Patrick Stewart, The Devil You Don't Know, and a question I need help with

plus the Office Ladies, a visit to New York Comic Con, and a pass on Jada Pinkett Smith

Make it so!

Patrick Stewart’s memoir is called Making It So, and of course it’s delightful; well written, honest, and full of surprises. I’m about halfway through, and I was thrilled to see him turn up on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

I foolishly forgot there are clips on YouTube, so I just enjoyed his dulcet tones without visuals. I’m pretty sure everything he talked about is in his book, but watching him react to the people around him would’ve taken it to another level.

I’ve already heard the podcast, but the video is tempting. I’d like to see his face while he describes sucking the bathwater out of the tub with a hose.

And now for something completely different: The Devil You Don’t Know

My friends Lindsay and Cleveland have a new podcast totally outside the realm of what I normally listen to, but I’ve been gobbling it up despite the glaring lack of celebrities talking to each other about their celebrity lives.

It’s about getting out of your comfort zone, and Cleve & Lindsay have a fun dynamic which comes through loud & clear. They’ve both been through a lot of life in all of its messiness, they don’t judge, and they have good wisdom to share. I especially liked the episode about relationships.

Jada Pinkett Smith on Armchair Expert? No thanks!

Dax is raving about this one on Instagram, but I don’t think I have it in me. Kurt Loder (who, among his many other accomplishments, personally taught me the word “merkin” for the first time), summed up my sentiments well.

Kurt and I are clearly not the only ones who feels this way.

I suggest listening to the Fred Armisen episode instead.

The Office Ladies have a SAG Awards flashback

I love the way Jenna and Angela break down The Office, I enjoy all the behind-the-scenes tidbits, interviews, and “candybag alts,” but I also revere the unashamed prioritizing of happiness and family that’s behind the very existence of their podcast.

When Jenna said, “I pumped at the SAG Awards,” I cheered. You can be the star of a hit sitcom at a fancy awards show and still need a private place to get milk out of your boobs! Back then, she was four months postpartum, nervous about appearing in public, then woke up the next day to find out she was on all the worst-dressed lists.

Jenna remembers the most insulting comment and the name of the person who wrote it. Same for Patrick Stewart, who can still quote his worst review; when he brought it up, Conan told him that Harrison Ford still remembers the guy who said he had too pretentious a name for a young man and told him to change it.

Do I remember the names of people who said shitty things to or about me and what they said?

Every single one.

I have a question!

My favorite podcasts are longform, deep dive conversations, hosted by celebrities who meet their interview subjects on more or less equal ground with some commonality in their experience. I love them, as any regular reader knows. But why are the main hosts all men?

Where are my women at? Does anyone know of podcasts in that same style hosted by a famous woman? Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Wiser Than Me is the closest, although her episodes aren’t that long and they follow a set format. It seems impossible that there aren’t some out there, right?

Please tell me about them.

New York Comic Con

I warned you I might be looking for excuses to post some photos from NYCC. I had a great day there. After the Star Trek panel, I interviewed Lower Decks creator & showrunner Mike McMahan—but wait! I have a complaint.

The Mike McMahan interviews were done roundtable-style, which means I was at a table with four other reporters. Usually you get good stuff from your own questions as well as other people’s, but as soon as Mike sat down, one of the guys started with “Where did you go to college?”

We had 15 minutes and five reporters, and this dude used it to ask something he could’ve Googled. His follow-up was equally terrible and I felt no guilt for interrupting with my own (better) questions whenever I saw him about to speak again.

But Comic Con was fun! I took Little Riker around the booths, saw friends, scored free Klingon Christmas socks, and had a nerdy, exhausting, rewarding day.

(You can find all the coverage over at TrekMovie.)

Special “emergency” podcast

In addition to our regular All Access Star Trek episode, we did an “emergency” podcast with Kayla of the Shuttle Pod about the delightful news that Star Trek: Prodigy has been picked up by Netflix.

Hooray!