Big White Elephants

Welcome to Camp BWE! A month-long podcast event where we exclusively cover movie musicals set at summer camps. And by that, we mean all three Camp Rock movies and one other.

To kick it off, we're joined by writer Brittany Spanos (Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone, more!). We talk about our history with the Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers, why the Brothers' current financial situation seems very weird, and all the amazing 2008 Disney fashion.

Directed by Matthew Diamond from a screenplay by Karin Gist, Regina Hicks, Julie Brown, and Paul Brown, with songs by Kara DioGuardi, Greg Wells, Adam Watts, Andy Dodd, and more, Camp Rock was the 73rd Disney Channel Original Movie and was viewed by 8.9 million people during its premiere! It stars Joe Jonas, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Alyson Stoner, and Meaghan Jette Martin.

You can find Brittany on instagram @brittanyspanos and subscribe to her great substack Britt Pop here. You can also find her appearance on Scott's other podcast This Is The Greatest Song I've Ever Heard In My Entire Life from 2023 here

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

For episode 55, Grace and Scott can't help themselves but go long on their thoughts about the new Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey—even though it's not a musical!

Then we shift over to another film dealing with mythology that's honestly only slightly more of a musical, 1948's One Touch Of Venus, starring Ava Gardner, Rober Walker, Tom Conway, and Eve Arden. If you kissed a statue of a God and it came to life, would you fumble her? Eddie Hatch is trying his best!

William A. Seiter's film cuts out almost all of the Kurt Weill songs from the original stage musical, and we decide if that makes this a Big White Elephants.

Next week we start Camp BWE!

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

Everyone's talkin' about The Odyssey, so for episode 54, Grace and Scott give the people what they want: a discussion of the Coen Brothers' 2001 musical adaptation of Homer's epic, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

No IMAX cameras were used in the production of this film, but it has some things Christopher Nolan never will: bluegrass music, George Clooney in a fake beard, a one-eyed John Goodman, and a soundtrack that was so beloved it won the Grammy for Album Of The Year!

Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, who claim to have never read The Odyssey, with music curated by T Bone Burnett and innovative cinematography by Rodger Deakins, O Brother, Where Art Thou stars George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson with a deep bench of character actors like Holly Hunter, Stephen Root, Chris Thomas King, John Goodman, Charles Durning, and many more.

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

It's the one-year anniversary of the Big White Elephants Podcast! And to celebrate, Grace and Scott are joined by returning guest Ryan Pak and first timer (and Grace's brother) Sean for our biggest episode yet.

The group discusses the monumental and potentially polarizing 2016 original movie musical written and directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land. Ten years on, how does it hold up? Does the lush color, grand scope, and ornate score elevate this to Classic status, or does the meandering plot, aggressive camera movement, and detours into jazz-splaining make it a Big White Elephant? Maybe it's something in between!

With songs by Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul, a script by director Damien Chazelle, and performances by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, La La Land fell just short of winning Best Picture at the Oscars, but how will it fare with the open minded and open-hearted hosts of Big White Elephants?

Listen to Ryan Pak's podcast Soundtrack Your Life wherever you get your podcasts and listen to Sean's bands Six Flags Guy and The HouseGuest

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

It's our 52nd episode and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration Of Independence, so Grace and Scott are heading down to Philadelphia for a special Big Red White And Blue Elephants episode talking about Peter H. Hunt's film adaptation of 1776 (1972).

The delegates of the 2nd Continental Congress are overheated, undersexed, and at each other's throats. Can Boston's John Adams and Virginia's Thomas Jefferson work together with inventor of the stove Benjamin Franklin to convince everyone to commit an act of treason and declare independence? Even though you already know the answer is yes, the movie makes it pretty exciting!

With a screenplay by Peter Stone and music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards, the movie musical adaptation of 1776 keeps most of the original Broadway cast including William Daniels, John Cullum, Ken Howard, Howard da Silva and more.

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

On episode 51, Grace and Scott dive into the world of Girltrash!, a 2007 lesbian crime web series created by Angela Robinson (D.E.B.S., The L Word, Herbie Fully Loaded, etc.) that was never fully finished, and the prequel feature-length movie musical, Girltrash: All Night Long, directed by Robinson's partner and cinematographer Alex Kondracke which was shot in 2010 but released in 2014. The characters are as messy as the production history, but that doesn't mean it's not fun!

Will Tyler and Daisy win the Band Slam battle of the bands? Will Monique get her money? Will Colby have her first lesbian romance? Are any of them good at singing?? We find out all this and more in our discussion of Girltrash: All Night Long.

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

For our 50th episode, we're covering the theatre kid classic Rent (2005). Grace and Scott go deep on Jonathan Larson's adaptation of Puccini's opera La Boheme, talking about the (aging?) cast, the cuts from the stage show, and how you measure a year in the life (love).

Directed by Chris Columbus and written by Stephen Chbosy, Rent stars Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Tracie Thoms, Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Jesse L Martin, and Wilson Jermaine Heredia, with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson.

Plus, we go discuss Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day!

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

With Scott back from vacation, he and Grace go on their own trip to Belgium for Chantel Akerman's shopping mall musical, Golden Eighties (1986). Is it a brilliantly quirky examination of consumerism and romance through a feminist lens? Is it a poor attempt at recreating the lushness of an MGM Technicolor Musical? Do songs need to be good?

Golden Eighties was directed by Chantal Akerman and written by Akerman, Pascal Bonitzer, Henry Bean, Jean Gruault, and Leora Barish, with music by Marc Hérouet and starring Delphine Seyrig, Myriam Boyer, Granny Cottençon, Lio, Pascale Salkin, John Berry and others

Connect with us on Instagram @bigwhiteelephantspod and send emails or voicemails to [email protected] so we can share them on future episodes!

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

While Scott is out on vacation, Grace's co-host from the Sounds Of Silvestri podcast Clarence fills in to talk about Jonathan Demme's final film, Ricki And The Flash (2015). We get into bald eagle back tattoos, Lady Gaga bar rock covers, and Boomer politics while trying to figure out if Meryl Streep can convincingly play a conservative struggling rock star and how a Midwesterner would really respond to a rude conversation in a doughnut shop. 

Ricki And The Flash was written by Diablo Cody and directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Rick Springfield, Mamie Gummer, Audra McDonald, Sebastian Stan, and producer Marc Platt's son Ben Platt. Featuring songs by Tom Petty, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and more.

Connect with us on Instagram @bigwhiteelephantspod and send emails or voicemails to [email protected] so we can share them on future episodes!

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts

For episode 47, Grace and Scott discuss the 1953 film adaptation of Cole Porter's musical Kiss Me Kate, starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, and Tommy Rall with an early appearance from Bob Fosse. Is Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew too misogynistic? Is Ann Miller's dancing too darn hot? Should musicals be in 3-D? We attempt to answer all these questions and more!

Connect with us on Instagram @bigwhiteelephantspod and send emails or voicemails to [email protected] so we can share them on future episodes!

Big White Elephants is a podcast where two friends, Grace and Scott, dissect movie musicals: Everything from DCOMs to MGM Classics, Japanese Punk Rock films to modern Jukebox Musicals, and all kinds of things in between! We talk about what works and what doesn't, and whether a film is a 'Big White Elephant', based on director Rob Marshall's quote ”The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad - big white elephants.” Join us every Thursday to discuss a new musical film wherever you get your podcasts