Pop Culture Confidential

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Episode 39: Star of the Broadway smash hit Hamilton: Anthony Ramos Aug 20, 2016

Show notes

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 weaves an addictive soundtrack into the remarkable milestones of Hamilton’s life, from orphan to chief architect of the American financial system, and his clash with Aaron Burr that ended in a duel that went down in history. Ramos is of Puerto Rican decent and grew up in Brooklyn where just a few years ago he was a rising baseball star. Now at just 24 he is a rising Broadway star with the role of a lifetime in ‘Hamilton’ and has appeared in on ‘Law & Order’. One sign of his success - along with the cast of ‘Hamilton’ he has not only preformed at the Grammys but at the White House for some of their biggest fans – President Obama and the First Lady!

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Episode 38: Revisiting The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story Aug 20, 2016

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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 series is based on the Jeffery Toobin book ‘The Run of His Life’ and it examines the racial tensions of Los Angeles, the flaws in the American justice system, our obsession with celebrity and the 24 hour news cycle. The outstanding cast of the show includes John Travolta as the larger than life litigator Robert Shapiro, David Schwimmer as OJ’s best friend Robert Kardashian, Sarah Paulson as the scrutinized prosecutor Marcia Clark, and Cuba Gooding Jr as OJ Simpson.

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Episode 37: Miss L – Anonymously exposing the sexism of the acting world Aug 20, 2016

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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 actors were dealing with on a daily basis,” Miss L has explained. Here are just some examples of the real world casting calls for women that she has shared: We are honored to speak Miss L and ask – Since she started, has the conversation on sexism changed? What is the craziest casting call she’s seen? And much more!

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Episode 36: Bridget Carpenter – Adapting Stephen King’s 11.22.63 for Television Aug 20, 2016

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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 Franco, who discovers a time portal that leads to October 21st, 1960 and goes on a quest to try and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. We find out what it was like to recreate Dealey Plaza, to work with Stephen King and J.J.

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Episode 35: Rocking the Vote – Music, Politics & the Campaign Aug 20, 2016

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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 Music: The Politics of Songs and Musicians in Presidential Campaigns" to find out – Where did the tradition of campaign songs begin? What does it mean for a candidate to have a musician’s endorsement? How can a campaign be hurt when a musician sends a cease and desist on the use of their track?

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Episode 34: The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story Aug 20, 2016

Show notes

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Episode 33: Jenni Konner, a force behind HBO's Girls + the final Oscar verdict! Aug 20, 2016

Show notes

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 Girls will be it’s last! And Oscar Sunday is finally here! The great Kyle Buchanan, senior editor of New York Magazine/Vulture and Christina talk through what is the most confusing Oscar year ever! Is it three way race for Best Picture between The Revenant, Spotlight and The Big Short? Leo DiCaprio has been doing excellent campaign work, they say, what does that mean? All the last pro tips you will need to win your Oscar pool!

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Episode 32: Comedy with a Passion! Writer Kevin Avery: Last Week Tonight, Totally Biased Aug 18, 2016

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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 and the staff writers, along with John Oliver, impeccably dissect politics, global issues and humanity at large, all while making us laugh out loud. ‘Last Week Tonight’ is a show not to be missed! In this episode we get the chance to ask: Are there any subjects that can’t be funny? What makes Denzel Washington such a perfect podcast subject? Will Chris Rock rock the Oscars? What is the writing process for ‘Last Week Tonight’ and what is the writer’s room like? And MUCH more!

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Episode 31: From Pulp Fiction to Spotlight - Master Class with Music Supervisor Mary Ramos Aug 18, 2016

Show notes

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 share her process. This episode was recorded live during this Master Class and we were excited to have the opportunity to ask her: What does her work as a Music Supervisor entail? How does she select music? What lengths will she go to to secure song rights? How does the process differ when working with composers? And MUCH more!

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Episode 30: The ‘Spotlight’ Special Aug 18, 2016

Show notes

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 Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter for the Boston Globe who was portrayed in the film by Michael Keaton, and writer and director Tom McCarthy. We ask – What shocked them most during the original investigation? Has the Catholic Church done enough to stop the cycle of abuse? What was it like bringing the story to the screen? And MUCH more! In 2001 the Boston Globe’s investigation team, called Spotlight, was responsible for exposing the systematic cover up of sexual abuse towards children by more than 70 priests in the Archdiocese of Boston. The series published on the scandal won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, and now writer and director Tom McCarthy has brought this investigation to movie audiences where we follow the journalists and editors as they uncover the unnerving details of the abuse scandal, the secrecy of the Catholic Church and the power they had over Boston.

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