William Shatner & Neil deGrasse Tyson Think ‘The Universe Is Absurd’
In this episode of KCRW's The Business, host Kim Masters chats with William Shatner and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about their joint live show, "The Universe Is Absurd," which blends science fact with science‑fiction humor. They recount how the partnership began on an Antarctic cruise, where their spontaneous banter attracted crowds and led to a touring stage show. Tyson shares his childhood love of Star Trek discovered through reruns, while Shatner reflects on his iconic role as Captain Kirk and the absurdities of space‑travel predictions. The conversation also touches on historical navigation, dark matter, and the broader cultural impact of blending entertainment with scientific inquiry.
Kirk Jones and Robert Aramayo on the Making of ‘I Swear’
Director Kirk Jones explains how he self‑financed his biopic "I Swear" about Tourette’s advocate John Davidson, using his life savings and a bank loan after selling his family home. This autonomy let him keep the script’s authentic profanity and cast...
Ben McKenzie’s Crypto Warning: ‘Everyone Is Lying to You for Money’
Actor Ben McKenzie, known for The O.C., turned pandemic downtime into a deep dive on cryptocurrency, resulting in a documentary, "Everyone Is Lying to You for Money," and a book co‑written with journalist Jacob Silverman. He warns that the crypto...
Riz Ahmed on Bringing 'Hamlet' Into the Modern World
In this episode of The Business, Riz Ahmed discusses his upcoming modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which reimagines the Danish royal family as a wealthy South Asian clan in contemporary Britain. He reflects on how his own outsider experience and...
Drew Goddard Shoots for the Stars with ‘Project Hail Mary’
Screenwriter Drew Goddard discusses his career trajectory—from early TV work on Buffy, Alias, and Lost to high‑stakes film projects like Cloverfield, World War Z, and his latest adaptation of Andy Weir’s *Project Hail Mary*. He explains how fast‑paced TV training helped...
Oscar Winners Victory Lap: Autumn Durald Arkapaw & Joachim Trier
In this episode of The Business, Kim Masters and Matt Bellany discuss the post‑Oscars landscape, highlighting recent winners Joachim Trier and Autumn Durald‑Arkapaw. Trier explains how his reputation now lets him cast stars like Al Fanning without a script, while Durald‑Arkapaw,...
A Demanding First Week for Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro
The episode focuses on Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro, who in his first week faces three major setbacks: the cancellation of OpenAI’s Sora video app, which threatened Disney’s AI partnership, and troubles with Epic Games as Fortnite’s latest release underperforms,...
A Human Conversation with the Producers of ‘The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist’
Producers Diane Becker and Ted Tremper discuss the making of their documentary "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist," detailing how they secured interviews with AI leaders like Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, the logistical nightmare of organizing...
Tilly Norwood Creator Defends Her Controversial Synthetic Character
In this episode of The Business, host Kim Masters interviews Aline Vander Veldin, co‑founder of Particle 6 Productions, about her synthetic AI character Tilly Norwood. Vander Veldin explains that Tilly is intended solely for AI‑generated content and is not meant to...
A Check-In with SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin
SAG‑AFTRA president Sean Astin entered his term amid a storm of high‑profile disputes, from an FCC clash over Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue to the rise of synthetic performers and a retreat by OpenAI on a controversial opt‑out request. As the union...