Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

WNBA superstar Candace Parker is one of the most decorated female basketball players to ever play the game. Off the court, she joins us to discuss the pay gap between men and women athletes (3:05), why she chose basketball at age thirteen (8:50), the influence of her father’s competitive spirit (10:58), the Participation Trophy Era (12:30), and how she’s processing the larger, cultural conversation around mental health in sports (14:49). Now the host of the “Moments with Candace Parker” podcast, we walk through a few of her own inflection points: overcoming a severe injury ahead of her first season at the University of Tennessee (21:00), having her daughter at twenty-three (25:05), and winning the WNBA Finals in 2016 (26:30). Then, before we go, Candace reflects on the lasting impact of her late mentor and coach, Pat Summitt (31:00), why she decided to come home to Chicago (34:44), and how she hopes her daughter remembers her in this moment, August 2021 (38:02).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Dr. Ashish Jha returns to the show with a hopeful pandemic update. He helps us understand the Delta variant surge (4:04), how to better engage with the unvaccinated (7:30), school reopenings this fall (14:19), breakthrough cases (17:26), and the ongoing debate over mask mandates (19:35). He also addresses looming questions around booster shots (21:49), herd immunity (23:12), and the timeline for FDA approval (24:16). Before we go, he walks us through his day-to-day (26:52), how he’s processed the past 18 months (28:58), and the remarkable nature of these vaccines (30:31).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legendary filmmaker Brian De Palma joins us this week! In celebrating the 40th anniversary of Blow Out, we discuss how the project came to be (4:17), the casting of John Travolta (7:49), a post-production mishap (8:48), and the film’s initial reception in 1981 (10:27). Growing up in '40s Philadelphia, De Palma reflects on his complex childhood (11:06), his Quaker education (12:54), the moment he knew he wanted to direct (15:42), and the chaos of his early documentary work (20:44). Then, before we go, we revisit his masterpiece, Carlito’s Way (27:44), the end of “the director-as-superstar” era (33:16), and the enduring power of a childhood favorite, The Red Shoes (37:09).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, director Janicza Bravo and editor Joi McMillon join us for a special roundtable episode around their film, Zola (4:42). We begin with listener questions (7:30) before diving into when the film clicked in the editing room (12:46), the experience of watching the first assembly cut (24:00), the joys and difficulties of the notes process (30:46), and the genius of the movie's sound design (39:25). Then, before we go, Janicza and Joi reflect on Zola’s timeline (48:50), finding self-worth in filmmaking (54:30), and the space they hope to create for themselves in the years ahead (56:48).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emmy-award winning comedian Larry Wilmore sits with us this week! We discuss his upbringing in Pomona (8:15), discovering the profound nature of empathy (14:49), a clarifying summer working as an encyclopedia salesman in college (18:38), the influence of Mike Nichols and Robert Townsend (23:42), how he subverted the sitcom with The Bernie Mac Show (30:00), and the enduring legacy of The Nightly Show (42:02). Then, before we go, Larry speaks on his career-long focus on representation (47:35), and the power of gratitude (49:28).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rapper Vince Staples joins us this week upon the release of his latest album! In-between listening to his work, we discuss music as “product management” (7:30), the virtue of Russell Westbrook (8:45), centering oneself in gratitude (13:08), creating opportunities within the YMCA Youth Institute in Long Beach (17:50), Staple’s support system within the industry (22:36), as well as his relationship with his mother and father (26:06). Then, before we leave, Vince reflects on the passing of loved ones (30:28) and his hope for a richer humanity (38:00).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we revisit our episode with performer Ts Madison! She’s excellent in the new film, ZOLA, now out in theaters across the country. Get your tickets here: https://tickets.zola.movie/ A trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community, Ts shares the stories that made her Ts: flipping through a Playgirl magazine at age three (3:30), exploring her nascent sexuality under a Christian roof (13:28) and the consequences of her curiosity (17:02). She also talks turning pain into comedy (30:36), her time as a sex worker (29:01), and the “duty” of “keeping the door open” to encourage representation for the Trans community (42:44). Then, before we go, she looks back on the night she first felt seen and the liberation that followed (45:40).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since 1989 (Sex, Lies & Videotape), filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has been a pioneering voice in American cinema. Part free-wheeling iconoclast, part exacting technician. He joins us this week with the release of his latest film, No Sudden Move (out July 1st via HBO Max). We discuss the challenges of making a movie amid the pandemic (7:35), his ability to push past creative blocks, the importance of 1997’s Out of Sight, the seismic impact of his late mentor, Mike Nichols (24:25), and how a formative moviegoing memory (25:28) informed his ideas on the role of storytelling (29:37). Before we go– Steven speaks candidly on the future of movies (36:09) his role in them (40:46).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emmy award-winning performer Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black, Mrs. America) joins us on the heels of her leading role on In Treatment. Filmed during the pandemic, Aduba plays clinical psychologist Dr. Brooke Taylor, a character she created in the aftermath of her mother’s passing (5:32). In honor of her, we discuss a formative high school memory (11:36), the power of her name (15:19), the racialized roadblocks she encountered as a young actress (20:52), and September 14th, 2012– the day she quit acting (26:20). As we leave, we sit with her mother’s legacy (30:02) and the true meaning of her name, Uzoamaka (32:53).  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Dave Eggers joins us for a bonus episode! We discuss his new novella, The Museum of Rain (5:26), our tendency to mythologize creation (13:57), and why the best art often comes from the subconscious (18:53). The flip-phone nature of this episode leads us to unpacking Dave’s anti-technology outlook (20:56), the radical rise of smartphones (28:40), his first experience with the power of journalism (31:12), and the origin of his non-profit, 826 Valencia (32:58). Then, as we leave, Dave walks us through his idea of a day well spent (40:52). For our Talk Easy mugs visit: https://talkeasypod.com/shop/Talk-Easy-Mugs-p272588874  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.