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I’m a big fan of all things TCM. Recently I was fortunate to participate in the TCM Film Festival. Aside from the TCM programming, I’m also a fan of the TCM Podcast “The Plot Thickens” that’s hosted by Ben Mankiewicz.
The second season of “The Plot Thickens” releases on June 29th and I had an opportunity to participate in the press roundtable event with Ben Mankiewicz and author Julie Salamon. This season is titled “The Devil’s Candy” and will focus on Julie’s book of the same title that depicts the making of Brian De Palma’s 1990’s The Bonfire of the Vanities film.
Ben and Julie talk about what to expect from this season of the podcast. Why the film was such a disaster? Julie recalls her experiences behind-the-scenes of the making of the film. She also addresses her friendship with De Palma and how it was affected by her book.
REAL TALK:
This was a really cool and interesting roundtable. As I mentioned to Ben and Julie, I had little knowledge of the film and never even seen it. I learned a lot about it through this roundtable and I’m very excited to see it now. I already picked up Julie’s book “The Devil’s Candy” from my local library and started reading it immediately. Fascinating stuff.
It’s hard to imagine any author or journalist having the unlimited and incredibly rare access that Julie had to the making of the film. The odds of the film turning to such a disaster while she was documenting it is unparalleled also. I’d imagine that be most reporters dream scenario to have the firsthand experience and access.
The journalists asked great questions and seemed like they were genuinely informed and curious about this podcast and film, as well as Julie’s book. It’s good to be part of a knowledgeable group like that. I already had a chance to listen to the first two episodes of the podcast and they are phenomenal, can’t wait to hear the entire season!
Nobody asked me this, but how can you not go with Scarface as the greatest De Palma film? It didn’t make Ben’s top list of De Palma movies which surprised me. Although Ben is a much better film source than I am, so I’d check out the movies in his and Julie’s list.
THE PLOT THICKENS, SEASON 2: THE DEVIL’S CANDY releases the first episode on June 29th on Apple Podcasts
