Ira and Louis are joined by guest-host Diablo Cody to discuss Oscar noms, their fave women in horror, American Nightmare, Love on the Spectrum, and Diablo’s new film Lisa Frankenstein. Plus, Common joins to discuss his new book And Then We Rise, inspirational meetings with Maya Angelou and Prince, and whether Serena Williams is good at mini golf

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

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Ira Madison III And we are back with an all new episode of Keep It. I’m Ira Madison, the third.

 

Louis Virtel And I’m 1957 Best Actress winner for The Three Faces of Eve, Louis Virtel. So happy to be here and doing great still. I played all three of those faces. This is the Oscar nominations episode. I had to start off with something like that.

 

Ira Madison III Of course, everyone is always looking forward to this episode, although it feels very. Like I said, it feels very weird. We talked about nothing but awards for three episodes straight.

 

Louis Virtel I know, I mean, like I’m on a major Oscars. It feels like I keep like I keep taking Molly every single week. But I’m coming back down to earth now, especially because our guest is so esteemed, also a great friend of the podcast friend of mine, and appropriate for this episode because she is an Oscar winner, a Tony winner. She has a new movie, Liza Frankenstein, coming out. But this person is just a pop culture superstar and every regard. She also very much cares about the personal life of Vanna White the way I do. So thank you for everything you bring. Diablo Cody, welcome back to Keep It.

 

Diablo Cody Hello. Thank you so much for having me again. And you just triggered me by bringing up Vanna.

 

Louis Virtel I know, I mean, I can’t even pick a favorite part of her personal life at the moment.

 

Diablo Cody I can’t either.

 

Louis Virtel Her daughter is a tattoo artist named Gigi. I mean, that’s where we’re.

 

Diablo Cody The Vanna-verse keeps expanding.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody And, like, there’s just always more to find out about her.

 

Louis Virtel Right.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, I think she maybe is dating somebody now. Didn’t she run into Brian Wilson once at a restaurant or something?

 

Diablo Cody Brian Wilson ran into her at, I believe, The Glen Deli. And I love how I’m just going to casually drop the restaurant as if this isn’t my hyper fixation on life. And she, Brian Wilson, who, you know, obviously is a man who has run in circles his whole life. He was so starstruck by Vanna White and it made me love him even more.

 

Louis Virtel Right. He gets it.

 

Diablo Cody Like, you should be starstruck by Vanna White.

 

Louis Virtel Right. Also, after all, he’s been through psychologically, mentally to come out on the other side and know that Vanna is this superior. Exactly. A smart man, a smart man.

 

Diablo Cody When you come out from psychosis, that should be your first thought.

 

Louis Virtel Where are the letter turners?

 

Diablo Cody Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III I feel like I would follow Vanna White updates if it were online. Like I that that’s something that I feel like I would like to know more about. Does you have a memoir? How can I dig?

 

Diablo Cody Does she?

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody She does have a memoir called Vanna Speaks.

 

Louis Virtel Yes. It’s very it’s from the archives. Yeah. That’s right. Which, by the way. Well, I’m sorry to go down this. We have a lot to talk about today. Vanna Speaks, which is a play on Garbo Speaks, a movie from the same time because Garbo was famously reclusive. And so Vanna kind of comparing herself in that regard. Perfection. She is absolutely right to, oh.

 

Diablo Cody Of course she is. You know. Yeah, I would say the mystique is about equal there.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yes. Oh my God, I unfortunately I could do a whole podcast episode about this, but we have a lot to get to. Yeah. We will be talking about, Brooks new movie, Lisa Frankenstein, in the context of our favorite women characters in horror movies. Ira, I guess we’ll be opinionated about this, too. We’ll see if we get to him. And then also, the Oscar nominations came out today, as we just mentioned. A lot to discuss there, namely in the acting categories, I believe, but let’s begin.

 

Ira Madison III A lot going on.

 

Louis Virtel Yes. Let’s begin with Lisa Frankenstein. If I’m not mistaken, the first time you brought up this movie, to me, it was during the pandemic. And you, you said something like, oh, yeah, I’m writing a body horror comedy. I have no idea if it’ll really come out like your safe space. Just hanging up by yourself is like Dario Argento, like.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah. I mean, well, obviously it was a heightened and surreal time for all of us. And I was just like sitting at home. I’m suddenly like a homeschool mom, which was never an ambition of mine. But like, you know, the plague shut everything down. And I was like, I’m going to write a movie. And at the time I had, you know, I was in a dark place, understandably, as as where we all. And I just started thinking about, I think for years I had had this idea of maybe like a girl with a, with a dead boyfriend. And I just felt like now is the time. And I just started writing it, but it was such a it was such a quirky idea. As much as I despise that word as it applies to my body of work, that I didn’t think that it was going to like, I’m surprised that we’re sitting here discussing the finished film. I’m very happy, but I’m surprised.

 

Louis Virtel Is it? I assume it was satisfying in a similar way to write the now cult classic Jennifer’s Body. How would you compare the experiences of writing those movies?

 

Diablo Cody Well, I mean, I think going into Jennifer’s Body, I was probably a lot more. Feeling a lot more lively and arrogant because I was coming off of a huge hit. And now, you know, I’m just kind of a beaten down Jon Arbuckle type figure.

 

Louis Virtel Okay, sorry.

 

Diablo Cody I mean, I’m just like, no, I was it was great. But like, I was definitely, as you can probably tell, I’m a I. After almost 20 years in Hollywood, I’ve become a much more cautious and pessimistic person because I’ve seen the ups and downs and it’s, you know, it’s a rodeo. So I just thought, let’s, let’s see how this goes. Whereas when I was writing Jennifer’s Body, I’m sure my train of thought was like, oh, let’s see what’s next for this genius? Me.

 

Ira Madison III I want to say that I really adored this film.

 

Diablo Cody Thank you.

 

Ira Madison III It’s really funny. It’s definitely like you are watching it, and you’re like. It’s unmistakable that Diablo Cody, I did this dialog for one. And I want to thank you for. Two things in it. One, it’s set in the 80s, which is great because I feel like you always sort of want I’m always going back to teen movies that are set in the 80s. I feel like just watching 80s films in general, I don’t know, I was watching the Slumber Party Massacre movies earlier this week before we even decided to talk about women in horror. And, there are so many beautiful references to Wisconsin in the 80s, that I love, particularly Rocky Rococo’s which.

 

Diablo Cody I love Rocky Rococo’s.

 

Ira Madison III Is a pizza chain largely in Wisconsin, that I used to go to the mall to eat Rocky Rococo breadsticks. And that was my movie snack. Every weekend I would get the breadsticks and sneak them in to the theater for whatever movie I was watching. So I loved remembering Rocky Rococo from your movie. You know.

 

Louis Virtel First of all.

 

Diablo Cody We had Rocky Rococo in Illinois as well.

 

Louis Virtel So yeah, that was an Upper Midwest thing. Yeah, I would say I’m not familiar. I don’t even remember that. Interesting. Yeah, we’re Brooke and I are from the same. Diablo is what we’re calling her. We’re from the same hometown. Yes.

 

Diablo Cody Yes.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III And the second thing I want to thank you for is I’m always going to love the Days of Our Lives reference. So.

 

Diablo Cody Okay. That was my favorite. That’s my favorite line in the movie. And I’m so glad that you appreciate it. And the way that Kathryn Newton sells that line makes me very happy, because I wasn’t entirely sure. It’s hard to have a conversation with a character that can’t answer, and she has a way of completing his thoughts for him when he’s just standing there mutely and like, groaning. And that that scene was an example of that. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III I thought it was. I thought it was a really, really good joke, mostly because I watched it with a friend who does not. He did not grow up on Days of Our Lives like me, and also does not still watch it every day on Peacock like I do on my lunch break. And so for me, when she’s making the joke, I know the character. Patch is still on the show, by the way. He came back from the dead, so I can see where the joke is going, but the way she delivers it is so funny where he laughed because he didn’t know who patch was, and I laughed because of her delivery, and I thought it was my favorite joke.

 

Diablo Cody But honestly, that makes my day. I’m glad that you enjoyed that because I felt like, you know, maybe this will only be humorous to fans of Days of Our Lives, but you’re telling me that it could work both ways? I’m glad to know that.

 

Louis Virtel Is soap? Are is are soap operas a critical part of your upbringing? Did you watch them at all?

 

Diablo Cody I was never like, you know, I knew I knew people who would rush home from school to catch Guiding Light or whatever, and that was not me. But they were they were an essential part of growing up in the 80s. I mean, everyone’s mom watched soaps, grandmas like they were part of the wallpaper, right? So I was always familiar with the like big iconic characters like Patch, or like Luke and Laura, Bo and Hope.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, people would turn in for the Luke and Laura wedding. I mean, that was like the mash level phenomenon of a certain hour of television.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah. It was. I like that you referenced M*A*S*H, as if you were making this relatable to a modern audience. You’re like guys, Luke and Laura’s wedding was as big as M*A*S*H. Just for context.

 

Louis Virtel This is what we do here at Keep It.

 

Diablo Cody I know.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody I love it.

 

Ira Madison III To make it slightly relatable, I would say that one thing I loved about going back and looking at old clips, even just soap opera actors on, talk shows and things, you know, and particularly I was reading, that crazy woman, Camille Paglia, her book, she, she wrote a lot about, the vamps that she loved on The Young and the restless. So there’s a lot of essays from her on that, but she also would write about in present day Real Housewives. And I would say that there was a period where, you know, Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rules, people online were shocked that there’d be articles or essays about them in the New York Times. It’s like, oh, Roxane Gay watches this, like smart people watch this. And it’s really interesting if you look at old. So I was watching this talk show clip of, Melody Scott Thomas from, The Young & The Restless, on a talk show with a psychiatrist who was sort of analyzing the characters and having a conversation about how very smart people who are academics watch soap operas because everyone watches it. It sort of permeates culture. And I find that that makes sense for you that even if you weren’t a big like rushing home to watch it, it was on all the time. It’s on the same way that Louis doesn’t watch Bravo, but you can’t be at a party without hearing someone next to you talking about, well, did you hear that? This person did this at the reunion last week.

 

Louis Virtel Right now, if I’m on Twitter, I have to mute the words like Sutton Stracke and stuff just to get through my day, because at the time, I.

 

Diablo Cody  You can’t avoid it. You can’t avoid it. I’ve never seen Vanderpump Rules, and yet I understand this entire scandal that happened despite not watching it, because I have heard about it so much.

 

Louis Virtel Right? No, it’s. Anyway, reassuring to have anything. It’s not quite monocultural. Like, I don’t know that. It’s like totally extending outside the realm of like, women and gay men, but like, it’s nice to have a couple of those things around where it’s like, oh, I’m bothered by a version of television entertainment that I don’t even have a particular interest in, because I don’t want us to be two, you know, fracktled, ultimately, I’d like some things to bring us back to the fore.

 

Diablo Cody Like Johnny Carson used to be the the guy. I’m sorry to bring it to Johnny, but, like, you know, you’d go into work in the morning and everybody had watched the same celebrity guests the night before. And I think sometimes we miss that having that connective tissue.

 

Louis Virtel Know that you would go to work and you would have to say, you know, to your boss, like, let’s talk about animal expert Joan Embry for a little while. Fuck yes. I’m sorry. Let’s go.

 

Ira Madison III I mean, monoculture was so much that in high school. And I remember coming to lunch and everyone talking about the rerun of Seinfeld. That was on the previous night, The Simpsons. It’s like we all watched that episode.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. No, it wasn’t just that you were aware of old television and everybody watched the same old television. Yeah, exactly. Anyway, we should get on with this episode, much as I am enjoying this conversation about things that belong specifically in 1987.

 

Ira Madison III Yes, and Diablo isn’t our only lovely guest. This week, Louis and I interview Common, who has a new book out. It’s a book about mind, body, soul, health, etc. I know it sounds like we’re slipping into like a new age thing, but Common is actually a really, really fun interview. And Louis brings up a very funny story about seeing Common in the wild. So make sure you listen to that episode as well.

 

Louis Virtel It’s pretty wild that on the Oscars episode we have two Oscar winners here. Some would say it’s too many. While you’re here, would you like to argue why you should be on the show and not Common?

 

Diablo Cody I don’t know, I mean, Common’s really cool.

 

Louis Virtel I have to say.

 

Diablo Cody No. I mean bump me. Oh.

 

Louis Virtel Wow. Begging to be back. Yeah. Rare strategy on a podcast. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III All right. We will be right back with more. Keep It.

 

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Ira Madison III Keep It continues our coverage of awards season and we have finally reached the big one. I sound like Fred Sanford

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III Talking about the big one.

 

Louis Virtel More current references for our current listeners.

 

Ira Madison III Gen Z is just watching this show on YouTube, and going, Huh?

 

Louis Virtel Right.

 

Ira Madison III Anyway, the Oscar nominations were just dropped. And as we predicted, Air has been nominated in every category.

 

Louis Virtel You know what? Viola was really good in that movie. I don’t mean to cry. I don’t mean to dismiss it entirely.

 

Diablo Cody She was.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III But however, she was better in the Hunger Games. That is a cuckoo performance.

 

Louis Virtel Right? I keep forgetting like someone like Viola Davis ends up in The Hunger Games anyway. That’s a conversation for another day. Oscar nominations, I would say, generally speaking, were like 90% down the line. What we expected. And then a couple of strays occurred, one of which I predicted, which is that Annette Bening got a Best Actress nomination for Nyad. My theory on this front as first of all, I actually love Nyad and defend it religiously. I think she brings books, gym teacher energy that we rarely see in the Oscars conversation. But everybody has had that gym teacher, right? So I think people voted for that. But also, Jodie Foster was nominated for Nyad, her first nomination since 1994. For now, I’m going to say this is a better nomination. And then now she holds the record for the longest gap between acting nominations in the same category since the last time she was nominated for supporting actress was 1976. And Taxi Driver.

 

Ira Madison III Wow.

 

Diablo Cody Wow.

 

Louis Virtel 47 years. I’m kind of psyched for the two of them. I thought they were, like, risky performances of people you kind of don’t see in an inspIrational movie. As I said, it’s the rare movie that serves family entertainment and cunt.

 

Diablo Cody I mean, it’s a I want to see it really badly, but it’s been a tough sell in my house, really. Like I’ve said to my my three sons every night, hey, should we watch Nyad? And for some reason, they’re just not psyched.

 

Louis Virtel What?

 

Diablo Cody Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel Do they not understand the joy of swimming to Cuba and then literally playing a bugle.

 

Diablo Cody Before I do it? I’m going to have to wait until they go to bed, because it definitely seems like my jam.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Oh, please. Yeah. Did you?

 

Diablo Cody Weathered women?

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Weathered women. Oh my God. It could have been called that. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III I don’t think people would be watching it as much as they did if it were called WeatherednWomen.

 

Louis Virtel Okay, well, speak for yourself, but. Did you have any particular favorite movies that were represented at the Oscars this year?

 

Diablo Cody So, Past Lives.

 

Louis Virtel Past Lives. I am a little upset on Greta Lee’s behalf. I thought she, was fabulous in that.

 

Diablo Cody I agree. And I think Celine Song should have been nominated for best director. But, I, I love obviously, I loved Barbie. Big, big Barbie head here. Yeah. I can’t believe that Margo was snubbed.

 

Louis Virtel Yes, I do think her performance was the heart of the movie. Like the thing you actually love the most about the movie, even though you really like the scenic design and, you know, the supporting characters all have their fun moments. But she really had a gravitas that I did not expect from Barbie.

 

Diablo Cody Like that and I just I think it is sort of, paradoxically, a really challenging role. It’s like just to make you having worked on that movie early in the development process. Oh, I feel like I specifically, just from that experience, understand how difficult it is to make Barbie lovable. And she did it. So I was a little bit disappointed by that. And I think Greta should have been nominated for Best director.

 

Louis Virtel But I would say also the directing is maybe the second most impressive thing about the movie. Luckily, Margot did get a Best Picture nomination because she was a producer on the movie, just like Emma Stone got a producing nomination for.

 

Ira Madison III For Poor Things.

 

Louis Virtel More oof this, please. She’s more of an actress in a second. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III She’s the second woman. I saw a lot to be nominated in Best Actress and, best, Picture as a producer for a film.

 

Louis Virtel So would that be after, Frances McDormand? Maybe.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, probably. Okay. And inclusion rider, as it were. Diablo, I had forgotten that you were sort of involved in, you know, the process of, you know.

 

Diablo Cody It was a long time ago.

 

Ira Madison III A long time ago. I is there it is. Having seen the movie and being a Barbie head. Is there anything that’s sort of like in the Barbie lore that you would have maybe been excited to throw into the movie that didn’t make it?

 

Diablo Cody It you know, this is such a good question, and I feel like the thing that I loved about the movie is it completely I mean, she got everything in there. Yeah. It was the Barbie was so expansive. Like, I remember specifically being like, I want there to be mermaid Barbies. And indeed there were. And it was like freaking Dua Lipa. Like it was better than I ever could have dreamed. So like, honestly, I wish I had like a great answer for this. Like, I, I think that the curation of the Barbie world and that movie was just immaculate and perfect. And I mean, they had Eleanor and she went deep. Yeah. So it’s like I yeah, like, honestly, I think my vision for Barbie would have been much more limited.

 

Louis Virtel The movie would have been worse as your tank.

 

Diablo Cody Barbie sitting alone. Yeah. And it’s Charlie’s.

 

Louis Virtel And she’s nothing wrong with that. No. Yeah. No. And she.

 

Ira Madison III Then Louis would have loved it. Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. I have my problems with the Barbie movie.

 

Diablo Cody Oh, dude, I should know this.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, but no, another movie I wanted to talk about because I think people are obsessive about this script, and it did get a screenplay nomination, but nothing else is May-December, and I think I can’t think of another movie in the past few years that has. So I don’t want to say divided people, but there’s like such a passionate camp. I’ll call them very online people who love this movie and basically find endless intricacies to dig into about it. And then it seemed to just entirely fall on deaf ears to everybody else. And I was wondering if you had a take on what people got out of May-December and what they didn’t.

 

Diablo Cody Well, if if you’re asking why, you know, May-December had a not that many nominations. I mean, I think it’s because it’s a film that insults the industry in a very clever way. This idea of just being like a parasitic actor who’s studying real people to try and, you know, play this role. I think it like, I think it probably turned some voters off.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, it is a little bit like acting is full of sociopaths.

 

Diablo Cody Exactly. But like I loved it. I just think, like, you know. Mr. Todd. Why am I blanking on his last name?

 

Louis Virtel Oh, Haynes.

 

Diablo Cody Haynes, Todd Haynes. I think he is just, divisive. I think some people just don’t really grasp his tone or don’t want to. I love it.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. No, I think also the people who love it really embrace the the shifting in tones. How sometimes it’s a little bit funny, a little mysterious. It’s always constantly. You’re always a little unmoored. You’re never positive how to feel. I think the I’ll call them I don’t want to say normies, but maybe the average Oscar voter wonders, well, yeah, locals wonders if that’s a flaw, or maybe unintentional when it is intentional. Like you’re not supposed to feel entirely secure with where you are in the movie, you know?

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, like the like I feel like the the tonal inconsistency is a is a choice, right.

 

Louis Virtel And Charles Melton not getting in so upsetting.

 

Diablo Cody That that’s upsetting. He was incredible.

 

Louis Virtel And also just a supporting performance I can’t compare to any other performance like the Jitteriness the the combination of like being naive but also like having this huge heart, but also like having a little bit of wisdom. He just brought a lot to it that I thought was really special. And it’s really strange that that wasn’t recognized. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III But then, you know, sort of the ending with him and then those two women is also not just the insulting of Hollywood. I feel like it’s probably a bit too ambiguous for, the voting body when you sort of have a film with darker themes, as it were. You know, you sort of have to take people by the hand and lead them there. And it’s interesting that Todd Haynes, I do find him sort of divisive among voters and, sort of industry people, if only because I feel like the films of his that people really love are where he is sort of playing within Hollywood. You think of Far From Heaven, you know, he is basically giving you cert. You know, you give Carol, which is sort of this throwback vibe. I feel like they like him when he’s playing dress up a bit more, and not when he’s sort of, yeah, peeling things away.

 

Louis Virtel And I think, additionally, I want to say binge TV has sort of cemented in people’s mind the idea that something dramatic has to always happen. I feel like there’s a big contingent of people who watch a movie like May-December and say nothing happened other than she ends up sleeping with, Natalie Portman ends up sleeping with Charles Melton, because that’s how like episodic TV is sort of structured. You’re waiting for big events to occur when that’s not really what the movie is about. In fact, it’s about how she goes to, like, study these people’s lives and specifically gets nothing germane out of it and then goes back to make a movie that is not benefited by what she did. You know, it’s about the absence of things occurring. Really?

 

Diablo Cody Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel You know.

 

Diablo Cody That’s a kind of a thorn in my side as a writer, because I like movies that are mood pieces. Yeah. And are about, you know, conversations and characters. And it’s it is tough to compete with, you know, some of the really. The pacing and the plot twists of the the bingeable TV that everybody watches now.

 

Louis Virtel Right.

 

Diablo Cody You know, it’s just not really what I do.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. And it’s also just like, I guess, plot happenings. We’ve seen them all before. Like, I don’t know that I need to see the same types again and again. You know what I mean? That’s not really what’s thrilling to me about a movie.

 

Diablo Cody And me neither. But I also know that I’m not like the typical audience member based on what gets asses in seats these days, so.

 

Louis Virtel Well, broken response. I’m single. Your absolute lowest.

 

Diablo Cody I mean it like. I guess that sounded like a real douchebag.

 

Louis Virtel No, it did not.

 

Diablo Cody I didn’t mean it that way. I just like the stuff I get really excited to see is rarely like a smash.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody So it’s like.

 

Louis Virtel No. I continue to be grateful for things like White Lotus, which I feel like play a little bit more with like small moments, and not everything leads to a murder or, you know, or what led to a murder is utterly bizarre.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel So, that’s my one version of Bingeable TV I can get into.

 

Ira Madison III I feel like there’s there’s still this conversation to be had about, streaming and films and sort of like a window when something is in theaters versus when it is in, at home for people to watch. Because I feel like largely May-Decemnber also suffered from a really good it had a really good word of mouth when it was in theaters. People were going to see it, people were buzzing about it. People were saying that they liked it. And then when it went home, it really got hit by the whole. Is this just like the Mary Kay Letourneau conversation and then people trying to figure out what is this, etc.? That conversation happened over one weekend. It was really big, and then it died down. And there wasn’t really a lot of conversation around the movie after that. And I feel like we’re still in this place of figuring out how to keep people talking about something throughout the year. I mean, we’ve even noticed that most streaming networks, right, speaking of TV, have gone back to the releasing each week model instead of dropping it all at once. And it’s how do we figure out how that works with movies, especially a movie that you need people to keep talking about all the way through awards season? Or I feel like even just the whole sense of what awards season is to me is these films are nominated or the people are getting buzz and it’s like, oh, how do I get to the theater to see this, you know, how do I like, talk about it with people? And when it’s on TV at home already, you’ll just sort of put it on. And especially you’re saying Todd Haynes does more vibe movies, especially like Safe, you know, a movie where nothing really, really happens. But there’s so much happening. That’s made December sort of an easy film for people to watch, but also be on their phone and not missing plot twists or paying attention to plot twists.

 

Louis Virtel It’s as if you’re saying movies themselves are not event ized anymore, so the plot of the movies have to have events in them, you know what I mean? Like draw me to the TV, make me pay attention, you know?

 

Diablo Cody Well, I’ve noticed that, you know, with the whole Saltburn phenomenon, it interests me because people are still talking about that movie. That dialog has been going on for weeks on social media. And it’s like, you, in May-December, as you said, it felt like that was just kind of a moment where people were discussing it. And I’m like, I guess maybe just the you need the cum in the bathtub factor. As we say in the.

 

Louis Virtel Parlance.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. But there are also none for Glen Coco in Saltburn either. So yeah. Did it work?

 

Louis Virtel  right. Interesting situation. Maybe people that’s got worn out by that conversation or something. But that.

 

Diablo Cody Said, I’d rather have a Saltburn level. I’d rather have my film be a like that girl like Saltburn and get the nom.

 

Louis Virtel Yes.

 

Diablo Cody Personally.

 

Ira Madison III Of course.

 

Louis Virtel And also, I’m sure it was like on the cusp in a number of categories that felt like something that was sixth in a number of things, too. So I’m sure in another universe it would have happened for it. Ira, did you have other favorite nominations, this go around?

 

Ira Madison III Well, I mean, you know that I loved poor things. This is my favorite film of the year. Unlike I’m a your gross head. So anything he does, I’m always going to be attracted to.

 

Louis Virtel Emma Stone in that movie. It must be said, it reminds me a little bit of to bring up old Oscars. If you ever seen the movie Born Yesterday where Judy Holliday plays, it’s like a buildings Roman where she is this seemingly dimwitted dads who kind of comes into her own and realizes her husband is this boor, and she just has marvelous comic timing, to compare it to another Oscar winning performance. If you remember MIra Sorvino and Mighty Aphrodite, she picks this Frank as Miss Piggy voice, but in that tone, she does a lot of work. So you’re it’s a it’s a subversive performance as well as a really engaging one. Emma Stone, I think, is in kind of, conversation with those two performances. I don’t know if you’ve seen it.

 

Diablo Cody I have to see it.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, yeah.

 

Diablo Cody It’s on my list.

 

Louis Virtel And I thought I hated it at first because I said she seemed to be doing what I would call a prestige Borat impression. But then the whole point of the movie, she gains intelligence and, curiosity. And those thoughts become conversations which become giant set pieces. But going on, it feels like you’re on a Roald Dahl universe with all the scenic design.

 

Ira Madison III Scenically, it’s gorgeous. And I feel like it’s also, it’s his most sentimental film. If you’ve watched Yorgos his film, you know where you have The Lobster, but you have the favorite, which is very funny, but it is just sort of a it’s a hateful darkness.

 

Louis Virtel At the end of it. And I love the idea. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, yeah.

 

Ira Madison III And Killing Of A Sacred Deer is sort of like I mean.

 

Louis Virtel Help me.

 

Ira Madison III I want to shoot myself after that film.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III So another Berry film, I got I love Berry. I mean, not to get back on the Saltburn thing, but I do think it’s very interesting, that, you know, not to use this word, that I want the internet to get rid of the whole the whole baby girl thing, you know, but the Jacob Elordi, the Barry Keoghan, you know, gets like like, it’s interesting that the the hot boys who are on everyone’s, lips this year, everyone was talking about, throughout the entire year and the movies that they were in weren’t a part of ultimately, the awards conversation at the end, like they didn’t get these nominations. But I do think it’s better as a writer. What Diablo was saying, you know, I would rather my film has, Jacob Elordi like the star of the year in it being on SNL, referencing my film. People are talking about it online because that is going to live on beyond a ceremony, where only one person nominated is going to I mean, get the award.

 

Diablo Cody I can, I can tell you from experience, like having having clout is so much cooler than have it. And having money is so much cooler.

 

Ira Madison III Than Jennifer’s Body.

 

Diablo Cody Oscar that just sits there and doesn’t do anything. It’s just my house.

 

Louis Virtel I’m pitching on things that should be able to do in a Barbie way. Yeah, oh my comfort grip, etcetera. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. I mean, Jennifer’s Body is worth so much more for that. For you, I would imagine. You know, people are constantly talking about that movie.

 

Diablo Cody They do. They talk to people, talk to me about Jennifer’s Body all the time. Much more so than they ever talk about Juno. So it’s like, I guess that was, not that was an unexpected plot twist in my life.

 

Louis Virtel Speaking of these, like new stars that are on everybody’s lips like Barry Cogan, Jacob Elordi, is there any particular star right now who I feel like you watch somebody and think, I would love to see them do this unusual thing. Is there anybody who’s like, kind of on your mind right now in terms of new people who have maybe an untapped part of their acting they could get into?

 

Diablo Cody I you see, the problem is you’re asking me about new people and you know how my brain works.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, no, I mean, we’re.

 

Diablo Cody You know, my fantasy is to put David Spade in a dark, gritty drama.

 

Louis Virtel That’s okay. Great. I’m not.

 

Diablo Cody I’m going to do it, Ira. I’m trying.

 

Ira Madison III I would watch it. I would be first in line.

 

Louis Virtel By the way, he is kind of gritty when.

 

Diablo Cody He has it. Yeah. Telling you just let me somebody let me. But in terms of like young people like. Like, sir, I’d love to see the, you know the DeMilios play British.

 

Louis Virtel Like why not? Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody I’m sorry.

 

Louis Virtel I’m sure that’s what on TikTok.

 

Diablo Cody It’s like. I don’t know what to say.

 

Ira Madison III I mean, listen, Charles Melton didn’t secure that nomination, today, but I will say that. Much like the WB shows that, you know, we sort of grew up with where all those people became stars. You know, Riverdale, as insane as it was, has like a lot of really great actors on it who are circling big moments. I mean, you have Cole in Lisa Frankenstein. I think Cole is such an amazing actor. And then there’s Lili Reinhart, who was great in Hustlers.

 

Diablo Cody Yes.

 

Ira Madison III And so, like this, this cast is full of people who are great. And I think that the next few years are going to we’re going to see a lot of them popping up in things, and people are always going to be doing that. Oh my God, they were in Riverdale.

 

Diablo Cody Well, Lord knows they’ve been ready. I mean, they were in like what, like six season contracts or something like that. Yeah. That the CW really locks people down.

 

Louis Virtel So what was it like working with Cole Sprouse and getting this performance out of him?

 

Diablo Cody First of all, Zelda got the performance out of him, and he conjured the performance. I’m just I’m just a writer. I just sit there with the Twinkie. Okay? Like, Karl was like, Cole was. This was not something where we had to, like Court Cole. He wanted to do it so badly. Like he pursued this role. He was like, I. This is it. I have always wanted to do something like this. He’s like, I will go to mime school. I will go to clown classes. I mean, he did these things and he’s incredible in the movie. And I was just like, I was just made a crap. I know I saw.

 

Louis Virtel Good for you. I was looking the other way and I was like.

 

Diablo Cody I it what was it like working with him? I mean, I was very intimidated by him because he’s super cool and he’s like, really intelligent and like, he’s like a photographer and like, he’s just like, he’s such a vibe. And he’s also, you know, sitting on set, clothed in a way that was just sort of directly pulled out of my fantasy that’s like, okay. Like it’s it was, it was amazing. I mean, the whole experience, I know people always come on here and I’m like, I just love making the movie. And they’re like, totally full of shit. Like, I, I’m not like a super media trained person. And I can say, like, honestly, that it was the everyone in the movie was so cool and great. So I was just like, I’m going to enjoy this.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. Having met Cole before, he has that I bring up like. It’s interesting he was on Riverdale, you know, with like, Luke Perry was on that because it just feel like there are just you see those certain younger actors who just sort of have this quality and it’s like you, it throws you back to when you were in high school, and you’re like, I’m going to become a writer because that’s what I’m good at. And then you just see this, like magnetic person who was like, like you said, photographer. And when he’s smoking, it looks cool and like, you know, the haircut and like, it’s just like, this is this is a star, you know? Yes. Christian Slater in Heathers, you know, at all times, just very alluring. So I think Cole is great.

 

Diablo Cody I’m also just completely I just continue to be intrigued by people who grow up in the industry. Like shortly after we wrapped on the movie, I came home and one of my kids was watching like, Big Daddy and I see the little kid walk. And I was like, is that Cole? And it was like, this is so weird. Like, I just forgot, but like, like, that’s him, right?

 

Louis Virtel Yes, it is.

 

Diablo Cody  I was just like, oh, he was he’s right. He was like, born doing this. And Zelda.

 

Ira Madison III I grew up a Sweet Life fan.

 

Diablo Cody It’s just, you know, Louis and I are from the same shithole, so it’s just like, for me, the idea of growing up in, like, Hollywood is like, wow. Like you are. You are built different.

 

Louis Virtel No, I constantly think Los Angeles is like, be like, you’ve just arrived at the Cecil B, the mill town that gets constantly like cloud of glamor for me. Even while living here.

 

Diablo Cody I literally driving to down the 101 to come here this morning, listening to Party In The USA. Like that’s where I’m still at. That’s where I’m still at.

 

Ira Madison III I also want to come in a couple of, nominations that I thought were great. Sterling K Brown, for American Fiction. He’s playing a crazy, cokehead gay character in this film. But I think Sterling is a really great actor. And in the best actor category, Colman Domingo. I love him.

 

Louis Virtel I don’t think we’ve brought up that movie yet. Rustin, which is about the, pioneering civil rights, flamboyant man, Bayard Rustin in the 60s. Every moment of it’s just that one of those kind of addicting. I mean, I guess I would compare it to, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote, where it’s like, first of all, it’s the tone of voice chosen that you’re immediately locked into. And then secondly, it’s just believing, believing that he could be both that flamboyant and that important to cog in the system. You saw how he and grossed everybody around him, even though he inhabits a character that we don’t associate with being like out in the 60s, like being around. I actually sort of think about, Carol, Cate Blanchett in that movie. It’s like, what would like a high falutin lesbian be up to during that time. But like, you believe her in that? It’s like, yeah, she would have that relationship with her husband or that relationship with the girl she’s interested in. Anyway, he is awesome. And also the first best actor who was out as a gay man since Ian McKellen, who was up for Gods and Monsters. And by the way, that’s a haunting performance. If you haven’t seen that recently, where he plays James Whale.

 

Ira Madison III And playing a gay character.

 

Louis Virtel Yes.

 

Ira Madison III As well, you know, so I mean, it’s it’s giving us the, milk moment, but, you know, with an actual gay person.

 

Louis Virtel Which, by the way, it’s still remarkable that Jodie Foster is, nominated for playing an out character as well. I don’t know if I would have said, like, 15 years ago. That was doable. So that’s exciting.

 

Ira Madison III Not after that speech.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, my God, Golden Globes. I’m still I’m still parsing it. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III I mean, listen, De Vine or Danielle are going to win that best, supporting actress. But why would it be great to have another out there, Jodie Foster’s speech at an awards show? That would be fun. I do also want to say Jeffrey Wright for American Fiction. It’s it feels like a long overdue nomination for Jeffrey Wright, who’s just sort of this amazing fucking actor, you know.

 

Louis Virtel He’s in everything.

 

Ira Madison III Seymour Hoffman before, like, someone who’s in everything. But I was looking back at his films, too, and I’m like, sure, he’s done like Billys and Angels in America, but that was television. He was really great on Westworld. That’s also TV, and he just really hasn’t had he’s been in everything, but he hasn’t really been given the caliber of roles that you would think would get him in front of the Oscar voting body constantly. The only one I can really think of was W a movie that I hate it, right. But, he’s great as Colon Powell in it.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. No. Again, yeah, he’s in every movie, but nothing that, like, jumps out as a definitive movie performance. Like, if I’m looking at his IMDb, I know the first thing I’m thinking of as Angels in America or Westworld, for example. No, that is a, fab nomination. Interesting movie. It sort of wavers between this, writers of. Emotional life and then the process. He has it putting a book together that actually gets in front of the world. And I felt like the satire part of the movie was a little obvious for me, but the emotional part of the film I thought was really good.

 

Ira Madison III I love seeing Erica Alexander again because I’m a big Living Single fan. I mean, I’m friends with Cort, and so I enjoyed seeing American Fiction and I there’s the book that is based on which I thought was a bit more powerful to me, but also the book came out 20 years ago, you know, and that’s always going to be the problem when you’re adapting something that’s particularly about race and sort of the industry, even if it’s the book industry there, things don’t change. But there’s also micro things that change that maybe makes it feel a little bit like the satire probably wasn’t hitting enough for you, but it would have hit if you would, you know, sort of read it when it came out.

 

Louis Virtel I will tie up this Oscars conversation by asking, Brooke, since you are an Oscar winner, did you have a definitive moment watching the Oscars growing up that sticks out to you as like, the most resonant?

 

Diablo Cody So I was I was seated and I watched the Rob Lowe.

 

Louis Virtel The 1990 ceremony. Yes.

 

Diablo Cody The infamous Rob Lowe and Snow White performance. I did, I remember seeing that that is weirdly a core memory like, because I think I knew that it was ridiculous even then, but, what other like.

 

Louis Virtel The. I just want to say, by the way, if you had seen that live, I mean, I’m sure that’s an unforgettable experience, because if people don’t know this at home, there was an opening of the Oscars one year. I.

 

Diablo Cody I just assumed everyone knows what I’m talking about. Sorry.

 

Louis Virtel No. It was a very stodgy ceremony. It’s the one where famously Driving Miss Daisy triumphant, Do the Right Thing got very little. But anyway, nonsensically, this ceremony begins with Snow White and Rob Lowe sort of dancing together and a bunch of other things occur, but it feels very pulling ideas out of thin air. The entire audience is perplexed and not reacting at all. It’s like it’s like the biggest the deadest er in the history of television.

 

Diablo Cody It’s really hard to watch. Yeah, it’s a hard watch and I watch it probably once a year. But, it’s, it’s, and I remember it’s, I remember Halle Berry winning for Monster’s Ball. Yes. That was really amazing.

 

Louis Virtel Elie Saab.

 

Diablo Cody Yes. And Elie Saab, and,nI remember Nicole Kidman’s chartreuse column gown that she wore that one year? She was with Tom at the time. That was an iconic dress. I’m just talking about dresses, but like, yeah, I mean, I, I watch the Oscars every year. I was like really into it.

 

Louis Virtel Oh yeah. Yeah. And my follow up question is, I don’t think I know this about you. After you won your Oscar, what did you do that night? Did you, like, go out to parties or did you do the Hilary Swank Astro burger route or what did you do?

 

Diablo Cody No, I really so my family had come into town for it. So, they weren’t at the ceremony, but my, like, immediate objective after I won was I wanted to get to my parents immediately. I just wanted to see my family. And at the time, people were like, what are you doing? Like, you have to go to Madonna’s house, you have to go to the Governors Ball. Like that’s what you do. Like you’re only going to get one chance in your life to do this. And I was like, I don’t fucking care. Like, I just needed like a normalcy. So me and my parents and my brother and a couple of my friends just hung out at like, a hotel pool all night.

 

Louis Virtel What could be better?

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, it was really fun, actually.

 

Louis Virtel Also, there are governor-ball sized things all the time anyway.

 

Ira Madison III Well, one thing about those tables. You did end up at Madonna’s house.

 

Louis Virtel No, that’s true, you did.

 

Diablo Cody Madonna. Our time will come. Okay, like I insist on a one on one all summer long encounter with Madonna as opposed to just a party.

 

Louis Virtel If people don’t know what we’re referring to. Brooke at a time was, co-writing Madonna’s now canceled biopic.

 

Diablo Cody I think it is.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, I think.

 

Diablo Cody I don’t know where it is in the process, and I wish the project all the great vibes in the world. And I’m personally very much want to see a Madonna movie. No, I just don’t know where it’s at.

 

Louis Virtel Let’s be clear, you are an A-1 Madonna fan. Like.

 

Diablo Cody Oh yeah.

 

Louis Virtel All the years I’ve known you, I mean, I don’t, I, I don’t know that I’ve ever met someone whose knowledge is as comprehensive as mine. Like you are.

 

Diablo Cody Clearly. No, I love Madonna.

 

Louis Virtel Do you have one core memory from the experience of working with her that you would like to share?

 

Diablo Cody I mean. But you know. She. She smells really, really good. Which I know is. I feel like that’s a cliche. They put in, like, every Vanity Fair profile where they. They always use the word luminous, and they always talk about how people smell. But Madonna smells amazing and I think. Just realizing that her work ethic is not a myth. It’s not this thing that’s been created around her. Like I kept waiting for her to, like, humanize herself. And it was like, no, you’re like, she’s she’s actually that driven. She’s actually. Like I realized, like I really am a loser. Like, there are people in life who are, you know, almost like extraterrestrial and how special they are. And like, she is one of them.

 

Louis Virtel No. Like the Nyad born champion people.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah. And I was like, oh, I’m like bacteria. Like it was like written. I mean, this and like, it was an honor. It was an honor to realize how how that I’m scum. Right?

 

Louis Virtel I’m glad to hear that. Yeah. It wasn’t the opposite.

 

Diablo Cody I was just like, wow. Like I was right to worship you all these years. Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel No, I mean, she’s she’s.

 

Diablo Cody Like she’s.

 

Louis Virtel She’s she clearly.

 

Diablo Cody She’s mother, as they say, like she really is.

 

Louis Virtel And, and I assume that’s even terrifying in a certain way. Like how are people capable of working this hard?

 

Diablo Cody I know, like it was like, what do you do in your free time? What what is free time? You know, like that? Then I’m just like, oh my God, no.

 

Louis Virtel Barbra Streisand just did an interview with Stephen Colbert talking about, of course, her giant memoir, and she goes, I’d like to have more fun now. I haven’t had much fun in my life. Yeah, I think about that.

 

Diablo Cody I know, whereas I feel like I’ve had a really like, shall we say, fun focused life. Yeah, yeah. And, you know. Maybe that. May I don’t know if the outcome has been ideal, but.

 

Louis Virtel You’re here now and so.

 

Diablo Cody What am I saying? Yeah. It all led me to here, to this to this chair today. So no regrets.

 

Ira Madison III All right. We will be right back with our interview with Common, an Oscar winner. Of course, Louis brings up the Oscars when we talked to Common, so we will be right back.

 

Louis Virtel [AD]

 

Ira Madison III Our guest today is a paragon of peace and love. And positivity is more than a multi-hyphenate. An award winning musician, songwriter as well as actor, producer, activist and bestselling author, he’s now back with his newest book, And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self. We could go on listing his accolades and honors, but why don’t I just say welcome to Keep It, Common

 

Common Peace. Was going on? Thank you for for having me on. I’m excited to be here with you guys on Keep It or not. I love that intro. Did you say Paragon?

 

Ira Madison III Paragon? A paragon of peace, love and positivity.

 

Common Well, that was that was that was dope. I wish I said that in a rhyme.

 

Louis Virtel Also a paragon of peace. Is correct. Because you literally greeted us coming on the zoom with peace. How long have you been doing that? That’s such a good. I want to call that a cool tactic because it sets a tone when you, are introduced to people.

 

Common Yeah. I’ve been doing it, I think, since the mid 90s. And, you know, hip hop actually kind of brought me to that word because early on, some of the artists that I love, they always say peace in their raps, whether it was from Eric B. and Rakim or Brand Nubian. And ironically, my father, you know, who I didn’t grow up with. But he would always say when we got off the phone, keep the peace. So it was kind of something that was revolving around me. And, and I decided that that’s what I wanted to greet people. And, you know, words are powerful. So I’m glad, Louis. I’m glad I picked up on that, because that’s what I’m about.

 

Ira Madison III I want to talk about your book, And Then We Rise. It’s so interesting to me that, you know, you, at this point in your life, you wanted to make a basically your version of, like, a self-help book, but about taking care of, you know, the mind, the body, the soul, you know. So what led you to wanting to create this book? Was it a project of yours? Were people just constantly asking you about these things in your personal life? And you were like, I’m just going to write a book and send it to you.

 

Common Ira, you just you just summed it up. So many people would ask me different things like, okay, well, why are you why are you eating those foods or I, what are you doing for your skin? Or like, why do you seem happy? Or like, I even had a doctor friend of mine who was a doctor during the pandemic. Call me and ask me, what should I take, like to keep my self like, well. And I was like, wow. I realize that I’ve been blessed and, experienced a lot of different things, had access to to different things that revolve around health and wellness, whether it was the trainers that I was able to work with, the therapist that I’ve been able to work with, also the nutritionists and integrative medicines and chefs. And I was like, I wanted to share this information with others. This book is really not about me. It’s about the readers, about the US, and just us empowering ourselves. And I just felt like I owe it to some people. I owe it to people because I’ve had the opportunity and blessings to have, and I and I want us to have joy and happiness and and be, well, feeling like, wait, we can live. I can live in my aims and still feel like moving around. I can dance, you know, it’s I just want to put that out there in the world. And I think this book is an easy way to get to that.

 

Louis Virtel Normally when somebody has like, conquered as many creative avenues, someone like you, I would I would still assume that you have creative blockades or writer’s block. Well, we’ve been called writer’s block, generally speaking. But to someone like you who literally is so great at freestyle rapping, as in you can just do art off the top of your head basically at a moment’s notice. Do you have those kind of blocks and what do you do to get over them?

 

Common Yes, that’s a great question. I do have those blocks. And let me make sure I’m clear that when I said this book is easy. I mean, it’s an easy read, but but it’s that it does take steps to get to where we need to get to or not. And that path is not always easy. But that’s what life is for us. And that practice means a lot. Now, to answer your question tho, Louis, I do come across moments where I’m like, stuck writing. I could sit down for four hours and not really come up with anything that I like. You know, I can say some words, I could freestyle some, but come up with something that because in writing for me, it has to resonate with my soul. Like I got to feel like, oh, this is myself. And I bounced my ideas off of people that I’m close to and I work with and be like, what do you think of this? But it still has to come back to. What I feel in my heart and soul. That’s what creativity to me is. It’s a divine expression. So I do come across those things. What I do is I’ll like I’ll work at it and work through it. But then if I don’t feel it, like really resonate and I’ll step away, I might read something that’s really like just up on a higher level, some this expressive, some this like, like great poet Robert reading Audre Lord lately and like I’m like it breaks me out of like what the box of writings should be because poetry is so free. So I don’t read great poets. I might go watch basketball do something to get me away from it. And when I come back, I’m usually inspired. So yeah.

 

Ira Madison III And. Well, I mean, speaking of great poets, there was a very funny to me passage in your book, where you talk about, meeting with Maya Angelou and then getting her, to record the intro for, dreamer, The Believer. And then she heard the album, and then she was like, well, why are you saying nigga on this album? Can you take that off? So you told me about meeting Maya, and then, like, sort of like just the feeling it was of, like, her calling you back and finding out that, like, she wasn’t happy, like, with how the album had turned out in that way. And was that something that you felt like? Because you were at that age and in that space, you were able to meet her where she wanted to be and reprint the album. Like, do you think, like, earlier in your career, like you might have even cared?

 

Common Yeah, well, first of all, like Maya Angelo has been one of the greatest inspIrations in my life. Like, she was one of the first writers I remember. Just love you. And that’s why you have this idol. And then, whereas this is based off of her poem still I rise. But to get to meet her like to go from being an in grammar school, elementary school, fifth grade, reading her poetry to fast forward like 30 years later, sitting in her front room talking to her about life. And she she barely knew who I was, but just was welcoming because I grant. So I knew who I was. And so she allowed me and to meet with her. But we became good friends, and within that conversation we knew it was a soul connection. And man, I really got cool within. And for her, you know, for me, it was like I got my angel on my album. How many people can say that? You know, you always want to come with something really fresh? I got my angel on my arm. So for her to to not be happy with me using the word nigga, I was, I was sad, I was like, man, I mean, I understood and I was kind of sad with myself. Like, dang, I didn’t even think about that. Like, I got this person, this, this one, the icons. And it’s done so much for for humanity. And that’s not something that connects with who she is. I should have thought about that when she corrected me. I was able to accept it as an elder, you know, as she being an elder, someone who I hold on a high pedestal and made me think about when I when I used the word and those things. And I still use the word, you know, it’s part of the way I grew up. So I didn’t detour from who I was. But at the same token, in that space that didn’t need to be used because the elder said, don’t use it. And actually I would have even at a young age, even as a young Chicago, 19 year old little knucklehead, I still would a doctor, my Angelo, say, don’t use that word. I would have listen the same way when my mother told me, don’t do this. I didn’t do it, you know, like I mean something. She didn’t know what I was doing. Know? But if I got corrected by elder, I’m a respected elder.

 

Louis Virtel You know one thing I totally cannot guess about you based on your filmography. I mean, first of all, the fact that you even crossed into acting, there’s just a completely different skill set from being a rapper or writer. So whenever people actually make that transition, I’m like, how is that even possible? For one thing? But secondly, what are the acting roles that came easiest to you and what comes hardest? Because it just seems like a skill set that generally fits you like a glove.

 

Common Oh, thank you so much. The some of the easier characters for me. The was the first character I played in in this movie Smokin Aces called Sir Ivey.

 

Ira Madison III I love Smokin Aces.

 

Common So you know, I was. Oh. Thank you, thank you. Though I was very like, you know, new to it and nervous. I think the preparation and just the the the passion and the excitement, it just it became easy after a minute. I think our director, Joe Carnahan’s, set an environment that made it. They made it easy, to be honest. You know, like, especially once I was able to get out of my head, this character that I’m playing now in silo, Sam’s he he’s someone who I really it feels easy, like, to connect to him because it’s a lot going on with him and I. And I love when I get to show the complexities of people. One of the characters that were most difficult. I played a character in a movie called Run All Night. He was like this psychotic dark dude. No, I saved off all my hair, and I just was trying to live in that character. And the person, the chef who I was working with at the time says she used to come to the apartment and be like, I don’t even want to talk to, you know, Crüe’s, you know, like, I was, I was living a little crazy just because it’s such a you got to go there to get to that character. And and that character was difficult for me. And, and I got to say, you know, a character I played on Hell on Wheels, his name was Ellen, and it was in the 1800s. It became it was difficult. But then I really connected with him. So sometimes you go from like, wow, this is really challenging to being like, oh, man, I’m living in this and it’s alive. So I hope that all my characters will will eventually become alive. And you just see that person.

 

Ira Madison III I feel I feel like you’ve done so many roles, but a lot of them, you know, are like you said, like a smokin aces or like a John Wick. But do you find that you get recognized the most from those kinds of roles, or do you still have people coming up to you talking about like, Just Wright. Because I feel like you ever done that many rom-coms, but I watch that movie often. I mean, I love a Queen Latifah rom com that are like Last Holiday and I’m always like, it’s putting you in that role. Is that something that you wish that you’d been able to do more of after that film?

 

Common Well. First of all, I’m with you. I enjoy, I enjoy Latifa in round counts with whether, it was whether it was last holiday or what was the film she did with Steve Martin?

 

Ira Madison III Bringing Down The House.

 

Louis Virtel Bringing Down The House? Yes.

 

Common Bringing Down The House. Like I actually love. I really liked that movie. But that being said, like. I get recognized for John Wick like. Hands down, that’s probably the most I get recognized. Like I’ve been in people’s Ubers in the do. Like when I know you from somewhere, I know you and you’re looking in this rearview mirror, and then by the time the end of the ride, he’s like, wait, you in John Wick, you and John Wick, you that dude from Dallas. So I get recognized for that almost more than any, like, the toughest security guy they could be working, doing security for Taylor Swift. And, you know, when they get a moment of be like, hey, I like you in John Wick. And I was like, wow, you know, you know, usually they don’t even say anything to, you know, they they focus. So John Wick has now just right. Might be the second thing I’m most recognized for, at least the thing that people feel most, connected to or, you know, have a real affinity to is like. And I think that really did connect it for a lot of black women, you know, of different shapes. And just it just really brought the love. And it wasn’t about like, okay, this is the the archetype of what beauty is supposed to be. No, this woman right here, Queen Latifah, is beauty personified, this thing 100% beauty. And I think that movie did that for a lot of women who are, you know, may not be what America labels as typical beauty.

 

Louis Virtel Obviously in this book, it’s established that you basically your values are in the right place and you have a system in place to, make your life basically as good as satisfying as you want it to be. That said, you’ve also won a ton of awards and are in fact three fourths of the way to an Egot. And I’m wondering somebody who seems to be to actually value, like, the right things in life, how much do awards actually matter to you, or do they matter because as an outsider, like they’re all I want, you know, I mean, I’m just saying, like that speaks to me and a what?

 

Common Well, listen, Louis, you and I speak some of the same language. I. I appreciate awards, I value them. I’m not one that’s going to sit here and be like, nah, man. Well, if you know, I’m just I am doing it for the I do it for the love. That’s the first thing that’s, you know, I’m a doing the work that I do is some, some of it is not even you. You can’t you can’t be awarded. But the work that I do that is eligible for awards, yes, I, I love like when people say, you know, especially because those awards are usually coming from people voting that they really watch films. They part of the film community, they are really musicians. They like to be able to like, put in that your heart and soul into something, to be recognized from that collective and that part of, aspect of of culture, man, that’s a, that’s a beautiful thing. And, and, and I feel grateful when people like you students want to ask them like that’s something that I like used to what I remember watching award shows and I was like, I wanted to be there, like I wanted to be there. So yes, I appreciate them. I volume, I don’t, I don’t take them for granted, I don’t like, but I put the art first but then and and getting it to reach the people and and impact you know. But the award is is another step that I always am grateful for. And I do put intention towards those too.

 

Ira Madison III You’ve collaborated with a lot of artists over the years. A lot of my favorite artists as well. But I want to ask about one of my favorite songs is Keep It Down by Carly’s with samples. Yours, used to love her, and I’m just wondering if, if there’s any. You know, hip hop uses a lot of sampling, obviously. And you’ve used samples in your own work, but have there have been any artists who’ve maybe, like, used your work, and sampled it like you really appreciate it. And you felt like, sort of took that your own music to a different place.

 

Common Well, I mean, it was more artist that I felt like I didn’t know that they would sample it or, you know, like, usher sampled something from me before. I used, from I Used to Lover, which I was like, wow, this is, you know, like, you don’t know what artists know. You even or even pay attention to your music. So for when that clearance came through, like, hey, usher, usher samples you, I’m like, wow, this just clear. Whatever. It’s good. He’s good. Like, I appreciated that. And when Jay-Z used some of my lyrics, like, on the album, he and Beyonce, they did, you know, he used. Y’all know how I met? We broke up and got back together, you know, it was. And then he used I think I met this, now I not I met this girl, no he used something else. And for him, for me, it was like, wow, Jay-Z is saying something that I said, like this. You know, you just don’t know who might be affected by your music. It’s, you know, especially you just. Yeah. You just don’t know. So I was grateful for for those artists like really by utilizing the work that I did.

 

Louis Virtel Now this is a bizarre question, and I guarantee I will never ask it to anybody else again. But in the year of 2009, I happened to be miniature golfing on my birthday, and I saw you miniature golfing with Serena Williams. Now watching this, I just to glance for a second, I just thought, what if Serena Williams is bad at miniature golf? I was just wondering. And then, like, if you can play, if you play her, do you feel obligated to do worse than her? I just want to know the etiquette in that situation. And if she was good at miniature golf. Crazy question. Okay.

 

Common Oh wait. Well, what city were we in?

 

Louis Virtel It was inSherman Oaks.

 

Common Okay, okay. Okay. So I believe from what I remember, Serena was really okay and managed to win. Really good. But I was bad. And. And. Louis, I have no obligation to let anyone win anything. I won’t let my daughter where I’m with my mother. Emboldened by my mother’s 79. I’ll be there in. I thought it a good bet. I am competitive. So, no, Serena didn’t win. And I will never let anybody win. But I’m going to. I’m going to. I’m going to fight to the end to win.

 

Louis Virtel Turns out you and I have everything in Common. That is exactly how I treat my family and friends. Good one. You’re both from.

 

Ira Madison III Chicago, too, so.

 

Louis Virtel Right. Mini golfing on these streets. Yeah. That’s right. Yeah.

 

Common We landed on the main streets of Chicago.

 

Ira Madison III I want to lastly ask, too, you wrote this book, you know, because people were asking you for advice, etc. in your whole career, I would guess, you know, what? Someone who you’ve been shocked by, maybe someone not in your immediate sort of like, orbit of like, hip hop or like someone, that you had a prior sort of relationship with. Is there like a very interested or surprising person of someone who sort of, like, reached out to you and asked you for advice or you just sort of like, why is this person asking me? Either just because it was surprising because you didn’t know they even really knew you, or it’s someone who was like, why someone at this level asking me for advice?

 

Common I would say Prince. But I don’t I don’t feel the I don’t feel that he was asking so much for advice, but he was like. Testing my wits. Like he was like, okay. Then when we were talking about this on the line, he was like, yeah, a lot of these songs in major chords are really working. And I was sitting there like, wow, my music theory is not on the level of Prince. So I didn’t even know that light was in a major chord. But I’m trying to go with them because I’m like, I don’t want him to know that that, that that I don’t have a oh, he obviously, no, I don’t have what he has, but I want him to think of me as like, okay, do this. He got something. And we we continue the conversation. He eventually, invited me to to perform at his birthday. With I performed with The Time the group, The Time, and Erica Badu and this is Alicia Keys was actually there. She wasn’t even out yet. She was just there. And I was like, who is this girl with the braids? But it was Alicia Keys. And he eventually would talk to me about different things that, you know, when somebody is. Dad. They’re talking to you and you’re not giving them advice, but they’re seeing getting your taste level and kind of getting a little gauge on like, okay, what is fresh in this way or what is fresh in that way? Like, really, they value your opinion is what I’m saying. So that was really for me like shocking and inspiring. And I was geeked that Prince would even sit down and have a conversation with me. So that’s someone who I feel did that.

 

Louis Virtel Two quick things before we let you go. One, I think Prince is probably the most intimidating celebrity who ever lived, so that’s a pretty amazing story. One to could people just appreciate the music of the time a little bit more? Why do I not hear 777 9311? Every birthday party I go to?

 

Common Yo, let me tell you that that music, like that song in particular, see, I was you guys probably weren’t even born when it came out, but I was like in elementary school and that was our joint. Like we always seven, seven, seven, 93, 11. But I mean, they got the time has like gigolos Get Lonely too. They got ice cream castles. They were very, very funky, soulful like talented cats. So I agree with you. And they created a whole thing like Moist Day and Jerome so like them and Prince were like, from the same, same type of elk. At the end of the day, you know, musicians, great musicians.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. I mean, I feel like I discovered the time well, through that song, obviously my, mom and grandmother playing the music. But what I learned that Jimmy Jam and Terry Louis were in The Time before they went on and started producing, because we’re jet it fans here. So, that was what I did, a whole deep dive.

 

Common Yeah, I love Janet. Janet is like special, boy, she she deserved more and more recognition. I mean, she’s like still lining up, still amazing. And when that pleasure principle came out, I was all in like, I’m already like there from our first project, even some of music. But and of course, I loved her from seeing her in Diff’rent Strokes and stuff like that. But but to hear Pleasure Principle in that album, she got classics, man, classics.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. I’ve just always been a fan of yours. So thank you for being here.

 

Common Thank you guys for having me. It’s been fun to talk to you all, and I appreciate the love.

 

Louis Virtel Defeat somebody else and miniature golf and tell us about it again. So I think this is an ongoing saga that we should keep updating.

 

Common Oh yeah. Maybe I’ll beat one of you guys.

 

Louis Virtel Yes. Okay. Yeah, we’ll see about that. We will see about that. Yeah.

 

Speaker 1 <AD>

 

Ira Madison III Since we are celebrating Lisa Frankenstein today, we thought we would continue to honor Mary Shelley, inventor of sci fi and patron saint of horror fiction. Make sure and discuss our entries for most iconic women and scream queens in horror. See what I did there? I read books. But also, I am going to admit that I am an idiot and say that I just now begat Lisa Frankenstein. Lisa Frank.

 

Louis Virtel That’s correct.

 

Diablo Cody It works as a pun. It actually wasn’t deliberate.

 

Ira Madison III Okay.

 

Louis Virtel Really?

 

Diablo Cody Yeah. No it wasn’t. I named the character Lisa because of, Lisa from. As a tribute to Lisa from Weird Science. Who was this created woman? The fantasy woman who was created by these two nerds. And I had always kind of I had always been kind of interested in that sort of Pygmalion genre of movies and thought, why don’t we do this with a guy?

 

Louis Virtel Pygmalion genre movies, which, by the way, also refers to, Poor Things and Born Yesterday. I’m glad you put a label on that. That’s. Yeah, lovely.

 

Ira Madison III So disturbing movie, by the way. I like, hadn’t seen it since I was a kid. I feel like I watched it last year at a certain point and I was like, oh. Hmhm. But.

 

Louis Virtel Which one are we talking about?

 

Ira Madison III My last Weird Science movie.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah. That is a little bit disturbing. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. The TV show, however, on the USA was very funny. There was a there’s a half hour comedy version of it that aired for, I believe, 2 or 3 seasons, and it was really funny.

 

Diablo Cody No, I’m delighted because I actually didn’t know that. And like, happy to hear that there was a Weird Science TV show. I love when they make weird TV shows and movies.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, like, there was the The Working Girl TV show.

 

Diablo Cody Yes.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, right.

 

Diablo Cody Remember when they tried to do, they tried to do Look Who’s Talking as like a TGIF sitcom with Tony Danza doing the baby’s voice?

 

Louis Virtel It’s also so predictable in a way, too. You can’t believe it. Actually, I actually go through with it, like, okay, popular movie and who’s not exactly Bruce Willis, Tony Danza. Yeah, yeah.

 

Diablo Cody Well, no, I don’t I felt like that was shade.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, no, I enjoy him.

 

Diablo Cody Okay. Just making sure.

 

Louis Virtel Anybody who’s in the Marilu Henner-verse is a friend of mine. Yeah. Okay, Brooke, we’ll start with you. Are there women in horror movies who have most appealed to you?

 

Diablo Cody Absolutely. And the number one answer for me is Nancy from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, played by Heather.

 

Ira Madison III Absolutely.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah. Great. I mean, I grew up watching Nancy wanting to be Nancy. Just they did so much with the character over the course of the series. I mean, yeah, Nancy Head.

 

Louis Virtel I still think top three scariest scenes of all time is the dream sequence where she’s going up the stairs, and then this is just a dream. It isn’t real. This is just a dream. It isn’t real. I mean, the paralyzing quality of it. Like, I don’t know what a sleep demon is, but that feeling of, like, something being on your chest that you can’t. It’s that kind of bracing terror. Yeah, which I can’t. Which I would even say, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is maybe my favorite horror movie, is not as scary as that.

 

Diablo Cody No. And it’s, it’s the yeah. The idea of like if you managed to if you’re if you fall asleep, you’re susceptible and everybody has to fall asleep eventually. There’s like, no avoiding this, this monster. And I just I was so terrified of Freddy growing up. And then I made Freddy part of my personality. I saved up all my money, went to Waterford video and bought a Freddy Krueger T-shirt. And I wore it, like, every day. And then I was like, I’m not scared of Freddy anymore. I think I’m like a Freddy person.

 

Louis Virtel And what does that what does that mean to you? Well, I mean, this is Freud’s last session. I’m sorry.

 

Diablo Cody No, but I mean, think about Freddie, like he’s so glib. He’s really been through it. He’s walked through the fire. I feel like I am a Freddy Krueger archetype.

 

Louis Virtel Okay. You see him as almost pioneering, in a way.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, I do, I do. I think he’s a really strong woman.

 

Ira Madison III I mean, do you think of it a Sliding Doors universe where Freddy was a, you know, a child murderer?

 

Louis Virtel Oh, yeah. Never mind. He was probably.

 

Ira Madison III He was. He was probably an aspiring stand up because he is constantly cracking jokes and all of those movies, all these puns. I’m like, he was probably a pretty funny.

 

Diablo Cody Welcome to prime time bitch. Iconic. And then crashes her head into the television. Amazing.

 

Louis Virtel Exactly. That’s a really good line. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III And that is my favorite nightmare. The dream warrior is that Nancy?

 

Louis Virtel Nancy is such a work.

 

Ira Madison III In these, by the way. You get to. You meet her in the first one. And she has to put up with, her alcoholic mother. Iconic. By the way, when you rewatch that movie and sort of realize how the vodka bottle that her mom is drinking gets bigger, in each scene that she’s in. And, then, you know, her dad’s there, her boyfriend is an idiot, and he’s also Johnny Depp. But, you know, she stops Freddy with her home alone sort of thing in the first movie. And then you get to Dream Warriors where she’s. She’s been through it. She has the grey streak in her hair

 

Diablo Cody Grey streak is everything. Because you’re just like seasoned.

 

Ira Madison III And she recognizes Freddy. She saves these kid,s sacrifices herself at the end. And then we also get a new nightmare which takes place in the real world, where you get to see her and Wes Craven and her playing herself. And it’s just. Nancy’s just a really great, horror movie character.

 

Louis Virtel Ira, who would you select in this regard? I’m actually. I want to say I could guess it, but maybe I can’t. It’s got to be. What do you think? It wouldn’t be Halloween universe? I don’t think I mean, oh, you’re a Scream person, so I’m going to say you’re going to. But who are you going to pick in the Scream universe? I’m going to go with you, wouldn’t I? You’re not going to go Parker Posey. You’re going to go Neve Campbell.

 

Ira Madison III I’m going to go, Gayle Weathers.

 

Diablo Cody I was going to say that, Gayle Weathers. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III That is so me.

 

Louis Virtel Because, like, her cynical remove was so refreshing. And of course, that’s all a part of, like a certain era of movies where, like, you know, in, in Clueless, you’re watching people who not only are funny themselves but seem to be tossing off every line, like, here I am funny again, you know? And I feel like that was the nature she brought to the screen. Like she doesn’t even react to the killing. She’s like, and let’s go to camera. I just love that shit. It’s it’s so that’s how somebody.

 

Ira Madison III Makes it real.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III She makes it real. Specifically because she is that, Nancy Grace ish character. It’s whenever you watching these slasher films, it often feels like bodies are piling up. And is anyone even noticing? Do people actually even really care? You’re mostly just staying in the POV of the teens were being butchered, right? And for her being this, you know, craven, power hungry, news woman who’s sort of like, she’s Faye Dunaway in network, right? Like she’s running around. She doesn’t care that these kids are being murdered. She just wants to get the story. And then even though you humanize her a bit, what do you get to scream two? She still once again snaps back into, okay, but I got to get the story. And it’s just that beautiful stuff between her and Nev Campbell in the beginning, where she’s written the book, about how maybe cotton didn’t do it and, you know, Sidney didn’t know what she was talking about when she was hiding her mother’s killer. This is like, I’ll send you a copy, and then she gets hit. And then when you get to scream two, and she once again goes after Sidney when she’s like, Sidney, share with us, please. And then she gets punched again. I’m like, that is a beautiful character that’s really doesn’t exist in a lot of other horror movies.

 

Louis Virtel She and Sidney are very formidable for each other to like. They surprisingly challenge each other at, unexpected moments. Very exciting. You know who I’m going to pick is my favorite woman in all of horror, Janet Leigh in Psycho. Because first of all, of of course, the gag of she’s only in it for 20 minutes and she’s the hugest thing on the poster. We love that the the the trick of all time. The matinee idol being, you know, butchered before we even get to act two. Really? But just she runs away with a bunch of money. Her dead eyes as she is driving and we are just looking in, looking at her, maybe hoping to sympathize with her, hoping we’re going to get a character who feels like a normal protagonist. But no, she’s just cold and hard and leaving. And then she meets, Anthony Perkins, the hardest man who ever lived as Norman Bates. And the conversation they have, she’s both intrigued and, like, annoyed and a little interested in how naive and strange he seems. But of course, then we caught her off like there’s so much left to think about her character and wonder about her character, and we only get a taste of it. At the beginning of that movie, I just think Psycho among movies you’re told holds up feels shockingly modern, even among among any movie released in the 60s. And of course, it was released in 1960.

 

Diablo Cody You’re making me want to watch it again.

 

Louis Virtel It’s such a pleasure.

 

Ira Madison III It’s really, really good.

 

Louis Virtel And Vera Miles, who plays her sister, still with us. She was also in the Hitchcock movie The Wrong Man from 57 with Henry Fonda. Not as best.

 

Ira Madison III There’s something about that scene where she’s sitting with, Anthony Perkins to, and, you know, there’s the there’s the taxidermy. It’s just it’s just it’s a gross little.

 

Louis Virtel We start eating. Yeah, yeah.

 

Ira Madison III It’s such a beautiful, chilling scene. I love that. And we’ve always talked about how that’s one of his better, films. People always try to say that it’s, Vertigo. But I would always put Psycho above Vertigo. And she’s just. It just starts out so great. I love his blond schemers, you know? Like, even like Marnie, when she is running around stealing from safes and things, you know, I, I love that I don’t love it. I do always think it is interesting as a film piece. The shot by shot remake that Gus Van Sant did of it. But I do think that if any film maybe is sort of ripe for a reimagining, maybe it’s Marnie, actually, because I think that Marnie is a good Hitchcock thriller and horror, but I would like to see a woman director.

 

Louis Virtel Actually.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, to be honest, there’s a lot of crazy things going on in that movie that are very, need to be reevaluated.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, problematic. I mean, like, it’s a very unusual role for, Sean Connery, first of all. But, let’s talk about the Psycho remake for a second. Anne Heche energy, important to you?

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, of course.

 

Louis Virtel I just I’m, I, I’m sure we have talked about this before, but I still feel like we don’t have another. What is the thing about her? I still love I what the thing I loved about and she brought 70s urgency to 90s. I didn’t feel like there was nobody else who did that. You know, like like a performance in, like Klute where, like, staring down the barrel and everything is like this, an intense. And maybe I’m going to scream. Maybe I’m not only an did that 20 years after the.

 

Diablo Cody Oh, you’re right, you know. Yeah. No, I love I love it.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Birth. Come on.

 

Diablo Cody It wasn’t it.

 

Ira Madison III I Know What You Did Last Summer.

 

Diablo Cody When Swingers came out and then suddenly Vince Vaughn. Do you remember there was a moment where Vince Vaughn was like. He was kind of having a moment that, like, Timmy’s having right now.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, totally.

 

Diablo Cody Like he was going to, like, he was being courted by, like, the biggest directors and and obviously things worked out well for Vince Vaughn. Like he did have a huge career. It was just interesting. I, I just remember there being this, like, incredibly hot, incandescent Vince Vaughn moment and culture.

 

Louis Virtel And then we picked sort of conventional comedies for him to do. Yeah, maybe don’t live up to that moment I would compare it to. I always lament that. Speaking of the Oscars, when Angelina Jolie won for Girl Interrupted it, you kind of thought you were seeing the beginning of the world’s snarky best actress, and then you got sort of anything. But she she remained mainstream and has all these great projects and stuff, but she never did that thing again, where we’re talking about her in a like a, a percolating what will she do? How will she, unsettle us? Yeah. Forward in movies, you know what I mean?

 

Ira Madison III I mean, I would also say that it’s largely some of the roles that he sort of did right after swingers because, you know, they they try to do a lot with Vince Vaughn. I don’t think anyone needs to rewatch, A Cool, Dry Place.

 

Louis Virtel Right.

 

Ira Madison III With, Joey Lauren Adams and Monica Potter. I believe he was also in the Lost World, Jurassic Park.

 

Louis Virtel He was.

 

Ira Madison III He sort of just and then Psycho happens. And then that sort of a flop. And he sort of just, like, circled around trying to find things to do. And so he sort of really came into that, Ben Stiller Will Ferrell universe. And then once Zoolander, Dodgeball, Old School sort of happens, that’s when we get sort of the Vince Vaughn that we have now.

 

Louis Virtel I am always intrigued by those moments where you get like an auspicious debut, but it’s also a weird kind of actor. The person I’m thinking of right now is Jesse Eisenberg in The Squid and the Whale, and then it’s like, wow, awesome performance. And it could only be you. We don’t have other movies like that. So what will come next for you? You know.

 

Diablo Cody That’s interesting. He’s a he’s a great example of that.

 

Louis Virtel You know. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III What’s also interesting to bring it back to Lisa Frankenstein, is he went into playing creepy so well as an adult, and I love Vince Vaughn opposite Kathryn Newton in Freaky.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, have not seen.

 

I haven’t seen that.

 

Louis Virtel Kathryn Newton just in general, by the way. Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody Amazing.

 

Louis Virtel Utterly engrossing.

 

Ira Madison III It’s, Chris Landon film. You know, he had to pull out of the new scream movie and he had done, you know, the Happy Jeff Day movie as a Paranormal Activity gay screenwriter director. Freaky is basically Freaky Friday as a slasher movie Vince Vaughn is a serial killer, who swaps bodies with, Kathryn Newton. And then she starts going on a spree, killing her friends, and she’s trapped in his body. Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel So I knew it. I do want to bring up Halloween really quickly. I think Halloween, to me, the thing that stands out, other than it’s full of women, and I like each of the characters in a different way. Even like the bratty babysitter characters. I don’t think suburbia has ever been better realized on film. I think that is my number one in the suburbs movie, even though the house in the film is literally in West Hollywood, as I discovered only a few weeks ago.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, which is strange, right?

 

Louis Virtel Does it feel like they’re walking around Illinois?

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, it does, it does. And I mean, I’m sure I’m not the only person affected by this, but to this day, if I’m walking past like a row of hedges on a sidewalk and like, what is behind it, right? You know.

 

Louis Virtel It has to be something. Yeah, definitely.

 

Ira Madison III I also want to say that largely, you know, we’re we’re thinking about these women in these films. I also could have said that I loved Jada Pinkett Smith is great, too. I really think that her opening in the film is so fun.

 

Louis Virtel Talking about a cynical remove. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III And it talks about race in horror movies, and unfortunately, it doesn’t end up working in the film with the point being driven home because of the script changes in the original scream to Halley, Sidney’s roommate was the killer, along with Mickey. And so if there’s a black woman who was Ghostface at the end of it, then I think that that book ends a lot better with the opening. Yeah, but Jada Pinkett Smith. But I think that, like, I don’t know, we’ve had so much like queer coded horror and like, things like The Blackening, which are great, but I’m sort of still interested in seeing like, what other kind of final girls there are in the horror world for us to get, you know, beyond, you know, the Nancys and the Nev Campbell. So that is sort of what I’m looking forward to, to women in horror. But also, I’d like to see someone really do something good with like, gay men and horror, too. That’s not just I mean, as much as I love Nightmare on Elm Street, I.

 

Diablo Cody Literally just.

 

Louis Virtel Very, very queer.

 

Ira Madison III Content. But like, how do you do that film now and have it sort of resonate in a way, that, you know, I mean, made people feel the way that you felt watching Nancy in A Nightmare on Elm Street when you were a kid. Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel I would like to see, like, basically The Boys in The Band, but it’s a horror movie. You know, those guys having that.

 

Ira Madison III Is a horror movie.

 

Louis Virtel Like when they get around that phone. Yeah. Internalized homophobia is the killer on that one. Yes.

 

Ira Madison III All right. When we are back, it is our favorite segment. Keep It up.

 

Louis Virtel And now it’s time for our favorite segment of the episode, the Keep It segment. Let’s be crazy. Ira, you started off this time. What are you saying Keep It to this week?

 

Ira Madison III Okay, so I watched this documentary last night on Netflix called American Nightmare, which is about the kidnaping, Denise Huskins. Her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, tells the police that, they’re awoken in the middle of the night. Someone puts, like, goggles on his face, makes him drink DayQuil and maybe diazepam to be knocked out. Ties him up. The kidnapers wearing, like a wet suit, putting a flashlight in his face, and then takes Denise. And he doesn’t report it until, like, 1 p.m. the next day because he’s, like, drowsy and has to get untied, etc.. And what happens is it’s it’s a documentary which could be like a four movie, but it’s split into three parts because it’s Netflix. They show, you know, from the boyfriend’s perspective, and then they show from Denise’s perspective, and then you get to the truth of it. And what happens is you find out that this was being called a real life gone girl. Because what happens is she is kidnaped and everyone thinks that he sort of killed her. And then she’s basically dropped off at her parents place, seemingly unharmed. And now they accused them of doing this whole hoax and whatever. What happens is a car gets stolen, a mustang, a white Mustang, which sort of leads them in a side way is at another police department in another city. Because the people have stopped investigating. They think that it’s a hoax and everything, and they find out that this was true. It was like this person who was continuously breaking into women’s homes and attacking them, assaulting them, etc.. So it’s sort of like you see how you know, the police suck, etc.. But my real Keep It in this is that I have more questions about the FBI and their investigation of this, because you find out that Denise was not the intended kidnaping victim. What happened is he was dating another. He worked at a hospital in a rehab unit, him and Denise and his ex, this, woman named Andrea. The person was planning to kidnap Andrea and did not know that he was back together with Denise because he had broken up with her and then gotten back together with her. We also come to find out that one of the investigating FBI agents is dating Andrea, the ex-girlfriend.

 

Diablo Cody I was so angry. You have no idea.

 

Louis Virtel And also, you saw them? Oh, no, I watched. Yes.

 

Diablo Cody And I wish we had heard from Andrea, too, because can you imagine survivor’s guilt? That woman must feel that she was the intended target for this nightmare experience. And then it just. He happened to take the new girlfriend instead. Like it was. And also, it just it made me terrified to ever report a crime, ever. I mean, they just wanted those people to be locked up.

 

Ira Madison III They wanted them to be locked up, and that not even just the survivor’s guilt of Andrea. Then don’t you start wondering. You’re like, why was I about to be kidnaped? And then I would also start to wonder, why did my boyfriend, who’s in the FBI, basically stop investigating this and you have to start wondering, was he involved for some reason?

 

Louis Virtel I, I think that.

 

Ira Madison III Because they talk about sort of this potential maybe like ring or people involved in these kidnapings and my conspIracy theory is that he was jealous of Andrea and her ex-boyfriend being close again, and he had hired this person to kidnap Andrea. But things went awry and the niece got kidnaped. And then he had to kill the investigation to cover it up.

 

Louis Virtel You said the word, Denise. So many times. I’ve been thinking of Lisa Bonet this entire time. I’m sure she has nothing to do with Lisa Bonet.

 

Ira Madison III I just think it’s very crazy to be investigating, a case, involving your current.

 

Diablo Cody No. It was a clear conflict of interest.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, yeah, that makes no sense. Okay, well, that was. I guess I have to see this now. Not that I didn’t just see it right here, but. Okay.

 

Diablo Cody But it’s infuriating you. You’ll be angry at every turn watching it. And it’s just a reminder that most true crime documentaries are always coming away, being like the police are useless. Why would you report any crime? And also, they’re just criminals running around planning to murder you. And if you want to get away with a crime, do it in a sort of really crazy, insane way. Because then when someone reports it to the police, the police won’t believe them. Yeah, they’ll think, I guess that’s the moral of this.

 

Diablo Cody The crazy yarn. Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel If you come away with anything from Keep It and our six years on the show, let it be the right.

 

Ira Madison III How do you get away with murder?

 

Louis Virtel Yes. Right. Brooke, do you have a key? But for us this week, I don’t think that’s bothering me.

 

Diablo Cody I Keep It is very petty. And it’s that I waited, like, at least a year for a new season of the Netflix show Love On The Spectrum, which I love.

 

Ira Madison III And it’s so good.

 

Diablo Cody It’s so amazing. And it came back and I, I, they gave us. There’s not enough. I watched the entire new season in like a couple of nights, and I still have so many questions. And there’s this character on there named Stephen and I desperately character. He’s a human being. I desperately need him to find love. I need it to happen. And it didn’t happen last season. And I was like, this is that Stephen is going to find his person. And like, I won’t be satisfied if they don’t find a person for Stephen. And I don’t think they did a good job with his matches. I don’t think the producers did a good job with his matches. His date was really hard to watch and I just feel like I want more for Stephen and I. I think about him a lot. And so I guess I am I don’t really know.

 

Ira Madison III An older guy, right?

 

Diablo Cody He is the older guy. He lives in San Francisco. He’s a delight. He’s such a sweet man. And it’s like, I just I’m very invested in everybody on Love On The Spectrum.

 

Louis Virtel I truly have resisted watching that show because I know it’s going to be incredibly touching. But there was there was a short documentary a couple of years ago about, Rubik’s Cube experts. Yeah, I watched that.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel The Cubers, maybe it was called and there was, one kid on the spectrum. I literally found it so touching. I could not I could barely get through the 40 minute documentary about this. To watch this show all the way through would be I. I just don’t know if I could do it.

 

Diablo Cody It’s really good. It’s really well-made. And I don’t want I shouldn’t say I do watch reality, but like, not, I don’t watch that many shows like this and I’m just completely hooked on it. And like, yeah, I feel a real, parasocial relationship with Steven.

 

Ira Madison III It’s also very funny.

 

Diablo Cody It is funny.

 

Ira Madison III So, yeah, it’s funny.

 

Louis Virtel Okay, I’ll find a way in, I guess I truly have like, I also it’s I just resist. This this is speaking of petty awkwardness in my own life. And so to even glean one moment of like a conversation where whatever it’s just that I need to do the work of just watching the show anyway, I will I will do that.

 

Ira Madison III It might help, Louis.

 

Louis Virtel You’re worried for me.

 

Diablo Cody It’s just very unusual in this day and age to watch people on a reality series that are not being performative. And I’m like.

 

Louis Virtel Oh my God, it’s so true.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, it’s like there’s like, you actually get to witness these, like, captured authentic interactions between people. That’s why I love it so much.

 

Louis Virtel And I have like kind of trained myself to love the, Uber prepared reality stars. Like when you watch Drag Race now, like, everybody knows how short their tidbits need to be. Yeah. And quotes and like, what they’re literally their angles are as that we get a meme ified reaction from them as they, you know, it’s like I end up liking those things. Get the target around. It would be nice.

 

Ira Madison III Can I say, though, side note about this season of Drag Race? It is fun when someone tries to do that and then stumbles, which then makes them kind of more human because they kind of still don’t know what they’re doing. And I’m talking about Plain Jane. Yeah, who I love play Jade is a cunt.

 

Louis Virtel Yes. A mean person.

 

Ira Madison III Also, a mean person, but also just sort of saying something mean about people just to say something mean and starting fights in untucked, sort of just to start a fight. And there’s a part of Plain Jane when you watch him in confessionals, like you can see he’s tried to make fun TV and be that mean person, but not doing it with enough wit. So it sort of fumbles, and then they’re confused when other people respond in sort of witty ways, I don’t know, it’s so interesting and we haven’t really had a mean bitch on Drag Race.

 

Louis Virtel Obviously.

 

Ira Madison III In forever, because they’ve all felt afraid of being attacked online for being mean. So.

 

Louis Virtel Right. Definitely. And, it reminds me a little bit of the diff one character from, 30 Rock, you know, who like to have the catchphrase that it just falls on deaf ears and everyone’s, like, looking side to side. It’s really funny. Okay. My Keep It. Mike, I could say Keep It to a number of things that didn’t get nominated for Oscars this year, but I think the one I am saltiest about, and this is a bone of contention between Ira, and me is Priscilla. I thought Jacob Elordi was the supporting performance of the year. The amount of people in this lifetime who have played Elvis, and it’s such a familiar, person and legend and like, we’ve seen every outsized version of Elvis over the years. You know what? Maybe the Kurt Russell version holds up, but I thought he played him so believably, as in, that reminds me of Elvis. And also seems like what he would be like at home. I just don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. I’m surprised he it’s a Sofia Coppola movie. I’m surprised it didn’t play more in that way. I’m I continue to be excited for Jacob Elordi, even though the SNL episode wasn’t really it for me, but, I liked his promo for the SNL episode where he couldn’t go down the stairs. I thought that was funny.

 

Ira Madison III I think that people are maybe Elvis’d out.

 

Louis Virtel No.

 

Ira Madison III After Austin butler.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III You know, I think the movie sort of came and went a bit. I mean, I am a Priscilla hater. That’s. And, you know, you love it. And, you know, I like Barbie a bit more than you did that would. Those were our bones of contention this year. And it is weird because I love Sofia Coppola. Yeah, I truly do love Sofia Coppola.

 

Louis Virtel Kirsten Dunst. Well, that’s another performance that should have been more talked about. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III It just didn’t. As much as I love Elordi and I thought he was amazing as Elvis. It just really didn’t altogether hit for me. I just because of the rest of the movie, I don’t know, I feel like people really just off that high of Austin Butler weren’t really trying to think about another Elvis movie this year.

 

Louis Virtel Well, yeah. I mean, like the that movie, the Elvis movie, the Baz Lurhmann, that’s really giving you Follies, Bruggier level, spectacle all the time. And then I guess I should say Moulin Rouge level spectacular. Moving on. And this was you either dialed into how muted it was or you did. So I actually I’m sympathetic to where you’re coming from, even though I’m coming from the correct place.

 

Ira Madison III Well, you know, you, Jacob Elordi, will get honored.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. I’m not worried about him. I don’t know why. This is my keeper. Imagine being like, oh, no, not Jacob Elordi. Not getting 50 more chances. I’m sure he’ll be.

 

Diablo Cody I know he’ll be okay.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Right. Right.

 

Ira Madison III I mean, I do. Well, we’ll say that I feel like he is one of the, you know, the few. You know, this year was the year of what, you know, male actor in their late 20s as everyone obsessed with. And I feel like there’s like 15 of them and there’s probably more coming out of the woodwork who I don’t know. But I don’t know. He still seems like one of the top ones to me. Like, he’s he’s a really good actor, and I think it’s really great comedic timing. I also didn’t really love the SNL episode, but I loved the promo. He did was better, was funnier than me, than the whole episode.

 

Louis Virtel That’s what I thought.

 

Ira Madison III He did a promo where he was trying to go down the stairs, and that was really funny.

 

Louis Virtel Very funny. Yeah, yeah. Physical comedy. We haven’t gotten that from him yet. That was nice.

 

Ira Madison III And he’s tall. Physical comedy from someone that tall just works. I don’t know why it does, but it just works.

 

Louis Virtel Kodi Smit-McPhee, if you’re out there listening, this is your.

 

Ira Madison III Chance here to get him and Elizabeth Debicki in a movie.

 

Diablo Cody I was just going to say Elizabeth’s adventure. And for her to be the romcom heroine who falls down.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Yes.

 

Diablo Cody Just legs for days, displayed in the air.

 

Louis Virtel You know the movie, No Hard Feelings? This is hard felt feelings because she falls hard. Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, exactly.

 

Ira Madison III All right. Known as tall people who can’t walk.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Yes, yes. Diablo. Brooke, thank you so much for being here and also spewing what you know about pop culture and Vanna White and horror and everything you are.

 

Diablo Cody Thank you for having me. And this is just the most fun podcast to do of them all.

 

Louis Virtel Oh thank you. When is Lisa Frankenstein officially out?

 

Diablo Cody Oh. February 9th.

 

Louis Virtel Perfect Valentine’s day fare. Perfect.

 

Diablo Cody It’s. It is totally a Valentine’s movie. I’m actually psyched about that because I think, you know, sometimes when you’re writing something like this, everyone’s like Halloween. Really? And Halloween, people want to see people get stabbed and, you know, like, this is different. It’s like not competing with the slashers. This is a romantic movie. It’s fun.

 

Ira Madison III Also, great performance in Lisa Frankenstein. Carla Gugino. Oh, I love her.

 

Diablo Cody What a queen. What a queen I, I deliberately I like, made sure that I was on set for her stuff because I was like, I just want to fan out, and I did.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. She’s been so funny for forever.

 

Louis Virtel She she, she’s so good. Like, when she’s in a movie, I’m like, oh, I’m taking care of this is nice. Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody Exactly.

 

Ira Madison III You know what? Can you stick her? Can you stick around David Spade in that movie?

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, right.

 

Diablo Cody Oh, man, that’s going to be my opus.

 

Louis Virtel You really awakened something in my brain with that. He really is capable.

 

Diablo Cody I’m not wrong.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. Give us your Raising Arizona.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, we can go darker than that.

 

Ira Madison III Maybe that’s not dark enough.

 

Louis Virtel More like he’s, like, breaking the waves or something. Yeah.

 

Diablo Cody Yeah, yeah.

 

Ira Madison III Thank you for being here. It’s always a.

 

Diablo Cody Delight. Yeah. Thank you for having me. I love it.

 

Ira Madison III And thank you to Common for being here, as well, who was also very delightful. He is a serious person, but also a very funny person and a very charming person. And all three of us are dating him now. So, sorry J. Hud.

 

Louis Virtel Apparently is a better miniature golfer than Serena Williams, which, if you take a second thing from Keep It. I hope you take that.

 

Ira Madison III Don’t forget to follow Crooked Media on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to Keep It on YouTube for access to full episodes and other exclusive content. And if you’re as opinionated as we are, consider dropping us a review.

 

Louis Virtel Keep It is a Crooked Media production. Our producer is Chris Lord and our associate producer is Malcolm Whitfield. Our executive producers are Ira Madison, the third, Louis Virtel, and Kendra James. Our digital team is Megan Patsel, Claudia Shang, and Rachel Gaeweski. This episode was recorded and mixed by Evan Sutton. Thank you to Matt DeGroot, David Toles, Kyle Seglin, and Charlotte Landes for production support every week.

 

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