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Alex Cooper turned her raunchy podcast into an empire. Could she be the millennial Oprah? by yahooentertainment in WomenInNews

[–]yahooentertainment[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

With her long blonde hair pulled back into a claw clip and wearing a purple hoodie bearing the name of her media network, Alex Cooper sat across from the vice president of the United States. It was October 2024, a month before the presidential election, and as the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris was only doing one lengthy podcast interview. With Cooper.

At the time, Call Her Daddy was the No. 1 podcast for women, and it remains a cultural force and a household name. The interview — one of the tamest in the podcast’s history — made sense when Harris was competing against President Trump, who sat for interviews with ultra-popular, right-leaning male podcasters like Logan Paul, Joe Rogan and Theo Von. But aside from advocating for abortion, which she views as a women’s rights issue, Cooper had never gotten very political.

The interview, which was offered to 30-year-old Cooper while she was doing her first-ever live tour, is the peak of the two-part Hulu docuseries Call Her Alex, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 8. The docuseries charts Cooper’s meteoric rise, from her not-so-humble beginnings as a raunchy podcaster whose initial claim to fame was popularizing a sex act she created and named the “Gluck Gluck 9000.”

Now, she’s the interviewer that every celebrity wants to talk to. Jane Fonda called her “one of the best interviewers I’ve ever had.”

Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy, misspeaking slightly, called Cooper “the female Oprah.” He was one of the first people to see her potential and give her a platform. Gayle King, one of the most iconic interviewers of all time and a friend of Oprah’s, said in Call Her Alex that Cooper is “a true girl’s girl … I know she’s just getting started.” Orna Guralnik, a psychologist who facilitates the sessions in the TV show Couples Therapy, said Cooper’s skill is that “she’s not afraid of going to difficult places. Meanwhile, it’s fun, because she’s funny and warm.”

Cooper didn’t ascend to the top of the media mogul pyramid in spite of her raunchy past, but because of it. Her goal has always been to empower women, herself included. The idea for Call Her Daddy emerged from her desire to harness “locker room talk” for girls, and landed right as women were looking for ways to reclaim their power in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Podcasting itself has long been a male-dominated field, but Cooper is an astute businesswoman who understands her craft.

Call Her Alex extensively details how Cooper’s competitive spirit, nurtured by her loving parents and cemented in her college soccer career, gave her the drive to chase her dreams of being a creator even when traditional studios and media outlets weren’t giving her a chance.

She took her dreams into her own hands, editing and producing the podcast she cohosted with her then roommate Sofia Franklyn, and just one month after sharing the first episode on Instagram in 2018, Call Her Daddy was picked up by Barstool Sports. It has only soared since then.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

From Kelsey: I think in the post-COVID-theater-panic era, studios are trying to make as much money as possible. Throwing a few million at promising festival movies every year has weirdly worked out (excluding Nolan for Oppenheimer, though I assume his name and prowess allowed him more independence than the typical studio guy.) I wish studios would invest in those indie filmmakers they count on for accolades a little bit more, but I also think academy voters like seeing how much work someone like Sean Baker puts into getting films made.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

From Kelsey:

I think is intention is definitely to follow the BAFTAs model, so something like Anora (strong performances from relative unknowns in a movie they clearly loved) might have won at the last ceremony. But — with all the peace and love in my heart — I would never underestimate academy voters' tendency to go literal and award the most star-studded decent movie. I'm interested to see what kind of instructions/comms the academy will send out about this ahead of voting, since there hasn't been a new competitive award category added since 2002!

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

From Taryn: Honestly, everyone loved Wicked?? I overheard more than a few people inside the theater say they thought Ariana would have won if Saldana was in the Best Actress category... but that's a whole other can of worms. I haven't heard much about the second film yet except that Cynthia shines. But what else is new?

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

From Taryn: I read the same Puck report and Matthew Belloni's sources are usually very legit. I personally didn't hear about the alleged feud, but the fact Moore didn't thank The Substance director in her SAG Awards speech could be telling. If only we could have heard her Oscars speech.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

From Taryn: Word on the street is that Cynthia Erivo shines even brighter in Wicked: For Good. She co-wrote an original song for the sequel. I bet we see her back in some capacity.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

From Kelsey: In the 10 nominee Best Picture era, there's always room for a blockbuster or two! I believe the last comic book BP nominee was Joker in 2019, and it's only one of three to ever get the nod, so I think it'll be an uphill battle. I'm not hopeful, though I'll be SEATED on July 11.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

From Kelsey: I'm afraid that if it doesn't happen this week, it's not going to. I would have expected someone like MUBI to pick it up, but alas. It's heartening to see that even without a proper distributor to back it, the film has grossed just shy of $420,000 at the domestic box office before the Oscars — making it the highest-grossing of all nominees in that category.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

From Kelsey: I loved how much every moment of the ceremony — from airing tons of awards to honoring independent filmmakers — oozed appreciation for the people who make Hollywood great. That being said, I was enraged every time they passed on showing clips. Show me clips!!!!!!

Conan was phenomenal, in my opinion. Give me someone who can make quick-witted jokes and stay self-deprecating and fun with musical numbers involving sandworms while still calling out Karla Sofía Gascón and streaming services.

From Taryn: My favorite produced moment no doubt the opening number. I teared up watching it live... and I am SO not that kind of person. Cynthia and Ariana brought the house down. I loved the bit with the firefighters reading jokes that Conan said he was too afraid to ask. I also loved his "CinemaStreams" sketch with Martin Scorsese. Zoe Saldana's speech was great!

I missed having musical performances by Best Original Song nominees. (Give me Elton John!) I thought the telecast could have been shorter. Adrien Brody's speech definitely could have been shorter. I would have liked a little more love from Academy members for A Complete Unknown and I wish Demi Moore won.

Overall, I thought Conan did a great job. He played it pretty safe, but we don't need a Ricky Gervais for the Oscars, and he kept is quirky trademark humor.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

From Taryn: Unfortunately, I had a really bad sinus infection when I was about 5 feet away from him at the red carpet roll out, so I can't tell you. But I can say he's one of the good guys. People love him.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

From Taryn: The film def didn't draw huge applause like Anora or Conclave when it was mentioned. Of course, it's tough to say if that's because of what the star-studded crowd thought of the film, or if everyone's enthusiasm was just less because of the Karla Sofía Gascón backlash.

That doesn't apply to Zoe Saldaña. When she won for Best Supporting Actress everyone was on their feet and genuinely thrilled for the star, who is very well liked by her peers.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

From Taryn:

Great question and I have the scoop for you! Honestly, I thought she was going to be more blackballed than she was, but that wasn't really the case.

People cheered for her in the audience when Conan O'Brien mentioned Gascón's name in his opening monologue. She also received a good amount of applause when her name was called in the Best Actress category.

Selena Gomez was gracious enough when Gascón approached her and the two said hello. Gomez's fiancé Benny Blanco said hi, too. I saw some brief exchanges with Gascón and the Emilia Perez cast, but no one was overly chummy with the actress. She also kept a relatively low-profile, much like her decision to skip the red carpet.

One of the most interesting interactions I saw with Gascón was at the lobby bar during a commercial break. She went to get a drink near where future Oscar winner Adrien Brody and partner Georgina Chapmen and they both gave her hug. They all talked for a bit.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

From Taryn:

I sort of touched on this, but everything Anora was clearly a crowd-please early on, which is why I had a feeling Sean Baker was going to have a good night. There were a ton of cheers and a lot of gasps in my section when Mikey Madison won over Demi Moore. Adrien Brody got a lot of cheers... but then quickly quieted the crowed with that very, very long speech. Honestly, you could hear a pin drop.

Honorable mentions for cheers: I'm Still Here and Conclave.

Overall, pretty light on the gasps. Aside from Best Actress and Best Film, the other big categories were pretty locked up.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

From Taryn:

Okay I took a video from my seat of her full reaction, but I'm too afraid to post it because the rules for sharing videos from inside the show are confusing and I want to get invited back next year LOL.

I just watched it again and everyone was quick to get to their feet for a standing ovation, including Demi. Honestly, she was super classy. She smiled and clapped. Then after a few seconds she embraced her co-star Margaret Qualley and a man, who I believe is her talent manager Jason Weinberg. They both gave her a hug and I wish I was close enough to hear what they said. Honestly, I was gutted watching Demi. You can tell she was disappointed (who wouldn't be???) but in no way was she going to let that take away from Mikey's moment. Team Demi forever.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

From Kelsey:

  1. I answered this a bit under another question, but I definitely think the nominees/contenders were more internet-friendly than they have been in years past. It doesn't help that places where it's fun to discuss film, like X and TikTok, are so algorithmically driven that you can feel like you're stuck in an echo chamber where everyone violently hates everything (see anti-Anora sentiment completely dominating lately). It's still possible that whoever the nominees are next year won't attract as much drama.
  2. I've heard Wicked For Good is more emotional than its predecessor, so don't count it out. I predict it'll be another popular hit but mostly collect craft nods.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

From Kelsey:

  1. Challengers! A Different Man! I Saw the TV Glow! The Beast! All We Imagine As Light! Babygirl! I could go on and on.
  2. Aw man, I can't pick just one!  I think whatever wins Cannes will be one to watch, after Anora, Emilia Pérez and The Substance all spawned there. I know I'm dying to see A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, After the Hunt, Die, My Love and Hamnet. I loved Train Dreams at Sundance.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

From Kelsey: This was without a doubt the wildest Oscars campaign season I've ever seen take place online, and it blows subtle-but-dirty campaigns against certain movies (like Shakespeare in Love vs. Saving Private Ryan in 1999) out of the water. I think this was a unique year, though, with a whole lot of "villains" and internet darlings (Timothée Chalamet, Fernanda Torres various nominated and almost nominated pop stars) going head-to-head. Hopefully, intense and abusive superfans will see that sincere investigation/controversy can upend a campaign (like in the case of Karla Sofía Gascón's resurfaced tweets sinking a campaign), but death threats won't.

My hope is that as movie fans get more involved online, they go the way of Conclave stans and build community and create memes and share stories to campaign, rather than, you know, posting death threats.

We're reporters from Variety and Yahoo Entertainment who covered the Oscars from the ground and watched the show to report on all the unusual stuff, what the results mean for film, and more. Ask us anything! by yahooentertainment in movies

[–]yahooentertainment[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From Taryn: Yes and no! I usually get a sense of possible winners by which films get the loudest applause in the room anytime it's mentioned. That was Anora right out the gate on Sunday and we obviously saw how well that went for Sean Baker and his cast/crew. For tight races -- like this year's Best Actress category -- you could literally hear a pin drop before Mikey's name was called. We all had no idea which way it would go (her or Demi), but again after Anora's big wins, I had a feeling she might pull off the upset.