MoCo Celebs Archives - The MoCo Show

John-Paul “JP” Flaim of The Sports Junkies to Appear/Hold Book Signing at Burton’s Grill in Kentlands Wednesday

Published December 5, 2022 at 4:53PM

Last year, John-Paul “JP” Flaim of The Sports Junkies announced his new book Still Barking on the show this morning over at 106.7 The Fan. The book tells the story of how The Sports Junkies came together over 25 years ago along with all of the memorable experiences the crew has had since then. JP, a MoCo resident, is having an appearance at Burton’s in The Kentlands on Wednesday, December 7th between 5pm and 7pm, where he’ll chat with local sports fans and have 10 copies of his book for sale for anyone interested.

“For the past year, I have worked on the story of four childhood friends chasing a dream with heart, humor and soul. Though it dives into radio and our career, the overarching theme is one of brotherhood and friendship. I wish my Mom could have seen the final product but alas she is not here, but without her spirit, I couldn’t have worked as hard as I did to complete this project.” Flaim said about his book.

MoCo Natives Trevon and Stefon Diggs Are Featured on the Cover of Sports Illustrated (Aug 2022)

By MCS Staff

Published July 16, 2022 at 4:00AM

Trevon and Stefon Diggs are both coming off of Pro Bowl seasons where the brothers dominated the NFL. The honors continue as the brothers, who are Montgomery County natives, are featured on the cover of the August 2022 edition of Sports Illustrated.

The issue features the brothers jumping for the same football, highlighting the fact that they play on opposite sides of the ball– Trevon is a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys while Stefon is a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. The piece is titled, “Bond of Brothers” How Family Forged NFL Stardom for Trevon and Stefon Diggs.

A Few Good Men…One of Them From MoCo

By MCS Staff

Published July 11, 2022 at 6:11AM

The 1992 critically acclaimed film, A Few Good Men, is often noted for its ensemble cast of Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, and many other big Hollywood names, but a man who grew up in Montgomery County, Wolfgang Bodison, plays a key role in the movie.

The plot follows the court-martial of two U.S. Marines, one played by MoCo’s Wolfgang Bodison, charged with the murder of a fellow Marine and the tribulations of their lawyers as they prepare a case. Bodison, who played the role of Lance Corporal Harold “Hal” Dawson, delivered a powerful performance in what was his first acting role.

Myles Frost, a 2017 Wootton Graduate, Earns Tony Award Nomination For His Performance as Michael Jackson in MJ The Musical

By MCS Staff

Published June 8, 2022 at 7:49AM

Myles Frost graduated from Wootton High School in Rockville in 2017. Four years later, in December of 2021, he took over the role of Michael Jackson on Broadway’s MJ. Frost, who plays the King of Pop in the new musical, received a Tony Award nomination for his Broadway debut.

He was nominated for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his role as Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical. “It’s been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I’ve been introduced to so many different things…it’s been an amazing honor.” Frost told Broadway World in a recent interview.

Laytonsville’s Katie Killacky and Her Two Daughters Can be Seen in Hulu’s Dopesick; Killacky Also Has a Recurring Role in Apple TV’s Swagger

By MCS Staff

Published May 26, 2022 at 7:42PM | Updated February 27, 2026 at 1:01PM

Currently Killacky has a recurring role in the Apple TV series Swagger, based on on Kevin Durant’s life growing up playing AAU basketball in the DMV. The show centers around the kids on the basketball team and Killacky plays the role of one of the player’s moms. The show started filming in June of 2019, when the pilot was shot. Filming picked back up end of 2019 only to be shut down by Covid, before finishing filming in March of 2021, which required Killacky and the cast to quarantine in Richmond for about 4 months other than getting to go home for a week at a time. Due to the amount of time and work put into filming across two years, and how much the show itself means to her, Killacky calls her role in Swagger her favorite to date. The show is currently waiting to hear if it will be renewed for a second season.

“Being able to see other actors in this market see their dreams come true, even if it’s 2 or 3 lines on a show, is my greatest joy. A lot of my students are retired professionals who maybe wished they had pursued a career and are doing it in their “second act” of life. We’re certainly not the main hubs like Atlanta or NYC or LA so we’re subject to a lot of droughts and downtime so everyone who does it has to really love it and we’ve built quite a community here. I feel very fortunate to do what I do.” she told us.

Who Am I? MoCo Edition

By MCS Staff

Published May 25, 2022 at 8:03AM | Updated November 23, 2022 at 7:13PM

This actress, born in 1981, has had an extensive career in film since her teenage years. She has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, for which she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.

Though the actress was born in Israel, Rockville was her first home in the United States. She lived in Rockville and attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School until she was 7 years old while her father completed his residency at George Washington University Medical Center. She then moved to Connecticut in 1988 before relocating permanently to Long Island in 1990.

Actor Rich Rotella Recently Underwent Limb Lengthening Procedure To Make Him 3 Inches Taller; He is a 2002 Graduate of Northwest High School

By MCS Staff

Published May 25, 2022 at 6:14AM

Actor Rich Rotella grew up in Germantown, MD. He graduated from Northwest High School in 2002 and has gone on to star in Lionsgate’s feature comedy, “The Newest Pledge (2010).” One of his favorite gigs has been a national commercial for “TIDE Laundry” opposite iconic Betty White. And recently, he wrote, directed, and starred in the original feature film, “Marlo Lasker (2020).” Rotella’s latest role is as the star of a documentary he is filming about cosmetic limb lengthening, where he is the patient.

Though Rotella has trained in improvisation at “The Groundlings” and studied under Lee Strasberg’s disciple Eric Morris (acting coach to Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson), he says that at 5’5 casting directors have always told him he is too short to play the lead. So on On April 19, he underwent a painful cosmetic procedure in which both of his femurs were broken, the first step in a process that will make him 3.25 inches taller, according to PEOPLE magazine. He hopes to be 5’8″ by the end of July.

Dave Chappelle Attacked On Stage in Los Angeles

By MCS Staff

Published May 4, 2022 at 7:05AM

Comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked while he was performing at a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, according to many witnesses reports on social media and a video showing a man attempting to tackle Chappelle (seen below). According to multiple reports, the man was allegedly armed with a gun and a knife and was removed from the stage by security prior to being taken away from the stadium on a gurney.

Chapelle, who grew up in Silver Spring and attended Woodlin Elementary School before going to Duke Ellington School of the Arts in DC, appeared uninjured and continued with the show.

Did You Know Former Baltimore Orioles Player Brady Anderson Was Born in Silver Spring?

By MCS Staff

Published April 28, 2022 at 7:26AM | Updated November 23, 2022 at 9:43PM

Brady Anderson made a name for himself as the center fielder and lead off hitter for the Baltimore Orioles in the 90s. His sideburns may also be among the most famous to ever exist, but did you know the 3 time All-Star, who once hit 50 home runs in a season, was born in Silver Spring?

Anderson was born at Holy Cross hospital on January 18th, 1964. Though he was born here, he didn’t spend too much time in the area as his family moved to California with his family when he was very young and attended Carlsbad High School before enrolling at the University of California, Irvine prior to being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1985. The Red Sox sent him — along with Curt Schilling — to the Orioles on July 29, 1988 in exchange for Mike Boddicker. Schilling didn’t stick around for too long, but Anderson went on to establish himself as one of the better center fielders and leadoff hitters of the ’90s.

Wootton Alumnus Utkarsh Ambudkar Stars in New Hulu Series ‘The Dropout’

By MCS Staff

Published April 28, 2022 at 7:05AM

A couple months back we discussed Wootton High School alumnus Utkarsh Ambudkar’s starting role on the CBS sitcom ‘Ghosts’, which debuted in October of last year and was recently renewed for a second season. Ambudkar also has a prominent role on the new Hulu miniseries, The Dropout.

The show is based on the ABC Audio podcast about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. The show touches on experiences that likely motivated Holmes’ deceptions and lies, starting from her formative years as a pre-teen and going all the way to her exposure as a fraud. Ambudkar plays the role of Rakesh Madhava, a biotech engineer and worked at Theranos until 2008.

Plenty of Montgomery County Ties on HBO’s We Own This City, Which Aired its First Episode Last Night

By MCS Staff

Published April 26, 2022 at 8:27AM

Last summer, David Simon tweeted that he was excited to be filming in Baltimore. “Alarm just went off. A** up and moving. Today is the first day of filming in Baltimore in more than 14 years. Good to be home.” Last night, We Own This City debuted on HBO.

David Simon, a MoCo native, graduated from B-CC high school and is perhaps best known for creating one of the most popular HBO series of all-time, The Wire. His new limited series on HBO, We Own This City, based on the book We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops and Corruption by investigative journalist Justin Fenton, was shot in Baltimore during the second half of 2021.