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Producer Gigi Pritzker on 'Genius,' her first foray into TV Aug 14, 2017

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Gigi Pritzker didn't plunge headlong into the movie business -- her original life plan was to run an NGO in Nepal. An accidental journey to film school set her on a path to producing lots of films, including the Oscar-nominated Hell or High Water. But she'd never done television until Genius, on the life of Albert Einstein, demanded to be made as a series. The first season of the National Geographic anthology series is now up for 10 Emmys.

How the doping doc 'Icarus' morphed into a real life thriller Aug 07, 2017

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Bryan Fogel's original plan for his documentary Icarus was to investigate pervasive doping in cycling by becoming a human guinea pig. He recruited chemist Grigory Rodchenkov in Moscow to guide him. Then Rodchenkov was revealed as the architect of Russia's state-run doping program -- and he was ready to blow the whistle. Fogel helped Rodchenkov flee, and then things got really scary.

'Girls Trip' breakout Tiffany Haddish & director Malcolm D. Lee Jul 31, 2017

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Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish is having a star-is-born moment with the raunchy comedy Girls Trip. Haddish says the movie has already changed her life, and she has big plans for where her career goes from here. Haddish and Girls Trip director Malcolm D. Lee tell us about filming during the actual Essence Festival and yes, a certain scene involving a grapefruit.

Curtis Armstrong on 'Revenge of the Nerd' and a colorful career Jul 24, 2017

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Character actor Curtis Armstrong auditioned for the 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds, hoping to play the lead. The filmmakers saw him in the lesser role of Booger. At first, Armstrong told his agent, no way. But that role became a standout in Armstrong's long career as a character actor in film and TV. He shares stories of Booger and beyond in his new memoir.

Director Matt Reeves on 'War for the Planet of the Apes' Jul 17, 2017

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Filmmaker Matt Reeves knew his new film, War for the Planet of the Apes, had to work even without any help from computer-generated effects. He tells us about shooting whole film first with his actors in special motion capture suits, and shares early thoughts on his next project, The Batman.

Allen Hughes on the experience of directing 'The Defiant Ones' Jul 10, 2017

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Filmmaker Allen Hughes has been friends with music moguls Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine for years. But when he set out to make the new HBO documentary series The Defiant Ones -- about their careers -- Hughes found that getting them to open up on camera wasn't easy.

Revisiting Gloria Calderón Kellett on 'One Day at a Time' Jul 01, 2017

Show notes

When Norman Lear decided to reboot the classic sitcom One Day at a Time, this time with a Latino family, he wanted a writer-producer who could offer an authentic voice to the project. He found that person in Gloria Calderón Kellett, who incorporated much of her own background into the show, including making the family Cuban.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj on telling the story of 'new brown America' Jun 24, 2017

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As a Muslim comedian, Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj found he could relate to political reporters when he agreed to the daunting challenge of doing the first White House Correspondents' Dinner of the Trump administration. Minhaj tells us about crafting his routine in just three weeks, and the far slower process of creating his new and very personal Netflix special, Homecoming King.

How David Mandel & his 'Veep' writers became "mini soothsayers" Jun 17, 2017

Show notes

For the past two seasons, former Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm writer David Mandel has been showrunning HBO's Veep. And while the show can have eerie parallels to reality, Mandel tells us that more often than not, it's real life that ends up imitating Veep.

Shawn Levy on 'Stranger Things' and redefining his career Jun 10, 2017

Show notes

Director Shawn Levy built a career on the ‘Night at the Museum’ franchise, but wanted to break out of his box. He set out to produce, and this past year scored with the Oscar-nominated movie ‘Arrival’ and the Netflix megahit ‘Stranger Things.’ He tells us how he went about getting the industry to reconsider him.

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