Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin

Andres Veiel and Sandra Maischberger Document the Life of Leni Riefenstahl

Andres Veiel is an award-winning German filmmaker, writer, and director renowned for his incisive examinations of history, politics, memory, and moral responsibility. Trained in psychology before turning to filmmaking, Veiel’s acclaimed works include Black Box BRD, Beuys, If Not Us, Who?, and Riefenstahl. Sandra Maischberger is one of Germany’s most prominent journalists, broadcasters, and documentary producers. Best known as the longtime host of the political talk show Maischberger, she has spent more than three decades interviewing world leaders, artists, and influential public figures. Together, Maischberger and Veiel made the 2024 documentary Riefenstahl, which reexamines the life and legacy of filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, director of Triumph of the Will. Drawing on newly uncovered archival material, the film investigates Riefenstahl’s relationship to the Nazi regime, the enduring power of propaganda, and asks the difficult questions surrounding her artistic achievement, complicity, and legacy. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

From the Archives: Jon Robin Baitz

Jon Robin Baitz is a playwright who admits that writing plays is tricky. He’s a snob for Broadway, where the cachet and laughs are bigger. But deep down, this award-winning playwright considers it a privilege to be working in American theater at all. Alec speaks to Baitz about his Broadway debut play, Other Desert Cities, that came from a place of despair and loss—and his own personal experience writing for television in Hollywood. Originally aired June 4th, 2012. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Movie Exec Jason Fisher on the Next Phase of the Film & TV Industry

Jason Fisher is an award-winning producer, former studio executive, and founder of StageRunner. As former Head of Production at Disney+, Paramount, AMC Networks, and First Look Media, Fisher oversaw production on prestige series such as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Mandalorian, and The Walking Dead and helped shape some of the most influential film and television projects of the past two decades. Originally from Connecticut, Jason graduated from Tulane University with degrees in Architecture and Fine Arts before driving cross-country to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a production designer. This ultimately led him on an unexpected path from production assistant to freelance producer to one of Hollywood’s top production executives. Currently, Jason is the CEO and Founder of StageRunner, a rapidly growing global soundstage marketplace and media platform connecting more than 850 studios across six continents. StageRunner is also a growing media company providing daily coverage of the latest production news, virtual production infrastructure, and the AI technologies reshaping how content gets made. In this conversation, Jason reflects on his unlikely career path, the evolution of prestige television, and the forces reshaping the entertainment industry today. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

From the Archives: Jacques Pépin

He’s worked as the personal chef for French President Charles de Gaulle, co-hosted a television series with Julia Child and has authored over 30 cookbooks. There’s simply no one in the world like French chef – and culinary icon – Jacques Pépin.  The Emmy- and James Beard Foundation Award winner worked in more than 100 restaurants before becoming the Director of Research and Development for Howard Johnson’s. He then transitioned to educating the public in proper French cooking methods through his groundbreaking cookbooks like “La Technique” and his latest, “Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking;” as well as through his numerous television series like “Today’s Gourmet” and “Every Day Cooking.” He is also the co-founder of the culinary certificate program at Boston University and founder of The Jacques Pépin Foundation, which teaches underserved populations a path to employment through cooking. Alec speaks with Chef Pépin about how his family’s work in restaurants influenced his path, why he’s made the pivots he has throughout his career, and what a revered chef likes to eat in his downtime.    Originally aired February 6th, 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Melissa Errico: From Sondheim to Legrand and the Great American Songbook

Melissa Errico is a Tony-nominated actress, singer, recording artist, and writer. She is known for her iconic Broadway musical roles such as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and the title role in One Touch of Venus. She is also recognized from her roles on TV series such as Billions, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, Law & Order, A Gifted Man, Ed, and Miss Match opposite Alicia Silverstone. In addition to her work on stage and screen, Errico is highly regarded for her recordings of musical theater classics, including albums of songs by Stephen Sondheim and Michel Legrand. Her 2018 album “Sondheim Sublime” was described by the Wall Street Journal as “the best all-Sondheim album ever recorded”. In a review for her 2024 album “Sondheim in the City”, the New York Times described Errio as “one of Sondheim's deepest-hearted yet lightest-touch interpreters.” Errico’s interpretation of Legrand’s music is equally highly praised, so much so that she was asked to write his eulogy for the Times and was the only American singer invited to perform at Legrand’s memorial at Le Grand Rex in Paris. In recent years, Errico has become a contributing writer to The New York Times and served on the National Endowment for the Arts. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.