Justine Goodman
Writer, Editor, Digital Content Strategist
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Maxim: The Leftovers Premiere Proves HBO Does Whatever It Wants
June 30, 2014 October 22, 2015 Leave a comment
Is the new Justin Theroux vehicle any good? We still don't know, but we'll tune in to find out.
Photo: Paul Schiraldi / HBO
Last night marked the series premiere of HBO's The Leftovers, a heavily promoted new drama with an impressive lineage. Based on Tom Perrotta's bestseller and executive produced by Lost's Damon Lindeloff, the first episode was directed by Friday Night Lights creator Peter Berg. The series stars Justin Theroux (he of Jennifer Aniston wedding rumor fame), Amy Brenneman, and Liv Tyler as suburbanites trying to cope after two percent of the world's population vanishes for no clear reason. What the Rapture-like event means for the main characters – protagonists would be too strong a word – is unclear, but for the audience it means very bleak Sunday nights. Continue reading →
Will John Turturro Reprise His Role from The Big Lebowski?
We hope so. While we're at it, let's bring back more Coen brothers creations.
Per an article in The Hollywood Reporter, actor John Turturro is seeking the rights to reprise his role as Jesus Quintana from The Big Lebowski in a new film. Jesus, as you'll likely remember, was a flamboyant bowler and a pederast. ("Eight year olds dude.")
"If I can get the permission I need, I'd like to return to that role," Turturro reportedly told a panel at last weekend's Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.
It's not the first time Turturro has said he'd like to resurrect the character. But his latest remarks come on the heels of the wildly successful first season of the TV adaptation of Fargo – another Joel and Ethan Coen production – which got us thinking: What other characters from Coen brothers movies deserve a spinoff?
Read the whole article at Maxim.com.
AMC Renews Better Call Saul Months Before Series Premiere
June 20, 2014 July 3, 2014 Leave a comment
It's a bold move and a bit of a gamble.
Photo: Ursula Coyote / AMC
AMC announced this week that is has already ordered a second season of its forthcoming Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul, well in advance of its 2015 series premiere. It's a strong vote of confidence for the show, which stars the terrific Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman, the shystiest lawyer in New Mexico.
While networks are famous for yanking new shows off the air without giving them any opportunity to win over audiences, rarely do we see a new series picked up for a second season long before the debut of its first episode. The operative word being rarely; it's not completely unheard of. But does such a move always correspond to the eventual success of a series?
Maxim Interview: Fred Armisen
February 27, 2014 February 21, 2017 Leave a comment
Between the fourth season premiere of Portlandia and his debut as bandleader for Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Saturday Night Live alum is having a very big week.
Before joining the cast of SNL in 2002 you were primarily a musician. How did the transition to comedy come about?
I was just in love with TV. And I don't know what my intentions were when I started doing music, 'cause they might not have been as musical as I thought. I think I wanted to get on TV more than I wanted to make good music, and I could tell because whenever I went to the recording studio, I couldn't wait to get out of there. I think my goal wasn't pure enough when it comes to music; I think I just wanted to be on TV, and I thought, "Well, if we're in a band, eventually we can get on to Saturday Night Live or Conan O'Brien or something." It's almost like I always had that goal, but I didn't know which way to go.
Once you did make it to SNL, you had so many memorable impressions and recurring characters – and they were incredibly diverse, from the Queen of England to President Obama. Were any of them particularly close to your heart?
You're very nice to say that, and thank you for the compliment. Yeah, I would say maybe Ian Rubbish, the British character, because it was all the people that I sort of admired. Growing up, I was really into the London music scene, which I had no part of – it was too late by the time I discovered it. You know, it was over. I was such a fan of Nic Jones and Captain Sensible and Steve Jones. I've been doing this my whole life; I've never not been doing that character.
Read my entire interview with Fred Armisen at Maxim.com.
Maxim Interview: Jamie-Lynn Sigler
The former Maxim model tells us what it was like to get the role of a lifetime playing Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos, chats about her latest performance in the comedy flick Jewtopia, and answers the Same 10 Questions We Always Ask Everyone.
How was getting the role of Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos a pivotal moment in your life?
I think for obvious reasons of how it changed my career, but I had never been in front of a camera before, I had never been on a set before, so everything was brand new. I came from doing community theater on Long Island to being on that show. So it was my acting school, it was my everything school. I felt very protected on that set, I think being one of the only two kids on the set, Jim [Gandolfini], everyone, the whole crew, really looked out for us and made sure we were comfortable and confident, so it gave me everything for my career and my craft, and also just as person. And to have trust in other actors and things like that…It was nothing but positive. I really can't think of one negative thing from that entire 10-year experience. And that's really lucky to say.
At the beginning, was it like you were being thrown into the deep end? Were you completely unprepared?
For sure. I'd say my first few days, yeah. I think my first day on set I woke up early and blew out my hair because I thought I had to do my own hair. I didn't realize I would have people do my hair and makeup. So for sure the first few days it was a little intimidating. But I was a teenager, and being 16-years-old you just kind of try and pretend like you know what you're doing, or at least that was the kind of teenager I was. So you kind of fake it 'til you make it. Had that experience come when I was 26 instead of 16 I think it would have been entirely different. It was probably better that I was a kid. When you're young you're less afraid of consequence, and I think that helped me.
Read my entire interview with Jamie-Lynn Sigler at Maxim.com
Maxim Interview: Jon Voight
October 15, 2013 February 21, 2017 Leave a comment
The iconic actor talks Ray Donovan, Seinfeld, and Deliverance, as well as playing Van Helsing in the new reboot of Dracula: The Dark Prince.
Let's talk about your new hit series, Showtime's Ray Donovan. Your character, Mickey, is remarkable. Why do you think audiences seem to connect with him, even though he's a pretty bad guy?
Oh, he's a bad guy. He's a mess. But there's also some good aspects to him. For one, he's completely honest. That's a terribly surprisingly element. He says what's on his mind, and we admire it. He's the opposite of politically correct. He tells you what he's thinking. And sometimes it's very shocking, but it's also endearing in a certain way, too. I think that in some way, he's an interesting portrait of a man – the male animal that we have pretty much attacked over the latter course of my life as a culture. That he's still alive, I think we're grateful for that. The positive side of Mickey is he's a real male, and he's funny, and he can be dopey, and he can be cruel as well, but there's something that we respond to in that way. In other ways I think he's like the characters that we've taken to heart like Archie Bunker or the Fonz, you know, these kinds of archetypes. I don't know where Mickey fits into that, but there's something like that going on, too.
Were you surprised by how iconic your Seinfeld cameo and storyline – about whether you were the previous owner of George Costanza's used LeBaron convertible – became?
Well, yeah, it was a big surprise. It was so funny, but as I look back, at that time in my career it was helpful to me, and it still has an afterlife. People come up to me every week probably and say, "Would you bite a pencil?" or you know, other stuff from Seinfeld. And it had a long life. Of course, the Seinfeld show was a very great show.
So just for the record, have you ever owned a LeBaron convertible?
You know, the funny thing was, the writer of that show actually did buy a LeBaron convertible that was supposed to be mine. And he asked me when I came on the set to do my little piece, to bite Kramer's arm, he asked me, "Would you come around the corner and just look at this car, and tell me if this was yours?" And I had to say no [it wasn't], but the funny thing is my mother did have a LeBaron, a white LeBaron convertible, down in Florida, and after I did the show, she said, "Why didn't you get me a new car? You could've gotten me a car!"
Read my entire interview with Jon Voight at Maxim.com
Maxim Interview: Ricky Gervais
September 12, 2013 February 21, 2017 Leave a comment
The comedian dials up the drama in the Netflix series Derek, which he created, wrote, produced, directed, and stars in.
Ricky Gervais in "Derek"
Set in a British home for the elderly, Derek centers on the daily lives of the residents, employees, and volunteers – most notably, the simple, sweet (and to some, controversial) title character, played by Gervais. Filmed in the same mockumentary style as The Office, Derek – though it has plenty of humorous moments – marks a more dramatic turn for the comedy actor. Can he pull it off? See for yourself; all seven episodes are currently streaming on Netflix.
British humor is often characterized as difficult for American audiences to fully grasp. Derek may be more of a drama, but it still has that trademark wit; what makes it inherently relatable to all audiences?
I think people don't know it, but they want sincerity. I think they do, deep down, and I've noticed it on Twitter as well. I can do snarky jokes, I can do weird stuff and it gets lots of retweets, but if I do a sincere tweet that's down the knife, it connects with 10 times the amount of people. I think people are quietly tired with that veil of irony that inhabits everything. You know, if I live in a student house, every poster is ironic. You want to say, put up a poster of something you actually like. What do you actually like? I like that you sometimes grow out of that. I think because people are worried that what they like is cool, they worry about saying what they like. You see that in every walk of life. You ask someone their top 10 albums and they don't want to put Backstreet Boys and Sting, they try to think of really obscure underground music, and I think that sooner or later people relate more with honesty than anything else. And I did sort of consciously want to leave behind the veil of irony, and I think that's what makes it slightly different to my previous work and slightly different to most comedy is that sincerity. We're not laughing at the characters, we're not laughing at the blind spot, we're laughing with them. We're rooting for them from the outset because they're doing a good job. Whatever faults someone's got, whatever mistakes they made, if they're doing it to help someone, they're forgiven. It's all about motives. And it just seemed right.
Read my entire interview with Ricky Gervais at Maxim.com
Maxim Interview: Lake Bell
The actress talks about her directorial debut, In A World…, voiceovers, and Childrens Hospital. Plus: She's down to do another season of How To Make It In America, should the opportunity arise.
Your new film, In A World…, explores the tight-knit world of voiceover artists, and your character, Carol, is the daughter of a famous voice actor who is trying to launch a career in her own right. Is it true that you did some voiceover work when you first came to Hollywood?
No, that is actually incorrect. I tried to get into the voiceover industry, and I looked at it as an aspiration, but I was never accepted into it because it was such a damn clique, and so hierarchy-based, and there's not a lot of ladies who do it. It was one of those things where I was like, "Oh, yeah, I know how to do voices, I'm so talented, maybe I'll be able to break into the voiceover industry and I won't have to be a waitress and I'll just hit it big," – you know, because I went to drama school, and I had this voiceover demo, and I had all these dialects. And then it turned out that you can't just roll into someone else's industry and think you're gonna conquer it. I was like a crazy person – totally naïve. So, obviously, I became a waitress.
What's the worst job you ever had before you found success as an actress?
Probably the worst job I ever had was being a promotional girl at a tech conference where I had to wear like a skimpy, dumb, space outfit and show people where the bathroom was and how to work a cell phone. Yeah, it was really lame-o. And I was kind of treated like a moron. It was not fun. I mean, it was funny in hindsight, but at the time I felt like a total turkey.
Read my entire interview with Lake Bell at Maxim.com.
Maxim Video: Making Cocktails With Seinfeld's Wayne Knight
July 18, 2013 April 18, 2014 Leave a comment
Hello, Newman…
Check out this Bar Maxim video, in which I chat with actor Wayne Knight about his TV Land comedy, The Exes, while he whips up his favorite specialty cocktail.
Maxim Interview: Joel McHale
July 16, 2013 February 21, 2017 Leave a comment
The actor and comedian talks Klondike Bars, The Soup, and Community. He's also open to sexual reassignment surgery. Don't worry about it.
You've been hosting E!'s The Soup (formerly Talk Soup) since 2004. What is it like being on both sides of the aisle, as both a celebrity gossip commentator, and a sitcom star?
I'm the male version of Chelsea Handler. She does the same. I would liken it to a comedian that also acts. I see The Soup as kind of like a long late-night monologue that has a lot of clips in it. I took The Soup because—or rather, they offered it to me and I accepted—not just because of money, but because of the Greg Kinnear pedigree, where he transitioned from Talk Soup into acting, though at this point I'm not transitioning, I'm doing both (thank God). And when people see me on Community, I think they see that I can do both. I don't think they're like, "I don't get it! He's supposed to be telling me about the Kardashians! He's not Jeff Winger!" But now, with the movie I'm doing now, it's no joke. It's not a comedy.
You're talking about Beware The Night, with Erica Bana?
Yes, it's heavy, dark, and violent. And really, it has some not-so-pleasant themes. Obviously Eric Bana brings serious cachet to the movie, and Edgar Ramirez is in it, and Olivia Munn.
Do you ever find that celebrities that you encounter off-screen are afraid that they'll become targets on The Soup?
No, I mean no celebrity's ever come up to me and said "How fucking dare you!" I mean, I would justify that by saying, well, don't drive backwards on the highway while high and then I won't make fun of you. I'm pretty sure Bruce Jenner's not a fan of mine, and that's fine. But The Soup doesn't break stories – it's the same thing as a late-night monologue. It's not like "News flash!" People think that because we're on E! that's what happens. It's just like with Chelsea [Handler] – she doesn't break stories, she's just commenting on them.
Read my entire interview with Joel McHale at Maxim.com.
Maxim Interview: Chris O'Dowd
July 15, 2013 December 7, 2014 Leave a comment
With his smash hit UK TV series Moone Boy now available in the US via Hulu, Bridesmaids' Chris O'Dowd cements his place as the hardest-working man in show biz. I spoke to Chris about his roughly 4,000 ongoing TV and film projects (including Girls and Thor 2), and subjected him to the same 10 questions Maxim always asks everyone.
Moone Boy is semi-autobiographical, and you play the imaginary friend of a young boy growing up in a big Irish family. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
I didn't, unfortunately, and I wrote this show just to have that opportunity. I grew up in a house where there were seven of us and we just really didn't have room for an imaginary friend in our little bungalow.
Do you come from a dysfunctional family?
Not at all, I think it's the most functional family. I think it's a family of misfits that work together perfectly, like a scrambled egg sandwich.
How does a kid from Boyle, Ireland, end up in show biz? What were some of your comedy influences?
God, that's a good question, I don't really know. I came to comedy much later. I went to drama school and was like a Shakespearean actor for a couple years. But in terms of like the small town…we had one celebrity when I was growing up. Very old, a woman called Maureen O'Sullivan and she was the first Jane in Tarzan. And I remember when I was around 7 or 8, she came back from living in Hollywood all of her life, and she was in her 70s, and they threw her a parade. And as a 7-year-old I must've thought, "Wow, she must've done something special to get a parade. I want a parade. What do I have to do to get a parade?" And my life's been basically a journey to get a parade.
You have been quoted as saying that you think women are not offered enough good roles or good opportunities as writers in the comedy world. Do you think that has begun to shift a bit since Bridesmaids? Is that part of what drew you to that movie?
Definitely. To be honest, throughout my career, it's just been my experience that I seem to work with a lot of female directors, definitely a lot more than the normal percentage of female directors that are out there, and I always enjoy it, because I think the characters are awesome and written better. But I do think things are shifting, it certainly seems that way, and I certainly hope so, with the likes of Kristin [Wiig] and Annie Mumolo, Lena Dunham, and [Friends with Kids director/star] Jennie Westfeldt, all of whom I worked with in the last 18 months. There's so many amazing women out there, as soon as we get a shift in what male-to-female producers and executives are out there, I think it will come along even quicker.
Read my entire interview with Chris O'Dowd at Maxim.com.
Maxim Video: Drink Like a Navy SEAL
April 18, 2013 July 9, 2014 1 Comment
Here's what happens when Biggs and Saw – two decorated Navy SEALs and stars of Discovery Channel's Battleground: Rhino Wars – swing by the Maxim offices to make me a drink.
Watch the original video on Maxim.com or the Maxim Xbox app.
Maxim Interview: Jason Schwartzman
October 18, 2012 July 12, 2014 Leave a comment
The indie comedy wunderkind talks Moonrise Kingdom, Bill Murray, tequila, and more.
You've worked with director Wes Anderson on many films, including Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited, and Moonrise Kingdom. Are you guys real-life besties?
Well, Wes is 10 years older than me; I met him when I was 17. I was a musician making an album, and had never really thought about being in movies. But I met this casting director who asked if I'd ever been an actor, and I went to this audition [for Rushmore], just really thinking it would be more of a good story to tell people—hey, I auditioned for a movie!—but I got the part, and that's the first time I met Wes. And I would say that from 17 until now, he's been one of the most important people in my life.
You and Wes often work with Bill Murray. Do you have a favorite Bill Murray movie?
That's really difficult. That's like asking if I have a favorite Beatles album. Stripes is great, and so is Groundhog Day, and I loved him in The Man Who Knew Too Little, Meatballs,Ghostbusters… I am also a huge fan of Scrooged.
And What About Bob?
HUGE What About Bob? fan. My good What About Bob? story is that for a summer I worked at this small tennis center, and on the weekends they would show a movie in the rec room—which was a huge room with a film projector—and I tore tickets for the whole summer. But because it wasn't like a professional theater, it wasn't like a new movie was out every week, so What About Bob? played for whole month, and I took tickets and would watch the movie. I love that movie. It's a deep, deep, deep love. And actually one of his best performances is also in Tootsie.
Read my entire interview with Jason Schwartzman at Maxim.com.
Details Magazine Interview: Bill Paxton
May 25, 2012 July 9, 2014 Leave a comment
AFTER A BRIEF hiatus from television following last year's bittersweet finale of HBO's Big Love, actor Bill Paxton, 57, returns to prime time in Hatfields & McCoys, the History Channel's first scripted miniseries, about the most infamous family feud in American history.
Paxton plays Randall McCoy, a Kentucky-bred Civil War veteran who becomes embroiled in a dispute with a former comrade and neighbor, Devil Anse Hatfield (Kevin Costner), which escalates into a bloody and tumultuous civil war of its own.
Or, to put it another way, there's a lot of sex, violence, and booze. And also Tom Berenger, who plays Hatfield's crazy uncle.
I spoke to Paxton about his role in Hatfields & McCoys (and that beard!), his Big Love wives, working with director James Cameron, and the likelihood of a Twister 2.
Read the full interview at Details.com.
6 Jokes That Didn't Get Me a Job Writing for Weekend Update
January 12, 2012 July 9, 2014 1 Comment
Seth Meyers was pushing for me. Or whatever.
Each fall, before the start of a new television season, Saturday Night Live accepts submissions from comedy writers looking to write jokes on a freelance basis for Weekend Update. To my knowledge, pretty much anyone can apply; the only prerequisite is that you know who to contact in the writer's room. They generally respond to every inquiry, and the guidelines are fairly straightforward:
We would like you to write a total of 10 jokes based on news stories the occurred between September 6th and September 15, 2011. We are interested in seeing how you write for current events. We do not want old material. Also, please do not submit more than 10 jokes. To help you, I am enclosing a couple of pages of set-ups. You are not limited to the stories from these set-ups, but any stories you use must have occurred during the stated time period.
We are looking for solid, traditional monologue jokes. I.E. Two line jokes. Set-up followed by a punchline. We do not want Daily Show style rants. Please do not send in bits, shorts sketches, or anything involving other cast members. Do not submit jokes with multiple punchlines. They will count as separate jokes.
If you are accepted, there's no guarantee that anything you write will ever make it to air. In fact, there's a strong possibility that it won't. But you still get to say you're a freelance joke-writer at SNL, and that plays better on a résumé than "dog walker." I have no idea of how many people typically apply, and even less of an idea of how many are accepted. I wasn't. In fact, I was rejected in record time, just hours after emailing my submission. So, just in case you're wondering what not to do, here are a few of the jokes that didn't get me a job writing for Weekend Update. Continue reading →
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Interview: Jon Voight
Interview: Joel McHale
Interview: Chris O'Dowd
Interview: Ricky Gervais
Interview: Fred Armisen
Interview: Andy Samberg