Episodes

On Pop Culture Confidential this week we speak wi…

Pasta, Italy, Master of None, Wonder Woman and th…

On this week’s episode of Pop Culture Confidentia…

From Buster on Arrested Development, to his Emmy winning role as the devoted body man to Selina Meyer on Veep – Tony Hale has already proven that he is one of our generation’s comedy greats. Host Christina Jeurling Birro is joined this week by Hale ahead of the upcoming sixth season premiere of Veep. In this political climate, what is better than the return of HBO’s hilarious political comedy Veep. Hale returns as Gary, the anxious and often-bullied body man to now ex-President Meyer, who is portrayed by the incredible Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Before Veep, Hale inhabited another anxious character – fan favorite Buster Bluth of Arrested Development. The show gave him the opportunity to work with Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman and legend Liza Minnelli who played his girlfriend. On this episode we find out how the recent U.S. election impacted the comedy in Veep, what Hale has learned from the comedy legends he’s worked with, his own experience with bullying and anxiety, and much more!

With unforgettable performances in Frasier, 24, and now one of this seasons’ most acclaimed new series Legion - Jean Smart is television royalty with a career spanning three decades and three Emmy wins. Smart’s career includes the iconic CBS hit sitcom Designing Women. A show that featured intelligent women who were both sassy and sympathetic and who expressed differing views on women’s issues. For her unforgettable role on Frasier, Smart won an Emmy, and on 24 she was gripping as First Lady Martha Logan whose fragile mental state deteriorated during the season. Smart then joined the Noah Hawley show Fargo where she gave a fearless performance as Floyd, the matriarch of the crime family. Their collaboration didn’t end there and today Smart is one of the stars of the acclaimed FX series Legion with Noah Hawley as co-creator. Legion is loosely inspired by the X-Men comics and here Smart plays Melanie Bird, a questionable therapist who is the leader of a group of super mutants being chas…

Richard Simmons, workout and fitness guru, is a true American pop culture icon. One example of the empire he built is his workout video “Sweatin’ to the Oldies”, which sold millions of copies. Three years ago Simmons mysteriously disappeared from public life, including cutting off contact with most of the world. This week we speak to Dan Taberski about his search for answers that lead to the massive podcast hit “Missing Richard Simmons”. Taberski is a writer, director and former producer for “The Daily Show” who was a student at Simmons fitness class “Slimmons” in Beverly Hills. He became friends with Simmons and had discussed making a documentary about his life and work. So why does the most flamboyant and visible exercise evangelist suddenly disappear without alerting friends and colleagues? Dan Taberski talks to host Christina Jeurling Birro about the importance of Richard Simmons, the many thousands of people that Simmons so generously helped during his career and the theories to …

Now that the film award season has come to a dramatic conclusion we are happy to turn our attention to the upcoming season of television. This week’s episode of Pop Culture Confidential covers the recent Netflix event in Berlin where they unveiled the upcoming lineup. Host Christina Jeurling Birro was thrilled to speak with two of the stars of Orange is the New Black – Kate Mulgrew who plays Red and two-time Emmy winner Uzo Aduba who plays Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren. We also speak to Netflix Chief Content Office Ted Sarandos who shares his journey with Netflix and the power of user data in creating original content including the hit House of Cards. It’s a very special ‘on location’ edition of Pop Culture Confidential where we dive into the recent and upcoming milestones for Litchfield Penitentiary, what it means to be Captain of a Starfleet ship, the Oscar win for White Helmets and how Netflix is supporting film distribution, and much more!

The Academy Awards are upon us and this is the an…

For those who follow Pop Culture Confidential, you know that we LOVE Saturday Night Live (SNL) and refer often to how it has influenced pop culture over the decades. We are so excited to be joined this week by Eugene Lee, who has been the original Saturday Night Live production designer since the start of the show's first season in 1975. At 77, he is one of the only original crewmembers still working. The SNL set Lee designed has a true New York vibe with real bricks and a nod to Grand Central Station. Three Tony Awards, 12 Emmy nominations, and one Emmy win later, Lee continues to carry on his accomplished tradition in theater while also leading the "SNL" production-design team, week in and week out. Lee comes from the theater world and has worked on Wicked, Sweeney Todd and Candide. He is not slowing down, he has also designed the sets for Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, which show the variety of his work. Lee joined us from his home and workshop in Providence, Rhode Island where he i…

Scissor hands, face masks and apes – oh my! Three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood has dressed some of the most iconic characters on the big screen. This includes Hannibal Lecter, Edward Scissorhands, Roxie Hart – and all the characters in eleven Tim Burton films. Atwood has been very busy this past year with Huntsman: Winter’s War, Alice Through the Looking Glass, her most recent collaboration with Tim Burton Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, AND the Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for which she has been nominated for an Academy Award. From fantasy to modern day, Atwood’s costumes are always rich in detail and a deep study of character that isn’t always obvious at first. For Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children we travel back to Wales during World War II to an orphanage full of ‘peculiar’ children with unique superpowers. The character of Miss Peregrine, played by Eva Green, has the ability to transform into a bird that…

Their legendary careers have included the animate…

When we say La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is one of the most buzzed about films this awards season – we’re not kidding! The film won every in every category it was nominated for at this years Golden Globes, including for Best Film and Best Director. As the most awarded film in Globe history – the road to Oscar glory seems unstoppable. Host Christina Jeurling Birro is thrilled to speak to two of the films creative powerhouses – writer/director Damien Chazelle and award-winning choreographer Mandy Moore. The film is Chazelle’s ode to Hollywood and musicals such as Singin’ in the Rain – and to the city of Los Angeles with its freeways, sound stages and dreamers. It is the perfect showcase for the beautiful choreography of Mandy Moore. Director Damien Chazelle was only in his late 20’s when he burst on the scene with his movie Whiplash, which went on to win three Oscars. He shares with us his creative process, what it takes to make it in Hollywood, what it was like to wo…

Veteran filmmaker and documentary cinematographer…

We kick-off the New Year with a true Hollywood legend - Roger Corman, whose latest film Death Race 2050 is perfectly timed for the current political landscape. Then host Christina Jeurling Birro discusses politics and pop culture with author and political science Professor Lilly Goren, including how female presidents are depicted in film and TV, and how this might change after the recent U.S. presidential election results.

If you are a loyal listener of Pop Culture Confid…

We are very excited that awards season is finally…

A Canadian spy, a French resistance fighter, and …

Aliens, hackers and awesome prizes on this week’s…

Disgusting vermin multiplying before our eyes, th…

Race, sexual politics, masculinity, friendship and parenthood – the new FX TV show Atlanta tackles all of these subjects with uncompromising honesty and humour. This week host Christina Jeurling Birro is joined by one of the shows stars - Brian Tyree Henry who gives a powerful performance on the show as Paper Boi, a rising-star of the Atlanta rap scene.

This week host Christina Jeurling Birro is joined…

We are joined Oscar winning director Roger Ross W…

Emmy award winning actress, active spokesperson for fair funding of public schools, breast-cancer survivor and ambassador Susan G. Komen For The Cure – Cynthia Nixon is just as powerful as the amazing kaleidoscope of characters she has portrayed. For most of us, she is best known for playing the glamorous lawyer Miranda on the iconic series Sex and the City, a role that still resonates with viewers today. Her most recent role is a spot-on portrayal of Nancy Reagan in the National Geographic movie Killing Reagan. Based on the best selling book of the same name, the movie also stars West Wing alum Tim Matheson as Ronald Reagan. The story centers on the assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981 by John Hinckley, Jr. – an event that rocked the world and forever changed the security protocols for any US President. We are honored to speak with Nixon about Nancy Reagan’s legacy, how she is similar to her character Miranda, how surviving breast cancer has changed her, and much more.

Politics, power, and comedy. We speak with David…