The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott

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...

If you love classic movies and Hollywood stars, you’re going to love today’s episode. Izzy, the genius person behind the YouTube channel Be Kind Rewind, joined Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott on the latest Parting Shot to talk all things film! If you don’t leave this conversation itching to watch a great old movie, nothing will. Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up...

Everybody knows Tom Hanks. He’s been in our lives for more than 40 years, delivering performances that have defined modern cinema. But now the good guy we’ve come to know and love is stepping into the shadows as Elvis Presley’s manager, Col. Tom Parker, in Baz Luhrmann’s new film ‘Elvis.’ "I think everybody makes a deal with the art form, everybody knows that it's a movie. If you got to see the sa...

In recent weeks there’s been a rise in attacks on drag queen story hour, where drag performers read books to children. The terrorist group the Proud Boys has orchestrated attacks and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has tweeted her intent to propose legislation that would ban children from being near drag performers. On this week’s Parting Shot, Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott speaks with Beatrice L. Thomas,...

John Lithgow chats with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about his new FX series ‘The Old Man’ with Jeff Bridges. His performance is just another example of Lithgow’s long history of versatile performances he’s had over the years (‘3rd Rock From the Sun,’ ‘The Crown,’ and ‘Dexter,’ just to name a few). He also talks about how five days of work got him an Oscar nomination for ‘Terms of Endearment.’ Visit N...

If you love Newsweek’s Parting Shot, you’re also going to love iHeart Media’s ‘Too Much Information’ podcast with Jordan Runtagh & Alex Heigl. After working at Rolling Stone, People, Entertainment Weekly, VH1, and Page Six, these two know a thing or two about pop culture. They chatted with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about the podcast, their favorite pop culture moments, and a ton about ‘Air Forc...

Ms. Marvel’s Iman Vellani chats with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about how she went from your typical high school student to starring in a big budget Disney+ series. She even got a call from Oscar-winner Brie Larson right after Vellani was told she’d be joining the Marvel family! Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. Follow H. Alan Scott on e...

If you’ve watched the HBO Max limited series ‘The Staircase’ and/or the documentary series it’s based on, then this episode of the Parting Shot is for you. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott is joined by writer/comedian Brent Sullivan to break down a true crime case they’ve been discussing for years: the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson. Was it murder? Was it an accident? And was Michael Peterson involved? W...

Comedian Sam Jay is truly an original and ‘PAUSE with Sam Jay’ on HBO is fully redefining what a late-night show can do. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott spoke with Sam about the show, how she comes up with the ideas she’ll focus on, and how she deals with the sometimes very personal topics she tackles on the show. Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest...

The Quest on Disney+ is so original and unlike any other reality competition series on TV. Executive-Produced by Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster, the team behind ‘The Amazing Race,’ the show follows a group of teens who must compete in challenges in order to find the one true hero. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott spoke with Elise on how they came up with this reality competition series meets scri...

For Jay Ellis, being cast in ‘ Top Gun: Maverick’ (May 24) was a “full circle” moment. “I grew up in the service, so for me, it is a world that I recognize,” Ellis told Newsweek’s Naveed Jamali on the Parting Shot. In fact, Ellis’ dad was a mechanic in the Air Force. But even a childhood spent around massive jets didn’t lessen Ellis’ excitement about getting to actually fly in the jets he had...

Tony nominees Michael R. Jackson (‘A Strange Loop’) and Matt Doyle (‘Company’) join Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott on the latest Parting Shot. Jackson talks about winning the Pulitzer Prize and the musical picking up 11 Tony nominations. First-time nominee Doyle tells H. Alan what it was like working with Stephen Sondheim before he passed in 2021 and how he keeps it together every night standing next to...

John Waters, the iconic director behind cult classics like ‘Pink Flamingos,’ ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Serial Mom’ is still breaking the rules with his new book (and first work of fiction) ‘Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance.’ In this wide-ranging conversation with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott, Waters talks about his inspiration for the book, the drag performer Divine, and how younger generations need to learn to “...

The real Angelyne told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott that the new Peacock limited series about her life is “painful to watch” and says Emmy Rossum’s portrayal of her is “not me.” She reached out to H. Alan Scott after seeing Newsweek’s Parting Shot episode with Emmy Rossum and asked to speak on the record about her feelings on the series. For more Newsweek podcasts and news, visit Newsweek.com. And fol...

Emmy Rossum tells Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott that before Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton, there was Angelyne, the “original influencer.” Rossum, who plays Angelyne in the new Peacock limited series also called ‘Angelyne,’ stopped by the Parting Shot to tell us about what it was like to play the woman behind the mysterious Los Angeles billboards, why she thinks Angelyne is so important, and how she tr...

On today’s Parting Shot, Jean Smart chats with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about the new season of her HBO Max series ‘Hacks.’ H. Alan Scott does his best to contain his excitement about speaking with Jean Smart. For more, follow @HAlanScott on everything and visit Newsweek.com for more news and podcasts. New episodes of Newsweek’s Parting Shot are released weekly.    Essential Links…...

On today’s Parting Shot, Lisa Rinna joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to chat about the new season of Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ and her makeup line Rinna Beauty. In typical Lisa Rinna fashion, she doesn’t hold back. For more, follow @HAlanScott on everything and visit Newsweek.com for more news and podcasts. New episodes of Newsweek’s Parting Shot are released weekly.  &nbs...

Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott looks into how abortion has been portrayed on scripted TV and film amid news about Roe v. Wade and the leaked Supreme Court decision that’s pending.  For more, follow @HAlanScott on everything and visit Newsweek.com for more news and podcasts. New episodes of Newsweek’s Parting Shot are released weekly. ESSENTIAL LINKS: Database Phoebe Mentioned:  https://www.ans...