In the early 90s, Madonna was the biggest pop star in the world, and she used – and in the minds of some, squandered – her star capital to launch a multi-media exploration of sexuality: the album Erotica and its companion book Sex, followed by her starring role in the much-maligned erotic thriller Body of Evidence. What was Madonna really trying to do in 199 ... Show More
Jun 2023
Indecent Proposal (Erotic 90’s, Part 11)
Are men okay? Several films from 1993 answered that question with a resounding no. One of the highest grossing movies of its year, Adrian Lyne’s Indecent Proposal was misunderstood as a gimmick, and its insight into toxic masculinity and male sexual insecurity got lost in a media ... Show More
1h 26m
Jun 2023
Sliver and Sharon Stone as Superstar (Erotic 90’s, Part 12)
Sharon Stone and Joe Eszterhas’s post-Basic Instinct reunion film was one of the most troubled productions of the 90s. A post-Hitchcock tale of sexual surveillance given a technological update for the 90s, after a long battle with the MPAA the sanitized, R-rated version of Sliver ... Show More
1h 16m
Jun 2023
The Last Seduction, Disclosure, & Fear of the Female Boss (Erotic 90’s, Part 13)
The 90s were obsessed with what magazine writer Tad Friend would describe as “do me feminism” – and the attendant fear that men could be victims of female sexual aggression. Two films from 1994 married these anxieties to the still-lingering bugaboo of the 80s, the powerful career ... Show More
1h 11m
Oct 2025
Madonna's Naked Photos
Berated by the tabloids as exhibitionist pornography, Madonna’s coffee table book, ‘Sex’, quickly sold out upon its release on 21st October, 1992. Influenced by artists Robert Mapplethorpe and Cindy Sherman, the book included images of full-frontal nudity, simulated gay sex, mixe ... Show More
11m 48s
Aug 2021
Hollywood Scandals: Madonna
Blasphemy, public nudity, illicit affairs – most celebrities get caught in scandals, Madonna creates them. Part rebel, part relentless self-promoter, Madonna breaks down social barriers while earning millions. And whether she’s battling Popes or bound and gagged by an enraged lov ... Show More
45m 45s
Oct 2023
What It's Like to Write a Madonna Biography
<p>Madonna released her first single in 1982, and in one guise or another she has been with us ever since — ubiquitous but also astonishing, when you consider the usual fleeting arc of pop stardom. How has she done it, and how have her various personae shaped or reflected the cul ... Show More
36m 29s
Feb 2025
Ariana Grande - 'Wicked'
One of the biggest pop stars on the planet, who is now an Oscar-nominated actress, reflects on how she broke into showbiz as a kid, each of her studio albums, how music has helped her through tough times, why she yearned for years to play Glinda, how her fame helped her to unders ... Show More
1h 15m
Dec 2024
Pamela Anderson - 'The Last Showgirl'
The iconic Playboy model and 'Baywatch' babe, who is now a Golden Globe-nominated actress thanks to her performance in Gia Coppola's new film, reflects on the odds-defying way in which she was discovered, how the infamous sex tape derailed her career for decades and what sparked ... Show More
55m 28s
Jul 2021
Hollywood Scandals: Britney Spears
Britney Spears is the biggest pop star of her generation …with an image manufactured to titillate. But when nurturing Britney the brand is prioritized over Britney the person, the simple country girl unravels, with the paparazzi capturing every scandal. Endangering her career, he ... Show More
45m 41s