Washington for Beautiful People
14 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsWashington for Beautiful People is an LA produced podcast, hosted by former CIA Operative and improv comedian, Emily Brandwin, aka, CIAspygirl. The podcast brings together those important west coast voices in the entertainment industry and tech sectors who have been active in bringing attention to and amplifying the political, foreign policy and national security issues that affect our country. (The pod’s title is a play on the famous Jay Leno comment that Washington is Hollywood for ugly people.) Emily also regularly brings in former government colleagues and experts while drawing both on her roots as an improv comedian and her background in the intelligence community.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
That time I chatted with a Russian Double Agent: My Conversation with MSNBC Intelligence Analyst Naveed Jamali
July 19, 2019 07:05 - 1 hour - 90 MBWhy is it always Russia, Russia, Russia?? Well when you talk to Naveed Jamali who was a FBI double agent working against the Russians for over three years, you talk Russia. Turns out working with the FBI was something of a family occupation, as his parents were also informants for the FBI reporting on Russian activities. Yeah..Naveed has stories for days. Now Naveed shares his insight on MSNBC as an Intelligence Analyst and advises 2020 candidates on Russian issues. Oh and on top of all of th...
Mike, Dan and the Blue Dress (yup that dress): My conversation with the hosts of the Skullduggery
July 12, 2019 12:10 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBYou may not be familiar with Skullduggery Podcast Hosts and journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman, but you most definitely know the stories they broke. Mike and Dan broke the story of Ken Starr's investigation into the Monica Lewinsky affair. They discuss the drama of how this story unfolded and the details would make Hollywood screenwriters salivate, Linda Tripp offered Mike the blue dress. Not only did we talk about the Clinton Affair but we discussed some of their most recent get...
My time with Tony & Rachel: A conversation with Rachel Chavkin
June 28, 2019 03:23 - 59 minutes - 81.6 MBIf you watched the Tony Awards, it wasn't James Corden's big splashy opening number that made the news, it was Rachel Chavkin's speech. In a blistering few minutes, Rachel called out the misogyny & lack of diversity in the theater community. But if you know Rachel's history, social activism is nothing new to her. During our conversation we talked the importance of mentors especially for women, healthcare and the importance of voting. Rachel's art is inherently political and the Tony Award win...
Rise Up, Rise Up. Here he comes. Here comes the General. My conversation with General Mark Hertling
June 21, 2019 13:07 - 54 minutes - 74.3 MBMost people know General Mark Hertling as the incredibly articulate, direct, no nonsense CNN Military Analyst. But Mark and I bonded on Twitter over something different, our shared love of musical theater, yes that's right musicals. After I discovered our mutual passion, I knew I had to chat with him. On this episode Mark discussed the lack of leadership in our current administration, why he has been an outspoken critic of Trump's dangerous military policies (i.e.trans ban) and what happened ...
Sex in the CIA: Four Former CIA Officers Dish About Sex and Spies
June 14, 2019 09:09 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBIf you think getting your parents approval on whom you date is tough, try getting the CIA to approve your boyfriend or girlfriend. Dating like anything in the CIA is ridiculous and yes it even involves paperwork. I heard the twitter requests and I finally did it. I invited three former CIA officers to join me on my show to talk SEX. We dished about the rules, the regulations and the horror stories of dating and (wink wink) dating in the CIA. We talk honey-traps, surveillance, dating cess pool...
You Don’t Call Halftime an Intermission: My Conversation With Former Football Pro and Political Commentator Donté Stallworth
June 07, 2019 03:47 - 1 hour - 89.7 MBWhen I confessed to Donté Stallworth that when we first started following each other on twitter I had no idea he played football, he had a surprising reaction…he was thrilled. Donté has seamlessly made the career transition from football playerto political commentator. He’s regularly seen on MSNBC, CNN and he’s written for HuffPost among others. We had a wide-ranging conversation about the politics of football, Trump’s influence over the game, Deflategate, 2020 candidates and most importantl...
The Two Men Who Made America Love the KGB (sort of) – My Conversation with the Executive Producers of The Americans
May 31, 2019 06:16 - 50 minutes - 69.5 MBOnly geniuses (evil, wonderful tv geniuses) can create a show where the audience roots, yes roots for the KGB. Any lucky me, I got to chat with those two evil geniuses, the Executive Producers of The Americans, Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields. I’ve known these two talented guys for years, so it was a thrill to sit down and ask them all the questions that so many fans have: Is Paige getting a spinoff? Is Renee a spy? Why did you have to kill off Nina? And poor Martha (not a question…just a sta...
Social Activism, 2020 and Showtune Shame: My Conversation with actor Steven Pasquale
May 24, 2019 03:37 - 57 minutes - 78.6 MBYou've seen him in The Good Wife, The People vs OJ and on stage in Bridges of Madison Country and most recently The American Son with Kerri Washington. But the twitterverse knows him best as a fiery fierce resistor. In a no holds barred conversation, we discuss the decline in our democratic ideals, the breakdown of the republic, racial inequality and 2020. I've long admired Steven for his work on the screen, but it's his dedication and passion to improving our country that most impressed me. ...
Trumpet is not an instrument, it's Trump as a Muppet: My conversation with TV Writer & Twitter Funnyman Robert Schooley
May 17, 2019 13:15 - 51 minutes - 70.9 MBAhh social media, the place where you see pics of people's brunch and discover hilarious voices. Twitter is where I discovered TV Writer Robert Schooley. I knew I needed to talk to the guy who tweets golden nuggets of political humor on the daily. Robert may have missed his calling in the FBI. In an epic investigatory feat that made headlines, Robert busted Trump on retweeting bots. Robert also shares the tweet that almost got him in hot water in Hollywood and why he thinks Trump looks like a...
Stand-Up, Political Activist & Funny AF Guy: My Conversation with John Fugelsang
May 10, 2019 03:56 - 41 minutes - 56.9 MBJohn is the ultimate hyphenate: Actor-Radio Host-Stand Up-Pundit- Commentator-Producer--I know it's annoying he does it all and he does it all awesomely. John & Emily took a deep dive into Trump (whether there can be redemption) religion in politics & the word "ignorance" and what it implies. We also talked about John's famous debates with David Duke ad Jerry Falwell, celeb interviews, the great gets and the ones they have yet to snag. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...
My Midwest Chat Fest: My Conversation with Paul Adelstein
May 03, 2019 04:09 - 58 minutes - 80.3 MBYou've seen him in Scandal, Private Practice & Grey's Anatomy..so basically ever single Shonda Rhimes show that you're obsessed with Paul Adelstein has been in. Paul and Emily bonded over their Midwest roots talking theater, politics and everything in between. Paul and Emily hypothetically cast the Trump White House movie and you'll never guess what roles they each would like to play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Real Reason Why There's No Comedian at Nerd Prom: My Conversation with White House Corespondent's Association President Olivier Knox
April 25, 2019 05:11 - 49 minutes - 67.4 MBIt's called "Nerd Prom" or the one day a year you say "what channel is CSPAN on?"...it's the White House Correspondent's Dinner. The party where politicians and the journalists who cover them come together to celebrate over food, drink and entertainment by a comic. But this year it's different. We talk to White House Correspondent's Association President OlivierKnox and find out why there's no comic at this year's party (it's NOT what you think), what would happen if Trump actually attends, d...
A Marine, an Army Captain and a CIA Officer Walk Into A Bar
April 19, 2019 03:59 - 56 minutes - 78.2 MBIt’s podcast appreciation day on “Washington for Beautiful People!” Emily talks to the hosts of one of her fav podcasts Zero Blog Thirty, Chaps McNeely (@UncleChaps) and Connor Crehan (@captaincons.) These two veterans join Emily in a candid discussion about gun control, the Trans-Military Ban, PTSD and (wait for it) Musicals. The guys brought up musical theater (Emily swears) and a whole lengthy discussion ensued. A special podcast focused on our military that included insights and lots of l...
How I Learned to Perfect My Key Lime Pie: A Conversation with Andrew Zimmern
April 10, 2019 15:28 - 1 hour - 98.2 MBThis week on “Washington for Beautiful People,” Emily’s special guest is a chef, entrepreneur, father, teacher, author, television host and the guy who eats all the strange shit….Andrew Zimmern. Andrew and Emily talk politics but dive into a discussion about social activism and surviving major life struggles. They also talk about St. Louis cuisine (yes, it’s good…ignore Bagelgate) and Emily gets shamed but then gets tips on how to perfect her key lime pie (hint, she’s been doing it ALL wrong....