

And the Runner-Up Is
Kevin Jacobsen
"And the Runner-Up Is" is the Oscar history podcast that highlights past races at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Host Kevin Jacobsen and special guests break down why winners won, why losers lost, and which films and contenders were the likely runners-up, falling just short of taking home the gold.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 22, 2024 • 24min
How Did They Win: Geena Davis ('The Accidental Tourist')
Listen to a PREVIEW of the 15th episode of How Did They Win, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! How Did They Win is a series in which Kevin is joined by special guests in breaking down a notable Oscar category outside of Best Picture. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Tom O'Brien and Amy Thomasson about Geena Davis winning Best Supporting Actress at the 1988 Oscars. This episode includes a breakdown of each nominee, a discussion of why they were nominated, why four of them lost, why Geena Davis won, and all the notable snubs. You can listen to the full episode of How Did They Win by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Tom O'Brien on Twitter: @thomaseobrien Follow Amy Thomasson on Twitter: @athomasson11 Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Clip included in this episode: "Dangerous Liaisons" - Warner Bros.

May 8, 2024 • 58min
1999 Bonus (feat. Dave Karger)
This week on a bonus episode And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin talks with TCM host Dave Karger about the 1999 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Hilary Swank won for her performance in "Boys Don't Cry." Like the main show episode, we discuss Swank's performance and the other nominees, but from Dave's perspective as a reporter at the time. We also discuss his great new book, 50 Oscar Nights! Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Dave Karger on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Apr 24, 2024 • 23min
A Woman Robbed: Isabella Rossellini and Linda Fiorentino
Listen to this PREVIEW of the 12th episode of A Woman Robbed, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! A Woman Robbed is a series in which Kevin is joined by a special guest in discussing women who had significant Oscar buzz heading into the nominations but were ultimately robbed/snubbed/omitted from the Best Actress lineup. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Zach Laws about two performances that won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead but weren't nominated at the Oscars: Isabella Rossellini ("Blue Velvet") and Linda Fiorentino ("The Last Seduction"). We discuss their performances, talk about why they came up short, and reveal whether we would have nominated them. You can listen to the full episode of A Woman Robbed by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. (My audio in the first 18 minutes or so is a bit different; apologies for technical difficulties!) Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Zach Laws on Twitter: @zachlaws Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Clips included in this episode: "Blue Velvet" - De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Apr 17, 2024 • 3h 1min
1999 Best Actress (feat. Morgan Roberts)
This week on the season finale of And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes back writer and podcaster Morgan Roberts to discuss the 1999 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Hilary Swank won for her performance in "Boys Don't Cry," beating Annette Bening in "American Beauty," Janet McTeer in "Tumbleweeds," Julianne Moore in "The End of the Affair," and Meryl Streep in "Music of the Heart." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Swank. 0:00 - 10:09 - Introduction 10:10 - 30:37 - Annette Bening 30:38 - 50:37 - Janet McTeer 50:38 - 1:08:14 - Julianne Moore 1:08:15 - 1:26:06 - Meryl Streep 1:26:07 - 1:52:39 - Hilary Swank 1:52:40 - 2:55:42 - Why Hilary Swank won / Twitter questions 2:55:43 - 3:01:20 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Morgan Roberts on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Apr 10, 2024 • 3h 1min
1998 Best Actress (feat. Joyce Eng)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes back Gold Derby senior editor Joyce Eng to discuss the 1998 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Gwyneth Paltrow won for her performance in "Shakespeare in Love," beating Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth," Fernanda Montenegro in "Central Station," Meryl Streep in "One True Thing," and Emily Watson in "Hilary and Jackie." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Paltrow. 0:00 - 8:37 - Introduction 8:38 - 29:45 - Cate Blanchett 29:46 - 47:59 - Fernanda Montenegro 48:00 - 1:09:25 - Meryl Streep 1:09:26 - 1:27:24 - Emily Watson 1:27:25 - 1:49:15 - Gwyneth Paltrow 1:49:16 - 2:54:20 - Why Gwyneth Paltrow won / Twitter questions 2:54:21 - 3:00:39 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Joyce Eng on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Apr 3, 2024 • 3h 15min
1997 Best Actress (feat. Lauren LaMagna)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes back writer, editor, and podcaster Lauren LaMagna to discuss the 1997 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Helen Hunt won for her performance in "As Good as It Gets," beating Helena Bonham Carter in "The Wings of the Dove," Julie Christie in "Afterglow," Judi Dench in "Mrs. Brown," and Kate Winslet in "Titanic." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Hunt. 0:00 - 12:11 - Introduction 12:12 - 37:24 - Helena Bonham Carter 37:25 - 59:09 - Julie Christie 59:10 - 1:24:11 - Judi Dench 1:24:12 - 2:02:30 - Kate Winslet 2:02:31 - 2:27:07 - Helen Hunt 2:27:08 - 3:10:33 - Why Helen Hunt won / Twitter questions 3:10:34 - 3:15:26 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Lauren LaMagna on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Mar 27, 2024 • 20min
A Woman Robbed: Emma Thompson and Viola Davis
Listen to this PREVIEW of the 11th episode of A Woman Robbed, a special bonus series you can hear on the And the Runner-Up Is Patreon exclusive feed! A Woman Robbed is a series in which Kevin is joined by a special guest in discussing women who had significant Oscar buzz heading into the nominations but were ultimately robbed/snubbed/omitted from the Best Actress lineup. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Luca Giliberti about two performances that earned nominations at the four major precursors but weren't nominated at the Oscars: Emma Thompson ("Saving Mr. Banks") and Viola Davis ("The Woman King"). We discuss their performances, talk about why they came up short, and reveal whether we would have nominated them. You can listen to the full episode of A Woman Robbed by going to patreon.com/andtherunnerupis and contributing at the $3 per month tier. Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter: @Kevin_Jacobsen Follow Luca Giliberti on Twitter: @LucaLeonardo99 Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter: @OscarRunnerUp Clips included in this episode: "Saving Mr. Banks" - Walt Disney Studios

Mar 20, 2024 • 3h 8min
1996 Best Actress (feat. Jay Ledbetter)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes AwardsWatch podcaster Jay Ledbetter to discuss the 1996 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Frances McDormand won for her performance in "Fargo," beating Brenda Blethyn in "Secrets & Lies," Diane Keaton in "Marvin's Room," Kristin Scott Thomas in "The English Patient," and Emily Watson in "Breaking the Waves." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to McDormand. 0:00 - 15:35 - Introduction 15:35 - 39:48 - Brenda Blethyn 39:49 - 58:17 - Diane Keaton 58:18 - 1:20:18 - Kristin Scott Thomas 1:28:19 - 1:49:30 - Emily Watson 1:49:31 - 2:16:01 - Frances McDormand 2:16:02 - 3:00:47 - Why Frances McDormand won / Twitter questions 3:00:48 - 3:07:58 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Jay Ledbetter on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Mar 13, 2024 • 2h 59min
1995 Best Actress (feat. Chris Feil)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes back writer and podcaster Chris Feil to discuss the 1995 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Susan Sarandon won for her performance in "Dead Man Walking," beating Elisabeth Shue in "Leaving Las Vegas," Sharon Stone in "Casino," Meryl Streep in "The Bridges of Madison County," and Emma Thompson in "Sense and Sensibility." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Sarandon. 0:00 - 17:16 - Introduction 17:17 - 40:39 - Elisabeth Shue 40:40 - 1:08:54 - Sharon Stone 1:08:55 - 1:33:20 - Meryl Streep 1:33:21 - 1:55:31 - Emma Thompson 1:55:32 - 2:10:53 - Susan Sarandon 2:10:54 - 2:52:57 - Why Susan Sarandon won / Twitter questions 2:52:58 - 2:59:11 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Chris Feil on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Mar 6, 2024 • 3h 5min
1994 Best Actress (feat. Nicole Ackman)
This week on And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes back writer and podcaster Nicole Ackman to discuss the 1994 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Jessica Lange won for her performance in "Blue Sky," beating Jodie Foster in "Nell," Miranda Richardson in "Tom & Viv," Winona Ryder in "Little Women," and Susan Sarandon in "The Client." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to Lange. 0:00 - 14:16 - Introduction 14:17 - 36:54 - Jodie Foster 36:55 - 1:01:44 - Miranda Richardson 1:01:42 - 1:23:58 - Winona Ryder 1:23:59 - 1:42:21 - Susan Sarandon 1:42:22 - 2:03:37 - Jessica Lange 2:03:38 - 2:57:44 - Why Jessica Lange won / Twitter questions 2:57:45 - 3:04:43 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow Kevin Jacobsen on Twitter Follow Nicole Ackman on Twitter Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter and Instagram Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara


