Five days of original programming coming to you live
For the first time ever, our entertainment friends over at Vulture (part of the Viaggio247 Media & New York Media family) are bringing their annual Vulture Festival event online, accessible right from the comfort of your home from Monday, Oct. 26, through Friday, Oct. 30. The virtual event will feature actress Rachel Bloom from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Trolls World Tour; actress Gabrielle Union from Bring It On and Disney’s The Lion Guard; and even a Halloween pet parade.
To check out the weeklong event, you can buy tickets on the official Vulture Festival event page. Tickets are $30 for a pass, granting you access to all of the programming and any of the on-demand video through Nov. 1. And for those of you who want a great deal, Vulture is offering a year-long digital subscription to the entire New York Magazine family of brands in addition to the festival pass for $50.
Want more information? Check out their full schedule, FAQ, and lineup of talent. Follow Vulture on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We’ll see you in the nest!
VULTURE FESTIVAL 2020 SCHEDULE
MONDAY, OCT. 26
The Northern Exposure “Film Festival”
3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET
Celebrate Northern Exposure’s 30th anniversary with a good old-fashioned small-town film festival. We’re descending on the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, populated by Rob Morrow, Barry Corbin, Janine Turner, Cynthia Geary, and John Corbett for a look back at some of our favorite moments from the show, conversations with the cast, and, of course, to stimulate their local economy by taking up all the hotel rooms. Will there be a moose? No! The moose’s agent wouldn’t get back to us.
Luca Guadagnino Film School
4:15 p.m. PT / 7:15 p.m. ET
Luca Guadagnino’s work is defined by his meticulousness: His movies are textured, vivid invitations to a character’s desires and conflicts. Call Me by Your Name and I Am Love are loose, fevered romances; Suspiria and A Bigger Splash are about power and madness. In his latest work, the “loving and brooding” coming-of-age We Are Who We Are, Guadagnino relishes in the confused, fervent friendships of a group of teens on a military base. Join the man himself and Vulture’s Hunter Harris as they discuss five of the scenes that first inspired Guadagnino to bring his own point of view to the cinema and how they helped him shape his craft as a filmmaker.
Literally Going Beyond the Lights With the Cast and Writer-Director of Beyond the Lights
5:15 p.m. PT / 8:15 p.m. ET
Years ago, Gina Prince-Bythewood had a vision: a story about fame, depression, isolation, and love. But it was a vision she’d have to fight for during the film’s years-long journey to the screen. Vulture film critic Bilge Ebiri will be joined by Prince-Bythewood and cast members Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Minnie Driver to discuss the making of this truly rare gem of a romantic drama and why we continue to be completely obsessed with it.
A Night In with New York’s Most Powerful Icons
6:15 p.m. PT / 9:15 p.m. ET
We at Vulture Festival are honored, delighted, and frankly a little intimidated to be welcoming not one, not two, but three of the Empire State’s most celebrated residents: Mary J. Blige, Method Man, and 50 Cent — each one an icon of New York City’s hip-hop scene, who now find themselves coming together through the medium of television on Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost. Join us for an evening of conversation about their legendary careers in music, how they bring that same energy from stage to screen, and learn a thing or two about how New Yorkers get it done.
TUESDAY, OCT. 27
The Winkler Method: A Henry Winkler Acting Class
3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m ET
So you wanna be an actor, huh, kid? Well, as Gene Cousineau might say, “I don’t believe you!” Henry Winkler does, though, and the advice he gave us after his 2018 Emmy win for HBO’s Barry was, “Prepare so that you are not a flash in the pan.” Winkler’s approach has earned him a career that has spanned almost 50 years as an actor, producer, and director. From his role as the Fonz in Happy Days, who set a new standard for “cool,” to the unforgettably hapless lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn in Arrested Development, Winkler’s range is unparalleled. And now he’s looking forward to helping you (yes, you!) find your muse as he answers pre-submitted questions from students and lovers of the craft.
A Night with the New Girl Boys
Presented by Roku
4:15 p.m. PT / 7:15 p.m. ET
After months of quarantining, who doesn’t need a night with the boys? But not just any boys, specifically the boys from Fox’s beloved sitcom New Girl. Join Jake Johnson, Max Greefield, Lamorne Morris, and Damon Wayans Jr. for a true guys night. We’ll share feelings and memories and probably some thoughts on sports, live from what we’ll all pretend is our virtual blanket fort. Maybe one of them will make sangria? Who knows! We can’t really control what the stars do in their own homes.
How To With John Wilson
Presented by HBO
5:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. ET
Hey, New York! Documentary filmmaker and self-described “anxious New Yorker” John Wilson shares his hilarious odyssey of self-discovery and observations of NYC daily life with the new HBO docu-comedy series How To With John Wilson. In the six-part series, John compulsively and covertly films the lives of his fellow New Yorkers while attempting to share everyday advice on relatable topics. This event will feature a special screening of the second episode, followed by a Q&A with Wilson himself, and Executive Producer, Michael Koman. So buckle up, baby, because things are about to get pretty wild.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28
Rachel Bloom in Conversation With Her Fifth-Grade Bully
3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET
Before she was a glamorous, Emmy and Golden Globe–winning celebrity, Rachel Bloom, star and creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend who will publish her first book in November (I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are), was bullied. And now, she and her very real-life fifth-grade bully are reuniting at Vulture Festival for a conversation, because, truly, why not? This certainly won’t be the craziest thing to happen this year month, but it might just be the most healing. Join Rachel and her bully for a chat about the traumas we inflict on one another, whether we ever grow out of it, and how some of this just might maybe, possibly, sort of be relevant to literally everything happening in the world today.
The Baby-Sitters Club Sleepover
4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET
You’re invited to a real-life sleepover with The Baby-Sitters Club! Grab your PJs and join cast members Sophie Grace, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Xochitl Gomez, Malia Baker, and showrunner Rachel Shukert for the ultimate girls’ night in! We’ll be sharing show secrets, taking a peek at some brand-new content, welcoming special guests, and playing a good old-fashioned round of truth or dare. It is a sleepover after all ——chaperoned by our special guest moderator, Busy Philipps!
Never Have I Ever Been to Vulture Festival
5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET
Our favorite teen rom-com comes to Vulture Festival for the very first time, as Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Ramona Young, and Lee Rodriguez sit down with us for a candid goss sesh on everything we love about this gloriously delightful (and tragic) show. We’ll also get to know the real Maitreyi, Ramona, and Lee: Are they Team Paxton or Team Ben? What are their hopes and dreams for life (and season two)? What did they know about John McEnroe before all this, and when did they know it? Join Vulture editor Tara Abell for a fun evening that will make it so you never have to say, “Never have I ever seen Never Have I Ever at Vulture Festival.”
Stylish With Jenna Lyons
Presented by HBO Max
6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET
Fashion icon Jenna Lyons helmed J.Crew for almost a decade and is starting a new business in the home, beauty, and fashion space aimed at helping people from all walks of life find their own style, and she’s documenting the journey on her upcoming show on HBO Max, Stylish With Jenna Lyons. In Vulture Festival’s most fashionable event, we’ll be watching the first episode of the series and then having a chat with Lyons herself, along with her chief of staff Kyle DeFord and stylist Sarah Clary. You don’t necessarily have to dress up for this, but it’s an excellent excuse to do so.
THURSDAY, OCT. 29
Vulture’s Halloween Pet Parade
3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET
Can’t make it to your local Halloween dog parade this year because of there being, like, a virus and stuff? Well, we’ve got you covered. Join Vulture staffers Genevieve Koski, Dee Lockett, Devon Sherer,, and Jen Chaney for a virtual celebration of their own spooky (and silly) pets! Moderator Kathryn VanArendonk will be overseeing this fur-filled virtual event, which will feature various combinations of humans in costumes showing pets and pets in costumes being mad at humans.
How to Look at Art With Jerry Saltz
3:45 p.m. PT / 6:45 p.m. ET
Maybe you’re feeling it: that late-pandemic panic where suddenly you realize you haven’t learned a dang thing during quarantine. But we at Vulture would never allow you to emerge from you virus-proof cocoon without having become the beautiful cultural butterfly we know you are inside. So we’ve got our own resident art critic, Jerry Saltz, coming to Vulture Festival to, quite literally, put on a clinic. By walking us through some of humanity’s greatest works, he’s going to teach us about engaging with art in a way that both fulfills us spiritually and makes our friends wonder if we secretly got an art degree online.
State of the Union With Samantha Bee and Rebecca Traister
4:45 p.m. PT / 7:45 p.m. ET
In case you somehow forgot — and we demand you tell us how you did that — it’s an election year. It won’t be long until our whole world is set to change again, and Vulture Festival wants to make sure you’re as ready for that as you are for, say, the Daria reboot. So we’ve brought together two of our country’s most trenchant political minds: New York Magazine writer-at-large Rebecca Traister and Samantha Bee, host of the Emmy-winning late-night show Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. They’ll be discussing how the year’s, um, events, have brought us to where we are, what we might expect for November, and what the heck we can do about it.
Vulture Honorary Degree: Whoopi Goldberg
5:45 p.m. PT / 8:45 p.m. ET
Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t getting the work she deserved, so she wrote her own show. When Whoopi Goldberg debuted on Broadway in 1984 and then on HBO the next year, it set a new standard for solo performance. She soon won the hearts of filmgoers as Celie in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple, which film critic Roger Ebert hailed as “one of the most amazing debut performances in movie history.” It was only a sign of things to come, as Goldberg’s decades-long career of originating some of our culture’s most memorable roles made her an international household name. As one of just 16 people on planet Earth to achieve the status of EGOT (winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony), she’s far past the need for even a surname. Whoopi is Whoopi: She’s a fearless performer, an American icon, and now the recipient of Vulture’s Honorary Degree.
FRIDAY, OCT. 30
A Puppy Playdate With Rachel Brosnahan
3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET
Rachel Brosnahan is an actress, producer, Emmy and Golden Globe winner, and human being, but she is also so much more. She is, above all else, a dog mom. And, as this is our very first pet-inclusive Vulture Festival, we get to meet Brosnahan’s very good boy, Winston, and also her very good girl, Nikki! Join us for an evening full of treats, tricks, and conversation about (wo)man’s best friend. This promises to be a howling good time and an excellent option for people who love dogs and Rachel Brosnahan but have cats, allergies, and/or don’t know Rachel Brosnahan personally.
The Real Housewives Welcoming Committee With Gizelle Bryant and Heather Gay
4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET
This year’s Vulture Festival is doing the most by bringing together a new housewife and a veteran housewife for a candid conversation about all that goes into this beloved franchise. Award-winning author, co-host of the upcoming Bravo’s Chat Room, and Real Housewife of Potomac Gizelle Bryant will be joined in conversation by a brand-new member of the Real Housewives Cinematic Universe, Heather Gay, of the upcoming The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. So grab your favorite bottle of wine and get ready to catch up on all the tea while learning what it takes to be one of the few, the glamorous, the Real Housewives.
Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba: That’s It, That’s the Event
5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET
Calling all millennials: Your heroes have arrived. That’s right, both of them! Confirmed legends Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba will be sitting down with us for a look back at their storied careers, from the classic sports film Bring It On to TV’s groundbreaking Dark Angel, to today, as their current show L.A.’s Finest brings them together at last. Find out what it’s like to go from teen idols to queens of Hollywood, with two women who’ve managed to do just that without compromising their ethics. And hey, maybe we’ll finally figure out their skin-care secrets?
Learning to Love I Hate Suzie
Presented by HBO Max
6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET
HBO Max is bringing the first episode of its upcoming series I Hate Suzie to Vulture Festival! Get an early look at the beginning of this eight-part series from the creative team behind Secret Diary of a Call Girl. It’s a sordid tale of an actress named Suzie Pickles, whose world is sent into free fall when hacked photos of her with a man who is not her husband leak. That’s the shot, and here’s the chaser: After the screening, we’ll get to sit down for a chat with lead actress Billie Piper and writer Lucy Prebble.