Hollywood Uncorked Podcast

Nick Nantell has spent more than a decade working as an executive for producers like Beau Flynn (Skyscraper) and Dan Jinks (American Beauty). Now stepping out as a producer in his own right, Nick stops by the podcast to help drink three bottles of oh-so-sweet Sauternes (paired with cheeses and patés courtesy of guest co-host Arvind Ethan David) as we talk about the wilderness of independent producing, how Nick parlayed a string of college internships into a lasting Hollywood career, and last week’s controversial decision to add a “Popular Film” category to the Academy Awards.

Actress Katie Von Till is active in front of the camera and behind the scenes in entertainment—as a Los Angeles SAG-AFTRA Boardmember and as a TV mainstay on shows like Mom, Young Sheldon, Conan, and The Big Bang Theory. But she also carries on a rare Hollywood legacy as just the fourth woman in history to be the official voice of Disney’s Snow White. In this episode, she joins us to drink three varietals of Vadio from the Bairrada region of Portugal (provided by  Rachel Farah Selections) as she discusses the difference between acting and voiceover work, how she got her start doing regional theater and singing at NHL games, and the fight ahead for Hollywood’s labor unions.

What actually happens when a show gets canceled on one network and picked up by another? Does fan outcry actually help an axed show’s chances of finding new life? In this episode, the guys get a front-row seat to Amazon’s decision to save science fiction drama The Expanse after it was canceled in May by SyFy—all told by one of its stars, Wes Chatham. As he helps sample three bottles of New Zealand Pinot Noir, Wes also explains how he got his Hollywood start while in the Navy and what he got up to at an Aerosmith concert in Berlin with Woody Harrelson during their downtime while shooting The Hunger Games sequels.

What should an aspiring screenwriter do to land their first manager or agent? And what’s expected of them if they’re lucky enough to find representation? In this episode, we sit down with Ava Jamshidi, who has been a rep on both sides of the aisle—as a longtime agent at ICM and currently as a literary manager at Industry Entertainment. As she does her part to help with three bottles of Provence rosé—including the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie-owned Miraval—Ava discusses her transition from agent to manager, how merger mania is changing the face of Hollywood, and why finding a winning idea from a new writer sometimes involves diving into the deepest parts of their notebook.

Drinking free wine is pretty great on its own, but even better when you do it for a good cause. In this episode, Tom and Scott soldier on without an absent Ben as they crash the home of entertainment lawyer Howard Abramson for the L.A. Youth Network wine event supporting local homeless youth. As we sample wines from Chris Blasman of Four Brothers Winery and Geoff Graber of San Se Wines, we talk to Howard about his love of aged wine and how he went from working with Alan Dershowitz at Harvard to being the partner of his own entertainment law firm. We also sit down with LAYN executive director Mark Supper to talk about the organization’s role in shaping young lives in Hollywood.

Nobody has had a better view of the changes in independent film over the past decade-plus than Greg Pritikin, who began his career by making a $10,000 movie on his credit card, went on to write and direct notable indies like Dummy with Adrien Brody and Milla Jovovich, and has now graduated to Netflix where he has The Last Laugh with Richard Dreyfuss and Andie MacDowell coming out. As he discusses his career and the ups and downs of movie-making, he joins the guys in their second dip into Oregon Pinot Noir. Also joining this episode is director Beth Kochendorfer of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, who fills in as co-host for an absent Scott Kay after being one of Hollywood Uncorked’s first guests ever on Episode #5.

What better way to gussy up L.A.’s first sparkling wine event than with the vino-swilling freeloaders from Hollywood Uncorked? In this special live episode, Ben, Scott and Tom broadcast from the Hollywood Avalon during the inaugural Effervescence 2018, featuring champagnes and sparkling wines from across California and the world. As the guys sample the fares of Hillersden and Flying Goat Cellars, they interview the three finalists of Effervescence’s Best Sparkling Somm competition, talk to event organizer Jannika Pettersson about what it takes to pull off a major wine event in the heart of Hollywood, and sit down with top champagne expert Richard Juhlin to discuss how a “photographic” sense of smell led to his career as a professional taster.

We at Hollywood Uncorked wrestle with many of life’s conundrums, but we know this: When actress Sarah Wayne Callies invites you to her hotel room to drink French wine and talk about the recently launched third season of her fantastic science-fiction series Colony, you go! As Sarah helps the guys polish three bottles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, she talks about what she learned about her craft by directing an episode of the new season (Wednesdays 10/9C on USA), the rollercoaster ride that was playing the controversial Lori Grimes on The Walking Dead, and how getting tight with your show’s crew can be a life-saver when you end up drinking too much apple pie-flavored moonshine at a Georgia roadhouse. (Photo Credit: Isaac Sterling Photography)

Nora & Lilla Zuckerman have carved out an amazing career as a sister writing team for high-concept television dramas like Fringe and Suits, and currently serve as co-executive producers on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC. In this episode, we blend their passion for television with one of their choice hobbies: hot tubs, and specifically the act of drinking wine in them. While swigging three low-cost white wines, the Sisters Zuckerman fill us in on the dynamics of being a sibling writing team, their transition from being book authors to TV scribes, and they indulge our pesky questions about working with Meghan Markle before she left Hollywood to become a real-life princess.

How did Arvind Ethan David go from Oxford-educated British lawyer to Hollywood producer? It started when he quit his former law firm the day after being selected for the partner track—and he hasn’t looked back since. Arvind joins us for a hilarious unpacking of his career spanning film, TV and theater—while doing his part on three esteemed bottles of St.- Estèphe Bordeaux. Along the way, we get to hear about the cultural fallout of his big-screen British comedy The Infidel, his involvement with the Netflix series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, and how a lunch with Alanis Morisette led to him producing Jagged Little Pill, the upcoming musical based on her famous debut album.

Christina Moore has had some diverse chapters in her Hollywood career—from famously replacing the original actress who played Forman’s sister on That ‘70s Show, to being known by kids the world over as the absentee mom on Disney Channel’s Jessie. As she helps the guys get through three bottles of amazing, yet affordable Bourgueil, Christina talks about the things she learned working with Sharon Stone, the fun insanity of being a cast member on MadTV, and her dual role producing and starring alongside Kevin Dillon in the new racing movie, Dirt.

As Hollywood adapts to shifts multicultural and digital in nature, Mike Lam has a unique view of both as co-creator of the standout Spanish-language Netflix comedy series, Club de Cuervos. About to shoot its fourth season, the show documents the power struggle that ensues when the owner of a fictional Mexican soccer team dies, passing it on to his squabbling son and daughter. On this episode, Mike talks about the serendipitous origins of the show, the unique challenge of translating comedy from English to Spanish (and then back again), and his journey from documentary filmmaking to scripted television. Meanwhile, the panel embraces a shift of its own by taking a wine break to try the blanco and cristalino versions of Moët Hennessy’s new tequila, Volcan.

Hollywood isn’t exactly teeming with Chinese-American writers. So Jessica Gao makes up for it by doing the work of several people: writing on shows like HBO’s Silicon Valley and Comedy Central’s new sitcom Corporate, doing feature rewrite work, and co-hosting the Whiting Wongs podcast alongside Community creator Dan Harmon. While helping us drink Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Jessica talks about the time her parents sent her back to China on a plane by herself as a child to learn the language, when she quit her job as a marketing temp because they offered her a full-time job with benefits, and the inside-the-room genesis of Silicon Valley’s infamous “middle-out compression” joke.

Having played Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys for a record eight years and more than 2,000 shows, Broadway star Joseph Leo Bwarie amazingly said he never got tired of playing the legendary singer and performing his iconic songs. With this impressive stamina in mind, the guys put him through the Hollywood Uncorked ringer, forcing him to drink three wines from Sicily and to tell numerous stories from his long career in movies, recording, and theater. As a result, Joseph describes his first TV role on Highway to Heaven at age 9, his Jersey Boys audition in front of Frankie Valli himself, as well as this week’s two-show “My Funny Valentine” stint singing standards at the Garry Marshall Theater.

On a "very special" episode of Hollywood Uncorked, we get an unforgettable visit from hip-hop provocateur, Rude Jude Angelini. After finding fame as the in-house insult comic on the Jenny Jones show in the ‘90s, Rude Jude eventually caught the attention of Eminem, who hired him to host the “All Out Show” for his Sirius XM channel, Shade 45. While Scott, Tom and Ben spend the episode sampling 2015 Saint-Joseph, Rude Jude samples his own chemical of choice as he spins yarns from inside and outside his new book of essays, Hummingbird. They include his drug-laced dalliance with a married Instagram follower, how he overcame “performance problems” with a porn star at Hedonism, and the time he heard his first shout-out from Eminem as a bathroom attendant at a gay nightclub.

How did Ashley Berns go from a desk job in London to becoming a Hollywood manager at management powerhouse Circle of Confusion? In this episode, Ashley tells the whole sordid tale—which began with a simple plan to drive across the country with a friend. While discussing with the panel how Disney’s purchase of Fox will affect the entertainment industry and the spec script market, he also helps sample two lesser-known Italian wines: Valpolicella and Amarone. Meanwhile, we learn how Tom’s New Year’s Eve involved guns, snow, and something called finger steaks.

Where does reality sit in the entertainment landscape—as its crowd-pleasing future or in its sordid past? We sit down with prolific reality producer Craig Armstrong (The Hero, Fashion Star, King of the Nerds) to talk about how the genre is hard to classify, as it’s got as many tiers and categories as movies and scripted TV. As guest host Gren Wells helps the panel drink three cheap(ish) bottles of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, they discuss the ingredients of a successful reality series, how Armstrong got his start in Hollywood producing videos for “Weird Al” Yankovic, and how a moment with his toddler son in the kitchen led to a popular international reality show still airing today.

With its notorious instability at an all-time high, is Hollywood worth a full-time effort anymore? For actress Cristen Coppen and many others working in the entertainment industry, the answer, increasingly, is no. Despite regular work and appearances on countless TV shows and movies including Road Trip and Hulu’s Casual, Cristen set out from the beginning to complement her entertainment career with outside endeavors like her handmade jewelry company and investments in several John Deere dealerships. While drinking cabernet franc, she discusses her many professional and personal passions—like her female mentoring program I Am Now Me—that allow her to pursue acting from a healthy emotional and financial perspective. Also, sitcom writer Pete Tibbals fills in for the night for Scott, who was blocked by wildfires from making the trip into town for the episode. Or he’s just lazy.

Nothing looms larger on Hollywood’s horizon than China—how to appeal to its audiences, attract its investment dollars, and navigate its rules and customs along the way. In this episode, we talk about the intricacies of Chinese funding with two American producers who have done plenty of it: Resonate Entertainment’s Brent Emery and Nick D’Angelo of China-backed Cristal Pictures. Over three bottles of wine from Spain’s Lopez de Heredia winery, the panel discusses the negative affect of a crackdown by the Chinese government on money fleeing the country, and why forming personal connections with Chinese backers is essential to a transaction. Meanwhile, director Gren Wells fills in for an absent Scott to talk about her role in the New York Times article that broke the news of Louis C.K.’s sexual misconduct.

Circle of Confusion literary manager Zach Cox joins the podcast to talk about the ongoing spate of sexual harassment and misconduct incidents in Hollywood, and whether overlooked norms in the industry played any role in them. During a frank and emotional discussion, the panel ponders if anything will change as a result of the revelations, and debates the path forward for both the victims and perpetrators. They also try three bottles of wine paired specifically for Thanksgiving dinner – no matter the level of holiday sophistication at your house.