The Press Box

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker discuss John Skipper’s resignation as ESPN president and the future of the company (03:00), the backlash to the mainstream acceptance of 'Star Wars' (24:00), and objectivity in sports journalism (38:20). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With another new ‘Star Wars’ movie in theaters and the franchise once again dominating the cultural conversation, The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh revisits the franchise’s forgotten lean years, when ‘Star Wars’ nearly faded away in the long drought between the original and prequel trilogies. Through interviews with prominent figures from Lucasfilm and the fan community of the 1980s and 1990s, Ben retraces the decline and subsequent resurgence of ‘Star Wars’ as the series fulfilled its destiny as the powerful intellectual property and source of fan fixation that it is today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Justin Charity and K. Austin Collins unpack the tension between prominent black intellectuals Ta-Nehisi Coates and Cornel West (1:00) and then critique Eminem’s lackluster new album ‘Revival’ and one-sided feud with President Trump (15:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey chats with writer-director Rian Johnson about making ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi,’ putting his own spin on the franchise, and his upcoming spinoff trilogy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'This Week in Ringer Culture’ features ‘The Watch’ on the top TV shows of 2017 (00:30), ‘Jam Session’ on a crazy George Clooney gift-giving story (05:30), ‘House of Carbs’ on Pizza Hut’s alcohol delivery (10:15), ‘Against All Odds With Cousin Sal’ with ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm's’ Bob Einstein on his favorite entertainers (13:30), ‘The Rewatchables’ on the 2007 thriller ‘Zodiac’ (18:30), and ‘Binge Mode’ celebrating the droids of 'Star Wars' (23:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'This Week in Ringer Sports’ features ‘The Ringer NFL Show’ on the impact of the Carson Wentz injury (00:30), 'The Bill Simmons Podcast' with Kevin Clark and Bill's dad on the Patriots-Steelers matchup (5:00), ‘One Shining Podcast With Titus and Tate’ on Duke losing to Boston College (08:45), ‘The Ringer NBA Show’ on the Rockets as a potential landing spot for LeBron this offseason (14:30), ‘The J.J. Redick Podcast’ with Karl-Anthony Towns on the current crop of NBA big men (19:15), ‘Ringer FC’ on the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 matchups (23:45), and ‘The Masked Man Show’ on the main event for New Japan’s 'Wrestle Kingdom 12' (27:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker examine how the media covers 'Star Wars' (02:00), Mike Francesa and the last segment of sports radio (22:30), and Wright Thompson's departure from Twitter (34:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, and Andy Greenwald go back to 2007 to discuss the most fascinating year for movies in recent memory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Armie Hammer's performance in "Call Me by Your Name," his career thus far, and what's next for him (0:15). Then they talk about George Clooney and some of his recent (and not-so-recent) media morsels (14:10), wish Taylor Swift a happy birthday (21:45), and speculate on a possible J-Rod holiday engagement (26:20). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'This Week in Ringer Sports’ features ‘One Shining Podcast with Titus and Tate’ on the postgame tensions between Xavier and the University of Cincinnati (00:30), ‘GM Street’ on which NFL coaches might get fired (08:00), ‘Against All Odds With Cousin Sal’ on a fun fake gambling prop (12:45), ‘Sources Say’ with LaVar Ball on his family’s pursuits in acting (19:30), and ‘Ringer University’ on the College Football Playoff (23:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'This Week in Ringer Culture’ features ‘Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air’ with Dan Rather on a pressing question he’d ask President Trump in an interview (0:30), ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’ with Bryan Cranston on what it was like to get famous later in life (03:30), ‘The Big Picture’ with director Sean Baker on the making of ‘The Florida Project’ (06:45), ‘The J.J. Redick Podcast’ with James Corden on his preshow routines (10:00), ‘House of Carbs’ on a crazy food-life hack (15:30), and ‘The Watch’ bonding over a Netflix original from earlier this year (19:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker take a look at Sam Seder's (brief) ejection from MSNBC (02:00), Mike Mitchell's compelling rant on Matt Hasselbeck (19:30), and Facebook lifting its ban on pre-roll video ads (34:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey chats with Sean Baker, who was recently awarded Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle for his latest film, ‘The Florida Project.’ They discuss how Baker tells authentic stories about underrepresented communities, his use of inexperienced actors, and why he prefers making smaller-budget films. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 'This Week in Ringer Sports,' Joel Embiid joins J.J. Redick on his debut podcast (00:30), 'The Ringer NBA Show' discusses the Blake Griffin injury (04:45), 'GM Street' reacts to the Eli Manning benching (07:45), 'The Press Box' breaks down Greg Schiano's short-lived career at Tennessee (12:15), 'Ringer U' weighs out the importance of dynasties in college football (16:45), 'The Masked Man Show' thinks WWE should refocus Roman Reigns's story line (20:30), and Steve Kerr shares some Michael Jordan stories on 'The Bill Simmons Podcast' (25:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'This Week in Ringer Culture' features 'Jam Session' on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's BBC interview (00:52), 'The Watch' on Marvel Studios' new trailer for 'Avengers: Infinity War' (06:30), 'The Rewatchables' on the best scenes from 'Friday' (12:00), 'The Big Picture' with Errol Morris on interviewing Trump (17:15), 'Black on the Air' with Judd Apatow on using improvisation in his films (19:30), and 'Binge Mode' on Pixar's new movie, 'Coco' (26:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with documentarian Errol Morris to discuss his new Netflix miniseries ‘Wormwood,’ a story of mind control, LSD, the CIA in the 1950s, and murder. They also discuss Morris’s classic works like ‘The Thin Blue Line,’ as well as the day he spent with Donald Trump to discuss the president’s favorite film, 'Citizen Kane.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker break down the firings of Matt Lauer (03:00) and Garrison Keillor (11:15). Then they recognize the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week (19:00) before getting into the University of Tennessee's handling of the Greg Schiano situation (23:00), the ESPN layoffs (31:00), the failed attempt to bust The Washington Post by James O'Keefe and Project Veritas (38:00), and the purchase of Time Inc. by the Meredith Corporation (44:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement by detailing the public announcement (2:00), analyzing the royal couple’s first interview on BBC (10:15), and considering the implications for the relationship’s next steps (27:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with director Joe Wright to discuss how he picked himself up after the failure of his 2015 film, ‘Pan,’ to deliver ‘Darkest Hour,’ a Winston Churchill biopic that stars a mesmerizing Gary Oldman. Plus: Wright discusses the changing state of the movie business and why he took the reins on an episode of ‘Black Mirror.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Featuring 'The Watch' on The Ringer's list of the 50 best superhero movies of all time, 'The Rewatchables' on favorite scenes from 'The Dark Knight,' 'The Bill Simmons Podcast' with Ta-Nehisi Coates arguing about the best season of 'The Wire,' 'House of Carbs' on the ranch vs. blue cheese debate, 'The Big Picture' with Greta Gerwig on the making of 'Lady Bird,' 'Jam Session' on an interesting tweet from Chris Evans, 'The Press Box' on the new Tina Brown book 'Vanity Fair Diaries,' and 'The Watch' with Joe Hagan on his book 'Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices