The Press Box

The Ringer's Juliet Litman is joined by her colleague Hannah Giorgis to break down Episode 2. They discuss DeMario's surprise guest (1:29), celebrity appearances by Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis (23:17) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31:43), and evaluate some of the contestants (38:34). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Micah Peters sits down with hip-hop pioneer T-Pain to discuss the impromptu release of 'T-Wayne,' a project with Lil Wayne dating back to 2009 (2:55), T-Pain's discovery of Auto-Tune (13:15), and how Auto-Tune creeped into mainstream hip-hop (17:15). Later, T-Pain shares his new and upcoming projects (30:48) and explains his new antisocial music mindset (34:35). Learn more about your...

The Ringer's Donnie Kwak, Micah Peters, and Justin Charity discuss Lil Yachty's new album, 'Teenage Emotions.' They examine Yachty's brand vs. his music (7:40) and the album cover art (11:33), and try to determine an overarching theme to the project (31:09). Finally, they answer this question: Is 'Teenage Emotions' any good (39:02)? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...

Ringer Editor-in-Chief Sean Fennessey chats with The Hollywood Reporter’s Matthew Belloni about the Netflix controversy at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and how streaming services are reshaping the movie industry (1:00). Then Sean is joined by filmmaker David Michôd to discuss his new film ‘War Machine’ and making a big-budget war movie with Brad Pitt for a streaming service (14:00). Learn more...

The Ringer's Juliet Litman sits down with the Sports Gal to discuss Rachel's debut as the Bachelorette (02:00), the "whaboom" guy (06:00), a not-so-romantic kiss with Bryan (14:30), their sleeper picks (18:50), the unacceptable purring (25:00), and some of their favorite entrance props (30:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis is joined by MLB Network's Brian Kenny to discuss the decline of 'Baseball Tonight' (5:00). Then, Ringer staff writer Claire McNear joins to give her thoughts on why Fox News refuses to cover Trump's ties to Russia (20:30). Finally, Jon Greenberg, lead columnist for The Athletic, chimes in to give his firsthand experience of covering the Chicago Cubs after the curse (33:1...

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh, who still doesn't have a driver's license, investigates how far away we are from a driverless future, the utopian (and dystopian) visions of what a driverless world could look like, the hurdles that have to be cleared, and whether driverless cars can arrive in time to save him (and other licenseless citizens) the trouble of ever learning to parallel park. Learn more abo...

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Andrew Gruttadaro team up to discuss the latest news from the world of 'The Bachelor' (02:00) and then jump into the 'Bachelorette' bios (07:00), giving out awards such as "First Impression Rose" (09:30) and "Highest Paradise Potential" (12:00), and pick their favorite to take home the final rose (32:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adc...

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Steve Harvey's stern memo and work expectations (5:00), Katy Perry's press tour and feminist brand (15:00), Pippa Middleton’s wedding plans (26:00), Harry Styles's love life and inspiration for songs (30:00), and Goldie Hawn's quest to live forever (38:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey chats with BuzzFeed’s Alison Wilmore about Doug Liman’s career and his notable films, including 'The Bourne Identity' and 'Edge of Tomorrow' (0:01). Then Liman joins the podcast to discuss making his new war film, ‘The Wall,’ and why he changed the ending six months after finishing production(6:50). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey and executive editor Chris Ryan explore the career arc of renowned director Guy Ritchie (0:30)before sitting down with Ritchie (10:00) to discuss the challenges of making his new film, ‘King Arthur,’ and his personal philosophies surrounding fear, results, and self-confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Ryan and Ryan O'Hanlon preview the Juventus–Real Madrid matchup in the Champions League final. They cover the teams' differing management styles (2:52), Real Madrid's deep roster (7:00), and Juventus's consistent performance (17:10). Later they briefly discuss the Premier League (24:30). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis brings on author James Andrew Miller to examine the notion that ESPN has a "liberal agenda" (5:00). Then, The Ringer's Danny Chau joins to discuss the destruction of TrueHoop (25:00). Finally, essayist John Lingan joins to offer his thoughts on why baseball has no athlete activism (39:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Brad Pitt's revealing GQ Style profile post-divorce (5:00), Pitt's newfound love for Frank Ocean (15:30), Chris Rock's Rolling Stone profile (19:00), mourning the loss of the Met Gala's relevance (29:00), Kanye's absence (38:00), and Prince William and Kate on BBC Radio (42:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic...

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with first-time director J.D. Dillard to discuss how he went from dropping out of school to being on the set of ‘The Force Awakens’ with J.J. Abrams to debuting his first film, ‘Sleight,’ at Sundance. Dillard also talks about helming the long-rumored reboot of ‘The Fly.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis is joined by BuzzFeed's Joel Anderson to discuss Donald Trump's impact on the NFL, the price of Colin Kaepernick's protest (6:00), Trump's ideal athlete lifestyle (11:00), and the political climate within football locker rooms (17:00). Then, The Ringer's Kevin Clark joins to discuss the similarities between CNN and ESPN (23:30) and the intersections between sports and pol...

Editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with director Ben Wheatley to discuss his latest film, ‘Free Fire’ (0:10), getting sought out by star actors and directors like Armie Hammer and Martin Scorsese (6:40), and striking a balance between entertaining and traumatizing an audience (14:40). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Chris Ryan and Ryan O’Hanlon discuss UEFA’s decision to force Borussia Dortmund to play after the attack on their bus (1:25), officiating in the match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid (7:14), and the upcoming market for strikers (20:26). They wrap up with predictions for the Premier League (28:21). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Harry Styles's 'Rolling Stone' cover (5:00), Styles living in Ben Winston's attic (10:00), and dating Taylor Swift (14:00). Then, Ringer staff writer Kate Knibbs joins to discuss internet gossipmonger Nik Richie's 'The Dirty' (17:45) and the best place to find gossip in 2017 (26:00). Finally, Juliet and Amanda give their thoughts on Serena's sn...

The Ringer's Sean Fennessey, Micah Peters, and Justin Charity discuss Kendrick Lamar's new release, 'Damn.' (5:00). Topics include: the collabs on the album (11:00), the logical progression of K-Dot (17:00), Kendrick's taste (22:00), his grand design (30:00), his influence on fellow rappers (34:00), and a ranking of Kendrick's albums (38:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices....

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with acclaimed director James Gray to discuss the high stakes of filming his new movie, ‘The Lost City of Z,’ in the jungle, the near-impossible task of making a classic film, and why he isn’t interested in making a television series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey sit down with actor Jake Johnson and director Joe Swanberg to discuss their new gambling film ‘Win It All’, why they wanted to make a movie for Netflix, and what it’s like teaming up for multiple projects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Jenny Slate's press tour for 'Gifted' (5:00), Chris Evans's Disney-level fame (11:00), Anne Hathaway's confessional (16:00), A-Rod and J.Lo's new romance (24:00), Ed Sheeran's Taylor Swift remarks (27:00), and Nan Talese's Vanity Fair profile (34:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Editor-in-Chief Sean Fennessey sits down with director Charlie McDowell to discuss his new film 'The Discovery' (1:55), casting Robert Redford (12:58), being one of Netflix's first major features (21:05) and how to pull off an ending with a twist (18:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins are joined by Bill Simmons to discuss Reese Witherspoon's sprawling catalog (5:00), her relationship with Ryan Phillippe (12:00), her R-rated turn in 'Cruel Intentions' (16:00), her missed opportunity with 'Clueless' (23:00), her Oscar curse (29:00), her fling with Jake Gyllenhaal (36:00), her comeback with 'Gone Girl' (43:00), and her next big career...