In today’s episode, Jazz Tangcay, Variety’s senior artisans editor, details her report on visual effects stalwart Industrial Light and Magic on its 50th anniversary. TV critic Alison Herman explains why she’s given the coveted Critics Pick seal of approval to the new Netflix comedy “Long Story Short.” And Tatiana Siegel previews the final installment of her podcast “Variety Confidential: The Life and Legend of River Phoenix.”
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and
analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Thursday, August twenty first,
twenty twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Lyttleton. I am
co editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm
in LA He's in New York, and Variety has reporters
around the world covering the business of entertainment. In today's episode,
(00:28):
we talked to Jazz Tankke, Variety's Senior artisans editor, about
fifty years of visual effects wizardry from Industrial Light and Magic.
TV critic Alison Hermann explains why she fell so hard
for the new Netflix animated series Long Story Short. It
hails from BoJack Horseman's dad, Rafael Bob Waksburg. Tatyana Siegel
(00:50):
gives us a preview of the final episode of her
Variety Confidential podcast series on the life and legacy of
River Phoenix. But before we get to that, here are
a few headlin just in this morning that you need
to know. Here's a bulletin from the Fab four. The Beatles'
anthology documentary series that aired as an event on ABC
(01:10):
twenty years ago, is coming to Disney Plus. On November
twenty sixth, Don Cheadle and Io Adebris will make their
Broadway debuts in Proof. David Auburn's Tony winning play returns
to the Mainstem next March and will be directed by
Thomas Kale. Variety's recent cover star Tremmel Tillman has a
high profile new gig. He's joined Tom Holland and Zendeia
(01:32):
in the cast of Spider Man Brand New Day coming
next year from Sony and Marvel. Janelle James of Abbot
Elementary is having a moment. She's got a lot to
say about the biz and the show. Don't miss her
sit down interview with Faridy's Clayton Davis. All these stories
and so much more can be found on vriday dot
com right now. Now we turn to conversations with Friday
(01:56):
journalists about news and trends in show business. Jazz Timeke
talks about what makes Industrial Light and Magic stand apart
in the highly competitive field of visual effects. The shop,
founded half a century ago by George Lucas, has maintained
its edge. It's also maintained its autonomy in the years
since it was acquired by Disney as part of the
lucasfilm deal in twenty twelve. Before we talk to Jazz,
(02:19):
let's hear a clip of George Lucas, Ron Howard and
Steven Spielberg talking about the company's influence in the twenty
twenty two Disney Plus series. Light and magic.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Visual effects create the magic that makes people want to
go to the movies.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Movies are special effects.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
We start with an empty frame, anything is possible.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
As audiences see through the illusion, the bar just raises,
how do we do this now?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
How do we make this look great?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I leave it to the genius.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Of a dim Jazz tank A. Thanks for joining me.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Thank you so much for having me that Jazz.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
You did a deep dive into the world of industrial
light and magic. Now name in visual effects in the
entertainment industry for fifty years five zero. That is an
incredible run for any company, let alone a company in
the hyper competitive world of visual effects. Big picture, what
(03:15):
is it that makes ILM stand apart all these years later?
Speaker 4 (03:20):
So fifty years, what they have done is they have
continued to push the envelope with their groundbreaking visual effects innovations. So,
going right back to Star Wars, right up to the
t one thousand and terminator to the Tyrannosaurus Rex in
Jurassic Park, and again the Tarrannosaurus Rex and Jurassic World
rebirth that we just saw this past summer.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
That was a heck of a dino.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
They just continue to be innovative in all their creations.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Of course, Industrial Lite Magic ILM is also synonymous with
one George Lucas. George Lucas founded it in the pre
Star Wars era, but it came into its own with
that little picture that he made a mark with in
nineteen seventy seven. Did you get the sense from talking
to people that his shadow still looms large over their efforts?
Speaker 4 (04:11):
One hundred percent. Everybody who I've spoken with at ILM
over the years always credits George Lucas and that they
would not be here without his desire to create something
so different. So fifty years later, plits hard to imagine
a world without the visual effects that exist in Star Wars.
(04:35):
And beyond that, we all.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Know the basic story, which was nobody bought his vision.
He said I'm going to do it myself. In my
Marine County studio, you could see him carving out the
little miniatures of the Star Wars spaceships and all of that.
As we've been talking here, I think the fact that
ILM is not in Hollywood. It's in the realm of
Silicon Valley, so all that tech is definitely in the ether.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
They're based up in the Marin County area, but they
also have VFX artists all over the world. To your point,
there is something there about them being so close to
tech and wanting to be at the forefront of immersive
technology as we move into that area.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Is there anything that you came away with in terms
of the company culture, what it's like to work for ILM.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I think from Janet Lieuhin is a senior vice president,
general manager and head of ILM, right through to John
Now who's a visual effects supervisor, there is so much
passion for what they do that they stay there. They've
been there twenty years, thirty years. They love what they do,
and that is what I took away from Janet. I
(05:43):
take that away from John, I take that away from
the people, the sound people that I've worked with there.
It is a passion for what they do and changing
the way audiences experience movies because of what they doing.
The ILM, and.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Let's not forget of course, Pixar was an outgrowth of
the nexus of Lucasfilm and ILM way back in the
eighties before Steve Jobs bought it. The concentric circles of
George Lucas are intense. What is the next frontier or
the next big project they're tackling.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
They did abb A Voyage, which is a holographics show
in the UK, and they've also been working with bands
at the Sphere and their sixteen K screen, So I
think that's definitely their next move, moving into the immersive
brand and being innovative with this new technology.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Well, they've been wowing us for a half a century. Jazz,
thank you so much for bringing us a glimpse of
this world.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Thank you for having me again, Cynthia.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Now. TV critic Alison Hermann joins to explain why she
gave Netflix's new animated series Long Story Short the coveted
Variety critics pick seale of approval. Alison Herman, one of
Variety's two terrific TV critics. Thanks for joining me. Thanks
so much for having me, Alison. I couldn't help but
notice that the new Netflix animated comedy Long Story Short
(07:15):
got one of the coveted Green Circular critics pick badges
from your review. Tell me what was it about this
show that stood out to you.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
I should probably start by saying I was a huge
fan of the creator's previous show. The creator is Raphael
Bob Wacksburg, and he's probably best known for creating BoJack Horseman,
which was a very early success in the adult animated
comedy space for Netflix. People who listen to this podcast
will probably love the show because it's the most insidery
(07:46):
Hollywood show that's like ever existed. I've been missing that
voice for a while. And long story short is a
different show. It is a much more grounded show about
a Jewish family in the San Francisco Bay area, but
it also has that mix that BoJack so nailed of
total silliness and absurdity and cleverness, but also this ability
(08:11):
to just speak to really fundamental aspects of the human experience.
And the way those two connect with each other means
that it's very easy to get kind of like blindsided,
like your defenses are down, you're laughing, and then all
of a sudden you're like, oh my god, how am
I crying? And I really love this show because it
preserves that very delicate balance, as we.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Know that the last couple of years have been horrendous.
When it comes to the resurgence of anti Semitism, does
it get into hard stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
It gets into hard stuff. It actually does not get
into specifically what we're talking about. So the timeline of
the show only goes as recently as twenty twenty two,
which is a deliberate choice, which means you don't get
into October seventh, you don't get into larger world events,
you don't get into internal debates within the Jewish community
about the issues brought up by certain global conflicts. And
(09:05):
I thought that was a very interesting decision because it
actually frees up space in the show to talk about Judaism.
It feels like a very internal conversation. I think a
lot of people who are not Jewish will relate to
and enjoy the show, But as a Jewish person myself,
I found it incredibly moving the way the show portrays.
For example, the observance of young Key Poor comes up
(09:28):
in the show, and instead of joking about fasting and
being hungry and you guilt tripping and stereotypes, it's very
much about what it means to participate in a day
of atonement, and so I thought it was very interesting
that the show arguably sidesteps some issues, although it already
has a season two so it could very well get
into them in the future, but it very clearly utilizes
(09:51):
that space freed up to talk about subjects that are
also very Jewish, and I think a lot of Jewish
people will almost be relieved to see the show focused
on other aspects of Judaism than the last two years.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Or the trauma of centuries. Tell me about the structure, though,
because your review does discuss that it's a very unusual
structure that really worked for you.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
So the structure of the show is nonlinear. Instead of
telling a story that starts in twenty twenty and ends
in twenty twenty two, and this happens, and then that happens,
and then that happens. It's a hopscotching timeline. The furthest
back it goes. It's the mid twentieth century to show
one of the parents' childhoods, and of the most recent
it gets is twenty twenty two, So you come to
(10:34):
know these characters very gradually, and I actually thought it
was a very subtle and oblique way of shading in
these characters. I've really enjoyed the way it's gradual and
deliberate instead of just saying up front, here's who these
people are.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
You really learn along with them when you're watching it.
Do you get the sense that they are using animation
of its best form? Here?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
The first and most obvious use of animation is that
you can have the same voice actors who are all great.
It's Lisa Edelstein plays the mother and she's wonderful. Paul
Riser plays the father, and the kids are voiced by
Ben Feldman, Abby Jacobson and Max Greenfield. But they play
those characters at every age, and so you immediately understand
(11:18):
why it's animated. They live in Mountain View, which is
a real place. That's where Google is, and then slowly
you start to understand what the rules of this universe
are and raphaile Bob Blacksburg has this lovely, silly, pop
culture reference filled, pun laden sense of humor, and you
start to see him exercise that, and you start to
see goofy things happen, and the show sort of slowly
(11:42):
starts to teach you what kind of universe we're in
and what things are possible within it. Over time, which
is an approach I also really admired, and now I'm
very intrigued to watch it. And I was really encouraged
to see that Netflix ordered to season two already, and
I optimistic the show will get this same space to
find its audience. Well, Allison, thank you for doing all
(12:04):
the watching and telling us what's worth our time. You
know someone's got to do it.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And now we'll get a preview of the final installment
of Variety Confidential, The Life and Legacy of River Phoenix.
My great colleague Tatiana Siegel did her homework in researching
this series. We'll get her perspective on what made River
Phoenix so special during his short life. But first we'll
hear a clip from Tatiana's interview with director Nancy Savoka.
(12:31):
She worked with River on the nineteen ninety one coming
of age drama Dog Fight.
Speaker 5 (12:36):
I think the fact that he was recognized so young
was well deserved, because he came in so young and
so aware of these characters. He had an ability to
assess people in psychology and situations.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
In a very empathetic way.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
He really did become them.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Tatiana, I'm a big fan of the Variety Confidential podcast
series that you produced on River Phoenix, The Life and Legacy.
It's been so good. Episode three is out now, Episode
four is coming out next week, Tatiana, give people a
sense of what you're going to hear in these last
two episodes.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Sure, so it's a very sad story in that we
had somebody who was the next Leonardo DiCaprio. Before Leonardo
DiCaprio was Leonardo DiCaprio. This was the most interesting Oscar
nominated as a teenager guy whose career was like only
(13:38):
going to go farther and farther and farther. And so
episode three the title is Gone too Soon, and we
spoke with Samantha Mathis, who was his girlfriend at the
time of his death and was with him at the
viper room when he very sadly passed away. She really
(13:59):
is She rarely talks about River Phoenix. I think that
hopefully she understood that we weren't just going for the
salacious drug overdose death, that we were really trying to
frame this podcast about what an incredible run he had
in just a few years. His brother, Joaquin Phoenix has
(14:23):
gone on to this wonderful, huge career Oscar Winner. But
let's not forget River Phoenix was the James Dean of
his generation.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
I remember River Phoenix's rise, I remember the night that
he passed. What this podcast has done is really made
him human. The emphasis is on the life, it's not
on the trauma of his death. And you've got interviews
with Corey Feldman with below the line, people that worked
with him, people that he befriended, and you really track
the moments in his life where he went into the
(14:55):
substance abuse and the depression that would eventually take his
life and that. But in bringing to life what made
him such a standout actor, what made him earn an
Oscar nomination before he was twenty, that's the stuff that
has long been lost. Well, great work, folks. Go listen
to the first three. Get ready for the final episode
(15:16):
because it will be really heartbreaking. But it's credit to
you that we have told the life of River Phoenix
much more so than the death. Folks, listen up. Thank
you Tatiana, Oh thank you Cynthia. And finally, here's an
encore of a Daily Variety segment that first aired on
(15:37):
July seventeenth. I keep getting questions about my sign off
phrase styx Nick's hick picks. That tongue twister is a
famous example of the wacky Variety headlines that once defined
our beloved brand. Here's my explainer. The phrase I'm saying
is styx nick's hick picks. This is an odd to
(15:58):
Variety's history of running really, really irreverent and slangy headlines.
Styx sti cks is a slang term for rural areas,
nix nix means to reject, pick hi ck is a
slang term for a rural resident, and picks p i
(16:21):
x is variety slanguage for movies. Fun fact, the styx
nix hick picks headline ran ninety years ago today. It
was the banner headline on our July seventeenth, nineteen thirty
five edition. It was the lead story that explained why
a series of big movies set in heartland areas had
(16:42):
flopped with moviegoers in those exact areas. Basically, the story
boils down to, don't pander to what you think the
audience wants. Just make good movies and they'll travel. It's
a lesson Hollywood is still grappling with. As we close
out today's episode. Here are a few things on the
horizon Variety will be in heavy festival mode from next
(17:06):
week through Labor Day. Venice Tell You Ride Toronto will
produce dedicated print dailies and digital dailies for Venice and Toronto.
All of these issues will be available for perusing on
Variety dot com. After Labor Day. We'll be cruising into
the Creative Arts Semi Awards on September sixth and seventh,
and some of us in LA are going to see
(17:27):
Oasis at the Rose Bowl that weekend. Daily Variety will
take next week off. We'll be back with a new
episode on September second. We greatly greatly appreciate all of
the listener feedback flowing in on this show. Please keep
it coming. Thanks for listening. This episode was written and
reported by me Cynthia Littleton, with contributions from Jazz Tankke,
(17:48):
Alison Herman, and Tatiana Siegel. It was edited by Aaron
Greenwald Stick's Nick Hick Picks. Please leave us a review
at the podcast platform of your choice, and please tune
back in on September second for another episode of Daily Variety.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
M
Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and
analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Thursday, August twenty first,
twenty twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Lyttleton. I am
co editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm
in LA He's in New York, and Variety has reporters
around the world covering the business of entertainment. In today's episode,
(00:28):
we talked to Jazz Tankke, Variety's Senior artisans editor, about
fifty years of visual effects wizardry from Industrial Light and Magic.
TV critic Alison Hermann explains why she fell so hard
for the new Netflix animated series Long Story Short. It
hails from BoJack Horseman's dad, Rafael Bob Waksburg. Tatyana Siegel
(00:50):
gives us a preview of the final episode of her
Variety Confidential podcast series on the life and legacy of
River Phoenix. But before we get to that, here are
a few headlin just in this morning that you need
to know. Here's a bulletin from the Fab four. The Beatles'
anthology documentary series that aired as an event on ABC
(01:10):
twenty years ago, is coming to Disney Plus. On November
twenty sixth, Don Cheadle and Io Adebris will make their
Broadway debuts in Proof. David Auburn's Tony winning play returns
to the Mainstem next March and will be directed by
Thomas Kale. Variety's recent cover star Tremmel Tillman has a
high profile new gig. He's joined Tom Holland and Zendeia
(01:32):
in the cast of Spider Man Brand New Day coming
next year from Sony and Marvel. Janelle James of Abbot
Elementary is having a moment. She's got a lot to
say about the biz and the show. Don't miss her
sit down interview with Faridy's Clayton Davis. All these stories
and so much more can be found on vriday dot
com right now. Now we turn to conversations with Friday
(01:56):
journalists about news and trends in show business. Jazz Timeke
talks about what makes Industrial Light and Magic stand apart
in the highly competitive field of visual effects. The shop,
founded half a century ago by George Lucas, has maintained
its edge. It's also maintained its autonomy in the years
since it was acquired by Disney as part of the
lucasfilm deal in twenty twelve. Before we talk to Jazz,
(02:19):
let's hear a clip of George Lucas, Ron Howard and
Steven Spielberg talking about the company's influence in the twenty
twenty two Disney Plus series. Light and magic.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Visual effects create the magic that makes people want to
go to the movies.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Movies are special effects.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
We start with an empty frame, anything is possible.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
As audiences see through the illusion, the bar just raises,
how do we do this now?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
How do we make this look great?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I leave it to the genius.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Of a dim Jazz tank A. Thanks for joining me.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Thank you so much for having me that Jazz.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
You did a deep dive into the world of industrial
light and magic. Now name in visual effects in the
entertainment industry for fifty years five zero. That is an
incredible run for any company, let alone a company in
the hyper competitive world of visual effects. Big picture, what
(03:15):
is it that makes ILM stand apart all these years later?
Speaker 4 (03:20):
So fifty years, what they have done is they have
continued to push the envelope with their groundbreaking visual effects innovations. So,
going right back to Star Wars, right up to the
t one thousand and terminator to the Tyrannosaurus Rex in
Jurassic Park, and again the Tarrannosaurus Rex and Jurassic World
rebirth that we just saw this past summer.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
That was a heck of a dino.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
They just continue to be innovative in all their creations.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Of course, Industrial Lite Magic ILM is also synonymous with
one George Lucas. George Lucas founded it in the pre
Star Wars era, but it came into its own with
that little picture that he made a mark with in
nineteen seventy seven. Did you get the sense from talking
to people that his shadow still looms large over their efforts?
Speaker 4 (04:11):
One hundred percent. Everybody who I've spoken with at ILM
over the years always credits George Lucas and that they
would not be here without his desire to create something
so different. So fifty years later, plits hard to imagine
a world without the visual effects that exist in Star Wars.
(04:35):
And beyond that, we all.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Know the basic story, which was nobody bought his vision.
He said I'm going to do it myself. In my
Marine County studio, you could see him carving out the
little miniatures of the Star Wars spaceships and all of that.
As we've been talking here, I think the fact that
ILM is not in Hollywood. It's in the realm of
Silicon Valley, so all that tech is definitely in the ether.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
They're based up in the Marin County area, but they
also have VFX artists all over the world. To your point,
there is something there about them being so close to
tech and wanting to be at the forefront of immersive
technology as we move into that area.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Is there anything that you came away with in terms
of the company culture, what it's like to work for ILM.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I think from Janet Lieuhin is a senior vice president,
general manager and head of ILM, right through to John
Now who's a visual effects supervisor, there is so much
passion for what they do that they stay there. They've
been there twenty years, thirty years. They love what they do,
and that is what I took away from Janet. I
(05:43):
take that away from John, I take that away from
the people, the sound people that I've worked with there.
It is a passion for what they do and changing
the way audiences experience movies because of what they doing.
The ILM, and.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Let's not forget of course, Pixar was an outgrowth of
the nexus of Lucasfilm and ILM way back in the
eighties before Steve Jobs bought it. The concentric circles of
George Lucas are intense. What is the next frontier or
the next big project they're tackling.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
They did abb A Voyage, which is a holographics show
in the UK, and they've also been working with bands
at the Sphere and their sixteen K screen, So I
think that's definitely their next move, moving into the immersive
brand and being innovative with this new technology.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Well, they've been wowing us for a half a century. Jazz,
thank you so much for bringing us a glimpse of
this world.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Thank you for having me again, Cynthia.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Now. TV critic Alison Hermann joins to explain why she
gave Netflix's new animated series Long Story Short the coveted
Variety critics pick seale of approval. Alison Herman, one of
Variety's two terrific TV critics. Thanks for joining me. Thanks
so much for having me, Alison. I couldn't help but
notice that the new Netflix animated comedy Long Story Short
(07:15):
got one of the coveted Green Circular critics pick badges
from your review. Tell me what was it about this
show that stood out to you.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
I should probably start by saying I was a huge
fan of the creator's previous show. The creator is Raphael
Bob Wacksburg, and he's probably best known for creating BoJack Horseman,
which was a very early success in the adult animated
comedy space for Netflix. People who listen to this podcast
will probably love the show because it's the most insidery
(07:46):
Hollywood show that's like ever existed. I've been missing that
voice for a while. And long story short is a
different show. It is a much more grounded show about
a Jewish family in the San Francisco Bay area, but
it also has that mix that BoJack so nailed of
total silliness and absurdity and cleverness, but also this ability
(08:11):
to just speak to really fundamental aspects of the human experience.
And the way those two connect with each other means
that it's very easy to get kind of like blindsided,
like your defenses are down, you're laughing, and then all
of a sudden you're like, oh my god, how am
I crying? And I really love this show because it
preserves that very delicate balance, as we.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Know that the last couple of years have been horrendous.
When it comes to the resurgence of anti Semitism, does
it get into hard stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
It gets into hard stuff. It actually does not get
into specifically what we're talking about. So the timeline of
the show only goes as recently as twenty twenty two,
which is a deliberate choice, which means you don't get
into October seventh, you don't get into larger world events,
you don't get into internal debates within the Jewish community
about the issues brought up by certain global conflicts. And
(09:05):
I thought that was a very interesting decision because it
actually frees up space in the show to talk about Judaism.
It feels like a very internal conversation. I think a
lot of people who are not Jewish will relate to
and enjoy the show, But as a Jewish person myself,
I found it incredibly moving the way the show portrays.
For example, the observance of young Key Poor comes up
(09:28):
in the show, and instead of joking about fasting and
being hungry and you guilt tripping and stereotypes, it's very
much about what it means to participate in a day
of atonement, and so I thought it was very interesting
that the show arguably sidesteps some issues, although it already
has a season two so it could very well get
into them in the future, but it very clearly utilizes
(09:51):
that space freed up to talk about subjects that are
also very Jewish, and I think a lot of Jewish
people will almost be relieved to see the show focused
on other aspects of Judaism than the last two years.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Or the trauma of centuries. Tell me about the structure, though,
because your review does discuss that it's a very unusual
structure that really worked for you.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
So the structure of the show is nonlinear. Instead of
telling a story that starts in twenty twenty and ends
in twenty twenty two, and this happens, and then that happens,
and then that happens. It's a hopscotching timeline. The furthest
back it goes. It's the mid twentieth century to show
one of the parents' childhoods, and of the most recent
it gets is twenty twenty two, So you come to
(10:34):
know these characters very gradually, and I actually thought it
was a very subtle and oblique way of shading in
these characters. I've really enjoyed the way it's gradual and
deliberate instead of just saying up front, here's who these
people are.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
You really learn along with them when you're watching it.
Do you get the sense that they are using animation
of its best form? Here?
Speaker 3 (10:57):
The first and most obvious use of animation is that
you can have the same voice actors who are all great.
It's Lisa Edelstein plays the mother and she's wonderful. Paul
Riser plays the father, and the kids are voiced by
Ben Feldman, Abby Jacobson and Max Greenfield. But they play
those characters at every age, and so you immediately understand
(11:18):
why it's animated. They live in Mountain View, which is
a real place. That's where Google is, and then slowly
you start to understand what the rules of this universe
are and raphaile Bob Blacksburg has this lovely, silly, pop
culture reference filled, pun laden sense of humor, and you
start to see him exercise that, and you start to
see goofy things happen, and the show sort of slowly
(11:42):
starts to teach you what kind of universe we're in
and what things are possible within it. Over time, which
is an approach I also really admired, and now I'm
very intrigued to watch it. And I was really encouraged
to see that Netflix ordered to season two already, and
I optimistic the show will get this same space to
find its audience. Well, Allison, thank you for doing all
(12:04):
the watching and telling us what's worth our time. You
know someone's got to do it.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And now we'll get a preview of the final installment
of Variety Confidential, The Life and Legacy of River Phoenix.
My great colleague Tatiana Siegel did her homework in researching
this series. We'll get her perspective on what made River
Phoenix so special during his short life. But first we'll
hear a clip from Tatiana's interview with director Nancy Savoka.
(12:31):
She worked with River on the nineteen ninety one coming
of age drama Dog Fight.
Speaker 5 (12:36):
I think the fact that he was recognized so young
was well deserved, because he came in so young and
so aware of these characters. He had an ability to
assess people in psychology and situations.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
In a very empathetic way.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
He really did become them.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Tatiana, I'm a big fan of the Variety Confidential podcast
series that you produced on River Phoenix, The Life and Legacy.
It's been so good. Episode three is out now, Episode
four is coming out next week, Tatiana, give people a
sense of what you're going to hear in these last
two episodes.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Sure, so it's a very sad story in that we
had somebody who was the next Leonardo DiCaprio. Before Leonardo
DiCaprio was Leonardo DiCaprio. This was the most interesting Oscar
nominated as a teenager guy whose career was like only
(13:38):
going to go farther and farther and farther. And so
episode three the title is Gone too Soon, and we
spoke with Samantha Mathis, who was his girlfriend at the
time of his death and was with him at the
viper room when he very sadly passed away. She really
(13:59):
is She rarely talks about River Phoenix. I think that
hopefully she understood that we weren't just going for the
salacious drug overdose death, that we were really trying to
frame this podcast about what an incredible run he had
in just a few years. His brother, Joaquin Phoenix has
(14:23):
gone on to this wonderful, huge career Oscar Winner. But
let's not forget River Phoenix was the James Dean of
his generation.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
I remember River Phoenix's rise, I remember the night that
he passed. What this podcast has done is really made
him human. The emphasis is on the life, it's not
on the trauma of his death. And you've got interviews
with Corey Feldman with below the line, people that worked
with him, people that he befriended, and you really track
the moments in his life where he went into the
(14:55):
substance abuse and the depression that would eventually take his
life and that. But in bringing to life what made
him such a standout actor, what made him earn an
Oscar nomination before he was twenty, that's the stuff that
has long been lost. Well, great work, folks. Go listen
to the first three. Get ready for the final episode
(15:16):
because it will be really heartbreaking. But it's credit to
you that we have told the life of River Phoenix
much more so than the death. Folks, listen up. Thank
you Tatiana, Oh thank you Cynthia. And finally, here's an
encore of a Daily Variety segment that first aired on
(15:37):
July seventeenth. I keep getting questions about my sign off
phrase styx Nick's hick picks. That tongue twister is a
famous example of the wacky Variety headlines that once defined
our beloved brand. Here's my explainer. The phrase I'm saying
is styx nick's hick picks. This is an odd to
(15:58):
Variety's history of running really, really irreverent and slangy headlines.
Styx sti cks is a slang term for rural areas,
nix nix means to reject, pick hi ck is a
slang term for a rural resident, and picks p i
(16:21):
x is variety slanguage for movies. Fun fact, the styx
nix hick picks headline ran ninety years ago today. It
was the banner headline on our July seventeenth, nineteen thirty
five edition. It was the lead story that explained why
a series of big movies set in heartland areas had
(16:42):
flopped with moviegoers in those exact areas. Basically, the story
boils down to, don't pander to what you think the
audience wants. Just make good movies and they'll travel. It's
a lesson Hollywood is still grappling with. As we close
out today's episode. Here are a few things on the
horizon Variety will be in heavy festival mode from next
(17:06):
week through Labor Day. Venice Tell You Ride Toronto will
produce dedicated print dailies and digital dailies for Venice and Toronto.
All of these issues will be available for perusing on
Variety dot com. After Labor Day. We'll be cruising into
the Creative Arts Semi Awards on September sixth and seventh,
and some of us in LA are going to see
(17:27):
Oasis at the Rose Bowl that weekend. Daily Variety will
take next week off. We'll be back with a new
episode on September second. We greatly greatly appreciate all of
the listener feedback flowing in on this show. Please keep
it coming. Thanks for listening. This episode was written and
reported by me Cynthia Littleton, with contributions from Jazz Tankke,
(17:48):
Alison Herman, and Tatiana Siegel. It was edited by Aaron
Greenwald Stick's Nick Hick Picks. Please leave us a review
at the podcast platform of your choice, and please tune
back in on September second for another episode of Daily Variety.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
M
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