In This Episode
Ira and Louis discuss Nicki Minaj versus SZA, CBS canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Drag Race All Stars 10, Building the Band, and movies with Leo Energy. Billy Porter joins to discuss playing the Emcee in Cabaret, his dream roles, and more.
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Coded Justice: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/697037/coded-justice-by-stacey-abrams/
TRANSCRIPT
Ira Madison III [AD]
Ira Madison III And we are back with an all-new Keep It. It’s Ira, Madison the Third.
Louis Virtel Oh, you said that so poetically. I guess that is just, as this is your penultimate episode. I’m Louis Virtel. Keep it raining champion, I guess, since I’ll be here long after you’re gone, bitch.
Ira Madison III You’re on the waterfront. You are the contender.
Louis Virtel Yes, I could have been a contender, and in fact, I remain one.
Ira Madison III That’s also, I’m always thinking about that line in the context of Gypsy, you know, if I could have been, then I would have been. And that’s showbiz.
Louis Virtel Well, get this, Gypsy’s gonna come up this episode because we talked with Billy Porter, who’s our guest today. Giving us a very-.
Ira Madison III Helllloooooooo!
Louis Virtel Though he is, you know, he’s preparing for a Broadway show. He’s not as, shall we say, energized and animated as he usually is. But you know we get a sort of sleepier contemplative Billy Porter. And I think people appreciate that just as much. And he’s also your last guest on Keep It. How do you feel about that?
Ira Madison III You know what, a return guest, Billy Porter’s always a good time, we talk about the morning show wig.
Louis Virtel Yes.
Ira Madison III We get into it.
Louis Virtel Oh, yes. No, no, no. It’s exciting stuff. But I think it’s also appropriate that on your penultimate episode, there would be a major Twitter blow up between Nicki Minaj. I don’t want to say it’s between Nicki Minaj and SZA. Nicki Minaji blew up at SZA and Sza wrote back dot dot dot, basically. But this is like classic Keep It, something you would explain to me. And I’m just going to go ahead and let you do it.
Ira Madison III Okay. So the thing about this feud is that it doesn’t really feel like a feud. It’s very disorienting, which is par for the course when it comes to Nicki, but it’s very just orienting because it just sort of popped up in the middle of the night. And I remember people texting about it. I don’t remember looking at tweets and being like, what is going on? Let’s just say that. SZA’s manager and TDE co-president, Punch. This is his name. It’s Judy’s ex-husband.
Louis Virtel Oh yeah, he’s still around! That’s nice.
Ira Madison III Yeah. Tweeted.
Louis Virtel Out of the proper theater and into hip hop.
Ira Madison III Okay. He tweeted, broken Barbies, promoting a new track by I Am Lyric, an artist that he manages. And then Nicki went on a rant, accusing him of bullying her.
Louis Virtel Which is rich coming from Buliana herself.
Ira Madison III Then he went on The Breakfast Club and said that he and Nicki have bad blood from 2020. Because Nicki reached out for a SZA feature, but Putt said SZA was deep in album mode, so they’d circle back on the request. The feature never happened, and he never spoke to Nicki again.
Louis Virtel I want to also say that around that time Nicki was more concerned with her cousin’s friends balls or whatever was going on So I mean it was a disorienting time
Ira Madison III Um, SZA then tweeted, Mercury retrograde, don’t take the bait, LOL, silly goose.
Louis Virtel Silly goose, underrated phrase.
Ira Madison III I love saying silly goose, and then Nicki responded with, go draw your freckles back on, and told SZA that she sounded like a fucking dead dog.
Louis Virtel Cool take, yes.
Ira Madison III Which was nasty, but a lot of us do recall the time when SZA could not sing live.
Louis Virtel Sure. Um, okay.
Ira Madison III Yeah. Barb’s kept throwing out old videos and it was like, I wrote, we were there. I was at Coachella.
Louis Virtel If I were SZA, I would simply respond by saying that I have not just Grammy nominations, Oscar nomination, and Nicki doesn’t have any Grammy wins, which is actually pretty rare for somebody that prominent in the field. How did she do it?
Ira Madison III Now, there are some very funny moments that happen in the midst of this whole SZA drama. I do just want to say that SZA shared the text between Nicki and Punch where Nicki asked for a feature and this was after Nicki was, you know, whipping up the barbs because them. Here’s the thing about the feud for me. And I would like, I don’t even want to call it a feud. They were just having a back and forth and it was entertaining. So I loved it. But Nicki’s tweeting at SZA seemed less like she was tweeting at CZA as just more tweetings to entertain the barbs, which is usually what happens. And so it’s always feels like it’s lopsided a bit because I’m like, I want you actually going after this person. Don’t just do it with like aware that you have an audience that… We’ll eat up everything that you say, you know?
Louis Virtel No, it’s Groucho Marx, yeah, let me harass Margaret Dumont for a little bit, for the kids.
Ira Madison III Yeah, people will get that reference.
Louis Virtel Our listeners are 170 years old, right? Okay.
Ira Madison III So Nicki was like, no one knows your music, et cetera. And then Barbz were like, yeah, that’s true. That’s true, no-one knows who you are, which, sure. But then SZA responded, Nicki, you absolutely know my music and what I contribute because you’ve asked for features twice to no response. In addition to rapping my lyrics on Feeling Myself, cooking up the bass, looking like a kilo. By the way, that is SZA. She was a co-writer on Feeling Myself that was a Nicki song.
Louis Virtel Oh, that’s bizarre, okay.
Ira Madison III Yeah. She wrote, LOL, you’re having a moment. I’m not sure why, but be blessed.
Louis Virtel Classic.
Ira Madison III SZA always seems like she’s on a spiritual plane. I think someone tweeted like, Nicki, you are about to have four different spirits coming after you right now. What are you doing? She literally is her character from one of them days.
Louis Virtel Yes, right, right. I had a friend say something reading all these tweets, being like, Nicki should teach a course in destroying her legacy. But to be honest, is it not everybody realizing she’s capable of this all the time? Like I think of this as almost like, as you said, par for the course, Nicki. She’s weirdly like, even though what she said about Megan Thee Stallion was like way worse and way more ridiculous and like harmful, generally speaking, she’s a little bit bulletproof when it comes to being a nasty personality, since that’s her whole fucking thing.
Ira Madison III Yeah, I really don’t see this affecting her legacy in any way, to be honest. I feel like most people either didn’t know this happened or two just saw Nicki’s fighting with Cissa and were like, what else is going on?
Louis Virtel Yeah. Let me switch over to the funnies. Yeah. Let me get through this newspaper.
Ira Madison III But the interaction, I just want to read this, the text between her and Punch for the Future. July 28th, 2020, Nicki sent this message, which was my birthday. Oh, but she was clearly celebrating. My COVID birthday. A lot of people got sick that day. Okay. Gross. Um Hey, it’s Nicki. Punch response, Minaj? No, Giovanni, the poet, Nick Blonsky. Just imagine just texting somewhere, hey, it’s Nicki. Then she wrote, yeah, how are you? I’m good, money. What’s poppin’? And congrats are in order. What’s good, Money? And Nicki says, thank you. Is SZA recording right now? Got this hook I think she would be dope on. Okay, so proof is in the pudding. She’s a fan. Yeah, and then Punch responds, yeah, she heavy into her album, send it. And then Nicki says, okay, I’ll just send the hook first. If she fuck with it, I will send the files to an email. Give me a sec. And then he said bet. And that’s that, mm. Yes. Well, nice try Nicki. Yeah. Hahaha, now! In response to that, everyone was making fun of the fact that she was just like, hey, it’s Vicky. Minaj? So she also tweeted, going back to this thing about SZA’s freckles, which is LOL to me, but Vicky tweeted out, hey it’s vicky. Minaj, no, the knickerbockers. We’d like to know if you play basketball if your freckle’s wipe off when you sweat. Otherwise, we’d like to offer you a once in a lifetime chance to play for the New York Knicks.
Louis Virtel I’m sorry. It is unfortunate. It is a, I always say. I think the thing that actually creates stanning, generally speaking, more than anything, is being hilarious. You know, I think that’s what the Madonna fans, like, cling to most. That’s what, like Mariah fans cling to most, you know what I mean? And these are, like the strongest stan armies. And that’s why I think Lady Gaga needs to be funnier again.
Ira Madison III Yeah, listen, she is giving us songs from Artpop for the tour. So that’s great. She put in some new songs. We’ll have a laugh. So that is funny. Yes, you’re right. Okay, you know what? Do not come for applause and aura.
Louis Virtel No, you know that applause and do what you want are my favorites, yes.
Ira Madison III Yeah, she also added Summer Boy, so that’s great. Yes, that’s awesome. Speaking of the two people that you did bring up, Mariah’s new album is coming out soon. Can’t wait. It’s called Here For It All. Here For it All. And I’m liking Type Dangerous still, even though I hate the remixes. Yeah, I like the original version is the best version. Yeah, well, the remix is just, she didn’t re-record the vocals, so it’s that thing where the beats aren’t really fun. Sort of like You want a classic Mariah remix where she redos the vocals and so then like you can do a whole different beat, etc but um She shared like a snippet of another song too, like where she’s singing about like sugar. Um, and It sounds good. I think it’s going to be sort of like a um Mix of memoirs of an imperfect angel slash caution
Louis Virtel Okay, great. Yeah, caution. But there’s no- I like the music.
Ira Madison III I like the music. I didn’t really like.
Louis Virtel I don’t know, but yeah.
Ira Madison III There’s no Jermaine Dupree production on this album. Weird, I don’t even know Mariah anymore. She’s flying free. If you will. She’s boot up with Anderson Paak now. So I feel like he, this is one of those moments where a pop diva or even just a female artist you love, like it happens with the rock girls too. They get in a relationship. And then the person they’re in the relationship with ends up producing their whole album. I love that era of like, female singer. It’s always like, yeah, I’ll let you do some work for me.
Louis Virtel Yeah, right. Enjoy my legacy, sure. We should get on with this episode though. We have Billy Porter coming in a bit. And also, since this is Ira’s penultimate episode, and I don’t know if you know this, we’re both Leos, and he actually believes in the Zodiac. I, of course. But we are going to get into the greatest Leo energy films, which I think there are definitive answers to this. So I think like either you get the right answer or you don’t. We’ll talk about that. And guess what else we’re talking about? Stephen Colbert being canceled out of nowhere for quote unquote mysterious reasons. And then Trump who is, you know, allegedly the reason it ended up being canceled. We’ll talked about that, said he’s coming for Kimmel next. I actually worked for that talk show host. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a sitting president threaten your job before. It’s new to me! We’ll talk about that.
Ira Madison III Also, as you all know, next week is my last episode, and you know, Lewis and I are the ones behind the mic, but all of you have been listening at home, and you’re just as much a part of this show as we are. So next week, we’re all going to take a walk down the Keep It Hall of Fame and revisit our most memorable moments and takes at interviews over the years. And listen, I don’t remember any of the shit I say on this podcast, so if you have a favorite Keep It moment, please share it with us in the YouTube comments, Spotify comments, or in the comment section of this episode’s Instagram posts at the handle at Keep It Show. And if you have a question for an AMA segment, send those in as well. Louis and I will answer all of the questions that you send in. Well, maybe not all of them, but we’re going to answer a lot of them.
Louis Virtel And by the way, you can be a little snarky too. We can handle it.
Ira Madison III Honestly, there was someone looking for love in the comments the other week and it was kind of heartwarming.
Louis Virtel Oh, I have the distinct feeling they didn’t find it, but okay.
Ira Madison III Yeah, I don’t think that’s the place to find love, baby. No, no, no. Not the comment section for this podcast.
Louis Virtel Love rarely wins here. In fact, it’s not even competing. Didn’t even qualify.
Ira Madison III Here lies love. Alright, we will be right back with more Keep It.
Louis Virtel [AD]
Ira Madison III Last week, Stephen Colbert announced that the Late Show on CBS will be canceled after its next season, ending May 2026. The news shocked the industry, but it does come at a time when Late Night isn’t packing the same punch it used to, at least audience-wise. Lewis, you work on a Late Night show. One, how did your team react to this, and what do you think it means for Late Night in general?
Louis Virtel Um, well, I mean, it is shocking. I mean like even if you consider late night, you know, sort of an old hat format, there aren’t that many shows anymore. It’s like saying game shows aren’t as famous as they used to be. Okay. But there’s still room for like five of them, six of them or whatever, you know, um, so for the preeminent late night talk show host, basically Stephen Colbert to be canceled feels bizarre. And of course it’s only days after he criticized the potential CBS sky dance paramount e merger. Which people are suggesting that his show was canceled as a concession to Trump, who then gloated that the show was canceled and then said Jimmy Kimmel was next. So there’s some validity there. You know, speaking for what I do for my job, which is just writing jokes every day, you know, it’s like clownery. I sit at the computer and like, I get the topics and I’m like, how do we make fun of this? What can we say that’s like valuable and not repeating ourselves, even though we’re talking about the same things again and again, usually Trump. But after a while, like you watch the TV show, and even though it’s just a guy standing up there making jokes, it occurred to me after a While, this is definitely the most outspoken show on ABC. You know what I mean? And this is a Disney run TV show talking about the president of the United States who has the most bruisable ego possible. So it’s something chemically is occurring every time we make fun of this person. There’s like some danger that he will react, you know, fascistically, an adverb that doesn’t exist, but I’m throwing it out there. So to see Stephen Colbert like fundamentally just wiped off late night is a crazy feeling. I mean, like, I guess you could justify it as a financial decision, because these shows are so expensive to produce. Huge staffs, you know, like getting guests, they’re in the theater in New York. There’s like, there’s plenty of variables that make these shows really expensive. But at the same time, I think Stephen Colber is this weird combination for viewers of antagonistic to bad guys like Trump, and also very cozy. Which I think makes him sort of his own brand in late night and something that hasn’t really existed before. That’s not like Johnny Carson or David Letterman or Conan O’Brien, you know, it’s like he’s his own thing in that way. And my guess is he will end up doing a version of this show for a streamer or something. Is that what you’d think?
Ira Madison III Yeah. I mean, first of all, I do want to take Umbridge, you know, with what you said about being the most vocal on ABC, you now, that’s just because we got rid of Roseanne. Oh, the truth teller. Yeah. Okay. Like we started getting rid of the truth. They came for Roseanne That’s right. And you said nothing.
Louis Virtel And you know what?
Ira Madison III She said nothing and started rapping so No, listen, it did obviously come as a shock, and it was also shocking to me that, yes, I know how vocal Jimmy is against Trump all the time. And I know that Colbert also is too, to a sense, but I sort of really had no idea that he was digging into CBS the way he was, which is maybe part of the problem. I wasn’t really aware what was happening in the Colbert ecosystem. I feel like I’m seeing clips more now, and now he’s just sort of like, doesn’t give a fuck. Because people were, what’s weird is when people were giving eulogies for this show too, a lot of them were speaking as if the show was, like that was the last episode of the show to ever air.
Louis Virtel Yeah, we have ten more months of the show.
Ira Madison III We’re going to May of 2026, so there’s a lot he can say still, Donald Trump. So good luck. But I don’t know, Colbert has just always been such a presence in late night, from, you know, the Colbert Report to this. And I’m sure there is something that he’s going to be doing in the future that will the exciting butt. There’s still just something about late night, like he could go and do a podcast and be extremely successful. There was just a report today about Joe Budden, the fact that he makes fucking $20 million a year off podcasting. It is, it can be a very lucrative job for some people. I don’t know anything about that. But… It’s obvious that he could go into something like that. It’s obviously also that that is part of the problem with late night too. I mean, there’s the ad money isn’t there anymore. Viewers have been lost. Most people watch the show in clips, et cetera. And it’s hard to monetize a show like that in clips and monetization from just like YouTube or socials or whatever. I mean you can run a podcast, but you can’t run. The late show with all of its staff, et cetera. Like this is an actual television show. You can’t run actual television shows with money you make from YouTube views, you know? But this just makes me think now that like, what are we just gonna be watching? Like Hot Ones and Chicken Shop Date in late night now? It’s just like, they’re going to take these shows. I know, the gravitas is not there. Yeah, right. Yo, every. Every podcast now is essentially being filmed. It reminds me of when I was in the media and, you know, in the BuzzFeed era into the MTV News era, which by the way, I’ve also been canceled by Viacom before when they axed all of MTV News a year into the Trump presidency. They were like, goodbye. Bye! Basically, like, you know, Trump doesn’t want that shit, so they canceled us, and we were like the enemy of David Duke. I don’t know if people remember this, but during the election when we were reporting on Trump, like David Duke and the KKK got mad at us, David Duke was causally tweeting it via a comment that we were going to be destroyed, and then we were. But I don’t know, it’s not going to hit the same, you’ve got so many easy shows where every podcast is recorded now. Like I said, in that pivot to video thing again, but are we gonna fucking watch shows where now they’re just putting that on TV? Like, I think that sucks. Yeah, but also it’s like, I mean.
Louis Virtel I mean, Jeopardy put out a press release not long ago, because they’re going to start uploading episodes of the show to streaming every day for people to watch, even though it comes up, I think, a day later or something. They said they lost double-digit percentages of viewers that are supposed to be watching the syndicated version that comes on cable to bootlegged uploads of the shows. It’s like, well, even Jeopard, it’s like these shows that just belong on television can’t just belong there anymore. You know, and And that way, like, everybody has to make a big change. I keep wondering if syndication will, you know, if daytime talk shows will be able to function the way they do in the future. Because honestly, it’s like, who is watching Kelly Ripa? I mean, honestly, I say this as somebody, she’s great at her job, perfect at her job, couldn’t be better at her job, and yet also it’s, like designed to have, for people to have on in the background, kind of, while they just do their work. You know, it like it’s for a specific age group that’s like aging out.
Ira Madison III Yeah. Well, that’s also something that should be talked about when you speak of the end of Colbert and sort of what the future is for Late Night, right? Because what people are watching on social media, what people are like the podcast people are listening slash listening to slash watching are very different from what we’re getting in Late And, well, it was lovely to see, you know, the Colbert moment where… I think you just saw the photo where all of the late night people, all the late night hosts showed up to support him. You know, it was, um, Seth, it was Jimmy, you know, it was Andy Cohen was there. Uh, Anderson Cooper was there, um. Only Jimmy wasn’t there. Cause you know he’s in LA shooting his show, but, um I don’t know. It was cool in the solidarity way, but then looking at it, you were like, here’s just like a row of eight white men, you know, and it’s like, it reminded me that Lily only a few years ago until the Trump administration got rid of her ass, too. Samantha Bee was hosting a show that was so incredibly funny. And it’s just like, you have to also fault late night for not progressing and moving forward, you know? Like, who’s to know where late night could be or if more people were watching if it had ever bothered to diversify? I mean, the 90s had so much more diversity in- talk show hosts, even daytime talking show hosts that we do now. We used to have Arseneo and Montel and RuPaul hosting. I loved that show. Shows, you know? And honestly, bring back RuPaul’s show or like mint a new RuPaul, you it’s just, it’s crazy to me that networks and things see what is successful in different forms of media and I guess the response will just be Let’s just throw that on the TV or whatever, instead of looking at why those things are successful.
Louis Virtel No, I think all the time about, like, why people vest so much authority or historically have into, like white guys telling jokes, you know, and why their perspective tends to be so centralized, just in comedy in general. But I feel like, and I’ve talked about this long on the podcast, like I just can’t picture most men saying that their favorite funny person is a woman, or is a black woman, Or is a just it’s like there’s something about. The way guys gather for humor, they want to be around somebody who feels like one, their friend who’s in the group they’re with at the comedy club, or the guy they all wanna be. You know, it’s like, that’s a version of admiration and a version aspiration that they see in funny people. Because I think there’s something about being funny that lends a comic, generally speaking, namely someone like Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert, who’s like roasting someone like Trump. Part of the appeal is they have a sense of invulnerability. And I feel like if you’re respecting somebody for being invulnarable, that makes you vulnerable. And I like men don’t like giving that power to a woman.
Ira Madison III Right, and gay men don’t like giving that power to other gay men, which is largely why gay men who are successful. You got that right, bitch. Give it to me. I want it. Which is why gay man who are successful in this field, et cetera, tend to rely on women who want to be their best friend.
Louis Virtel Yeah. You know? Right, precisely. No, I think of me growing up, all the comics I loved were all women. If I won an Academy Award today, I would thank Paula Poundstone and Margaret Cho and Wendy Liebman and all this, Rita Rudner, Wanda Sykes, etc.
Ira Madison III Um, and there is something comforting about it, you know? I mean, I will say the one thing that is beautiful about these late night shows is that they were still such an incubation for talent in a way that, um, they introduce people to the world. You know? Like, I think Meg Stalter’s been fucking great on Colbert this week, you know? No, I let anybody-
Louis Virtel I love anybody who treats a late-night appearance like a stunt because let’s like do something with this this like weird old stodgy format Like I love just a straightforward conversation, but if you can do something crazy with it, that’s great and proves that there’s like Fun and opportunity in this format
Ira Madison III Yeah, Cola Scola, whatever there are, like it’s just, it’s fun. And those are like real comedians being funny. And it also just reminds you like those people are fascinating and why isn’t one of them hosting a late night show? You know? No, it feels weird, this current space that we’re in, but I’m also like a soap opera fan. And I remember the period when all those shows were being canceled, you know? And some of them are still alive. And now CBS has just launched its own new show. Beyond the gates again, years later, the first one since Passions, and it’s doing well. And everything that dies lives again, you know?
Louis Virtel I have to say, I concur in that way. It does feel like maybe there’ll be like a retraction period where there’s fewer of these shows, but then a few will come back because I think there is a throwback element to these that people will crave. You know, just like movie genres come back or whatever. Every once in a while we have the rom-com that actually takes off that we all watch. And for some reason, I’m not quoting anyone but you, but I saw that movie. But I also just wanna say, maybe an upshot of this whole situation is that whatever Stephen Colbert does next, we get a little bit of the kookier Stephen Colber. And I’m not even just talking about the Colbert report, Stephen Colbet, which was of course very funny, and you know, sort of a hilarious theatrical performance. I miss him on Strangers with Candy so much. Just the craziest show. Speaking of great talk show guest, Amy Sedaris. But just, there is something about this. Knowing that everybody on that show is capable of being that crazy and deadpan and so wrong and inappropriate and like the kind of thing where if your parents walked in on you watching that show, they’d be like, this is television right now, like what the fuck and yet I’m laughing. It just, it was such an incredible type of comedy. And so I hope he gets back into that, I’ll call it UCB-ish strangeness that he can achieve.
Ira Madison III Yeah, maybe on our YouTube page also, they’ll throw up an image of the time I was on the Colbert Show in 2018. He was just such a, I mean, when you talk about that calming sense that the late night hoes have, I mean that was such an out of body experience in doing that for the first time, and talking to him made me feel the most comfortable.
Louis Virtel Yeah, there’s something very like somebody holding a whiskey and welcoming you into their study kind of vibe.
Ira Madison III And, you know, talk show hosts always do, they always do sort of a pre-interview, you know a thing where the producer feels, gets what you’re going to talk about. And then you meet with the host, like they stop into your dressing room, et cetera, and chat with you. And it’s just sort of like the vibe that he’s able to pick up on his guest immediately and then sort of use that during the interview where it’s like. He can sort of guide you to saying something funny or saying like something interesting or just shifting in the conversation. And so, I don’t know, that was one of my favorite moments that I’ve had in my life being on a show. Yeah, he’s the only one of those guys I haven’t met, I don’t think, now that you mention it. Yeah, and also he’s, aside from the strangers with KID, he is also a great performer. Yeah. Like stage performer too, and he can sing. So let’s get him back on Broadway.
Louis Virtel Yeah, and you know what? Maybe he’ll be hosting more award shows and stuff now, which I feel like is a good venue for him too.
Ira Madison III But until then… Wouldn’t want to be in her shoes right now. Yeah, no kidding. It’s just sort of like, it’s not exactly Streisand effect, but it is this thing where, okay, now you’re taunting Colbert. The show’s already going off the air. It’s like now it’s giving Kill Bill, which we’re going to talk about in another segment of this episode. But you know, it the Kill Bill thing of revenge is a forest. I always think about that quote from that movie. It’s sort of like. That’s why people always say, revenge is a dish best served cold, you know? It’s like, someone’s going to get you when they need to get, you you know, and it’s also like when you cut off sort of like his livelihood, you end the show, you end this job for all these people who are working for him. There’s nothing left to lose. He’s going come at you with everything he has now, Trump. Yeah, right. Like, so good luck, and also now you pissed off every other late night host too. Especially at the time where you do not want people talking about these fucking Epstein files, okay?
Louis Virtel Okay, which it still feels like maybe we’ll get those every any other day now who knows so it’s like it’s a very good time
Ira Madison III Me-meanwhile, Pam Bondi is like, You want the tea on MLK?
Louis Virtel Yes, more secrets about MLK, it’s so funny that those files are out now.
Ira Madison III Here’s what he was really doing in that hotel room. And what channels he was watching.
Louis Virtel I just want to say that Lorraine Motel could be the name of a drag queen. It could be, anyway.
Ira Madison III Actually that could.
Louis Virtel Yeah.
Ira Madison III It’d be one of Ru’s favorite drag queens, by the way. She’d be like, I used to see Lorraine Motel in Vegas.
Louis Virtel She and Michelle don’t speak anymore, but yeah, right.
Ira Madison III It’s also giving, speaking of the Nicki and Sizzle fight from earlier, right? Just being like, MLK, Bernice, don’t make me say what I want to say about your daddy.You know I got a lot of tea.
Louis Virtel Pam Bondi stepping forward with tea, I’m sickened.
Ira Madison III Go back to your beach, Pam.
Louis Virtel Yeah, right, Bondi, right. Oh, in Australia, please, the furthest continent, yes. Yeah.
Ira Madison III I do want to say for the listeners when Crooked throws up the photo of me on the Colbert show. That was like the first year of Keep It. So just imagine I look like I do now. Okay. Okay, okay. I’ll do it. It’s very triggering, seeing photos of yourself from 2018. Anyway, when we are back, we have a returning Keep It guest and my final guest ever, because next week is just going to be a Ira Lewis variety show. We have the wickedly talented Billy Porter joining us when we’re back.
Louis Virtel [AD]
Ira Madison III This week’s guest is an Emmy winner, a Grammy winner, a Tony winner, and most importantly, a return guest to Keep It. You know him from Pose, Kinky Boots, and so much more. And now he’s starting as the MC in Cabaret on Broadway. Please welcome back to Keep it, Billy Porter.
Billy Porter Hellllooooo.
Louis Virtel That could be no one but Billy Porter. We should have just introduced you with that. Oh, Billy Porter’s here. I get it. Okay, now we have to begin this show by saying that years and years ago, you weren’t even allowed an audition for Cabaret, and now you are starring in it.
Billy Porter I wanted to audition and the answer was no. And I was told that’s not the story we’re telling. So I did some research and I found a book called Destined to Witness, Growing up Black in Nazi Germany. And I sent it to the entire creative team of that revival and signed we were there, we are always there. So, you know, we know a little bit about erasure. And look at all these years later, you know. My mom used to always say God’s delay is not denial. It’s time now. Now’s the time to be doing this piece.
Louis Virtel Now, my question about that is, is your approach to this character the same now as it would have been then? Just because there have been so many also famous productions of it since, so I’m wondering if even that would, you know, contribute to how you think of it.
Billy Porter I’m not sure, you know, I think I would always would have had to figure out the how, my backstory, the why. And with my version, you, know, both Sally and I flee the Jim Crow South to what we is flee to safety in Europe, only to then be… Faced with the concentration camps. So that’s the journey that I’m on in this particular, you know, production interpretation of the MC.
Ira Madison III Speaking about even just the conversation we’ve been having around you finally getting to do this role, I was remembering a few days ago, too, like from reading your book, that you discussed this even moment with Into the Woods, you know, we all famously know, you would want it to play the witch because you weren’t vocally right for the baker. You were like, let me do the witch and- No
Billy Porter You know all of the songs. Yes, we know the…
Ira Madison III Yes, we know the lore, yes, but so people have talked about that story, people have talked about Cabaret. I feel like you almost probably have an entire book you could put of just iconic roles that you were like, I know I’ve got this, but the producers weren’t on your side yet.
Billy Porter Well, you know, I have to yes, the short answer is yes. The longer answer is making sure that we speak on how far we’ve come and how things have changed. It’s very easy to lean into the negative, but I want to make sure that I’m speaking life into this conversation as well because it has changed. I am playing the part. You know what I mean? So like. Change has happened and will continue to happen. And I am honored and humbled to just be a part of that change.
Ira Madison III Mm-hmm. Are you still thinking about the witch though is she on your mind? Are you over that?
Billy Porter I’m done. That time has passed.
Louis Virtel But you do have sort of the vivaciousness that says you could play, I mean, really any part you wanted. So is there any part we would not think of you for? There, okay, finally. Mama Rose, honey!
Billy Porter Mama Rose, honey, I don’t know why they’re closing. I don’t know why are they closing. They should have just called me.
Louis Virtel Woof, you thought that was a powerful breakdown during that song, woof. I mean, I saw that in person. Also, I mean like that’s kind of, she kind of brought you energy in that moment, I have to say.
Billy Porter She was magnificent. I just got to see that a couple of weeks ago. It’s magnificent.
Louis Virtel Did you also see Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard?
Billy Porter Or I did, I saw those performances. Really wonderful work going on on Broadway these days. Wonderful work.
Ira Madison III Are there any other people who you feel like are also getting a beautiful chance now to tell stories that you feel, like, I’ve sort of been in the trenches with a lot of these people and I’m really excited for how Broadway has changed to allow people to perform.
Billy Porter Marisha Wallace, my co-star, is first and foremost in my mind, she was in a few Broadway shows, you know, in the ensemble. And, you know she’s clearly a star. And she left the country. And, I just keep saying, not since Liza. Not Synthlizer, y’all. I mean, she is just, she’s simply magical. She’s magic, really. I’m excited for the world, for America to be able to see her do this. It’s very special.
Louis Virtel Now, we’ve already mentioned that you’ve won a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy. Three Tonys. Yes, I don’t mean to put any pressure on you, but that of course means that only an Oscar is left before you get the E-Guy.
Billy Porter Oh my goodness, yes, oh my god, the Oscar, yes.
Louis Virtel Yes, it’s nice to have one you’re waiting for, you know. In your mind’s eye, if you’re predicting what that role would be, maybe it’s a biopic or something, do you know, can you see who it would be that you played?
Billy Porter I’m not talking to y’all, I’m pregnant.
Louis Virtel I thought you were gonna say little Richard right away. You know, that’s money in the bag. You know, it’s money
Billy Porter I’m not talking to y’all about this, I’mma let y’alls speculate and have conversations. I’m over here doing my work, I’m keeping my head up, and I’m doing my work, and whenever it’s time for Oscar, it will be time.
Louis Virtel I’m just saying, you put on that tutti frutti wig, I don’t know, I DON’T KNOW Uh huh.
Billy Porter I mean, you know, my look is a good reference point, so recently today, yesterday and today on television as I unveiled my new look.
Louis Virtel Oh, that’s in fact why I thought of it, like that was, it was quite in that regard, yeah, in that range of exactly, yes, yes.
Billy Porter My new wigs, honey, yes, she’s wearing wigs now.
Ira Madison III That’s also always been just a fun part of your personality when you’re ever doing a press tour, whenever you’re doing a red carpet, sort of where do you get, I guess, even your fashion ideas from? Do you work with a specific stylist? Are they all, or is it all Billy Porter original?
Billy Porter Yeah, well, no, no. I can’t do this by myself. It’s too, um, it’s too busy. Um, you know, I have a stylist right now. I’m working with Ty Hunter. Um and you know it’s a combination. You know, it depends on how much money they have to pay for glam. Whether I go into the archives of my own closet, which is what I’m doing right now. Or… If there’s a budget for, you know, a more traditional stylist. It’s also what I feel in that moment. The assignment is, the assignment is different. You know, every time that I really sort of try to pay attention to what is the assignment, you know, trying to ascertain what that is. And then I, you know pull ideas together from that.
Ira Madison III The Billy Porter archive now I’m thinking about that. Yeah, like I’m
Billy Porter pieces that you have. It’s not that extensive. But it’s extensive enough to pull some stuff out. I can pull some things out. But I have to.
Louis Virtel Does that does that mean like you will occasionally reuse a garment or repurpose something yeah?
Billy Porter Yeah, I have to. You know, what people don’t really understand is that this shit ain’t free. It’s not free. You know, sometimes you will be able to get loaned clothing. Sometimes not, but the person who’s doing all of that work, they get paid. Like it’s a very expensive part of our industry. It’s very expensive. And we as the artists have to contribute a lot of our own money into that.
Louis Virtel Speaking of just the lifestyle of what you do, whenever somebody is in a Broadway show, I cannot stop thinking about what their life is like. Every day is just preparation, or you get to the theater, you do your work, you come home and it just begins again the next day. Is that pattern at all calming for you, where you feel like you belong mentally, or is it like constant stress?
Billy Porter I’m not stressed at all. Really? I’ve been doing this since I was 11 years old. I’m, I’m not stressed at all, um, we are athletes. Um, and so yeah, when I’m doing eight shows a week, there is structure to the day, the workout, the sleep, making sure I’m getting sleep, um making sure, I am eating properly, making sure I am hydrated. You know, all of those things. Um, so that I could be at peak performance, you know, eight shows a week, two shows on Wednesday, two show on Saturday. It’s more than a notion. Everybody ain’t able and, um, you know, that’s why you see me sitting in my bed right now. Cause they had me up early this morning doing, uh, you know, doing the morning shows. And so I’m just getting a little bit of rest before I go in early and, you don’t get in the zone.
Louis Virtel I just want to also say about the look you’re wearing right now, these glasses with this black shirt. It’s like you’re visiting the actor’s studio or something. I really appreciate this sort of teaching the children look.
Billy Porter Well, you know… One must always teach the children.
Louis Virtel Please. Girl, they don’t know anything anymore, so if you could.
Ira Madison III It must be such a change to be stepping back into this rigorous schedule, or how did you feel moving from the director’s chair to this, because I know you just did this Bitter Earth in the UK, and then also, literally last, I believe it was last year, maybe it was two years ago, time has lost all sense of meaning, but I saw your production of The Life at City Center 2.
Billy Porter Well, the actor’s schedule is far more physically grueling.
Ira Madison III Mm-hmm.
Billy Porter You know, that’s the hardest part is the physical and the emotional as a result. You know this show is very emotional for me. It’s not as physical as something like Kinky Boots but it’s emotionally off the charts. So, you know, it’s really finding what one’s self-care. Ritual will be for maintenance, you know, because I have to maintain myself. So we’ll see. It wasn’t the greatest I didn’t have my maintenance wasn’t that great in London. So I have to fix it over here. My self-care maintenance routine.
Ira Madison III Do you feel like you put yourself, I guess, how do you throw yourself into a project when you’re in sort of the director’s chair versus how you do it when you are an actor?
Billy Porter It’s the same, you know, it’s really about showing up and excavating truth. Um, and so it’s the same intention. Um, you know, I just get to have a little bit more power when I’m directing. I’m in the power chair.
Louis Virtel I think of you as a perpetually inspired person, but I feel like someone like you must have go-tos when it comes to like movies or music or something where you can go to to get more inspiration if you need it. Is there a specific person or artist you find yourself going back to the most to listen to or watch?
Billy Porter Um, I go back to James Baldwin’s writings a lot.
Louis Virtel We never got a real Giovanni’s Room movie. What the hell happened, people?
Billy Porter There’s a play right now, though, that has just happened.
Ira Madison III Yes.
Billy Porter In Philly, outside of Philly.
Louis Virtel Mm-hmm.
Ira Madison III Mm-hmm.
Billy Porter So I go back to him. I go to listen to a lot of music, a lot of gospel music, real contemporary R&B, soul, old-school house. Like, I just. You know, those are the spaces. Music is really what calms me and focuses me. And, you know, so those are really the two, I would say.
Ira Madison III You seem like such a good embodiment of, I’m sure you’ve seen it, the Whitney Houston interview. She’s being asked, what do you listen to besides gospel? And she’s like, well, gospel is what I love, but I love to listen to it. I listen to singers. I very rarely listen to people who cannot sing.
Billy Porter Yeah, I’m gonna keep my mouth shut.
Louis Virtel The way, excuse me, the way Billy Porter just rolled his eyes and looked to the side and thought of somebody specific.
Billy Porter I’m just gonna keep my mouth shut!
Louis Virtel Now, we were just talking about the rigors of being a stage actor. Do you would all miss the schedule of filming a TV show, which I feel like is its own kind of enveloping?
Billy Porter We’re gonna stuck filming both exhausting yeah they both can be exhausting um and look at the rarefied air we breathe right look at i mean how many people get to say they get to do what they love for a living it’s hard and it’s a job and like nobody said life was very easy it’s It’s hard, and I’m getting right back in it today. Woo!
Ira Madison III Um, lastly, I kind of want to just ask too about, um, this isn’t coming out yet. Um, but is there excitement around, um. The hunger games project that you’re involved in. I just finished that book and it is so good. Yeah.
Billy Porter I know I gotta read it. I’m excited, I’m excited to be in my first franchise. I m excited to play Glenn Clifton’s husband. She’s one of my favorite actresses of all time.
Louis Virtel Oh, fuck yeah.
Billy Porter Um, it’s exciting! I’m thrilled! Um… I’m THRILLED!
Louis Virtel What’s your favorite Glenn Close movie?
Billy Porter Um, it’s a draw between fatal attraction and dangerous liaisons.
Louis Virtel Oh, you must be gay. Yes. Yeah. Good. I answer. Dangerous Liasons is it, motherfucker.
Billy Porter Dangerous liaisons the final scene where she’s taking the makeup off we’ve all stolen it
Louis Virtel Oh yeah, no, I mean like every drag queen on earth is like, let me be that. Yeah.
Billy Porter Viola Davis did it in how to get away with murder. And pose!
Louis Virtel Yes!
Billy Porter You know, and it’s just obscure enough for people to forget where it came from.
Louis Virtel Right. No, no, no. Also, just the, there’s no, the snippiest, sassiest fucking movie, with the sassest male performance ever, John Malkovich. Yeah. What?
Ira Madison III What a man. Okay, I know you were tired of us imagining things for you, but now I’m thinking about dangerous liaisons.
Billy Porter I mean… Mama Rose, dangerous, or Le Liaison Dangerous, which is what it’s called, which is what the original name.
Louis Virtel Like I said, I know you have that Marquis outfit somewhere, so… And the animals you were just talking about.
Billy Porter It’s in storage! At the right temperature
Ira Madison III They’re remaking Fatal Attraction now, too. They are. They did it as a TV show, right? Yeah, but they’re re-making the movie. I don’t know. Joel Estherhouse is writing the sequel. He wrote the original. But Sony is making a anti-woke version. No, you’re talking about basic instinct. Oh, basic instinct! You know what? I always get them confused. I know. Don’t do it again. The divas. The diva’s, you know.
Billy Porter They’re making it anti-woke? What do you mean anti-Woke? Anti-Wolfe basic.
Ira Madison III They want it to be, you know, as like, they want something that’s going to be a conversation starter the way the original one was, you know, but people are used to that now. So they got to get something to get the people talking.
Billy Porter Lord, just let me get laid and get paid, please.
Louis Virtel Might be the sequel, might be the title.
Billy Porter That’s all I’m interested in. Get laid, get paid.
Louis Virtel Billy, thank you so much for being here and being tremendous as always. I cannot wait to see this production too.
Billy Porter I want to plug my Black Mona Lisa beauty line, please go to BlackMonaLisa.com check that out. We just launched last week some amazing stuff and I have a new single with Big Freedia called Holy Shuffle. So check that out.
Louis Virtel Another former Keep It guest, yeah.
Billy Porter Yeah.
Ira Madison III Yeah. Okay. Uh, thank you again, Billy.
Billy Porter Thank you. Y’all have a good one.
Ira Madison III Thank you to Billy Porter for joining us. Cabaret is running on Broadway until October 19th at the KitKat Club. All right. When we’re back, it’s more keep it.
[AD]
Ira Madison III It is finally Leo season. And if there’s one thing I’m going to do before Louis sends me to that farm upstate. It’s celebrate some Leos. So, Louis and I are going to take turns listing our favorite films with the most Leo energy. But before we get into our picks, Lewis, what do you think a movie has to have to have Leo energy?
Louis Virtel Well, this is the one sign of the zodiac I believe in and it’s not just I am Leo. It’s because it has not just personality but objectionable traits. And I feel like a Leo energy movie is gonna have a lot of self absorption, some power wielding, a look at me vibe. And, but a look at me vibe that makes everybody else sort of liven up too. It’s not purely self, they infuse a room with energy even though they are deeply narcissistic. So my first choice is I think the greatest narcissistic movie of all time. Come up with by a narcissist and turned into an extravaganza of his own brilliance. Do you know what I’m about to say? Do I? All that jazz. Oh, yes, I mean, come on. 1979, perhaps the greatest year in film of all time. You got your Apocalypse Now, you got your Kramer versus Kramer, you got that. But all that jazz, the dance numbers alone, the wooziness of the fantasies of it, that you’re getting Bob Fosse like you’d never gotten him before, telling you what it’s like to be Bob Fossie and how fucking stressful and weird and. Hyper narcissistic that is a great performance by Anne Reinking, a great musical number by Anne Reinking too. The Paula Abdul cold-hearted video and therefore the Ariana Grande yes-ann video are both inspired by a dance sequence in All That Jazz and it’s just incredible choreography and an incredible viewmaster look inside this guy’s crazy soul. And he remains such a mystery and fantastic pop culture anomaly.
Ira Madison III Also shout out to Kate Hudson and Lea Michele during that scene from All That Jazz in Glee.
Louis Virtel You said shout out, can we make it a whisper?
Ira Madison III Hahaha Ummm…We want to talk about narcissism.
Louis Virtel Sure.
Ira Madison III Let’s talk about a film that every Leo K relate to going home, going back to their hometown.
Louis Virtel I was going to say this movie. I feel like I know exactly what you’re going to say.
Ira Madison III Young Adult?
Louis Virtel Young Adult is such a, that was also on my list, such a Leo movie.
Ira Madison III The end of the movie is also very, um, Leo, with, um… No, you’re good here.
Louis Virtel Yeah, is that Elizabeth Reeser in that scene? I forget the actress’s name. But, yes. I think it is. Yeah, Charlize Theron plays a young adult writer who writes this sort of worthless series of books. And she considers herself a big shot as it pertains to her hometown in Minnesota. She flies home and is sure she’s going to steal back her high school boyfriend. She plays a mixtape she made for her all the time by Teenage Fan Club. Patrick Wilson, she goes to see him and he is married happily. And he’s married to Elizabeth Rieser, it’s a different actress I’m talking about in that scene. Charlize Theron is a drunken mess, a horrible energy, grim energy, and just by the time you think she’s learned her lesson when she’s at home, that she’s not the hotshot she thinks she is, this woman tells her, oh, I’m such a fan of yours or whatever, I am thinking of coming to Minneapolis too, and she goes, no, you’re good here, and is a complete asshole to her, and then has learned nothing. Has learned nothing is like the ultimate Leo ending to a movie.
Ira Madison III What’s another movie for you?
Louis Virtel I, um, now this is a movie I’ve only seen one time, but I think we can all agree that it is definitive as it pertains to Leo energy. I’m talking about Jennifer Lopez’s This Is Me Now, which is a self-funded $20 million Bonanza and an album really where She talks about why she can’t find love, why she’s obsessed with love. There’s lots of tribute to old movies she’s just obsessed with like singing in the rain.
Ira Madison III She works out like a- HER MOONWALKER
Louis Virtel Yes, it is very much her moonwalker, and that is not an exaggeration. I can’t describe it any other way. It also has a zodiacal element to it where a bunch of celebrities play the signs of the zodiac. So it’s clearly meaningful to her.
Ira Madison III And she is a Leo, she’s an iconic Leo. She loves relationships with Leos too, like Ben Affleck. And most J-Lo movies fit into the Leo energy genre, just because she really brings all of herself into a role. Hustlers.
Louis Virtel Quite, yes, which is definitely her best performance. Hustlers is definitely best work. Yeah, enough, she like, come on, self-defense is not a crime.
Ira Madison III Ha ha ha!
Louis Virtel It’s just every scene in this movie is not logically like continuing your shock by wherever it goes, how bombastic it is. And yet for her, it’s just grounded reality. So like you’re seeing a level of kind of excitement about being herself, expressing yourself and a little bit of delusion. And I feel like that combination, that sandwich of material is very Leo.
Ira Madison III Well, I’m going to steal another one from Lewis, probably. Yes. Because if you’re going to talk about a performer who is a Leo, and so you’re going to see every good part of them, every bad part of that. I know exactly what it’s going to be. Truth or dare. What it’s gonna be.
Louis Virtel That was my number one Leo movie of all time. I always say that the Immaculate Collection is like the, if you’re just beginning to be a Bonata fan, Immaculate Collection is the first thing you’re gonna buy. The second most important thing Madonna ever did is Truth or Dare. Because there is no movie like that before or since. It came right as like things like the real world are beginning. So it’s this new kind of doc you take on people where you’re seeing like. The rad parts of their personality, the disgusting parts of the personality, but in addition to amazing concert footage, her personality is so incredible in the movie. The way she’ll just bark at the person doing her makeup like, I’m talking right now, do my eyelashes, is so, like, she’s so unguarded in a way and so happily, riskily, putting herself out there to be judged and being like, I don’t care, like the people like me more when I’m mean, you know?
Ira Madison III Iconic film, must-see film, especially if you are just a fan of pop music in general. I feel like a lot of people probably still haven’t seen Truth or Dare, and if you haven’t listen to it after all the time we’ve talked about it on this podcast. Yeah, right.
Louis Virtel What are you even doing? I mean, there’s lots of celebrity cameos too. Warren Beatty has a famous moment. He’s dating her at the time, where Madonna’s like getting her teeth inspected by somebody in the hotel room. And he’s like, this is a circus people walk into. He’s looking at all the cameras everywhere. And he was like, you don’t want to live off camera. And that was the beginning of the world we live in, basically. Warren Beaty noticed it. Why would you do something if it weren’t on camera? He jokingly says. And it turns out the world doesn’t have an answer for him because now we’re all on Instagram Live 24 seven. Baby, nothing matters.
Ira Madison III Unless the camera’s rolling. Yeah. You’re Paul. Ding ding. Leo’s are lions, and I think I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the original, not the live action remake, even though it does have a Beyoncé soundtrack attached to it. We got to say The Lion King.
Louis Virtel Oh, okay. I mean, also, Jeremy Iron’s snarling is just the gayness I want in my life.
Ira Madison III There are so, each person is a different personality of Leo, you know? The Scar is just, you watch The Lion King for Scar, okay? You are watching Simba, obviously, ascend to becoming the Lion King after he’s, you now, chased out of the kingdom by Scar’s hyenas and then presumed to be dead, etc. But you watch this movie for Scar. Yeah. Be Prepared was a highlight for me as a kid.
Louis Virtel Also, can I just say Scar is just the most beautiful color. That like orangey, you know, like Simba’s a bit too taupe for me. Like, I’m just not vibing with that sexually. Whereas like- Looks like Pepper Anne. Yeah, with Scar, yes, yes. But Scar brings is so much richer, deeper. Okay, well- Everybody in the studio is like upset.
Ira Madison III Well, you went there. So, can I talk about the hottest animated lion?
Louis Virtel Oh, let’s go.
Ira Madison III The D.A.R.E Lion.
Louis Virtel Dare lion?
Ira Madison III Please look up the lion.
Louis Virtel Like, DARE to keep kids off drugs?
Ira Madison III Yes, that mascot. He was hot as hell.
Louis Virtel There’s, I mean, is he like Tony the Tiger level?
Ira Madison III Oh, baby, Tony’s got nothing on him.
Louis Virtel Oh, cause Tony puts on a bandana and honey he’s ready to eat.
Ira Madison III Tony’s a faggot, you know what I’m saying? Tony’s is a f- Tony’s fagot, this is a man. Oh, okay. Okay? The dare lion is trade.
Louis Virtel Oh my god, it’s being shown to me. It’s so shocking. First of all, he just wears a tee and then like his junk is out.
Ira Madison III Yes.
Louis Virtel He’s giving you Donald Duck. With that huge mane.
Ira Madison III Yeah you know what I’m gonna throw out a movie for the for the cinema bros.
Louis Virtel Oh sure thanks. I’m right here.
Ira Madison III Barry Lyndon.
Louis Virtel Oh, please. There are several scenes. The problem with Barry Lyndon is, you need to see it in a theater. I can’t recommend people go and just like watch it at home. It’s an epic Stanley Kubrick movie. Definitely the best work that Ryan O’Neill ever did. Yes, you will be on your home. It’s because it’s three.
Ira Madison III It’s three hours, you like, you need to find a…
Louis Virtel It’s enveloping to watch. It’s developing to watch, yes. I am going to say one of the great Leo movies of all time, because I think one of main Leo things you can do is take the city of New York by storm. I’m going to stay Working Girl, starring Leo Melanie Griffith. Also, just everybody in that movie is as hot and powerful as they ever were and hilarious. One of the funniest fucking lines in that move is, hot as fuck, sorry to go there, Alec Baldwin, who is dating Tess McGill, played by Melanie Griffith, in the movie, and she’s dressed up to go to work, and he goes, why are you so dressed up, you have to go the traffic court or something? So funny, everybody’s hilarious in that movie. And of course, the greatest Leo dialog of all time, Sigourney Weaver as Catherine Parker, Oscar nominated, saying, I am after all me. Let’s go.
Ira Madison III Also, what’s the other quote, the, I’ve got a mind for business. And a bod for sin.
Louis Virtel And a bod for sin. Yes, that’s right.
Ira Madison III Come on.
Louis Virtel Right off that lip there and then she went right to coke rehab.
Ira Madison III So if you want to also discuss a film made by a Leo, Brady Corbett.
Louis Virtel He’s a Leo?
Ira Madison III He’s Leo, he’s a leo. Which makes all the sense in the world when you think about, do you know what movie I’m about to say?
Louis Virtel Vox Lux.
Ira Madison III Yes, Vox. WHA-
Louis Virtel If you said the Brutalist, that would have been a pretty amazing answer, but… Vox Lux is a very puzzling movie. It’s about a girl who survives a school shooting, which is, by the way, realized on film very realistically. It is a shocking opening scene. But she, at a tribute concert to those lost in this shooting, she performs a song and becomes a pop sensation. And then you flash forward to like 20 years later in her life, or even further than that, 30 years or something. She’s still a pop star, but she’s washed up and like a mess, and that’s it. There’s no takeaway other than this person became famous and then sort of rotted out.
Ira Madison III Yeah, I’m a big fan of the school shooting changed this person genre, or just a shooting in general changed this person genre. I’m thinking of break of noon starring David Duchovny. It’s a play, but it is a play from, oh my God, why am I blanking? It’s play from Neil LeBue.
Louis Virtel Oh, of course.
Ira Madison III So…
Louis Virtel There’s a really terrible movie in the 90s called SFW which stands for So Fucking What about a similar situation
Ira Madison III Yeah, um, VoxLux.
Louis Virtel With songs written by Sia.
Ira Madison III YEAH!
Louis Virtel Sia used to give it to the girls. That’s true. Also, that’s the movie where the girl who becomes the sensation looks exactly like Rooney Mara. And then you realize Natalie Portman, who stars in this movie, it was originally supposed to be Rooney Mara who dropped out. Like she was supposed to do the younger and older version of this character, which makes sense because she looks like her and not so much like Natalie Portman, but I guess she was a last minute replacement. Okay, that would have been interesting seeing Rooney in it. Yeah, I love her. She’s one of my favorite actresses. I thought she was the best part of Women Talking, a movie where the women talked.
Ira Madison III That’s right, and it’s arguably all they did. And the talk actually wasn’t cheap, it was what it was. I have one more Leo film. This is from an actress who is a Leo, Vivica A. Fox, and a film that I am always referencing the title of, because I think it’s so fun to say. Two could play that guy. One of the great…
Louis Virtel Did Aesop come up with that? I don’t know. But it’s like, it belongs to the ages, wherever it is. By the way, you brought up Kill Bill earlier. My favorite scene in any of the Kill Bill movies is the Vivica A. Fox scene, where she plays Vernita Green and has the cereal box that’s a machine gun.
Ira Madison III Black Mamba? I should have been motherfucking Black Mambah. Yes. And when she’s talking, yes, when she was talking to her, and just like, blah, blah blah blah, yada, yada yada and then pulls out the suit, yeah. Very turn Tino in. Iconic, yeah, Kill Bill, obviously, is a movie that fits into that. And also, I want to use this moment to shout out Film Forum. Which is doing a series starting in August, smack in the middle of Leo season. They’re doing a serious called Women in Action. Starting Friday, August 15th. Let me tell you the films in these series because these are all playing at Film Forum. Irma Vett.
Louis Virtel Oh my god, Maggie Chung. Gloria. Oh, as in Jenna Rollins? Yes. That’s a good time.
Ira Madison III Lady Snowblood, Alien, Aliens, Johnny Guitar. Oh, you, Joan Crawford in that.
Louis Virtel We laughing, we laughing.
Ira Madison III The Furies, 40 Guns, A Touch Is In, Gun Crazy, Ghost in the Shell, Cleopatra Jones, Blue Steel, Terminator 2, Judgment Day, Bloody Mama, Mad Max, Fury Road, Bonnie and Clyde, Kill Bill, both volumes, and La Femme Nikita, Set It Off, Coffee, Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown. These are movies. And they’re all going to be playing at FilmForum, so. Literally go and see all of them in theaters if you have not seen some of these films in theaters before
Louis Virtel Every time I put on a tank top, I’m trying to achieve the grandeur of Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2.
Ira Madison III Every. Time. I’m so excited to see Johnny Guitar in theater.
Louis Virtel Oh, yeah, another movie you should just see in it Joan Crawford should be 45 feet tall at all times. You should not be
Ira Madison III her at human size. And I’ve never seen Irma Vett before. I like the Alicia Vikander show. I saw that, yeah, but I haven’t seen the film and I haven’t seen Gloria.
Louis Virtel Well, you know, famously, I saw that at the New Beverly, and the next day, Cher tweeted that she saw a screening of it, but she saw the one after me. Bitch, what? We should have tangled there.
Ira Madison III That is just like, speaking of our Leos, you remember the Jellicle ball. Yes. The cat’s revival. The ballroom version of cats, which is coming back. So when it comes back, everybody needs to go and see that. I went to see the matinee show on a Wednesday. The person who saw the evening show seated right next to where I’d been sitting. You didn’t hustle enough to get next to the hustler and I blame you. Yeah, it was my fault for being like, let me go see a show in the afternoon. Ugh, idiot.
Louis Virtel Those are some pretty good movies to watch. Yes. I agree, altogether, every single one of them. We will be right back after this with our favorite segment of the episode. It’ll be Keep It.
Ira Madison III And we’re back for our favorite segment of the episode, Louis.
Louis Virtel My Keep It unfortunately goes to a show I continue to watch, RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars, but not because, and I’m spoiling it right now, so if you’re intending on watching the finale, cut it off right now. Ginger Minj was crowned the winner this season, which I have no problem with theoretically, because I think she’s talented and I like the old school kind of brassy broad vibes she brings.
Ira Madison III Her roses turn interpolation was very fun. Like I’d love to see her following Jinx’s footsteps on Broadway.
Louis Virtel Yes, precisely. And yeah, I just like the general kind of, there’s no way to put it, old school vibe she brings. I find that there’s a level of hatred for Ginger online that feels way too outsized. I’m okay with she’s just not my thing, or this queen’s more talented, or whatever you wanna say, but it just feels a little, I don’t know, nasty, and that kind of old school Anne Hathaway is having too much fun out there sort of rancor that is driven, but here’s the thing. My keep it is for the fact that she won this, because if you’re gonna have a lip sync tournament decide the final episode, then the girl who wins better actually win the lip syncs. I did not think she won any of the three lip synchs that got her the crown.
Ira Madison III Yeah, it was a little Shady Boots.
Louis Virtel Yeah, it felt, and also it’s like, I just don’t like when people say, oh, Ru wants this person to win, so they’re gonna make it happen. It’s like I think Ru goes with whatever makes the most sense, generally speaking. You know, like I don’t think it’s conspiratorial most of the time, until now, where I’m watching these lip syncs where she, stylistically she’s bringing no, she brought no interesting new gimmicks, she brought kind of moves we hadn’t seen before, it was a lot of the cross eyes we’d seen her do 10,000 times. When the lyrics reference somebody else, she points to the other person, like they’re that person in the lyrics. Just, we had seen these tricks before. And so- George just ate her up. Yeah, I agree. But also George is just built for a lip sync, right? Like that’s exactly the showmanship she brings.
Ira Madison III And I thought that Georgia stepped out of the box and was very funny too. I mean, that solo performance of Muggy. Yeah. Fantastic. Very funny. Yeah. These turkeys make me quite a vogue too.
Louis Virtel Also, Ginger picked the song, Raise Your Glass by Pink 2, Lip Sync 2. I think that might be the world’s worst music. That’s the worst song from- Dirty little freaks. Just pink at her most. The angst she brings, and this is my favorite reference, is Burger King Kid Club. The kids standing together in their baggy clothes like this with some fries over here.
Ira Madison III God, I miss the Burger King kids.
Louis Virtel Oh, yeah. Get out. Kid vid, wheels, which was the name of the person in the wheelchair. Boomer. Boomer, was that the tall black kid?
Ira Madison III No, the lesbian with the cross stick.
Louis Virtel Field hockey, sorry. Yes, right. Yeah. They really had everybody up at the Burger King, my God.
Ira Madison III This was early DEI. Jaws, Lingo, who you can’t tell me isn’t the heart from Captain Planet Kid.
Louis Virtel Oh, yes, who is that? Not Kwame. Yeah. Not Linka, anyway, I’ll get back to that. I wanna say that the entire Burger King Kids Club, if you’re looking at the picture I’m thinking you’re are looking up, they actually all look like lesbians.
Ira Madison III Yeah, even wheels looks dyke-y. Yeah, right. Jaws is giving stud, come on, they’re all lesbians. They all are lesbian, yeah. Ginger Mitch looks a little like IQ. Yeah. This should be a dry race challenge. You know what Burger King has, again, by the way? They brought the French toast sticks back.
Louis Virtel Oh, they know where their french toast sticks are buttered.
Ira Madison III Baby, that, it gets your jush, okay? If you haven’t had the fresh toast sticks in a minute, get them, I got them after I recovered from my two-week sickness. It was like, oh, I can eat food again.
Louis Virtel Oh, that’s exciting. All right, you know, literally I drive past one every day on my way to work, so that might just happen for me.
Ira Madison III Eat at Burger King instead of In-N-Out, by the way, because that’s not going to be my official keep it, but that CEO of In and Out is moving. She’s leaving California for Tennessee, obviously for some tax breaks and shit or whatever. It’s obvious she just doesn’t want to be around the diversity of California. You know, so stop going to In-N-Out Burger.
Louis Virtel It is just weird when they have Biblical quotes on things you’re eating out of. Why? Stop it. Put Viola Davis quotes on.
Ira Madison III Of my food, okay? Why is there a dead man’s penis on your phone? Put Angela Bassett’s quote about her diet on my food. Oh, yeah. What’s the bread she eats? Ezekiel bread. Okay, so my keep it this week goes to this new Netflix reality show that I’ve been watching called Building the Band. Oh, people are obsessed with this, I think. I am actually obsessed with it. It’s exciting because I think we’ve long talked on the show about how to get that magic back that American Idol had where you sort of really cared about the contestants and it felt like you were watching something new and exciting and you were seeing them Discover. Their voices and the music industry and et cetera. I think this show actually does a really good job of capturing that. So the concept is, it’s like a making the band show meets Love is Blind. Okay. All of the contestants are in these like boxes, like Love is blind or like the circle, right? They’re in these cubicles and they each go up one by one to perform a song. The other people listening, then all of the voice like, could tap if they like that person’s voice. And you have to get over three likes to be able to stay in the competition. Got it. And then what happens is, if you’ve liked someone, you’ve created a connection with them where you can then chat with them through your cubicles. Still can’t see each other yet. Got it. And you have to chat and just like figure out if you vibe or whatever, and then you essentially form a band. Bands have to be three, they have to at least three people, no more than six. And only six bands can form. And then the bands are, they all select each other, and you know, once a band is formed, you get a message that says, this band is for, didn’t you see the photos of them? And you’re like, fuck, I missed out, you know or whatever. And then they go into the phase where they sing for the judges. And then, they just sang in front of a mini showcase, in front a audience. And now, Wednesday’s episodes are showing the finale of the performing in front big audience. It’s just fun seeing some of these kids bond with one another, create the bands themselves, et cetera. You feel a little bit more invested. And because you couldn’t see people’s faces or whatever, there’s some very weird, just sort of like, looking bands. There’s this one band called Season Four, which is four people who are could not be completely different from each other. You know, there’s this white girl who’s bigger. There is this guy Cameron, he’s black, he sort of like a twink, has like a beautiful voice. But when he was singing, a lot of the girls thought it was a woman singing, so they hit him. They were like, oh, sorry, I was looking for a girl for my girl group I want to form, you know? You get to hear people talk about what kind of groups they want to forms. Someone’s like, I want a Michelle and Kelly, because I’m the Beyonce. It’s just really interesting seeing these people interact with each other.
Louis Virtel Is this the show where also, like, Nicole Scherzinger is a guest judge? Yes, so Nicole Schersinger is Liam Payne. Yes. So, like they shot this a while ago.
Ira Madison III Yes, Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland, and AJ McLean is the host. What I have to say is, keep it to these two terrorists on the show. One is Alison, who is giving very much Mean Girl vibes. And I love it for the show, but she was sort of the person who is between two groups. A lot of people wanted her, and she’s just sort of like, I’m going to have my pick. But wait till the last minute for the drama. There’s also this girl, Nori, who sort of really can’t sing. She’s sort of speak singing, very nasally, but she seems sweet throughout the competition. The people I really need to say keep it to is this group called Midnight Till Morning, which is this groups of four white guys who keep insisting that they are so different and they hate this other. Boy group, which is called Solidified, which is these two white guys with curly blonde hair and then these two black guys, they sound great. They’re actually giving, Solidified sounds great. They’re giving you like old school, like Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, like vocals down. And their like makeup of the band, it’s just like really interesting to watch. I’ve really been enjoying them and the judges love them. But Midnight Till Morning is sort of pressed about this because they’re like. Clearly like we don’t want to be like a dancing boy band. They think of themselves as more like one direction or like they have, they all play guitar. So they think they’re very much- Yeah, singer songwriters, artists. Yeah, they’re singer song writers, artists, right? They’re like, we’re not really doing movement or whatever, but they’re just so very high on their own supply of who they are as a band. Yeah, being like, we’re so different. It’s like, you all look the same. Okay, I have to watch this. They’re all bits and boons. They’re are all bits and booms, basically. And there’s also the terrorist girl, Alison, has a little maybe flirtation with one of the tattooed guys from that Midnight Till Morning group. And there’s a little drama where he’s like, more interested in hanging out with this woman and finding the love of his life than being in his band. So unfortunately, like the show’s good. And my last thing I’ll say about Liam Payne is it actually made me really sad watching it because he, and I talked about this when he passed just about how he was writing and producing a lot of their songs, and a lot people didn’t really know how talented Liam Payne was as a producer and songwriter. He gives the best advice on this show, and he’s so locked in with the groups, and it’s just sad knowing that this isn’t gonna become a moment for him to, you know, go into like the next phase of his career. Yeah, because he-
Louis Virtel Yeah, because he, I mean, like, among the One Direction people, he never really became a breakout personality in any way either. So the fact that this feels like it could have been that kind of moment for him is like shocking. Like, who knew that was even possible?
Ira Madison III Yeah, Kelly’s so good on the show, obviously. Kelly Rowland is that, like, she’s that bitch. She’s Kelly Rowlan. But Liam Payne was a big shocker just how great he is. And Nicole Scherzinger, I love her. I’m excited for this next era. Kuki! Excuse me.
Louis Virtel Hot Ones? Excuse me. That Hot One’s interview, where she says, that’s where you want them, Sean. You want to have, you want their heart, their stomach, their balls, their jaw.
Ira Madison III She is kookaroo. My favorite thing that any actor does is when they play a certain role and then basically just shifted to I am that person for the rest of my life. She is Norma Desmond now.
Louis Virtel No, it’s like when Cate Blanchett did Streetcar Named Desire. It’s like for about six years, she was Blanche Dubois. So yeah. Austin Butler even. Yes, Austin Butler.
Ira Madison III Like he still has a bit of that Elvis to him, that gravitas. Yeah, that snarl. When I look up how old Nicole Scherzinger is, I’m not going to say a lady’s age, but she was much older than I expected, which makes sense because she was in the Pussycat Dolls when we were younger. But yeah, but I don’t know. I’m just so excited for this next phase of her career. She’s a fucking Tony winner now.
Louis Virtel Yeah, right. No, like the world is her oyster and I actually don’t know what she’s going to do. Like if she’s gonna, she’s got to voice another solo album on us or whatever, which by the way could be good. Don’t hold your breath. Great song.
Ira Madison III The funniest part of the show, by the way, that was her giving advice to the groups about working in like a girl group and being like, you know, the members of my group made me better. You know, you’re like, you’re forming like a sisterhood. I’m like, girl, we were there. You hated them bitches.
Louis Virtel And also, they still hate you. Karma is in the comments on Audra McDonald’s gypsy being like, there’s my queen, you should have won the Tony.
Ira Madison III Do you understand what I’m saying?
Louis Virtel The woman is so funny. Okay, anyway. That’s our show.
Ira Madison III A star.
Louis Virtel Yes.
Ira Madison III Yes. Thank you to Billy Porter for joining us this week, and next week is just me and Louis, baby. And your questions, remember to share your favorite Keep It moments. That includes the Keep It segment or just moments from the show involving us. You can comment on Spotify in our episode comments, you can comment… At Keep It Show on the Instagram page, also in our YouTube comments, duh. So go to YouTube, comment there, your favorite Keep It moments and ask us any question. We’re just gonna have a really fun episode.
Louis Virtel Yes, whatever format, you can just text or tweet at us, whatever too, I’ll forward them along, et cetera. But anyway, it’s Ira’s last show and I am not emotionally prepared, so we’ll see how it goes and we will see you then.
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…
Louis Virtel Keep It is a Crooked Media Production. Our producer is Bill McGrath. Our associate producer is Kennedy Hill. And our executive producers are Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel, and Kendra James.
Ira Madison III Our digital team is Delon Villanueva, Claudia Sheng, and Rachel Gajewski. This episode was recorded and mixed by Jarek Centeno. Thank you to David Toles, Kyle Seglin, and Charlotte Landes for production support.
Louis Virtel Our head of production is Matt DeGroot, and our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.
Ira Madison III And as always, keep it as filmed in front of a live studio audience.
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