The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott

Hollywood nepotism is, to put it bluntly, unhinged. Discovering new talent is so rare these days. It always feels like you see some new person in a TV show or movie, they’re doing a good job, only to discover they’re the son or daughter of some celebrity or producer or director. Even though that doesn’t take away from their talent, it does change how you look at them. So when you see a new talent,...

With the second season of Hulu’s ‘The Kardashians’ coming to a close, and amid the scandals surrounding Kim Kardashian currently (Kanye West, the Balenciaga photo scandal, etc.), are the Kardashians as a brand still culturally relevant? When ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ premiered on E! in 2007, the family became a pop culture sensation. Over the years we’ve seen everything (literally), their...

For Tim Allen, revisiting his iconic lead role in ‘The Santa Clauses’ (November 16, Disney+) was more than just creating "content" for a nostalgic streaming audience. "We had a great responsibility,” he told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott on the Parting Shot.  For Allen, who is "humbled" to be "reminded that I have been part of Santa Clause," he wanted the new miniseries to "make sense for the adul...

Luke Evans is closing out 2022 with not one, not two, but three big projects. "All avenues are being covered this year,” Evans told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. First, there was his nearly unrecognizable turn as the Coachman in Disney's live-action remake ‘Pinocchio’ back in September. Next, he plays a brother on a mission to save his kidnapped sister in ‘Echo 3’ on Apple TV+ (November 23). "It's a r...

If you think about it, purely based on her 40-plus-year career, Brooke Shields is the perfect podcast host because she has a story for everything. "This is a new world for me, and I'm really enjoying it. It's such an honor to be this age and still being asked to do the thing that I love to do." With Now What? Shields, after "so many decades" on the other side of the interview, "having no problem a...

Do you sometimes miss the childlike joy of making that single cookie in an Easy-Bake Oven? Well, Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski is ready to scratch that nostalgic itch with Netflix's Easy-Bake Battle: The Home Cooking Competition. "It was a long time in the making," Porowski told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about the reality series where home cooks compete in both sweet and savory cooking challenges for...

Ryan Phillippe broke the internet before it was even possible to break the internet, and it's all because of one scene in the 1999 film ‘Cruel Intentions.’ Ever since the film's release, at least once a year, the scene featuring Phillippe's derriere goes viral on social media. "I used to have a really nice ass," Phillippe tells Newsweek's Parting Shot about the famous scene. "It's so odd, because...

How did Phil Rosenthal go from Emmy-winning creator of ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ to a global food superstar with the Netflix reality series ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ (October 18)? "Everything I learned about how to tell a story on TV is now in the service of this show. Family, friends, food, travel, laughs. My whole existence seems to be dedicated to these five things,” Rosenthal told Newsweek’s H. Ala...

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...