Times are tough, and cheap entertainment can be hard to find. Podcasts are usually free (or very cheap, on the rare occasion there’s a price tag involved), easy to access and you can find one on just about any topic you can think of. Comedy podcasts in particular seem to be taking over the world lately, with many (Like The Nerdist and Comedy Bang Bang) being turned into TV shows and launching careers. Check out our guide to last week's hottest podcasts.
First things, first – you should know that most of these are going to be NSFW. If you’re not okay with vulgar language, I would recommend you forego the comedy podcasts and check out something from the fine folks over at How Stuff Works. They produce an assortment of podcasts about everything from science to history to music. You won’t be disappointed. There is an abundance of quality out there in podcast-land, so we’re going to start by highlighting a few episodes that really stood out last week.
WTF With Marc Maron: The newest episode of WTF is their 200th, and to celebrate, Marc asked Mike Birbiglia to come and interview him. With the tables turned, Mike proceeds to ask question submitted to him from past guests, including Conan O’Brien, Judd Apatow, Sarah Silverman, Ira Glass, Louis C.K., David Cross and more. Maron is wonderfully forthcoming, putting serious thought into even the most embarrassing and/or seemingly trite questions.
Doug Loves Movies: This week DLM featured a Human Giant Reunion! Aziz Ansari, Paul Scheer and Rob Heubel were all guests, along with Reuben Fleischer, the director of 30 Minutes or Less. DLM’s main claim to fame is the Leonard Maltin game. Think “Name That Tune”, but with movies and cast members instead of songs and notes. This week’s categories included ‘The movies of Wes Craven’, ‘Vanilla Ice’ (movies where the title includes either the word vanilla or ice), and ‘Joaquin Dead’ (movies where Joaquin Phoenix plays a character who dies).
Nerdist Writer’s Panel: Ben Blacker is the host of this new offering from the Nerdist family of podcasts. The panel on this episode features Jeff Greenstein (Friends, Will & Grace, Parenthood, Desperate Housewives), Emily Cutler (Community), David Fury (Pinky and the Brain, Buffy, Angel, Lost, 24), and Cathryn Humphries (Supernatural, Mad Men, V). These incredibly talented and experienced writers spend over an hour answering questions about how they got into the business, their writing processes, and how they get over writer's block. The ensuing conversation is honest, insightful and funny.