Podcast
Pop Culture Confidential
Hosted by Pop Culture Confidential · EN
Conversations at the intersection of movies, television, and pop culture.
Hosted by Christina Jeurling Birro, this podcast delivers candid interviews with filmmakers, actors, creators, and cultural tastemakers, plus festival and awards-season coverage, reviews, and in-depth explorations of the stories shaping what we watch and why it matters.
40episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
533: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Review & Deep Dive (Guest: Ryan McQuade)
2d ago01:16:45Tap to summarizeGuest Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch.com) and Christina journey into Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey! Join us as we review, discuss, and dissect Nolan's latest epic.
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532: The Footballer Who Vanished: Directors Ramiel Petros & Nicholas Freeman on Their Doc 'The Last Guest Of The Holloway Motel'
5d ago00:16:39Tap to summarizeHe was Player of the Year for Norwich City Football Club in the 1970s. Then he vanished, for decades.Directors Ramiel Petros & Nicholas Freeman found him hiding in plain sight, managing a motel in Los Angeles that was about to close for good. His name is Tony Powell, and his story became the heart of their doc, The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel.In this episode, Ramiel and Nicholas join me to talk about their doc and about Tony & his story: a story about escaping a homophobic culture, the price paid, the power of family, and the long road to self-acceptance. It's a story with twists you won't see coming.
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531: A Conversation With The Great K Callan! ('Ruth', Widow's Bay)
1w ago00:44:43Tap to summarizeWe are thrilled and honored to be joined by Widow's Bay's own Ruth, the incredible K Callan (Widow's Bay just got 19 Emmy nominations!!!). At 90 years old, K Callan is a LEGEND , over 7 decades working in TV, from Norman Lear shows to Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks, Martha Kent in ABC's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Dawson's Creek, Veep, Great Nana in Knives Out and more. She is INCREDIBLE in the breakout show Widow's Bay, a scene stealing perfomance.In our wide-ranging conversation we talk about the show, working with Katie Dippold, the great female characters on Widow's Bay, working with Matthew Rhys, an alternative ending they filmed, how TV has changed over the decades, roles for women, staying in the Hollywood industry means being persistent, the highs and lows, her fabulous party-planning skills, and much more!Watch or listen on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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530: Guadagnino's 'Artificial' Dropped by Amazon. Google Invests in A24. AI: Hollywood's Big Dilemma? (Guest: Critic/Author John Bleasdale)
3w ago00:38:25Tap to summarizeFilm critic and journalist John Bleasdale joins Christina to discuss the news that Luca Guadagnino's film about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Artificial, has been dropped by Amazon, which just happens to have a partnership with OpenAI...Also in the mix: the many partnerships forming between creators and tech. A24 has announced a $75 million research partnership with Google DeepMind. Steven Soderbergh is embracing AI. Scorsese has signed on as a partner with an AI image-generation startup. And Netflix has acquired an AI filmmaking start-up founded by Ben Affleck. Have the tech companies taken over Hollywood? Is AI Hollywood's big dilemma? John Bleasdale. Film critic. Writer. Author of Darkness Visible the Cinema of Jonathan Glazer. Instagram @drjonty
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529: Emmys 2026! Nomination Predictions ft. Guest Eoin Daly
3w ago00:45:56Tap to summarizeTV time! Emmy nominations drop on July 8th. Christina and guest Eoin Daly make their boldest nom predictions. From The Pitt to Hacks, Widows Bay, Pluribus, and a lot of surprises. Who's getting in? Who's getting snubbed? The Emmys ceremony is on September 14th.Eoin Daly on Instagram. @eoin_daily
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Episode 528: Unpacking and Reviewing Spielberg's Disclosure Day. Guest: Ryan McQuade
Jun 1300:59:12Tap to summarizeIt's Disclosure Day! Christina is joined by Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch to discuss and review Steven Spielberg's latest film. They dig into how it fits into the director's filmography as well as his biography, exploring where his mastery shines through, where the film falls short, and how it all comes together. Includes spoilers!
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527: Entering the 'Backrooms' with Guests Production Designer Danny Vermette and VFX Supervisor Edward J. Douglas
Jun 1200:27:57Tap to summarizeBackrooms is the record-breaking horror phenomenon of the summer. Christina sat down with brilliant production designer Danny Vermette and VFX supervisor Edward J. Douglas to talk about their work on the film and their collaboration with 20-year-old YouTube creator Kane Parsons , A24's youngest-ever director. We dig into the 30,000-square-foot build that brought Parsons's Backrooms YouTube series to life on the big screen, the themes and anxieties of isolation, (and the horror of fluorescent lighting ;) in the Backrooms , the dreamscape of the "outside world" (inspired by the Windows Bliss wallpaper), influences ranging from Eraserhead to Mr. Robot, Portal, and One Hour Photo, how young content creators are shaping the future of cinema, and whether they'd ever enter the Backrooms themselves :) ... and much moreVideo edited by Anton Isiukovhttps://www.antonisiukov.com
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526: Brittany Allen on Her Powerful Performance as Roxie on 'The Pitt'
Jun 700:24:29Tap to summarizeActor Brittany Allen (The Boys, Dexter: Original Sin, Jigsaw) joins the show to discuss her Emmy-buzzed performance as Roxie Hamler, a terminal cancer patient on HBO’s The Pitt. We dive into the research behind her role, her collaboration with Noah Wyle and the cast and crew of the medical drama, the emotional weight of the storylines, how the team unwinds after intense days on set, and so much more.
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525: Backrooms, Obsession & The YouTube Creators Filling Cinemas! (Guest: Ryan McQuade)
Jun 401:07:44Tap to summarizeRyan McQuade of AwardsWatch.com joins Christina to discuss the mega-hits Obsession (directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker) and Backrooms (by 20-year-old Kane Parsons), the rise of YouTube content creators in cinema and more! Plus they talk basketball! :) Don’t miss it
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524: Dispatch 10: Final Cannes Report & The Award Winners! Guest, Ryan McQuade
May 2500:50:36Tap to summarize524: Dispatch 10: Final Cannes Report! Guest Ryan McQuade, AwardsWatch.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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