Rebecca and John are joined by their VF colleague Chris Murphy to talk about the season’s first nominations, The Gotham Awards. They debate which awards ahead of the Oscars actually indicate true frontrunners. Plus, they pick their favorite new movies hitting theaters in November.

Meet Wally Amos. He founded the ubiquitous Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies in 1975, turning the brand into an overnight sensation and himself into a pop-culture fixture in the 1970s and 1980s.

But there’s a darker side to Wally’s seemingly sweet story. One filled with five marriages to six women and a string of bad business decisions that led him to lose the empire he had created.

When he passed away in 2024, host Sarah Amos set out to untangle her father’s complicated past and finally face the life and legacy she had been avoiding.

New episodes every Wednesday: swap.fm/l/vf-toughcookie-feed

Rebecca and John discuss Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, which hits theaters Friday. Along with debating its awards chances, they are joined by music journalist Alan Light, who reveals why there’s been such an uptick in music biopics. Finally, John and Rebecca break down the best director race, which could be full of directors who have been long overdue for their first nominations.