The Parting Shot with H. Alan Scott

Laura Baginski, co-founder of Earlybirds, joins host Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to talk about the dance party that starts at 6 PM and wraps by 10 so everyone gets home for a full night of sleep. "I'm not dead yet, so I do like to go out and have fun." Earlybirds was built around that idea, and it has grown into a movement of early evening dance parties for women and gender expansive people in 50 cities. Each party gives 10 percent of proceeds to nonprofits that uplift women and the gender expansive community. Last year that added up to close to $40,000, and Laura says the total could triple this year. The story starts with Susie Lee, Laura's high school friend, who said yes to the idea while living with stage four metastatic breast cancer. Susie has since passed, and Laura carries her mission forward through the Susie Lee Legacy Fund. H. Alan and Laura also get into what surprises Laura most about the parties: the crying, the joy and the people who tell her the dance floor is where they feel like themselves again. Subscribe to H. Alan Scott’s newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow @HAlanScott: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to the Parting Shot Podcast: https://www.newsweek.com/podcasts/the-parting-shot See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

He almost missed the story of his career. Investigative journalist Joe Sexton sat down with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to talk about HBO's A Killer Story, his six year pursuit of the Dana Chandler case, and the citizen sleuth who wouldn't let it go. Sexton explains why it took roughly 3,000 emails from Eileen Umbehr before he took her tip seriously, how a unanimous Kansas Supreme Court reversal convinced him something had gone badly wrong in Chandler's original trial, and how he tried to stay skeptical of Eileen and her husband Keen even as he came to rely on their years of research. He also walks through the thought exercise that still keeps him up at night: if Chandler did it, how exactly did she pull it off? Subscribe to H. Alan Scott’s newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow @HAlanScott: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to the Parting Shot Podcast: https://www.newsweek.com/podcasts/the-parting-shot See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Senior Reporter Lauren Giella joins H. Alan Scott to dig into the week's biggest culture stories. Carole Radziwill returns to The Real Housewives of New York with her name tangled in the Epstein files thanks to her old friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, and she isn't backing away from the questions. Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's Elizabeth Holmes film You Can See Everything shocked Telluride audiences who didn't even know what they were about to watch. And Robert Pattinson's Primetime, his Chris Hansen drama about the making of To Catch a Predator, is already stirring Oscar buzz and controversy after its Venice premiere. Subscribe to Newsweek's Parting Shot Podcast for more culture conversations that go beyond the headlines. Subscribe to H. Alan Scott’s newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow @HAlanScott: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to the Parting Shot Podcast: https://www.newsweek.com/podcasts/the-parting-shot See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Ryan Murphy takes on the Lizzie Borden legend and turns Rebecca Hall and Charlie Hunnam loose on it. Hall and Hunnam break down their work on Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, from balancing camp with real tragedy to watching newcomer Ella Beatty carry the season as Lizzie. Hunnam talks reuniting with Murphy and writer Ian Brennan after making Jungleland with Max Winkler. Hall digs into playing Abby Borden as a woman starved for attention and stuck in a life she never wanted. Subscribe to Newsweek's Parting Shot Podcast with H. Alan Scott for more conversations with the cast and creators shaping this season of Monster. Subscribe to H. Alan Scott’s newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow @HAlanScott: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to the Parting Shot Podcast: https://www.newsweek.com/podcasts/the-parting-shot See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Hasan Minhaj is best known for his political comedy on ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj,’ but his latest project hits closer to home. Minhaj sat down with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to discuss Netflix's ‘Best of the Best,’ which he produced, co-wrote and co-stars in. The film follows two Indian American best friends who compete in college Bollywood dance competitions, inspired by real circuits like Best of the Best, Legends and the Desi Dance Network. Directed by Lena Khan and starring Priyanka Kedia and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the movie centers on friendship and whether that bond can survive competition. "It's really, really about sisterhood and their friendship," Minhaj tells Newsweek. "And will that bond last." Minhaj also opens up about balancing this new creative direction with the political commentary he's known for, including his podcast ‘Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know.’ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Andrew Garfield has never been afraid of a message movie. From The Social Network to Under the Banner of Heaven to his upcoming turn as Sam Altman in Artificial, the Oscar nominated actor keeps gravitating toward roles that carry something bigger. On this episode of the Parting Shot Podcast, Garfield joins me to talk about his latest, The Uprising. Directed by Paul Greengrass, the film sends Garfield back to 1381 England as a nameless ploughman crushed by King Richard II's taxes, whose fight against the crown becomes the true story behind the legend of Robin Hood. Garfield explains why the film's economic anger feels ripped from today's headlines, why he thinks real change starts with the individual rather than those in power and why he keeps being drawn to work that says something without setting out to. The Uprising is in theaters September 11. Watch our chat on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YNzB2AT_1zU Follow me at https://linktr.ee/halanscott. Subscribe to my channel and hit the bell for new episodes of the Parting Shot Podcast every week. More at https://www.newsweek.com/podcasts/the-parting-shot. Sign up for my For the Culture newsletter at https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com. #AndrewGarfield #TheUprising #PartingShotPodcast #Newsweek #PaulGreengrass See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Damien Warren-Smith performs every Penguin Classic novel in under an hour, mostly naked, as his alter ego Garry Starr. On this episode of the Parting Shot Podcast, Warren-Smith joins me to talk about Garry Starr: Classic Penguins, his new solo show making its Off Broadway premiere at Studio Seaview. Warren-Smith explains how a decade of theater acting led him to clown training in Paris with Philippe Gaulier, how a scrappy clown troupe called The Plague of iDiots gave Garry Starr his name and why performing naked has become the least complicated part of the job. We dig into what makes a great clown, how audiences react to the nudity once the show gets going and where Damien ends and Garry begins. Garry Starr: Classic Penguins plays Studio Seaview in New York City through October. Watch our chat on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ztds_6SfEHY Follow me at https://linktr.ee/halanscott. Subscribe to my channel and hit the bell for new episodes of the Parting Shot Podcast every week. More at https://www.newsweek.com/podcasts/the-parting-shot. And sign up for my For the Culture newsletter at https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Wynn Everett and Frankie A. Rodriguez join H. Alan Scott to talk about the second season of Hulu's "Chad Powers," where their characters give the rest of us a way into a football show. "We're both theater kids," Everett says, which explains a lot about how they approached it. They get into the straight-guy, gay-guy friendship at the center of the series and why it works without ever announcing itself, what Glen Powell is actually like as a number one on the call sheet, and how the show walks the line between camp and heartbreak. Plus, Rodriguez on why the locker room is really just backstage. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Kristen Johnston has been stealing scenes for three decades. She joins H. Alan Scott to talk about playing Leanne Morgan's sister on the second season of Netflix's "Leanne," what auditioning opposite John Lithgow taught her about comedy and why her life splits neatly into before Lexi Featherston and after. Plus, what Michael Patrick King told her right before the biggest speech of her career. Subscribe to H. Alan Scott's newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Leanne Morgan spent 27 years in stand-up before Netflix handed her a sitcom in her 60s. She joins H. Alan Scott to talk about season two of "Leanne," what Kristen Johnston taught her about working a multicam set and the wave of women over 60 currently running the format. "We must be the new it girls, I guess," Morgan says. Plus, what Netflix executives told her when she pitched the show, and why she is still surprised anyone let her in the room. Subscribe to H. Alan Scott's newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Fifteen years of apologizing, fifteen years of not speaking and one dinner party. John Galliano pulls out of the 2027 Costume Institute exhibition that would have honored him, ending weeks of backlash over the antisemitic and racist remarks that got him fired from Dior in 2011. H. Alan Scott and Lauren Giella ask whether stepping away was the right call, whether the Met outsourced a decision it should have made itself and what enough would even look like. Then Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger, which documents Liam and Noel Gallagher's 2025 reunion tour and delivers their first joint interview since the split, in theaters September 11 before it streams on Hulu and Disney+. And Gwyneth Paltrow, whose leaked Hamptons invite honoring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tests how far a wellness brand can stretch. Subscribe to H. Alan Scott's newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com For more: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Microdramas are the vertical-video soap operas taking over your phone: one- or two-minute episodes stacked 60 deep, full of love triangles, betrayals and cliff-hangers. H. Alan Scott sits down with Newsweek's Lauren Giella and actor Jason Caceres, who has shot more than 100 microdramas since 2023 between roles on Hacks and Criminal Minds, to unpack how apps like ReelShort and DramaBox built an $11 billion industry projected to top $20 billion by 2030. They get into the pay, the six-day shoots and why Marc Jacobs just launched one starring Rowan Blanchard. Somewhere, a former Quibi executive is punching a wall. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dolly Parton has died at 80, and the loss is impossible to size. Newsweek's Lauren Giella joins H. Alan Scott to talk through a legacy that ran far past country music, from the "9 to 5" crossover to the movies to Dollywood to the Imagination Library to a business strategy that was, somehow, love. H. Alan also reflects on the hour he spent interviewing Dolly a few years back, what she was actually like in a room, and why the welcome she extended to every single person was always the real gift. There is never going to be another one. For more, visit: Dolly Parton's Real Gift Was Never the Voice. It Was the Open Door Subscribe to my newsletter: Home | For The Culture Follow me: H. Alan Scott | Linktree See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Anthony Bourdain was never just a chef. Dominic Sessa joins Newsweek's H. Alan Scott to talk about ‘Tony,’ the new film that follows a 19-year-old Bourdain through a summer in Provincetown after a rejection from Vassar, drawn from his 2000 memoir ‘Kitchen Confidential.’ Sessa came to the role with almost no relationship to the man: "I wasn't working from a place of trying to meet this standard of who he was in my mind." What he played instead was a kid absorbing everything around him. "I'm a 19-year-old young guy who doesn't really know anything about the world but pretends they do." Subscribe to my newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

If it’s happening in the world of entertainment, it’s for the culture. And there’s a lot going on. For example, New York is insufferable right now and it kind of earned it. (Sam Smith is even writing love songs about it.) Oprah is out here discovering the mute button after four decades of letting the haters live rent free. Howard Stern is doing the math on what one show a week means for a man who built an empire on showing up every morning. Ryan Murphy is dangling a Glee reboot in front of a country that could use a show choir. And Kaia Gerber writes fan fiction she has no intention of posting. Everyone here is being weird and nobody is sorry. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott and Lauren Giella break down this week’s hottest stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Jeffrey Epstein's crimes were crimes against children. That is not how the country talked about them. Elizabeth J. Letourneau, PhD, who leads the Johns Hopkins Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, and journalist Luke Malone join Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to discuss their book ‘One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis and What We Can Do to Stop It.’ On the coverage, Letourneau does not hedge: "I am outraged." The two unpack why "up to 70 percent of child sexual abuse is at the hands of other kids," why predator language fails and why this crisis is preventable, not inevitable. The book is now available wherever you buy book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/elizabeth-j-letourneau-phd/one-in-five/9781541603844/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Summer's almost done, so let's see what it left behind. A festival that forgot what made it singular. A pop star who decided the conversation about her body was not one she had to attend. And a lot of men finally admitting they need somewhere to put their stuff. Three stories, all circling the same question: What do we do with the people we watch? Labor Day is fast approaching. Consider this the end of summer receipt. First up, comedian Coltown Dowling joined Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to break down why Lollapalooza should go back to being a touring festival. They also chatted about how Heated Rivalry’s Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams have been spotted around Toronto in fashionable man bags, which begs the question, are we in a man bag summer? Finally, Newsweek’s Lauren Giella chats about this complicated discussion circling around Ariana Grande at the moment. Follow Colton Dowling: https://www.instagram.com/coltondowling/ Follow Lauren Giella: https://www.instagram.com/slaur_/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

It's no surprise that horror films are often allegories for larger societal issues, like racism with Get Out (2017) or male entitlement with Curry Barker's recent Obsession (2025). But rarely does the final girl, the last woman standing to confront the killer, get a redemption story of her own. That changes with Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. "I think just the genre ambiguity, the fact that it is not totally categorizable in one way," Hannah Einbinder told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about what drew her to the project. "The way that it uses horror slasher tropes to ultimately be something that is empowering is just cool. I hadn't seen anything like it." Gillian Anderson said the impact was apparent the moment she walked onto the set. "It's one thing to read something on the page," she said. "And then there's another thing, stepping onto a set that has been so perfectly production designed and created for the sole purpose of the viewing public. There's a meta aspect of it that I don't even think I anticipated." Listen to this conversation about one of the most original films of the year. Watch the video on YouTube. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Eric Goode and his producing partner Jeremy McBride have made a run of hit documentaries about what happens when humans get a little too into certain animals. With Netflix's Tiger King and HBO's Chimp Crazy , Goode explored the personalities behind the obsessions. In both cases, his subjects ended up in prison. Now, with Monsters of God , airing on HBO, Goode turns to exotic reptiles and the people who smuggle them. It is his most personal series yet. Goode, a turtle conservationist, comes to realize he is not only observing. He’s also part of the problem. Goode and McBride chatted with Newsweek ’s H. Alan Scott about the series and why it’s their most personal yet. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

This has been quite a week in culture. First, Newsweek's H. Alan Scott reviews Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest chapter in Tom Holland's run as the wall crawler under director Destin Daniel Cretton. Then, Alan shifts gears to talk about Julien's Auctions putting one of television's most beloved props up for bid: Sophia Petrillo's purse from The Golden Girls. From blockbuster superheroes to sitcom history, this episode covers a lot of ground. Tune in for the review, the auction update and everything in between on this episode of Parting Shot. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://for-the-culture.beehiiv.com Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .