We had some exceptional stuff for you on the Nerdist Podcast Network this week. Stuff like:
All I can say about this week’s Nerdist Writers Panel is that if you care about the craft of creating great TV and movies, you have to hear James L. Brooks and Phil Rosenthal from ATX Television Festival. Their talk is as entertaining as their creations: They talk about everything from Jon Stewart’s exit, writing about women, the early years Brooks spent on 1960s sitcoms (even Hey Landlord!, which I sometimes think I’m the only one who remembers), and stories upon stories about all the stuff Brooks has done. “We’re hurtling through history,” Phil said at one point, and that they do, but for anyone into television, it’s essential. The part where James talks about making “Chuckles Bites The Dust” is worth waiting for.
Anyone familiar with the whirlwind that is Dan Harmon has to hear him get together with Pete Holmes on You Made It Weird. They talk about drinking, laziness, money, pop culture arguments, divisiveness, the difficulty of expressing one’s inner being… yeah, gets deep. And entertaining as hell, since it’s Pete and Dan.
Kevin Bacon came back to the Nerdist Podcast in support of his new movie Cop Car, in which he plays a creepy cop chasing a couple of kids who found and took a patrol car. This time around, Kevin reminisces about acting school, discusses his music and the Bacon Brothers Band, and talks about comedy and creativity. You’ll find Cop Car in theaters and on VOD this weekend, too.
The last time Ed Helms came on the Nerdist Podcast, he talked about getting the role of the adult Rusty in the Vacation reboot/revamp/resumption. This week, he came back as the movie arrived in theaters to talk about the finished product and more, and it devolved into a run of riffs with Chris, then to Vacation trivia, Waze, Bonnaroo, and Ed’s bluegrass band The Lonesome Trio.
Diablo Cody dropped by the Nerdist Podcast on her promotional tour for Ricki and the Flash. She talked, of course, about her screenwriting career, but also about being a parent, religion, and a lot more. The new movie opens this weekend, incidentally.
Jerry Ferrara is more than just Turtle on Entourage, and he proved it by trading facts with Razzle and Andy Haynes on Today We Learned. You’ll learn about space, adult learning, Bensonhurst, robbery, heckling, Muppets, and, because Turtle, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Naturally.
Will Sasso was Kevin and Steve’s guest on Chewin’ It for a typically all-over-the-place chat that covered MadTV, of course, but also fish spines, weight loss, beef jerky, career, whining, auditioning, Dean Cameron, The Three Stooges movie, and a lot more.
Paul F. Tompkins, gamer? That was the big revelation on this week’s episode of The Indoor Kids, on which the dapper gent helps Kumail and Emily talk about video games after an Intro Kids about tabletop gaming. There’s the Riddler’s voice, vegetarians’ bad rap, walkthroughs and side quests, gaming at Mr. Show, and much more….
From the sealed Nerdist Industries building came another Bizarre States covering the week in weird, which included Bowser’s empty can of tuna. Dude, there are RULES about what you should and shouldn’t eat at the office. Like, no Corn Nuts. You want to go on the Christian Bale apples-and-tuna diet, you do it in your car or something.
I know Gabe Diani, but I did not know that he was Tom’s very first client and longtime friend. Gabe, he of Diani and Devine (look for their movie Diani and Devine Meet the Apocalypse soon), came on Pro You for a personal chat with Tom.
We got a best-of edition of Clonecast with a review of some of the official Orphan Black podcast’s best moments from the past season. It’ll be back on a monthly basis until the next season arrives on BBC America.
From Just For Laughs Montreal, Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Skeptic of the Year, took on all sorts of pseudo science with the help of Fortune Feimster, Jen Kirkman, and Reggie Watts on Hound Tall with Moshe Kasher.
Banjo Bindlestuff and Gummy provided more hobo-rich folk class warfare comedy on Thrilling Adventure Hour.
Chris Griggs was back to defend the South, sort of, on Comic Book Club.
Brent and the long-distance version of Rob broke their rule about sticking to console games for an episode of computer game music on Legacy Music Hour, and, yes, the Commodore 64 is included. I wanted a C-64 SO BAD. Never got one.
And The Todd Glass Show presented another Family Show — all singing, all dancing, all… okay, maybe not dancing.
You’ll want to hear ’em all, so go to the Nerdist Podcast Network homepage and do that, and head to the Nerdist Podcast Network Facebook page and Like away, because that’s a good way to keep up, too. We’re here for you.
Contributor: Kyle Clark
Photo: ATX Television Festival
