The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott

Michelle Buteau is proof that you can strike it big anytime. At 46, she's out with her new film Babes (May 17), she has a hit Netflix series based on her memoir Survival of the Thickest and is the first woman to film a comedy special at Radio City Music Hall. She says there's this idea you should "have it all figured out by 40, you should be doing your thing. It's like, no, we don't have it all fi...

Comedian Nikki Glaser never wants to offend. “I never want to say offensive or raunchy [things] or push the envelope, because that speaks to some kind of comedian who wants to rile people up,” Glaser told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. Instead, on her new HBO comedy special Someday You’ll Die (May 11), she wants to hit you with “honest and really funny, precise, acute jokes throughout.” Those jokes are...

What do you do when Hollywood wants you to be one thing, but you have a wholly different outlook about yourself? For Chris Pine, breaking the mold of expectations meant creating the new film Poolman (May 10). “Believe it or not, it’s probably the most personal thing I’ve ever made.” And it should be, considering he not only stars in it as Darren Barrenman, a colorful pool man on a mission to prote...

After a nearly two-year hiatus, the Max-original Emmy Award-winning series ‘Hacks’ is back. And Hannah Einbinder, who plays Ava, the comedy writer to legendary—and difficult—stand-up comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), used the time off to figure out how to be a person again. “I went on the road, I did stand-up, but I kind of had to fill in the rest of my time with various hobbies and things. It mad...

For Eugenio Derbez, making the transition from being one of Mexico’s most recognizable faces in comedy to the American market was not easy. “We don’t laugh at the same things. Humor in Mexico and in the U.S. is completely different. I had to reinvent myself,” Derbez told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. He’s done a good job of reinventing himself because his Apple TV+ series ‘ Acapulco’ (May 1) is now in...

Because of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ drag has exploded. But what is often lost with all this drag we’re seeing on our televisions are the stories from small-town America, what’s really happening in cities that are sometimes overlooked and where, often, these “drag bans” are popping up. That’s where HBO Max’s ‘We’re Here’ comes in. ‘We’re Here’ shows drag superstars going to small cities to put on a dr...

Reality TV has changed the landscape of not only television, but also pop culture. Its impact can be felt in every aspect of our lives, and—as some would argue—its impact may have even led to the election of former President Donald Trump. That’s a huge impact. (Or should we say, ‘yuge.’) Considering this, what is the state of reality TV? Where are we at with shows like ‘Survivor,’ ‘The Real Housew...

If you’re a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, then this episode of the Parting Shot podcast is for you. Not only will Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott be chatting with the season 16 top three finalists Sapphira Cristál, Nymphia Wind and Plane Jane, he’ll also chat with Q and Tia Kofi, who was just recently crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World. Sound off who you think will win RuPaul’s Drag...

Penn and Kim Holderness are widely celebrated for their entertaining viral parody videos (singing included!) on topics ranging from parenting and helping kids with homework and masking up for the pandemic (to the tune of the Hamilton soundtrack) to “stupid” healthy habits and everything in between. Now, Penn and Kim are tackling a serious subject close to their hearts in their new book, ‘ADHD IS A...

If you’re one of the millions of Americans singing the praises of ABC’s ‘Abbott Elementary,’ fear not, they’ve heard you. “We love to hear it,” says Chris Perfetti, who plays Jacob Hill on the Emmy-winning sitcom about teachers at a Philadelphia public school. As for the show’s success, “it’s everything I’ve dreamt of as an actor.” For Perfetti, finding how to play Jacob didn’t start with studying...

A Jew accidentally stumbles upon a gathering of white nationalists. For most, this would be a cause for concern, but for Alex Edelman it’s an opportunity for a hit one-man comedy show. “I always wanted to be a stand-up. I always thought that stand-up was the most fun, cool, delightful thing.” Edelman’s new HBO comedy special Just for Us (April 6) follows his successful Broadway run, where the come...

If there’s one thing that’s true about Gillian Anderson, it’s that she isn’t afraid of a challenge. And that’s exactly what she’s doing in her new film, tackling the role of journalist Emily Maitlis in Netflix’s ‘Scoop’ (April 5), which documents the team behind the bombshell 2019 BBC interview with Prince Andrew over his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. For Anderson, who won an Emmy for playing...

Comedy legend Jane Lynch stops by to talk with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about hosting ‘The Weakest Link,’ and she looks back at some her iconic performances in ‘Glee,’ ‘Best in Show,’ and ‘Only Murders in the Building.’ Honestly, the story she shares about Jennifer Coolidge is just everything.   Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest ne...

Describing Ramy Youssef’s work isn’t easy, because the multi-hyphenated talent refuses to settle on just one thing. “I feel really inspired to connect in the way that it makes sense.” That started out with stand-up, but has since morphed into acting, writing, directing and producing. The New Jersey native’s next endeavor, right on the heels of his appearance in the Oscar-winning film ‘Poor Things,...

How much do we really know about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln? That’s a question Tobias Menzies hopes to answer in Apple TV+’s ‘Manhunt’ (March 15). “The thing that really struck me was the newness of the nation, that it wasn’t really all knitted together properly, it was still so raw.” Menzies plays Edwin Stanton, the U.S. Secretary of War under Lincoln, as he leads the manhunt...

Bringing the life story of activist Shirley Chisholm to screen wasn’t an easy task for Regina King. “This has been a labor of love. My sister [Reina] and I have been at this for close to 15 years now.” Netflix’s Shirley (March 22) focuses on Chisholm’s long shot 1972 presidential campaign after she became the first Black woman elected to Congress. At times isolated from movements she had advocated...

James Marsden is good at keeping fans on their toes. Following his Emmy-nominated success with ‘Jury Duty,’ Marsden has three very different projects in 2024, the first being Michael Keaton’s ‘Knox Goes Away’ (March 15). “I like to take opportunities that are very different tone, and this was just like, ‘Wow, you’re in the company of great people here and how would I ever say no to this?’” Later t...

Well, the day has arrived, we have a winner of season two of Peacock’s ‘The Traitors.’ Or is it winners? Well, you’ll just have to listen to Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott talk exclusively with them. (You see how we’re intentionally not revealing their name or names? You’re welcome!)  Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. While you’re there...

Understanding the balance between dark comedy and mystery is a unique quality of Annette Bening, which she puts to good use in Peacock’s limited series Apples Never Fall (March 14), based on Liane Moriarty’s book. “Everybody has a secret, and that’s fun.” Bening plays Joy Delaney, the matriarch of a seemingly perfect family who suddenly disappears. “Even in the best comedies, there’s a deep dis-ea...

Whatever you do, don’t call Gayle King an icon. “Diana Ross, to me, is an icon.” Fair. But one moniker she is fine with is America’s best friend. “I’ll take that as a compliment. I like that.” And it fits, considering her many titles: center anchor of CBS Mornings , editor at large of Oprah Daily , co-host of CNN’s King Charles . “ If I get five [hours of sleep a night], I'm doing the hula.” At CB...

A new season of CBS’ Survivor is upon us, and former player Rob Cesternino stopped by to talk with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about the new season, his recent chat with Jeff Probst, and his crazy popular podcast Rob Has a Podcast.   Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. While you’re there, subscribe to Newsweek’s ‘ For the Culture...

YouTube star Grace Helbig talks with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about her recent breast cancer diagnosis and everything she’s learned since. Grace and H. Alan have been friends for years, but one thing they never thought they’d have in common would be cancer. They chat about that, what it was like to go to the same chemo center in Beverly Hills, and all the things that cancer has taught them. &...

Carrie Preston is ready to step into the spotlight. The Emmy-winning veteran character actress will helm the title role in Elsbeth on CBS (February 29), playing Elsbeth Tascioni, a character she originated 14 years ago on The Good Wife and its spinoff The Good Fight . “When this part came along, what was happening on the page was so extraordinary for television, because she was so unusual.” We now...

Survivor’s Parvati Shallow chats with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about being discovered as a traitor on Peacock’s ‘The Traitors,’ why she aligned with Big Brother’s Dan Gheesling against Phaedra Parks from ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ The Bachelor’s Peter Weber game play, and those iconic headbands. Stick with the Parting Shot, because we’ll be having lots more chats with players from ‘The Trai...

We’re in the middle of a Jodie Foster renaissance. The two-time Oscar winner is not only starring in one of the hottest limited series on TV right now, HBO’s True Detective: Night Country , but also picked up yet another Oscar nomination for her performance in Netflix’s Nyad . For True Detective , Foster responded to the balance between drama and horror, which she says is partly due to the landsca...