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Documentary filmmaker James Jones tells the unbelievable story of CEO-turned-fugitive Carlos Ghosn in “Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn.” In 2018, the former auto executive of Nissan and Renault was arrested in Japan on charges of financial misconduct. He then escaped prosecution by being smuggled out of the country…in a box. Jones, director of the BAFTA-winning “Chernobyl: The Last Tapes,” explores questions surrounding CEO excess and a potential corporate takedown in this four-part Apple TV+ series. Alec Baldwin speaks with James Jones about getting Ghosn to be interviewed for the series, the people who suffered collateral damage and if Ghosn, now residing in Lebanon, will ever be held accountable.
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With as many as a million plant and animal species expected to vanish by 2050, the time is now to intervene and reverse the tide…before it is too late. Andrea Crosta is the founder of the non-profit Earth League International, an “Intelligence agency for Earth,” which protects wildlife, oceans, and forests through intelligence-gathering, research and investigative operations. ELI collaborates with governmental agencies and helps bring down illegal wildlife traffickers, their networks, and those engaged in the “criminal exploitation of nature.” Their work has resulted in the arrest of a jaguar-fang ring in Bolivia and helping the Mexican government pursue the “Cartel of the Sea,” which trafficks sea cucumbers and totoaba. Alec Baldwin speaks with Andrea Crosta about the experiences that led him to this work, what it’s like meeting wildlife traffickers face to face, and why we are in a “now or never” moment for our ecosystem.
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Publishing powerhouse Michael Wolff is the bestselling author of the definitive trilogy on the Trump White House: “Fire and Fury,” “Siege,” and “Landslide.” He also has served as a columnist for New York magazine, Vanity Fair, British GQ, the Guardian and the Hollywood Reporter – and is the recipient of two National Magazine Awards. Wolff’s most recent release, “The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty,” follows up his biography of Rupert Murdoch, “The Man Who Owns the News,” with further insight into the media mogul and the behind-the-scenes machinations of the cable news network, positing that the end of its influential era may be near. Michael Wolff joins Alec Baldwin for a live event at Town Hall in New York City to discuss his latest book, his writing process, and the state of journalism today.
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Alec Baldwin speaks with two genius musicians whose artistry has contributed to some of the most memorable songs of the sixties, seventies and eighties, leaving an indelible mark on the music world. Steve Gadd, one of the most influential drummers of all time, is known for bridging jazz, rock, and blues. He has been a studio musician for countless artists from Carly Simon to Aretha Franklin – and tours with musicians like Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Joe Cocker, as well as with his own outfit, The Steve Gadd Band. His artistry can be found on Paul Simon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” and Steely Dan’s “Aja.” Larry Carlton is a four-time Grammy winning jazz and rock guitarist who became famous for his work as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s. He has played in over 3,000 studio sessions with artists like Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton and many others. Rolling Stone named his contribution to Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne” one of the best guitar solos in rock music. Carlton is also renowned for his solo work and as a member of the jazz group The Crusaders and the smooth jazz band Fourplay.
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Photojournalist Brian Hamill is known for his still photographs from movie sets and portraits of rock and roll legends, athletes, celebrities, and politicians. Everyone from Muhammad Ali to Frank Sinatra to Barbara Streisand has been the subject of his lens over the course of his five decades of work. The life-long New Yorker has captured some of the most iconic photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which were recently compiled into his 2022 book, “Dream Lovers: John and Yoko in NYC.” His work on set spans more than 75 motion pictures, including unforgettable films like “Annie Hall,” “Raging Bull,” “Big,” “Tootsie,” and “You’ve Got Mail.” Hamill’s photojournalism experience extends to capturing moments of strife and conflict, including the 1994 Northridge Earthquake and “The Troubles” in 1970s Northern Ireland. Alec Baldwin speaks to Hamill about growing up in Brooklyn as the child of Irish immigrants, his behind-the-scenes experiences on the world’s most memorable movie sets, and the backstory that led to taking John Lennon’s portrait.
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As the writers’ and actors' strike in Hollywood stretches into the fall, many have called this moment “existential.” After negotiations with AMPTP, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, broke down, SAG-AFTRA and WGA members took to picket lines over dwindling wages and the use of artificial intelligence, which may change the entertainment industry forever. Writer, director, and producer Justine Bateman is one guild member warning of A.I.'s potentially devastating influence. Following her roles in Family Ties and Satisfaction, among many others, Bateman transitioned to working behind the scenes as a filmmaker and author. She earned her Computer Science and Digital Media Management degree from UCLA in 2016, which has become all the more relevant facing the rise of A.I. Bateman speaks with Alec Baldwin about the threat A.I. poses to the entire entertainment industry, how the business has changed since she first started in it, and what drives her creative work.
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It’s time for the final episode in our Summer Staff Picks series, highlighting favorite conversations from the Here’s The Thing archives. This week, we revisit Alec Baldwin’s conversation with Andrew Berman. He has been called one of the most powerful people in New York real estate, but not because he's a deep-pocketed developer. Berman is the Executive Director of Village Preservation, where he advocates for the protection and conservation of historically important buildings and sites in Greenwich Village, the East Village and NoHo, including the cultural touchstone The Stonewall Inn. Alec first spoke with Berman in 2015 regarding his background and what led him to this field, how the changing zoning laws affect his work, and his wish for the city’s future. Berman joined Alec again earlier this summer for an update on his work since last they spoke, including the recent wins that Village Preservation has achieved, the ways the city has changed since covid and the challenges involved in solving the city’s affordable housing crisis.
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Our summer tradition at Here’s the Thing continues, as staff members choose their favorite conversations from the archives for our Summer Staff Pick series. This week, we revisit Alec’s 2021 interview with Mick Fleetwood, drummer and founding member of Fleetwood Mac, one of the most successful rock bands of all time and creators of enduring hits like “Landslide,” “Dreams,” and “Don’t Stop.” Fleetwood talks to Alec about how his dyslexia led him to drumming, how supportive parents encouraged his talent and his move to London as a teenager, how his friendship with the band’s founder, guitarist Peter Green, evolved to a life-long friendship, and how Fleetwood Mac balanced the weight of their interpersonal dynamics and the band’s wild, over-the-top success.
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Making recent headlines is the arrest in a cold case over a decade-old, the Long Island Serial Killer. From 2010 to 2012, the remains of 11 bodies were found on or near Gilgo Beach on the east end of Long Island, New York. In July of 2023, authorities arrested Rex Heuermann, a 59-year old architect charged with the murder of three women in the case – and named as a prime suspect in a fourth, based on phone records and DNA evidence. True crime documentary and podcast producers Billy Jensen and Alexis Linkletter were on the hunt long before these recent developments. Their 2021 podcast,“Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer,'' uncovers a web of corruption and cover-ups perpetuated by the Suffolk County Police Department that enabled the investigation to go unresolved for so long. Alec speaks with Jensen and Linkletter about their findings, what the recent discoveries reveal – and what questions still remain.
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Acclaimed jazz musician Christian McBride has made hundreds of recordings, won eight Grammy Awards and led numerous ensembles, including the Christian McBride Band, the Christian McBride Big Band, Inside Straight and the New Jawn. The versatile bassist has collaborated with jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Ray Brown, Freddie Hubbard, and Chick Corea, as well as artists outside the genre like Sting, Paul McCartney and Celine Dion. Known as a child prodigy, McBride performed with Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis while still in high school, where he attended Philadelphia’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, alongside future members of The Roots and Boyz II Men. McBride now serves as the artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival and the educational foundation Jazz House Kids. Christian McBride speaks with Alec about his influences, leaving Juilliard early to go on the road, and how being a working musician is similar to being a professional athlete. For information on upcoming tour dates, go to christianmcbride.com.
You can find a playlist featuring Alec’s favorite Christian McBride songs here.
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Our Here’s the Thing Summer Staff Picks series continues, featuring our favorite episodes from the archives. This week, we revisit Alec’s 2021 interview with U.S. Representative Katie Porter. In 2018, Porter was the first Democrat ever to be elected in her traditionally conservative Orange County, California district. Prompted to run by Trump’s 2016 win, Porter quickly made a name for herself with her tough questioning of CEOs and administration officials, often using a whiteboard to lay out the facts. Katie Porter’s no-nonsense approach comes in part from her upbringing in Iowa. During the farm crisis of the 1980s, she saw first-hand how her father, a third generation farmer turned community loan officer, helped to support their neighbors. She went on to study bankruptcy law under Elizabeth Warren at Harvard Law School and become a consumer protection attorney and a law professor. A single mom to three school-age children, Katie Porter tells Alec people often have often underestimated her - at their own peril.
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Our staff picks continue at “Here’s The Thing,” where throughout the summer, members of our team select their favorite interviews from the archives. This week, we revisit Alec’s 2021 interview with Hans Zimmer, one of the most celebrated and successful film composers of all time. The German-born Zimmer has scored more than 150 movies including “Gladiator,” “Hannibal,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “The Last Samurai,” and “The Thin Red Line,” earning him two Academy Awards (“Dune” and “The Lion King”) and four Grammys. His collaboration with director Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Interstellar,” “Dunkirk,” and “Inception,”) has become one of the most celebrated partnerships in movie history. Zimmer shares with Alec how he knew music was his path, how his partnership with Nolan began, and how his scores seek to enrich a film’s emotional journey.
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We are continuing our summer tradition at “Here’s The Thing” where members of the staff select their favorite interviews from the archives. This week, we revisit Alec Baldwin’s conversations with two amazing women in entertainment, Lena Dunham and Carol Burnett. Lena Dunham, creator and star of the ground-breaking “Girls” and writer/director of the recent film “Catherine Called Birdy,” spoke with Alec in 2013 about making her first film, “Tiny Furniture,” how her work evolved following its success and what it's like to play a version of herself. In 2015, Alec spoke with comedian and actress Carol Burnett about making 11-seasons of the Emmy-winning “The Carol Burnett Show,” navigating being a woman in show business in the 60s and creating her incredible performance as Miss Hannigan in “Annie.”
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Against the backdrop of soaring stock prices and multi-million dollar executive packages, the labor movement is undergoing a resurgence. A Starbucks location in Buffalo, NY became the first within the coffee chain to unionize in 2021, and since then, more than 330 stores in 39 states have followed suit – with more elections underway. All the while, the Starbucks corporation was engaging in controversial labor-busting practices: the National Labor Relations Board found that Starbucks violated federal labor laws and a federal judge ruled that Starbucks engaged in “egregious and widespread misconduct.” Guest Gianna Reeve is an employee of the Camp Road Starbucks in the Buffalo area – and an organizer with Starbucks Workers United. Reeve joins Alec Baldwin to share her experience at one of the first stores to organize, the conditions that led to the unionization efforts, and what the Starbucks Workers United organization hopes for the future.
Gianna Reeve is a featured participant in the upcoming documentary “The Baristas vs The Billionaire.” To learn more, visit: www.baristasvsbillionaire.com
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This past year marked the 75th Anniversary of the Actors Studio, the nonprofit organization that has shared “truth in acting” with decades of film, television and theater professionals. This episode is the next in our series celebrating some of those responsible for the studio’s success. Guests Roberta and Katherine Wallach are the daughters of stage and screen stars Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach. Jackson and Wallach met during a 1946 production of the Tennessee Williams’ play, “This Property Is Condemned.” They became early members of the Actors Studio and would go on to perform together in film, tv and theater for decades. Roberta and Katherine are actors in their own right, members of the studio, and sit on its Board of Directors. Katherine Wallach has appeared in “Goodfellas,” “The King of Comedy” and “Gangs of New York” and also uses her creative talents as a jewelry designer. Roberta Wallach is a Drama-Desk nominee and began her film career while still in high school. The siblings share what it was like growing up around acting royalty, their father’s perspective on them going into the family business and their thoughts on their parents' enduring legacy.
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Rafael Payare, or “Rafa,” as he’s known more informally, is the energetic, electrifying and unmistakable conductor that is taking the classical world by storm. Payare currently serves as Music Director of both the Montreal and San Diego Symphonies. A graduate of Venezuela’s famed El Sistema program, Payare first attracted attention as winner of Denmark’s Malko International Conducting Competition in 2012. Since then, he’s brought his exuberance and elegance to conduct preeminent orchestras across the globe, from London to New York, Munich to Boston, and Stockholm to Chicago. Rafael Payare speaks with Alec about the many important conductors he’s learned from, how he approaches putting together a music program, and why finding the right chemistry with an orchestra is like falling in love.
The following compositions are featured in this episode:
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5 with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, conducted by Rafael Payare, provided courtesy of Pentatone. You can find the album here.
Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103 “The Year 1905,” conducted by Rafael Payare, courtesy of the San Diego Symphony on Platoon. You can find the album here.
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Filmmaker Ryan White has made a dizzying array of unique documentaries, including “The Keepers,” about the unsolved murder of a Catholic nun, “The Case Against 8” about the fight for marriage equality, “Good Night Oppy,” which traces the journey of NASA’s Mars Rover and “Assassins,” about the murder of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother. The Emmy-nominated director’s latest project, “Pamela, A Love Story,” is a raw look at the life of 90’s bombshell Pamela Anderson. It showcases a more vulnerable side of the actress and re-examines the major life events of the star – from her rise to fame to the infamous, stolen sex tape with her then-husband, Tommy Lee. Alec speaks with Ryan White about what he learned filming with Anderson, the impact the documentary had on her life and how he balances the light and the dark of his projects.
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There is an important conversation happening regarding the rapidly-changing world of artificial intelligence and how it will affect us. Alec speaks with two leaders in the tech community that have worked on the systems integral to today’s A.I. revolution. Blake Lemoine is a computer scientist and former senior software engineer at Google. He was working on their Responsible A.I. team when he went public with his claim that the A.I. was sentient. Lemoine was subsequently fired and now champions accountability and transparency in the tech sector. Jay LeBoeuf is an executive, entrepreneur, and educator in the music and creative technology industries. He is the Head Of Business & Corporate Development at Descript, an audio and video editing platform that uses “voice cloning” technology. Alec speaks with LeBoeuf and Lemoine about the many applications of A.I., what dangers we need to be aware of and what is to come next in this transformative space.
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Last week, we lost the great singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. In honor of his passing, Alec is sharing his 2016 conversation with the musician, one of his favorites in the history of the podcast: Over the course of a career that has lasted more than half a century, Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot achieved global stardom and exceptional influence. Bob Dylan’s a fan—he's said, “I can’t think of any [Lightfoot songs] I don’t like.” These songs—“Beautiful,” “Sundown,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” and many others—have been treasured by generations of popular musicians and listeners around the world. But Gordon Lightfoot was just one of many aspirants who moved to Toronto in the early 1960s to try their hand in the burgeoning folk music scene there. Lightfoot tells Alec about fitting a feeling to a melody, why he owes his first hit record to an exec's girlfriend, and how he wrote "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by pulling lines straight from the newspaper.
You can listen to all of the music from this episode and other selections from Gordon Lightfoot in a curated playlist here.
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Forty years ago, “Vietnam: A Television History,” the 13-part documentary series examining the Vietnam War, premiered on PBS. It served as a searing look into the background, cost and toll taken on the principal figures involved in the war, both at home and abroad. Judith Vecchione served as one of the producers on the series and joined Alec to speak about what went into creating such a wide-ranging and deep investigation of the conflict. The Emmy- and Peabody-winning Vecchione has served as an executive producer with Boston-based PBS station WGBH for the past 23 years, working on many ground-breaking projects, including the Civil Rights series “Eyes on the Prize.” Vecchione shares with Alec the weight of responsibility she felt in bringing “Vietnam: A Television History” to the public, what inspires her dedication to the important stories she produces, and how she mentors the next generation of documentary filmmakers.
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- Se mer
