Pop Culture Confidential

Our guest, former FBI agent and criminal profiler, James "Fitz" Fitzgerald was one of the agents who brought down Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber. The critically acclaimed Discovery series “Manhunt: Unabomber” captures the gripping true story of mail-bomber Ted Kaczynski, his ability to elude the FBI for 18 years, and efforts made to bring him to justice. The series, now available on Netflix, stars Paul Bettany as Ted Kaczynski and Sam Worthington as our guest, FBI profiler James ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald. The story focuses on the ongoing Unabomber investigation in 1995 and 1996, as well as the build-up to his trial, where the role of linguistics in the investigation was pivotal in his arrest and conviction. Host Christina Jeurling Birro speaks to Fitzgerald about his twenty years with the FBI, how they broke the UNABOM case, his investigation of other high-profile cases and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award’s season is upon us and the Golden Globes nominees have been announced, including our guest from this Fall - Sterling K. Brown for his role on 'This Is Us'. Brown has had a long acting career with success on both stage and television but his role as Randall on 'This Is Us' seems to have propelled him to the next level. His characters’ emotional journey and struggles have had audiences really connecting with the universal themes of family, joy and loss. The show ended the Spring season as the highest rated new network series among adults 18 to 49 with an impressive 12,8 million viewers watching the season 1 finale. The second season concluded this Fall. Brown can be seen in the recent release 'Marshall', alongside Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad and Kate Hudson. His upcoming feature films include Marvel’s 'Black Panther', Fox’s 'The Predator', and 'Hotel Artemis', alongside Jodie Foster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Oscar race heats up, we look back over our guests of 2017 to see which fan favorites are in the running, including cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema for his work on the epic film Dunkirk. Shot on large format film, Hoytema and his team worked with director Christopher Nolan to create the stunning camera shots – from the visually stunning dogfights to the challenging water shots. We speak to Hoytema about the creative technical solutions his team used on Dunkirk, the industries’ return to using large format film, his reflections on working with so many great directors and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With awards season in full swing – we speak to Senior Contributor at Awardscircuit.com – Mark Johnson, to get all of his insights as we head into the Oscar race. We spoke to Mr Johnson in September about what he had seen at Telluride – an early award season predictor. On this episode, host Christina Jeurling Birro asks about the films we have discussed before, such as Dunkirk – but also the less talked about films like Lady Bird, Get Out, The Florida Project and many more. We speak to Mr Johnson to find out his Oscar Predictions, the hits and misses – and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thrilling, dark, gripping and tense are just some of the words used to describe the hit Nexflix series Mindhunter. Playwright Jennifer Haley is a writer and co-producer on the series, and joins us this week to share her experience getting into the minds of FBI agents and serial killers. Mindhunter is a meticulously paced crime drama based on the writings of the pioneering serial killer profiler John E Douglas. Along with his team, they interviewed the likes of Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and Ed Kemper during the seventies and eighties which resulted in a redefining of criminal profiling forever. The series has wonderful casting, beautiful cinematography, and some of the creepiest conversations you will hear this year. Lead by David Fincher who is Executive Producer and director of four of the episodes, the writers on Mindhunter have delivered an amazing array of characters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In light of the perpetually expanding list of people accused of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry, we speak to journalist Amanda Hess about her New York Times article “How the Myth of the Artistic Genius Excuses the Abuse of Women”. Host Christina Jeurling Birro speaks to Hess about separating the art from the artist, an industry in denial, why the myth of the artistic genius has been used to excuse abusive behavior, Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., the power of journalism, how we should continue covering this story and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, we are joined by writer and TV critic Alan Sepinwall to discuss his new book Breaking Bad 101: The Complete Critical Companion, an unrivalled guide to one of television’s most important shows. 
Sepinwall is a TV critic at Uproxx, He is also the author of the book The Revolution Was Televised, which is a favorite. Sepinwall is also co-author of TV The Book with another great critic Matt Zoller Seitz, who has been a guest on the podcast multiple times. Sepinwall’s latest book is THE complete guide to Breaking Bad, covering each episode of the series in Vince Gilligan’s phenomenal series that reinvented the TV narrative in so many ways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, we speak to Kasper Collin who directed the critically acclaimed music documentary I Called Him Morgan. Collin’s documentary accounts the life and musical legacy of jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan and the life of his common-law wife Helen Morgan, who would first save his life, then kill him. The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival and Metacritic announced the film as the best reviewed movie of the first half of 2017. We also speak to Sasha Stone of Awardsdaily.com to discuss the entertainment industry’s reaction to the disturbing sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein and the Oscar Academy’s decision to expel Weinstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a six-year hiatus – Curb Your Enthusiasm is back! On this week’s episode, we speak to executive producer, writer and director Jeff Schaffer who takes us behind the scenes of the latest season with all of its awkwardness, insensitivity and laugh-out-loud comedy. Mr. Schaffer also speaks with host Christina Jeurling Birro about working with Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld on 'Seinfeld', what he learned writing for the Harvard Lampoon, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Pop Culture Confidential, Pamela Adlon speaks about life, parenting, and her jewel of a show – Better Things. After a fantastic, Emmy nominated first season of her semi-autobiographical series, Adlon is back with an already critically acclaimed Season 2 of Better Things. Pamela Adlon directs, produces, co-writes and stars in the show, which has given us some of the most touching and relatable comedy about a single working mother of three. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week we covered 2017’s Fall TV and Emmy awards, but September also marks the start of Oscar season and the big Fall movie releases. There are also the major film festivals like Venice, Toronto, and probably most important in terms of Oscar predictions – the Telluride Film Festival. In the last decade, eight Best Picture Oscar winners, including 12 Years a Slave, Argo, Birdman and Moonlight made their North American debut at Telluride. You could say that the festival has become something of an Oscar predictor. Joining us to talk about the Fall movies, Telluride and the start of Oscar season, is writer and senior contributor at Awardscircuit.com, Mark Johnson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s here! The annual Pop Culture Confidential Fall TV preview and Emmy awards prediction special. We take a look at the Fall TV season, what shows and trends are we most looking forward too, and we share our 2017 Emmy predictions! Guiding us through all of this - critic Jazz Tangcay, lead writer at Awardsdaily.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest, Swedish director/writer Ruben Östlund, is the newly crowned winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or for his latest film "The Square", which is described as a poignant satirical drama reflecting our times. The suspenseful satire tackles the Swedish art scene, politics, media, community and national identity. The film stars Danish actor Claes Bang, Elizabeth Moss, Dominic West and motion capture artist Terry Notary, who gives a mesmerizing performance as the “ape-man” during a black-tie museum dinner. Östlund’s previous film "Force Majeure" won him the Jury Prize at Canne in 2014 and became a huge international hit. It’s about a father who runs away from danger instead of protecting his family and the emotional aftermath. The situation brings up the expectations of manliness and the uncomfortable humor of life itself. It was recently announced that "The Square" will represent Sweden at the 2018 Academy Awards, and we couldn’t be prouder to welcome its writer/director Ruben Östlund. Learn more about your

An Emmy winner in 2016 for The People vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, and Emmy nominee this year for this role on the massive NBC hit This Is Us, Sterling K. Brown has had quite a year. Last year we were captivated by the excellent FX drama The People vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, starring this week’s guest along with Sara Paulson and John Travolta, just to name a few. Brown portrayed prosecutor Christopher Darden with a performance that was complex, nerve wrecking and critically acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. Brown has had a long acting career with success on both stage and television but his role as Randall on This Is Us seems to have propelled him to the next level. His characters’ emotional journey and struggles have had audiences really connecting with the universal themes of family, joy and loss. The show ended the Spring season as the highest rated new network series among adults 18 to 49 with an impressive 12,8 million viewers watching the season 1 finale. This Is Us ret

Our guest this week is Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times. During his career he has covered four presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and now the Trump administration. Mr. Baker joined The Times in 2008 after 20 years at The Washington Post, including four years as Moscow bureau chief. His wife Susan Glasser is the chief international affairs columnist Politico. Mr. Baker has authored multiple books and his latest title is “Obama: The Call of History”, with incredible photography from The New York Times. Host Christina Jeurling Birro speaks to him about reporting on the last four presidents, the unique challenge of covering the Trump administration, his new book “Obama: The Call of History”, and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spectacular, jaw-dropping, sweeping and intimate - Dunkirk marks the return of director Christopher Nolan and our guest cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. The World War ll drama is a different type of war story, about bravery and survival. It focuses on the days when 400,000 British and Allied troops were trapped by the Germans on the beaches of Dunkirk, seemingly doomed to die there. Shot on large format film, Hoytema and his team worked with Nolan to create the stunning camera shots – from the visually stunning dogfights to the challenging water shots. We speak to Hoytema about the creative technical solutions his team used on Dunkirk, the industries’ return to using large format film, his reflections on working with so many great directors and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just in time for Summer we round up our best pop culture tips to enjoy – including the book from our guest Anne Helen Petersen who writes about culture, celebrity, and feminism in 'Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman'. We have long been reading Petersen’s work and we can highly recommend her previous book 'Scandals of Classic Hollywood'. She has a PhD in media studies and is a Senior Culture Writer for BuzzFeed. Her latest book examines a group of iconic, brave women whose behavior pushes the boundaries of what some seem to think is acceptable for women in the limelight. And then - what are we at PCC looking forward to this Summer? We roundup our favorite TV shows, films, and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a real joy to welcome this week’s guest – television legend Chuck Lorre who has been a juggernaut, a sitcom comedy mastermind creating shows such as The Big Bang Theory, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, and Mom. Lorre has carried on the sitcom tradition in the footsteps of Norman Lear, who brought modern family dynamics to popular television with shows such as All in the Family and The Jefferson’s. His upcoming shows include Young Sheldon, a prequel storyline for Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, and Disjointed starring Kathy Bates as the owner of a pot dispensary. Host Christina Jeurling Birro speaks with Chuck Lorre about his impact on sitcom television, the challenge of getting The Big Bang Theory green-lit, his casting process, and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Pop Culture Confidential this week we speak with journalist and screenwriter Jon Ronson about his new film Okja that recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. We ask Ronson what really happened at ‘that’ Cannes premiere which became world news, what it was like working with director Bong Joon-ho, how to spot psychopaths, Trump and more. Then in celebration of Twin Peak’s return - we speak to Helen Hollyman, Editor Chief at Munchies, the Vice food website, who has followed and written about David Lynch’s obsession with coffee and how it’s evolved. David Lynch’s obsession with coffee goes far beyond the diner in Twin Peaks, he loves the beverage so much he has his own blend - David Lynch Signature Cup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pasta, Italy, Master of None, Wonder Woman and the female gaze – Pop Culture Confidential is jam packed this week! We speak to Katie Parla, culinary writer and the author of the book Tasting Rome. Parla was the food concierge on the Italian episodes of the brilliant, and food obsessed, new season of Master Of None (Netflix) where we find that Dev (Aziz Ansari) has left New York and moved to Modena, Italy to learn the art of pasta making. Katie Parla speaks to us about Italian cuisine, Master of None, the food of Rome and even a few great restaurant tips! And we speak to Alicia Lutes, Managing Editor of Nerdist.com who shares her insights on the highly anticipated movie Wonder Woman directed by Patty Jenkins. Host Christina Jeurling Birro also asks Lutes about the female gaze in TV and film, how the sex scenes are getting a different perspective right now, and the current TV seasons many religious narratives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices