Podcast

Over the last decade, Sarah Paulson has emerged as one of the most formidable actresses working on television. During that period, she amassed seven Emmy nominations. She won the award for her tremendous performance as Marcia Clark in Ryan Murphy’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. She’s back in the Emmy conversation this year for her stellar work in FX’s Mrs. America. Her role as Alice, a composite character in the ERA-set drama, marks the first time she’s worked outside of the Ryan Murphy production umbrella on television in nearly ten years..

Mrs. America proved an incredibly rewarding opportunity for Paulson, and here, she talks to Awards Daily about the experience. She discusses getting engaged in the project with friend and co-star Cate Blancett. She also talks about playing a character that diverges from her own political beliefs and what she hopes audiences take away from her performance. Finally, she talks about her Alice-focused episode, “Houston,” and her growing friendship (and potential collaboration) with Niecy Nash.

Please enjoy this podcast conversation with Emmy-winner Sarah Paulson, in contention this year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie for FX’s Mrs. America.

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

We’re Here is a new HBO television series that follows the Drag Queens Eureka O’Hara, Shangela and Bob the Drag Queen as they travel from town to town helping bring the drag experience to local people within the town, along with a fabulous performance.

Each queen brought their own costume designer to the show. Diego Montoya works with Shangela, Domino works with Bob, and Patryq Howell works with Eureka for their individual story aspect. The three costume designers discussed that in the beginning their work was done separately but then they started to bring things together. You will hear them discuss how this cohesion brought them to one fantastic intro look at the monster truck rally.

All three designers also delve deep into their personal connections with the participants in the series. You can hear the heart and soul they put in their work. These personal connections also help because they give HBO’s We’re Here the personal touch that makes it stand out among other shows.

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Most biopics only have one legend at its center. Selena, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Ray, and Judy all focus on one particular artist coming into prominence before overcoming personal obstacles and solidifying his or her own place in history. With Lifetime’s Patsy & Loretta, we get to meet Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn as they form a lasting friendship with one another and push each other in a male-dominated business. Stars Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller portray these women with moxie, heart, and undeniable talent.

Hilty and Mueller have both portrayed real-life people, but they both agreed that they never got to share so much time with another woman as they did in Patsy & Loretta. In addition to their research, they talk to Clarence and Joey about what it was like to change their singing voices to impersonate these long-admired women and whether they would be down to star in a stage version of NBC’s Smash.

Joey is not the least bit sorry about asking about that.

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Limited

Joey and Clarence break down the recently announced 2020 Emmy rule changes. Plus, they look at the major Limited Series contenders and analyze which series remain strong headed into next week’s vote.

The Television Academy dropped a few bombshells this week with their updated rules for the 2020 Emmy cycle. First up, the Comedy and Drama Series categories expanded to eight slots, leaving the Limited Series race at 5 slots. Will the Television Academy take this chance to branch out with original nominees? Or will the usual suspects fill the newly available slot? Next up – and more controversial – are the changes to the remaining categories. Gone is the “2 percent rule” allowing for expanded categories akin to the Comedy Supporting Actress races in the past few years. Also, we’re likely returning to a fixed five slots based on the new sliding rule. Joey and Clarence break down all of this for you so you can share in their outrage.

Then, they look at the major contenders in the Limited Series races. Will the ladies of Mrs. America make any room for other contenders? If Watchmen, Unbelievable, Mrs. America, and The Plot Against America are relatively locked, then what becomes that fifth nominee?

But first, we continue the weekly Corona(virus) Corner. As always, we share what we’ve been watching since we’ve been sheltering at home.

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

A lot of people know Cyntoia Brown’s story, but we haven’t heard it or seen it with such a personal touch like with Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story. Netflix’s documentary gives us such a first hand account of how Cyntoia found herself in prison and it shows us how her legal teams worked tirelessly to get her out. Throughout the film, we hear a lot of gentle piano in Jongcic ‘JB’ Bontemps’ score, and it really drives our emotional journey as we witness Cyntoia’s path towards clemency.

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Last year, Aunjanue Ellis received a surprising and well deserved Emmy nomination for Netflix’s When They See Us. The nomination served as a recognition of her decades-long acclaimed work in film and television, and it capped a culturally important and life-changing experience working with Ava DuVernay on the limited series.

Ellis built on that opportunity with another acclaimed lead role in Lifetime’s The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel. She stars as Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, the mother and mentor of five gifted young women who went on to help spread gospel music into the mainstream. When the film premiered last April, audiences swarmed to the project and discussed it in huge numbers on social media. It was initially viewed by nearly 3 million people – the highest rating for any Lifetime TV movie in four years.

Here, Aunjanue Ellis joins the Water Cooler Podcast to talk about her experience and performance in The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel. It’s an enlightening conversation in which she talks about unknowingly building up to this moment to play Dr. Clark since childhood. She also talks about the inspiration of Dr. Clark and her self-determined path to success, something that speaks to the wider community of Black American women. Finally, she also previews her experience on HBO’s Lovecraft Country and reveals not even she knows what to expect from the upcoming mystery.

And don’t miss her story about making a list of the five things she never thought she’d do – one of which was work with Ava DuVernay before being cast in When They See Us.

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The celebrated music supervisor also sought off-the-beaten-path tracks for FX’s ‘Mrs. America.’

When episode five of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere hit the air, fans took to social media to rave about the episode’s instrumental version of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” As performed in the show by wayward Izzy (Megan Stott), the song immediately registered in the collective subconscious of Fires viewers. “Did I just hear that?” “Was that Alanis?” “On the violin?” A truly brilliant and memorable rendition, the song that served multiple roles within the narrative. It was a legitimate 1990s-era smash that would be at the forefront of a 90s-era moody teen. It also provided thematic underlining to the increasingly angry tone of the series.

You can thank music supervisor Mary Ramos for that.

Ramos and I spoke at length about her process in integrating music with her projects’ themes. She talked about working with Tarantino and about Little Fires Everywhere and Mrs. America. In fact, although she wasn’t prepared to record an official podcast, I’m sharing this audio with our listeners because the conversation flows so beautifully. It’s just two people talking about the great music they both love. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did recording it.

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

niecy Nash

Emmy-winner Niecy Nash joins the Water Cooler Podcast to talk about her dramatic performance in Lifetime’s Stolen By My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story.

Niecy Nash knows how to build a robust career. She balances the demands of comedy and drama projects with grace and style. Just look at her 2020 projects alone: A Million Little Things, Claws, Reno 911!, Mrs. America, Never Have I Ever, and Lifetime’s Stolen By My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story. The diverse resume of comedic and dramatic roles highlight Nash’s ability to transcend genre. As a result, audiences and critics alike celebrate her acting as some of the best in modern television.

But the enviable ability to span both genres is not a surprise to Niecy Nash.

“You know what they say, ‘People who make you laugh can make you cry, but it’s not true in reverse.”

Niecy Nash joins the Water Cooler Podcast to discuss her recent Emmy-worthy roles, including the ripped-from-the-headlines drama Stolen By My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story. She also talks about the heavy emotion she experienced during the recent George Floyd-inspired activism. She along with fellow cast members from Reno 911! donated funds to support Floyd’s family during their time of need.

She also talks about her biggest surprise from the Mrs. America set: that co-star Sarah Paulson is funny. Really funny. So funny, in fact, that she and Nash are exploring a buddy comedy project.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy my podcast interview with Niecy Nash, star of many great 2020 projects including Lifetime’s Stolen By My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story.

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

This week, the Water Cooler gang starts their state of the state Emmy analysis as we (finally) head into Phase 1 Emmy voting in July.

Believe it or not, we’re finally here. It’s almost time for the Television Academy to start breaking out their nomination ballots and vote for Phase 1 of the 2020 Emmys. Now, what will happen to the 2020 Emmy ceremony? Who knows. But today, we’re looking at the major contenders in the Comedy and Drama Series races. Which shows are ahead? Which shows could surprise? And what will dominance in the Series races mean for the acting, directing, and writing races? Joey, Megan, and Clarence cuddle up around the Water Cooler to spill some Emmy tea.

But first, we continue the weekly Corona(virus) Corner. As always, we share what we’ve been watching since we’ve been sheltering at home.

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Before Joey Moser spoke with the visual effects supervisor of Stranger Things, he had no idea that Paul Graff and his team have yet to win an Emmy for their work on the sci-fi/horror series. When you think of all of the supernatural things that go down in Hawkins, it’s staggering that they haven’t been recognized for their creepy, crawly creations. Hopefully that will change for their work on Stranger Things 3.

There is something slimy and sticky in the bowels of Hawkins. A monster inhabits Dacre Montgomery’s Billy, and it’s making rats explode all over town. Graff had to give the monster a weight to it and he was invested in how it moves and left residue everywhere it went. He also talked about how there are visual effects all through the show that we don’t expect them to be visual effects. Susie, do you copy?

So, sit back, relax, and enjoy our conversation with Paul Graff, visual effects supervisor for Netflix’s Stranger Things. Make sure you subscribe to the Water Cooler Podcast if you don’t already. As we head into the heart of the 2020 Emmy season, we’ll be featuring more interviews with high-profile Emmy contenders.

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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