Robert Licuria

Oscar anxiety is back: The races we still can’t call, plus our Bad Bunny halftime show obsession Podcast Episode · Awards Heaven: In Conversation - The Podcast · 02/14/2026 · 1h 35m

Awards Heaven Podcast Episode 16 is live!

➤ tinyurl.com/2wnkjx9x

Oscar anxiety, DGA fallout, Bad Bunny’s awesome Super Bowl LX halftime show, Winter Olympics and Socceroos passion and our Top 5 sports movies. If awards season is your sport, this episode is your group chat.

Grammy fallout, Indie Spirit ballots, and a deep-dive into our favorite documentary features The OG trio reunites for Grammy reactions, Spirit Awards ballot reveals, Oscar documentary predictions, our all-time favorite docs and a tribute to Catherine O’Hara.

Awards Heaven Podcast Episode 15 is live!

➤ tinyurl.com/454wpsv8

Grammys fallout, Spirit Awards ballot reveals, Oscar documentary predictions, our favourite docs ever and a tribute to Catherine O’Hara. If awards season is your sport, this episode is your group chat.

Beauty as violence: Inside the Oscar-nominated makeup and hairstyling of 'The Ugly Stepsister' Anne Cathrine Sauerberg and Thomas Foldberg celebrate their Oscar nomination for a classic fairytale reimagined through transformation-driven storytelling.

Anne Cathrine Sauerberg and Thomas Foldberg take us inside THE UGLY STEPSISTER, the Oscar-nominated body-horror fairytale where beauty is pain and transformation leaves scars. One of the boldest makeup nominees in years.

➤ Full interview here: tinyurl.com/2c78d7uz

A clear-eyed read on the Oscar nominations, BAFTA’s verdict and a Grammy deep-dive Tony Ruiz, Charles Bright, Daniel Montgomery and I take stock of the Oscar race, size up BAFTA, lock in Grammy predictions, and count down the greatest Grammy performances of all time.

Awards Heaven Podcast Episode 14 is live!
➤ tinyurl.com/y2mdanct

Oscar nominations, BAFTA curveballs, our Grammy predictions and our Top 5 Grammy performances of all time.

Jeffrey Roth on 'The Man with the Hat' and gaining unprecedented access to the awe of Ancient Egypt A conversation with documentary filmmaker Jeffrey Roth about his intimate, high-risk portrait of Dr. Zahi Hawass, the icon who reshaped how the world sees ancient Egypt.

Jeffrey Roth takes us inside 'The Man with the Hat', his portrait of legendary Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, with rare access to the awe and wonder of Ancient Egypt and standing face to face with history.

➤ Watch and read the full interview here: tinyurl.com/mvm8mx9z

Oscar noms at dawn: Let's watch the announcements live, together We’re live on YouTube, reacting in real time to the 2026 Oscar nominations as they’re announced on screen. The sure-things, the shockers, the snubs, the tears of joy, and maybe a few tears of rage...

The 2026 Oscar nominations are about to drop and we're going LIVE on YouTube, reacting as the names hit the screen. Tony Ruiz, Charles Bright, special guests, instant unfiltered reactions in real time. You don't wanna miss this ➤ tinyurl.com/bdydyat9

Saul Rubinek and the art of moral compromise The acclaimed actor, filmmaker, playwright and author reflects on espionage, otherness, legacy, and a life in storytelling, from The Copenhagen Test to SHTTL to Shylock to memoir and memory.

Saul Rubinek brings his life story to the moral tension at the heart of The Copenhagen Test. A born storyteller with a life that spans continents, generations and art forms.

➤ This deeply personal conversation is not to be missed: tinyurl.com/f6j2sk2j

Our final Oscar nomination predictions and our top films of 2025 Who's in and who's out, some wishful thinking and a few gutsy left-field calls, plus we each reveal our top 5 cinematic masterpieces of the year.

Awards Heaven Podcast Episode 13 is live!
➤ tinyurl.com/vn27u5vy

Final Oscar nomination predictions in every category (except the shorts). We advocate, we agitate, we prognosticate. Then, our Top 5 Films of 2025. Your awards season group chat is here.

Inside the mind of 'Bugonia': Will Tracy on conspiracy, compassion, and that killer ending A deep-dive with the award-winning 'Bugonia' screenwriter on conspiracy culture, moral unease, and collaborating with Yorgos Lanthimos.

Check out my conversation with BUGONIA screenwriter Will Tracy about craft, character and ambiguity. If you care about screenwriting and the films that will be part of this year’s awards conversation, this is one you won’t want to miss.

➤ tinyurl.com/3z76fhfd

#oscars2026

Awards season whiplash: Critics’ Choice, SAG, DGA reactions and Golden Globe predictions The week’s biggest awards shakeups, guild curveballs, and Golden Globe predictions, plus what’s being misread as the season accelerates.

Awards Heaven Podcast Ep. 12 is live!
➤ tinyurl.com/ys5wyaft
Critics’ Choice, SAG & DGA curveballs + Golden Globe predix. Who’s rising, who’s overperforming, which narratives are off + Top 5 Globe wins that collapsed at the Oscars and Emmys. With Dan Bayer.

Christmas takes and Oscar stakes: It's the most wonderful time of the year Episode 11 checks in on Best Picture at the Oscars, 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' and our Top 5 Christmas movies, with special guest Amanda Spears

Awards Heaven Podcast episode 11 is live!

We've got bold Best Picture predictions. The Voice of Hind Rajab, Pillion, what we’re watching, and our Top 5 Christmas movies.

Pour something festive and hit play🎄

➤ tinyurl.com/c63djh8x

Kaouther Ben Hania on the harrowing call that became 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' How a 70-minute emergency recording shaped the form, sound, and moral weight of one of the year’s most acclaimed international films.

After hearing a 70-minute emergency call, acclaimed filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania dropped everything and made The Voice of Hind Rajab. Here's my conversation with her about the proximity to real events and the craft behind the Oscar-shortlisted film.
➤ tinyurl.com/4vh4adw8

Oscar shortlists shake the race, Secret Agent & Sirāt surge and the Emmy wins we still can’t forgive Tony Ruiz hosts Awards Heaven Podcast Episode 10, dishing Oscar momentum, Rob Reiner’s legacy and television’s most aggravating Emmy victories.

Awards Heaven Podcast episode 10 is live!

We go there. Oscar shortlists, The Secret Agent and Sirāt surge, honoring Rob Reiner’s legacy, and the Emmy wins we still resent get called out. Emotional, unfiltered and deeply cathartic.

➤ tinyurl.com/3zbd75ut

Gold Derby Deep Dive: 'Jay Kelly,' 'Marty Supreme,' 'Wake Up Dead Man' and 'Wicked: For Good' Four of the most acclaimed film composers of 2025 just got the deep-dive treatment: Nicholas Britell, Daniel Lopatin, Nathan Johns and John Powell.

Four film composers: Britell. Lopatin. Johnson. Powell.

From Jay Kelly to Marty Supreme, Wicked: For Good to Wake Up Dead Man, my latest Gold Derby Deep Dives break down how modern film scores are made and why they matter in the 2025 awards race.

➤ tinyurl.com/42p672hb

Awards season momentum swings as critics picks, Globes nominations and new releases redefine the race Episode 9: LAFCA fallout, Golden Globes surprises, divisive films, must-see performances and our Top 5 Oscar snubs.

Awards Heaven Podcast episode 9 is live!
LAFCA, Globes, awards season up for grabs. Charlie, Tony & I tackle new frontrunners, a Sentimental Value lovefest, Jay Kelly review, a Sirat showdown + our Top 5 Oscar snubs that still haunt us.
➤ tinyurl.com/2rc6krkw

I sat down with author Nick Spake to chat animation awards history from 200 industry figures to a joint chat with Menken & Schwartz, his work reframes animation's value.

➤Check out cartooncontender.com and our interview here: tinyurl.com/5n8hmbw4

The evolution of Johnnie Burn: From Oscar-winning sound design to the psychology of sound in 'Hamnet' and 'Bugonia' How a breakthrough Oscar win pushed Burn’s sound design into new territory and set the stage for his continued pursuit of sound as emotional experience.

Johnnie Burn’s Oscar win for 'The Zone of Interest' marked a rare shift in how film sound is understood. We talked about its impact and how his work evolves in 'Hamnet' and 'Bugonia.' This is the interview I've wanted to do for years. @johnnieburn
➤ tinyurl.com/ycxcwet5

'Children No More' and the power of a silent vigil Documentary filmmaker Hilla Medalia on witnessing grief, breaking silence and filming a vigil that refuses to look away.

Just published my conversation with Peabody Award winner Hilla Medalia about 'Children No More' - her powerful documentary short film observing a silent vigil for Gaza’s children. A quiet film with real force. A must see.
➤ tinyurl.com/ycy477yz
@hillamedalia #childrennomore

‘Landman’ artisans break down Season 2’s bold creative risks and Taylor Sheridan’s world-building.

Director Stephen Kay, set designer Dawn Brown, assistant costume designer Samantha Pavlat, and composer Andrew Lockington reveal their secrets.

▶️https://tinyurl.com/yc7bwud9

The sound of 'Sinners': How Chris Welcker pulled off the impossible The production sound mixer breaks down how he kept the film alive in real time, from twin performances to live blues to dialogue salvaged from a roaring IMAX camera.

Twin timing, live blues on a gravel road, live musical performance, vintage instruments, a noisy IMAX camera inches from the cast. Sound genius Chris Welcker explains how he recorded the unrecordable on Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS.

➤ tinyurl.com/wrj6f287

Awards season chaos arrives: Tony hosts, Daniel joins, and the first big contenders take shape Episode 8: Early precursors, frontrunners, surprise surges, Radiohead talk, and our Top 5 Grammy Album of the Year wins.

Awards Heaven Podcast episode 8 is live!
Tony takes the mic, Daniel Montgomery joins us, we get into Sentimental Value, It Was Just an Accident, Marty Supreme, acting races, what we’re watching, Radiohead deep dive, Top 5 Grammy Album of the Year wins.
➤ tinyurl.com/4dxmmds5

Gold Derby Deep Dive: 'Rental Family' and 'The Testament of Ann Lee' Two of the most striking film scores of 2025 just got the deep-dive treatment: Daniel Blumberg's 'The Testament of Ann Lee' and Alex Somers' 'Rental Family.'

Two of the best film scores of 2025 just got the deep-dive treatment: Daniel Blumberg - The Testament of Ann Lee + Alex Somers - Rental Family. If you care about how music shapes storytelling, these are worth your time. Read both at Gold Derby: tinyurl.com/y22r9zk6

Greg Whiteley on courage, vulnerability and the untold truth behind 'America’s Sweethearts' The Emmy-winning filmmaker opens up about obsession, perfection, power, and why the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are one of the most fascinating subjects of his career.

I interviewed Greg Whiteley re AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS: a conversation about truth, myth, perfection & courage.

If u wanna know why the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders fascinate millions & why Greg is one of the best doc storytellers around, this is for you: tinyurl.com/4brkfnk3

Breathing in the 'Meanwhile': Catherine Gund on identity, memory, and what lives between us A conversation with the filmmaker behind a docu-poem born from chaos, shaped by artists, and carried on the shared breath that binds us all.

Just dropped: my conversation with doc filmmaker/activist Catherine Gund about Meanwhile: her new film that treats breath, memory and identity as its own language. If you want a documentary that lingers, read/watch/listen to this: tinyurl.com/mr7hhsb2

Gold Derby Deep Dive: The 'Predator' movie that broke me (in a good way) And why the VFX team behind it delivered one of the coolest interviews I’ve done.

A Predator with heart.
A planet built to kill.
A creature team firing on all cylinders.
I spoke with the artists behind Badlands to learn how they pulled off the franchise’s boldest swing yet.
The Gold Derby Deep Dive:
🔗 tinyurl.com/dp48h4uf
@predator @disney @20thcentury

Inside 'America’s Team': Chapman and Maclain Way on myth, power and the making of a Cowboys dynasty The Emmy-winning directors behind 'Wild Wild Country' and 'Untold' break down their new Netflix epic, and why Jerry Jones, risk and American mythology made this the biggest story of their career.

I talked to Chapman and Maclain Way about 'America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys' - a doc series about mythmaking, ambition, risk, legacy.
One of the most compelling interviews I’ve done.
Watch/listen/read: tinyurl.com/mp3cemsw

Two sound artists. One storm. No ADR from Daniel Day-Lewis.

Find out how Steve Fanagan and Stevie Haywood used weather, silence, and breath to tell the whole story in ANEMONE.

➤ New episode up now: tinyurl.com/yps87xkf

Sound as psychology in 'If I Had Legs I’d Kick You' Sound geniuses Ruy Garcia, Filipe Messeder and Patrick Southern on building a world that rarely lets the audience breathe

Baby monitors. Hospital dread. A soundscape built on anxiety.
Three sound artists break down how 'If I Had Legs I’d Kick You' (starring Rose Byrne) traps us inside Linda’s head.

If you're into super-innovative film sound design, this is worth a watch.

New interview up now: tinyurl.com/j53rv5ck

Awards Heaven Podcast episode 7 is live!

We wrestle with Hamnet, why Train Dreams is Joel Edgerton’s best work ever & Amanda Seyfried is A+ in Testament of Ann Lee + hat-tip to Anne Thompson & top 5 Oscar wins that make no sense.

➤ Listen & watch here: awardsheaven.substack.com/p/hamnet-or-...

‘Pluribus’ composer on utilizing an ‘actual choir’ for the haunting ‘please, Carol, please’ crescendo in Episode 4 Dave Porter reveals why the new Apple TV series demands a different musical language from his previous collaborations with Vince Gilligan.

What happens when music stops backing a scene and starts shaping a character?
I spoke with composer Dave Porter about scoring PLURIBUS Episode 4: mood, identity and risk.
Read it at Gold Derby: tinyurl.com/pjwnr4d3