September 30, 2024 • 25 mins
Christian Toto, an award-winning journalist and film critic, discusses his journey into Hollywood coverage and his focus on providing a right-of-center perspective. He talks about the lack of conservative voices in the industry and the importance of free speech. Toto also highlights the challenges faced by conservative artists and the need for transparency and fairness in the entertainment industry. He discusses the impact of cancel culture and the importance of standing up for different viewpoints. The Karol Markowicz Show is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Monday & Thursday.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hi, and welcome back to the Carol Markowitz Show on iHeartRadio.
A listener wrote in to say that his son is
in his late thirties and not moving along on getting married,
despite saying he wants to and wanted to know my thoughts.
I've been thinking about this idea of running out of
(00:26):
time to get married and have a family. Now, obviously
you can get married at any age, and I hope
that anybody who wants to does, whether they're forty or
fifty or eighty. But having kids, my husband always says
it's a young man's game, and obviously for women it's
even more of a challenge because fertility only lasts so long.
(00:50):
And I know that it happens, this idea that the
person wants to get married and it just never works out.
I have friends and acquaintances who wanted to get married
and have kids and work out for one reason or another.
I also know people who are worried about hitting that wall.
Of course, that feeling like you're running out of time
(01:10):
to meet someone can add additional pressure to an already
stressful pursuit. So what should people do if they really
want to have a family but they're in their mid
to late thirties, maybe their early forties, and feeling like
they're hitting the end of those baby making years. Here
are the five things I'd say. Number one, Yes, you
(01:34):
have to treat it like somewhat of a job. I
know that's not romantic. In other words, date your face off,
be organized about it, clear certain nights of the week
for dates. Ask friends and acquaintances to set you up.
That last one is important. People in your life have
to know that you want to be set up. I
(01:54):
definitely don't always just assume that, especially now. I think
things have changed so much that, you know, we used
to think a single person definitely wants to get married,
and now it's like every week in the New York
Times about how being single is the greatest thing ever.
And I think people's perspectives has really changed. Number two,
If you have things that you need in a relationship,
(02:18):
don't bend on those. If you want someone of the
same religion, don't date outside that religion. If you're outdoorsy,
don't date people like me who are indoorsy. Yes, you
should make space for serendipity and who knows what kind
of person you're actually going to work out with. But
know you're non negotiables, but number three have sane non negotiables.
(02:44):
If you're forty and looking for a twenty year old,
this list is not for you anyway. And that's an
example of an insane non negotiable, or the whole thing
that hit this summer. Women looking for six ' five
blue eyed trust fund man who works in finance also
an insane non negotiable. I would never say lower your expectations,
(03:09):
but more like, manage your expectations. Number four. Attraction is important,
but looks are so often not as tied to attraction
as we may think. So give people a chance who
aren't really your type. I think this is one of
the biggest things actually in this swiping world. So many
(03:32):
people are passing on people who they would be wildly
attracted to if they gave them a chance. And number five,
by that same token, don't settle. If you're not attracted,
you're not attracted, even if he is six five, blue eyes, etc.
And you thought that that was what you wanted, but
it turns out it's not. Life is long, and being
(03:56):
with someone you're not into but feel like you should
be is sad. I'm gonna have tips with the younger
set in future episodes. I feel like I love talking
about this subject. I think people care about how to
meet people and I want to get into it. If
you've got suggestions, send them over Carol Maarkowitz Show at
gmail dot com. It's k A R O L M
(04:17):
A R kow I Cias and Charlie Zias and Zebra
Show at gmail dot com. Thank you for listening. So
many of you have checked out my new podcast, co
hosted with my good friend Mary Katherine Hamm. It's called
Normally and unlike this podcast, it's a political show. New
episodes are posted Tuesdays and Thursdays, and just like this show,
(04:40):
you can hear it anywhere you get your podcasts. Please
please subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. I appreciate you all.
Coming up next and interview with Christian Toto. Join us
after the break.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Welcome back to the Carol Markowitz Show on iHeartRadio. My
guest today is Christian Toto. Christian is an award winning journalist,
film critic, author and founder of Hollywood Intoto dot com,
the Right Take on Entertainment. He's also the host of
the Hollywood and Toto podcast, available on iTunes or your
favorite podcast platform.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Hi Christian, so nice to have you on.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
It's great to be here. Thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So how did you get into the Hollywood part? Where
did that come from?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Well, the trick is you have to get three arch
degrees and then you figure out that you can draw
hands and feet and have no possible career in this path,
and then you kind of segue into Hollywood coverage. That
was that was my origin story. But I've always loved movies,
always wanted to cover movies in some capacity, and when
career plan A collapsed, I just improvised and worked for
(05:48):
a couple of different newspapers and basically elbowed my way
into the art section. And that's how the beginning happened,
and I've been making it up as I go along
from there.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
That's funny because I often ask youeople like what their
Plan B career would be, and you're doing your Plan
B career. Maybe you know practice couldn't fix the hands
and legs problem.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Yeah, you know, it was a It was a combination of.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Factors like a A I can't do hands either.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
I've seen some of those examples. Yeah, maybe it was
fortuitous that I left the I left my particular field.
When I did, i'd be I'd be obsolete by now.
But yeah, as actually a separate, fascinating conversation about art
and AI and what's going to happen next. But yeah,
I just I don't know. I never really thought about
it logically, because you know, going into an arts career
(06:39):
is not exactly being a lawyer or a doctor. It's
not you know, not set in stone. And then doing
what I'm doing it was fine for a while, but
then journalism started to collapse, and you know, my Plan
B seemed like it may be needed a plan seat.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
So what kind of stuff do you like covering?
Speaker 4 (06:57):
You know, I mean it's Hollywood in general. What I
do specific is cover Hollywood from a right of center perspective,
because the more I got involved in this industry, the
more I realized that so few people who are doing
what I do cover arts from the right, and that
the messaging, the framing, everything that we talk about as
far as arts coverage, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, it's all left
(07:18):
of center, and often aggressively. So you know, early in
my career I really embraced their right of center mind view,
and then I also thought, my gosh, I mean, I
might as well lean into it professionally because no one
else seems to be doing it, and it's still mostly
the case. It's a bit better now, but yeah, I
just wanted to take that path, and also to be
(07:39):
honest about it and to be transparent, and also to
be you know, I don't sling rumors around my website
or podcast. I don't call people names. I don't make
fun of the way they look. I want to be professional,
but I also want to be right of center.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Do conservatives in Hollywood reach out to you?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Yeah, it's you know, it's really weird. You know. Back
in the day, I'd interview Johnny Depp or Tom Hanks
or Will Smith, and now I interviewed Scott Bayo and
Kevin Sorbo and John Boyd. The pool has shrunk dramatically,
but you know, it is what it is. And you know,
I think a lot of the right leaning artists understand
that I'll give them coverage because I mean, they should
(08:17):
get press attention like any other actor or artist. And
they know I'm not going to, you know, give them
sucker punches when I write.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
About them, right, which I'm sure is not a common
thing for them. What themes do you like to look
at in Hollywood? Like, what are I guess what themes
do your stories take on?
Speaker 4 (08:37):
You know, from a pure artistic point of view, and
it sounds weird to even frame it that way. I
love to cover horror movies. It's just it's my favorite genre.
I find it so full of escapism. And you know,
in recent years, between the pandemic and my wife had
breast cancer. She's fine now, I absolutely craved horror movies.
It just I just want a genre film. So but
(08:58):
from a professional point of view, in real years, I've
been almost obsessed with free speech, covering comedians who break
the mold, who don't play by the rules, you know,
talking about censorship, whether it's big tech or different platforms,
you know, making sure that people don't say what they
want to say or share the jokes they want to share.
And of course the victory is there too, because we've
(09:20):
seen some really great strides in recent years. I think
maybe one of the biggest cultural moments has been when
Netflix stood tall and stood up for Dave Chappelle after
that controversial special The Closer he did for I think
it was twenty twenty one. Yeah, that was a pivotal
moment because if you cancel the goat right he call
him the greatest of all time, maybe the best comedian
right now if he can't say what he wants to say,
(09:43):
the chilling effect across the comedy landscape and even the
artistic landscape, I think would have been profound. So you know,
I really those subjects keep me up at night. The
fact that censorship is so is so pervasive across the culture,
across the world, and so I think my career, my
focus has really shifted in that direction.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So you do think that things have gotten better because
I mean, I think that that Netflix moment might have
been kind of the turning point also, but I think
a lot of comedians who haven't recovered maybe would say otherwise.
Do you think that like we're heading in a better direction.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
I think it's two steps forward, one step back. I
think for every comedian who feels more empowered, who understands
that they can survive and thrive on Patreon, on YouTube,
on podcast forms, there are others who are still afraid,
who still feel punished. I mean, in recent months, Michael Rappaport,
the actor turned comedian, he's had issues now that's based
on his faith and being an openly Jewish actor and
(10:43):
comedian who's supporting Israel. That stepped in the way, but
that is part of the same picture and why I
do think that comedians have had a better time of late.
We still haven't seen that raucous, r rated comedy that
we used to know and love. And I look across
the culture as far as what's happening in the UK
and internship and just revelations in recent weeks with what
(11:04):
Facebook did or didn't do during the twenty twenty election.
Right issue is all over. So even though there is
some progress, there is some hope, there's a lot to
be fearful of. And I think we have to be villaging, vigilant.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
What do you worry about in our culture? Like, what
do you think is our largest problem?
Speaker 4 (11:20):
I think forgetting who we are as a people. I
think forgetting what makes America so wonderful. You don't ignore
the flaws, you don't say you know we've always been perfect,
because will never be perfect. But I think there's a
lack of faith in this system. And I think I
think people have a lack of faith in the institutions.
I mean, I don't think that's an original thought. But
(11:40):
you know, medicine and the media and academia, yeah, you
name it.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You know a lot they've done some things to kind
of shatter our faith. You know. I think, like I
used to have faith in our you know, health systems
for example, and far less now.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
How do we get that back?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Yeah? I think for me, COVID broke me.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
And I think actually in productive, insightful ways. People say, oh,
they you know, Trump broke people, and I think that's
mostly negative, Like they they're letting their emotions get the
better of them. But how we get better? You know,
I think almost it has to be on an individual basis.
Where people get red pilled for lack of a better phrase,
(12:24):
maybe it's on their own. Maybe they have a kind
of a journey or discovery of what's going on. You know.
I've been shedding so much light and giving so much
attention to people like doctor Drew Pinsky or Jillian Michaels.
And they don't agree with my worldview or they don't
vote the way I vote, but they're free thinkers and
they understand what's going on big picture wise. But I
(12:44):
think you can't just take people and shove facts and
figures in their face and say no, you're wrong. Look
at the media, it's corrupt. Look at COVID, look what
they did and said it was wrong. It has to
come from within. But I think if you know, sane,
logical people, like if we can kind of nudge them
in the right direction and just kind of let them
open their minds a little bit, I think that process
(13:06):
may happen faster. But you know, again, it's an individual basis,
but it has to be on a collective level. And
until we get there, I'm worried. I'm just worried across
the board about the culture of the country, about politics,
about everything.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
I just think I think those institutions, I don't know
that they survive.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
I mean, I think we need, for example, health agencies,
But how do you trust the health agencies that openly
lied about tons of stuff and let you know, Randy
Winingarten rewrite health care policy. All of that is really
hard to stomach. So like, if we kind of see
it in a smaller way that it's not just fully
(13:45):
reorganizing institutions, We're.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Going to take a quick break and be right back
on the Carol Markowitz Show.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
What are the steps that our culture would need to
take for that regain of trust. And it seems so
big to me. It seems insturmountable that you know, you
say on an individual basis, but even on an individual basis,
I don't know how we get there.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Yeah, I mean, it's the million dollar question. I don't
I don't have a firm answer. I wish I did.
You know, I would like some apologies from the people
who have misled us. I think that would be helpful.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
In the constructive Yeah, that's not going to happen.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Not going to happen, But I wishful thinking you're you know,
I'm kind of you're asking me a pie in the sky.
That's the guy. You know, if it's such an interesting
time that we live in because we have more means
to communicate, We've got more methods to do so in
a very speedy fashion. We have more I think the
(14:41):
average consumer has more ability to sway these big powers.
You know, it can be a single person who has
a viral video that is impactful or that shatters expectations
or narratives, and I think we can, we can make change.
But it seems like we don't. You know, if if
a not people had stood up to some of the
more egregious COVID protocols, they would have changed because you know,
(15:07):
these big institutions are often cowardly. But we didn't. You know,
Adam Carolla talks about this all the time. If you know,
a whole bunch of people just said, hey, this whole
nonsense of like taking bites and SIPs and lowering your
masks on the plane. It just showed the folly of
the of the protocols. But we didn't stand up. So
I do worry about our sheep like tendencies and our
(15:28):
inability to kind of really take us stand at a
time where we have more tools at our disposal. I mean,
you know, you and I could go make a video
tomorrow and use the most rudimentary tools and it would
look pretty slick, and you could put it up on
YouTube and rumble and could in theory, get a lot
of attention and could change hearts and minds. So the
potential is there. It almost nags at us because it's
(15:50):
so within reach, but we just don't seem to go there.
And I, you know, and I don't understand how my
friends on the center left the head and not look
at the media and just be a ghast at what's
going on just right. I don't understand.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Do you think that Hollywood is making any changes? Like,
are they you know, because I think they went through
a period of real super leftism in the last few
years where everything was woke and you know, all scripts
had a diversity reader and a sensitivity reader and all
of that. Are they coming around to sanity or is
(16:27):
it never going to happen.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
It's a yes, yes, and a no answer, and I'll
tell you the yes part. I think this this summer,
we've seen a lot of films that were I don't
want to say anti woke, but just pure entertainment, you know,
Bad Balay's Ride or Die, Inside Out, to the Deadpool
and Wolverine. I think this whole summer, the success stories
have been these pure escapist entertainment projects, and I think
(16:49):
we're seeing more and more of that, and we're seeing
less of the lectures.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Really.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
I was just chatting with a friend recently and he
talked about how, you know, he's a straight white man
and who's looking to get into the business, and he
is struggling and he's been told multiple times that as
a straight white man there are barriers to entry now,
and you know that's unacceptable. And listen, back in the
day when if you were a person of color and
there were barriers to entry, that was unacceptable too.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
We've moved back already understood that.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
I think that we've gotten to where, like I think
that I maybe not everybody back then, but you know,
we've gotten to where we understand that that was wrong,
and yet it can be applied to other races and genders.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
And that's okay.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
You asked before about what I want to cover and
what is my passion. You know, I talk all the
time about the New Blacklist, and it's a subject that's
so obvious and everyone knows about it, and there's just
zero outrage. You know, if I'm a Tom Hanks or
a George Clooney and I look around at my conservative
friends who are in the industry and I realized that
(17:51):
they can't speak and they worry about losing their jobs
and they have to meet secret I would be so
outraged by that. I'd say, you know, listen, I don't
agree with anything that John Voyd has to say or
Scott Veo, but boy, they should be able to say
whatever they want they're not being outrageous or unprofessional or
inciting violence. They're just having a different point of view
about what their political beliefs are. You know. But that's
(18:14):
the way it is. And you know, every few weeks
is a new story in a major publication that really
highlights what's going on. In recent weeks, we've had Cheryl
Hines come out and support her husband or a President Trump,
and now there are stories about how she may be
shunned in Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Oh, I'm sure she will be.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
Yeah, but they write that story. But there's the next
obvious follow up story, well why and that isn't that wrong?
And yet they don't write that. So that leaves it
up to people like me to write that story, because
I do think it's important. I don't agree with everything
Cheryl Hines has to say. She's a liberal.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah, it's kind of funny that it's conservatives defending these
liberals and being like, let them speak, It's okay to
be different, you know, like, maybe you guys can not overreact.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
About this, But I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I think that the Tom Hanks and you know, especially
the George Clooney's, they're having their ideologies enforced. Why would
they step in and help anybody. They're on the side
where they you know, feel very comfortable where they are.
I mean, the cancelation thing is going to happen to them.
It happens to everybody. I mean, look at Blake Lively
right now. She's you know, being targeted with the comments
(19:27):
from the past and where she got married or whatever.
You can never really be a good enough liberal. And
that's the thing what people on the left need to understand.
It will come for you. It always comes for you.
And actually it's a circular firing squad that mostly comes
for you first. It's very hard to cancel conservatives, very
easy to cancel liberals.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Yeah, and you know, and there are some protective barriers
you can put around your career, you know. Jimmy Kimmel,
he had the blackface episodes. He was on The Man
Show doing wildly offensive jokes. Yeah, you know that can't
be told today. But because he's been such a soldier
in the ideological trenches, he's protected to a certain degree,
(20:06):
you know. And Jimmy Fallon, he had a single blackface
episode and he had to basically do like a hostage
apology on The Tonight Show and make amends for what
he did. Yeah, and yet Kimmel did that much more often, right, kim,
end of the kind happened. I think he offered a
melliam outh apology at some point, but it certainly wasn't forced,
it wasn't on video, it wasn't on a show. Right. So,
(20:28):
but having said that, you also see, like people like
Tina Fey, who's been a good liberal celebrity. She's been
punished for telling the wrong jokes. And while she initially said, hey,
you know, I make it a policy not to explain
my jokes, she's kind of gone one hundred and eighty
and now she's part of the part of the team.
And she's actually used from episodes of thirty Rock because
(20:49):
they had blackface incidents in it.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Right, Well, Kimmel had to not Kimmel Fallon had to
apologize for rustling Donald Trump's hair, and he like basically cried. So,
you know, I don't feel too sorry for him. But
do you remember when Russell Simmons was.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Accused of rape.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
I don't really know what happened with that, but you know,
height of me to all these powerful men are being
accused of stuff. Russell Simmons gets accused of rape, and
his response is, Okay, I'm going to open an anti gun,
anti Trump like center. Okay, like you got me, but
like I'm going to like invest all this money and
left his causes. Like he really said that because he
(21:26):
thought that was all he needed to say.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
Well, Harvey Weinstein pulled the same trick when he was
accused of sexual improprieties. That was his very first response
in his quasi. Yeah, I did some bad things, but
it was a different time. Oh and by the way,
I've got some plans for projects. They don't like. Liberal
Hollywood didn't work for him.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
It's amazing how bluntly and openly they said all that
and you know, largely got away with it.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
Yeah, you know, it's funny. It's a bit off the topic.
Maybe it's not. But Sean asked in the actor from
the Lord of the Rings films, he's been on a
tear for Kamala Harris, and I followed his career over
the years. He's like a very nice fellow and talented guy.
But you know, he's been in a sense relegated to
smaller films, indie films, faith based projects, and I almost wonder,
(22:12):
like this is his pitch to kind of get back
into the least.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
You guys like me. I'm on your side.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yeah, and it may work, you know that, certainly may Yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
I think Mark Hamill is on that path with all
his proclamations in recent months.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
But that's exactly right.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
It's the way Hollywood works.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah, So you get to write about whatever you want.
Do you feel like you've made it?
Speaker 4 (22:35):
I knew this question was coming, and I hate and
love it. I hate it because.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
It's exactly the feeling I hope to evoke.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
My wife often pulls me aside and says, Honey, you're
your own boss, You've got your own career, You're writing
about things you love. You have made it, absolutely and
on paper there's some truth there. But I don't feel
like I've made it. I don't. I just I struggle.
I've got anxiety about the work I do, and to
be truth with Carol, there are so few people doing
(23:04):
what I do right. You should be the thing in
I mentioned like I'm almost all alone in this space.
So I really I feel the work isn't done, and
the thing that I really care about the most is
to not sell out and not be something that isn't
true to me, Like I could be more red meat,
and I could push the rumors and I could do
all the stick and I could be more famous, but
(23:25):
I just can't. In my heart, I can't. It feels
so fake. So I think on paper, I think I'm
doing fine, but I still struggle. I struggle every day.
I was struggling before the MIC's turned on.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Today you don't seem like it, but okay, I get that.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
You know that's really I mean, I think that any
everybody you know, it's to some extent, fakes it until
they make it.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
We do struggle, you know, we struggle before the mics
come on, and then the MIC's come on and we
just do it.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
We just power through it.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
It's funny when I was I first started as a reporter, again,
no experience, know nothing, and I go to these town
meetings in Pittsburgh and I'm like, I don't know what
I'm doing, And that was truly legitimately faking it till
but I got through that te period.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Well. I love that. I really enjoyed having you on.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Leave us here with your best tip from my listeners
on how they can improve their lives.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Well, it's a little one, but you know, to me,
there's two little kind of quasi tips here. I just
think everything that you can do in life to make
other people's lives a smidge better is always a positive.
It could be holding the door open for someone, It
could be letting someone in and a traffic jam, that
kind of thing. But more importantly, if you're in a
relationship and you know there are little things that your
(24:43):
spouse really that makes them happy. Like for me, when
I fill the gas tag cup in the family, Yeah,
my wife is ecstatic and it's something microscopic move. It
takes almost nothing. It's got to get done. But if
I do it and I'm proactive about it, it makes
her life a little bit happier, and it makes her
a little bit happier. So just think about those micro
moves you can do throughout the day that costs nothing,
(25:05):
It takes so little time. I think they have an impact.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
I totally agree. I love and my husband fills the
car up with gas. It's like one of my favorite things. Absolutely.
He is Christiantoto.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
His website is Hollywoodantoto dot com. The Right take on entertainment.
Listen to his Show, the Hollywood and Toto Podcast.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
So nice to have you on.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Christian Oh, thanks so much, Thanks so much for joining
us on the Carol Marcowitch Show. Subscribe wherever you get
your podcasts.
Hi, and welcome back to the Carol Markowitz Show on iHeartRadio.
A listener wrote in to say that his son is
in his late thirties and not moving along on getting married,
despite saying he wants to and wanted to know my thoughts.
I've been thinking about this idea of running out of
(00:26):
time to get married and have a family. Now, obviously
you can get married at any age, and I hope
that anybody who wants to does, whether they're forty or
fifty or eighty. But having kids, my husband always says
it's a young man's game, and obviously for women it's
even more of a challenge because fertility only lasts so long.
(00:50):
And I know that it happens, this idea that the
person wants to get married and it just never works out.
I have friends and acquaintances who wanted to get married
and have kids and work out for one reason or another.
I also know people who are worried about hitting that wall.
Of course, that feeling like you're running out of time
(01:10):
to meet someone can add additional pressure to an already
stressful pursuit. So what should people do if they really
want to have a family but they're in their mid
to late thirties, maybe their early forties, and feeling like
they're hitting the end of those baby making years. Here
are the five things I'd say. Number one, Yes, you
(01:34):
have to treat it like somewhat of a job. I
know that's not romantic. In other words, date your face off,
be organized about it, clear certain nights of the week
for dates. Ask friends and acquaintances to set you up.
That last one is important. People in your life have
to know that you want to be set up. I
(01:54):
definitely don't always just assume that, especially now. I think
things have changed so much that, you know, we used
to think a single person definitely wants to get married,
and now it's like every week in the New York
Times about how being single is the greatest thing ever.
And I think people's perspectives has really changed. Number two,
If you have things that you need in a relationship,
(02:18):
don't bend on those. If you want someone of the
same religion, don't date outside that religion. If you're outdoorsy,
don't date people like me who are indoorsy. Yes, you
should make space for serendipity and who knows what kind
of person you're actually going to work out with. But
know you're non negotiables, but number three have sane non negotiables.
(02:44):
If you're forty and looking for a twenty year old,
this list is not for you anyway. And that's an
example of an insane non negotiable, or the whole thing
that hit this summer. Women looking for six ' five
blue eyed trust fund man who works in finance also
an insane non negotiable. I would never say lower your expectations,
(03:09):
but more like, manage your expectations. Number four. Attraction is important,
but looks are so often not as tied to attraction
as we may think. So give people a chance who
aren't really your type. I think this is one of
the biggest things actually in this swiping world. So many
(03:32):
people are passing on people who they would be wildly
attracted to if they gave them a chance. And number five,
by that same token, don't settle. If you're not attracted,
you're not attracted, even if he is six five, blue eyes, etc.
And you thought that that was what you wanted, but
it turns out it's not. Life is long, and being
(03:56):
with someone you're not into but feel like you should
be is sad. I'm gonna have tips with the younger
set in future episodes. I feel like I love talking
about this subject. I think people care about how to
meet people and I want to get into it. If
you've got suggestions, send them over Carol Maarkowitz Show at
gmail dot com. It's k A R O L M
(04:17):
A R kow I Cias and Charlie Zias and Zebra
Show at gmail dot com. Thank you for listening. So
many of you have checked out my new podcast, co
hosted with my good friend Mary Katherine Hamm. It's called
Normally and unlike this podcast, it's a political show. New
episodes are posted Tuesdays and Thursdays, and just like this show,
(04:40):
you can hear it anywhere you get your podcasts. Please
please subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. I appreciate you all.
Coming up next and interview with Christian Toto. Join us
after the break.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Welcome back to the Carol Markowitz Show on iHeartRadio. My
guest today is Christian Toto. Christian is an award winning journalist,
film critic, author and founder of Hollywood Intoto dot com,
the Right Take on Entertainment. He's also the host of
the Hollywood and Toto podcast, available on iTunes or your
favorite podcast platform.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Hi Christian, so nice to have you on.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
It's great to be here. Thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So how did you get into the Hollywood part? Where
did that come from?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Well, the trick is you have to get three arch
degrees and then you figure out that you can draw
hands and feet and have no possible career in this path,
and then you kind of segue into Hollywood coverage. That
was that was my origin story. But I've always loved movies,
always wanted to cover movies in some capacity, and when
career plan A collapsed, I just improvised and worked for
(05:48):
a couple of different newspapers and basically elbowed my way
into the art section. And that's how the beginning happened,
and I've been making it up as I go along
from there.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
That's funny because I often ask youeople like what their
Plan B career would be, and you're doing your Plan
B career. Maybe you know practice couldn't fix the hands
and legs problem.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
Yeah, you know, it was a It was a combination of.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Factors like a A I can't do hands either.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
I've seen some of those examples. Yeah, maybe it was
fortuitous that I left the I left my particular field.
When I did, i'd be I'd be obsolete by now.
But yeah, as actually a separate, fascinating conversation about art
and AI and what's going to happen next. But yeah,
I just I don't know. I never really thought about
it logically, because you know, going into an arts career
(06:39):
is not exactly being a lawyer or a doctor. It's
not you know, not set in stone. And then doing
what I'm doing it was fine for a while, but
then journalism started to collapse, and you know, my Plan
B seemed like it may be needed a plan seat.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
So what kind of stuff do you like covering?
Speaker 4 (06:57):
You know, I mean it's Hollywood in general. What I
do specific is cover Hollywood from a right of center perspective,
because the more I got involved in this industry, the
more I realized that so few people who are doing
what I do cover arts from the right, and that
the messaging, the framing, everything that we talk about as
far as arts coverage, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, it's all left
(07:18):
of center, and often aggressively. So you know, early in
my career I really embraced their right of center mind view,
and then I also thought, my gosh, I mean, I
might as well lean into it professionally because no one
else seems to be doing it, and it's still mostly
the case. It's a bit better now, but yeah, I
just wanted to take that path, and also to be
(07:39):
honest about it and to be transparent, and also to
be you know, I don't sling rumors around my website
or podcast. I don't call people names. I don't make
fun of the way they look. I want to be professional,
but I also want to be right of center.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Do conservatives in Hollywood reach out to you?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Yeah, it's you know, it's really weird. You know. Back
in the day, I'd interview Johnny Depp or Tom Hanks
or Will Smith, and now I interviewed Scott Bayo and
Kevin Sorbo and John Boyd. The pool has shrunk dramatically,
but you know, it is what it is. And you know,
I think a lot of the right leaning artists understand
that I'll give them coverage because I mean, they should
(08:17):
get press attention like any other actor or artist. And
they know I'm not going to, you know, give them
sucker punches when I write.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
About them, right, which I'm sure is not a common
thing for them. What themes do you like to look
at in Hollywood? Like, what are I guess what themes
do your stories take on?
Speaker 4 (08:37):
You know, from a pure artistic point of view, and
it sounds weird to even frame it that way. I
love to cover horror movies. It's just it's my favorite genre.
I find it so full of escapism. And you know,
in recent years, between the pandemic and my wife had
breast cancer. She's fine now, I absolutely craved horror movies.
It just I just want a genre film. So but
(08:58):
from a professional point of view, in real years, I've
been almost obsessed with free speech, covering comedians who break
the mold, who don't play by the rules, you know,
talking about censorship, whether it's big tech or different platforms,
you know, making sure that people don't say what they
want to say or share the jokes they want to share.
And of course the victory is there too, because we've
(09:20):
seen some really great strides in recent years. I think
maybe one of the biggest cultural moments has been when
Netflix stood tall and stood up for Dave Chappelle after
that controversial special The Closer he did for I think
it was twenty twenty one. Yeah, that was a pivotal
moment because if you cancel the goat right he call
him the greatest of all time, maybe the best comedian
right now if he can't say what he wants to say,
(09:43):
the chilling effect across the comedy landscape and even the
artistic landscape, I think would have been profound. So you know,
I really those subjects keep me up at night. The
fact that censorship is so is so pervasive across the culture,
across the world, and so I think my career, my
focus has really shifted in that direction.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So you do think that things have gotten better because
I mean, I think that that Netflix moment might have
been kind of the turning point also, but I think
a lot of comedians who haven't recovered maybe would say otherwise.
Do you think that like we're heading in a better direction.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
I think it's two steps forward, one step back. I
think for every comedian who feels more empowered, who understands
that they can survive and thrive on Patreon, on YouTube,
on podcast forms, there are others who are still afraid,
who still feel punished. I mean, in recent months, Michael Rappaport,
the actor turned comedian, he's had issues now that's based
on his faith and being an openly Jewish actor and
(10:43):
comedian who's supporting Israel. That stepped in the way, but
that is part of the same picture and why I
do think that comedians have had a better time of late.
We still haven't seen that raucous, r rated comedy that
we used to know and love. And I look across
the culture as far as what's happening in the UK
and internship and just revelations in recent weeks with what
(11:04):
Facebook did or didn't do during the twenty twenty election.
Right issue is all over. So even though there is
some progress, there is some hope, there's a lot to
be fearful of. And I think we have to be villaging, vigilant.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
What do you worry about in our culture? Like, what
do you think is our largest problem?
Speaker 4 (11:20):
I think forgetting who we are as a people. I
think forgetting what makes America so wonderful. You don't ignore
the flaws, you don't say you know we've always been perfect,
because will never be perfect. But I think there's a
lack of faith in this system. And I think I
think people have a lack of faith in the institutions.
I mean, I don't think that's an original thought. But
(11:40):
you know, medicine and the media and academia, yeah, you
name it.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You know a lot they've done some things to kind
of shatter our faith. You know. I think, like I
used to have faith in our you know, health systems
for example, and far less now.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
How do we get that back?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Yeah? I think for me, COVID broke me.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
And I think actually in productive, insightful ways. People say, oh,
they you know, Trump broke people, and I think that's
mostly negative, Like they they're letting their emotions get the
better of them. But how we get better? You know,
I think almost it has to be on an individual basis.
Where people get red pilled for lack of a better phrase,
(12:24):
maybe it's on their own. Maybe they have a kind
of a journey or discovery of what's going on. You know.
I've been shedding so much light and giving so much
attention to people like doctor Drew Pinsky or Jillian Michaels.
And they don't agree with my worldview or they don't
vote the way I vote, but they're free thinkers and
they understand what's going on big picture wise. But I
(12:44):
think you can't just take people and shove facts and
figures in their face and say no, you're wrong. Look
at the media, it's corrupt. Look at COVID, look what
they did and said it was wrong. It has to
come from within. But I think if you know, sane,
logical people, like if we can kind of nudge them
in the right direction and just kind of let them
open their minds a little bit, I think that process
(13:06):
may happen faster. But you know, again, it's an individual basis,
but it has to be on a collective level. And
until we get there, I'm worried. I'm just worried across
the board about the culture of the country, about politics,
about everything.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
I just think I think those institutions, I don't know
that they survive.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
I mean, I think we need, for example, health agencies,
But how do you trust the health agencies that openly
lied about tons of stuff and let you know, Randy
Winingarten rewrite health care policy. All of that is really
hard to stomach. So like, if we kind of see
it in a smaller way that it's not just fully
(13:45):
reorganizing institutions, We're.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Going to take a quick break and be right back
on the Carol Markowitz Show.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
What are the steps that our culture would need to
take for that regain of trust. And it seems so
big to me. It seems insturmountable that you know, you
say on an individual basis, but even on an individual basis,
I don't know how we get there.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Yeah, I mean, it's the million dollar question. I don't
I don't have a firm answer. I wish I did.
You know, I would like some apologies from the people
who have misled us. I think that would be helpful.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
In the constructive Yeah, that's not going to happen.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Not going to happen, But I wishful thinking you're you know,
I'm kind of you're asking me a pie in the sky.
That's the guy. You know, if it's such an interesting
time that we live in because we have more means
to communicate, We've got more methods to do so in
a very speedy fashion. We have more I think the
(14:41):
average consumer has more ability to sway these big powers.
You know, it can be a single person who has
a viral video that is impactful or that shatters expectations
or narratives, and I think we can, we can make change.
But it seems like we don't. You know, if if
a not people had stood up to some of the
more egregious COVID protocols, they would have changed because you know,
(15:07):
these big institutions are often cowardly. But we didn't. You know,
Adam Carolla talks about this all the time. If you know,
a whole bunch of people just said, hey, this whole
nonsense of like taking bites and SIPs and lowering your
masks on the plane. It just showed the folly of
the of the protocols. But we didn't stand up. So
I do worry about our sheep like tendencies and our
(15:28):
inability to kind of really take us stand at a
time where we have more tools at our disposal. I mean,
you know, you and I could go make a video
tomorrow and use the most rudimentary tools and it would
look pretty slick, and you could put it up on
YouTube and rumble and could in theory, get a lot
of attention and could change hearts and minds. So the
potential is there. It almost nags at us because it's
(15:50):
so within reach, but we just don't seem to go there.
And I, you know, and I don't understand how my
friends on the center left the head and not look
at the media and just be a ghast at what's
going on just right. I don't understand.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Do you think that Hollywood is making any changes? Like,
are they you know, because I think they went through
a period of real super leftism in the last few
years where everything was woke and you know, all scripts
had a diversity reader and a sensitivity reader and all
of that. Are they coming around to sanity or is
(16:27):
it never going to happen.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
It's a yes, yes, and a no answer, and I'll
tell you the yes part. I think this this summer,
we've seen a lot of films that were I don't
want to say anti woke, but just pure entertainment, you know,
Bad Balay's Ride or Die, Inside Out, to the Deadpool
and Wolverine. I think this whole summer, the success stories
have been these pure escapist entertainment projects, and I think
(16:49):
we're seeing more and more of that, and we're seeing
less of the lectures.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Really.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
I was just chatting with a friend recently and he
talked about how, you know, he's a straight white man
and who's looking to get into the business, and he
is struggling and he's been told multiple times that as
a straight white man there are barriers to entry now,
and you know that's unacceptable. And listen, back in the
day when if you were a person of color and
there were barriers to entry, that was unacceptable too.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
We've moved back already understood that.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
I think that we've gotten to where, like I think
that I maybe not everybody back then, but you know,
we've gotten to where we understand that that was wrong,
and yet it can be applied to other races and genders.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
And that's okay.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
You asked before about what I want to cover and
what is my passion. You know, I talk all the
time about the New Blacklist, and it's a subject that's
so obvious and everyone knows about it, and there's just
zero outrage. You know, if I'm a Tom Hanks or
a George Clooney and I look around at my conservative
friends who are in the industry and I realized that
(17:51):
they can't speak and they worry about losing their jobs
and they have to meet secret I would be so
outraged by that. I'd say, you know, listen, I don't
agree with anything that John Voyd has to say or
Scott Veo, but boy, they should be able to say
whatever they want they're not being outrageous or unprofessional or
inciting violence. They're just having a different point of view
about what their political beliefs are. You know. But that's
(18:14):
the way it is. And you know, every few weeks
is a new story in a major publication that really
highlights what's going on. In recent weeks, we've had Cheryl
Hines come out and support her husband or a President Trump,
and now there are stories about how she may be
shunned in Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Oh, I'm sure she will be.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
Yeah, but they write that story. But there's the next
obvious follow up story, well why and that isn't that wrong?
And yet they don't write that. So that leaves it
up to people like me to write that story, because
I do think it's important. I don't agree with everything
Cheryl Hines has to say. She's a liberal.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah, it's kind of funny that it's conservatives defending these
liberals and being like, let them speak, It's okay to
be different, you know, like, maybe you guys can not overreact.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
About this, But I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I think that the Tom Hanks and you know, especially
the George Clooney's, they're having their ideologies enforced. Why would
they step in and help anybody. They're on the side
where they you know, feel very comfortable where they are.
I mean, the cancelation thing is going to happen to them.
It happens to everybody. I mean, look at Blake Lively
right now. She's you know, being targeted with the comments
(19:27):
from the past and where she got married or whatever.
You can never really be a good enough liberal. And
that's the thing what people on the left need to understand.
It will come for you. It always comes for you.
And actually it's a circular firing squad that mostly comes
for you first. It's very hard to cancel conservatives, very
easy to cancel liberals.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Yeah, and you know, and there are some protective barriers
you can put around your career, you know. Jimmy Kimmel,
he had the blackface episodes. He was on The Man
Show doing wildly offensive jokes. Yeah, you know that can't
be told today. But because he's been such a soldier
in the ideological trenches, he's protected to a certain degree,
(20:06):
you know. And Jimmy Fallon, he had a single blackface
episode and he had to basically do like a hostage
apology on The Tonight Show and make amends for what
he did. Yeah, and yet Kimmel did that much more often, right, kim,
end of the kind happened. I think he offered a
melliam outh apology at some point, but it certainly wasn't forced,
it wasn't on video, it wasn't on a show. Right. So,
(20:28):
but having said that, you also see, like people like
Tina Fey, who's been a good liberal celebrity. She's been
punished for telling the wrong jokes. And while she initially said, hey,
you know, I make it a policy not to explain
my jokes, she's kind of gone one hundred and eighty
and now she's part of the part of the team.
And she's actually used from episodes of thirty Rock because
(20:49):
they had blackface incidents in it.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Right, Well, Kimmel had to not Kimmel Fallon had to
apologize for rustling Donald Trump's hair, and he like basically cried. So,
you know, I don't feel too sorry for him. But
do you remember when Russell Simmons was.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Accused of rape.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
I don't really know what happened with that, but you know,
height of me to all these powerful men are being
accused of stuff. Russell Simmons gets accused of rape, and
his response is, Okay, I'm going to open an anti gun,
anti Trump like center. Okay, like you got me, but
like I'm going to like invest all this money and
left his causes. Like he really said that because he
(21:26):
thought that was all he needed to say.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
Well, Harvey Weinstein pulled the same trick when he was
accused of sexual improprieties. That was his very first response
in his quasi. Yeah, I did some bad things, but
it was a different time. Oh and by the way,
I've got some plans for projects. They don't like. Liberal
Hollywood didn't work for him.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
It's amazing how bluntly and openly they said all that
and you know, largely got away with it.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
Yeah, you know, it's funny. It's a bit off the topic.
Maybe it's not. But Sean asked in the actor from
the Lord of the Rings films, he's been on a
tear for Kamala Harris, and I followed his career over
the years. He's like a very nice fellow and talented guy.
But you know, he's been in a sense relegated to
smaller films, indie films, faith based projects, and I almost wonder,
(22:12):
like this is his pitch to kind of get back
into the least.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
You guys like me. I'm on your side.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yeah, and it may work, you know that, certainly may Yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
I think Mark Hamill is on that path with all
his proclamations in recent months.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
But that's exactly right.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
It's the way Hollywood works.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah, So you get to write about whatever you want.
Do you feel like you've made it?
Speaker 4 (22:35):
I knew this question was coming, and I hate and
love it. I hate it because.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
It's exactly the feeling I hope to evoke.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
My wife often pulls me aside and says, Honey, you're
your own boss, You've got your own career, You're writing
about things you love. You have made it, absolutely and
on paper there's some truth there. But I don't feel
like I've made it. I don't. I just I struggle.
I've got anxiety about the work I do, and to
be truth with Carol, there are so few people doing
(23:04):
what I do right. You should be the thing in
I mentioned like I'm almost all alone in this space.
So I really I feel the work isn't done, and
the thing that I really care about the most is
to not sell out and not be something that isn't
true to me, Like I could be more red meat,
and I could push the rumors and I could do
all the stick and I could be more famous, but
(23:25):
I just can't. In my heart, I can't. It feels
so fake. So I think on paper, I think I'm
doing fine, but I still struggle. I struggle every day.
I was struggling before the MIC's turned on.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Today you don't seem like it, but okay, I get that.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
You know that's really I mean, I think that any
everybody you know, it's to some extent, fakes it until
they make it.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
We do struggle, you know, we struggle before the mics
come on, and then the MIC's come on and we
just do it.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
We just power through it.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
It's funny when I was I first started as a reporter, again,
no experience, know nothing, and I go to these town
meetings in Pittsburgh and I'm like, I don't know what
I'm doing, And that was truly legitimately faking it till
but I got through that te period.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Well. I love that. I really enjoyed having you on.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Leave us here with your best tip from my listeners
on how they can improve their lives.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Well, it's a little one, but you know, to me,
there's two little kind of quasi tips here. I just
think everything that you can do in life to make
other people's lives a smidge better is always a positive.
It could be holding the door open for someone, It
could be letting someone in and a traffic jam, that
kind of thing. But more importantly, if you're in a
relationship and you know there are little things that your
(24:43):
spouse really that makes them happy. Like for me, when
I fill the gas tag cup in the family, Yeah,
my wife is ecstatic and it's something microscopic move. It
takes almost nothing. It's got to get done. But if
I do it and I'm proactive about it, it makes
her life a little bit happier, and it makes her
a little bit happier. So just think about those micro
moves you can do throughout the day that costs nothing,
(25:05):
It takes so little time. I think they have an impact.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
I totally agree. I love and my husband fills the
car up with gas. It's like one of my favorite things. Absolutely.
He is Christiantoto.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
His website is Hollywoodantoto dot com. The Right take on entertainment.
Listen to his Show, the Hollywood and Toto Podcast.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
So nice to have you on.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Christian Oh, thanks so much, Thanks so much for joining
us on the Carol Marcowitch Show. Subscribe wherever you get
your podcasts.
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1. Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
2. Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
3. Crime Junkie
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.