Pop Culture Confidential

Latest Episodes:

283. Co-directors Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes join us to talk about their excellent, urgent and vital documentary THE JANES (HBOMax) Jun 02, 2022

Show notes

Co-directors Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes join us to talk about their excellent, urgent and vital documentary THE JANES, premiering on HBOMax June 8th.

The film is the story of the Jane Collective, a group of women who formed a clandestine network that used code names and safe houses in an underground service for women seeking safe and affordable abortions pre Roe v. Wade.

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282: Benita Alexander tells her story. The NBC producer who's fairytale romance with a celebrity surgeon was a scam. Dr Macchiarini is now on trial over experimental windpipe transplants. May 17, 2022

Show notes

This week we are joined by Benita Alexander, the former NBC producer who’s fairytale romance with the so called ‘super surgeon’ Dr Paolo Macchiarini turned out to be all lies, a scam. Ms Alexander tells her story, how she fell for Macchiarini, the wedding that was to be officiated by the Pope himself, how she ultimately exposed Macchiarini in a stunning turn of events and how she is now working to help empower other women.

Ms Alexander is in Stockholm, Sweden covering Macchiarini’s trial. He is on trial over experimental windpipe transplants. She shares her thoughts on the trial, the accusations against him, her thoughts on Karolinska Institute’s handling of the situation and what she hopes the outcome will be.

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281: Are movies back?! Plus our Cannes Film Festival 2022 preview. With AwardsWatch Erik Anderson May 14, 2022

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Erik Anderson of AwardsWatch.com is back on Pop Culture Confidential! But are movies back?

We talk about the buzz around movies like Top Gun: Maverick, Everything Everywhere All at Once and more. Plus our Cannes Film Festival preview. Erik predicts the Palme d’Or winner, we think it’s going to be a Michelle Williams year, Ethan Coen is back at Cannes without Joel & Elvis is in the building. Listen now!

And don’t miss the new AwardsWatch.com podcast and all their upcoming Cannes coverage!

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280: Our Spring Television Special! With critic Thelma Adams May 07, 2022

Show notes

Dirty cops, scammers, Vikings, mormon detectives, complicated female characters, Netflix setbacks and the state of the TV industry. We cover it all in our spring TV special! We are so happy to welcome back critic, author & friend of the show Thelma Adams for this great discussion.

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279: Hollywood trials & when celebrities take the stand. A conversation with Professor Andrea M McDonnell Apr 27, 2022

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From the widely publicized trial of silent film star Fatty Arbuckle in 1921, to Weinstein, Cosby, Britney Spears conservatorship battle and the now ongoing Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation trial, celebrities in court seem like a constant source of news. Associate Professor of Communication Andrea M McDonnell joins us to dive into the subject of Hollywood legal battles, how they test our perception of celebrity and fame & much more

Professor McDonnell is a media scholar examining gossip, celebrity, gender, and politics, She is currently co-editing a collection with Adam Silver called A Gossip Politic, forthcoming later this year from Palgrave. And co-author, with Susan Douglas, of Celebrity: A History of Fame, NYU Press.

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278: We revisit our talk with actor Rick Rossovich! On the legacy of Top Gun, ahead of the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

We feel the need for speed!! On the show this week actor Rick Rossovich who played Ron ‘Slider’ Kerner, wingman to Val Kilmer’s Iceman, in Top Gun (1986). Mr Rossovich talks about his career, his experiences on Top Gun, the myths and legacy of the franchise, his work in TV and more! All leading up to this spring and the release of Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel 3 decades in the making! Will we see him in the new movie?! Well, we will just have to wait and see. Grab your Ray Bans and catch this interview now!

Rick Rossovich has starred in some of the most pop culturally iconic films and TV shows ever: The Lords of Discipline, Streets of Fire, The Terminator, Steve Martin’s Roxanne and Navy Seals . He played Dr. John 'Tag' Taglieri on ER and, and spent two years playing Lt. Anthony Palermo on Pacific Blue.

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277: Actor Billy Magnussen (Barry Levinsons' 'The Survivor' & 'Made for Love' season 2, HBO Max) Apr 20, 2022

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Actor Billy Magnussen joins us to talk about his versatile career, playing the villain in the latest Bond film 'No Time to Die' and taking on the iconic role of the young Paulie Walnuts in the Sopranos prequel ‘The Many Saints of Newark”.

Plus his two upcoming premieres. Magnussen is starring (as Dietrich Schneider) in Barry Levinsons’ powerful film ‘The Survivor’, based on the true story of holocaust survivor and boxer Harry Haft (April 27th, HBO).

As well as the season 2 premiere of the hit, sci fi dark comedy ‘Made for Love’ (April 28th HBO)

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276: A conversation with composer Nico Muhly (Pachinko) Apr 13, 2022

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The great Nico Muhly, composer, joins Christina for a wonderful conversation about how the incredible score for ‘Pachinko’ came together, his early influences, what he learned working for Philip Glass, how being open about his mental health struggles has helped his work and helped others. And much more!

‘Pachinko” is now on AppleTV+.

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REVISIT! Executive producer/writer Danny Strong 'Dopesick' Apr 05, 2022

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A conversation with Danny Strong (‘Game Change’, ‘Recount’) the creator/writer/director of ‘Dopesick’. Mr Strong talks about making the series & taking on the origins and devastation of the opioid epidemic in the U.S.

And how one company triggered the worst drug epidemic in American history.

‘Dopesick’ starring Michael Keaton, Kaitlyn Dever, Michael Stuhlbarg

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275: Post-Oscar talk with Ryan McQuade! (AwardsWatch, InSession Film) Mar 29, 2022

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Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch, InSession Film) joins Christina for a post-Oscar conversation. The ceremony, the winners, Will Smith/Chris Rock and more.

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