The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott

Bestselling author Rumaan Alam is happy to come out of hiding to promote his new novel Entitlement (September 17). “I spend all of my time here in this room hunched over this very computer, it's nice to have an opportunity to exist outside of that.” After the massive success of his last book, Leave the World Behind , Alam is once again focusing on class, but this time honing in on money. “We valor...

Fresh off his Tony nomination for Mother Play , Jim Parsons is back on Broadway in Our Town . So, does he not like taking a break? "Until [Big Bang Theory] wrapped in 2019, I did not really know what it was to take a break that was not only extended, but also uncertain." The reason for back-to-back shows—besides theater being "more alive for me now as it...ever has been"—is that "within days of ag...

Taylor Swift has officially declared herself THE childless cat lady after endorsing Kamala Harris. What impact will it have on the election? Also, we now have a trailer and release date for the Donald Trump biopic ‘The Apprentice,’ and we also know why he doesn’t want you to see it. Finally, who will win at the Emmys this year? To help make sense of it all and predict the big winners, Newsweek’s H...

When you think of Mormons, you don’t usually think of soft-swinging. But for a group of social media influencers, it was not only a fact, but also the perfect opportunity for a reality show. (Because it’s 2024 and that’s what we do now.) Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives follows Taylor Frankie Paul, the leader of a group of women known as MomTok online, after she caused a storm revealing the...

For Terry Crews, there are no rules. “There used to be so many rules. They used to say, ‘you can’t do TV, you must only do movies, you can’t do commercials.’” But Crews has proven you can do all of those things and more. He just joined pal Dave Bautista in The Killer’s Game (September 13). Crews loves that it’s funny, saying “to make people laugh is probably the hardest job in entertainment, becau...

We just experienced what is likely to be the only debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, and it was raining cats and dogs. (More on that in a bit.) The big question is, who won? Did Kamala Harris define herself?  And was Donald Trump able to stay on message? H. Alan Scott was joined by Newsweek’s Jesse Edwards to break it all down.   Visit New...

Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney is just as much of a ‘Sopranos’ fan as you and I are. That’s why he’s turning his attention to ‘Sopranos’ creator David Chase in his new two-part HBO documentary ‘Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos.’ The doc looks at the origins of what inspired the Emmy-winning series and how it pulls from Chase’s own life. Gibney joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to talk...

As Kamala Harris bunkers down in debate prep, Donald Trump is preparing by doing a lot of nothing. “Not a lot to do,” he told a New Hampshire radio station. Meanwhile, Republicans like John McCain’s son Jimmy and former Rep. Liz Cheney have said they’re voting for Harris. As all this is going on, RNC co-chair, Lara Trump, has decided to dabble in music. (Yes, music.) To help make sense of it all,...

Carrie Coon is having such a moment right now, even though you may not recognize her. (And she’s fine with that.) “I rarely am recognized. It may be the age I am, partly, but it's also I don't present in the world like any kind of film star.” The Emmy-nominated star of The Gilded Age will next be seen in Netflix’s His Three Daughters (September 20). “The relationships feel real, the dynamics feel...

In just one week former President Donald Trump got indicted (again), allegedly got into some kind of altercation at Arlington National Cemetery (how?), agreed to and then casted doubt on debating Vice President Kamala Harris, spoke to Dr. Phil and sold some trading cards. Comedian, actor and writer Jenny Yang joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to break it all down and attempt to make sense of it. See...

Sometimes the scariest thing can be the things we take for granted: our personal devices. Cell phones, smart TVs, Siri, Alexa. That's exactly what John Cho must battle in Chris Weitz's new film AfrAId (August 30). "Siri and I have a bumpy relationship. I've been looking at her askance for years." Cho plays Curtis, a dad tasked with protecting his family after their digital assistant turns against...

When you've reached the level of stardom Nick Jonas has, you can pretty much do anything. But his fame isn't a factor for him when picking projects, the story is. "It's definitely helpful to work with brilliant people. And this one [ The Good Half ] is insane." In the film, Jonas plays Renn, who returns home for his mom's funeral. He says the movie "made me think of great films that I think do tha...

Ever since Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in King Richard , she's kept busy with three major upcoming projects. In Lee Daniel's The Deliverance (in theaters now; on Netflix August 30), she co-stars alongside Glenn Close and Mo'Nique. "I just hope they didn't catch me staring." She's following that up with Hulu's The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat (August 2...

Kamala Harris is officially the Democratic nominee for president. As she wowed the crowd on the final night of the Democratic National Convention—who all were lowkey hoping Beyonce would make an appearance—Donald Trump was spiraling on Truth social, reacting in real time to her speech. Newsweek’s Jenni Fink and Jason Lemon join H. Alan Scott to break down all the events of the final night of the D...

Oprah Winfrey just picked Kamala Harris as her new favorite thing, will America do the same? If the impact of the Oprah Effect is real, then it’s a real possibility. Day three of the Democratic National Convention was filled with speeches from former President Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, but the night really belonged to two people a...

Day two of the Democratic National Convention was filled with hope, change, and just a little bit of animosity. Can the fiery speeches from former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama inspire voters longing for more hope and change? Kamala Harris certainly hopes so. Newsweek’s Jenni Fink and Jason Lemon join H. Alan Scott to break down night two of the DNC.   See Privacy Policy at h...

We’re reacting to day one of the Democratic National Convention. Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden pass the torch to Kamala Harris in a night seemingly targeted at exciting the Democratic base while also courting those suburban women. Throughout the very long night, Democrats attempted to make the case for why Harris is the leader for this moment. Did they succeed? Newsweek’s Jenni Fink and Jason Lemo...

The Democrats flood Chicago for the Democratic National Convention this week, and it’s sure to be a wild one. Will Kamala Harris lean in to the historic nature of her candidacy? How will Donald Trump respond? And will Beyonce make an appearance? All week long H. Alan Scott will be reacting to the DNC with Newsweek’s Jenni Fink and Jason Lemon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

Just like Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, Donald Trump should hire his own PR crisis manger after that chat he did with X’s Elon Musk. The big question after their conversation is are we seeing the downfall of Trump? (Probably not, let’s be real.) But is he, dare we say, becoming boring? Comedian and writer Eliot Glazer joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to react to all the news from this week. See P...

The ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars certainly delivered. From the cast to the antics, it had it all. Today H. Alan Scott chats with the season’s winner, Angeria Paris VanMicheals, about what it was like to play for charity (the National Black Justice Collective), compete against the likes of Roxxxy Andrews and Plastique Tiara, and what she thinks of past queens judging her looks on va...

We got off the couch to do this episode. (You hear that JD Vance?) From Vice President Kamala Harris picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her VP pick to Robert Kennedy Jr. being into bears—it’s not what you think, or maybe it is?—we’ve got a lot to go over this week. Comedian and writer Brent Sullivan joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to react to all the news from this week.   Visit Newsweek.c...

There was a time when it felt like everyone in America was watching American Idol. It made superstars out of contestants like Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia and Carrie Underwood. But was there also something else going on? Did we ever question how many of the more marginalized contestants were treated? That’s something journalist Nico Lang explored in their article ‘LGBTQ+ Contestants Say ‘American Idol...

The parting shot for this week was going to be about Vice President Kamala Harris’ nearly perfect week, but then former President Donald Trump went and said Harris isn’t really Black (which just defies logic) and well, that statement fully torpedoed all the news for the week. SiriusXM’s John Arthur Hill joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to react to all the news from this very “weird” week. (And yes,...

M. Night Shyamalan is probably the only person who looked at Josh Hartnett and thought he’d make a great serial killer, but Hartnett is glad he did. “This is going to surprise people. It’s a little bit different than other films that he’s made.” In Trap, Hartnett plays Cooper, a killer inadvertently lured to a concert with his teenage daughter as a trap set up by authorities to catch him. While th...

It’s Sheryl Lee Ralph’s world, and we’re all just living in it. First, there’s her Emmy-winning turn as Barbara Howard on ABC’s Abbott Elementary, where she just picked up her third nomination in a category that includes icons like Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett. “Carol, Meryl and Sheryl! The company I keep. I was so thrilled.” But she’s also aware she couldn’t do it alone. “I thank [creator and p...