Turns out the people who live inside your computer screen are real, and they hung out at Vulture Festival from November 11 to November 13 with an array of special guests that included Sharon Stone, Patrick Stewart, Weird Al, and this year’s honorary degree recipient, Billy Thee Porter. Joining the lineup alongside those events were a Christmas sing-along with Matt Rogers, a comedy workshop with Robin Thede, a slumber party with Josie Totah, and the first live performance by viral sketch star Brian Jordan Alvarez. You wanted American Fiction director Cord Jefferson in conversation with Mike Schur in conversation with collaborator and pal Mike Schur? Done. A panel of What We Do in the Shadows writers answering for their vampiric sins (not letting Nandor and Guillermo kiss)? Of course. Chelsea Peretti resurrecting her podcast for one episode only, a reading of her theater group Pacific Playwrights Horizons’ latest work, Thatcher Island. Had to be done.
Below, the many, many highlights of Vulture Festival 2023.
Saturday
Day One
Sharon Stone and Jerry Saltz In Conversation
âž¼ Sharon Stone “got a bad grade in acting class†back in college, but her art career is getting an A from critic Jerry Saltz. Talking through her first East Coast exhibition, “Welcome to My Garden,†Stone set the tone for Vulture Fest 2023 by recounting her numerous near-death experiences, breaking down her artistic process, and weaving in jokes like we’re sitting in her kitchen. “And then I was at my dentist …â€
You can enjoy their entire talk in article form or via the complete video:
The Robin Thede Comedy Writing Course
➼ Sorry to local comedy teachers: Robin Thede’s reeducation program has successfully reprogrammed the minds of L.A. sketch groups. We thank her for her service.
Gayotic Live with MUNA and Meg Stalter
➼ “Have you ever read The Ethical Slut?†MUNA’s Katie Gavin posed a crucial question during the live recording of the band’s Gayotic podcast with special guest Meg Stalter. Somehow, this preceded the musings on religion, witchcraft, and Kristen Stewart, but not the suspicious circumstances surrounding the moon landing.
And since she’s one out-of-context tweet away from career decimation, the band let Meg sing “Silk Chiffon†all on her own to close it out.
Feminist as F*ck
âž¼ Amber Tamblyn hosted Feminist As F*ck, the literary series co-created and co-curated by Roxane Gay. Bonus: Kirsten Vangsness fangirling over MUNA.
Song Exploder, Exploded
➼ Podcast brothers from another publisher Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder and Jesse David Fox of Vulture’s own Good One traded notes on getting talent to talk about not just their process, but their emotions, too. “It’s a show about songs and feelings, basically,†Hirway laughed.
TJ Mack Live in Concert and Conversation (Featuring his wife and Brian Jordan Alvarez)
➼ What do Reese Witherspoon, Robin Wright, and Joe Jonas all have in common? They’re following Brian Jordan Alvarez on TikTok. Not a brag, just the truth, like how sitting is the opposite of standing. A couple friends came through, too, namely the Intern, Rich Southern Aunt, Marnie, the Wife, and international pop star TJ Mack.
Weird Al Superlatives Live!
➼ Weird Al stans showed up for their man, packing the room to hear him reminisce on hits like his only platinum single, “White & Nerdy,†and not-quite-hits like the Captain Underpants theme song.
Another Matt Rogers Holiday Spectacular Sing-a-Long Extravaganza
âž¼ Merry Christmas from the decked-out halls of Matt Rogers. The Capitol Records vocalist rang in the holidays with the guy who was hanging out with TJ Mack earlier, Brian Jordan Alvarez, one-third of MUNA, and the entire audience as backup dancers.
Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain: The Special Screening
âž¼ Encore! Encore! Meg Stalter once again graced us with her presence, this time at a panel for Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain alongside director Paul Briganti and producer Albertina Rizzo. Two words: “Hawk ate.â€
The Comedians You Should and Will Know of 2023, Who You Can and Will See Live
➼ Put your RumChata beanie on. It’s not a joke. It was a requirement from Comedians You Should Know host Jamie Loftus in honor of sponsor RumChata.
Sunday
Day Two
The Rachel Bloom, Paul Feig, and Tim Hollingsworth Food & Drink Spectacular
➼ Maybe you came for the Paul Feig cocktails, maybe it’s about Tim Hollingsworth’s analysis of classic fast foods, but you know what got the most passionate cheers at Rachel Bloom’s sip-and-snack? Mere mention of Bluey, the animated Australian blue heeler. Vulture Jr. approves!
The Winkler Method: A Henry Winkler Acting Class
âž¼ Henry Winkler, master of acting and giving constructive criticism, not only gave monologue tips on the fly, but he did it in front of Sharon Stone, who returned on Sunday to enjoy his event.
A Murder at the End of the World, Previewed and Discussed by Brit Marling
âž¼ No mystery why we wanted Brit Marling to come tell us about the new show, A Murder at the End of the World, she co-created with Zal Batmanglij: Marling did the same thing five years ago, after The OA season one.
Chelsea Peretti on an Island
➼ The playwright Chelsea Peretti will take your questions about her work-in-progress play Thatcher Island, but will she answer them? “Honey, theater is not answers, it’s questions,†she Perettis, looking around for the next question. Tony’s committee, we have a winner.
Billy Porter Receives Vulture’s Honorary Degree
➼ Didn’t know we were going to be taken to church on this Sunday, but Billy Porter went there, inspiring the crowd with stories from his Star Search win, Angels in America, and the legendary, the incomparable Pose. The whole conversation is available for you to read if you’re in the mood for some uplift, or you can watch it here:
A Big Long Talk With Cord Jefferson
➼ Cord Jefferson and Mike Schur discussed American Fiction, Jefferson’s adaptation of Erasure by Percival Everett, including how his journalism background informs him today.
Patrick Stewart Holds Court
➼ Patrick Stewart is planning the event of the season: a party reuniting his Star Trek: The Next Generation castmates such as LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, and Marina Sirtis. “None of you are invited,†he joked to the audience. Understood!
What They Do in the What We Do in the Shadows Writers Room
➼ Don’t worry, we got ’em. Jeremy Levick and Rajat Suresh, the sickos responsible for Lazlo’s animal-hybrid experiments, tried to address the crimes against humanity they committed in season five of What We Do in the Shadows — not to mention the animal and vampire kingdoms.
A Slumber Party With Josie Totah
➼ “I just, like, loved Girls.†Josie Totah explains why she jumped at The Buccaneers, Apple TV+’s new period drama, which was sold to her as a historic, gay Lena Dunham drama.
Katie and Allison Crutchfield and Their Friends Sing the Songs They Loved at 16
➼ Boygenius, love you, but we might’ve just created the next big supergroup. Allison and Katie Crutchfield were joined by Whitmer Thomas, D’Arcy Carden, Fenne Lily, and Tim Heidecker for an unforgettable jam session.
An Intimate Evening With Adam Pally and Some Special Guests
➼ Adam Pally and Casey Wilson did not mention Max and Penny while singing a duet together, but, hey, there’s always next year.