

The Press Box
The Ringer
The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker catch you up on the biggest media stories, from sports to politics and everything in between.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 22, 2017 • 44min
Ep. 264: 'Jam Session' With Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins
The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Harrison Ford's flying skills (5:00), Malia Obama's sabbatical (10:00), the Clooney twins (18:00), Kirsten Dunst's Soho apartment (23:00), Miles Teller's birthday party (32:00), and Eileen Fisher's morning routine (37:00).
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Feb 22, 2017 • 1h 3min
Ep. 263: 'Bachelor Party' With Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin
The Ringer's Juliet Litman sits down with Bill Simmons and Mallory Rubin to discuss a day in the life of Vanessa (2:00), being in on Corinne (6:50), Rachel's level of interest in Nick (25:25), and a trip to Arkansas with Raven (43:30).
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Feb 17, 2017 • 49min
Ep. 262: 'Achievement Oriented' on Google Doodle Games and Ubisoft's Sword-Fighting Experiment
The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to Jordan Thompson, lead software engineer for the latest Google Doodle game, about building games for a massive search-engine audience with unique control constraints and compatibility concerns (0:15). Then they bring on Ubisoft creative director Jason VandenBerghe to discuss the innovative combat system at the center of newly released fighting game 'For Honor,' why sword-fighting is so tough to translate to video games, and how he created the concept of Vikings versus Samurai (19:30).
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Feb 16, 2017 • 31min
Ep 261: Interview With ‘A Cure for Wellness’ Director Gore Verbinski
Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with Academy Award winning director Gore Verbinski to discuss his new film 'A Cure For Wellness' (0:40)as well as his career arc of going from directing music videos and television commercials to big budget features like the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Rango' (11:00).
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Feb 16, 2017 • 47min
Ep. 260: Arsenal, Barcelona, and Club Identity With Jordan Morris
The Ringer's Chris Ryan and Ryan O'Hanlon discuss Arsenal–Bayern Munich (5:00), Barcelona-PSG (13:00), and the concept of club identity in the sport (20:00). Then, USMNT member and Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris joins (30:00) to give thoughts on the role of college development on the pitch (34:00), break down what a manager actually does during a game (38:00), and discuss how he watches soccer as a fan (42:00).
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Feb 16, 2017 • 45min
Ep. 259: ‘The Masked Man Show’ on the 'Festival of Friendship' and Bray Wyatt’s Reign
The Ringer’s David Shoemaker teams up with Bleacher Report’s Dave Schilling to break down the main event from 'Elimination Chamber' (01:30), Bray Wyatt’s future as champion (03:05), Emmalina and the most meta moment in professional wrestling (23:35), Bailey ending Charlotte’s reign (29:00), Kevin Owens betraying Chris Jericho at the 'Festival of Friendship' (36:10), and the upcoming Andre the Giant documentary (41:55).
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Feb 14, 2017 • 36min
Ep. 258: ‘Bachelor Party’ With The Bachelor Nick Viall
The Ringer’s Juliet Litman sits down with the Bachelor, Nick Viall, to talk about being on the show four times (1:30), kissing in front of the other contestants (7:14), and his biggest surprise thus far(11:20).
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Feb 10, 2017 • 59min
Ep. 257: 'Achievement Oriented' on Rockstar's Golden Goose and the Consolidation of Sports Games
The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion discuss PS4 Pro envy and 'Resident Evil 7' (0:40) and talk to The Guardian's games editor Keith Stuart about the continued sales success of 'Grand Theft Auto V,' the perpetual repackaging of old titles, and the worst US presidents in video games (6:08). Lastly, they talk to Polygon's Owen Good about the latest bad news for NBA Live, why so many sports games are going extinct, and the NBA's plans to partner with Take-Two to launch an official 'NBA 2K' esports league (26:05).
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Feb 9, 2017 • 33min
Ep. 256: Interview With 'Moonlight' Director Barry Jenkins
Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with writer and director Barry Jenkins to discuss his film ‘Moonlight’ and its eight Oscar nominations, what it’s like working with his old friends (6:30), casting nonactors (12:52), and whether or not he plans to speak out politically onstage if he wins at the Academy Awards (28:13).
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Feb 9, 2017 • 56min
Ep. 255: 'The Masked Man Show' Previews 'Elimination Chamber'
The Ringer's David Shoemaker, Bleacher Report's Dave Schilling, and "Hollywood" Dan St. Germain team up to preview the "Elimination Chamber" (00:30) and discuss Bray Wyatt and babyface Luke Harper (02:20), booking Samoa Joe (16:45), Jeff Jarrett's control of TNA (23:00), Hulk Hogan's rumored return (27:30), and the Hall of Fame induction of the Rock 'n' Roll Express (32:00).
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