Spanning 80 years of a changing America and culminating in the opening of the film, we meet a colourful cast of characters including a troubled soldier returning from war, a young boy with an artistic gift, an inspired and eccentric director, a pompous film star on the rise, a tireless production assistant and countless film crew members that together create Hollywood magic. Funny, touching and wonderfully thought-provoking, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece offers an insider's take on the momentous efforts it takes to make a film. At once a reflection on America's past and present, on the world of show business and the real world we all live in.

The Making Of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece

When a Mexican heiress defies Victorian society to protect her country a British war hero makes it his new mission to protect her…

Isabel Luna Valdés has long since resigned herself to being the “forgotten” Luna sister. But thanks to familial connections to the Mexican ambassador in London, wallflower Isabel is poised to unearth any British intelligence hidden by the ton that might aid Mexico during the French Occupation. Though she slips easily from crowded ballrooms into libraries and private studies, Isabel’s search is hampered by trysting couples and prowling rogues—including the rakish Captain Sirius Dawson.

As a covert agent for the British Home Office, Sirius makes a game of earning the aristocracy’s confidence. He spends his days befriending foolish politicians and seducing well-born ladies in order to learn their secrets. But after he spies a certain sharp-tongued Luna sister lurking in the shadows where no proper debutante should venture, it’s clear Sirius is outmatched, outwitted, and soon to be outmaneuvered by the one woman he can’t resist.

Their mutual attraction is undeniable, but when Isabel discovers private correspondence that could turn the tide of political turmoil in Mexico, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect her country—even if this means ignoring her heart and courting danger...

"Isabel and the Rogue" by Liana De la Rosa, Read by Ruby Hunt

Gorgeously Me! Written and read by Jonathan Van Ness

Justice Department sues to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster, NCAA Agrees to Share Revenue With Athletes in Landmark $2.8 Billion Settlement, and where is America’s best pizza.

This Morning with Gordon Deal May 24, 2024

Tom Kloza from OPIS joined Gordon Deal with a look at what we can expect from gas prices as we head into the summer.

A preview of holiday weekend and summer gas prices

A lawmaker from Connecticut has managed to anger New York and Chicago. Gordon Deal has the story.

Where is America’s best pizza? Lawmakers slice into an old debate

Hoping to find some savings this Memorial Day? Business Advisor Carl Gould lays out some tips to make the most of the holiday bargains.

How to shop on Memorial Day Weekend

A passenger's seat choice and bathroom needs divide the internet. Gordon and Mike try to figure out if there is any civility left at 40,000 feet.

Making an 8-Hour Flight More Uncomfortable

How did China—the world’s largest communist nation—converge with global capitalism? And when did this occur? In this event, held on 7 May 2024, Dr Elizabeth Ingleson of the LSE Department of International History and Phelan US Centre Affiliate argued that this convergence began in the early 1970s, when the United States and China re-opened trade and the interests of US capitalists and the Chinese state gradually aligned: at the expense of US labor and aided by US diplomats.

Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade | LSE US Centre Event

A shining city on a hill. America the beautiful. The United States has long been mythologised as the land of dreams and opportunity. And since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s it has been undisputedly the most powerful nation on earth. But is it a fading force? The idea of an America in decline has gained traction in recent years and has, of course, been capitalized on by President Trump. Is America’s ‘greatness’ under threat?

In this episode of LSE iQ, a collaboration with the LSE Phelan US Centre's podcast, The Ballpark, Sue Windebank and Chris Gilson speak to LSE’s Elizabeth Ingleson and John Van Reenen and Ashley Tellis from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Contributors
Elizabeth Ingleson
John Van Reenen
Ashley Tellis




Research

Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade by Elizabeth Ingleson

The Fall of the Labor Share and the Rise of Superstar Firms by David Autor, David Dorn, Lawrence F Katz, Christina Patterson and John Van Reenen, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2020.

Revising U.S. Grand Strategy Toward China by Robert D. Blackwill and Ashley J. Tellis




More Information


LSE Phelan United States Centre: https://www.lse.ac.uk/United-States

Listen to The Ballpark podcast: https://www.lse.ac.uk/united-states/the-ballpark/Podcasts; LSE Player, Spotify; Soundcloud

Related interviews on The Ballpark with guests on this episode

Dr Ashley Tellis - The Future of US-China Competition

Dr Elizabeth Ingleson - Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade

LSE Ballpark | Will the US remain the world’s superpower?

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