309: The exciting race towards the Oscars 2023! Erik Anderson (AwardsWatch) is with us to cover it all.

The lie detector test, bondage, feminism and superpowers – welcome to the fascinating world of Wonder Woman and her creator William M. Marston, a Harvard educated psychologist, lawyer, inventor and comic book creator. With the recent release of ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ we get a first glimpse of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman before her own upcoming blockbuster is released in 2017. The character is legendary – from the impact of the comic in the 1940’s and the success of the TV version in the 70’s starring Lynda Carter, but her creator has had an equally amazing life. We spoke with comic book historian, and author of the comprehensive ‘Wonder Woman Unbound’ Tim Hanley about the legacy of Wonder Woman and Marston’s life – from his contributions to the modern polygraph, which became part of the Wonder Woman legend as her lasso of truth, his polyamorous relationship with two woman, and how his strong feminist beliefs coupled with a fascination of bondage became main themes in the Wonder Woman comics – and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Elo 201630min

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Elo 201627min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Elo 201626min

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Elo 201621min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Elo 201621min

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Elo 201631min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Elo 201626min

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Elo 201650min