Is This the Golden Age of Television?

For our final episode of season three, we have tossed out the script. By (possibly soon to be regretted) popular request, it’s just us, Monica and Emma, chit-chatting. We share our favourite fictional dinner parties of all time, our thoughts on how social media has changed the dinner party, tips for hosting the Emilies, and so much more. Pull up a chair, won’t you? Show Notes:Email us at [email protected]! F, don’t H B! (You’ll know what we mean soon.)Monica Ainley DLV @monicaainleyDLV | Emma Knight @emmalknightThank you so much for listening! See you in season four. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

French actress and director Ana Girardot has brought the mother of French cinema, pioneering early 20th century filmmaker Alice Guy, to dinner. Alice qui??? You might well be asking yourself. And to that we answer: precisely. Alice Guy was all but erased from the history of cinema until recent years, when a handful of biographers and documentarians have done some digging, and shown the world that some of the first narrative films in the history of cinema were written, directed, and produced by a woman. QUOI?? But why have we never heard of her? Why were her contributions to this art form buried for a century? Well…that’s the story of today’s podcast. And who better to enlighten us than one of the brightest stars of contemporary French cinema, actress and director, Ana Girardot. Queue up a case of champagne and a Lipp-style feast, don as many or as few layers as you please, and join us in toasting an inspiring female visionary.Show Notes:Email us at [email protected] Ainley DLV @monicaainleyDLV | Emma Knight @emmalknightAna Girardot @girardotanaThe podcast we mention: “Alice Guy,” featuring her biographer, author and historian Janelle Dietrick on Ephemeral from iHeartPodcastsThe Alice Guy short films we mention, available on YouTube:“La Fée Aux Choux” or “Midwife, First Class” or “Midwife to the Upper Class” (!!), 1902“The Consequences of Feminism” (we think this is a mistranslation – it should be “The Results of Feminism”), 1906“The Race for the Sausage,” 1907Some of the many recent films and articles correcting the record:“Overlooked No More: Alice Guy Blaché, the World’s First Female Filmmaker” by Manohla Dargis in The New York Times“Alice Guy-Blaché, Cinema’s First Woman Director in Newspapers,” A 2022 post on The Library of Congress Blog by Amber Paranick“Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché,” TVO Docs, directed by Pamela B. Green Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we are joined by Molly Johnson, one of Canada’s most celebrated jazz vocalists, and her imaginary dinner guest, Billie Holiday. Born Elinore Harris in Philadelphia in 1915, Billie Holiday – a name she later chose for herself – rose from a very difficult childhood in Baltimore and then New York City to become one of the greatest and most influential jazz and blues singers of all time. Nicknamed “Lady Day,” Holiday was a key and very influential early voice in the civil rights movement, refusing to stop singing the song Strange Fruit, even under immense pressure and at significant risk to herself and her career. Molly Johnson, who grew up in Toronto with parents who were devoted civil rights activists and members of Toronto’s musical and artistic scene, is an alum of Canada’s National Ballet School, and beyond her musical career which has spanned multiple genres, she is a mother, a philanthropist, the founder of the Kensington Jazz Festival, and a recent laureate of Canada’s Governor General’s Lifetime Artistic Achievement award as well as France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres, both awarded this year. You’ll want to stay until the wee hours for this one, and if you do, a friend peanut butter and jelly sandwich might just make its way into your hands.Show Notes:Listen to our Dinner with Billie Holiday playlist on SpotifyEmail us at [email protected] Ainley DLV @monicaainleyDLV | Emma Knight @emmalknight Molly Johnson’s website, Instagram @mollyjohnsonmusic, + Twitter @themollyjohnsonThe NPR Through-line episode we mention: The United States Versus Billie HolidayThe BBC documentary: Billie: In Search of Billie Holiday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It has been a season of mysteries wrapped in riddles, and the subject of this episode is the crowning (crowned) jewel of private/public enigmas: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Our real-life guest is Bethan Holt, Fashion Director for The Telegraph and author of The Queen: 70 years of Majestic Style. Queen Elizabeth II, who took the throne at only 25 and went on to have the longest verified reign of any female head of state in history, was famous for what she did not say–and sometimes, she communicated through her clothes. An acid green suit here, a Burberry headscarf there…what was she trying to tell us? And what, for goodness sake, was in that royal handbag? Bethan has a pretty good idea. Whilst decrypting sartorial messages and helping us understand the nuances of diplomatic dressing for a female monarch who covered such a long period of history, she helps us plan a cozy TV dinner at Balmoral Castle involving large quantities of chocolate biscuit cake. (Plus-fours optional.) So, be you a monarchist, a disloyal subject, a monarchy-curious non-subject, an outright critic… etcetera… welcome. Pull up a priceless piece of furniture, and let us fix you a gin and Dubonnet.Email us at [email protected] to our Dinner with QE2 Playlist on SpotifyMonica Ainley DLV @monicaainleyDLVEmma Knight @emmalknight Bethan Holt @bethanholtBethan’s book, The Queen: 70 years of Majestic Style, the second edition of which was released in November 2022Bethan is Fashion Director at The Telegraph. Here are some of her articles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Good golly, Miss Dolly is coming for dinner! Texas-born Los Angeles-based fashion editor (and brand consultant, stylist, and writer) Laurel Pantin might be hiding under the table caressing a sheep, so nervous is she about meeting the legendary Parton — whom she has admired since childhood for her ability to put the Sunday sunset feeling into songs, for her carefully maintained independence, and for a sense of style that proves she has the courage to remain unashamedly herself (among other reasons) — but with our collective six children under six present, and with a spread that involves six kinds of potatoes, we are confident she will wrangle her Wranglers and get in on things. Dolly Parton, Queen of the Appalachians, author of over 3,000 songs, philanthropist, unifier of a divided America, arguable feminist by deed if not by label, and overturner of stereotypes of all kinds, we are ready for you.Show Notes: Email us at [email protected]!Monica Ainley DLV @monicaainleyDLVEmma Knight @emmalknight Laurel Pantin @laurelpantinEarl Earl | Laurel Pantin Substack Your Mom | Laurel Pantin SubstackDolly Parton’s America | The amazing podcast we reference several times From Jad Abumrad and Shima Oliaee @ WYNC Studios Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, British film producer and director Barnaby Thompson (who produced both Wayne’s World and Spice World, among 30+ other films) brings “the quintessential Englishman” and one of the twentieth century’s most famous wits, Sir Noël Coward, to a breezy (and piquant, we hope) imaginary dinner in Jamaica, where Coward spent a large portion of his later life. Cho cho and snapper escovitch are on the menu, but so are baked beans and bangers and mash (although we’ll spare you the unsuccessful cold soup Coward apparently made for the Queen Mother on one of her visits to Blue Harbour, Coward’s Jamaican residence). Barnaby Thompson’s latest film is Mad About the Boy – The Noël Coward Story, which is currently in cinemas in the UK and Ireland. The documentary “digs into the contradictions underpinning the life and work of one of the most prolific and versatile talents of the 20th century,” according to The Guardian, and is “a fascinating portrait of the man, and of an era – a time in which a wildly successful entertainer had to be wary of wearing a polo neck sweater in public, for fear of inadvertently outing himself.” Fix yourself a stiff gin martini (“Anyone can write books, but it takes an artist to make a dry martini that’s dry enough” says one of Coward’s characters), don your crispest summer suit or slip into a Molyneux gown, and join us as we delve into the exterior and interior worlds of the generation-defining playwright, actor, songwriter, and entertainer.Show Notes:Barnaby Thompson's IMBDWatch Mad About the Boy (or, even better, in select theatres now!) Listen to our Dinner with Noel Coward playlist! Monica AinleyDLV on InstagramEmma Knight on Instagram The Guardian’s review of the docBBC Audio’s The Noël Coward Collection on Audible“Tour de Gall,” A.A. Gill on L’Ami LouisMolyneux gowns, exhibit AEmail us at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosh Mahtani, the founder of Alighieri Jewelry, began carving one piece of jewellery based on each canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy in 2014. Nine years later, she is a multi-platinum bijoutière based in London, and fans the world over are wearing a piece of poetry around their necks or in their ears. In this episode, Rosh, who spent her early childhood in Zambia and later studied French and Italian at Oxford, brings her 14th century Florentine muse to dinner. As you have probably already divined, it’s a hot ticket. Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 and exiled from his native city at the turn of the 14th century, never to return in his lifetime. This dinner party is a homecoming on the banks of the Arno, and all are welcome. Don your red cloak and join us.Show Notes:Rosh Mahtani @roshmahtaniAlighieri Jewellery @alighieri_jewellery, www.alighieri.comMonica Ainley DLV @monicaainleyDLVEmma Knight @emmalknight Email us at [email protected] Listen to our Dinner with Dante Playlist on SpotifyWe mention this article by Jill Lepore: “The Data Delusion,” from The New Yorker, March 27, 2023The Italian Rêve blogBistecca alla Fiorentina, the Eataly version Ribollita (did Emma call it ribollata at one point? Dio mio.)We mention a certain Sézane red cloak… see Monica’s Instagram for evidence!The Alighieri pieces we mention:Infernal Storm EarringsLink of Wanderlust NecklaceDante and the Lion Necklace  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our Fanfare Season 3 opener, Paris-based podcaster and author Oliver Gee, the creator of The Earful Tower, bravely invites Bob Dylan to dinner. The prospect had us trembling in our boots (of Spanish leather) at first, not only because we love Dylan’s music and are not at all sure that we’ll manage to play it as cool as he always does–even in our imaginations!–but also because there is an entire world of Dylanologists out there, puzzling until their puzzlers are sore over this enigmatic giant of American music. Born Robert Zimmerman in Hibbing, Minnesota in 1941, Dylan is, as former U.S. President Barack Obama put it, “still chasing that sound.” In this episode, we put on our thinking caps and wayfarers and reflect on the man, the masks, and most of all, the music.Show Notes:Check out Oliver Gee’s The Earful Tower! Listen here. Oliver Gee @theearfultowerMonica Ainley DLV @monicaainleyDLVEmma Knight @emmalknight Listen to our Dinner with Bob Dylan playlistWe mention this great podcast: Is It Rolling Bob? Talking Dylan with Lucas Hare and Kerry ShaleWe mention the New Yorker editor David Remnick, who has written a few pieces about Bob DylanBob Dylan’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 2016Patti Smith performing “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” when she accepts the prize on Bob Dylan’s behalfPresident Obama awarding Bob Dylan the Medal of Freedom in 2012 The Clinton Heylin biography we mention: The Double Life of Bob DylanCauliflower Tacos with Cashew Crema recipe via Bon Appetit  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very special bonus episode, one of our dream dinner guests, Margaret Atwood, invites Saint Joan of Arc to dinner. A multi-award-winning poet, novelist, short story writer, critical essayist, graphic novelist, teacher, and environmental advocate, Margaret Atwood is the author of over 50 books published in more than 45 countries. Her most recent books include the aptly titled (for this dinner party) essay collection Burning Questions (2022), the poetry collection Dearly (2020), and The Testaments (2019), her Booker Prize-winning (she has won two of them!) sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale (1985). Margaret Atwood’s imaginary dinner guest is both “a tough cookie” and another powerful female visionary (quite literally): Saint Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc was born in Domrémy, France in 1412, and raised on a farm. As a teenager, following visions that she said she received from God, she led the French army in a momentous victory at Orléans in 1429 during the Hundred Years' War, escorted Charles VII to his coronation in Reims, and was later tried for heresy at the behest of the English and burned at the stake at age 19. She was eventually canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1920. We talk about the role cross-dressing played in Joan’s death, the subtleties of medieval cuisine, whether witches are real, and whether these days boys really do have it harder than girls. There are digressions involving lusty, disappointed peacocks, 3D-printed cookies, and Joan of Arc canned beans. Fasten your houppelande and join us! Find Margaret Atwood on Twitter @MargaretAtwood, on her (free!) SubStack newsletter In the Writing Burrow, and on Instagram @therealmargaretatwoodFind her books and more at http://margaretatwood.ca/ Learn more about and support Equality Now at equalitynow.orgThe books we mention in the interview:Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. ChenThe God of the Witches by Margaret Alice MurrayNew book about Julian of Norwich: For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria MackenzieMatrix by Lauren GroffLearn more about and support Equality Now at equalitynow.orgSee you soon for season 3! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our last episode of season two, we are packing a picnic of bellinis, spritzes, and fritto misto and taking a time-travelling gondola from New York at the turn of the 20th century to Paris in the ‘20s, London in the ‘30s, New York in the ‘40s, and Venice in the ‘50s with Creative Director Alex Eagle and her guest, Peggy Guggenheim. An art collector, champion (and lover) of surrealist and modern artists, courageous rescuer of priceless works, and open-book memoirist, Peggy Guggenheim defied expectations at every turn, and helped to shape “modern art” as we know it. She always kept colourful company–including Fanfare favourite Marcel Duchamp, onetime lover Samuel Beckett, Jackson Pollock (whose career she helped to establish), and pretty much any other twentieth century modern art luminary you can name–and from her Schiapparelli cellophane dress to her mismatched Alexander Calder/Yves Tanguy earrings, she knew how to make a statement. This rollicking audio mood board of a dinner party starts at Alex’s London loft and makes its way to Venice, home of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, for some late-night tiramisu.Write to us at [email protected] Ainley DLV @monicaainleyDLVEmma Knight @emmalknightAlex Eagle @eaglettaDinner with Peggy Guggenheim Playlist by DJ Monique DLVPeggy photos by Man RayPeggy in the Schiaparelli Cellophane DressFact check: Wikipedia says she inherited US$2.5 million, equivalent to US$39.1 million in 2021, which is quite a bit higher than we said. Her memoir: Out of This Century: Confessions of an Art Addict by Peggy Guggenheim The biography: Peggy Guggenheim, The Shock of the Modern by Francine ProseThe documentary: Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (2015)Our Venice caterer: Rosa SalvaVenetian Spritz via NYT CookingFritto Misto via Bon AppetitVitello Tonnato via Cook Eat WorldTiramisu by Chef Dennis  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.