As indicated yesterday we'll shortly be looking at Psycho, Sons and Lovers, Elmer Gantry, and the Oscar nominated supporting actresses of 1960 on the next Smackdown (get your votes in!) on Sunday July 21st. It's time to introduce you to this month's esteemed panelists!
First, a hearty welcome to two first time Smackdown panelists...
LESLYE HEADLAND
Leslye Headland began her career writing and directing the Seven Deadly Plays series (IAMA Theatre Company). The series includes Bachelorette and Assistance which both transferred to successful Off-Broadway runs. Bachelorette was the basis for her directorial film debut starring Kirsten Dunst. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Her other film credits include writing the 2014 remake of About Last Night starring Kevin Hart and writing/directing Sleeping with Other People starring Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie which also premiered at Sundance in 2015. Most recently, she co-created the Netflix series Russian Doll with Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler. Other TV credits include: the pilot of this fall’s Fox series Almost Family, Terriers (FX), Blunt Talk (Starz), SMILF and Black Monday (Showtime) and Heathers (Paramount). [Twitter | Instagram | IMDb]
PETER DUCHAN
Peter Duchan wrote the book of the musical Dogfight, which premiered at Second Stage (director, Joe Mantello). Dogfight won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and was nominated for five Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Off-Broadway Musical and Book of a Musical. The subsequent London production was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical. Other theater credits include writing the original musical Stu for Silverton, which had its premiere at the Intiman Theater, as well as co-creating (with director-choreographer Warren Carlyle) the revue Carefree: Dancing with Fred and Ginger and serving as Script Consultant for the musical Waitress. Film credits include co-writing the screenplays for the feature Breaking Upwards (IFC Films) and the short Unlocked (Tribeca Film Festival). Honors: Richard Rodgers Award, Dramatists Guild Fellowship. Graduate, Northwestern University. [Twitter]
...one returning panelists (having previously guested on our 1973 Smackdown)
KYLE TURNER
Kyle Turner is a queer freelance writer based in Brooklyn, NY. He is a contributor to Paste Magazine, and his writing has been featured in The Village Voice, Playboy, Slate, NPR, and the New York Times. He is relieved to know that he is not a golem. [Twitter | Instagram]
..and in house from The Film Experience, your podcast co-hosts...
MURTADA ELFADL
Murtada Elfadl is a queer writer and critic. Originally from Khartoum, Sudan he has made New York his home since 2006. He believes, as Katharine Clifton tells Count Almasy in The English Patient, that “we are the real countries, not the boundaries drawn on maps with the names of powerful men.” [Twitter | Instagram]
NATHANIEL R
Nathaniel is the creator and owner of The Film Experience. He is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. A longtime Oscar pundit his writing has appeared in both online and print publications including Vanity Fair, Show-Score, Towleroad, Slate, Polygon, Tribeca Film, and Winq. Nathaniel has also served on international festival juries and appeared as an on-air Oscar pundit for CNNi. [Twitter | Instagram]