THE HOLLYWOOD PODCAST

Mitchell Travers, costume designer of the Showtime miniseries "George & Tammy" which chronicles the intertwining careers of country musicians George Jones and Tammy Wynette, shares how he designed the looks of Jones and Wynette to convey their tumultuous relationship. Travers also shares what it was like working with Jessica Chastain, who pays Wynette, not only as an actor but also as a producer on the project.

Travers' past credits include Eighth Grade, Hustlers, Late Night, In The Heights, and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. His next projects include the romantic action comedy Shotgun Wedding starring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel (releasing on Amazon Prime in January) and Neon's Mothers' Instinct starring Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway due out sometime next year.

Actors Jon Jon Briones and Rizwan Manj play Maurice and LeFou, respecticaly, in the new 30th anniversary special “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.” This two-hour animated and live-action blended special pays tribute to the original Disney Animation’s “Beauty and the Beast” and its legacy by showcasing the original film, along with new never-before-seen musical performances, brand-new sets and breathtaking costumes inspired by the classic story. “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” is available to stream on Disney+.

Briones can be seen as Dr. Richard Hanover in the show Ratched on Netflix. Some recent Television appearances include Ariel Augustus,The Grand Chancellor of the Warlocks on American Horror Story: Apocolypse., Modesto Cunanan in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace as Modesto Cunanan, and an appearance on All Rise. In his recent stage career, he was on Broadway with the transfer of London's West End Revival of Miss Saigon playing the Engineer. On Broadway he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and was given a Theater World Award. He can next been seen in the upcoming supernatural horror film "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" which is adapted from a chapter of the original 1897 Bram Stoker novel Dracula.

Manji is a Canadian actor, known best for his portrayal of Ray Butani on Schitt's Creek and Rajiv Gidwani in the NBC Universal TV series Outsourced. He also appeared in seasons 2-5 of The Magicians, a fantasy television series on SyFy. In 2019, he starred in the NBC comedy Perfect Harmony as Reverend Jax. He is currently working on the film Shazam! Fury of the Gods, set to premiere in 2023.

American Contemporary Ballet's artistic director/choreographer Lincoln Jones and performer Paige Wilkey (Sugar Plum Fairy, Mother Ginger) chat about the innovative, fresh and immersive Nutcracker Suite show that ACB has put on during the holiday season.

Long characterized as the quintessential ballet to see every year during holidays, the American Contemporary Ballet - under the leadership of Jones - has employed an interactive and fantasy-like twist on the well-known ballet. From pre- and post-show receptions featuring popcorn and glasses of champagne to being surrounded by snow on the walls and floors, ACB's The Nutcracker Suite offers something new and more adult to the typical child-friendly show.

In this interview, Jones shares his inspiration for wanting to put an immersive twist on The Nutcracker and the various winter wonderland-inspired elements that make you feel part of the show. Wilkey, who's performed in a production of The Nutcracker every year, shares why ACB's refreshing take on the ballet allows her to fully showcase her talents while successfully reinventing the show to be more exciting and impactful.

Proudly celebrating 20 spectacular years in the community, The Grove’s annual tree lighting ceremony returned this past Sunday in partnership with CBS for the taping of its annual holiday special, the “24TH ANNUAL A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS AT THE GROVE” hosted by Gloria Estefan.

The special will feature performances by artists including Estefan, Andy Grammer, Little Big Town, DavidFoster and Katharine McPhee as well as uplifting stories of adoption from foster care, raising awareness of this important social issue. It will be broadcast Friday, Dec. 23 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. 

We had the opportunity to chat with McPhee, Foster, and Guyton on some of their holiday traditions and what it means to ring in the holiday season at Los Angeles' most popular Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

For this week's episode, Max is chatting with actress Mena Suvari, who we all know and love from her past work such as Six Feet Under, American Horror Story,  the American Pie franchise and American Beauty, the latter for which earned her a SAG Award and BAFTA nomination for Supporting Actress. Also joining Mena is director Kevin Lewis who most recently directed Willy’s Wonderland with Nicolas Cage.

Now, they’re out with their latest film The Accursed which follows a young woman who is hired by Mena’s character Alma to take a temporary caregiver job for an elderly patient living alone in the woods.  It does not take long before she realizes that this woman harbors a demonic presence hiding inside of her.

Production designer Kathrin Eder - whose past credits include Big Time Adolescence, The Night House, and Three Months - discusses her work in the Hulu original film Hellraiser, a reboot of the popular horror franchise.

Putting an end to our 29 year-long wait, screenwriter Jen D'Angelo is responsible for penning the script for Hocus Pocus 2, the much anticipated sequel to the classic Halloween film. In her interview, Jen chats about how Disney asked her to write a script for a potential sequel, her own obsession with Hocus Pocus during her upbringing, and working with the iconic actresses Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker who embody the Sanderson Sisters.

Although Hocus Pocus 2 is her feature writing debut, D'Angelo's past writing/producing credits include TV series such as Workaholics, LA to Vegas, and Young Rock. Her next project is an untitled comedy film centered around two sisters, played by Sandra Oh and Awkwafina, set to be released on Hulu in 2023.

Emmy-nominated hair/makeup department heads Jaime Leigh McIntosh and Tina Roesler Kerwin share what it was like physically transforming Ana de Armas into the iconic Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik/Netflix’s BLONDE.

Kerwin's previous credits include The Mask, Boogie Nights, The Wedding Singer, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, Spanglish, Fun with Dick and Jane, He’s Just Not That Into You, A Christmas Carol, Beginners, Mud, End of Watch, Dirty Grandpa, Killing of a Sacred Deer, Top Gun Maverick, and The Gray Man.

McIntosh's previous credits include King Kong, The Lovely Bones, Avatar, The Hobbit films, Blade Runner 2049, Black Panther, Us, Captain Marvel, Ad Astra, Bombshell, The First Lady, The Gray Man, and Don’t Worry Darling.

Adapted from Oscar-winning filmmaker Dustin Lance Black’s 2019 memoir “Mama’s Boy: A Story from our Americas,” MAMA’S BOY centers around the upbringing of the “Milk” screenwriter. Traveling back to the places where he grew up, Black explores his childhood roots, gay identity and close relationship with his mother, who overcame childhood polio, abusive marriages and Mormon dogma, while becoming Black’s emotional rock and ultimately, the inspiration for his activism. With a wealth of personal photographs and candid memories from Black’s family, colleagues, and friends, MAMA’S BOY embraces the personal to tell a universally hopeful tale of resilience and reconciliation through the power of love and shared stories.

MAMA'S BOY is directed by Laurent Bouzereau who shares what propelled him to adapt Black's memoir into a feature documentary, his collaboration with Black, and the parallels in lived experiences he shared with Black that made working on this documentary a passion project.

MAMA'S BOY is streaming on HBOMax.

Academy Award nominated screenwriter and director Peter Hedges is out with his latest film THE SAME STORM, which takes place during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, giving an intimate look into the lives of twenty-four characters as they journey through the spring and summer of 2020. The film is released in select theatres October 14th.

Hedges previous directing credits include Ben is Back, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Dan in Real Life, and Pieces of April. He's also written What's Eating Gilbert Grape and About a Boy, the latter of which earned him his Oscar and BAFTA nomination for screenwriting.