It’s the week of the OSCARS! We’ve been doing this for a while, so we didn’t expect to be quite this excited, but between the honest-to-goodness race, the who-knows-what’s-gonna-happen, and Lainey’s new friend who might go with us to LA (check out her Instagram to be introduced), it promises to be a banner year …

But since this weekend is about Everything Oscar, Hollywood’s other business is happening earlier in the week. First off, we’re talking about Brie Larson and her plans for the Captain Marvel promotional tour. In a recent Marie Claire UK article, Brie talked to writer Keah Brown, who created the hashtag #disabledandcute, about why she wanted the interviewers to look different this time around, and how she’s gonna make it happen… so we break down the bones of a movie junket: what they are, how they work, and how Brie’s insistence on diverse writers and critics of all kinds might make it look different. 

Then – is it a first for the Oscars to be referred to as a ‘scramble’?  Especially nine days before the show? We’re going on the record as saying it definitely is, but that’s not a bad thing – especially since we’re dealing with lead producer and clear badass Donna Gigliotti (hit us up with your opinions on which of us pronounced that name correctly).  

Donna’s been hit with a lot of expectations for this year’s show, there have been a lot of changes proposed… and promptly reversed and rejected. We talk through why this might have happened, and what you do when your client or boss wants all the things, in none of the ways. Oh and also, we have a debate about what the Oscar Stage looks like in the NYT’s image… what do you think of when you see this?

Finally, while we’ve been focused on Bradley Cooper’s Pouty Pants tour, A Star Is Born may have given rise to Lainey’s newest pet Melissa Villaseñor’s Lady Gaga impression could be bolting her into the spotlight, but as our research (read: Google hole) turns up, there’s no such thing as an overnight success; this is a result of serious and longtime work – Villaseñor has been preparing for this moment for years. Plus, we talk about how Saturday Night Live is unique in entertainment for being a kind of elementary school where performers ‘grow up’ and grow into their various characters, or get all-around training. We debate the merits of ‘doing the most’ in the shadow of a more obvious star, and delight in the oral history of how one of the show’s ‘quietest’ characters came into their own. 

Plus, a programming note - next week’s episode is a special edition we’ve been waiting to share with you. We are beyond excited about it and can’t wait to hear what you think! 

Thank you SO much for listening, and for your notes and show suggestions – please rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and this Oscar weekend, we can’t wait to hear from you! Find us on Twitter, @laineygossip and @duanaelise (and of course we’ll be joined by @kathleennb) and in the wee hours of Oscar night, you know it’s going to be all about the Instagram stories! Until then, Show Your Work!