The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott

It’s H. Alan Scott’s birthday, and in honor of his birthday he invited a celebrity on who also just happens to be one of his closest friends, KimChi from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race.’ The two talk about what KimChi has planned for RuPaul’s DragCon in July, KimChi Chic Beauty and KimChi’s podcast ‘1 For the Table.’  RuPaul’s DragCon LA 2024 is presented by World of Wonder, and will take place at the L...

From Hollywood to Washington, there’s one question everyone is asking: What is Joe Biden going to do? After Biden’s disastrous debate performance, prominent donors in Hollywood now want him to drop out of the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris or other prominent Democrats like Gavin Newsom or Gretchen Whitmer. Considering the amount of money Hollywood pumps into Democratic campaigns, it...

In the 1980s, a group of actors called the “Brat Pack” came to define a generation. Turns out, the term came from one sentence in a New York Magazine article. Now, 40 years later, one of those stars, Andrew McCarthy, is reevaluating the impact that description had in his new documentary Brats (on Hulu). “It just became the catchphrase.” In the film, McCarthy meets with fellow Brat Pack-ers like Ro...

An op-ed written by John Mac Ghlionn titled “Taylor Swift Is Not a Good Role Model” sent the internet into a tizzy over the weekend. Basically, it said Swift isn’t a good role model because she’s single, among other things. People started to text me, H. Alan Scott, about it because I work at Newsweek. So, I figured a response was in order. I invited Kate Stayman-London, a writer and Swiftie, to te...

If you’re like basically every American today, you’re asking yourself, ‘What happened at that presidential debate and is Joe Biden ok?’ At least that’s what Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott is asking himself. So today he’s joined by his colleague at Newsweek, Alex Backus (reporter and editor), to ask every question most Americans are asking after watching that dumpster fire of a debate.   Visit Newsw...

The trailer for ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ (June 28) shows star Lupita Nyong’o carrying a cat around moments before New York City is overtaken by aliens. For Nyong’o, the scariest thing on set weren’t the aliens, but rather the cat in her arm. “I had a deadly fear of cats. I couldn’t be in the same room as cats. I would break out in tears.” Calling herself a “scaredy cat,” the Oscar-winning actress...

It's rare for a piece of theater to become such a cult hit that it moves from downtown to Broadway, but that's exactly what's happening with Cole Escola's ‘ Oh, Mary!’ For Escola, who previously was best known for their YouTube sketches and collaborations with Amy Sedaris, "it feels like I scored a goal for the home team." Oh, Mary! is an absurd comedic send up on Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks le...

This year Kara Young broke a Tonys record, becoming the first Black person to receive three consecutive nominations and only the sixth person ever to do so. "It feels special that the third [nomination] is historical, but more historical in the sense that it's civil rights activist Ossie Davis' words that are being activated and recognized." Young's nomination is for the play ‘ Purlie Victorious ,...

What happens when superheroes turn evil? That’s the question ‘ The Boys ,’ based on a series of graphic novels, sets out to answer. “They’ve done such a good job of having the essence of these really insane comics, while also making them palatable for TV,” Chace Crawford, who plays superhero The Deep, says about the Prime Video original series, now in its fourth season. “The idea that absolute pow...

When you’ve been a fat kid, a little bit of that fat kid stays with you, no matter if you stay fat or not. But how to cope with that? Well, that’s exactly what comedian Ian Karmel and his sister, Alisa Karmel, PsyD, aim to tackle in their poignant memoir T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories From Being Fat in a World of Thin People (June 11). “I’ve seen so often that people’s representation with fat was eith...

If you’re anything like Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott, you prefer to show your pride during Pride month in a dark movie theater watching a great film. Well, the Academy Museum in Los Angeles has everything you need to do exactly that. This summer the Academy has a full program dedicated to Pride, showcasing landmark queer films. On today’s episode, H. Alan speaks with K.J. Relth-Miller, the Director of...

Do you ever have that moment where you’re scrolling through Instagram and you come across a profile so perfectly suits your taste? One that leaves you asking, ‘How am I just discovering this account?’ That’s exactly what happened to Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott when he came across Blakely Thornton’s account. Thornton, who calls himself a pop culture anthropologist, posts videos on the daily givin...

Maya Hawke wears many hats: actor, writer, singer. But for Hawke, everything comes down to words. "I just see myself as a person who likes to try to tell stories, who's in love with language." She's doing that with several recent projects, including her third album ‘Chaos Angel’ (May 31). "I don't respond to vibes really," she says. Instead, she focuses on the lyrics and how the words align with t...

Did you know there’s a streaming service solely dedicated to comedy? It’s true, and it’s called Dropout. Did you also know it’s ad free? Yep! Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott spoke with Dropout’s CEO and host of ‘Game Changer,’ Sam Reich, and Dropout’s Director of Development, Paul Robalino, about Dropout’s origins (it was previously CollegeHumor), where it’s going and why it matters.   Visit Ne...

We have a winner for Survivor 46, and it’s Kenzie Petty! Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott chats with Kenzie and the runner-up's Charlie Davis and Ben Katzman about this wild season filled with twists, turns, and a pretty contentious jury. (And yes, we talked about Taylor Swift with Charlie too, because we had to.)   Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on...

Anne Rice’s novel ‘Interview With the Vampire’ has a rabid fan base, intensely protective of the story and any adaptations of it. Thankfully for Jacob Anderson, who plays Louis de Pointe du Lac in the AMC original series based on Rice’s novel, the fans seem to be on board. “I do get a sense that people feel like we did right by the characters.” Now in its second season, this version, not connected...

Monét X Change is unlike any other drag queen to come out of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ and that’s because her talents go so far beyond just drag. Sure, you may know her as the first queen of color to win RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars or from her crazy popular podcast Sibling Rivalry, which she co-hosts with her drag sister, Bob The Drag Queen. But now you’re about to know her as a R&B superstar wit...

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...