The Treatment

Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino are behind shows whose dialogue shares rhythms of both borscht belt humor and pop music. Those series include the beloved 'Gilmore Girls,' 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' and their most recent, the ballet dramedy 'Étoile.' For their treat, the Palladinos shout out an LA record store and a classic comedy sketch they return to again and again.

Actor David Oyelowo doesn’t shy away from taking on complex, groundbreaking characters, but the timing has to be right. He portrayed Martin Luther King, Jr. in 'Selma,' the first Black U.S. marshal in the series 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves,' and took on the role of Othello almost a decade ago on stage. His latest role is in the film 'Newborn,' which is about a man struggling to reconnect with his f...

Style writer Guy Trebay has spent decades documenting the trends of culture, art and fashion for The New York Times . His 2024 memoir, Do Something: Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of ‘70s New York , tells of his early years in a troubled family and how he found refuge in the gritty beauty of New York City. For his treat, he explains why walking in a city (including LA) is his happie...

The title of writer-director BenDavid Grabinski’s comedy caper Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is a mouthful, but it’s no accident. The film stars Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, and Eiza González as a trio trying to survive the most dangerous night of their lives. Grabinski says he wanted aspects of his movie to harken back to films such as 1976’s Mikey and Nicky and...

 In his decades as a film critic for the LA Times, Kenneth Turan’s reviews demonstrated his vast knowledge of cinema while never shying away from strong opinions. Turan’s latest book, 'Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation', details a partnership that was instrumental in creating the modern film industry. For his treat, Turan cites a 20th century writer and critic...

Director Joseph Kosinski has helmed two of the biggest blockbusters of the past five years — 2022’s 'Top Gun: Maverick' and last summer’s racing movie 'F1.' The latter stars Brad Pitt as a driver who comes out of retirement to team up with a younger driver (played by Damson Idris). At this year’s Academy Awards, 'F1' took home the Oscar for Best Sound Design. Kosinski talks...

There’s a good chance that Maria Bamford is your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian. Her one-of-a-kind comedy has lent itself to sold out tours, the tv series Lady Dynamite, and a best-selling memoir Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult. For her treat, she celebrates a book that espouses attaining corporate success while doing good by your employees.  

Directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller got their start in animated tv as co-creators of the series 'Clone High.' Their partnership continued on the big screen with 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,' 'The Lego Movie,' and '21 Jump Street.' Their latest is the adaptation of the Andy Weir sci-fi novel 'Project Hail Mary,' starring Ryan Gosling. Lord and Miller talk about why this movie was the ha...

In the HBO series 'Industry,' actor Ken Leung plays a deeply flawed boss at a high powered London investment bank. For his Treat, he celebrates A.A. Milne’s 1928 book The House at Pooh Corner. He says its moving final chapter speaks to the importance of not knowing what comes next but embracing the uncertainty with others.

Actress Erika Alexander became a household name when she starred as Maxine Shaw in the groundbreaking '90s sitcom 'Living Single.' After the show’s run ended, she continued to work in TV and film with roles in 'Get Out' and the 2023 Oscar-winning film 'American Fiction.' Now, she’s starring in the new NBC sitcom 'The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins' with co-stars Tracy Morgan, Daniel R...

Filmmaker Matt Wolf’s recent HBO documentary 'Pee-wee as Himself' is a deep look at the late Paul Reubens, the man behind the character Pee-wee Herman. For his treat, Wolf celebrates the book 'Edie' by Jean Stein about the late 1960s icon Edie Sedgwick, who became the face of artist Andy Warhol’s Factory studio.  

Guillermo del Toro won his first Oscar for directing the 2017 film 'The Shape of Water.' His latest film, 'Frankenstein,' received nine total Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Elvis chatted with Del Toro for an extended interview taped live at KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio. Del Toro discusses how experiences from his childhood have made their way in...

Actress Wunmi Mosaku’s performances are often quiet and contemplative. Her role as the spiritual healer Annie in Sinners landed her a first-ever Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. For her treat, Wunmi reflects on the Alua Arthur book Briefly, Perfectly, Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End. She says the book about death has helped her not sweat the...

Elvis speaks with Emmy, Tony, and Grammy-winning actress Cynthia Erivo. She recently reprised her role as Elphaba in 'Wicked: For Good,' for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. Erivo can now be seen on stage in London in the one-woman adaptation of 'Dracula.' She talks about playing characters with duality, how Elphaba grows in ' For Good' and the exciting challenge of playing 23 charact...

Actor and director Joel Edgerton often plays characters who question traditional notions of masculinity. His most recent role was as a soft-spoken logger at the turn of the 20th century in the film Train Dreams. The film is nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture. For his treat, Edgerton celebrates the Welsh musician Ren, who talks openly about his mental health struggles in his music.

Actress Wunmi Mosaku’s performances often say so much in the pauses in dialogue from her work in Lovecraft Country to Loki , and the 2010 film I Am Slave . Mosaku’s latest role is Annie, a Hoodoo healer and the estranged wife of Smoke in Sinners . Her performance garnered her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, one of 16 nods for the film. Mosaku talks to Elvis...

Josh Safdie’s films often show the claustrophobic chaos of family life. His kinetic film Marty Supreme received nine Oscar nominations including Best Director and Best Picture. For his treat, he talks about a 1979 Oscar-winning film he used to navigate the chaos he was experiencing as a child.

In 2021, Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color to win the Best Director Oscar for her film Nomadland. Now, her latest film Hamnet is up for eight Oscar nominations including her second nod for Best Director. The film, an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name, stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley as William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they na...

Guillermo del Toro’s films often show the beauty even in their, at times, gothic horror. His latest is the Oscar nominated adaptation of Frankenstein , which is up for nine awards next month, including Best Picture. For del Toro’s treat, he celebrates the late director Ken Russell. Russell’s work often stoked controversy and was even censored, but as del Toro notes, it was also f...

The films of Yorgos Lanthimos cannot be neatly summed up and often take the viewer in surprising and unexpected directions. He’s the mind behind The Lobster , Poor Things , The Favourite and his latest, Bugonia . The film, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, is up for four Oscars including Best Actress and Best Picture. Lanthimos tells Elvis why he enjoys working with non-professional act...

Director Joseph Kosinski’s films don’t exactly scream quiet solitude. He’s helmed the action packed Tron , Top Gun: Maverick  and most recently, the Oscar nominated F1 , starring Brad Pitt. However, his films’ protagonists often have to do battle with themselves in the end. For his treat, Kosinski goes back to a painting he discovered as a young man in New York that ca...

Sinners is now the most Oscar nominated film ever with 16 nods including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. In 2025, Ryan Coogler sat down with Elvis for an extended conversation about the film. Elvis and Coogler delve into the musical spark behind  Sinners , why his characters often have a complicated relationship with home, and why he sees films as an exercise in con...

Elvis welcomes Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose film It Was Just an Accident received two Oscar nominations for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay. The film earned critical acclaim when it won the Palme d'Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. He talks about the obligations of a socially engaged filmmaker, letting the audience be the judge of his films' morality, and ho...

Oscar nominated director Darren Aronofsky doesn’t shy away from gritty realism. From the ugliness of drug addiction in 'Requiem for a Dream' to the frightening discipline of a ballerina in 'Black Swan' to his latest thriller, 'Caught Stealing' starring Austin Butler. The film takes place in the pre-gentrified New York City of the 1990s. For his treat, Aronofsky pays tribute to another film t...

Elvis welcomes director Josh Safdie whose latest project is the ambitious Marty Supreme. The film stars newly minted Golden Globe winner Timothée Chalamet as the hustling, talented table tennis player Marty Mauser. Safdie talks about why he used ‘80s music in a film set in the ‘50s, Chalamet’s crazy year of playing Bob Dylan and the fictional — but inspired by real l...