THE HOLLYWOOD PODCAST

Johnny (Tre Ryder) loves his babysitter Melanie (Colby Minfie), and he’s heartbroken that it's her last day with him before she transitions into being a full-time doula. He discovers a YouTube video that teaches him about Free-Spirit Meditation, a practice by which you can send your spirit out of your body and into someone else’s body. Johnny sends his spirit into Melanie. He can see through her e...

Jump, Darling  stars Cloris Leachman, who recently passed away at the age of 94, in her final starring performance, praised by critics in this worthy swan-song from the late Oscar-winning Hollywood legend. Written and directed by debut filmmaker Phil Connell,  Jump, Darling  follows a rookie drag queen (played by newcomer Thomas Duplessie) reeling from a breakup who moves in with hi...

The timely, news-breaking documentary Gemmel and Tim, about the deaths of two black men in connection with this week's recently convicted political donor Ed Buck in West Hollywood - from award winning director, Michiel Thomas.  In 2017 and 2019 respectively, Gemmel “Juelz” Moore and Timothy “Tim” Dean, two gay black men, both died of a meth overdose at the now-infamous Laurel S...

Based on a true story, Firebird is an intense cold war thriller set in the 1970’s Soviet Air Force.  A dangerous love triangle forms between Sergey, a troubled conscript, his best friend Luisa, a charming and ambitious secretary to the base Commander, and a daring young fighter pilot Roman.  Driven by curiosity, they embark on a fatal affair of forbidden love and dece...

Chris Wagner, founder & CEO of White Label Productions, speaks about the evolution of unscripted television – particularly how productions have changed in the last year. Wagner is an Executive Producer and EIC with 20 years of experience in all genres of television across all platforms around the world. As Founder & CEO of White Label Productions, Wagner has overseen high-profile series su...

Emmy-nominated cinematographers John Behrens and Jonathan Pope discuss the unique roles they played in capturing the existential threats of social media in their Netflix documentary-drama hybrid film THE SOCIAL DILEMMA. The film is set up into two unique portions, blending documentary investigation and narrative drama to unveil the potential threats posed behind most popular social media and searc...

Damien S. Navarro is the executive director of Outfest, the world's leading organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories on the screen. Outfest builds community by connecting diverse populations to discover, discuss and celebrate stories of LGBT lives. For nearly four decades, Outfest has showcased thousands of films from around the world, educated and mento...

Celebrated horror master Jon Braver announces the return of DELUSION, the overwhelmingly popular Los Angeles interactive attraction.  Returning for the 2021 season, the all-new show ushers’ guests back to its horror roots, with ‘Reaper’s Remorse.’    Inviting you to ‘play your part,’ the 2021 edition of this now-renowned attraction will open September 16, inhabiting the delight...

Quei Tann is a recurring guest star on Tyler Perry’s “Bruh,” airing on BET+. Quei plays Officer Darla Grills on the series, which is about the lives of a group of 30-something Black men as they explore the world of dating, careers and friendship in present-day society. Season 2 of “Bruh” premiered on May 27. She is also awaiting the release of the Bella Thorne-executive produced short film “Jelly,...

Inspired by the phenomenal popularity of the superhero genre, Digital Sky and veteran creator Scott Zakarin have developed Superhero Diaries , a hilarious new comedy web series parody that officially debuted July 21 on YouTube .   Uniquely celebrating the superhero boom, this action-packed new bi-weekly series presents a fantastic mash-up of comedy, fights and campy satirical situations, turn...

Duvar is a short drama film based on actual events of one man's experience grappling with an unjust criminal justice system while attempting to save his daughter's life. Taking place in Mesquite, Texas in 2009, the film is an examination of the American justice system and how media can influence public perception. Duvar has recently been showcased at several film festivals across the world includi...

This week, we chat with Bill Steele and Taylor Umphenour from the Hollywood Legion Theater where they've launched the only drive-in cinema on the West Coast of the United States to run 35mm film projectors. On July 1st, the Legion Theater Drive-In kicked off their "Summer of Celluloid" screenings series, sponsored by Kodak Motion Picture and Entertainment, with the brand-new film projectors. ...

Writer/director/actor Thales Corrêa (BATHROOM STALLS & PARKING LOTS—now streaming on Peacock; Cannes shorts MILVIO and PARENTS) was a member of the Second City Writing Program, where he co-developed the series concept "Poly People" with classmate Melissa Girard. Thales, in turn, engaged his fellow Brazilian production partner Anthony Moore, who, in the throes of a pandemic and unemployment-in...

Michael Simon Hall stars in the upcoming independent noir thriller "Women" released on May 28th from Gravitas Pictures both in theaters and VOD. From Islandic filmmaker Anton Sigurdsson making his US debut, this story is about a small-town detective who while investigating the disappearance of a local woman comes across an unassuming Sociology Professor (Hall) who leads a double life. And how far...

Amy Duddleston is the editor of the new critically-acclaimed HBO limited series Mare of Easttown. Amy chats with Max on the challenges shooting a series with several characters, ensuring the audience was following an incredibly complex murder case, and collaborating with creator Brad Ingelsby and director Craig Zobel. Starring Kate Winslet as the titular character, a detective named Mare Sheehan i...

Ben Cavell is the showrunner, co-creator and executive producer of the CBS All Access miniseries The Stand, adapted from Stephen King’s seminal novel of the same name.  THE STAND, which features an all-star cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgård, James Marsden, Odessa Young, Jovan Adepo, Greg Kinnear, Nat Wolff, and Amber Heard, follows an apocalyptic vision of a world decimated...

Actress/singer/songwriter Darcy Rose Byrnes currently stars as Harper on the Disney+ series "Big Shot". In addition to starring in the series, Darcy Rose also wrote five original songs that are showcased throughout the season. In her chat with Max, Darcy Rose shares how she got the part of Harper, her immediate connection with on-screen love interest Tisha Custodio, what it was like portraying an...

Katori Hall is the creator, showrunner, executive producer and writer of the STARZ original series  P-Valley , which made a huge splash with its first season premiere last July and quickly becoming a major critical and audience hit for the network. The series—which was immediately renewed for a second season, now filming—is produced by Lionsgate Television, with whom Hall subsequently si...

Rachel Lee Goldenberg is the writer and director of the critically acclaimed HBO Max Original film Unpregnant, co-starring Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira. The film is now a top Emmy contender for Outstanding Television Movie and the directing and writing categories for TV movie. Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Ted Caplan and Jenni Hendriks, Unpregnant follows a pregnant teen w...

Danielle Brooks stars as the iconic gospel legend and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson in Lifetime's latest biopic "Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia" . The Tony Award nominee, SAG and Grammy Award-winner also serves as Executive Producer on the film. Directed by Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon premiered on Lifetime on April 3, Mahalia r anked as cable’s #1 telecast for the night wi...

Tisha Custodio stars in the new ABC/Disney+ series "Big Shot" where John Stamos plays a temperamental basketball coach who is fired from his current job and ends up in an elite girls private high school. The show's cast also includes Yvette Nicole Brown and Jessalyn Gilsig. Custodio plays Carolyn "Mouse" Smith, one of the players on the basketball team at the high school. Custodio chats with Max o...

Film and television costume designer Lizz Wolf chats with Max on her new Netflix superhero series Jupiter's Legacy, which premiered on the streaming service this past Friday. Based on the original comic book series by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, Jupiter's Legacy is about three superheroes - The Utopian (Josh Duhamel), Brain Wave (Ben Daniels) and Lady Liberty (Leslie Bibb), known as the first g...

Award-winning producer Matthew Perniciaro is making his directorial debut with the Amazon Studios/IMDBtv original docuseries MOMENT OF TRUTH: THE KILLING OF JAMES JORDAN. The series tells the never-before-seen story behind the murder of Michael Jordan’s father, James Jordan, in 1993. Fans of last year’s THE LAST DANCE may recall the horrible story of Jordan’s murder, but MOMENT OF TRUTH explores t...

Max chats with TCM hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart, and Eddie Muller on what we can expect from this year's TCM Classic Film Festival; Golden Globe winning actress Jacqueline Bisset on one of her earliest films Bullitt, which is featured in the festival; and the Oscar winning actor George Chakiris and Oscar nominated actor Russ Tamblyn on commemorating the 60th anniversary of...

Anne Thompson, editor-at-large of IndieWire, chats with Max on her final predictions for the 93rd Academy Awards. Anne is one of the most well-known & -respected awards prognosticators in film journalism today. Before writing for IndieWire, her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Observer, Wired, Film Comment, and the LA Weekly. Sh...