I knew Chris Ryan was trouble the minute he put a dubstep drop into his breakup song about Jake Gyllenhaal. Or am I confusing him with someone else? Either way, on this week's show we sank our dancing bunny fangs into the 2013 Grammy awards. Is Jay-Z the new Frank Sinatra? Is Justin Timberlake the new Michael Jackson? Are the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons old-timey nonsense? (That last one is easy.) Besides, the most interesting award winner was one who didn't even perform: Drake, who dropped a goofy, hilarious video for his new song right around the time Jack White was onstage fiddling with his dobro. Finally, a narrative about a humble night manager we can get behind.
The Golden Globes are the one night a year when Hollywood stars are allowed to break free from the joyless, sweat-streaked struggle of their lives and really let loose. So it stands to reason that some of that celebrity good cheer should trickle down to the Hollywood Prospectus podcast, no? After a spirited discussion of Sunday night's surprisingly entertaining ceremony — including talk of the winners (Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, anyone at home watching Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain), losers (Steven Spielberg, Hillary Clinton's husband), and WTFs (Jodie Foster's ménage-à-hamster with BFFs Robert Downey Jr. and Mel Gibson) — Chris and I welcomed a star of our own in the form of Adam Pally, co-star of TV's funniest sitcom, Happy Endings. Adam called in on his cell phone during a lunch break (he was presumably eating Greek yogurt, not wearing it) to explain why getting two new episodes of HE per week (on Tuesdays and Sundays) isn't necessarily a bad thing. While we had him on the line, we also asked him about the dirty things the writers slip past the censors, how he'd behave in the E! hospitality tent, and what's really going on with the Knicks.
Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN premieres the lost "30 for 30" documentary — Alex Gibney's Catching Hell, a superb film about Steve Bartman and the concept of scapegoating in sports. (Here's an exclusive sneak preview.) Gibney's film was initially earmarked for "30 for 30" but got pushed back for reasons he explains on our BS Report, which lasted for an hour and covers Bartman and his Buckner connection, the process of making that film, his upcoming Lance Armstrong project, how Gibney chooses his projects, the state of the documentary genre, and why Cubs fans shouldn't be terrified of watching this film. Even if I'll always be disappointed that we didn't get Gibney — one of the best documentarians alive — into the initial "30 for 30" series, this is a classic "better later than never" scenario.
FYI: This is the first of seven documentaries that ESPN Films will be premiering this fall. If you enjoyed "30 for 30," it's safe to say that you'll enjoy Catching Hell, Renee (Oct. 4), The Dotted Line (Oct. 11), Unguarded (Oct. 18), The Real Rocky (Oct. 25), Charismatic (Nov. 1), and Roll Tide/War Eagle (Nov. 8). For complete details on these movies, click here.
