Pop Culture Confidential

Latest Episodes:

Episode 80: Peter Baker - Chief White House Correspondent, New York Times Aug 09, 2017

Show notes

Our guest this week is Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times. During his career he has covered four presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and now the Trump administration. Mr. Baker joined The Times in 2008 after 20 years at The Washington Post, including four years as Moscow bureau chief. His wife Susan Glasser is the chief international affairs columnist Politico. Mr. Baker has authored multiple books and his latest title is “Obama: The Call of History”, with incredible photography from The New York Times. Host Christina Jeurling Birro speaks to him about reporting on the last four presidents, the unique challenge of covering the Trump administration, his new book “Obama: The Call of History”, and much more!

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Episode 79: Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema - Dunkirk Aug 02, 2017

Show notes

Spectacular, jaw-dropping, sweeping and intimate - Dunkirk marks the return of director Christopher Nolan and our guest cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. The World War ll drama is a different type of war story, about bravery and survival. It focuses on the days when 400,000 British and Allied troops were trapped by the Germans on the beaches of Dunkirk, seemingly doomed to die there. Shot on large format film, Hoytema and his team worked with Nolan to create the stunning camera shots – from the visually stunning dogfights to the challenging water shots. We speak to Hoytema about the creative technical solutions his team used on Dunkirk, the industries’ return to using large format film, his reflections on working with so many great directors and much more!

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Episode 78: Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud with author Anne Helen Petersen & Our Summer Tips Jun 27, 2017

Show notes

Just in time for Summer we round up our best pop culture tips to enjoy – including the book from our guest Anne Helen Petersen who writes about culture, celebrity, and feminism in 'Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman'. We have long been reading Petersen’s work and we can highly recommend her previous book 'Scandals of Classic Hollywood'. She has a PhD in media studies and is a Senior Culture Writer for BuzzFeed. Her latest book examines a group of iconic, brave women whose behavior pushes the boundaries of what some seem to think is acceptable for women in the limelight. And then - what are we at PCC looking forward to this Summer? We roundup our favorite TV shows, films, and much more!

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Episode 77: Television Maverick: Writer & Producer Chuck Lorre Jun 07, 2017

Show notes

It’s a real joy to welcome this week’s guest – television legend Chuck Lorre who has been a juggernaut, a sitcom comedy mastermind creating shows such as The Big Bang Theory, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, and Mom. Lorre has carried on the sitcom tradition in the footsteps of Norman Lear, who brought modern family dynamics to popular television with shows such as All in the Family and The Jefferson’s. His upcoming shows include Young Sheldon, a prequel storyline for Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, and Disjointed starring Kathy Bates as the owner of a pot dispensary. Host Christina Jeurling Birro speaks with Chuck Lorre about his impact on sitcom television, the challenge of getting The Big Bang Theory green-lit, his casting process, and much more!

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Episode 76: Jon Ronson & Helen Hollyman May 30, 2017

Show notes

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 about David Lynch’s obsession with coffee and how it’s evolved. David Lynch’s obsession with coffee goes far beyond the diner in Twin Peaks, he loves the beverage so much he has his own blend - David Lynch Signature Cup.

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Episode 75: Culinary writer Katie Parla & The Nerdist’s Alicia Lutes May 17, 2017

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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 None, the food of Rome and even a few great restaurant tips! And we speak to Alicia Lutes, Managing Editor of Nerdist.com who shares her insights on the highly anticipated movie Wonder Woman directed by Patty Jenkins. Host Christina Jeurling Birro also asks Lutes about the female gaze in TV and film, how the sex scenes are getting a different perspective right now, and the current TV seasons many religious narratives.

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Episode 74: News, Trends and Controversies - The 2017 Spring Roundup May 09, 2017

Show notes

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!

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Episode 72: Tony Hale – Star of Veep & Arrested Development Apr 11, 2017

Show notes

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 portrayed by the incredible Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Before Veep, Hale inhabited another anxious character – fan favorite Buster Bluth of Arrested Development. The show gave him the opportunity to work with Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman and legend Liza Minnelli who played his girlfriend. On this episode we find out how the recent U.S. election impacted the comedy in Veep, what Hale has learned from the comedy legends he’s worked with, his own experience with bullying and anxiety, and much more!

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Episode 71: From Frasier, 24, Fargo and Legion - Jean Smart, TV Royalty Mar 24, 2017

Show notes

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 Martha Logan whose fragile mental state deteriorated during the season. Smart then joined the Noah Hawley show Fargo where she gave a fearless performance as Floyd, the matriarch of the crime family. Their collaboration didn’t end there and today Smart is one of the stars of the acclaimed FX series Legion with Noah Hawley as co-creator. Legion is loosely inspired by the X-Men comics and here Smart plays Melanie Bird, a questionable therapist who is the leader of a group of super mutants being chased by the government. The show delivers a hypnotic and visual world that explores themes much as mental health in an unexpected way. We are very happy to be joined by Jean Smart on this weeks episode and to get the opportunity to speak to her portraying so many strong women, how she chooses her roles, and so much more!

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Episode 70: ‘Missing Richard Simmons’ with Dan Taberski Mar 14, 2017

Show notes

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 “The Daily Show” who was a student at Simmons fitness class “Slimmons” in Beverly Hills. He became friends with Simmons and had discussed making a documentary about his life and work. So why does the most flamboyant and visible exercise evangelist suddenly disappear without alerting friends and colleagues? Dan Taberski talks to host Christina Jeurling Birro about the importance of Richard Simmons, the many thousands of people that Simmons so generously helped during his career and the theories to why he may have retreated for the public eye.

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