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Biden on BBC 12:41- Noem with Angel Families in Springfield 30:51- BLM Brandon on Columbus statues 52:18- Jim Iuorio, host of “The Futures Edge Podcast” and special contributor to Wirepoints, disputes the widespread belief that tariffs will be wildly inflationary Give Jim a follow on X @jimiuorio 1:09:50- Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Amy Wax: Wokeism is stifling thought in America’s universities 1:30:08- Rob Long, former writer/producer for Cheers & co-founder of Ricochet, is confident the film industry will find its way out of recession "The best thing about Hollywood is it's decentralized chaos" Check out Rob’s podcast “The Martini Shot” 1:48:49*- Sports & Politics 2:09:44- President of the Population Research Institute, Steven Mosher, gives evidence that China is losing the tariffs war and retreating as fast as it can Get more of Steven’s expertise from his most recent book The Devil and Communist China: From Mao Down to XiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Maureen's casting work includes the films: Once, This Must Be The Place, Extra Ordinary, Apocalypse Clown, The Miracle Club, The Martini Shot, That They May Face The Rising Sun, and more recently Small Things Like These and the upcoming, Frewaka. Maureen's television work includes the projects: Raw, Love/Hate, Rebellion, Taken Down, and Louise Lives Large.
Rob Long, the host of the Martini Shot podcast, joins Katey Rich to talk about what it's really like when you're nominated for an Emmy, and why in an era of endless uncertainty in Hollywood, awards might actually mean more than ever. Then Katey talks to Moses Ingram, the star of the new Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake, about coming home to Baltimore to make the show, and how her co-star Natalie Portman has shown genuine allyship as they hit the promotional circuit together.
Dress up in your fanciest pajamas, grab a glass of champagne, and turn on your favorite podcast streaming app as Eric and Kevin preview the 2024 Oscars with podcast friend Brandon Johnston aka "The Martini Shot." Who will win all the major categories? What films were snubbed? What were the top A24 films of 2023? And what were the top films of 2023, in general? Why do we watch the Academy Awards to begin with? Many questions to be answered as the film community prepares for the biggest night of the year this Sunday, March 10th. The Martini Shot YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@themartinishot --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/a24otr/support
The passing of Norman Lear coincides with a new TV era where, quite likely, not a single one of the legendary producer's famous sitcoms would pass muster in a pitch meeting of today. While Elaine Low talks specifics about what's selling and who's buying in the contracted post-strike TV market, Martini Shot host Rob Long pays homage to Lear's immense legacy (“his shows were't about politics, they were about characters”). Also: Janice Min shares her scorcher of a live interview with Andrew Cuomo's former top advisor Melissa DeRosa, who declares that President Biden should dump Kamala Harris, zings RFK Jr.'s “ego”, and decries the “total lack of leadership” over antisemitism in New York City. Transcript here. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Unspeakable, Meghan Daum talks with veteran television writer Rob Long about the state of the entertainment industry. They discuss the Hollywood writers' strike, which according to Rob, mainly resulted in pay raises but didn't address systemic issues for writers. Rob and Meghan also discuss how streaming services like Netflix made a mistake trying to compete with studios by producing expensive original content, when they could have thrived by simply buying content. Rob also shares some perspectives on how "Sound of Freedom" became such a box office hit despite scoffing from Hollywood elites. He also shares his view on what the future looks like for the entertainment industry and how TV writers' rooms have lost the plot when it comes to hiring quality talent. GUEST BIO Rob Long is a writer and producer in Hollywood. He began his career on Cheers, serving as co-executive producer. He was the creator and executive producer of The Texanist and showrunner of Kevin Can Wait. He co-founded the podcast network Ricochet and hosts the podcast Martini Shot with The Ankler. He is a contributing editor for National Review, as well as a contributor to TIME, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times, and his books include Conversations with My Agent and Bigly: Donald Trump in Verse. He continues working in film and TV in LA and New York. Find Rob at The Ankler, Commentary, and on Twitter at @rcbl. Want to hear the whole conversation? Upgrade your subscription here. HOUSEKEEPING
The A24 rocks crew has finished reviewing the 2016 year of A24 and you know what that means: THE 2016 A24 OSCARS! Seven Oscar Isaac's will be given out tonight for the 2016 year of A24 including: best picture, best director, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress, and best screenplay (original or adapted). How this will work is simple... democracy. Each reviewer gets to vote on each category, and whatever nominee gets the most votes will win. They've also invited a special guest of YouTube fame: The Martini Shot (https://www.youtube.com/@themartinishot)! Tune into see who will be green knighted the best in the 2016 year of A24. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/a24otr/support
Now that the A24 Rocks screw has reviewed every single A24 film from 2013-2016, they've decided to have a Mt. Rushmore draft. The way it works: a draft order will be determined by a random number generator, and when one host picks a film, then no one else can pick that film. The draft will then move in a "snake draft" style. Four faces of Mt. Rushmore and four movies. And you, dear listener, will get to vote on who has the best Mt. Rushmore. If you're on spotify: you can vote in the poll, otherwise find us on any of the big social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter) and vote on our post. Next week's episode will be The 2016 A24 Oscars featuring YouTube's own "The Martini Shot." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/a24otr/support
We talk about the Good Deed Corps screening of PRETTY IN PINK, featuring stars Jon Cryer and Annie Potts! Plus, a disconcerting concert.
Irish actor Fiona Glascott chats about The Martini Shot at the Galway Film Fleadh, Emily Kenway shares her experience of becoming her late mother's carer, Spike Island will be revived in book form next year by the islands former CEO, John Crotty and Laureate na nÓg Patricia Forde celebrates children's literature.
Fiona Glascott is the star of Brookyln, the general Potterverse and now The Martini Shot. The drama premieres at the Galway Film Fleadh on Thursday and follows an ailing movie director.
(0:00-13:41) City Hall and BLM Brandon met yesterday to decide whether or not to fund Chicago's migrants (13:41-29:27) Dollar General's Jessie Soto cut thief on bike off with her car (29:27-43:56) Eric Adams signs bill banning height and weight discrimination in NYC (43:56-1:03:55) Bad A** Kids and Absentee Parents (1:03:55-1:22:36) Chadwick Moore, Editor-in-Chief at OUT Spoken & contributing editor at Spectator World, wishes Dan & Amy a happy "groom" day with a discussion on woke/cancel culture and his soon to be released biography of Tucker Carlson Tucker is out 7/18 but you can pre-order today tuckerthebook.com (1:22:36-1:33:44) Comey's reputation rehab tour rolls on (1:33:44-1:49:46) Rob Long, former writer/producer for Cheers, co-founder of Ricochet and host of the Martini Shot podcast: "Today, the worst thing you can do for young people trying to break into show business is encourage them." For more from Rob and podcast updates @rcbl (1:49:46-2:05:41) COVID Amnesty with Pediatrician, Epidemiologist, CEO of Connections for Health, and Former President and Vice Dean at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Dr. Jonathan Ellen (2:05:41) What's a funnyectomy?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As the business braces for a potentially bruising writers' strike, Rob Long tries to remember that in show business, everybody ends up working for — and with, and next to — each other. It's an org chart that makes no sense, except it's the only one that works. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
This week, Rob Long gleans takeaways from the reboot of Night Court. One of the reasons Rob is happy about this traditional multi-cam sitcom revival is because it could be good for him (the format is the Cheers veteran's sweet spot). But no matter who you are, you're still desperately trying to buy or sell something — a lesson best illustrated through a recent cryptic interaction with a stranger at an L.A. car wash. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Rob Long examines the concept of spec scripts, and the risks involved with writing something without knowing whether there's any interest in it. And when it comes to buyers, it's impossible to know what they think they want. It's why Rob suggests always pitching the show you want to do; typically, people don't know what they need until they're faced with it, and sometimes, as Rob learned recently, that might just be a Nigerian choir. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Rob Long advises “Be nice to everybody. Or at least, in Hollywood, don't be not nice to anybody.” Not just for manners, but also, as Rob learned, sometimes someone who escaped your memory, yet with the power to give you money, will be seated opposite you on a suede sofa. As it turns out, hundreds of moments in your life when you were not your best are embedded in someone else's. Which is why even Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote should say thank you to each other. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
No matter how much power you have, you're going to eventually sit in someone's office and pitch something. It's why Rob Long thinks everyone has to perfect at least 10 minutes of pre-meeting chit chat — those short but important conversations, usually between writers and execs, that take place prior to the official start of any pitch (weird traffic patterns, huh? Did you guys know each other in college?). Just don't talk about scary spiders. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Documentary filmmaker David Mayne joins us to talk about his new streaming series Happy Hour History where he traces the origins of cocktails and connects them to historical events. His use of costumed recreation skits, historic imagery and footage, as well as Monty Python style animation makes for an informative and entertaining show that you should check out here: https://youtu.be/QXpj2IcSwG0 Plus, Sother closed a business, Greg is in Ireland, and Damon got a dog! Don't forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.
This week, Rob Long reveals his big plans in 2023 for digital absolution — in other words, a reprieve from having to read or watch (or even know) about what's on TV. Full and unfettered forgiveness for not watching that movie you like or clinking on the link to that article you sent him, and he'll give you the same in return. Deal? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
There's a great dividing line between a person's time in show business: When you're starting out — or even before that, when you're just daydreaming about a successful career — all you see is upside. But once you've made it (usually with a little bit of luck and a string of crazy events), you devote a lot of time (thanks in part to our armies of lawyers, business affairs types, etc.) to worrying. “If you spend too much time in this business,” says Rob, “you forget that there are only two things you really need to be successful: a willingness to put it all on the line, and an idiot to convince you to do it.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
How competitive is host Rob Long? Well, as he'll tell you, he once fumed over his friend — not him — being named Customer of the Week at their local coffee bar. Which brings us to awards season, where, “if you spend a lot of time watching other people get good stuff, you become stressed out and unhappy.” But, cautions Rob, you can either wallow in rage at the injustice, or redouble your efforts just so one day you too can see the look on the faces of those idiots who doubted you. Says our host: “Vengeful satisfaction… is priceless.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Just for new subscriptions this week now through Christmas Day - 30% off Rob met Kirstie Alley on Cheers when he was 24. Never afraid to ugly cry or ask for a scene to be changed (a scene was changed once because she wouldn't take aspirin; see: Scientology), Alley, decades later, wanted a role on Rob's TV show playing a grandmother (a role another actress, 82, thought she was too young to play). Never vain, Alley summoned Rob to her house, and, in her way, said, “If you think I'm too fat, just tell me.” Says Rob, “We didn't. She was just perfect.” Alley passed away after a brief battle with cancer two weeks ago at age 71. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
The most prevalent topics in a Hollywood executive office? Host Rob Long ranks them: 1. Money; 2. What to do about the writer; 3. Lunch. Indeed, early in one's career, most writers realize that — upon any success — he or she is surrounded by people whose job it is, essentially, to watch them do their job and tell them how to do it. Which is why he proposes to every exec Take Your Writer to Work Day. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Have a script due or need a decision made? Rob Long hopes you got it done before Thanksgiving lest you be forced to wait until January rolls around. Of course, there's a price we pay for that industry-wide habit of shutting-off well ahead of holidays, summer, three-day weekends, etc. — a constant feeling of being too late. Which, as it turns out, is the industry's preferred method of getting things done. After all, if you wait until the last minute, you can blame any bad decision, any failure, on just how rushed things were. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Rob admits he should stop reading the trades: the only thing they're good for is “to keep up on the career milestones of other people in the business who you may know, like, or be secret enemies with.” And since most trade coverage is dedicated to announcements of things to come, very likely “none of it will get made or sold, none of it will produce anything, which means none of it is worth getting anxious over and none of it is important to know.” In other words, he says, it's all drumroll, no actual music. Just ask that lottery winner. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Working in entertainment, Rob Long has become superstitious. Whenever Rob does something humdrum like walking the dog and his agent calls, it's always bad news. A call on a great trip? Well, maybe it's a series pick-up! “We're always looking for signs and signals about where exactly we are on the great big greasy power ladder,” he says. And nowhere is your place in the world more on display than at the gates of a studio. If you're denied entry and the gate arm stays down, you're not just locked out of the lot — you're also locked out of the business. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
This week, Rob finds similarities between an audience and the voting public. Both will disappoint or lift you up on occasion, but what they should never do is surprise you, because that means you haven't been listening. The solution: Turn to the crew, often the best and most accurate focus group a TV writer/producer can get. “‘Is the crew laughing?' is one of the questions writers ask all the time on a comedy shoot,” says Rob, because they're not paid enough to pretend to enjoy something when they're not. On that note, Rob also offers up some free advice to anyone running a media business: follow the Olive Garden strategy, where, upon a takeover, every executive was forced to work in a restaurant for a day. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
When Rob's credit card was declined this week, he hopped on the phone with card security, and then — thanks to the sober reality check — decided he didn't really need to buy that expensive toy. And thus, the benefit of “a service that interrupts you while you're in the process of buying something expensive and unnecessary.” On a set, that's known as the line producer. And today, Rob pays tribute to one of the best, Steve Grossman, a 35-year industry veteran (Newhart, Hope & Gloria, George and Leo, Love & Money, Lateline) who was the secret weapon for sitcom success — and to whom the industry recently bid farewell. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
On call sheets, child actors have a pumpkin icon next to their names, notifying everyone on set about their inviolate shorter workdays, lest the kid turns into, well, a pumpkin. Rob Long reflects on the significance of that symbol — especially when the time comes to part ways with Hollywood. Even if you're calling a temporary wrap on your on career, there's a power and shrewdness to putting a putting a pumpkin next to your own name before someone else does it. Says Rob, “It's the smart and healthy thing to do.” Which means you — and he — probably will never do it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
At one point or another, everyone in Hollywood will get fired, or will fire someone else. It's as inevitable as getting unhelpful notes from an executive, or another Avengers sequel. After reading the news of the latest layoffs around town, Rob offers advice on how to deal with this part of the business, as well as how to handle the […]
Rob Long warns: don't end up Hollywood's worst kind of enemy - a secret one
At one point or another, everyone in Hollywood will get fired, or will fire someone else. It's as inevitable as getting unhelpful notes from an executive, or another Avengers sequel. After reading the news of the latest layoffs around town, Rob offers advice on how to deal with this part of the business, as well as how to handle the equally inevitable fallout: the creation of enemies. Sure, there are always people who you are never going to want to work with again, but there are actual enemies — people who you exchange words with — and secret enemies, the most troublesome kind of all. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Host Rob Long today explains why attracting an audience to a movie or TV show works the same way those dating apps work in attracting people to one another. But without the swiping. And why writers must always serve the dessert first in their scripts, no matter how “important” the message is. Because audiences want the candy, not the homework. So please, don't bury the fun. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Today Rob Long tells the story of a friend on a flight about to make an emergency landing. The worst wasn't the pilot's announcement that they were in trouble; it was the flight attendant's attempt to get everyone to chant, hands clapping, “We're going to be okay!” As anyone in the industry long enough knows, such happy self-talk usually indicates something that is exactly the opposite — particularly in this era of Entertainment 2022. Enter the ninth planet. Please subscribe for more podcasts and stories about the entertainment industry. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
“Everyone in the entertainment business works hard. Except agents, obviously.” So says Rob this week, as he describes the differences between writing and directing, with a few nods to actors (and their overacting): Being a writer teaches you how to be alone. But being a director teaches you how to be with people. So maybe, […]
Today, Rob Long presents the idea that anyone who puts on a little play, bangs on an instrument or talks into a microphone for money can say they're in entertainment. But a true show business professional — hello, Harry Styles! — is hard to find these days, because the kind of people drawn to the […]
“Everyone in the entertainment business works hard. Except agents, obviously.” So says Rob this week, as he describes the differences between writing and directing, with a few nods to actors (and their overacting): Being a writer teaches you how to be alone. But being a director teaches you how to be with people. So maybe, actually, being a director is the harder job? Also, what's the best way for an actor to play a drunk person? We won't spoil it here, but it hinges on on not being yourself.Follow us (and like us!) wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, and on Twitter. Also please subscribe at TheAnkler.com for more podcasts and stories about the entertainment industry. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Writers, directors, actors. Rob Long has an idea: Job swap!
Today, Rob Long dives into some of the unspoken commandments that everyone working in entertainment ought to know and live by, from savvy advice when it comes to pitching (“never go first”) to why writers should never solicit feedback from execs who pass on their projects (“explanations are meaningless”). Also do your agent and manager […]
Today, Rob Long presents the idea that anyone who puts on a little play, bangs on an instrument or talks into a microphone for money can say they're in entertainment. But a true show business professional — hello, Harry Styles! — is hard to find these days, because the kind of people drawn to the industry are often much like baby actors — moody, mercurial, hard to reason with, yet also adorable. So when a fussy infant is faced with the prospect of being replaced by a cutting-edge robot on set, as witnessed by Rob, can they step up to the challenge? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Rob Long draws conclusions about 'entertainment' vs. 'showbiz' after a star sighting
Today, Rob Long dives into some of the unspoken commandments that everyone working in entertainment ought to know and live by, from savvy advice when it comes to pitching (“never go first”) to why writers should never solicit feedback from execs who pass on their projects (“explanations are meaningless”). Also do your agent and manager secretly hate each other? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
This week, Rob Long recalls a childhood memory of a large, unidentifiable spinning machine with blades that took two people to operate — lest one lose a hand — which serves as good metaphor for working together in show business. And as long as that machine is doing its job, don't try to tinker with it; just ask the people behind New Coke, who discovered — too late — that soda drinkers didn't want something new. On the other hand, don't be the CW, making shows for teens when the average age of your audience is… 58. Network programmers, this one's for you! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Rob looks back at the “olden times”, when just a handful of broadcast networks with mediocre — and somewhat problematic — shows like Webster dominated the airwaves. Their main goals weren't about attracting viewers as much as not driving them away to competitors. But in today's streaming landscape, viewers aren't drifting through a primetime lineup, or mindlessly channel surfing. And just like Rob, seduced by local clothes while on vacation in faraway places, both streamers and broadcast businesses need to remember who they are — lest they end up coming back dressed in a sarong and wooden slippers, looking ridiculous. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Writers get lots of advice during the development of a script, usually in a backhanded way with all sorts of qualifiers: agents like to give notes (typically on the prospects of a script in the marketplace) starting with phrases like “Hey, I'm not a writer!” or “I don't have a creative bone in my body!” But if there's one thing more awkward than receiving negative feedback on your work, it's overhearing someone else getting those notes in a public space — a skill Rob has dubbed ‘yoga eavesdropping'. At the end of the day, sometimes the best thing one can do is provide no advice at all. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Most people will do almost anything to avoid being embarrassed, why is why, as Rob Long explains, embarrassment is the key to making something truly funny. But there's a difference between personal mortification — “someone saw my nudes on my phone” — and professional humiliation — “I did a stupid thing in a meeting.” The […]
Rob Long on the difference between personal mortification and work shame
Rob Long on the difference between personal mortification and work shame
Most people will do almost anything to avoid being embarrassed, why is why, as Rob Long explains, embarrassment is the key to making something truly funny. But there's a difference between personal mortification — “someone saw my nudes on my phone” — and professional humiliation — “I did a stupid thing in a meeting.” The latter can be used effectively as a way to build morale on a writing staff, or it can be deployed more nefariously to cause someone to leave the business entirely. Also, Rob cautions his listeners against committing the most ignominious act of self-humiliation: complimenting a show not on the network you are working with. Oops. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
This week, Rob Long has a confession to make: he likes agents—they're “the friendly bacteria in the lower intestine of the dirty business we call entertainment,” he says. In defense of this controversial point of view (well, for a writer, anyway), Rob offers a cautionary tale about a past-his-prime agent who, along with his assistant, […]