Fall TV Preview & Primetime Emmy Predictions with Norman Baker – IP 134

September has arrived and Fall is right around the corner! (Yeah, we said it, FALL! Where does the time go!?)

So, we’re getting you ready for the Fall TV season with special guest Norman Baker- who, as a self-proclaimed ‘Pop Culture Genius’, utilizes his entertainment prowess every day as a Senior Producer on The Wendy Williams Show. We find out what it takes to put together the Hot Topics segment of the popular daytime talk show and what inspired Norman to get into television production.

Then, Norman shares which new Fall TV shows he is looking forward to checking out including ABC’s A Million Little Things, CBS’s Murphy Brown and The CW’s All American and then we discuss who will win and who should win Best Comedy and Best Drama at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards.

Plus, in this week’s Big Sell, Sean gives his rating and review of Ibeyi’s “River” music video and shares a new album by soul/rock artist, Fantastic Negrito, who also performed at this year’s AfroPunk festival.

Follow Norman @normmaker on Twitter and Instagram

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And you can also find us on Maximumfun.org

Shining a Light on Cinematography: A Conversation with Graham Willoughby – IP 133

If you’ve ever been struck by the beauty that fills the screen while watching a particular film or television show you have the cinematographer to thank. The cinematographer – or Director of Photography – is responsible for helping the director achieve their vision; and whether the goal is to create an eye catching effect or to simply make natural light look ‘natural’ on film, the cinematographer commands a unique combination of creative intuition and technical expertise to achieve success.

This week- Amita and Sean speak with Graham Willoughby, the cinematographer of a number of incredible documentaries including the Oscar winning 20 Feet from Stardom and the hit doc of the summer, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Graham discusses the road that led him to be one of the most sought after non-fiction DPs working today. He also discusses television projects he has worked on (Abstract, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas) and how he manages to work in a number of different genres including music, biography and comedy.

And in the latest Big Sell, Amita reviews the Frank Ocean-centric podcast Dissect and Big Sells Sean a song and video combo by the group Ibeyi.

Check out Graham Willoughby’s Official Site

Follow him on Instagram @nationalpleasure

Check out Sean’s overly precious, non-collaborative Afropunk Warm Up 2018 Playlist

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And you can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Game of Thrones Finale: The Dragon and the Wolf; Pop Culture in NYC, Miguel’s ‘Sky Walker’ – IP 89

It’s all about our two favorite places on this week’s episode; New York City and . . .Westeros!

We recap the Game of Thrones season seven finale, “The Dragon and the Wolf,” and celebrate the Stark Siblings’ team work, analyze the Kings Landing Meet-Up Royale and question the ramifications of Jon and Dany’s union (and when we say ‘union’ we mean they SMASHED!) We also tell you where we think this season ranks compared to others and let you know how long you’ll have to wait for the 8th and final season of this epic series.

We also talk about the jam packed week of pop culture consumption we experienced in our hometown of NYC ( the greatest city in the world – just ask the Schuyler Sisters!). Our 7 days of being out and about include:

  • AfroPunk – where we saw live performances from Solange, Sampha, Soul II Soul, Raphael Saddiq, Michael Kiwanuka, Macy Gray, Nao, Blitz the Ambassador and hung out with hundreds of people representing Black Girl Magic and Black Boy Joy!
  • Dave Chappelle & Solange at the iconic Radio City Music Hall.
  • An exclusive screening of the new doc, A Suitable Girl, that explores arranged marriages in India.
  • Fellow Max Fun podcasters The Greatest Generation’s live Show (and after the live show there was the after party!).
  • Kendrick Lamar live!

And Amita Big Sells Sean something to help him – and you – deal with Game of Thrones withdrawal.

Plus – we review the new single and music video, “Sky Walker,” by singer, songwriter and mutual object of Pop Insiders’ affection -Miguel.

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Links

Check out the Youtube channel of Nao, one of our favorite discoveries at AfroPunk.

Game of Thrones “Eastwatch” recap; Marvel’s Luke Cage Executive Producer Cheo Hodari Coker interview – IP 87

We look forward and backward and completely nerd out this week!

First up, we recap the latest Game of Thrones episode, “Eastwatch” and look ahead to how these tangled plot lines may play out. Is Cersei Lannister with child? Will Lord Baelish put his little finger between the recently reunited Stark sister act?

Then Amita completely surprises Sean with a Game of Thrones Inside Pop Quiz! Does Sean know a Tully from a Tarly? Can he name all three of Daenerys’ dragons? Listen to find out!

Then, in anticipation of this week’s premiere of The Defenders on Netflix, we revisit our conversation with Marvel’s Luke Cage Creator and Executive Producer Cheo Hodari Coker who discusses his future plans for the Luke Cage character.

And in the Big Sell, Amita shares her reaction to an Afropunk 2017 playlist and she big sells Sean a new song by BOSCO featuring St. Beauty.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @PopInsiders

You can also find us at MaximumFun.org

Links:

HBO Viewers Guide

For our full interview with Cheo Hodari Coker- check out Inside Pop Episode 54

Game Of Thrones: The Spoils of War, Queen Sugar mid-season 2 finale, Detroit reactions, The Suffers – IP 86

This week, we have a spoiler FILLED discussion about the latest episode of Game of Thrones (You’ve been warned!) Reunions, Deaths (?) and Dragons- oh my!

Plus, we discuss the mid-season finale of one of our favorite shows- Queen Sugar and talk about how the series is taking it up a notch in its 2nd Season.

And we read some listener feedback to our discussion last week about the portrayal of South Asian relationships in Film and TV.

Then, we talk about the lackluster box office for the film Detroit and our thoughts on why audiences may not have embraced the film as expected.

And of course, we have another brand new Big Sell! Sean gives his thoughts on last week’s suggestion- the band, The Suffers, and sells Amita on a playlist that features artists from the upcoming AfroPunk music festival.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @PopInsiders

You can also find us at MaximumFun.org

Links:

Den of Geek Game of Thrones Death prediction article
Spotify AfroPunk Playlist