Paul Feig, Ophira Eisenberg, and Emily Nussbaum

Episode 75

18th June 2013

Director Paul Feig talks about being a child magician, an actor and stand-up, and what finally drove him behind the camera to direct film and television. Plus, he’ll talk about his new movie The Heat, his last movie Bridesmaids, and why he likes watching women be funny. Then Ophira Eisenberg talks about why she used to date so much and so often. She’s the host of NPR’s Ask Me Another, and her memoir is called Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy. Plus, the New Yorker’s TV critic Emily Nussbaum talks about a couple of her favorite new shows, and why you ought to check them out.

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Director Paul Feig: Breaking Out of Movie Jail with Bridesmaids and The Heat

A few years ago, Paul Feig was enjoying a relatively successful career as a TV director. His ode to adolescence, Freaks and Geeks, had a short run but was critically acclaimed. He went on to direct pivotal episodes of The Office, take a turn on Mad Men, and make the rounds on 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Arrested Development, too.

But Feig’s work in film was a little rockier. His first two studio films struggled to find audiences, and he was serving time in “movie jail”, the unofficial lockdown for directors who helm flops. But he got a third chance, directing a talented cast of women in Bridesmaids. And that time, it hit.

His new film, The Heat, pairs Melissa McCarthy with Sandra Bullock in the traditional buddy cop genre.

Feig talks to us about how his childhood magic hobby led to a career in comedy, why he prefers directing women to men, and the undue box office pressure on films starring women.

The Heat is in theaters nationwide on June 28.

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TV Recommendations with Emily Nussbaum: “Orange is the New Black” and “Inside Amy Schumer”

The New Yorker’s television critic, Emily Nussbaum, joins us to talk about TV you should be watching. She recommends the upcoming Netflix original series Orange Is The New Black, from Jenji Kohan, creator of the hit Showtime dramedy Weeds. Kohan’s new show follows the life of a middle-class woman sent to prison when her drug smuggling past catches up to her. Nussbaum also recommends the Comedy Central sketch show Inside Amy Schumer, hosted by Schumer and filled with exaggerated takes on some of her favorite topics: sex, porn, relationships, and how to take a compliment.

Orange Is The New Black’s 13 episode season premieres on Netflix on July 11.

Inside Amy Schumer airs Tuesdays at 10:30/9:30c on Comedy Central. The show was just picked up for a second season.

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Writer and Comedian Ophira Eisenberg on “Sleeping My Way to Monogamy”

Comedian Ophira Eisenberg is happily married and she’s got a pretty steady day job, for a comic (she’s the host of NPR’s quiz show Ask Me Another). But her life wasn’t always so settled. Eisenberg’s new memoir, Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy, tells us how she got there — by accident. She made a choice early on that dating was supposed to be fun, not a desperate and frenzied search to find “the one”.

She describes the best way to make the transition to living in New York City (just don’t tell anyone back home!), what to say when your date asks you if you want to see “something special”, and her newly optimistic philosophy on marriage.

Screw Everyone is available now.

Want to share this interview with Ophira Eisenberg? Click here to listen, embed and share.


The Outshot: How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Do you need to be a chef to be able to cook for yourself? The answer is no, and the proof is in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything.

Embed or share The Outshot on How to Cook Everything

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow
Video Editor

Guests

  • Paul Feig
  • Ophira Eisenberg
  • Emily Nussbaum

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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Senior Producer

Producer

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Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Video Editor

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