

And the Runner-Up Is
Kevin Jacobsen
"And the Runner-Up Is" is the Oscar history podcast that highlights past races at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Host Kevin Jacobsen and special guests break down why winners won, why losers lost, and which films and contenders were the likely runners-up, falling just short of taking home the gold.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 17, 2024 • 2h 48min
2005 Best Actress (feat. Mattie Lucas)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes film critic Mattie Lucas to discuss the 2005 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Reese Witherspoon won for her performance in "Walk the Line," beating Judi Dench in "Mrs. Henderson Presents," Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica," Keira Knightley in "Pride & Prejudice," and Charlize Theron in "North Country." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Witherspoon. 0:00 - 9:02 - Introduction 9:03 - 22:26 - Judi Dench 22:27 - 53:26 - Felicity Huffman 53:27 - 1:12:54 - Keira Knightley 1:12:55 - 1:27:22 - Charlize Theron 1:27:23 - 1:45:50 - Reese Witherspoon 1:45:51 - 2:43:06 - Why Reese Witherspoon won / Twitter questions 2:43:07 - 2:48:20 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Mattie Lucas on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Jul 10, 2024 • 3h 6min
2004 Best Actress (feat. Cláudio Alves)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes back film critic Cláudio Alves to discuss the 2004 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Hilary Swank won for her performance in "Million Dollar Baby," beating Annette Bening in "Being Julia," Catalina Sandino Moreno in "Maria Full of Grace," Imelda Staunton in "Vera Drake," and Kate Winslet in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Swank. 0:00 - 7:17 - Introduction 7:18 - 26:19 - Annette Bening 26:20 - 46:41 - Catalina Sandino Moreno 46:42 - 1:11:51 - Imelda Staunton 1:11:52 - 1:40:50 - Kate Winslet 1:40:51 - 2:05:13 - Hilary Swank 2:05:14 - 3:00:57 - Why Hilary Swank won / Twitter questions 3:00:58 - 3:05:42 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Cláudio Alves on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Jul 3, 2024 • 3h 7min
2003 Best Actress (feat. Ben Miller)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes film critic and podcaster Ben Miller to discuss the 2003 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Charlize Theron won for her performance in "Monster," beating Keisha Castle-Hughes in "Whale Rider," Diane Keaton in "Something's Gotta Give," Samantha Morton in "In America," and Naomi Watts in "21 Grams." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Theron. 0:00 - 13:25 - Introduction 13:26 - 33:24 - Keisha Castle-Hughes 33:25 - 59:13 - Diane Keaton 59:14 - 1:17:39 - Samantha Morton 1:17:40 - 1:35:40 - Naomi Watts 1:35:41 - 2:03:43 - Charlize Theron 2:03:44 - 3:02:52 - Why Charlize Theron won / Twitter questions 3:02:53 - 3:07:08 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Ben Miller on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Jun 26, 2024 • 25min
A Woman Robbed: Myrna Loy and Judy Garland
Listen to this PREVIEW of the 13th episode of A Woman Robbed, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! A Woman Robbed is a series in which Kevin is joined by a special guest in discussing women who had significant Oscar buzz heading into the nominations but were ultimately robbed/snubbed/omitted from the Best Actress lineup. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Dan Bayer about two performances of the '30s that weren't nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars: Myrna Loy ("The Thin Man") and Judy Garland ("The Wizard of Oz"). We discuss their performances, talk about why they came up short, and reveal whether we would have nominated them. You can listen to the full episode of A Woman Robbed by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Dan Bayer on Twitter: @dancindanonfilm Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Clips included in this episode: "The Thin Man" - MGM

Jun 19, 2024 • 2h 39min
2002 Best Actress (feat. Katey Rich)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes The Ankler awards editor Katey Rich to discuss the 2002 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Nicole Kidman won for her performance in "The Hours," beating Salma Hayek in "Frida," Diane Lane in "Unfaithful," Julianne Moore in "Far from Heaven," and Renée Zellweger in "Chicago." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Kidman. 0:00 - 12:31 - Introduction 12:32 - 29:43 - Salma Hayek 29:44 - 44:46 - Diane Lane 44:47 - 1:02:37 - Julianne Moore 1:02:38 - 1:19:35 - Renée Zellweger 1:19:36 - 1:37:20 - Nicole Kidman 1:37:21 - 2:33:21 - Why Nicole Kidman won / Twitter questions 2:33:22 - 2:39:13 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Katey Rich on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Jun 12, 2024 • 3h 9min
2001 Best Actress (feat. Isaiah Reaves)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes playwright Isaiah Reaves to discuss the 2001 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Halle Berry won for her performance in "Monster's Ball," beating Judi Dench in "Iris," Nicole Kidman in "Moulin Rouge!," Sissy Spacek in "In the Bedroom," and Renée Zellweger in "Bridget Jones's Diary." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Berry. 0:00 - 9:37 - Introduction 9:38 - 29:17 - Judi Dench 29:18- 54:09 - Nicole Kidman 54:10 - 1:19:13 - Sissy Spacek 1:19:14 - 1:39:44 - Renée Zellweger 1:39:45 - 2:03:39 - Halle Berry 2:03:40 - 3:03:10 - Why Halle Berry won / Twitter questions 3:03:11 - 3:08:30 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Isaiah Reaves on Instagram Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Jun 5, 2024 • 2h 58min
2000 Best Actress (feat. Charlie Bright)
This week on the season premiere of And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes Gold Derby contributor Charlie Bright to discuss the 2000 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Julia Roberts won for her performance in "Erin Brockovich," beating Joan Allen in "The Contender," Juliette Binoche in "Chocolat," Ellen Burstyn in "Requiem for a Dream," and Laura Linney in "You Can Count on Me." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Roberts. 0:00 - 10:08 - Introduction 10:09 - 27:49 - Joan Allen 27:50 - 43:14 - Juliette Binoche 43:15 - 1:11:04 - Ellen Burstyn 1:11:05 - 1:27:04 - Laura Linney 1:27:05 - 1:42:37 - Julia Roberts 1:42:38 - 2:51:26 - Why Julia Roberts won / Twitter questions 2:51:27 - 2:58:03 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Charlie Bright on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

May 22, 2024 • 24min
How Did They Win: Geena Davis ('The Accidental Tourist')
Listen to a PREVIEW of the 15th episode of How Did They Win, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! How Did They Win is a series in which Kevin is joined by special guests in breaking down a notable Oscar category outside of Best Picture. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Tom O'Brien and Amy Thomasson about Geena Davis winning Best Supporting Actress at the 1988 Oscars. This episode includes a breakdown of each nominee, a discussion of why they were nominated, why four of them lost, why Geena Davis won, and all the notable snubs. You can listen to the full episode of How Did They Win by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Tom O'Brien on Twitter: @thomaseobrien Follow Amy Thomasson on Twitter: @athomasson11 Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Clip included in this episode: "Dangerous Liaisons" - Warner Bros.

May 8, 2024 • 58min
1999 Bonus (feat. Dave Karger)
This week on a bonus episode And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin talks with TCM host Dave Karger about the 1999 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Hilary Swank won for her performance in "Boys Don't Cry." Like the main show episode, we discuss Swank's performance and the other nominees, but from Dave's perspective as a reporter at the time. We also discuss his great new book, 50 Oscar Nights! Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Dave Karger on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Apr 24, 2024 • 23min
A Woman Robbed: Isabella Rossellini and Linda Fiorentino
Listen to this PREVIEW of the 12th episode of A Woman Robbed, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! A Woman Robbed is a series in which Kevin is joined by a special guest in discussing women who had significant Oscar buzz heading into the nominations but were ultimately robbed/snubbed/omitted from the Best Actress lineup. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Zach Laws about two performances that won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead but weren't nominated at the Oscars: Isabella Rossellini ("Blue Velvet") and Linda Fiorentino ("The Last Seduction"). We discuss their performances, talk about why they came up short, and reveal whether we would have nominated them. You can listen to the full episode of A Woman Robbed by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. (My audio in the first 18 minutes or so is a bit different; apologies for technical difficulties!) Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Zach Laws on Twitter: @zachlaws Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Clips included in this episode: "Blue Velvet" - De Laurentiis Entertainment Group


