No one is covering the issues, and in particular the 2016 US Presidential election, quite like Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. The shows Executive Producer, and a former Producer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Miles Kahn joins us this week to share what makes the show so successful and entertaining. Last year Jon Stewart left late night TV just before what may be the most absurd election to date. Luckily we were given something magical to replace the void. Samantha Bee was a twelve-year ve...
Aug 20, 2016•39 min
Anticipation for the TV show “Outcast” has been mounting since it was debuted at SXSW and was immediately renewed for a second season. The series has a stellar cast including our guests - prolific actor Reg E. Cathey, who is know for his work on The Wire, OZ and House of Cards, for which he won an Emmy, and Patrick Fugit who is know for his memorable performances in Almost Famous and Gone Girl. Robert Kirkman, creator of the hit show “The Walking Dead”, helms the series about Kyle Barnes (Patric...
Aug 20, 2016•38 min
In just 15 months British actor, comedian and Broadway star James Corden has reinvented the late night TV format with The Late Late Show on CBS. For example, his ‘Carpool Karaoke’ segment with Adele is the most-viewed late night TV clip in social media history with over 102 million views to date! On this weeks episode Late Late Show writer Lauren Greenberg joins us to share what makes the show so successful. Greenberg has been with the show since the beginning and wrote the first segment on the ...
Aug 20, 2016•20 min
The newly released best selling book 'Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep’, tells the origin story of arguably the most talented actor of her generation! Author, journalist and biographer Michael Schulman joins us on Pop Culture Confidential. Meryl Streep has 19 oscar nominations and 3 wins for her truly iconic performances that range from movies such as ‘Kramer vs Kramer’, ‘Sophie's Choice’, ‘The Devil wears Prada’, and ’The Iron Lady’, just to name a few. New Yorker journalist Michael Schulman di...
Aug 20, 2016•31 min
What movie will take the summer box office this year? Will it be “The Legend of Tarzan”? “Captain America: Civil War”? Or will it be “Finding Dory”? In the summer of 1975, Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” broke all kinds of records and the Summer Blockbuster was established. May marks the start of Hollywood’s busiest season – so grab your popcorn as Pop Culture Confidential takes a look at the Summer Movies with Ben Fritz, reporter for The Wall Street Journal. “Jaws” is still credited as the first Summ...
Aug 20, 2016•18 min
The lie detector test, bondage, feminism and superpowers – welcome to the fascinating world of Wonder Woman and her creator William M. Marston, a Harvard educated psychologist, lawyer, inventor and comic book creator. With the recent release of ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ we get a first glimpse of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman before her own upcoming blockbuster is released in 2017. The character is legendary – from the impact of the comic in the 1940’s and the success of the TV version in ...
Aug 20, 2016•30 min
Never has there been such a talked about pop culture phenomena that the least amount of people have actually been able to see! The Broadway smash hit ‘Hamilton’ has taken the US by storm and on this weeks episode we speak to one of its stars – actor and singer Anthony Ramos. The musical has found the impossible recipe for success – mixing rap, R&B, and pop culture references to tell the story of the American founding father Alexander Hamilton. The show’s creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda w...
Aug 20, 2016•28 min
Race, sexism, class and fame were all at the heart of how the OJ Simpson trial unfolded, themes that still resonate two decades later. The new hit series on FX ‘The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story’ follows the 1994-95 trial of OJ Simpson for the horrific murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. On this episode we are joined by showrunners Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski to discuss their new hit series on FX ‘The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story’. The ten part s...
Aug 20, 2016•26 min
Miss L has taken the internet by storm. The anonymous actress based in the UK has been sharing every sexist casting call and audition notice she encounters – and it’s quite a collection! She started the Tumblr blog ‘Casting Call Woe’ four years ago to show the unusual and sometimes bizarre casting calls posted online, but quickly realized how prevalent sexism was in the industry. “It all started out of frustration at seeing such ridiculous things and really just wanting other people to see what ...
Aug 20, 2016•21 min
Alternative histories, conspiracy theories and a race against time - these are all at the heart of the gripping new Hulu series 11.22.63. The sci-fi series has an all-star team – it’s adapted from the best selling novel by Stephen King, J.J. Abrams is Executive Producer and it stars James Franco! On this week’s episode we speak to the woman behind it all – veteran writer (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) Bridget Carpenter. Carpenter adapted for television the story of a teacher, played by James ...
Aug 20, 2016•21 min
Sander’s playlist highlights his revolution, Clinton roars with Katy Perry, and Trump is rocking in the free world - even though Neil Young may hate it. This week on Pop Culture Confidential - the candidates and their music! Since the birth of the United States there has been a continued tradition of presidential candidates using music to express their campaign messages. We speak to Dr Eric Kasper, Asst Professor of Political Science and the co-author of the book "Don’t Stop Thinking About the M...
Aug 20, 2016•32 min
Race, sexism, class and fame were all at the heart of how the OJ Simpson trial unfolded, themes that still resonate two decades later. The new hit series on FX ‘The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story’ follows the 1994-95 trial of OJ Simpson for the horrific murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. On this episode we are joined by showrunners Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski to discuss their new hit series on FX ‘The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story’. The ten part s...
Aug 20, 2016•26 min
On this weeks Pop Culture Confidential: Jenni Konner, executive producer, writer and co-showrunner of HBO's "Girls", alongside show creator and star Lena Dunham. Jenni Konner started her career as a writer on Judd Apatow’s Undeclared and went on to become co-exec producer, with Apatow, on the groundbreaking series Girls. We talk about the cultural impact of the series, her close collaboration and friendship with Lena Dunham, their new feminist newsletter The Lenny Letter and why season six of Gi...
Aug 20, 2016•50 min
This week’s guest Kevin Avery is a writer on HBO’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ and co-host of the very funny podcast ‘Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period’ with fellow comedian W. Kamau Bell. His credits also include head writer on the critically acclaimed FX series ‘Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell’ which was created by Chris Rock, and writer on VH1’s ‘Best Week Ever’. From more serious subjects like Net Neutrality and immigration, to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue – Avery...
Aug 18, 2016•26 min
More than a music supervisor Mary Ramos is a detective, a negotiator and a fixer when it comes to suggesting and securing the perfect music for her directors. If you have been to the cinema in the last twenty years - you already know her work! Her credits include over 100 films from Reality Bites to Spotlight, and the many iconic Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. At this year’s Göteborg Film Festival Mary Ramos joined for a Master Class, moderated by our podcast host Christina Jeurling Birro, to sh...
Aug 18, 2016•55 min
Welcome to this very special episode of Pop Culture Confidential that we recorded live in London where we interviewed several of the greats, in and around, this year’s most talk about films – ‘Spotlight’. The film won ‘Best Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture” at the SAG Awards, and is a definite Oscar contender for Best Picture. We sit down with Mark Ruffalo and the Pulitzer Prize journalist for the Boston Globe he portrays in the film, Mike Rezendes. As well as Walter Robinson, the Pulit...
Aug 18, 2016•21 min
On this weeks episode we are honored to talk to Susan Sarandon - Oscar winning actress, producer, Ping-Pong enthusiast, social and political activist, and passionately committed to human rights. Together with her production company Reframed Pictures; Susan Sarandon now embarks on a documentary project about one of her real inspirations, actress Hedy Lamarr! Lamarr was a Hollywood superstar know as the “the most beautiful woman in the world” but she had a secret life – as a brilliant inventor. La...
Mar 03, 2016•27 min
The King’s Speech, Juno, American Hustle, Argo, and now Spotlight and The Revenant – these are just some of the scripts featured on The Black List that have gone onto receive Oscar nominations and Oscar gold! Our guest Franklin Leonard is the founder of The Black List and it’s podcast compliment The Black List Table Reads. And this week we check back in with our favorite TV critic June Thomas, Slate’s culture critic, to hear her highlights from the recent Television Critics Association’s ‘Winter...
Mar 03, 2016•46 min
This weeks guests Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi spent ten years of their lives documenting the Avery case which became the Netflix docu-series “Making a Murderer”. If you have not watched the complete series, please know that this episode and the text below contain spoilers. Was Steven Avery setup by the local authorities as payback for the lawsuit? Is an innocent man in jail the second time? Was 16-year-old Brendan Dassey's confession coerced? The series is spellbinding and infuriating, regar...
Mar 03, 2016•25 min
full frenzy and what better way to start the year than to predict the nominees for this year’s Oscars. We last spoke to awards expert Sasha Stone, Awards Daily, after Telluride in September. Now we check in with Sasha and ask the big questions: Who are the frontrunners? What happened to the early buzz for Steve Jobs? Will Alicia Vikander receive two nominations? And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 03, 2016•27 min
Steinem has been an outspoken champion of women’s rights since the 1970s and has just released her new memoir ‘My Life of The Road’. Her work has been an inspiration to us personally and to a whole generation of women in pop culture – from comedian Amy Schumer to actress Lena Dunham, both of who are highlighting how society looks at women today with their work. As a columnist for New York magazine and a founder of Ms. Magazine Steinem has published seminal articles, including one that detailed h...
Jan 31, 2016•32 min
Gorgeous, moving and subtle – ‘Carol’ is a beautifully crafted tale of forbidden love that has wowed critics and audiences alike. And it’s no wonder – director Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven, I’m Not There) along with the films stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have delivered Oscar worthy performances. ‘Carol’ follows two women from very different backgrounds that find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. Their undeniable attraction is challenged by the conventional norms ...
Jan 31, 2016•33 min
From Citizen Kane, All The Presidents Men, Anchorman, and Newsroom to this years much buzzed about films Truth and Spotlight – Hollywood has had a long, adoring, but complicated relationship portraying journalism. The iconic 1976 film Network staring Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall will soon celebrate its fortieth anniversary. In both television and film, journalism is still a hot topic today with crusading journalists, cutthroat executives and stressed newsrooms front and center. The film Networ...
Jan 17, 2016•31 min
We are thrilled to speak with Roger Christian who won Best Art Direction - Set Decoration for 'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope' in 1977. Along with his team, he is responsible for the iconic interior of the Millennium Falcon, the first lightsaber, R2D2, and much more. And we talk to Entertainment Weekly senior writer Anthony Breznican about everything you need to know about Star War: The Force Awakens premiere and much more! Host/Producer: Christina Jeurling Birro. Producer: Renee Viterstedt....
Jan 02, 2016•1 hr
This weeks guests have created some of the most iconic looks for superstars like Britney Spears, Pink, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, and Marilyn Manson. They are behind the wonderful costumes in the Oscar winning film Dallas Buyers Club, and most recently they designed the costumes for Mockingjay Pt 1 & 2 of the Hunger Games franchise. Kurt Swanson and Bart Mueller, who make up the New York-based costume design team Kurt & Bart, created meticulously detailed looks for Jennifer Lawrence, El...
Nov 20, 2015•31 min
Marlon Brando was one of the most acclaimed and influential actors of all time. He also was one of the most elusive and enigmatic. In the new documentary Listen to Me Marlon, written, directed and edited by Stevan Riley, we get a powerfully absorbing portrait that dives into the inner space of Brando’s mind. The film features exclusive access to Brando's previously unseen and unheard personal archive of private audio tapes the actor recorded at home, in business meetings, during hypnosis, in the...
Nov 20, 2015•24 min
Carrie Coon burst onto the scene in 2014 with two remarkable performances in David Fincher’s Gone Girl and HBO’s The Leftovers. We are honored to speak with her! How would you react if 2% of the world’s population suddenly disappeared, including your husband and two children? This is the premise for Carrie Coon’s character Nora Durst on the hit HBO show The Leftovers, now in its second season. The show is co-created by Lost’s Damon Lindelof and the author of the novel, Tom Perrotta. We speak to ...
Nov 06, 2015•48 min
By 1982, cocaine made up 30% of all Colombian export, surpassing coffee, with much help by cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar. The new hit Netflix series “Narcos” traces his rise as one of the leaders of the Meddellín Cartel, the flow of cocaine from Colombia into the United States and the DEA’s attempts to bring down Escobar and the cartel. Brazilian actor Wagner Moura has received high praise for his portrayal of Escobar, who is a complex character – to say the least. He is one of the worlds most n...
Oct 29, 2015•42 min
Twenty-five years ago Buzz Bissinger went in search of the Friday night lights – to chronicle the high school football ritual that can bring together a small American town. The result of this journey that took him to Odessa, Texas became the New York Times bestseller “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream”, a book that would later be adapted into both a movie and TV show of the same name. The book shows America’s love of football while exposing its racism and greed, which is just as p...
Oct 29, 2015•38 min
Guest: Priyanka Chopra This week we interview one of the world’s biggest movie stars. She acts, she sings, she dances, and as an FBI agent in the new ABC drama “Quantico” she kicks some serious butt! Priyanka Chopra, the Bollywood superstar has over 50 films on her resume, and is now taking Hollywood by storm – and making history by being the first South Asian woman to headline a US network drama. Priyanka Chopra was born in Jamshedpur India, but as a teenager she lived for some years with her a...
Oct 20, 2015•24 min
