Listen to their visit with Charlie below!
Charlie Tuna with Ryan Black & Katrina Parker from The Voice!

Charlie with original American Bandstand Dancers – Sergio Lopez, Bunny Gibson, Laura Rosenson Saray and Jean-Michel Ormand! Click on the audio link below to hear them!
Charlie interviews the Bandstand Dancers

Charlie & Kristen Mugnier who plays PJ The DJ in The Shushybye PBS TV series debuting later this summer with Charlie. Hear the audio below!
Charlie interviews Kristen Mugnier PJ the DJ

Donna Summer, dead apparently after a battle with lung cancer at her Florida home, Thursday morning at age 63! Donna’s family released a statement, saying they “are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy.” Donna was reportedly working on a new album, and was trying to keep her cancer battle quiet. Several sources are saying Donna believed she contracted cancer by inhaling toxic particles after the 9/11 attack in New York City. The 5-Time Grammy winner pictured with me above in 1977 as I presented her with a gold record for “I Feel Love”, her second Top 10 hit in 1977 that began a streak of over a dozen the next 6 years. She also racked up 19 number 1 dance hits between 1975 and 2008, second only to Madonna. She was the Queen of Disco and a great interview! Below, an audio clip from one of my last interviews with Donna Summer. Hear more on my weekend & daily syndicated shows!

Donna Summer With Charlie Tuna Clip 1

Sad day Sunday, as news came from Nashville, that George “Goober” Lindsey had died after a lingering illness, at age 83. George can still be seen on TV everyday somewhere in reruns of the Andy Griffith Show, being that iconic character we all came to love! I first met George in person when he served as one of Tarzana, California Ambassadors Of Goodwill in the 80′s, when I served and still do, as the Honorary Mayor of Tarzana. One of his favorite duties as an Ambassador was being a judge for the annual Miss Tarzana Beauty Pageant that I emceed, he told me he always looked forward to that. He was a very good dramatic actor too, stretching his talents from “Gunsmoke” to “The Twilight Zone” before his “Goober” role on the Andy Griffth Show. Below are a pair of interview clips when I spoke with George during one of our visits in the 80′s from my syndicated radio show that I aired this week! Click to play!

George Goober Lindsey & Charlie – Part 1

George Goober Lindsey & Charlie – Part 2

Ron Burgundy, San Diego’s favorite Anchorman, swings by Conan O’Brien to brush up on his flute and make a little announcement.

Click on the National Radio Hall of Fame link to listen to Charlie’s 93/KHJ sign-on February 9, 1971, 40 seconds before the 6.6 Sylmar earthquake shook Southern California awake at 6:01 that morning! Just click on the radio image link (as seen above) in the lower right hand corner, and the earthquake audio is at the very beginning of a 2 minute highlight aircheck of Charlie!
Click on this link to listen!

Click on the link below to listen to Charlie’s dream deductions!
Charlie Tuna Dream Tax Reductions

On my syndicated 70′s Show this weekend, we revisit a still unexplained UFO abduction 36 years ago. Seen here is the Travis Walton abduction scene in 1993 Movie “Fire In The Sky”! In my interview, a month after the incident in 1975, and later in an interview after the 1993 movie air on TV, there was never any mention of the human-like creatures he saw aboard the UFO, in addition to the “Greys” examining him. Click below to hear my 1994 interview with Travis.

Travis Walton UFO Part 1

Travis Walton UFO Part 2

To see “Fire In The Sky” movie scene with aliens and Travis aboard the UFO, click ahead!