Lin-Manuel Miranda is almost an EGOT winner, but that’s not how he defines success. Miranda shares never-heard-before anecdotes from behind-the-scenes of his buzziest projects: Encanto, In the Heights, Hamilton and tick, tick…BOOM! He talks with host Kelley Carter about how he knows when he’s nailed a lyric, what it’s like writing songs with his kids, and what love advice he’d give his younger self. Plus, hear what Steven Spielberg told him when he snuck onto the Westside Story set. Then, ABC Audio’s entertainment contributor Matt Wolfe and international culture correspondent Miriam Spritzer, join Kelley to dissect Miranda’s recent award-winning work, discuss highlights from the SAG awards, and take a closer look at the controversial changes producers are making to the Oscars telecast this year.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda

Veteran entertainment journalist Kelley Carter goes one-on-one with the biggest names in Hollywood as they open up about their journey to stardom, their creative process and the defining moments in their lives and careers. Kelley also invites fellow industry insiders to empty their notebooks and share expert insights and unique perspectives on the latest entertainment news.

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Film Interviews

The 2022 Oscars telecast will go down in history! For the Season 1 finale of Close Up, host Kelley Carter checks in with two Hollywood Reporter pals – ABC News Radio Entertainment correspondent, Jason Nathanson, and Entertainment Director at "The Grio” Cortney Wills to discuss Will Smith, the “slap heard around the world,” and the overshadowed-but-important wins of the night. CODA broke the mold, taking home the Oscar for best picture and one of its stars, Troy Kotsur became the first deaf man to win an acting Oscar. And West Side Story's Arianna DeBose became the first openly queer woman of color to win an acting Oscar. There’s so much learn and even more to celebrate in this season finale of Close Up.
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Oscars 2022 Recap: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

If you’ve seen Do the Right Thing, Malcom X, or Juice – the cult classic from 1992 that catapulted rapper Tupac Shakur into movie stardom – then you know Ernest Dickerson’s work. Dickerson is a cinematographer-turned-director who’s known best for his many collaborations with Spike Lee, and his roster of gripping thrillers. Host Kelley Carter talks with Dickerson about his love of the horror genre (he’s loved it since the age of four !!), the ways horror films of the 50s and 60s influenced his work, and the process of making Juice and his new thriller DMZ. Then, Vanity Fair’s Anthony Breznican and The Curvy Film Critic Carla Renata join Kelley to talk about the rapper-to-actor transition, the power of the underdog at the Oscars, and their bets for Sunday’s Oscars show.
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Ernest Dickerson

Aaron Sorkin’s writing style is iconic – dialogue is quippy, fast-paced, and robust – the kind you got in West Wing, Newsroom, and Sports Night. And Sorkin gives us all of that in his latest film – Being the Ricardos – a Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz biopic for which both Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are nominated for Oscars this season. Host Kelley Carter sits down with the writer/ director Aaron Sorkin to talk about what makes this biopic different from the Lucille Ball biopic you might expect, why he made the Kidman casting choice (it was a controversial one), and how script writing is both thrilling and agonizing all at the same time. Then, Senior Culture Critic for Andscape, Soraya McDonald, and award-winning poet, essayist, and cultural critic Kimberly Reyes, join Kelley to talk about what they thought of the film, and their feelings on the controversy from the Critics Choices Awards – spoiler: they’re not happy.
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Aaron Sorkin

On a new episode of ABC's "Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson," LZ explores the idea of chosen family with comedian and actress Margaret Cho, CNN's Don Lemon and the Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart.
Honored as a Best New Podcast of 2021 by Spotify, "Life Out Loud" features thought-provoking, poignant and engaging conversations with some of the most influential and inspirational people in the LGBTQ+ community. Award-winning journalist LZ Granderson draws from his own experience as a gay, Black father. This season’s topics have included faith, trans acceptance, and community. Guests have included Ariana DeBose, Chasten Buttigieg, Ts Madison, and Dan Savage, among others. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening now by searching for "Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson."
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"Life Out Loud": Family of Choice - Margaret Cho, Don Lemon, Jonathan Capehart

Corey Hawkins. Even if you don’t recognize the name, you’ve probably seen his work. Remember Dre in Straight Outta Compton? How about Benny in the film adaptation of In the Heights? Or, most recently, Macduff in Joel Cohen’s Tragedy of Macbeth? Host Kelley Carter sits down for a conversation with Corey about chasing the right role, trusting the process and getting to work with legends like Denzel Washington. Then, President of the African American Film Critics Association Gil Robertson and ABC News Radio Entertainment correspondent, Jason Nathanson, join Kelley to discuss Corey’s Macbeth performance, the new movie theatre experience and our favorite new series on the small screen.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda

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