EP 170: Comedian W. Kamau Bell on Denzel, the KKK & black James Bond
Comedian W. Kamau Bell, host of CNN's United Shades of America discusses the online marketing skills of the KKK, his leisurely stroll through the neighborhood with one of the most notorious gangs in Chicago’s South Side, and what it’s like to open carry while black. We debate the merits of Denzel Washington films, the phrase "All Lives Matter," and whether the term negro is actually racist. Plus, a white nationalist who has a big problem with the idea of a black James Bond.
EP 169: Adam Campbell of NBC's "Great News"
British actor Adam Campbell (Epic Movie, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) talks about Great News, NBC's new comedy series from the creators of 30 Rock. He discusses British comedy, the English funny men who inspired him, and defines a particular type of sarcasm known as "west country humor." He talks about living as a British ex-pat in LA, his thoughts on "fake news," and how Great News creator Tracy Wigfield may have drawn her inspiration from her time as intern at CNN. The seri
EP 168: Chris Whipple on the President's Gatekeeper
Emmy and Peabody-winning producer and journalist Chris Whipple (60 Minutes, ABC News Primetime) discusses his new book called The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency. He'll reveal why the Chief of Staff is considered the 2nd most powerful job in government, who is considered to be the gold standard of White House Chiefs, and why the burnout rate is so high. He'll talk about how this relatively recent position was born out of Dwight Eisen
EP 167: Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night w/ NYT Comedy Critic Jason Zinoman
Jason Zinoman, the comedy critic New York Times, talks about his new book Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night. Jason discusses how Letterman created something totally different that parodied talk shows and rewrote the conventions of comedy and he talks about the many ways that Letterman’s legacy can be seen on every late night show on television today. We’ll get into the legendary “late night wars” between Leno and Letterman, what made Letterman a far superior interviewe
EP 166: Daniel Franklin of The Economist Envisions Technology in 2050
Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor at The Economist discusses his book Megatech: Technology in 2050 including the best ways to predict tech trends, which sector will most benefit from technology in the 21st Century,and why some are predicting that Moore’s Law may finally be running out of steam. He reveals how 3D printing may bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, how your next car might be sewn together, and why Google glasses might be poised to make comeback. Plus Daniel F
EP 165: Laughing Through the Arab Spring w/ Bassem Youssef
Bassem Youssef is political satirist described as the "Jon Stewart" of Egypt and host of Fusion TV's Democracy Handbook with Bassem Youssef. Today he shares how he went from being a doctor to the host of the most popular show in the history of Arab-language television during one of the most tumultuous chapters in Egypt’s history. He talks about the Egyptian military's absurd claim that they had invented an "AIDS curing machine" and the time he had to explain to government i
EP 164: Philipp Meyer and Kevin Murphy Talk Texas Oil and Buffalo Blood
Acclaimed author Philipp Meyer and executive producer Kevin Murphy discuss adapting Meyer's Pulitzer-nominated novel THE SON into an epic new AMC drama series starring Pierce Brosnan. They talk about the frontier spirit that led larger than life characters to risk everything, first in the cattle business and then in the Texas oil boom, and how that story fits into the mythology of America. They talk about the violent racial history of Texas including the oft forgotten chapt
EP 163: Exploring the Dark Net w/ Mati Kochavi
Mati Kochavi is the Israeli tech entrepreneur who created the Showtime docu-series Dark Net, which explores the mysterious world of the deep web and how technology is changing our lives for better and for worse. Today, he talks about the dark web, home of illegal arms sales, sex trafficking, drug deals, and chat rooms for hackers, terrorists, and other illicit communities. He discusses how his interest in the deep web began with the our failure to predict the Arab Spring and
