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‘Spinning Gold’ Interview: Jeremy Jordan
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Opening in theaters on March 31st is the new movie ‘Spinning Gold,’ which tells the story of Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart and was written and directed by his son, Timothy Scott Bogart.

What is the plot of ‘Spinning Gold?’

‘Spinning Gold’ depicts the life and career of record producer and Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart, who was credited with discovering many iconic musical acts such as Donna Summer, Kiss, and the Village People. Along with a rag tag team of young music lovers, Neil and Casablanca Records would rewrite history and change the music industry forever. The movie also examines Bogart’s own personal love triangle with wife Beth Bogart (Michelle Monaghan) and manager Joyce Biawitz (Lyndsy Fonseca).
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Who is in the cast of ‘Spinning Gold?’

‘Spinning Gold’ stars Jeremy Jordan (‘Supergirl’) as Neil Bogart, Michelle Monaghan (‘Mission: Impossible III’) as Beth Bogart, Jay Pharoah (‘Top Five’) as Cecil Holmes, Dan Fogler (‘The Offer’) as Buck Reingold, Jason Isaacs (‘Mass’) as Al Bogart, Lyndsy Fonseca (‘Kick-Ass’) as Joyce Biawitz, Chris Redd (‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’) as Frankie Crocker, and Sebastian Maniscalco (‘The Irishman’) as Giorgio Moroder.

The movie also stars musicians Wiz Khalifa as George Clinton, Jason Derulo as Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers, Pink Sweat$ as Bill Withers, Tayla Parx as Donna Summer, and Ledisi as Gladys Knight.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jeremy Jordan about his work on ‘Spinning Gold,’ playing Neil Bogart, being directed by his son, the artists Casablanca Records discovered, and why Neil believed in them.

Jeremy Jordan as Neil Bogart in ‘Spinning Gold.’

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Jordan, Jay Pharoah, Tayla Parx, and director Timothy Scott Bogart.

Moviefone: To begin with, how much did you know about Neil Bogart and the history of Casablanca Records before joining this project, and what did you learn about him that really helped you play this role?

Jeremy Jordan: I knew absolutely nothing about it, to be honest with you. I knew some of the music that came out of the recording studio that they’d formed, and that was pretty much it. I really approached it from the perspective that I’m working with this guy’s family. Tim Bogart wrote and directed it, and he gave me so much incredible insight, and really allowed me to find my own way into my version of his dad without trying to be a carbon copy of this guy. It was nice because he’s not a really widely known figure, and there’s not a whole lot of video that people can be like, “Oh, you’re not doing exactly the thing.” But even so, we didn’t really focus on that in the film, even with the more famous characters. We really just got to figure out who these people are and then go from there. That was a really liberating experience. I didn’t feel like I had to do exactly this perfect impression, you know what I’m saying?

(L to R) Jeremy Jordan as Neil Bogart and Michelle Monaghan as Beth Bogart in ‘Spinning Gold.’

Related Article: Superman Arrives in New ‘Supergirl’ Season 2 Teaser

MF: Was it weird being directed by the son of the person you were playing?

JJ: It was weird in my head, but in execution, it really wasn’t, except for every once in a while when Tim would be like, “Hey dad.” I was like, “That’s weird. Don’t do that.” But no, I really felt supported a hundred percent all the way through it. If there was ever any guidance, it was done with a really loving hand. One of the things that I was really lucky about is that Tim said one of the reasons that he chose me to play the role was that I had a lot of the essence of his father, and he allowed me to find that version of it within myself. So I never really felt like I was under a microscope or anything, so it was liberating in that way, and I didn’t have to be self-conscious.

(L to R) Tayla Parx as Donna Summer and Jeremy Jordan as Neil Bogart in ‘Spinning Gold.’

MF: Finally, can you talk about the relationships Neil had with musical artists like Donna Summer and Kiss, and the way he discovered them and really believed in them when no one else would?

JJ: He saw things before everybody else. So he saw Kiss and saw Donna Summer as this incredible thing that was going to change music. He was so far ahead that everybody just kind of thought he was crazy and nothing hit for years with both of them. But he continued to believe in them, almost to a fault. Just tenaciously throwing money at it until some people finally figured it out, or he actually figured out the best way to present them to the world. But he never gave up on them and he never faltered in his belief in them, or never really second guessed any of those decisions. He knew that he was right, and he 99% of the time was. It’s tough to find people like that, especially nowadays. Nothing like this story could ever happen today. I’ve recently tried to join the music business. I started a band and they’re like, start your own TikTok, release your first couple albums and then talk to us. There’s no sending your record tape or your demo and someone saying, “if I believe in you and I think I can make you into something, let’s do it.” If there is, then I don’t know. It’s rare. It’s cutthroat nowadays much more.

(L to R) Casey Likes as Gene Simmons, Sam Harris as Paul Stanley and Alex Gaskarth as Peter Criss performing as Kiss in ‘Spinning Gold.’

Other Movies Similar to ‘Spinning Gold:’
- ‘Singles‘ (1992)
- ‘Empire Records‘ (1995)
- ‘54‘ (1998)
- ‘Almost Famous‘ (2000)
- ‘Ray‘ (2004)
- ‘Walk the Line‘ (2005)
- ‘Cadillac Records‘ (2008)
- ‘The Runaways‘ (2010)
- ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘ (2018)
- ‘Rocketman‘ (2019)
- ‘Elvis‘ (2022)
- ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody‘ (2022)
Buy Tickets: ‘Spinning Gold’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Jeremy Jordan Movies On Amazon

‘Spinning Gold’ is produced by Knightsbridge Entertainment, Boardwalk Films, and Foresight Unlimited, and scheduled for release on March 31st.
March 30, 2023
Bill Hader & Jay Pharoah Agree Justin Bieber Was Worst-Behaved ‘SNL’ Host

“Saturday Night Live” alumni Bill Hader and Jay Pharoah just called out some musicians on their bad “SNL” behavior.

The topic came up on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” because fans only ever want to know the juicy stuff — your least favorite costars, the worst person who did this, etc. No one ever asks for positives.

In this case, that was bad news for Justin Bieber. Here’s that part of the talk:

Caller: “Who was the worst behaved musical guest or host during your time at ‘SNL’?”

Bill Hader: “Everybody wants to know worsts!”

Jay Pharoah: “We both know.”

Bill: “It was Bieber.”

Jay nodded.

Andy Cohen: “You talked on [Howard] Stern about that.”

Bill: “Yeah, Bieber was — he just was in a bad place. Maybe he’s in a better place, but back then it was rough.”

Jay: “I saw Kanye [West] yank somebody, that was pretty hilarious.”

Bill: “Everyone’s usually on great behavior. Everyone’s very excited and great behavior, most time it’s 100 percent. Yeah, Bieber’s the only one in my experience. I think it was just, he seemed exhausted or at the end of a rope.”

Justin Bieber, now 24, was musical guest in 2010 and both host and musical guest in February 2013.

During his 2013 talk on Howard Stern, Bill Hader had contrasted Justin Bieber’s behavior with another SNL host, Justin Timberlake:

“Justin Bieber showed up with like 20 guys and every time, you know, when you’re backstage it’s very small constrictive place. And he had a guy holding a slice of pizza, he had a guy holding a Diet Coke. You’re going on stage and you’re trying to fight through all these people to get dressed.

Timberlake it was just him, he’s a real class act that guy. He was great, and also the guy doesn’t show up with anybody. It’s just him. He’s just wandering the halls and my wife visited the show and she thought like he was one of the crew guys hanging out on the set. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Whoa!’ and he was like, ‘Hey, how are you?’”

Hader wasn’t a total Hater, though. He did tell Stern that Mariah Carey probably had even more people in her entourage than Bieber. And he did have some compliments for young JB:

“I had nice chats with him when we were doing the scenes. He was a nice guy, a nice kid. You know he was doing the scenes and trying to do the best scene he can.”

Bill Hader just returned to “SNL” as host on March 17 to promote his new HBO show “Barry.” “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman will host SNL on Saturday, April 7.

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March 23, 2018
Jay Pharoah Sounds Off on ‘SNL’ Firing

Saturday Night Live” and how they show never really knew what to do with him.

The comedian told “Hot 97’s Ebro In The Morning that “multiple people on the cast” told him “you’re so talented, you’re so able, they don’t use you and it’s unfair and it’s making us feel bad.’”

The comedian, who played President Obama, Jay-Z and Will Smith, among other celebs, said he was tired of — as the host of the radio show said — only being there to do impressions of black celebrities.

He didn’t get to do his most famous impression of Obama for “the last year and a half,” he said, saying the show “gave up” on the character, even though Obama was still in office.

Pharoah also says he was nearly fired in 2013 when he spoke out about how the show didn’t have any black female comedians. “I almost freakin’ lost my job,” he says. The show then hired LaKendra Tookes, Leslie Jones, and Sasheer Zamata. He says it was Jones who encouraged him to do the Kevin Hart vs Katt Williams ‘Weekend Update’ skit.

He said he refused to do some of the skits he was asked to do, including wearing a dress: “They put people into boxes. Whatever they want you to do, they expect you to do,” he added. “I’m a little fiery too… I’m not a yes n****.” He said, though that he’s “got no beef” with “SNL” head honcho Lorne Michaels and that the two are “good.”

He told the radio hosts, “You go where you’re appreciated.” His new comedy series, “White Famous,” was just picked up by Showtime.

Watch the interview below. Multiple F-bombs, so grab your headphones if you’re watching it at work.

[Via Deadline]

April 14, 2017
Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah Exit ‘Saturday Night Live’

Veteran “Saturday Night Live” cast members Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah will not be returning to the late night sketch series for its 42nd season this fall.

Killam told Uproxx that while he had a year remaining in his contract, “SNL” declined to bring him back. “I don’t know fully. I don’t know the other side of it,” he said of the decision. “You sign for seven years, so I had one more year. I had sort of had it in my head I would make this upcoming year my last year, but then heard they weren’t going to pick up my contract. I was never given a reason why, really.”

An NBC spokesperson confirmed Pharoah’s departure as well, but did not give a reason behind it.

Killam has been with the show for six years, while Pharoah first joined the cast as a featured player in in 2010. Both have taken on major celebrity impressions over the years. Pharoah has played President Obama, Will Smith, and Jay-Z, while Killam impersonated Matthew McConaughey, Paul Ryan, Brad Pitt, and Donald Trump (though he ceded that to Darrell Hammond this past season).

Though the departure might sting, Killam has a project to keep him busy: directing Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Why We’re Killing Gunther.”

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August 9, 2016
Michelle Obama’s Goofy College Rap Video Earns a Solid B+

What are you going to do after high school? Don’t answer “just hang out, I guess” or “Saturday Night Live” and FLOTUS herself, Michelle Obama, may show up and rap at you. Actually, that’s a great reason to say “hang out,” ’cause this video is awesome.

CollegeHumor‘s new music video is a 2-minute ad for a college education, but it could double as an SNL digital short that just happens to include the First Lady and scenes at the White House.

“If you want to fly jets, you should go to college.
Reach high and cash checks, fill your head with knowledge.
If you want to watch paint, don’t go to college.
But for everything else you should go to college.”

It’s a pretty funny video, but there are no tips on how to PAY for college, which can be a sticking point. Maybe the next POTUS is supposed meant to rap those suggestions.

This isn’t even the first time Michelle Obama has rapped. You may recall her skills at the mic when promoting healthy foods. The Washington Post also curated other FLOTUS rap moments, because that’s what real journalists do with their college educations.

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December 10, 2015
Michael Keaton Plays ‘Batman’ & ‘Beetlejuice’ With the ‘SNL’ Cast (VIDEO)

Saturday Night Live” this weekend, and while he was there ostensibly to promote his Oscar-nominated role in the Best Picture winner “Birdman,” the actor was instead bombarded by requests from the cast the reprise two of his most iconic roles: Batman and Beetlejuice.

During his monologue, Keaton was interrupted by Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan, who begged the actor to “play ‘Batman’ with us” and “play ‘Beetlejuice’ with us,” citing their childhood love of those two ’80s classics. The castmates broke into song to explain how much they idolized Keaton, and those movies in particular, as Keaton stammered and became more and more uncomfortable.

Things escalate until Killam and Moynihan decide to just act out scenes from “Batman” and “Beetlejuice” themselves, hilariously dressing up as characters from each film (Killam as Catherine O’Hara in “Beetlejuice” was especially inspired) and editing Keaton into the clips. Jay Pharoah also periodically pops in as The Joker and Harry Belafonte, adding another clever visual gag to the proceedings.

Check out the hilarious bit below, and enjoy having the “Will you play ‘Batman’ with us, Michael Keaton?” tune stuck in your head all day.

Photo credit: YouTube

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April 6, 2015
Watch Kevin Hart’s Amazing ‘SNL’ Digital Short About Gentrification (VIDEO)

This weekend Kevin Hart starred in an above-average “Saturday Night Live” and a below-average romantic comedy (“The Wedding Ringer,” which came in at #2 on the box office). When it came to the former, he was saddled with some so-so sketches and truly exemplary digital short – one that focused on the formerly rough streets of Brooklyn falling to extreme gentrification (yes, you will hear Kevin Hart, in full-on gangster mode, say the words “artisanal mayonnaise place”). You can watch the video below.

In the sketch, Hart and two friends (played by Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharaoh) are standing on a street corner in Bushwick and acting pretty hood, talking about their thug life, which includes the new dog walking business one of them is running, a life-drawing class that somebody is taking, and how much they love gelato. Our new favorite put-down: “You’re acting like someone put gluten in your muffin.”

Just watch it and love it; it was certainly the highlight of the episode in our opinion and further evidence that Kevin Hart is one of the funniest human beings on the planet.

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January 19, 2015