After the success of comedy-centric podcasting network Earwolf, its parent company, Midroll Media, is launching Wolfpop, 13 pop-culture podcasts curated by Paul Scheer and hosted by such luminaries as film critic Leonard Maltin and New Yorker journalist Susan Orlean. Launched with the advertising support of Cards Against Humanity and Audible, Wolfpop will focus on “presenting world-class and rising talent, providing them with an unfiltered platform to share their passions and stories with humor and depth.”
Each of the 13 shows is available for free at Wolfpop.com and downloadable from iTunes. The lineup is as follows:
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 then put it up to fan vote at the end of the show, and 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
Longtime collaborators W. Kamau Bell (Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell) and Kevin Avery (Last Week Tonight With John Oliver) examine their 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,) 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 The Karate Kid—were. Upcoming guests include Paul F. Tompkins, Doug Benson, and Greg Proops.
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 (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 and Emily Foster are in their 30s but 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 (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 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.