Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Camille Friend, the Oscar-nominated hair stylist from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," which is up for five Academy Awards on Sunday. They discuss her approach to designing the intricate hairstyles of Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Angela Bassett’s Ramonda in mourning after the death of Chadwick Boseman. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Lear...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates Oscar week by flashing back to this 2016 conversation with Alicia Vikander, who was fresh off double Golden Globe nominations for "Ex Machina" and "The Danish Girl," the latter of which won her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. You'll also hear her backstage reaction to her big win at the Academy Awards. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clario...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates Oscar week and International Women's Day by flashing back to his interview with reigning Best Actress champ Jessica Chastain when she visited Washington D.C. in 2016 to promote her political thriller "Miss Sloane." They end with a rapid-fire Q&A about the best roles of her career. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion&...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates Oscar week by flashing back to this 2016 conversation with Emma Stone just months before she won the Academy Award for "La La Land." You'll also hear a conversation with "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle, who that year became the youngest filmmaker to win the Oscar for Best Director at age 32. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn mo...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Dispatch frontman Chadwick Stokes, who performs live at Rams Head in Annapolis, Maryland on Wednesday. They break down Dispatch songs from "Out Loud" to "The General," as well as other projects like State Radio and even his new rock opera. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther as "Friday Night Smackdown" hits Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. tomorrow night. They discuss his journey from growing up in Vienna, Austria to nearly winning the "Royal Rumble." (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Fred Rogers, who died on Feb. 27, 2003. Jason spoke about the legacy of Mr. Rogers with Nicholas Ma, son of Yo-Yo Ma and producer of the 2018 documentary "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Sean Carroll, executive producer of the HBO Max bird documentary "All That Breathes," which will compete for Best Documentary Feature next month at the Oscars. They discussed how his local production company, Tangled Bank Studios in Chevy Chase, Maryland, collaborated with Indian filmmaker Shaunak Sen to chronicle two brothers who have cured over...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley marks the one-year anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine, sparking a brutal war that continues today. He spoke in 2016 with filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky about his Oscar-nominated documentary “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” chronicling the Ukrainian Revolution in Kyiv that ultimately ousted pro-Russian President Victor Yanukovych. (Theme Music...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with beloved red-dirt country singer Pat Green ("Wave on Wave"), who performs with the Josh Abbott Band tomorrow night at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. They spoke when he previously played the 9:30 Club with Josh Abbott and Randy Rogers back in 2020. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton, who performs live at Rams Head in Annapolis, Maryland on March 1 and The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia on March 2. They discuss her newest album “Love is an Art” with songs like “Future Pain” and “Die, Dinosaur,” as well as how her pilot father got her demo tape to a record exec for her breakthrough hit “A T...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke as today marks the 50th anniversary of the last concert by the band Free ("All Right Now"), allowing its members to next form the iconic classic rock band Bad Company. They spoke in 2015 when Kirke played the annual Rock & Roll for Children benefit in Bethesda, Maryland. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Lea...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon as tickets go on sale tomorrow for the band at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. on Sept. 13. They discuss Duran Duran's recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as well as their biggest hits, including “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Is There Something I Should Know,” “A View to a Kill,” “Notorious” an...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with actor Tory Kittles and director Matthew Newton of the new action thriller "Among the Beasts," which hits select theaters and Video on Demand today. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with country star Sammy Kershaw to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his hit song "She Don't Know She's Beautiful." They spoke in 2015 when he joined Joe Diffie and Aaron Tippin for the "Roots & Boots Tour" at the Great Frederick Fair in Frederick, Maryland. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with D.C. child actress Blake Aria Hendricks, who plays Harper and Robyn's daughter Mia in "The Best Man: The Final Chapters" on Peacock. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley celebrates National Ballet Day by speaking with two of the very best in the business: trailblazing ballerina Misty Copeland and acclaimed choreographer Justin Peck, who visited Washington D.C. to curate "Ballet Across America" at the Kennedy Center in 2017. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Denny Laine, who performs live at the Rams Head in Annapolis, Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 5. They spoke about Laine's British roots, forming The Moody Blues for hits like “Go Now” and Paul McCartney’s Wings for hits like “Live and Let Die” and “Band on the Run.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more a...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with actress Sheila McCarthy, co-star of the new Oscar contender drama "Women Talking," which opens in movie theaters everywhere today. They discuss the film's powerful subject matter and stellar ensemble cast, including Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Le...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Pam Grier, who 25 years ago today attended Golden Globes as a Best Actress nominee for Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown.” They spoke in 2017 when Grier came to D.C. for both the Salute Her Awards Luncheon and the Ubiquitous Expo, as well as to promote the new streaming service “Brown Sugar” as a platform to watch “Shaft,” “Super Fly” and her own...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with comedian Paul Reiser, who performs live at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia on Saturday night. They discuss his career of movies like “Diner,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Aliens” and “Whiplash” and TV series like “Mad About You,” “The Kominsky Method” and “Stranger Things.” (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more abou...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips, who plays Union Stage in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Jan. 18. They discussed the band's biggest hits from "Walk on the Ocean" to "All I Want" to "Good Intentions," as well as his favorite solo records. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.co...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with Grammy-winning R&B star Anthony Hamilton, who performs a special Christmas concert at Capital One Hall this Sunday in Tysons, Virginia. The show is presented by Alfred Street Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, whose pastor Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley joined the interview to share his favorite Hamilton songs. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Cl...

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with singer/actress Leighton Meester as this weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the "Gossip Girl" finale on Dec. 17, 2012. They spoke when Meester performed a live concert at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia back in 2015. (Theme Music: Scott Buckley's "Clarion") Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTOP Entertainment Reporter Jason Fraley chats with two-time Oscar nominee John Travolta to mark the 45th anniversary of "Saturday Night Fever," which opened on Dec. 14, 1977. They spoke when he visited D.C. during the release of his 2019 film "The Fanatic." They also discussed the 25th anniversary of "Pulp Fiction" and his memories of "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease." (Theme Music: Scott Buckl...