On Pop Culture Confidential this week we speak with journalist and screenwriter Jon Ronson about his new film Okja that recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. We ask Ronson what really happened at ‘that’ Cannes premiere which became world news, what it was like working with director Bong Joon-ho, how to spot psychopaths, Trump and more. Then in celebration of Twin Peak’s return - we speak to Helen Hollyman, Editor Chief at Munchies, the Vice food website, who has followed and written ab...
May 30, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Pasta, Italy, Master of None, Wonder Woman and the female gaze – Pop Culture Confidential is jam packed this week! We speak to Katie Parla, culinary writer and the author of the book Tasting Rome. Parla was the food concierge on the Italian episodes of the brilliant, and food obsessed, new season of Master Of None (Netflix) where we find that Dev (Aziz Ansari) has left New York and moved to Modena, Italy to learn the art of pasta making. Katie Parla speaks to us about Italian cuisine, Master of ...
May 17, 2017•59 min
On this week’s episode of Pop Culture Confidential we are joined by VOX culture writer Constance Grady to discuss the biggest news, trends and controversies of 2017 so far. We speak about how the first 100 days of Trump has influenced storylines on TV, what the ousting of Bill O’Reilly really means for Fox and why The Handmaid’s Tale is so important to audiences today. We also ask Grady what excites her about the TV season and much more - don’t miss this episode! Learn more about your ad choices...
May 09, 2017•40 min
From Buster on Arrested Development, to his Emmy winning role as the devoted body man to Selina Meyer on Veep – Tony Hale has already proven that he is one of our generation’s comedy greats. Host Christina Jeurling Birro is joined this week by Hale ahead of the upcoming sixth season premiere of Veep. In this political climate, what is better than the return of HBO’s hilarious political comedy Veep. Hale returns as Gary, the anxious and often-bullied body man to now ex-President Meyer, who is por...
Apr 11, 2017•27 min
With unforgettable performances in Frasier, 24, and now one of this seasons’ most acclaimed new series Legion - Jean Smart is television royalty with a career spanning three decades and three Emmy wins. Smart’s career includes the iconic CBS hit sitcom Designing Women. A show that featured intelligent women who were both sassy and sympathetic and who expressed differing views on women’s issues. For her unforgettable role on Frasier, Smart won an Emmy, and on 24 she was gripping as First Lady Mar...
Mar 24, 2017•19 min
Richard Simmons, workout and fitness guru, is a true American pop culture icon. One example of the empire he built is his workout video “Sweatin’ to the Oldies”, which sold millions of copies. Three years ago Simmons mysteriously disappeared from public life, including cutting off contact with most of the world. This week we speak to Dan Taberski about his search for answers that lead to the massive podcast hit “Missing Richard Simmons”. Taberski is a writer, director and former producer for “Th...
Mar 14, 2017•25 min
Now that the film award season has come to a dramatic conclusion we are happy to turn our attention to the upcoming season of television. This week’s episode of Pop Culture Confidential covers the recent Netflix event in Berlin where they unveiled the upcoming lineup. Host Christina Jeurling Birro was thrilled to speak with two of the stars of Orange is the New Black – Kate Mulgrew who plays Red and two-time Emmy winner Uzo Aduba who plays Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren. We also speak to Netflix Ch...
Mar 08, 2017•30 min
The Academy Awards are upon us and this is the annual Pop Culture Confidential Oscar predictions show! We are joined again by Sasha Stone, journalist and founder of the website Awards Daily, who gives all the details of this years statistics, trends and controversies. Annually there are many big award shows during the season, from the Golden Globes to BAFTA, each giving us a hint at which film could take the top prizes at the Academy Awards. So you can imagine how excited we are that the big day...
Feb 22, 2017•43 min
For those who follow Pop Culture Confidential, you know that we LOVE Saturday Night Live (SNL) and refer often to how it has influenced pop culture over the decades. We are so excited to be joined this week by Eugene Lee, who has been the original Saturday Night Live production designer since the start of the show's first season in 1975. At 77, he is one of the only original crewmembers still working. The SNL set Lee designed has a true New York vibe with real bricks and a nod to Grand Central S...
Feb 16, 2017•35 min
Scissor hands, face masks and apes – oh my! Three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood has dressed some of the most iconic characters on the big screen. This includes Hannibal Lecter, Edward Scissorhands, Roxie Hart – and all the characters in eleven Tim Burton films. Atwood has been very busy this past year with Huntsman: Winter’s War, Alice Through the Looking Glass, her most recent collaboration with Tim Burton Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, AND the Harry Potter pr...
Feb 09, 2017•21 min
Their legendary careers have included the animated classics The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog – and this year’s Oscar nominated Moana. Directors Ron Clements, John Musker and producer Osnat Shurer of Moana join us this week live in Stockholm to share their excitement of being nominated and journey they have taken to bring the story to the screen. Musker and Clements started their partnership early and their collective CV is like a map of our Disney movie childhood – starting...
Feb 02, 2017•42 min
When we say La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is one of the most buzzed about films this awards season – we’re not kidding! The film won every in every category it was nominated for at this years Golden Globes, including for Best Film and Best Director. As the most awarded film in Globe history – the road to Oscar glory seems unstoppable. Host Christina Jeurling Birro is thrilled to speak to two of the films creative powerhouses – writer/director Damien Chazelle and award-winning c...
Jan 18, 2017•40 min
Veteran filmmaker and documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson has spent the last 25 years capturing the often-harsh realities of humanity in some of cinemas most influential documentaries with directors such as Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11), Laura Poitra (Citizenfour about Edward Snowden) and Kirby Dick (This Film is Not Yet Rated). Her latest documentary is a very personal exploration of her life behind the camera over her vast career and is on the 2017 Best Documentary Oscar shortlist. C...
Jan 11, 2017•45 min
We kick-off the New Year with a true Hollywood legend - Roger Corman, whose latest film Death Race 2050 is perfectly timed for the current political landscape. Then host Christina Jeurling Birro discusses politics and pop culture with author and political science Professor Lilly Goren, including how female presidents are depicted in film and TV, and how this might change after the recent U.S. presidential election results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 03, 2017•39 min
If you are a loyal listener of Pop Culture Confidential you know that we are huge fans of The Daily Show so we were very excited to speak to author Chris Smith who has arguably written THE definitive history of The Daily Show (The Book) that is now a New York Times Bestseller. To chronicle the shows astounding 17 years on Comedy Central Smith spoke to pretty much everyone involved with or adjacent to the show, including Jon Stewart who wrote the forward, Steven Colbert, Samantha Bee, Lewis Black...
Dec 21, 2016•45 min
We are very excited that awards season is finally here! We speak to writer Gregory Ellwood about where we are in the Oscar race, and we speak to the Josefin Asplund – star of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the new season of Vikings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 15, 2016•51 min
A Canadian spy, a French resistance fighter, and a love story set in the Sahara desert? Academy-Award nominated screenwriter Steven Knight has spent thirty-odd years bringing the new blockbuster ‘Allied’ starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard to the big screen. In those thirty years Knight has been busy writing critically acclaimed films like ‘Dirty pretty Things’ for which he was Oscar nominated, Eastern Promises, Pawn Sacrifice, and the upcoming sequel to ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ – j...
Dec 08, 2016•23 min
Aliens, hackers and awesome prizes on this week’s episode! First we speak to Dr. Jessica Coon, a linguistic professor who was tapped by Hollywood to help Amy Adams communicate with aliens for the new blockbuster ‘Arrival’. We are also joined by German actor Vinzenz Kiefer, who took on Jason Bourne as hacker Christian Dassault. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 01, 2016•43 min
Disgusting vermin multiplying before our eyes, threatening to take over modern civilization? It's the unsettling new documentary “Rats” that takes us deep into the infestation of rats around the world. Our host Christina Jeurling Birro is joined this week by the films director Morgan Spurlock who also brought us Freakonomics, Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden and Oscar nominated Super Size Me for which he gained 25 pounds eating only McDonald’s for a month. Learn more about your ad choices. ...
Nov 12, 2016•19 min
Race, sexual politics, masculinity, friendship and parenthood – the new FX TV show Atlanta tackles all of these subjects with uncompromising honesty and humour. This week host Christina Jeurling Birro is joined by one of the shows stars - Brian Tyree Henry who gives a powerful performance on the show as Paper Boi, a rising-star of the Atlanta rap scene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 01, 2016•17 min
This week host Christina Jeurling Birro is joined by Joe Swanberg – maybe one of the hardest working filmmakers in the indie world with 29 director credits to his name at the age of 35. His work has been at the center of the mumblecore film movement that has also included the Duplass brothers, Lena Dunham and many more. Often low budget, featuring naturalistic dialogue and relationship focused, his films like Digging for Fire, Happy Christmas and Drinking Buddies have attracted talent like Orlan...
Oct 26, 2016•52 min
We are joined Oscar winning director Roger Ross Williams whose inspiring documentary 'Life, Animated' tells the story of Owen Suskind, an autistic boy whose family discovered he was communicating with them thru the Disney films he was watching and The Playlist's Jessica Kiang guides us through some of the biggest trends and controversies of the film season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 19, 2016•1 hr 4 min
Emmy award winning actress, active spokesperson for fair funding of public schools, breast-cancer survivor and ambassador Susan G. Komen For The Cure – Cynthia Nixon is just as powerful as the amazing kaleidoscope of characters she has portrayed. For most of us, she is best known for playing the glamorous lawyer Miranda on the iconic series Sex and the City, a role that still resonates with viewers today. Her most recent role is a spot-on portrayal of Nancy Reagan in the National Geographic movi...
Oct 12, 2016•20 min
Politics, power, and comedy. We speak with David Litt, former senior presidential speechwriter for Barack Obama and head writer/producer at “Funny or Die” DC, and author Rudolph Herzog who’s book “Dead Funny” documents humor in Hitler’s Third Reich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 29, 2016•45 min
Critic and author Matt Zoller Seitz spent 100 hours interviewing Oliver Stone for his new book “The Oliver Stone Experience” and he joins us this week to tell all. Then we speak to director David Farrier about his documentary that shocked at Sundance. “Tickled” dives into a mysterious tickling competition online and Farrier shares the deep resistance he faced when trying to document a story stranger than fiction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 09, 2016•1 hr 5 min
The Fall movie lineup is upon us and we speak to Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune’s film critic, to get his recommendations and early Oscar contenders. We also speak with Javier Peña, the real DEA agent that helped bring down the murderous drug lord Pablo Escobar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 01, 2016•48 min
The Fall TV season is here! NPR TV Citric Eric Deggans guides us through the new shows, trends, hits and misses, to give us his recommendations. The season offers a mixed bag of genres with a lot of 70’s and 80’s nostalgia, which includes a MacGyver reboot on CBS and the series The Exorcist, starring Geena Davis, based on the iconic film. We also discuss the much-awaited Netflix superhero Luke Cage, which of the political satire shows will stand out in their election coverage, and is it possible...
Aug 20, 2016•43 min
The big talk of the Summer TV season (and one of our favorite shows) is the Netflix original drama Stranger Things, a show that transports us back to 1983. On this weeks show speak to breakout star Shannon Purser who plays fan favorite Barb on the show, and veteran prop master Lynda Reiss who has been able to capture the 1980’s to a tee. Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things is an eight part series starring Winona Ryder and Mathew Modine, but the story centers on a group of 12 year-old...
Aug 20, 2016•59 min
Welcome to our Summer Pop Culture Confidential special! We are thrilled to talk to Paul Feig, the director of the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot and someone we have been wanting to talk to for a long time. With this years huge Summer release Paul Feig has taken on one of the most beloved comedy franchises: Ivan Reitman’s 1984 blockbuster Ghostbusters starring Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis and a host of other comedy and acting greats. It is also his biggest project to date, massive in every way...
Aug 20, 2016•22 min
On this weeks episode we dive into some of the most talked about, and difficult, topics in pop culture today. Melissa Silverstein, founder and editor of Women and Hollywood, discusses the much too slow progress for women in Hollywood and the backlash towards the upcoming female driven Ghostbusters reboot. And we speak to critic Matt Zoller Settz on how he approaches Woody Allen’s films today, post allegations. We have seen some serious ticket sales for female driven blockbusters such as Twilight...
Aug 20, 2016•41 min
