Adele Baughn Wilson and Anadel Baughn Barbour as they were in 1991, appearing in "Cheers" episode,... [+]
Talk about being separated at birth ...but never straying far.
Adele Baughn Wilson and Anadel Baughn Barbour are identical twin actresses, born 10 minutes apart, and living today in the same Los Angeles neighborhood near Dodger Stadium.
They auditioned to be the Doublemint Twins, appeared together in such shows as Cheers and China Beach, and attend games together as season ticket holders, with seats close to the Dodgers spouses. And they are the veteran stars of the YouTube podcast show, Dodger Fan Weekly (or “DFW” -- not to be confused with Dallas-Fort Worth) -- now in its third season.
They work seamlessly together, as you might imagine, have fun with regular features like "Who’s Hot and Who’s Hottie" and "What Would Vinny Say,” but train a keen eye on the often-dramatic goings-on at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers new front office and skipper Don Mattingly are taken to task as necessary.
Themed shows are a staple, with recent episodes including "Under-Appreciated Dodgers," "NO BULLpen," "The Baseball Gods" and "WAR – What is it Good For?" If that last one needs explaining, well, perhaps you’re not the targeted demographic.
DFW is produced by Adele's husband, Tom Wilson, of Nobody Productions, who like the twins is a diehard Dodger fan, and is frustrated by more than a generation without a World Series in Los Angeles. That frustration, felt by tens of thousands in L.A., explains in part, along with the comments which follow, his motivation in continuing with the show, rarely skipping a week during the baseball season since DFW’s April, 2013 debut:
“More and more it seems the voices of baseball come from ‘insiders,’ and while this can be uniquely insightful it often leaves a void in the pursuit of a more well-rounded and fair critique. Too often these ‘insider’ voices are beholden to the entity that signs their paychecks. Usually this results in ‘brand pumping’ and stifles impartial analysis.
“Understandably, few people are willing to bite the hand that feeds them. We've found that our relationship with the fans has opened the doors to a more truthful and well-rounded impartial conversation. That said, we are Dodger fans and we support the team…we just don't do it out of fear of losing our jobs.”
Anadel is currently finishing her PhD in Human Sexuality and works with women in sobriety. Adele works with the non-profit Streetlights, creating behind-the-camera entertainment careers for low-income minorities. Both women continue to work as commercial actresses.
Best Coast Show (or “BCS” for short) is the new kid in town, debuting in August, with seven episodes to date. The hosts are Curtis Stage and Albert Aguilera, who cover all the Los Angeles area sports teams (with the notable exception of the Clippers) and UFC, with the requisite emphasis on Ronda Rousey.
Stage is Vice Chair and Professor of Media Arts Multimedia and Photography at Los Angeles Mission College, works as a commercial and fine art photographer, with a specialty in shooting celebrity images for the events such as the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes.
Aguilera is an engineer at Fox Sports 1, and has been working in one capacity of the TV industry or another since high school.
Stage explains the genesis of BCS:
“Albert came to me about a year ago and said "I work at Fox Sports and we have better conversations about sports behind the scenes of the shows - I need to start my own show.
“Over the last few months we decided to get more serious with the idea primarily because so few shows airing come from a dedicated fans perspective and they are not loose and conversational. We want this show to feel like a ‘regular show’ but from a diehard fan standpoint of people that actually grew up in the Los Angeles area and live and die with [the local] teams. Most of the local radio shows feature transplant 'journalists.’
“The great thing is that Albert and I both have technical backgrounds, so we can produce the show on our own, and employ both current and former students to get hands-on experience in production engineering, camera and post [production].”
Best Coast Show is produced with a slick yet casual feel to it. Two guys talking sports, in a studio, with desks, headsets and microphones. Together Stage and Aguilera come across naturally on the air, as savvy sports men with personality, and a sense of fun. Smiles all around.
DFW will air weekly episodes at least end of the regular season, with postseason shows added, “if necessary,” as the saying goes. BCS runs year-round.
And remember, glove conquers all.
