Awards Chatter

The 45th vice president of the United States discusses why, after the 2000 presidential election, he decided to devote himself, body and soul, to the cause of raising awareness about the threat of climate change and promoting ways of combating it before it’s too late for our planet; how he wound up the subject of the Oscar-winning 2006 doc 'An Inconvenient Truth' and its sequel 11 years later; and why he thinks Donald Trump needs to resign immediately. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the all-time most beloved and respected film actors reflects on his tumultuous childhood and becoming a dad at 21; why, in the years after 'Big' made him a star, he grew tired of playing "pussies," and how he managed a remarkable career reinvention capped by Oscars in back-to-back years; and what it was like making a period piece about obstacles faced by women in the workplace and journalists standing up to a hostile president at a time when those issues are front and center again. But first: Bob Gazzale, the president and CEO of the American Film Institute, joins Scott to discuss the organization's 50-year history, its "all-time 100 greatest" lists and its recent AFI Awards ceremony honoring 2017's top 10 films and top 10 TV shows, as determined by AFI juries. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded by Ryan Gabos and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul," whose first album was released 25 years ago, and who has since won nine Grammys encompassing R&B, rap, pop and gospel songs, reflects on the pain that preceded the music, the struggles with substances that nearly cost her everything and the attraction to acting that led her to the part of a 1940s wife and mother on a Mississippi plantation, for which she has received widespread acclaim. But first: Thomas Doherty, Brandeis University professor of American Studies and noted film scholar, joins Scott to discuss historical precedents for the sexual misconduct scandal engulfing Hollywood, the rise of political correctness on college campuses and his next book, 'Show Trial: Hollywood, HUAC and the Birth of the Blacklist,' due out April 10. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded by Dennis Schweitzer and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The VP of original documentary and comedy programming for the world's leading streaming service discusses how she came to the company when it was still in the DVD-by-mail biz, how docs and comedy have evolved since and the stories behind her most lauded projects — including four doc features ('Chasing Coral', 'Icarus', 'One of Us' and 'Strong Island') and two doc shorts ('Heroin(e)' and 'Ram Dass, Going Home') that have been Oscar-shortlisted this season. But first: Alison Brower, THR's deputy editorial director, joins Scott to discuss her path to journalism, her prior work at women's magazines and THR's coverage of President Trump and Hollywood's sexual misconduct scandal. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dashing Oscar nominee looks back on 25 years in the biz, from kid parts ('City Slickers') to teen roles ('Donnie Darko') to his first grown-up characters ('Brokeback Mountain'); lessons learned from the flop of 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'; and how recalibrating his approach led to a streak of great performances ('Source Code,' 'End of Watch,' 'Prisoners,' 'Nightcrawler,' 'Southpaw,' 'Nocturnal Animals' and 'Stronger'). But first: Lynne Segall, EVP and group publisher of The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, joins Scott to discuss THR's history and brand, how awards season impacts ad sales and what it was like following Tichi Wilkerson and Katharine Graham into publishing when few other women were in positions of power in media. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded by Ryan Gabos and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most powerful and influential people in the history of the music industry — a producer, A&R executive and record label chief who has been nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Ear" — reflects on his "epiphany" at the Monterey Pop Festival 50 years ago; discovering Janis Joplin, Bruce Sprinsteen and Whitney Houston, among many others; and how, at 85, he remains cool and in-tune with the culture. But first: Bryan Fogel, the director of the Oscar-shortlisted Netflix doc 'Icarus,' joins Scott to discuss how a movie about super-sizing himself morphed into an expose of Russian sports doping — and compelled the International Olympic Committee to ban Russia from the 2018 winter games in Pyeonchang. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arguably the finest screen actress of her generation reflects on her unlikely journey to 'Titanic' — in which she played her first leading role, at 21 — and the massive celebrity that came with its success; why, seven years later, 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' proved a career game-changer; and why she despised Harvey Weinstein long before the revelations about his sexual misconduct. But first: Dr. Ross Melnick, an associate professor of film and media studies at UC-Santa Barbara and and an expert on film exhibition (he's one of two 2017 Academy Film Scholars), about recent acquisitions of movie theater chains, closings of art-house movie theaters in America and how MoviePass actually works. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The woman who has co-produced every James Bond film of the last 22 years, with her step-brother and EON Productions partner Michael G. Wilson, grants a rare interview about the origin and evolution of the 007 franchise, how her own contributions to the films have grown over the years and why she spent 31 years fighting to produce her latest film — an adaptation of Peter Turner's memoir about his relationship with the actress Gloria Grahame — which was made on a far smaller scale than any Bond film, but means every bit as much to her. But first: Jeffrey Mantor of Larry Edmunds Bookshop and Nadine Vassallo of Book Soup join Scott to discuss the best Hollywood-related books of 2017 — and of all time. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Sorkin, the celebrated screenwriter, discusses his journey from actor to writer, his strengths in dialogue, and weaknesses in storytelling. He opens up about controversies and criticisms, including drugs, the Sony hack, and his portrayal of female characters. The podcast also covers movie reviews, potential Oscar contenders, Sorkin's transition from typewriter to playwright, reflections on the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and upcoming projects.

One of the most famous, accomplished, beautiful and enigmatic women in the world opens up about her love-hate relationship with acting (and how her choice of roles has been impacted by her rollercoaster of a personal life), her gravitation toward directing (her fourth directorial effort, a Khmer-language drama, is Cambodia's entry in this season's best foreign-language film Oscar race) and why being a mom — of six — and a humanitarian means more to her than anything else. But first: 91-year-old Marcia Nasatir, who, in 1974, became the first female VP at a Hollywood studio, reflects on the progress that women in film have made since then, the causes and effects of sexual abuse in the business and why she urged United Artists to make 'The Star Wars' years before Fox did. Credits: Hosted by Scott Feinberg, recorded and produced by Matthew Whitehurst. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices