The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott

The image of Emmett Till’s mutilated corpse, murdered by white supremcists in 1955, changed the course of the Civil Rights movement. That change came because of Mamie Till, Emmett’s mother, who, despite her personal tragedy, knew what it could do for others. “She is the progenitor of a civil rights legacy that allowed for so many other acts of activism to occur,” Danielle Deadwyler, who plays Mami...

 For Colin Hanks, playing Bob Broberg, the father of a girl abducted twice by the same man, in A Friend of the Family (Peacock, October 6), was an “exercise in going completely 100 percent out of my comfort zone,” he told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. Based on the true story of Jan Broberg, who also produced the limited series, the show lays out in heavy and disturbing detail how the Broberg fami...

Bette Midler, the queen of Halloween, is back with ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ and she’s talking with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott all about it. “I have to say a huge fat thank you and a huge shout out to all the fans that basically made [Hocus Pocus 2] happen,” Midler says. “If it hadn’t been for them, we never would have been given the green light to do it.” The road from Hollywood flop to highly anticipated se...

For Diego Luna, the sheer idea of being in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise was foreign. “I didn't even think about it. I was okay being a fan,’ Luna tells Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. Now he’s starring in ‘Andor’ (September 21, Disney+), reprising his character Cassian from the 2016 movie ‘Rogue One.’ Part of what makes Luna’s involvement in the series so unique is the very thing he once worried would be a...

“I've always been someone who likes escapism, but also is too smart for escapism,” Rachel Bloom tells Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about what she has in common with her character Hannah on the new Hulu series ‘Reboot.’ The two also chatted about why reboots are so popular and whether she’d ever do a reboot to ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.’ Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to ca...

What could make a show about a mysterious cult even more terrifying? Being inspired by a true story. “Maybe it’s a morbid fascination, because it’s dark, but I do find cults very interesting.” Emily Deschanel chats with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about her new Netflix series ‘Devil in Ohio,’ her fascination with cults, and why she loves psychological thrillers. And, of course, they talked about her...

This week we’re breaking down the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott is joined by entertainment journalists Cameron Scheetz and Matthew Jacobs to go over who will win, who will lose, and who we really, really wish would win (but probably won’t). Does Quinta Brunson of ‘Abbott Elementary’ have it in the bag, or will Jean Smart from ‘Hacks’ take the gold for Best Actress in a Comed...

Jean Smart's turn as Deborah Vance on 'Hacks' won her the Best Leading Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy last year – and history seems poised to repeat itself this year. In this re-released chat, Jean sits down with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about the latest season of ‘Hacks’ on HBO Max. H. Alan Scott does his best to contain his excitement about speaking with Jean Smart. Visit Newsweek.com to learn...

We're revisiting our chat with Oscar-nominated actress Amanda Seyfried ahead of a big night — 'The Dropout' is nominated for 6 Emmys, including Seyfried for her performance as Elizabeth Holmes. H. Alan chats with her about how she found Holmes’ unique voice, understanding the case against Holmes, and whether Seyfried will ever do another musical. Visit Newsweek.com for more podcasts and the latest...

When Cynthia Addai-Robinson was cast as Queen Regent Míriel in Amazon Prime’s highly anticipated ‘ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ,’ she didn’t have time to feel nervous. “I felt just disbelief. It felt like winning the lottery, to be honest.” Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott chatted with Cynthia about the series, how it feels to play queen, and what she hopes people take from the series. “I th...

Do you have what it takes to compete on CBS’s Survivor? Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott does not, which is why he decided to chat with two people who have about it. Rob Cesternino and Stephen Fishbach join H. Alan to talk about their experiences competing on the reality competition series, what it’s really like, and how the edit doesn’t always tell the whole story. Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about...

If anybody is going to fight a lion in a movie, it’s going to be Idris Elsa. And he does exactly that in ‘ Beast ’ (August 19). “We've put a movie together that feels like a popcorn movie,” Elba told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. Elba plays Dr. Nate Daniels, a widower who takes his two daughters to a South African game reserve to heal the loss of their mother until things go dangerously wrong. “It's a...

Jon Gabrus is ready to party. He does exactly that on TruTV’s ‘101 Places to Party Before You Die,’ which he co-hosts with pal Adam Pally (‘Happy Endings,’ ‘The Mindy Project’). Jon spoke with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about the show, where he likes to party, how he became comfortable with nudity and his path to body positivity. Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to ca...

Using a beloved film like ‘ A League of Their Own’ as source material for a new Amazon Prime series by the same name comes with more than just anxiety, as co-creator and star Abbi Jacobson is acutely feeling right now. “Listen, this is people's favorite f**king movie. There’s so much pressure,” Jacobson tells Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott on the latest Parting Shot. The two chat about making the show,...

Jennette McCurdy’s new memoir ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ is one of the most unique memoirs to come out this year. From iCarly fame to a troubled relationship with her mother, McCurdy’s memoir has something everybody can relate to. McCurdy spoke with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about the trauma of her past, fame, and how writing the memoir was emblematic of a hard earned mental and personal growth journey...

Imagine you get catfished by your dad. That really happened to James Morosini, and now it’s the basis for the new film ‘I Love My Dad.’ Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott spoke with Morosini about the film, which he also directed and wrote, what it was like working with Patton Oswalt (who plays his dad), and where things stand with his family now. Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer...

 On August 11th, 1997, Barbara Walters introduced her new ABC daytime talk show The View . Since then, the show has become a politically potent show. But in a post-Trump (and post-Meghan McCain on ‘The View’) era, is ‘The View’ still relevant, or has it lost its view? Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott spoke with writer Amanda Fitzsimons about her 2019 New York Times magazine article ‘How ‘The View’ Be...

Six degrees of Kevin Bacon just got even easier because he’s got two big projects coming out this summer: the third season of Showtime’s ‘City on a Hill’ and Peacock’s horror film ‘They/Them.’  “I feel a very strong need to humanize the character, regardless of what it is that they're doing,” Bacon tells Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer an...

Bonnie Hunt is one of those talents that you can sometimes miss, but then when you look a little deeper you realize she’s incredible. She’s an actress, a director, a writer, a producer, she can probably sing too (although we didn’t ask her that). Hunt spoke with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about her career in front of and behind the camera and her new Apple TV Plus series Amber Brown , based on the p...

From acting to singing to reality TV, Keke Palmer does it all. “I just always was attracted to people that did multiple things,” Palmer tells Newsweek’s Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott, saying artists like Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah were early inspirations. Now she’s out with the hotly anticipated Jordan Peele film Nope (July 22). “When people think about Get Out or Jordan’s work, they can somet...

Billy Porter is a singular force in the entertainment industry. His latest project, ‘Anything’s Possible,’ is his directorial debut and it’s literally redefining teen comedies as we know them. The film follows Kelsa (played by Eva Reign), a confident high school senior who is also trans, as she navigates life and love. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott spoke with Billy Porter and the film’s stars, Eva Reig...

Big things are happening in the movement for reparations for descendants of slaves, as the new documentary film ‘The Big Payback’ shows, and Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott spoke with the film’s co-director, Erika Alexander, all about it. The films follows Robin Rue Simmons, a founder of the non-profit FirstRepair who successfully got reparations passed in Evantaton, Illinois, the first time this happene...

There are films that are just so delightful, they’re not just fantastic, they’re fantastical. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (in theaters July 15) is just that film and Lesley Manville, who plays the title character Ada Harris, turns in a magical performance as a British widow in the 1950s whose life mission becomes about getting a Dior dress. “She wanted this dress for so long. It's been like an epic...

Sarah Marshall, the genius behind the wildly popular podcast ‘You’re Wrong About,’ joined Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to explain why the things you may think you know about major historical topics are actually wrong (and that’s OK). From the O.J. Simpson trial to Tonya Harding and so much more, the two talk about some of her best episodes, how the mainstream media still misrepresent women and other m...

One of the first YouTube viral videos was Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Released in 2010 and created and voiced by Jenny Slate with Dean Fleischer-Camp, the video about a talking shell has since raked in millions of views, been turned into a children's book and now is a new film from the studio A24. Slate joined Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to talk about the film, the inspiration behind Marcel, and...