The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott Newsweek Radio & Podcasts

What do you do when Hollywood wants you to be one thing, but you have a wholly different outlook about yourself? For Chris Pine, breaking the mold of expectations meant creating the new film Poolman (May 10). “Believe it or not, it’s probably the most personal thing I’ve ever made.” And it should be, considering he not only stars in it as Darren Barrenman, a colorful pool man on a mission to protect the city—and the pool—he loves, but Pine also co-wrote and directed the film. The idea for it is rooted in Pine’s own search for joy. “It was COVID and I was going through a lot of personal stuff and feeling a lot, and I said, ‘Why not just lead from the heart instead? Lead from instinct and joy and giggling and catharsis in a kind of positive, joyful way? [That’s] all I really wanted to do.” You can feel that watching the movie, and for Pine, that’s all that matters. “There’s a bunch of yelling in the world and if we can just shut up for just the briefest of seconds and allow the other person their moment, maybe there would be more, I don’t know, joy—who knows?” 

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After a nearly two-year hiatus, the Max-original Emmy Award-winning series ‘Hacks’ is back. And Hannah Einbinder, who plays Ava, the comedy writer to legendary—and difficult—stand-up comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), used the time off to figure out how to be a person again. “I went on the road, I did stand-up, but I kind of had to fill in the rest of my time with various hobbies and things. It made me go like, ‘OK, I gotta like be a person. Do sh** that isn’t just work,’” Einbinder told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. Now that the dark comedy series is in its third season, Einbinder is no longer intimidated by Smart. “At this point in our relationship it’s familial close.” And now Einbinder has more than just Hacks in the works, she will also debut her first stand-up comedy special this June on Max. But she gives the credit to ‘Hacks’: “It is single handedly because of this acting gig. That boosted the visibility for me to be able to tour and develop. To run an hour, to sharpen it, it’s hard to get that opportunity. I am so grateful to do that and to work it out in a way that is not common. I hope people like it.” 

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For Eugenio Derbez, making the transition from being one of Mexico’s most recognizable faces in comedy to the American market was not easy. “We don’t laugh at the same things. Humor in Mexico and in the U.S. is completely different. I had to reinvent myself,” Derbez told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. He’s done a good job of reinventing himself because his Apple TV+ series ‘Acapulco’ (May 1) is now in its third season. “I’m so glad that the series is bilingual and it’s getting its third season.” The success of the show is directly tied to Derbez’s success stateside. Loosely based on his character Maximo from the 2017 film ‘How to Be a Latin Lover,’ Acapulco shifts between telling the backstory of young Maximo in the 1980s at a popular resort and the character in modern day. Part of why he wanted to do Acapulco was because “there’s still a big opportunity to tell beautiful things about Mexico. I was always concerned that Mexico equals violence.” With his success in the U.S., Derbez is looking to adapt his popular Mexican sitcom La Familia P. Luche into English. “It’s so different from anything that you’ve watched before in the U.S.” 

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Because of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ drag has exploded. But what is often lost with all this drag we’re seeing on our televisions are the stories from small-town America, what’s really happening in cities that are sometimes overlooked and where, often, these “drag bans” are popping up. That’s where HBO Max’s ‘We’re Here’ comes in. ‘We’re Here’ shows drag superstars going to small cities to put on a drag show, but along the way stories are told that you rarely here. Stories about the struggles of being LGBT in America today, life in a small town, and how drag can be a force for good. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott spoke with creators  Stephen Warren and Johnnie Ingram and director Peter LoGreco about the impact of ‘We’re Here,’ and two of the new hosts for this new season, Sasha Velour and Latrice Royale from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race.’  

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Reality TV has changed the landscape of not only television, but also pop culture. Its impact can be felt in every aspect of our lives, and—as some would argue—its impact may have even led to the election of former President Donald Trump. That’s a huge impact. (Or should we say, ‘yuge.’) Considering this, what is the state of reality TV? Where are we at with shows like ‘Survivor,’ ‘The Real Housewives’ and ‘Traitors’? To discuss this, Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott invited reality TV expert Kate Casey on the latest episode. 

Listen to Kate’s podcast ‘Reality Life with Kate Casey’: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reality-life-with-kate-casey/id1154758766 

Subscribe to Kate’s ‘What to Watch’ newsletter: https://katecasey.substack.com/ 

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If you’re a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, then this episode of the Parting Shot podcast is for you. Not only will Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott be chatting with the season 16 top three finalists Sapphira Cristál, Nymphia Wind and Plane Jane, he’ll also chat with Q and Tia Kofi, who was just recently crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World. Sound off who you think will win RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 before the finale airs. 

Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. While you’re there, subscribe to Newsweek’s ‘For the Culture newsletter. Follow H. Alan Scott on everything at @HAlanScott. 

Sapphira Cristál - https://www.instagram.com/sapphiracristal 

Nymphia Wind - https://www.instagram.com/66wind99 

Plane Jane - https://www.instagram.com/the_planejane 

Q - https://www.instagram.com/living4q 

Tia Kofi - https://www.instagram.com/tiakofi 

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