We just experienced what is likely to be the only debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, and it was raining cats and dogs. (More on that in a bit.) The big question is, who won? Did Kamala Harris define herself?  And was Donald Trump able to stay on message? H. Alan Scott was joined by Newsweek’s Jesse Edwards to break it all down.  

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Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney is just as much of a ‘Sopranos’ fan as you and I are. That’s why he’s turning his attention to ‘Sopranos’ creator David Chase in his new two-part HBO documentary ‘Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos.’ The doc looks at the origins of what inspired the Emmy-winning series and how it pulls from Chase’s own life. Gibney joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to talk about ‘The Sopranos,’ what surprised him about his chats with Chase, and yes, we talked about that iconic last episode too. (Because how can we not?)

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As Kamala Harris bunkers down in debate prep, Donald Trump is preparing by doing a lot of nothing. “Not a lot to do,” he told a New Hampshire radio station. Meanwhile, Republicans like John McCain’s son Jimmy and former Rep. Liz Cheney have said they’re voting for Harris. As all this is going on, RNC co-chair, Lara Trump, has decided to dabble in music. (Yes, music.) To help make sense of it all, Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott is joined by writer and comedian Will Weldon (host of the podcast ‘I Hate Bill Maher’). 

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Carrie Coon is having such a moment right now, even though you may not recognize her. (And she’s fine with that.) “I rarely am recognized. It may be the age I am, partly, but it's also I don't present in the world like any kind of film star.” The Emmy-nominated star of The Gilded Age will next be seen in Netflix’s His Three Daughters (September 20). “The relationships feel real, the dynamics feel believable, and yet it's still an Azazel Jacobs movie.” While Coon was taken by the story of three daughters caring for their ill father, it was working alongside Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen that sealed the deal. “I immediately signed on when I heard their names.” While her family thinks of her as “lighthearted,” she admits she often plays, “high strung, anxious people.” “I'm not afraid of robust language. I'm not afraid of theatricality on camera. I love a big, bold, truthful performance. I don't feel like you always have to be small for camera. And sometimes, frankly, I think it's really boring.” While she’s “grateful no one ever recognizes me,” that could change soon with her appearance in the third season of The White Lotus. Until then, Coon says right now things are as they should be. “I wouldn't have it any other way.”

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In just one week former President Donald Trump got indicted (again), allegedly got into some kind of altercation at Arlington National Cemetery (how?), agreed to and then casted doubt on debating Vice President Kamala Harris, spoke to Dr. Phil and sold some trading cards. Comedian, actor and writer Jenny Yang joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to break it all down and attempt to make sense of it.

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Sometimes the scariest thing can be the things we take for granted: our personal devices. Cell phones, smart TVs, Siri, Alexa. That's exactly what John Cho must battle in Chris Weitz's new film AfrAId (August 30). "Siri and I have a bumpy relationship. I've been looking at her askance for years." Cho plays Curtis, a dad tasked with protecting his family after their digital assistant turns against them. "Looking back on my own parenting, we didn't really think twice about the computer and the iPad, which is just a really open tunnel for the whole world to get to our children." Acknowledging the pros and cons of technology, Cho says "the film is really about, what if the con was much worse than we thought?" Cho jumped at the role because of Weitz. "He happened to write a fantastic film, but there's a chance I would have done it even if it was terrible, because I love him so much." And AfrAId adds another unique credit to Cho's impressively diverse resume. "I was [always] an omnivore when it came to entertainment. It's not like I stayed in one particular lane." 

Read the Transcript: https://www.newsweek.com/2024/09/13/john-cho-would-change-nothing-about-his-omnivorous-resume-1945126.html 

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When you've reached the level of stardom Nick Jonas has, you can pretty much do anything. But his fame isn't a factor for him when picking projects, the story is. "It's definitely helpful to work with brilliant people. And this one [The Good Half] is insane." In the film, Jonas plays Renn, who returns home for his mom's funeral. He says the movie "made me think of great films that I think do that really well, where the themes and the story might be sad [but] the only way through situations is to find the humor." Known for music, Jonas is proud to do a variety of things, including an expected 2025 Broadway musical The Last Five Years. "I get to be really creative with the things that I take on in the acting space, in addition to the music side of things. And Broadway is a combination of both, which will be a great challenge and super-fun experience." In the end, though, it's all about the people. "It's incredible to just keep jumping to different projects and seeing the creative voices and just powerhouse people that I'm fortunate enough to work with." 

Read the Transcript: https://www.newsweek.com/2024/08/30/nick-jonas-big-imagination-guides-his-choices-want-do-it-all-1939450.html 

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Ever since Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in King Richard, she's kept busy with three major upcoming projects. In Lee Daniel's The Deliverance (in theaters now; on Netflix August 30), she co-stars alongside Glenn Close and Mo'Nique. "I just hope they didn't catch me staring." She's following that up with Hulu's The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat (August 23), about Ellis-Taylor's Odette and her two best friends. "I love that Odette was always a protector of her friends...I just think that's heroic." And she's wrapping things up this fall with the film adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel The Nickel Boys. For Ellis-Taylor, it was the curiosity of the real-life events that led her to it. "I love that idea that it opens this door to discovering things that we just don't know about." But no matter how busy she is, she's self-aware about this moment in her career. "It's cyclical. You have these moments where it just feels like, 'OK, I'm doing the thing,' and then something can happen and you feel like you're not doing the thing anymore. I am just grateful." 

Read the Transcript: https://www.newsweek.com/2024/08/30/aunjanue-ellis-taylor-how-friendships-can-our-greatest-romances-1942024.html 

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Kamala Harris is officially the Democratic nominee for president. As she wowed the crowd on the final night of the Democratic National Convention—who all were lowkey hoping Beyonce would make an appearance—Donald Trump was spiraling on Truth social, reacting in real time to her speech. Newsweek’s Jenni Fink and Jason Lemon join H. Alan Scott to break down all the events of the final night of the DNC. 

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Oprah Winfrey just picked Kamala Harris as her new favorite thing, will America do the same? If the impact of the Oprah Effect is real, then it’s a real possibility. Day three of the Democratic National Convention was filled with speeches from former President Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, but the night really belonged to two people and two people alone: Governor Tim Walz and Oprah Winfrey. Newsweek’s Jenni Fink and Jason Lemon join H. Alan Scott to break down all the events of night three of the DNC.  

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