Scandal Water

Daniel Day-Lewis. David Harbour. Marilyn Monroe. We recognize actors by name, and we admire their work. But how did they learn to do that? 

In this episode, we pull back the curtain to share some of the artistic influences behind famous screen stars. (And two not-so-famous actors, Candy and Ashley, share a few of their own influences and techniques as well!)

What advice helped make B.J. Novak into the director he is today? What is the Method Acting approach that some actors, like Daniel Day-Lewis, swear by? And why do others regard it as potentially dangerous? 

As an added bonus, we share a short interview with Dr. Jack Wann, whose career as a drama instructor and director has spanned more than 60 years, with the areas including high school, college, community theater, and 10 years at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

This fun episode is the most… to say the least!

If the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 hit “Top Gun” took your breath away, you are not alone.  “Top Gun: Maverick” had already exceeded a billion dollars in worldwide box office sales by late June, boasts a 99% audience and 97% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and can be credited for influencing the sale of certain fashion items. (New sunglasses, anyone?)

But what about the real TOPGUN fighter weapons school that inspired it all– more formally known as the Navy's Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Course? How did it start? How accurate is the movie’s depiction of TOPGUN? What does it really take to make it as a pilot…and as an instructor? 

The premise of “Six,” the smash Broadway hit is this: 

Henry the VIII’s wives are in concert and ready to compete for the title of the queen with the most tragic circumstances. To win, each wife, a singer in this all-girl pop band, will tell her story through a featured song while the other queens sing back-up. Anne Boleyn’s song is called “Don’t Lose Ur Head.” 

Need we say more?

This fun, empowering musical reimagines history– referring to itself as a “historemix”-- and one way it does so is by modeling each queen after two current pop stars, called the “Queenspirations.” 

In this episode Candy and Ashley touch on the history of each of Henry VIII’s wives as compared to her representation in the musical “Six.” You’ll also hear the circumstances that led two college students to create this “global sensation,” and how they brought the musical –and these strong women, who tended to be downplayed or sometimes even vilified by history– to life.

Why did the author of the play Chicago spend her final years living as a recluse and wearing a black veil whenever she appeared in public?

How did a shy, religious, female journalist in the male-dominated world of 1920s Chicago end up creating the sexy, bawdy, controversial play in the first place?

And what happened after Beulah and Belva were acquitted? 

These are just a few of the many things you’ll learn in this fascinating Chicago Part 2 episode. You won’t want to miss these behind-the-scenes stories of the famous stage and film sensation and Maurine Watkins, the intriguing woman who created it.

CW: Adult themes/descriptions of violence

Chicago of the 1920s was the backdrop for the incredibly successful play Chicago, as well as the movies that followed.

But did you know that the violent slayings committed by the sexy residents of ‘Murderess’ Row,’ Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, were based on actual murders?

Listen to this intriguing Chicago Part 1 episode to hear the true crime behind two of the most well-known killings in film and stage history. If you thought the murders committed by Roxie and Velma were unbelievable, hold onto your fedora…

On September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US caused 38 planes to be grounded in the town of Gander, located on the island of Newfoundland–often called “The Rock”--in Canada. 

A town with fewer than 10,000 residents suddenly found itself hosting 6,579 people, representing 100 different countries, along with 19 animals. When the passengers deplaned on “The Rock” after hours of sitting, scared and uninformed, on a stuffy airplane, each person was met with food… and a hug. And that was only the start of the Gander hospitality.

This episode explores not only the inspiring true stories behind the uplifting hit musical, referred to by one critic as “A celebration of the best of humankind,” but also shares how “Come From Away” was created, and the lasting impact made by 9,000 kind-hearted townspeople who reached out to embrace and befriend 6,600 frightened, hurting strangers.

This episode contains SPOILERS for "Jurassic World: Dominion" 

With a plot centered around hungry dinosaurs on the loose due to a disabled security system, and the likable lead characters–including two young children– in mortal danger, the original Jurassic Park promised to be a hit.

But the 1993 film, directed by Steven Spielberg, had more than a strong plot going for it… as well as a few challenges. 

In this T-Rex-sized extended episode, Ashley and Candy take a deep dive into the movie that started the billion-dollar Jurassic Park franchise.

What was the real-life science that inspired the story? How did Spielberg juggle directing both Jurassic Park and another award-winning film at roughly the same time? How did the special effects team break ground with their use of both CGI and animatronics to create the film’s dinosaur visuals? Why exactly does Ian Malcolm have an open shirt when it’s clearly his leg that is injured? 

Listen in as we discuss these questions and so much more!

CW: Adult themes/descriptions of violence

Three weeks before the filming of “Jaws” was scheduled to start, Steven Spielberg still had no working script. Desperate, he asked his friend, writer Carl Gottlieb, to “eviscerate it.” And that’s exactly what Carl did, desperately writing most nights to stay ahead of the next day’s filming.  

This Part 2 episode delves into the many screen rewrites, character changes, and plot shifts that occurred throughout the filming of “Jaws.” 

From Quint’s USS Indianapolis monologue that had to be reshot due to Robert Shaw’s drunkenness, to the situation that saved a main character’s life, Candy and Ashley discuss these and many other behind-the-scenes stories. The two also touch on the famous “Lady in the Dunes” cold case speculated by Joe Hill– writer and son of Stephen King– to have a “Jaws” connection.