The Press Box

The Ringer

The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis, David Shoemaker and Joel Anderson catch you up on the biggest media stories, from sports to politics and everything in between.

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1,299 episodes
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Jan 24, 2017 · 59 min
Ep. 241: ‘Bachelor Party’ With David Jacoby
The Ringer's Juliet Litman is joined by ESPN's David Jacoby for an emotional 'Right Reasons' reunion to discuss Corinne's valid argument (02:01), Danielle L.'s one-on-one date (20:45), rollerskating in a museum with Raven (26:58), and Kristina the Russian (39:33). Then they quickly delve into 'Mariah's World' (46:24) and 'Vanderpump Rules' (52:36).
Jan 20, 2017 · 57 min
Ep. 240: 'Achievement Oriented' on Dystopian Twitch and 'Hitman'
The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion bring on Ben 'Professor Broman' Bowman to talk about life as a full-time Twitch streamer and a forthcoming change to Twitch that threatens to erase the boundary between streaming and regular life (1:00). Then they talk to IO Interactive creative director Christian Elverdam about how the first season of 'Hitman' synthesized the best features of previous games in the series, used illusion to empower players, and benefited from being released episodic
Jan 19, 2017 · 38 min
Ep. 239: Interview With ‘20th Century Women’ Director Mike Mills
Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with the artist and director Mike Mills, who opens up about his latest film, ‘20th Century Women,’ and what it's like directing a movie largely inspired by his mother (1:37), his decision to set the movie in the ’70s (14:25), and choosing the best songs from his childhood to score the film (31:42).
Jan 19, 2017 · 47 min
Ep. 238: 'The Masked Man Show' on the Road to WrestleMania featuring Dan St. Germain
The Ringer's David Shoemaker and Bleacher Report's Dave Schilling discuss the passing of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (02:51) and the United Kingdom Championship Tournament (07:30). Then, "Hollywood" Dan St. Germain calls into the show to discuss his dream 'WrestleMania' lineup (13:31). Lastly, they break down how 'Raw' is setting up the 'Royal Rumble' (30:26).
Jan 19, 2017 · 37 min
Ep. 237: 'Jam Session' With Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins
The Ringer's Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss new celeb power couples (5:00), Drake and J.Lo dating (10:00), the state of Drake's relationships (17:00), Rooney Mara's serious opinions (22:00), Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons (25:00), Serena's engagement (28:00), Ryan Gosling's style (34:00), and Tom Hiddleston's tone-deaf speech (37:00).
Jan 18, 2017 · 54 min
Ep. 236: ‘Bachelor Party’ with Ben Higgins
The Ringer’s Juliet Litman is joined by former Bachelor Ben Higgins to discuss returning to his job after being on TV (0:01), how Nick is handling being the current Bachelor (3:00), the biggest overreactions on the show so far (5:15), things Ben would have never done on the show (16:25), Corinne’s questionable decision-making (29:13), and hot takes on hot tubs (48:45).
Jan 13, 2017 · 59 min
Ep. 235: ‘Achievement Oriented’ on Test-Driving the Switch and Exploring the Sandbox
The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion share their hands-on impressions of the Nintendo Switch and 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' and discuss some big questions surrounding the forthcoming console. Then they bring on the creator of the YouTube channel 'How Big Is the Map?' to explain his incredible, quixotic quest to traverse the map of every open-world game.
Jan 13, 2017 · 41 min
Ep. 234: Interview With 'Hidden Figures' Director Ted Melfi
The Ringer's Sean Fennessey sits down with Ted Melfi to discuss the success of his latest film, 'Hidden Figures' (1:10), and how it came about (3:19), as well as the difficulties of making an entertaining movie about math (8:00). Melfi also shares what it's like working with Taraji P. Henson (18:27) and Kevin Costner (21:15), getting Pharrell to score his movie (29:20), and how he feels about the 'Hidden Fences' mishap (38:45).
Jan 12, 2017 · 56 min
Ep. 233: 'The Masked Man Show' on the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels
The Ringer's David Shoemaker welcomes Bleacher Report's Dave Schilling to discuss Peter Thiel's Trump-Hogan quote (01:30), the return of the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels on 'Raw' (06:01), Chris Jericho defeating Roman Reigns (17:04), the golden age of Monday-night main events (21:38), the Bullet Club (30:11), and their "SmackDown Stock Watch" (41:14).
Jan 11, 2017 · 59 min
Ep. 232: The Sports Movie Hall of Fame: 'Any Given Sunday'
In their third SMHOF episode, The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan induct ‘Any Given Sunday’ and break down Oliver Stone's bizarre editing (02:25), Cameron Diaz's underrated ownership chops (08:15), Al Pacino's last great performance (11:16), the Tao of James Woods (15:15), the eye-opening concussion/painkiller subplots (16:44), Jamie Foxx's breakout role as Willie Beamon (21:17), the craziest cameos (34:27), and where the "Inches" monologue ranks in the pantheon of great sports movie speech
Jan 11, 2017 · 52 min
Ep. 231: ‘Bachelor Party’ With Jade Roper and Peter Scalettar
The Ringer’s Juliet Litman is joined by former ‘Bachelor’ producer Pete Scalettar and former contestant Jade Roper to discuss their feelings about Nick (1:20), Corinne’s villain status (3:40), Liz’s epic departure (25:40), her TV wedding to Tanner (33:35), and Danielle’s tragic confession (43:50).
Jan 6, 2017 · 59 min
Ep. 230: 'Achievement Oriented' on 2017 Trends and the Man Behind Marcus Holloway
The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion recap their holiday gaming and talk to New Yorker contributing writer Simon Parkin about his book, 'Death by Video Game'; VR and psychology; end-of-year lists; and recent (and future) industry developments. Then Ben, Jason, and their colleague Justin Charity talk to actor Ruffin Prentiss about playing the protagonist of 'Watch Dogs 2.'
Jan 4, 2017 · 52 min
Ep. 229: 'The Masked Man Show' With Dave Schilling
The Ringer's David Shoemaker welcomes Dave Schilling to discuss "CarmEllsworth" (04:12), Dean Ambrose's IC title win on 'SmackDown' (6:32), Shoemaker coming to grips with Paige's engagement to Alberto Del Rio (10:54), 'Raw' gearing up for the 'Royal Rumble' (25:24), and a familiar face on 'Bring It to the Table' (39:47).
Jan 3, 2017 · 38 min
Ep. 228: ‘Bachelor Party' With the Sports Gal
The Ringer’s Juliet Litman is joined by the Sports Gal to recap the first episode of ‘The Bachelor’ and to ask the big questions, such as “Is Nick a good bachelor?” (1:15), “Why did so many women wear red?” (8:05), “What was up with the dolphin/shark suit?” (21:05), and “Why didn’t Liz give Nick her number?” (32:05).
Dec 29, 2016 · 58 min
Ep. 227: Sports Movie Hall of Fame: 'Moneyball'
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss 'Moneyball,' the second inductee into the Sports Movie Hall of Fame. They cover everything from the state of Brad Pitt's career (0:45), the past 20 years of sports movies (2:34), the making of 'Moneyball' (9:25), their favorite moments from the film (14:20), and the future of sports movies (51:54).
Dec 27, 2016 · 34 min
Ep. 226: The Best and Worst of Tech in 2016
The Ringer's team of tech writers — Molly McHugh, Victor Luckerson, Alyssa Bereznak, and Kate Knibbs — discuss their best and worst of the year in tech. Listen as they reveal their best app of the year, their least favorite acquisitions and memes, and what we as consumers have to look forward to.
Dec 23, 2016 · 57 min
Ep. 225: 'Achievement Oriented' on 'Assassin's Creed,' Video-Game Movies, and the Year of the FPS
The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion discuss the newly released movie 'Assassin's Creed,' then bring on their colleagues Jon Lovett and Kam Collins for a wider discussion about why video-game adaptations historically haven't worked well as films. Lastly, they talk to Chris Plante of The Verge about how and why first-person shooters broke out of their slump and whether 2016 was the best FPS year ever.
Dec 22, 2016 · 59 min
Ep. 224: Inaugural Sports Movie Hall of Fame: 'Jerry Maguire'
HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by The Ringer's Chris Ryan and Juliet Litman for the inaugural Sports Movie Hall of Fame induction ceremony to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of 'Jerry Maguire.' Topics include: Rod Tidwell spin-offs (6:00), Cruise Oscar snubs (12:00), the opening montage (16:00), Jonathan Lipnicki's pinnacle (22:00), "show me the money" (28:00), the best Cruise movies (35:00), the birth of the modern sports movie (40:00), and Cruise's romantic-lead chops (45:00).
Dec 21, 2016 · 1 hr 3 min
Ep. 223: 'The Masked Man Show' — 2016's Best and Worst of WWE With Dan St. Germain and Steve Kazee
The Ringer's David Shoemaker welcomes Dan St. Germain and Steve Kazee to discuss 'Roadblock' (1:43) and provide their 2016 WWE highlights and lowlights, including ‘WrestleMania 32,’ AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar, and Sasha-Charlotte (31:00).
Dec 15, 2016 · 1 hr
Ep. 222: 'Achievement Oriented' on the Past and Future of 'Star Wars' Games
The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion name-check their favorite 'Star Wars' games and talk to Jack Sorensen, the former president of LucasArts, about how he helped oversee several classic titles during the heyday of in-house 'Star Wars' development (5:24). Then they welcome Douglas Reilly from Lucasfilm and Justin McCully from Electronic Arts to discuss the upcoming slate of 'Star Wars' games (34:10) and the challenge of telling original stories within the larger 'Star Wars' universe (