Artcast inducts Travolta as Five Timer, celebrates 150 episodes

Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Danny DeVito, Justin Timberlake, Drew Barrymore. 

These Hollywood A-Listers are among the celebrated elite who have received Five Timers Club jackets for hosting "Saturday Night Live" at least five times in the show's 50 seasons.

In Coeur d'Alene, the Ali and Callie Artcast, hosted by Ali Shute and Callie Cabe, just celebrated its 150th episode and inducted the podcast's first Five Timer — Ellen Travolta.

"It is always such a treat to have Ellen Travolta on our podcast," Ali Shute said Nov. 14. "She is delightful, and we thought it was so fun for her fifth time as our guest to get the Five Timers jacket and start a fun tradition. She was so excited to get her jacket. She has such rich tales about her experiences, her performances — especially the annual Christmas show she does at The Coeur d'Alene Resort every year that locals look so forward to."

Actress, producer and star of the stage and screen, Travolta was accompanied by fellow performing artist and musician Jenny Shotwell during the Nov. 2 recording of the Artcast in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Shotwell and her family are starring in the Travolta-produced show, "The Sound of Christmas," which opens Friday, Nov. 29.

Travolta said she enjoyed the jacket presentation and being named the first Five Timer for the Ali and Callie Artcast.

"It was so cute," she said. "The jacket was great. Oh boy, is it yellow."

Travolta said she loves Shute and Cabe and all they do for Coeur d'Alene. 

"Both of them are wonderful women. They're funny, kind and they have great respect and passion for the arts," she said. "They deserve to have many, many, many sponsors."

The Ali and Calli Artcast, alicallieartcast.com, brings listeners along on tales of art and culture in the Pacific Northwest and beyond as good pals Shute and Cabe interview people from all aspects of the arts.

"We are finishing our fourth season and people are requesting to be on the show," Cabe said. "It’s such a compliment. We really want to promote the artists, writers, chefs, historians, musicians, all creatives who have a hard time promoting themselves."

Shute said she enjoys when they take the Artcast on the road to bring nearby creative communities even closer to North Idaho.

"We went to Revelstoke, British Columbia, for their Luna Festival and had an amazing time getting to know the creative community there," she said. "Our trip to Tokeland, Wash., to meet up with Jeffro Uittto, a renowned driftwood artist, probably ranks up there as one of my all-time favorites. He was such a great, fun guy with wonderful stories. And so talented."

Cabe said she really enjoyed speaking with the late artist Lillian Dodson in the show's second season.

"We lost her in 2024, and I feel so lucky to have captured some of her stories living in New York hanging out with famous artists in the '60s," Cabe said. "She was so dynamic and never stopped doing what she loved. She was an inspiration."

Cabe said she loves working with Shute and their producers, who have become close friends.

"We laugh a lot and share the love of arts and culture," she said. "We have great meetings planning out our podcasts and where we want to go next. There usually is a glass of wine involved. I also love talking to people and getting to know more about what they love about their art and what inspires them."

The show will take a break over the holidays and return for a fifth season in March 2025. The hosts are planning a road trip to Boise to explore its creative community and maybe chat with the Idaho Commission on the Arts for an update on the state of the arts in Idaho.

"We’d love to get to Missoula or somewhere in Montana to see what is happening art-wise there," Shute said. "But mostly we are just excited to see what presents itself around the corner. There is so much happening in our world right now, and we just have to find that creative spark in ourselves to keep going, to solve problems, and find the joy in our lives. Art is too important not to share. I love our closing line, 'Whatever you do today, make it creative!'"

Find the Ali and Callie Artcast on Instagram and Facebook: @alicallieartcast.

    Callie Cabe, left, and Ali Shute engage in discussion before introducing their guest June 11 as they record the Ali and Callie Artcast in a studio in downtown Coeur d'Alene.