The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott
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Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott delivers your weekly dose of pop culture with the Parting Shot. Every week you’ll get celebrity interviews, award show coverage, and the rundown on exactly what to watch, read, and listen to in culture. Consider the Parting Shot your one stop shop for everything pop culture.
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Wells Adams, the Bachelor in Paradise bartender, unfortunately had an early boot from this season of Peacock’s The Traitors. But his time on the show was memorable, particularly because of his game play and just how charming he was. He speaks with Newsweek’s Parting Shot about all of this, what he would have done differently and who he’s rooting for to win.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Now that Julia Stiles has directed her first feature film, Wish You Were Here, she sees the work of directors in a whole new light. “I almost wanted to call some directors that I had worked with and be like, ‘I'm so sorry that I was annoyed with you when you told me to do that thing.’” Best known for acting, when she read the novel the film is based on, she knew she needed to adapt it. “The book broke my heart but also made me laugh. It felt like it had such a good spirit to it, and I'm a romantic at heart.” The film follows a young woman swept up in a new romance only to learn he’s terminally ill. While she says she ran “in the other direction” of making the film too saccharine, she didn’t let that cynical voice fully take over. “There is something really important about showing how much this girl takes care of him, and that it's okay to be kind and loving toward another person.” And now she says adding director to her credits has made her a better actor. “I think I realized that if you trust your director, and I mean really trust that person and believe in their vision, you can throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nearly 30 years after Marianne Jean-Baptiste received an Oscar nomination for her first collaboration with director Mike Leigh, Secrets & Lies, the pair are back together with Hard Truths. “It’s been so nice to just spend time with him,” Jean-Baptiste tells Newsweek’s Parting Shot. Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a depressed, angry, middle-aged woman who seems to find conflict with everyone. “I’m not too worried about her not being likable, but I was worried about people not having compassion for her.” Part of what makes a Leigh film so unique is the preparation that goes into crafting a character. “He is the only one that works in the way that he works, with the preparation, with the rehearsal.” Once again, Jean-Baptiste is receiving awards buzz for her multilayered performance. But for her, it’s less about her performance and more about people discovering the film. “It’s becoming more and more difficult to get people to go to the cinema to see films, especially one like this that hasn’t got that big money behind it. So for this film to be sort of the little David against Goliath, it’s a real thrill.” Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Mike Leigh chats with H. Alan Scott about Hard Truths, their collaborations and Leigh’s singularly unique way of filmmaking. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After the massive success of last season’s The Traitors (streaming now on Peacock), host Alan Cumming knew this season had to be bigger. “There was a pressure to not just repeat ourselves, it actually upped the ante.” And they did just that, with a more explosive cast and even wilder twists. “It is bigger. I'm sort of a cult leader. I've gone from just a dandy, Lord of the manor in his castle, to official cult leader. I'm fine with it.” Cumming hosts a castle full of reality TV stars who all play a game of murder in order to win upwards of $250,000. Even though contestants are from shows like Survivor and Real Housewives, Cumming actually thinks the shows that made them famous has little to do with how well they do. “Everybody has this sort of myth that you have to be in one of those gamer shows to do well at this game and it's not true. Sometimes it's actually good to have better social skills.” Last year, Cumming’s Emmy win ended RuPaul’s historic 8-year winning streak for RuPaul’s Drag Race. “I saw Ru, and I went up to him, and I just went, ‘I am so sorry.’ And he just went, ‘Con-drag-ulations.’ And I was like, ‘He said it!’” [laughs] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
With inauguration day just around the corner, a lot of people are asking themselves: What can we expect from this new era of Trump? Trump 2.0, if you will. And what actions will he take in his first 100 days? H. Alan Scott is joined by Newsweek’s Katherine Fung to break down everything we can expect from Trump once he takes office. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2024 was quite a year. From the wild ride that was Donald Trump this year to Taylor Swift’s dominance over, well, everybody, Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott and Jenni Fink break down all the stories that had us talking. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are having a very public bromance, with Musk having a large influence over Trump and his decision making. (Just this week Musk was seemingly instrumental in Trump pulling his support from a budget bill to keep the government open.) Is Musk even qualified to have this level of influence? Also, Lays Chips is just the latest food item recalled in recent months. What’s going on and is anything safe to eat? And finally, podcasts had a stellar year this year, will that continue into 2025? Pro-podcaster and co-host of the Enemy in Paris podcast, Sam Kieffer, joins to break down the news of the week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Survivor 47 was an incredible season. Rachel LaMont, a dominant player with four historic immunity wins, won the million dollars and cemented herself in Survivor history. She chatted with Newsweek about her win and that truly incredibly hidden immunity idol moment this season. (If you know, you know.) We’re also chatting with the rest of the top 3, Sam Phalen and Sue Smey, and Teeny, whose fire making challenge was next level epic. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, went viral (for all the wrong reasons) this week after his arrest in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s. In other news, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to go after your Ozempic, but can Elon Musk, a proponent of the weight loss medication, convince President-elect Donald Trump otherwise? And finally, Jay Z denied allegations of sexual assault after he was accused of it alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs in a new civil suit this week, and social media went into overdrive with conspiracy theories. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott is joined by comedian Kara Klenk (co-host of That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast) to make sense of the news of the week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Fans of Daniel Aleman’s books are about to get to know the author even better with his new book I Might Be in Trouble. “I will say with this one character; I was very intentional about making him a mirror of myself. I wanted him to basically be me,” Aleman told Newsweek’s Parting Shot. The novel follows David Alvarez, a young author whose debut success has dwindled and finds inspiration for new work after discovering a one-night stand has suddenly died in his bed. (For the record, this part of the novel is not based on Aleman.) But at its core, the dark comedy novel is about discovering your path even though it can sometimes feel uncertain. Aleman spoke with H. Alan Scott about the inspiration for the novel and whether he’s still worried about finding a date dead in his bed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are ready to bring a little ‘sanasa’ to the world with Peacock’s Paris & Nicole: The Encore, their first project together since their reality show The Simple Life ended in 2007. What’s ‘sanasa’? It’s a song and phrase the longtime friends created as kids and popularized on Simple Life. Now they’re bringing it back and turning it into an opera on Encore. “I know this is just going to make people laugh, have fun, be nostalgic, and then just celebrate our friendship and our amazing song,” Hilton says. While Richie says, “you can't do Simple Life again,” she does say now “felt like the right time... we really loved doing that show.” In addition to the opera, the famous pair also revisit some old jobs in Arkansas, like their time at Sonic. (And in a full circle moment, the pair now have drinks named after them at the fast-food chain.) “I think that there is a part of our friendship that the show ended up showing that people connect to,” Richie says. As for this new special, Hilton is just glad to do something positive for their fans. “It's been such a crazy past couple years, and I just feel like the world needs more joy.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The major thing about Netflix’s No Good Deed that appealed to Ray Romano was that it was unlike anything he’d done before. “I read about three scripts, and at the end of each there was a little twist, a little turn, [and] it was funny.” The dramedy series follows families looking to buy a home owned by Paul and Lydia Morgan (Romano and Lisa Kudrow). “You can tell a person’s good or bad, not from one incident, [but] from overall. We get to see that these are good people going through bad situations.” The series uses comedic actors in sometimes-dramatic situations (yet still humorous). “You know both of us, Lisa and I, from sitcoms—her sitcom was much more well-known than ours, but we have our fans, too. If they allow us to show this other [heavier] side, I think it’s very effective.” Romano, who shot to fame with Everybody Loves Raymond, says he still gets intimidated working with celebrities like Kudrow. “You imbue this persona to these people that are celebrities and icons and whatnot, and then after you get to spend time with them, they’re just people.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The announcement of the Golden Globe nominations mean awards season has officially begun. Regularly an indicator of the films and actors in consideration for the big prize, the Academy Award, the Globe nominations offer us an insight into where the awards season stands and, more importantly, where it might be going. And right now, it looks like the Netflix musical Emilia Pérez is a big contender while Wicked and Gladiator II fell short of expectations. Izzy of the wildly popular YouTube channel Be Kind Rewind joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to break it all down. Check out the full list of nominees at the link below. https://www.newsweek.com/golden-globes-full-list-emilia-perez-dominates-wicked-gladiator-ii-fall-short-1997925 Subscribe to Be Kind Rewind: https://www.youtube.com/@bkrewind Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. While you’re there, subscribe to Newsweek’s ‘For the Culture newsletter. Follow H. Alan Scott on everything at @HAlanScott. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As President-elect Donald Trump shapes out his cabinet, one thing is clear: it’s our favorite new reality show. To look back at the week that was, comedian Anna Roisman joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to discuss Trump’s cabinet picks, Anthem insurance capping anesthesia coverage at certain time limits for patients, Billboard’s selection of Beyoncé as the greatest pop star of the 21st century, and those Spotify/Apple music recaps of the year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After watching Prime Video’s The Sticky, it became clear that the Margo Martindale praise needed to continue with some of her co-stars. Chris Diamantopoulos is one of the “cohorts” Margo spoke about in our chat, and he’s fantastic in the Jamie Lee Curtis-produced series. Diamantopoulos plays Mike, one of the two men who help Martindale’s Ruth in her illegal plot to “steal some maple syrup,” as Martindale says. And The Sticky is a culmination of a lot of impressive work in Diamantopoulos’ career, who has played everything from Broadway to performances in films like The Boys in the Boat and Red Notice. (You need to watch him in Mrs. Davis.) (Oh, and you may even recognize his voice from his extensive voice work.) Diamantopoulos chats with Newsweek about The Sticky, why Margo Martindale is so great, and how The Sticky is a love letter to Canada (in its own special way). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
“Who knew that a barrel of maple syrup is worth more than a barrel of oil?” Margo Martindale does, after starring in The Sticky (December 6, Prime Video). The Emmy-winning actor plays Ruth Landry, a Canadian syrup farmer who resorts to crime after the government threatens to take away her livelihood. “It’s very different, very fun and what an incredible subject.” Inspired by a true story and produced by Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis, Martindale’s Ruth adds to a resume of unsuspecting yet extraordinary women. “The difference in this woman is that she starts at her most desperate. And that’s fun.” And while “she does have her feet on the ground,” she’s pushed to the limit and decides “to steal some maple syrup. It’s so logical to me.” [laughs] Even though Martindale has mostly “taken the supporting role” over the course of her long and lauded career, The Sticky marks her first major starring role. But for her, it’s about the work. “When I sit a long time, I go, ‘Why aren’t my agents calling me? What’s going on? Is something happening?’ It never fails.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
There are very few directors whose personality is so central to their work, and Nora Ephron is one of those directors. A multi-hyphenated powerhouse of creativity, Ephron’s films like Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail and Julie & Julia cemented her status as the epitome of a very specific–and cozy–mood that would in many ways define her legacy after her death in 2012. Of course, she was so much more than just a filmmaker–she was a prolific writer of nonfiction and fiction–her films have gone on to become little pieces of her personality that fans now watch to get that full Nora Ephron experience. And that’s why Ilana Kaplan’s new book ‘Nora Ephron at the Movies: A Visual Celebration of the Writer and Director Behind When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and More,’ is so, so special. Kaplan spoke with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about where her love for Ephron started, why Ephron mattered, and what impact her films had on the art of the romantic comedy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
“Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from access to education and women are limited from work.” That is the stark reality that motivated Malala Yousafzai to lend her name as a producer to the documentary Bread & Roses (Apple TV+). Directed by Sahra Mani and co-produced by Jennifer Lawrence, the film follows three Afghan women (filmed in secret) as they live under and resist the Taliban oppression. “I believe that while the Taliban are trying to silence women, amplifying their voices through this documentary, is a form of resistance.” For Mani, the message of this film is of vital global importance. “Afghan women [are] paying the price the high price today, the world might pay the price tomorrow... We need solidarity of the world right now, tomorrow might be [too] late.” For Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient who rose to prominence after surviving a failed Taliban assassination attempt at 12 years old, this is an issue that is rooted in the inalienable right to dignity and personal freedom. “We all remain committed to it, and we'll keep fighting til the day we see every Afghan girl going to her school again, and every Afghan women getting their equal rights, living in dignity.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
For Mayan Lopez, who stars, co-created and produces NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez alongside her father, George Lopez, she tells Newsweek that we need more sitcoms, now more than ever. “You don’t gotta reinvent the wheel of sitcom, but we do the wheel well.” On Lopez vs. Lopez, Mayan and George play fictionalized versions of themselves, with many of the storylines blurring the line between fact and fiction. “My dad and I, we weren't really speaking very much before the first season started. I was actually nervous, like myself, but my character wasn't. So playing her gave me the confidence to be more direct with my dad and not be afraid that he was going to leave my life, as that's part of our previous history of just not talking. And as the show has gone on it, she's helped me grow into myself.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
For John David Washington, bringing Netflix’s The Piano Lesson (November 22) from stage to screen was a family affair. His father, Denzel, produces while his brother, Malcolm, directs the film adaptation of August Wilson’s play about the Charles family in 1936 Pittsburgh as they wrestle with selling a family heirloom, a piano descended from ancestors who were slaves. “I don’t think you have to be a Black American to relate to this story.” But it wasn’t just working with his family that meant something to him. “I’m thinking about Sam [Samuel L.] Jackson, who originated the role in 1987. Michael Potts. LaTanya [Richardson] Jackson. I’m thinking about Stephen [McKinley] Henderson. I’m a part of that now. That gives me so much power and encouragement.” And while “the whale of truth that we’re floating along here is the underbelly of the antebellum South, the Jim Crow era,” Washington says the universal messages runs deeper. “If you understand that, we also talk about something else. It’s what’s so brilliant about August Wilson’s work.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Loved this podcast with Jonathan Roumie! It was such a pleasure listening to your excellent questions from an entirely secular perspective. Your analogy with The Chosen and This Is Us series was spot on! If the person loves This Is Us they'll enjoy The Chosen in the same way. I do hope you personally take the time to watch the show as well. You'll become hooked on Jesus too by The Crucifiction which will be all of season 6!