This week, we chat about Meryl Streep’s return as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada 2. The sequel to Oscar-nominated film revisits the publishing industry in a modern, digital era. How does this film justify itself as a 20-year-old sequel? What does it get right about modern journalism and sequels in general? Plus, have people been sleeping on Anne Hathaway?

Then, we continue with the latest in our “Megan’s Never Seen This Michael Douglas Movie” series — The War of the Roses. Starring Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, and Douglas, Roses famously pits a married couple going through a painful separation. Since neither party is willing to give up their beloved home, they reluctantly live together until the stress becomes far too much to bear. We look at the film through a modern lens, ask if it takes sides in the feud, and consider DeVito’s direction of the tricky material. The film received three Golden Globe nominations and zero Oscar noms. Did The Academy get it right?

Next up is another Douglas / Turner / DeVito special: Romancing the Stone. Catch up with us in June for this romantic comedy classic.

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

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The post Reviewing ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ & Revisiting ‘War of the Roses’ [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

We love The Pitt, and that did not change with Season 2. Yes, certain online communities seem to have already turned on the medical drama, but we believe Season 2 remained consistent in its extraordinary character depth and authenticity. After gushing over the new season, we spitball various The Pitt Emmy scenarios. Will Katherine LaNasa move up to Lead Actress? Who does that open space for in the Supporting Actress race? What guest performances will resonate with the Television Academy? Can anyone beat Noah Wyle? Or, for that matter, can any series stop a Drama Series repeat?

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

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The post ‘The Pitt’ Emmy Chances: How High Will Season Two Fly? [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

Beef Season 2 dropped last week without the typical Netflix limited series fanfare. Audiences reacted in kind: initial ratings ranked 60% lower from season to season. But Beef Season 2 may not be a shower, more of a grower. Starring Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, Lee Sung Jin’s second season explores themes of wealth, cultural identity, marriages, and the vast generational gap. Joey and Clarence break things down and find common ground in their reactions, even if they don’t agree 100 percent on the merits of the season. Will audiences find their way to the season? Will the Television Academy embrace it as tightly as they did Season 1? Find out on this week’s podcast!

But first, Clarence gives a quick sneak preview of his reaction to Michael, the new Michael Jackson biopic.

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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The post ‘Beef’ Season 2: Eating the Rich With a Side of Generational Angst [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

We’re back from our spring break and ready to tear into the 2026 Emmys race once more. With HBO MAX’s Hacks receiving series-best reviews in its final season, we wonder if anyone can beat Jean Smart’s clean sweep. Will she win Comedy Actress for all five seasons of the series? Or will Lisa Kudrow finally win Comedy Actress for HBO’s The Comeback? Is there really anyone else who can break into what appears to be a 2-way race?

On the flip side, the 2026 Emmys Lead Comedy Actor race looks bleak. Bleak as any recent race we can remember and completely devoid of a frontrunner. Only Murder in the Building‘s Martin Short seems widely predicted to take home an Emmy, finally, but is that out of love for its latest, muted season or is he the last man standing? If not Short, then who? Jason Segel (Shrinking)? Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)? The two Steves (Martin, Only Murders; Carell, Rooster)? Or are there dark horse contenders who will leap into contention?

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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The post 2026 Emmys: Lead Comedy Actor, Actress Are No Laughing Matter [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

Are you ready to dive into some Emmy contenders?

Yes, it is only April 1st, but we already have some bonafide Emmy passion with even more on the horizon. Megan and Joey begin this Emmy season with discussing the conclusion to Connor Hines’ Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. Did the nine-episode season go on too long? Is Sara Pidgeon really out that far in front? With three women now battling for Supporting Actress (Naomi Watts, Constance Zimmer, and Grace Gummer), will one of them be left out?

From there, Megan and Joey run down each series category to counter what may or may not make the cut. Can sophomore efforts like Jury Duty or Nobody Wants This break back in or will Comedy Series make way for something new like Rooster or The Chair Company or can The Comeback earn its first nomination? Will The Pitt grow in nominations as it defends its title? Which Limited Series can extend Netflix’s 3-year winning streak?

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Click here to listen to our audio podcast. Our video podcast follows below!

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The post Emmys 2026: Will the Academy ‘Love’ JFK Jr. & Carolyn or Will Their Eyes Wander? appeared first on The Contending.

With Oscars 2026 put to bed, we’re turning our sights elsewhere this week. A few podcasts ago, Megan shockingly revealed that she’d never seen the 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct. Directed by Paul Verhoven from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas, Basic Instinct stars Sharon Stone (her star-making performance) as a potentially murderous writer (“She’s evil! She’s brilliant!”). Michael Douglas plays the troubled cop (“Shooter”) trying to catch her or screw her. Or both! Controversy assailed the film upon its release, following it to this day. Yet, you cannot deny the influence Basic Instinct had on 1990s cinema. Several films tried (and failed) to capture its heat. Joey and Clarence have seen the film multiple times. Megan, however, sees it for the first time through modern eyes. Does the film hold up? Does it live up to its reputation? We slash Basic Instinct off Megan’s “never seen” list.

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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The post ‘Basic Instinct:’ Slashing One Off Megan’s “Never Seen” List [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

We waited 24 hours to let the 2026 Oscar ceremony sink in. We wanted to let a little perspective in before passing full judgment on last night’s 98th Annual Academy Awards. And we think that’s a good idea that should be echoed across the internet. So, Joey, Megan, and Clarence gather at the Water Cooler to share their thoughts in our Oscar Quickie podcast. What did we think of Conan O’Brien and the winners? What were our favorite moments of the evening? And what are we looking forward to at the 2027 Oscars?

We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

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The post Oscar Quickie: Closing the Door On Oscars 2026 [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

We are about to put the 2026 Oscars season to bed.

Join the full team at The Contending as we give our predictions (as they stand at the time of recording) across all 24 Oscar categories. Some (Animated Feature, Song, Best Actress, to name a few) seem like foregone conclusions. Others (Best Supporting Actress, Cinematography) feel more debatable. And are people fooling themselves for thinking Sinners has a shot at Best Picture? Or is it really all sewed up with One Battle After Another? We offer interesting stats, theories, and gut takes as we wade through our final (and nearly 2-hour) podcast before Sunday’s 2026 Oscars ceremony.

Plus, stick around until the end for a deep thought from our own David Phillips!

Check back on Friday for our final, locked Oscar predictions on the site!

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The post 2026 Oscars: Final (?) Predictions From Team Contending! appeared first on The Contending.