John and Craig welcome back Dana Fox (Wicked, The Lost City) for a magical flight through everything that went into adapting Wicked and its upcoming sequel, Wicked: For Good. They look at the history of the project, why it was split into two movies, the process for writing when you're shooting two movies at the same time, and the exhausting effort it takes for big movies to defy gravity.

We also chat with Graham Rowat, the narrator of the Scriptnotes audiobook, follow up on weird movies and cuck chairs, answer listener questions on the limits of torturing your heroes and ask, did the 90's really have the best actions movies?

In our bonus segment for premium members, Dana sticks around to take us behind the scenes of a big movie's promo circuit, and how to stay sane (and even popular!) throughout the world tour.

Links:

• Dana Fox on Instagram and IMDb
• Wicked: For Good
• Graham Rowat
• Friendship
• Comfrt travel hoodie
• Sara Schaefer's miniature cuck chairs
• Pittman Inflatable Camping Chair
• Inflatable Beanless Bean Bag Chair
• What the Cuck?! | Decoder Ring
• Wicked the book and the stage show
• The Fugitive (1993)
• Owl Labs' Meeting Owl 3
• Eric Berlin – Puzzle Snacks
• The Most Important Question podcast
• Heating Pads
• VW ID Buzz
• Preorder the Scriptnotes Book!
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription (now with fewer emails!)
• Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
• Scriptnotes on Instagram
• John August on Bluesky and Instagram
• Outro by Spencer Lackey (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

John welcomes back Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Devil Wears Prada) to ask, what do executives expect from a pitch these days? They look at the typical structure of a pitch deck, how that differs from lookbooks, how pitches have evolved over the years, and best practices for pitching on Zoom.

Also, what happened to single-lady sitcoms? If you remember Monday nights in the 90's, you know what we're talking about. We reflect on what they did for the culture and how social media and reality TV may be taking their place.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Aline tells us what it was like being back on the set for The Devil Wears Prada 2. Gird your loins, people!

Links:

• Preorder the Scriptnotes book!
• Scriptnotes LIVE at Dynasty Typewriter in LA, November 30th! Only a few tickets left!
• Dick's Sporting Goods Launches Entertainment Studio by Etan Vlessing for The Hollywood Reporter
• The Ladies of Monday Night
• I Love LA on HBO Max
• The Diplomat on Netflix
• Shotdeck
• Stranger Things pitch deck
• Paramount Makes Big Buy of Comedy Spec Script 'Bald Eagles' by Borys Kit for The Hollywood Reporter
• Big A## Calendar
• Rareform bags
• Aline and John talk about writing memorable endings on YouTube
• Preorder the Scriptnotes Book!
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription (now with fewer emails!)
• Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
• Scriptnotes on Instagram
• John August on Bluesky and Instagram
• Outro by Aline Brosh McKenna (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

John and Craig look at all the pleasant, normal people around them and ask, what happened to the weirdos? They root out the causes of cultural stagnation, offer potential solutions, and explore the entertainment that still finds a way to be weird.

We also look at the tipping point between "wanting to write" and "actually writing," follow up on printer prices and billboard queens, and answer listener questions on soundtracks, adapting a podcast and feeling ownership over your ideas.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we try to remember how we construct our personal narratives, and the pros and cons of remembering our past.

Our LIVE book release show will be at Dynasty Typewriter in LA on November 30th — get your tickets now!

Links:

• Scriptnotes LIVE! Book release show tickets at Dynasty Typewriter in LA
• The Uncool by Cameron Crowe
• Meet the Sisters Battling to Become L.A.'s New Billboard Queen by Mickey Rapkin for The Hollywood Reporter
• The Decline of Deviance by Adam Mastroianni
• Too Many Cooks
• Happiness (1998)
• Ken Russell
• Community tries to figure out if Nicholas Cage is good or bad
• Homecoming on Prime Video
• ChannelVue
• Servant of the Lake
• Some People Can't See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound by Larissa MacFarquhar for The New Yorker
• Preorder the Scriptnotes Book!
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription (now with fewer emails!)
• Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
• Scriptnotes on Instagram
• John August on Bluesky and Instagram
• Outro by Jim Bond (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.