Ghosts’ Asher Grodman Hits It Big (Without His Pants On)

This week saw Kamala Harris entering enemy territory with her Fox News interview. Will it help or hurt her? As that was going on, everyone was still reacting to former President Donald Trump jamming out to a playlist that seemingly hasn’t been updated since 1993. Oh, and are we close to Erik and Lyle Menendez being released from prison? H. Alan Scott breaks down all of this and more with Newsweek’s Jenni Fink. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Asher Grodman is perfectly fine playing a ghost on CBS’ Ghosts who walks through the afterlife without any pants. “I don’t really want to die in the state that Trevor died. It would be nice to have pants on.” But for now, Grodman is OK with it if it means he gets to continue to play Trevor, a former stockbroker who died of a drug-induced heart attack and is destined to haunt a mansion with other ghosts. “I still remember reading the pilot and thinking, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever read.’” Now in its fourth season (October 17), Grodman said it’s “the most creative, out-there and surprising start to a season that we’ve ever had.” And being part of a large cast just adds to his excitement. “I don’t know that I ever anticipated that would be so joyful about being the character actor—you get to be part of this ensemble. And the cast, we’re all really friends when a season’s over.” Because of the success of Ghosts, he’s been able to do other projects...wearing pants. “When you’re used to not wearing pants, wearing pants feels like the biggest power move in the world.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jenny Slate is ready to be herself. “I think what is [evident] in my work is that through my own journey, not just through motherhood, but my own connection with myself as a developing artist, is that I just don’t feel myself flailing anymore.” She’s writing about this confidence in her new book of essays Lifeform (Little, Brown and Company, October 22), which depicts her unique journey into motherhood. She began writing the book out of a fear for losing her old self: “Just wanting to hold on to a life, my professional life and my identity within that, because I was very newly pregnant.” She found that it wasn’t her old self she was looking for, but this new person. “I feel that I increasingly have things to say, but really little to prove. And that is such a different thing. I don’t feel a desperation that I felt in my 20s and 30s.” And now, the comedian says, this new self is providing her with strength. “I have noticed whether I’m doing stand-up or I’m writing a book, I just have this sense, for the first time in my life, that there’s a super nice, stable mommy in the room, and the mom is me.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mikey Madison has been dreaming of a film like Anora since she started acting as a teenager on Better Things. “It’s been a dream of mine to have that kind of collaboration with a filmmaker like Sean [Baker].” That dream has come true in a big way, with the film and her performance picking up a lot of awards buzz. “I’m so happy that people are excited about the film because I’m so proud of it.” Madison plays Ani, a young sex worker who falls for the son of a Russian oligarch. But the Cinderella story quickly turns dark. Madison and Baker collaborated on creating the title role. “I did a lot of work to bring her to life, I knew everything about her, and I was able to just very easily slip into that character and feel all the things she was feeling.” Because of her careful preparation, when it came time to film, she just wanted to get it right. “I think any pressure was pressure that I put on myself, just because I’ve fallen in love with this character and really wanted to represent her in an honest way and just do her justice and the story.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is Donald Trump weaponizing tragedy by stirring up anger with his response to the various hurricane this week? And will Kamala Harris’ media blitz on shows like the podcast Call Her Daddy, The View and Howard Stern help or hurt her? And finally, is Elon Musk’s endorsement of Trump ethical? Newsweek’s Alex Backus joins H. Alan Scott to break down the week’s biggest news stories.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s already a lot of pressure playing one character based on a real person, but two? And in the same movie? That’s exactly what Nicholas Braun does in Saturday Night (October 11), playing both Jim Henson and Andy Kaufman as they, and the rest of the cast, prepare for the first live taping of Saturday Night Live. But Braun wasn’t really intimidated. “I felt really privileged to get to be both of those guys,” and just wanted to “not be a caricature.” Just like the original SNL, Saturday Night’s “cast was just stacked.” And even though Braun had never worked with any of them before, he quickly “learned how perfect they were for the part, how much research every single person did. They know how important this movie is and getting this right. Just a really impressive group of actors.” If he had to choose his favorite era of SNL, “it would be the Will Ferrell era. Tim Meadows, Cheri Oteri, Chris Kattan.” Seeking new roles and fresh off his run as Greg on Succession, portraying Henson and Kaufman couldn’t be more different from anything he’s ever done.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack Smith’s federal case against former President Donald Trump revs up yet again, but what impact will it have on the election? (Do we still care about January 6th? And why can’t Smith quit Trump?) Also, could a small yet significant change to Apple’s iOS 18 mean the end of social media? (We could only be so lucky, right?) And finally, Ryan Murphy basically tells Erik and Lyle Menendez to be grateful for what they feel is his monstrous new series ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.’ Influencer and writer Bo Maxwell joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to break down the week’s biggest news stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We just experienced something we haven’t seen in years in this country, a civil debate between two politicians. Senator J.D. Vance and Govenor Tim Walz faced off in what is likely to be the last debate of this presidential election year. How did Walz respond to those fabrication allegations? And why doesn’t Vance want to be fact checked? (OK, I guess we know why.) Newsweek’s Carlo Versano joins H. Alan Scott to break down the Vice Presidential Debate.  Subscribe to Newsweek’s The 1600 newsletter for daily updates on this wild election: https://www.newsweek.com/preference-center Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. While you’re there, subscribe to Newsweek’s ‘For the Culture newsletter. Follow H. Alan Scott on everything at @HAlanScott. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve reached the end of September and it’s officially Fall. While the rest of us settle in for those cozy autumn vibes, the two campaigns are making it a fight to the finish heading into October. Will there be an October surprise and what can we expect from the Vice-Presidential debate between Governor Tim Walz and Senator JD Vance next week? Also, President Joe Biden just did The View, so the question must be asked: how impactful is The View politically? And finally, are we done with Anna Delvey? Comedian Naomi Ekperigin joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to break down all the news from this week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Netflix knows exactly what millennials want, and it's to see Adam Brody and Kristen Bell fall in love. "We're a generationally approved couple. There is something nice to the familiarity there," Brody says. In Nobody Wants This (September 26), Brody plays Noah, a "modern" rabbi who falls for Joanne (Bell), an irreverent, non-Jewish woman who is hopelessly bad at love. "He's so modern—not that rabbis can't be modern, but still—he's not a stereotypical rabbi." One thing that stood out to Brody was how unconventional the story was. "I want to play someone who's lived a full life. And I want a real accounting for somebody—a rabbi, no less, somebody who's committed and traditional and why this person can be single and childless this late in life." Nobody Wants This adds to a string of critically acclaimed work Brody has done as of late. "One thing builds on the next, and then a few more interesting opportunities come your way. And maybe it's your turn for a bit. I don't know, it's fun. I'm down for the ups, and I'm down for the mediums. I'll leave off the lows."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.