The Back Room with Andy Ostroy

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Peter Riegert Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

Peter Riegert has been acting, writing, directing and producing for over 50 years. His films include: ANIMAL HOUSE, LOCAL HERO, CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER, CROSSING DELANCEY, TRAFFIC and THE MASK. His television credits include: SUCCESSION, THE SOPRANOS, DAMAGES, LAW AND ORDER SVU, THE GOOD WIFE, ONE TREE HILL, SHOW ME A HERO, UNBREAKABLE KIMMIE SCHMIDT and DISJOINTED.

Peter's directorial debut landed him an Academy Award nomination for the short film, BY COURIER. Peter then wrote, directed and starred in his first feature film, KING OF THE CORNER. On Broadway Peter starred in David Mamet’s THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD, AN AMERICAN DAUGHTER, THE NERD and DANCE WITH ME. His Off-Broadway credits include: SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, MOUNTAIN LANGUAGE, and ISN'T IT ROMANTIC.

Please join us for this super-fun, insightful chat about Peter's childhood and early inspirations; his big break landing ANIMAL HOUSE; a behind the scenes look at that film and why it became a cultural phenomenon and cult classic; his overall acting journey and working with legends like John Belushi, Donald Sutherland and Burt Lancaster; living in the Hudson Valley; and more. And, you might just get his thoughts on a certain twice-indicted/arrested former president!

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Stephanie Grisham Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Stephanie Grisham is the New York Times bestselling author of “I’ll Take Your Questions Now, What I Saw in the Trump White House.” During the Trump Administration she served as White House press secretary and director of communications for both the President and First Lady, Melania Trump. She is the only person in history who has held three senior roles at once, while representing both the east and west wings.

Steph takes us on a fascinating peek inside the minds of Trump, Melania, Ivanka, Eric and Don Jr following the latest indictment of the former Thief-in-Chief. She also shares her keen, first-hand insights into the sycophantic loyalty to Trump that still exists in the Republican Party, and breaks down the pros and cons of the 2024 GOP candidates.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Elie Honig; Joe Walsh Jun 10, 2023

Show notes

Elie Honig is an attorney and CNN senior legal analyst and the bestselling author of Hatchet Man and the just released Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It. He’s a former assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. Honig also hosts podcasts and writes for CAFE and Vox Media.

Joe Walsh is a former Illinois Congressman, a former nationally syndicated far-right talk-radio host, 2020 Republican candidate for President, author, host of the White Flag with Joe Walsh podcast and is a frequent political commentator on CNN and MSNBC.

It’s a terrific two-fer in The Back Room! First up is Elie, who helps unpack the new Trump indictment, and then the inimitable Joe talks Trump, Trumpism, the Republican Party and 2024.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

J. Smith-Cameron Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

J. Smith-Cameron is an Emmy and Tony-nominated stage, film, and television actress who most recently starred as “Gerri Kellman” on HBO’s SUCCESSION. She can be seen starring in the Peacock film THE YEAR BETWEEN, as well as the miniseries WACO: THE AFTERMATH on Showtime. Her film credits include VENGEANCE, 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD, HARRIET THE SPY, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME and MARGARET. On tv she’s had recurring roles on RECTIFY, TRUE BLOOD and DIVORCE and has appeared in countless others. Her Broadway credits include Lend Me a Tenor, Our Country’s Good, Night Must Fall and After the Night and the Music. Her extensive Off-Broadway work includes As Bees in Honey Drown, for which she won an Obie Award, Fuddy Meers, The Starry Messenger, Sorry, Juno and the Paycock and Peace for Mary Frances.

I LOVE this chat! J shares her journey from childhood through the season finale of SUCCESSION. It's a master class in acting and a truly fun-filled conversation with fascinating insights, funny anecdotes and inside tidbits from one of the most beloved, successful television shows of all-time.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Rep. Maxwell Frost Jun 03, 2023

Show notes

Maxwell Alejandro Frost is the U.S representative for Florida's 10th congressional district. Elected in 2022 at the age of 25, he is the youngest and first Gen Z member of Congress. He sits on the powerful Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. As a young, Afro-Latino, he brings a fresh, progressive perspective to an institution formerly out of reach for young, working Black and Latino Americans. He’s previously held leadership roles at ACLU and March for Our Lives, and has made gun reform a top priority He is also focused on housing affordability, healthcare, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, transportation, justice reform, climate change and more.

Join us for this insightful conversation about life and politics, including his childhood, his early influences and activism, his decision at 25 to run for Congress, Trump and Trumpism, Biden's presidency, the debt ceiling, the Republican Party's intransigence, gun violence, immigration, the 2024 election, term limits and Israel. We also talk drums, music and his top 5 artists of all time! (Rumor has it we even chat about the current Taylor Swift tour!)

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Michael Cruz Kayne May 31, 2023

Show notes

Michael Cruz Kayne is a comedian, actor and writer based in NYC. He is a staff writer on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and is currently performing his one-man show, Sorry For Your Loss, at NYC's Minetta Lane Theater. His acting credits include HBO’s “The White House Plumbers” and “High Maintenance,” as well as Apple TV’s “Severance” and “Helpsters,” among others. Michael also hosts A Good Cry, a Signal Award-winning and Webby-nominated podcast about grief.

Michael shares his deeply personal, emotional journey following the 2009 death of his son Fisher just 34 days after he was born. It's a brutally honest, inspirational conversation about unfathomable loss; navigating through overwhelming grief; the concept of 'closure'; the cathartic benefits of humor; and more.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

S.E. Cupp May 27, 2023

Show notes

S.E. Cupp is a CNN political commentator and most recently host of CNN's SE Cupp Unfiltered. Before joining CNN she co-hosted MSNBC's The Cycle. She's a nationally syndicated political columnist, culture critic, author and consultant who regularly writes for the New York Daily News, Glamour and CNN.com. She was previously a consultant for Apple TV+'s The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell and HBO's hit series, The Newsroom.

Join us for this fun, insightful chat about the big DeSantis Twitter disaster; Trump and Trumpism; Tim Scott, Glenn Youngkin, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie and the 2024 election; the GOP culture wars; the future of the Republican Party; and...why S.E. has a huge photo of Al Gore and his kids on her wall!

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Dawn Porter May 25, 2023

Show notes

Dawn Porter has emerged in the entertainment industry as a leader in the art of storytelling; directing and producing critically acclaimed films and series. A two-time Sundance film festival director, Porter’s work has been featured on HBO, Netflix, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, ESPN, Discovery, National Geographic and others. Porter’s latest film, "The Lady Bird Diaries," an all-archival documentary about Lady Bird Johnson will debut at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. Her next project “Supreme,” is a four-part docuseries, exploring the history of the United States Supreme Court, the justices, decisions, and confirmation battles that have shaped America. Her prior films include "Gideon’s Army", "Bobby Kennedy For President", "John Lewis: Good Trouble" and "The Way I See It", about photojournalist and former Obama and Reagan chief White House photographer Pete Souza.

Join us for this truly fascinating conversation about Dawn’s successful journey from corporate entertainment lawyer to one of America’s most prominent documentary filmmakers. We also revisit her childhood, her early influences, sexism, racism and the state of the documentary film business today.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Ben Smith May 23, 2023

Show notes

Ben Smith is a journalist, author, and co-founder of the global news organization Semafor. He’s the former media columnist for the New York Times and founding editor-in-chief of the now-defunct BuzzFeed News. His book Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral has just been released.

Ben and I discuss the ever-changing news business and the role of digital journalism; the impact of social media on our culture and the political landscape; Donald Trump; the Durham Report; George Santos; as well as a little trip back in time to childhood, his early influences and what he does with his time when he's not working!

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

Olivia Nuzzi and Peter Strzok May 20, 2023

Show notes

Olivia Nuzzi is New York Magazine’s Washington correspondent, covering the White House, presidential campaigns and political media, among other topics. She joined New York in 2017 as its first-ever Washington correspondent and reported on the Trump administration and 2020 election. She’s an award-winning journalist who contributes regularly to Intelligencer, the magazine’s news and politics vertical, in addition to writing features and columns for the magazine.

Olivia and I chat about a range of subjects including her childhood, early acting journey, and her early journalism experiences and influences; Donald Trump and Trumpism (and the stunningly appropriate comparison of him to Sunset Boulevard's Norman Desmond); the broken Republican Party; Rudy Giuliani; Ron DeSantis; Watergate, and her hosting gig on White House Plumbers, the companion podcast to the new HBO limited series. And maybe, just maybe, we also get some intel into her hobbies and non-writing passions! . But first up is Peter Strzok, former deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division and the architect of the "Crossfire Hurricane" Russia probe, who's back in The Back Room for a quick assessment of the Durham Report which was released this week.

Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy

Produced by Andy Ostroy and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Associate producer Jennifer Hammoud Music by Andrew Hollander Design by Cricket Lengyel

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