THE HOLLYWOOD PODCAST

Emile Hirsch is best known for his breakthrough performance in Into the Wild, directed by Sean Penn, which received worldwide acclaim, garnering him a SAG Award nomination.  Emile can be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood opposite Margot Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Brad Pitt, as well as the action comedy The Comeback Trail, with Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman. Hirsch starred in the psychological sci-fil thriller Freaks and Never Grow Old opposite John Cusack, directed by Ivan Kavanaugh. In 2013, Hirsch starred in the critically acclaimed box office hit Lone Survivor opposite Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, and Ben Foster. Now, Hirsch can be seen in the upcoming psychological thriller The Immaculate Room.

The Immaculate Room is about Mike (Emile Hirsch) and Kate (Kate Bosworth), a seemingly perfect couple, who join a psychological experiment to compete for five million dollars if they can last 50 days in a sleek, white room in complete isolation. No phones, no family – only the Voice of the Immaculate Room keeping them in check if they think of straying. But as the clock ticks down, the Room becomes more than it seems, putting them through cruel tests to break their resolve and resurfacing private demons which they may not survive.

Rickey Minor is an Emmy-winning music director, composer and record producer. He was the musical director and bandleader on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 2010 to 2014. He also served as music director for numerous tours of superstars including Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Ray Charles, Alicia Keys and Beyoncé. Some of the television productions Minor has worked on as a music director include the Grammy Awards, the Tony Awards, the Oscars, the Kennedy Center Honors, American Idol, the Peoples Choice Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, and the Primetime Emmy Awards. He is nominated for two Primetime Emmys this year for Outstanding Music Direction; for the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors and the 44th Kennedy Center Honors.

Minor has received twelve Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Music Direction, winning two of them, for Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America (2017) and The Kennedy Center Honors (2020).

Johnnie Burn is the supervising sound editor, sound deisgner, and re-recording mixer on the new Jordan Peele science fiction horror NOPE, while Nicholas Monsour served as the editor. Together, they shared how the collaborated with each other and with Peele to create the cinematic spectacle of the summer.

Nicholas, who also edited Peele's last film “US,” discussed how was able to meet demands of the novel technical aspects while keeping his editing in the style of the director. Johnnie shared how he used sound to push the story forward and create that ‘on-edge’ feeling for both the characters and the audience to experience together.

Faye (Dale Dickey) is a lone traveler biding her time fishing, birding and stargazing at a rural Colorado campground as she awaits the arrival of Lito (Wes Studi), a figure from her past who is navigating his own tentative and nomadic journey across the rugged West. Like the country music that has traditionally channeled the heartbreak and resilience of Americans in search of themselves and others, A Love Song weaves a lyrical and ultimately joyful refrain out of the transformative act of being alone —and reminds us that love can nourish and mystify at any age.

A Love Song is written and directed by Max Walker-Silverman.

Kevin Bacon plays Owen Whistler in this slasher horror film set at an LGBTQIA+ conversion camp. Several queer campers, led by iron-willed Jordan (Theo Germaine) and Alexandria (Quei Tann), join Whistler for a week of programming intended to “help them find a new sense of freedom”. As the camp’s methods become increasingly more psychologically unsettling, the campers must work together to protect themselves. When an unidentified killer starts claiming victims, things get even more dangerous.  

Max spoke with (in order of interviews) Kevin Bacon, Carrie Preston, three-time Oscar nominated screenwriter/director John Logan, Quei Tann, Boone Platt, Hayley Griffith, Anna Lore, Monique Kim, Austin Crute, Darwin del Fabro, Cooper Koch and executive producer Scott Turner Schofield.

The political campaign documentary A RUN FOR MORE is about a corporate executive, political campaigner, military spouse, and proud Latinx daughter of immigrants, Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe, who decides to campaign as the first trans woman to run for city council in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas, facing a different kind of challenge—and this time it’s personal.

As part of the 40th anniversary of Outfest, artist, actor and filmmaker Lio Mehiel (WeCrashed, Apple+) presented a three-part pop-up art presentation titled Ancient Futures at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood, from July 14 - 24 to highlight trans bodies.

The exhibition celebrates trans beauty, expressed through a single-channel video installation, a photo essay, and a sculpture series by British multidisciplinary artist Holly Silius (recent collaborators include Pussy Riot, KKW and Mr Wash). The centerpiece of the presentation is four stone sculptures modeled after Emmy-nominated actress Rain Valdez (Razor Tongue), actor Sydney Mae Diaz (Generation, HBOmax), photographer and artist A.Klass and Lio Mehiel.

ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY is a journey across three decades of the International Male catalog's lasting impact on fashion, masculinity, and gay rights. With revenues at its peak of $120 million and circulation of over 3 million, the catalog successfully appealed to both gay and straight audiences, and helped transform conservative notions of American masculinity towards a more carefree, cosmopolitan, and confident expression. Directed by Bryan Darling and Jesse Finley Reed, written and produced by Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jones, and narrated by Matt Bomer (MAGIC MIKE, THE BOYS IN THE BAND, etc…), ALL MAN is a character-driven portrait of a band of outsiders who changed the way men looked and how the world looked at them.

Wayne Pashley is the re-recording mixer, sound designer and supervising sound editor of the new Baz Luhrmann biopic ELVIS, depicting the life and career of Elvis Presley.

ELVIS is an epic, big-screen spectacle directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann that explores the life and music of Elvis Presley, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. Elvis’s story is seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The film delves into the complex dynamic between the two spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.

Wayne discusses how he collaborated with Baz to immerse us into the symphonic world of Elvis' life and music. He also shares how he was able to go through Elvis' career timeline, weaving cross-cultural musical soundscapes, while enhancing the mystery of the relationship between the two main players. He also discusses how he got the crowds to feel like a real live audience and his creative use of vintage microphones to foster a seamless transition between stage dialogue and singing vocal performances.

halfsies tells the story of five half-brothers, who come together after their sibling's mysterious death and are inadvertently launched on a quest to find the truth behind his murder when his ghost shows up at the wake. In addition to Des, it stars Wade Allain-Marcus (INSECURE) and Devere Rogers (HONK FOR JESUS, SAVE YOUR SOUL), among many other talented folks.

Des Moran is a Producer on Peacock's QUEER AS FOLK reimagining and a Supervising Producer on Hulu’s upcoming adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s National Bestseller, TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS. Previously he worked on seasons three and four of Freeform's hit comedy GROWN-ISH, and seasons one and two of NBC/Netflix's GOOD GIRLS. In features, Des is writing a musical for Warner Brothers, executive produced by Cynthia Erivo, Josh Gad, and Rideback.

Brad Klipfel is a Writer and Director who splits his time between Portland and Los Angeles, and originally hails from St. Louis. As a Director, his short, KALEIDACORP has screened at Cannes, Las Vegas, and Miami International Film Festivals, among others. Recently, his prestige limited docuseries project sold to Hulu in a competitive situation. As a Producer, his work has been profiled as VIMEO Short of the Week. As a Screenwriter, his scripts have placed in various competitions and festivals, including the Nicholls Screenwriting Fellowship, Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab, and others.