Denzel Washington Is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period

Last updated
'Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period'
Album cover for Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period.jpg
Presentation
Hosted by W. Kamau Bell, Kevin Avery
Genre Film criticism, Comedy, Interview
Language English
Length40–90 minutes
Publication
Original releaseNovember 2, 2014;10 years ago (November 2, 2014)
Provider Earwolf
Related
Website www.earwolf.com/show/denzel-washington/
Denzel Washington cropped 02.jpg

Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period, sometimes abbreviated to DWITGAOATP, [1] is a weekly podcast co-hosted by W. Kamau Bell and Kevin Avery. Designed to highlight and canonize the career and cultural significance of actor Denzel Washington, the show reviews each of his films, discusses "Denzel news," and interviews filmmakers associated with and inspired by his work. [2] [3] As the show has evolved, it has also expanded to include discussions on the state of black film and diversity in media. The show is produced by Earwolf.

Contents

Background

Co-hosts Avery and Bell first met as stand-up comics in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Avery would later serve as the head writer for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell . [4] [5] They had frequently connected over their shared fandom of Denzel Washington films, which led to the concept of the podcast being created when both comedians were searching for new projects after the cancelation of Totally Biased. [6]

Bell explained the motivation for creating the podcast as follows:

I think the great thing about this podcast is, even if people don't think he's the greatest actor of all time—first of all, they'd be wrong—you'd totally get why somebody would be excited about Denzel Washington. He's like black Santa Claus, like he'd walk into the room and everybody gets excited. He's just one of those dudes. There are other actors like that, but I think as a black actor, it says something more about him and his place in history. And, also, he's very aware of his place in history. So, I think that's the other thing, too. He's an actor who's aware that he's a part of the history of black Hollywood, and he has to take care of his place, because who knows who's coming after him?

— "W. Kamau Bell on Baltimore, Ferguson, and Why Denzel Washington Is the Greatest", Esquire , April 30, 2015 [6]

The first episode of the show was released on November 2, 2014, and new episodes are generally released on Thursdays. [7] The initial goal was to review Washington's films in mostly alphabetical order, although in practice guest hosts and topical conversations have resulted in that order being changed many times. [8]

Beyond focusing on Washington's career alone, the podcast has also expanded to include discussions on the role of black actors and filmmakers in Hollywood and in media in general. Bell explained in an interview how the premise of the show connects with this added focus: "There's stuff about how hard it is to be a working black actress in Hollywood, because you see [Denzel] and where are all these black actresses that you see in one movie? Why aren't they working more? So we end up bleeding into other issues." [4]

Format

Reviews and ratings

Bell, Avery, and guest hosts all provide a rating on a 1 to 5 star-rating scale for each film reviewed. The ratings system is based on a speech from the movie Malcolm X, as follows: "Been Took" (1), "Led Astray" (2), "Hoodwinked" (3), "Run Amok" (4), and "Bamboozled" (5). [9] Occasionally, a 6-star rating of "This is what he does!", created based on a fan suggestion, is also given. [9] [10] As of June 2016, the average ratings given by Bell and Avery are 3.45 and 3.83 respectively, while guests have collectively given an average rating of 4.43. [11]

Interviews and guests

The show has featured several comedians, actors, and filmmakers as guest hosts. It also features interviews with actors and filmmakers who have collaborated with Washington as well as other notable figures in black film and media. Guests are generally asked to list their top 5 favorite Denzel Washington films, in order. A guest choosing more than five films for their list known as "Cooglering", as guest Ryan Coogler did so by including multiple films tied for one spot. Notable interviewees and guest hosts include:

Although the podcast had several guests over the years, there is one very noticeable absence. Despite the fact that the podcast is named after Denzel Washington, has frequently talked about his movies and has several guests that worked with him, Washington himself has not appeared on the show as of yet despite the fact he's still alive and still active as an actor and filmmaker.

Recurring themes and lore

Denzelishness

Some of the common characteristics and features of Denzel Washington characters are described in the podcast as components of "Denzelishness." These include: the Denzel walk ("sideways stroll with the confidence of a man who just had a shot of tequila"), Denzel humor, the Denzel lip, unaffected badassery, and the Glory tear (referring to an iconic scene where Washington's character cries a single tear in that film). [34]

Periodization of Washington's career

In the show, Avery and Bell periodize Washington's films into four distinct phases: the Glory Era, the He Got Game Era, the Man on Fire Era, and the Old Man Action Era. [35] The last is the current era of his filmography, and includes such films as The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), The Book of Eli (2010), Safe House (2012), and The Equalizer (2014).

Fan community

Fans of the podcast are known as "Denzealots", and several have appeared as guest hosts or interviewees on the show. The Denzealots.com webpage and Twitter account are both created and maintained by fans (Igor Rusinov and Liz respectively, who have both been interviewed on the show). [36] [37] Fans also regularly participate in conversation with Bell, Avery, and each other on Twitter, and create various memes associated with jokes and themes from the show. [38]

Reception

The podcast debuted at No. 81 on the iTunes US podcast charts, and reached No. 57 the subsequent week. [39] In November 2015, it was selected as one of "Ten Podcasts Every Black Woman Should Hear" by Essence magazine. [40] It was also selected as a "must-listen" podcast by The Offing magazine. [41]

The A.V. Club's recurring Podmass feature has highlighted the show five times in its best-podcasts-of-the-week column between 2014 and 2016, for episodes featuring a review of A Soldier's Story , [42] an interview with David Alan Grier about A Soldier's Play , [43] a review of Mo' Better Blues with guest Ava DuVernay, [44] a two-part interview with Spike Lee, [45] and a discussion of an article on "The Black Film Canon" with Slate writers Aisha Harris and Dan Kois. [45]

Bell and Avery were highlighted in a list of innovative podcasters by Fast Company in February 2015. [46]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Conniff</span> American actor

Frank Conniff Jr. is an American writer, actor, comedian and producer, who is best known for his portrayal of TV's Frank on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). He is the son of journalist and editor Frank Conniff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Scott (actor)</span> American actor (born 1973)

Adam Paul Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ben Wyatt in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2010–2015), for which he was twice nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award, as well as for starring in the Apple TV+ thriller series Severance, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Huebel</span> American actor and comedian

Robert Anderson Huebel is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for his sketch comedy work on the MTV series Human Giant and for his role of Dr. Owen Maestro on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. He also appeared as Russell on the FX/FXX series The League and as Len Novak on the Amazon Prime Video series Transparent. In December 2022, Entertainment Weekly called Huebel "the premier d-bag character actor of his generation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul F. Tompkins</span> American comedian and actor (born 1968)

Paul Francis Tompkins is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television on such programs as Mr. Show with Bob and David, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Best Week Ever, later renamed Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Daly</span> American actor and comedian

Andrew Daly is an American actor and comedian. He starred as Forrest MacNeil on the Comedy Central series Review, and had a supporting role in the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down as Terrence Cutler. He has also made recurring appearances on television programs such as Silicon Valley, Veep, Modern Family, Black-ish, Trial & Error, the Netflix series The Who Was? Show, Reno 911!, and Comedy Bang! Bang!, as well as animated shows such as Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites, Bob's Burgers, Adventure Time, and Harley Quinn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Aukerman</span> American actor and comedian

Scott David Aukerman is an American writer, actor, comedian, television personality, director, producer, and podcast host. Starting as a writer and performer in the later seasons of the sketch series Mr. Show, Aukerman is best known as the host of the weekly comedy podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! as well as the IFC original television series of the same name. Aukerman is the co-creator of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis and co-founder of the Earwolf podcast network.

Jamie Denbo is an American actress, writer, comedian and half of the comedy duo Ronna and Beverly with Jessica Chaffin. She also co-starred in the FX series Terriers and appeared in Spy, The Heat and Ghostbusters (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hari Kondabolu</span> American comedian

Hari Karthikeya Kondabolu is an American stand-up comedian and writer. His comedy covers subjects such as race, inequity, and Indian stereotypes. He was a writer for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and the creator of the 2017 documentary film The Problem with Apu.

Jessica Chaffin is an American actress, comedian, and writer best known as part of the comedy duo Ronna and Beverly with Jamie Denbo. She is also known for her recurring roles as Coco Wexler on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101, Marie Faldonado in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan and appearing in the films Spy and The Heat. She starred as Beth in the NBC sitcom Abby's.

Maximum Fun is an independent, worker-owned cooperative podcast and radio show production organization founded by Jesse Thorn. The organization originated with Thorn's college radio show The Sound of Young America which continued in an adapted format and with a new name, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn. Maximum Fun has since grown to include several other programs. Shows on the network cover a wide variety of topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earwolf</span> American podcasting network

Earwolf is an American comedy podcasting network founded by Scott Aukerman and Jeff Ullrich in August 2010. initially built around the Comedy Death-Ray Radio podcast, the network has since grown to include many podcasts on diverse subjects. The Earwolf studios are in Los Angeles, California, United States.

Seth Morris is an American actor, comedian, and writer known for his recurring roles on programs such as Go On, Happy Endings, The Hotwives of Orlando, The League, Kroll Show, and Childrens Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. Kamau Bell</span> American comedian and television host (born 1973)

Walter Kamau Bell is an American stand-up comic and television host. He has hosted the CNN series United Shades of America since 2016, and hosted FXX television series Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell from 2012 to 2013. He is the host of the live radio show and podcast Kamau Right Now on KALW, and also co-hosts the podcasts Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period with Kevin Avery (comedian) and Politically Re-Active with Hari Kondabolu. In 2022, Bell directed and produced the documentary miniseries We Need to Talk About Cosby.

Elizabeth Laime is an American writer, actress and podcast host. She currently hosts the podcast Totally Laime formerly of the Earwolf network. Her former podcasts include Totally Married, a relationship advice show, and Totally Mommy, a show about parenting. She has written for the TruTV comedy series I'm Sorry, the NBC series The Village. and the ABC series A Million Little Things.

<i>Ronna and Beverly</i> Talk show and interview podcast

Ronna Marlene Glickman and Beverly Ginsberg are the 50-something characters created and embodied by actors and comedians Jessica Chaffin and Jamie Denbo. They hosted a podcast on the Earwolf network from 2011 until 2017 wherein they interviewed a celebrity guest, interacted with one another, and dispensed advice to listeners. Chaffin and Denbo developed their characters in 2006 when they were asked to host an all-Jewish 'Kosher Christmas Show' at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Gourley</span> American actor, comedian, and podcaster

Matthew James Gourley is an American actor, comedian, and podcaster best known for his work on the Superego and Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcasts and Drunk History.

<i>The Canon</i> (podcast) Film podcast

The Canon was a weekly audio podcast on Earwolf which began airing on November 3, 2014 and ended on July 16, 2018. Each week, Devin Faraci and Amy Nicholson, of MTV News, discussed films they believed to be worthy of The Canon. The Canon is a list of films that the audience votes to decide whether it is one of "the greatest films of all time", similar to the Western Canon. Some episodes compare two films head-to-head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demi Adejuyigbe</span> British-born American writer, comedian

Oluwademilade "Demi" Adejuyigbe is a British-born American writer, comedian, and social media personality. He is best known for co-hosting the podcast Gilmore Guys, and his work on the NBC comedy series The Good Place and the CBS late night show The Late Late Show with James Corden. In 2018, he was named as one of Vulture magazine's "38 Comedians You Should and Will Know".

<i>Politically Re-Active</i> American political and comedy podcast

Politically Re-Active is a political comedy podcast hosted by comedians W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu. The left-leaning show, organized around guest interviews, launched in June 2016 and initially focused on the 2016 United States presidential election, but continued through October 2017. After a hiatus, it resumed in October 2020.

<i>Professor Blastoff</i> Comedy podcast

Professor Blastoff was a weekly comedy audio podcast, which was released every Tuesday and lasted four years from May 15, 2011 to July 21, 2015. It was hosted by comedians Tig Notaro, Kyle Dunnigan and David Huntsberger. The topics ranged from scientific, philosophical, metaphysical and humanitarian with guest host Aaron Burrell assisting in the research, who was also Tig's assistant at the time.

References

  1. ↑ "DWITGAOATP!". denzelisthegreatest.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  2. ↑ "Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period podcast on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  3. ↑ Cowell, Tom (2015-05-06). "But IS Denzel Washington the Greatest Actor of All Time, Period?" . Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  4. 1 2 "W. Kamau Bell On Podcasting, Denzel, And The Wisdom Of Betting On Yourself". 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  5. ↑ "About Kevin Avery « Kevin Avery". www.kevinaverycomedy.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  6. 1 2 "W. Kamau Bell on Why Denzel Washington Is the Greatest". 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  7. ↑ "Denzel Washington is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period - Howl". Howl. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  8. ↑ "Denzel Washington..." W. Kamau Bell. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  9. 1 2 "Denzealots - Rating System". denzealots.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  10. ↑ "W. Kamau Bell on Twitter" . Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  11. ↑ "Denzealots - Stats". denzealots.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  12. ↑ "He Got Game (w/ Omar Dorsey), episode #23 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  13. ↑ "Straight Outta Compton, episode #44 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  14. ↑ "Training Day: Redux, episode #45 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  15. ↑ "Denzealot J. August Richards, episode #46 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  16. ↑ "Mo' Better Blues Pt. 2, episode #53 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  17. ↑ "Purple Rain (with J. August Richards), episode #78 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  18. ↑ "Mo' Better Blues w/ Ava Duvernay, episode #50 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  19. ↑ "Mississippi Masala, episode #51 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  20. ↑ "Spike Lee Confirms He Will Direct One of August Wilson Plays for HBO, episode #56 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  21. ↑ "Spike Lee: Another Thing People Don't Know, episode #57 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  22. ↑ "Creed w/ Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington, episode #57 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  23. ↑ "The Wiz Live! (w/ David Alan Grier), episode #58 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  24. ↑ "Philadelphia (w/ Sonari Glinton), episode #60 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  25. ↑ "Remember the Titans (w/ India Arie), episode #64 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  26. ↑ "Jerrika Hinton of Grey's Anatomy, episode #67 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  27. ↑ "Devil in a Blue Dress with Issa Rae, episode #69 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  28. ↑ "Jesse Williams of Grey's Anatomy, episode #70 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  29. ↑ "Sterling K. Brown of The People v. O.J. Simpson, episode #71 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  30. ↑ "Gary Whitta of The Book of Eli, episode #73 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  31. ↑ "Cassandra Freeman of Inside Man, episode #75 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  32. ↑ "Terry Gross of NPR's Fresh Air, episode #77 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  33. ↑ "American Gangster (w/ Touré), episode #84 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  34. ↑ Hershon, Marc (2014-11-14). "Podcast Review: Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time PERIOD". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  35. ↑ "THE MUSEUM OF DENZELISHNESS: EXAMINING #DWITGAOATP" . Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  36. ↑ "Igor Rusinov of Welcome to Denzelishness, episode #33 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  37. ↑ "Liz of @Denzealots, episode #32 of Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  38. ↑ "Denzealots - Gallery". denzealots.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  39. ↑ "iTunesCharts.net: 'Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period' by Wolfpop (American Podcasts iTunes Chart)". www.itunescharts.net. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  40. ↑ "Instagram photo by W. Kamau Bell • Nov 13, 2015 at 6:23am UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  41. ↑ "The Offing Editors Pick Their Must-Listen Podcasts | The Offing". 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  42. ↑ "Bill Murray crashes every other party, so why not Podmass?". The A.V. Club . 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  43. ↑ "The Flop House reminds listeners it's never too late to celebrate Cagemas". The A.V. Club . 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  44. ↑ "Another Round asks Hillary Clinton if Bill fucked things up for black people". The A.V. Club . 2015-10-12. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  45. 1 2 "Megan Amram talks candidly about her experiences as a female TV writer". The A.V. Club . 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  46. ↑ Greenfield, Rebecca (2015-02-09). "The Future of Media is Podcasting". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.