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Malcolm McDowell on Mozart, Movies & Never Looking Back Feb 20, 2018

Show notes

Malcolm McDowell has starred in over 260 films and television shows from classics like Clockwork Orange to his latest role as an egotistical conductor on Mozart in the Jungle. He shares stories about "mostly drunken gambling and whoring" at the Royal Shakespeare Company, how he came up with the infamous Singin' in the Rain scene for Clockwork Orange, and how he got stiffed by the film’s notoriously cheap director Stanley Kubrick. The maestro discusses his strategy for conducting the symphony on Mozart in the Jungle and how the show bravely rebels against agism and Hollywood's conventional idea's about romance. Plus he recalls working with greats like Peter O’Toole, Laurence Olivier, and John Gielgud, he reveals why he turned down a chance to be knighted, and he talks about the role that made him public enemy number one for trekkies.

Season 4 of Mozart in the Jungle is now available with a subscription to Amazon Prime. Today's episode was sponsored by Squarespace, Google Cloud Platform Weekly Podcast, and Grasshopper.

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Twice the Funny w/ the Sklar Brothers Feb 16, 2018

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Comedians Randy and Jason Sklar talk about how they got into comedy and why they don’t just want to be known as the "twin comics." They talk about their podcast Dumb People Town that riffs on the dumbing down of America, talk about a few of the DPT characters who’ve become folk heroes to their fans, and what it says about life in the age of Donald Trump. Plus they talk about their new docu-comedy Poop Talk that uses humor to address one the biggest social taboos of all.

The Sklar Brothers' new film Poop Talk is available On Demand, on iTunes, on Amazon, and in theaters starting Friday, February 16. Subscribe to the Sklar bros podcasts Dumb People Town and View from the Cheap Seats. Visit their website at www.supersklars.com and follow them on twitter at @SklarBrothers. Today's episode was sponsored by Last Week Tonight w/ John Oliver, Google Cloud Platform Weekly Podcast, and Grasshopper.

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An Unspirational Conversation w/ Elan Gale Feb 12, 2018

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Elan Gale, executive-producer of The Bachelor, says if you want to improve your life, be your own worst critic, not your own best cheerleader, and get to know your new best friends...shame, anxiety, and desperation. He takes on some of the most popular and meaningless inspirational phrases explaining why only narcissists believe "everything happens for a reason and "living without regrets" is a recipe for complacency. Plus Elan Gale on why Trump never learns anything, the best question to ask in an interview, and the stupidest hashtags on instagram.

Order Elan Gale's book You’re Not That Great (But Neither Is Anyone Else) on Amazon or Audible and follow him on twitter and instagram at @TheYearOfElan. Today's episode was sponsored by Squarespace, LinkedIn Jobs, and Hair Regrowth from Just for Men.

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Whitney Cummings Hacks the Female Brain Feb 08, 2018

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Comedian Whitney Cummings talks about the humbling experience of being a first time director on her film The Female Brain, how she learned that every moment doesn’t have to be a joke, and why she says The Female Brain isn’t just for the ladies. She shares how she broke free of a cycle of co-depency once she started understanding the neurochemistry behind her bad choices and why she says it’s a lot harder to come up with jokes when you don’t have all that none-stop drama. Whitney weighs in on the Me Too movement and hints that the new Roseanne reboot (which she's executive-producing) might just help us understand how middle-America went for Trump. Plus, Whitney talks about being a lady comedian in the Middle East, those women who see Marilyn Monroe as a feminist role model, and how she almost accidentally killed Sofia Vergara.

The Female Brain opens in theaters Friday, February 9. For more information, visit www.ifcfilms.com. Order Whitney’s very funny book I’m Fine…And Other Lies on Amazon, and you can keep up with her at www.whitneycummings.com or on twitter at @WhitneyCummings. Today's episode was sponsored by Google Cloud AI.

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David Frum on How Trump Corrupts the American Republic Feb 05, 2018

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David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, discusses his new book TRUMPOCRACY: THE CORRUPTION OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC. He documents how Trump and his administration is steadily damaging the tenets of American democracy, warns that Trump’s military generals could become a liability to the President, and how the Trump Administration’s buffoonery may be incompetence by design with an end game of subverting the rule of law and undermining our Democratic institutions. Plus, Frum throws cold water on the idea that Trump might be a useful idiot for Congressional Republicans, explains why a Democrat win in the 2018 midterms could drive Republicans even closer to Trump, and discusses Trump’s bizarre habit of picking fights with allies in his own party.

Order TRUMPOCRACY: THE CORRUPTION OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC on Amazon or Audible. Read David’s writing in The Atlantic, visit his website at www.davidfrum.com, and follow him on twitter at @DavidFrum. Today's episode was sponsored by Kubernetes Engine on Google Cloud Platform.

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David Cay Johnston Tried to Warn You About Trump Feb 01, 2018

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David Cay Johnston, bestselling author of The Making of Donald Trump, returns to the podcast to say "I told you so" and discuss his new book It’s Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America. The Pulitzer-winning investigative journalist says the President who promised to "drain the swamp" has become the biggest swamp monster of all. He describes how Trump is packing government agencies with "political termites" who are eating away at the very institutions they’re supposed to protect. He gives lie to the myth of Donald Trump as the champion of the American worker, explains the President’s two very different standards of justice, and reveals how Trump is enriching his family and giving away valuable government property to a new class of American oligarchs. Plus David Cay Johnston says he knows what the Mueller investigation has on Trump, he weighs in on the Stormy Daniels scandal, and makes a prediction for the 2018 midterms.

Order It's Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration is Doing to America on Amazon or Audible. Visit www.davidcayjohnston.com and follow David on twitter at @DavidCayJ. Today's episode was sponsored by Kubernetes Engine on Google Cloud Platform.

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A Skeptic's Guide to the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia w/ Dr. Michael Shermer Jan 29, 2018

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Dr. Michael Shermer, editor of Skeptic Magazine, talks about his new book Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality & Utopia. He reveals the surprising history of our concept of heaven, he proves that out-of-body experiences are nothing more than hallucinations, and he questions why reincarnated souls only seem to hang around India. He discusses why it’s unlikely that you or anyone else will ever live past 125, why utopian societies always end badly, and why scientists still have some major kinks to work out in their quest to cheat death. Plus, skeptic Michael Shermer talks about his unlikely friendship with Deepak Chopra, he weighs on Trump’s ongoing battle with the truth, and settles whether Walt Disney is cryonically frozen.

Order Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality & Utopia on Amazon or Audible. Visit www.skeptic.com and www.michaelshermer.com, and follow Michael on twitter at @MichaelShermer. Today's episode was sponsored by Squarespace and SeatGeek.

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Phil Rosenthal Eats His Way Around The World Jan 25, 2018

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Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, reveals how the idea for his new travel show Somebody Feed Phil came from a trip he and Ray Romano took to Italy, he recalls some of the cultural roadblocks he encountered when he later produced the Russian version of Everybody Loves Raymond, and talks about the places he likes to call the "world’s greatest hits." He praises TelAviv as a perfect example of food’s power to overcome all differences, says Portugal is way more than just Spain’s little stepbrother, and suggests a city where you can experience all kinds of international cultures and flavors right here in America. Plus talks about an encounter with the notorious durian fruit, how to eat on camera without looking like a slob, and why the best meal of your life may only cost you a buck!

Watch all six episodes of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix and follow Phil on twitter at @PhilRosenthal. Today's episode was sponsored by Squarespace and SeatGeek.

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Secretary of State George Shultz on Reagan, Gorbachev, and Winning the Cold War Jan 22, 2018

Show notes

Former Secretary of State George Shultz recalls his close friendship with President Ronald Reagan, the moment he realized that Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was someone the U.S. could do business with, and Reagan's Pershing missile moment as a masterclass in peace through strength. He suggests that President Trump may soon need to have a "Pershing moment" of his own, reveals what he learned in a meeting years ago with a young Vladimir Putin, and weighs in as an economist on the Trump tax reform act. Plus George Shultz discusses why Ronald Reagan never bluffed, why foreign policy is a lot like gardening, and why the prospect of nuclear war still keeps him up at night.

George Shultz is a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and you can read some of his articles at www.hoover.org. Today's episode was sponsored by Credit Karma and The Art of Charm podcast.

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Greg Barker Captures Obama's Final Year Jan 18, 2018

Show notes

Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Greg Barker (Ghosts of Rwanda, Manhunt, Homegrown) talks about following President Barack Obama and other senior White House officials during the final 12 months of the Obama Administration for his new film THE FINAL YEAR. He reveals some of the heartbreaking humanitarian nightmares faced by UN Ambassador Samantha Power, what it was like for Secretary of State John Kerry to return to Vietnam 45 years after fought in the war there, and why President Obama chose Greece for his last overseas stop. He explains John Kerry's version of diplomatic speed dating, gives a fly on the wall perspective on the Syrian peace deal that never was, and discusses the Obama Administration’s fundamental miscalculation about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

THE FINAL YEAR opens in theatres and on demand this Friday, January 19. For more information visit www.thefinalyearfilm.com and follow Greg Barker on twitter at @GJBarker. Today's episode was sponsored by Control GX.

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