483: Becoming Aunt Gladys: The Makeup & Special Effects Behind Weapons (Guests: Artisans Leo Satkovich & Jason Collins)

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

18 Aug 201654min

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

18 Aug 201620min

On this weeks episode we are honored to talk to Susan Sarandon - Oscar winning actress, producer, Ping-Pong enthusiast, social and political activist, and passionately committed to human rights. Together with her production company Reframed Pictures; Susan Sarandon now embarks on a documentary project about one of her real inspirations, actress Hedy Lamarr! Lamarr was a Hollywood superstar know as the “the most beautiful woman in the world” but she had a secret life – as a brilliant inventor. Lamarr’s World War II invention changed history and our lives, and today is a technology that we use in cellphones, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi communication, but Hedy Lamarr would not get the recognition she deserved. Because of her storied career, Sarandon was in a unique position to understand what it was like for Hedy Lamarr to fight hard for roles on screen while fighting harder to change the world off screen. In this week’s episode we talk to Susan Sarandon about her new documentary but also why Hedy is an inspiration to her, how Sarandon has survived the pressures of Hollywood, why she is endorsing Bernie Sanders, the Oscar boycott, and SO much more!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Mar 201626min

The King’s Speech, Juno, American Hustle, Argo, and now Spotlight and The Revenant – these are just some of the scripts featured on The Black List that have gone onto receive Oscar nominations and Oscar gold! Our guest Franklin Leonard is the founder of The Black List and it’s podcast compliment The Black List Table Reads. And this week we check back in with our favorite TV critic June Thomas, Slate’s culture critic, to hear her highlights from the recent Television Critics Association’s ‘Winter Tour’ held in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Mar 201646min

This weeks guests Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi spent ten years of their lives documenting the Avery case which became the Netflix docu-series “Making a Murderer”. If you have not watched the complete series, please know that this episode and the text below contain spoilers. Was Steven Avery setup by the local authorities as payback for the lawsuit? Is an innocent man in jail the second time? Was 16-year-old Brendan Dassey's confession coerced? The series is spellbinding and infuriating, regardless of guilt or innocence, as it shines a light on the entire justice system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Mar 201625min

full frenzy and what better way to start the year than to predict the nominees for this year’s Oscars. We last spoke to awards expert Sasha Stone, Awards Daily, after Telluride in September. Now we check in with Sasha and ask the big questions: Who are the frontrunners? What happened to the early buzz for Steve Jobs? Will Alicia Vikander receive two nominations? And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Mar 201626min

Steinem has been an outspoken champion of women’s rights since the 1970s and has just released her new memoir ‘My Life of The Road’. Her work has been an inspiration to us personally and to a whole generation of women in pop culture – from comedian Amy Schumer to actress Lena Dunham, both of who are highlighting how society looks at women today with their work. As a columnist for New York magazine and a founder of Ms. Magazine Steinem has published seminal articles, including one that detailed her stint as a Playboy bunny to highlight the sexist treatment of women at Playboy Clubs, and a pioneering work in 1969, titled “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation.” Which brought her to national fame. More recently she has written about importance of Hillary Clinton’s run for President and what it means for society. Throughout her life she has battled for reproductive rights and has been vocal about her own abortion when she was 22. This book is in fact dedicated to “the doctor that changed her life”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 Jan 201631min

Gorgeous, moving and subtle – ‘Carol’ is a beautifully crafted tale of forbidden love that has wowed critics and audiences alike. And it’s no wonder – director Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven, I’m Not There) along with the films stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have delivered Oscar worthy performances. ‘Carol’ follows two women from very different backgrounds that find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. Their undeniable attraction is challenged by the conventional norms of the time but what emerges is an honest story of resilience and fulfillment. Our guest is screenwriter Phyllis Nagy who adapted Patricia Highsmith’s book “The Price of Salt” for the film. Highsmith wrote more than twenty novels before her death in 1995, many of which including “Strangers on a Train” and the Tom Ripley series but it is the love story of Carol and Therese that draws inspiration from her own life. We ask Phyllis about the twenty year struggle of bringing this story to the big screen, her friendship with Highsmith and how the period drama can be seen as a reflection of todays society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 Jan 201633min