The world of podcasting is growing by leaps and bounds—and I’m leaping into it this week with a new show called Maltin on Movies with Baron Vaughn. Baron is a sharp, funny, talented actor/comedian who shares my love of films; we like talking about movies together and I hope people will enjoy listening in.
Leonard and Baron trade observations during a taping of ‘Maltin on Movies with Baron Vaughn.’
Every week we’ll choose a topic inspired by a current release and discuss other films in the same genre, from the same director, or featuring the same star. That will be our springboard for what we hope is lively conversation.
Our kickoff show is available as of today, and our topic is Biopics, inspired by Everything is Real, in which Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking. We’ll talk about another biographical film we like a lot (Capote) and examine why it works so well. Then we’ll focus on one that doesn’t work (J. Edgar) and explore what went wrong. Finally, we’ll recommend a sleeper (The Runaways) that may have flown under your radar. I always enjoy touting good movies that people haven’t seen and this is no exception.
Baron Vaughn at the mike.
Maltin on Movies with Baron Vaughn is part of a new podcast network called Wolfpop, an offshoot of the highly successful Earwolf collective, which specializes in comedy programming. Wolfpop represents an expansion into the world of pop culture, and includes new programming with such talented folks as Nate Corddry, Susan Orlean, Rotten Tomatoes’ Matt Atchity and Grae Drake, Amy Nicholson, Nerd Machine, and Sylvester Stallone—yes, Sylvester Stallone—to name just a few. The thirteen-program lineup has been curated by actor-comedian Paul Scheer, who in fact recruited me.
As he says in the opening-day press release, “This is a chance for us to treat your ears right by listening to some of my favorite people passionately discuss the things are important to them.”
All shows are available for free at Wolfpop.com and on iTunes. I hope you’ll give my new show a try, along with the others. Here’s a complete rundown.
The Canon
Film critics Devin Faraci (Badass Digest) and Amy Nicholson (LA Weekly) have a weekly conversation about a movie: is it “canon” or not? They will put it up to fan vote at the end of the show and then the legacy of each film will be officially decided forevermore. The first episode applies The Canon test to the Martin Scorsese classic, Goodfellas.
Crybabies
Susan Orlean is one of the great writers of literary non-fiction, well known for her books and articles in The New Yorker. She joins writer and actress Sarah Thyre (Strangers with Candy), to host Crybabies, where they tackle the things in pop culture that make themselves and their guests cry. Upcoming guests include Lizz Winstead, Christopher Guest and Neko Case.
Denzel Washington is Greatest Actor of All Time Period
Long-time collaborators comedian W. Kamau Bell (Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell) and comedian Kevin Avery (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) examine a shared belief that Denzel Washington is the greatest actor of all time, PERIOD! Each week they get into a Denzel movie to prove their point and bring you up to date on Denzel news.
Get Up On This
Jensen Karp (a/k/a rapper “Hot Karl”) and Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying) help you school that hipster at the coffee shop by letting you in on what’s going to be big, before it is. Murs and Blink-182 lead singer Mark Hoppus are upcoming guests.
Happy Sad Confused
Josh Horowitz (MTV News, MTV After Hours) gets candid with A-listers and Hollywood legends like Jeremy Renner, Michael Fassbender, and even Woody Allen, on Happy Sad Confused. He approaches his guests with a relaxed humor, and doesn’t finish until he asks them to answer a random question picked out of his Indiana Jones hat. These conversations are nothing like your typical celebrity interview. Josh’s first guest will be Neil Patrick Harris, and other upcoming guests include Hugh Jackman, Jon Stewart and Lisa Kudrow.
I Was There Too
The singular mind of Matt Gourley (Superego, Drunk History, James Bonding) has been tapped to uncover the stories behind the most classic scenes from film and television, painted so vividly it’s like you were there when they happened. Of course, you weren’t, and neither was Matt. But the the people he interviews–like the referee from Karate Kid–were. Upcoming guests include Paul F. Tompkins (There Will Be Blood), Doug Benson (Michael Jackson’s Captain EO), and Greg Proops (Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace).
Maltin on Movies w/ Baron Vaughn
Beloved film critic Leonard Maltin joins the podcasting world in a weekly series that looks at some of his favorite films—and spotlights some that may have flown under your radar. He’s joined by actor and comedian Baron Vaughn (Fairly Legal, Conan, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) for a lively discussion of film that will surely make you hit up your Netflix queue.
Nerd Machine’s Picking Favorites
This show explores the idea that everybody has a “Favorite Something Something.” Each week Nerd Machine founders David Coleman and Zachary Levi (Chuck, Thor: The Dark World) join Tyler Labine (Hulu’s Deadbeat, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) and stand up comedian Razzle to sit down with a very cool guest, discussing and judging their favorites.
Off Camera with Sam Jones
Photographer and director Sam Jones created the show out of his passion for the long form conversational, and intimate, interview. He approaches his guests with a warm manner that comes from his experience as a successful portrait photographer, building a comfortable rapport with his subjects. Matt Damon will be Sam’s first guest with Wolfpop. Past guests include Martin Short, Judd Apatow, Sarah Silverman, and Robert Downey Jr.
OMFG!
If OK! Magazine reads more like a “who’s that?” than a who’s who, if you have zero clue what #ILY stands for, if you wonder why that cute lesbian keeps getting into trouble, only to find it’s Justin Bieber, then you need a shot of OMFG! From the world of Hello Giggles, Deanna Raphael (Funny or Die, HGTV) and Emily Foster (Love You, Mean It with Whitney Cummings, Talking Dead) are in their 30s but are trying to stay relevant in a world that’s constantly is changing. They recruit and interrogate the youth of America to explain their dating rituals, communication practices, and the difference between a Miley and a Bieber. It’s pop culture Botox!
Reading Aloud with Nate Corddry
Nate Corddry (Mom, Children’s Hospital) loves the written word. But he also loves the spoken word! So he brought them both together in a single podcast. It’s a literary variety show of sorts. Reading Aloud presents some of the best live renditions of some of the most interesting works of literature of our time. Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann is the first guest, and actor Steven Weber is on an upcoming episode.
Rotten Tomatoes
RottenTomatoes.com is the singular resource on the web for movie reviews. That’s why Wolfpop recruited Editor-in-Chief Matt Atchity and Senior Editor Grae Drake to bring their specially-calibrated Tomatometers into the studio and deliver the results for all the new theatrical and home video releases.
The Sylvester Stallone Show
The least expendable of The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone, draws podcasting’s first blood with The Sylvester Stallone Show. The show is a daily Q&A moderated by Paul Scheer, where Mr. Stallone will get up close and personal with fans as he takes their questions for a candid look back at his career and what’s ahead.
