News

Natasha Lyonne has racked up over 130 screen acting credits over the course of a career that stretches back to the mid-1980s – and now she’s ready to make her feature directorial debut. Variety reports that Lyonne, who has co-founded an AI production studio called Asteria, will be taking the helm of Uncanny Valley, a film that will be made by “combining AI tools with traditional filmmaking techniques.” Asteria is described as an “artist-led, ethical AI film and animation studio.”

Lyonne wrote the screenplay with Brit Marling, the co-creator and co-showrunner of The Oa and A Murder at the End of the World. Lyonne and Marling will both have acting roles in the film, which is set in a parallel present and follows Mila, a teenage girl who begins to lose her grip on reality as a globally popular augmented reality video game starts glitching feverishly with increasingly dangerous real-world consequences.

The cult classic Poog podcast has rebranded to Berlant and Novak and will operate under the Backyard Ventures network. Kate and Jacqueline are excited to move forward with whatever topics they so choose, be it: the artist's grind, friendship, travel, food escapades, and more. These best friends, sisters really, unpack life's greatest pleasures and struggles in a whole new format that feels just like coming home.

Poog garnered a devoted fanbase before its sudden and untimely demise, which devastated many. New York Magazine even featured the show's seeming cancellation in their Culture Graphs, describing it as "highbrow/despicable." Just a week after its abrupt end, Kate and Jacqueline launched an indie version behind a paywall, rapidly gaining subscribers. Now, they’re back and free for all listeners with Berlant and Novak. Dedicated Poog fans, lovingly called “hags,” will be thrilled to know that when asked in a recent Ama if they’re “still hags,...

Alex Edelman won at the 2024 Emmys for Alex Edelman: Just For Us in the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special category.

This was Edelman’s first win competing against Netflix’s Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees, HBO Max’s John Early: Now More Than Ever, Netflix’s Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and The Pool, and ABC’s The Oscars.

“Thank you so much for this. This is, Oh God, I’m going to cry in front of Carol Burnett, fantastic,” Edelman said as he took the stage to receive his award. “I made this with my great collaborator Adam Brace, who passed away right before we started on Broadway and this huge group of people rushed in to fill that void.”

Related: Evening Before Emmy Parties 2024 Photo Gallery: WME, UTA, SAG-AFTRA & More Celebrate In Style

Edelman thanked the people who helped with his special, including his crew,...

“I started writing that narrative in college,” reveals Jacqueline Novak about her comedy routine in “Get on Your Knees.” She is a first-time Emmy nominee for variety special writing. For our recent webchat she continues, “It was an endless writing journey to get to that final piece. The fact that I completed it and said ‘it’s done’ is my biggest triumph; letting it go.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

Novak’s Netflix comedy special “Get on Your Knees” is a recording of her acclaimed off-Broadway show from 2019. It was directed by Emmy-nominated actress Natasha Lyonne (“Russian Doll” and “Poker Face”). Novak explains, “My original goal was a comedy special on hopefully a big platform. What seemed like the quickest path was to make the show a success on its own. Off-broadway was the detour, but a very useful one.”

See Lively chats with almost 200 of the 2024 Emmy nominees

In the one-woman show,...

Female stand-up comedians on Netflix offer a mix of seasoned veterans and exciting newcomers in the comedy genre. Streaming services like Netflix have revolutionized the comedy industry with a plethora of hilarious stand-up specials from talented women. From insightful and clever analyses to raunchy and honest humor, these female comedians bring a wide range of comedy to entertain audiences.

The best female stand-up comedians on Netflix include a long list of seasoned veterans and exciting newcomers. Stand-up comedy has long been a form of entertainment in nightclubs, school functions, coffee houses, and on television. However, it has only been in the past couple of decades that pre-recorded stand-up specials have become a popular thing. With streaming, this concept really took off, and now there are dozens of comedy specials on Netflix that make audiences laugh out loud. Not only that, but women have taken the comedy genre by storm.

Some...

Shōgun, The Bear and Only Murders in the Building lead the way at the 2024 Emmy nominations, which were revealed this morning.

Below is a list of the programs with five or more noms, following by a full list of nominees and the number they received.

Related: Emmy Winners For Best Drama Since 1960: A Photo Gallery

Related: Here Are The Actors Who Have Won The Most Emmys: Photo Gallery

Related: Emmy Winners For Best Comedy Since 1952

Here is the full list of 2024 Emmy nominations by program:

25 Nominations

Shogun

23 Nominations

The Bear

21 Nominations

Only Murders In The Building

19 Nominations

True Detective: Night Country

18 Nominations

The Crown

17 Nominations

Saturday Night Live

16 Nominations

Fallout

Hacks

The Morning Show

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

15 Nominations

Fargo

13 Nominations

Ripley

11 Nominations

Baby Reindeer

Palm Royale

10 Nominations

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans

Lessons In Chemistry

9 Nominations

Abbott Elementary

Slow Horses

8 Nominations

Jim Henson Idea Man

RuPaul’s Drag Race...

Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter returns with a brand new episode, “Stand-Up,” airing on IFC on Saturday, June 22, 2024. The episode features a diverse group of comedians, including Mike Birbiglia, Alex Edelman, Jacqueline Novak, Jenny Slate, Taylor Tomlinson, and Ramy Youssef. In this episode, the comedians take center stage to share their unique […]

Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter: Stand-Up...

The six comedians who gathered for THR’s first Stand-Up Emmy Roundtable insist they don’t worry about their comedy being fact-checked in this moment. Sure, the sextet — Mike Birbiglia, Alex Edelman, Jacqueline Novak, Jenny Slate, Taylor Tomlinson and Ramy Youssef — read The New Yorker profile of Hasan Minhaj from last September that said he exaggerated or made up stories for effect in his specials. But several present suggest the hullabaloo was at best confusing and at worst absurd. “It speaks to a massive integrity void in our society that we look at entertainers and stand-ups the way that we do,” says Youssef. “A politician talks, and the [common person] is like, ‘Yeah, he’s probably lying,’ and then they’re like, ‘But this comedian!’ ” The hourlong conversation at The Georgian Hotel moved beyond emotional truths, of course, as the funnymen and women got deadly serious about their deepest fears, their...

Six of the top actors starring in some of TV’s hottest comedy series take center stage in Friday’s episode of Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter.

Kelsey Grammer, John Goodman, Theo James, Anthony Mackie, Ricky Martin and Bowen Yang open up about power, pressure (and puking) during the lively discussion. The full episode premieres at 10 p.m. Pt on Friday, June 14, on IFC, and will be available to stream on AMC+.

Hosted by Emmy-nominated actress and comedian Yvonne Orji (Insecure), Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter — now in its second season — showcases five episodes of Emmy contenders: Comedy Actresses, Drama Actors, Comedy Actors, Drama Actresses and Stand-Up. New episodes of the Emmy-nominated series premiere weekly on Fridays.

See the full schedule below.

Comedy Actress – premiered Friday, May 24 at 10 p.m. Pt on IFC and available to stream on AMC+ Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary Maya Rudolph, Loot Kristen Wiig,...

Seven of the top actresses starring in some of TV’s hottest drama series take center stage in Friday’s episode of Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter.

Jennifer Aniston, Jodie Foster, Nicole Kidman, Brie Larson, Anna Sawai, Sofía Vergara and Naomi Watts weigh in on everything from method acting to menopause to snorting coke (onscreen) during the lively discussion. The full episode premieres at 10 p.m. Pt on Friday, May 31, on IFC, and will be available to stream on AMC+.

Hosted by Emmy-nominated actress and comedian Yvonne Orji (Insecure), Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter — now in its second season — showcases five episodes of Emmy contenders: Comedy Actresses, Drama Actors, Comedy Actors, Drama Actresses and Stand-Up. New episodes of the Emmy-nominated series premiere weekly on Fridays.

See the full schedule below.

Comedy Actress – premiered Friday, May 24 at 10 p.m. Pt on IFC and available to stream on AMC+ Quinta Brunson,...

Exclusive: Chloe East (The Fabelmans), Jacqueline Novak (Get on Your Knees) and Jennifer Grant (Babylon) have boarded Sony Pictures’ romance A Big Bold Beautiful Journey from director Kogonada.

Starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, the film’s plot is under wraps, but it’s described as an imaginative tale of two strangers and the extraordinary emotional journey that connects them.

Seth Reiss wrote the script. Imperative Entertainment’s Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas and Ryan Friedkin will produce, along with Reiss and Youree Henley. Exec producers include Kogonada, Ilene Feldman and Original Films’ Ori Eisen. 30West is financing the film.

The supporting cast also includes Lily Rabe, Jodie Turner-Smith, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lucy Thomas, Hamish Linklater, Billy Magnussen, Sarah Gadon, Brandon Perea and Yuvi Hecht.

Breaking out as Monica, the love interest of lead Gabrielle Labelle’s Sammy, in Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmans, East will next star opposite Hugh Grant...

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: Yes, Alex Edelman’s new HBO special is funny. Like, very funny. One would be forgiven for being hesitant upon hearing the elevator pitch. “Just for Us” is Edelman’s third solo show, this one the true story breaking down his experience (as a Jewish man) of infiltrating a meeting of white nationalists in Queens.

“The first thing I did [after that meeting] was I called a couple of friends being like, ‘Oh my God, you’ve got to hear this stuff,'” Edelman said to IndieWire during a recent interview. “And then some of them are like, ‘That’s stand up.’ And I [said,] ‘No, it’s not stand up. You’re out of your mind.’ Turns out, they were kind of right.”

The 90-minute special debuted as a downtown NYC show back in 2018, then evolved into a Broadway show that...

Janus Films has released the trailer for “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” a documentary celebrating the composer’s life.

Sakamoto put on one final performance in late 2022, which was captured in a concert film featuring just him and his piano. He curated and sequenced the 20 pieces himself, with the selection spanning his entire career. This includes his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra, his scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci and his final album, “12.”

His son Neo Sora directed the film, which was executive produced by Jeremy Thomas. “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus” will open on March 15 in New York at Lincoln Center, with a national rollout to follow.

Watch the full trailer below.

Oscar-Nominated Short Film ‘The Last Repair Shop’ To Make Television Debut

The Oscar-nominated short film “The Last Repair Shop” will make its television debut on ABC owned television stations and select affiliate stations on Saturday, Feb. 17. It will also be...

Solo shows can be a blessing and a curse; they can be some of the most amazing theater you’ve ever seen… or an overindulgent trainwreck. Comedian Kate Berlant has somehow managed to capture the ineffable magic of both experiences with her one-woman show “Kate,” directed by Bo Burnham and now playing at the Pasadena Playhouse after heralded runs in New York and London

Even before the show, Berlant sets the mood so that the audience feels like it’s attending an industry showcase of sorts. There are dramatic black-and-white photos of her in various poses lining the theater and her branding has taken over the entire space — just check out the “Tickates” booth.

The show finds Berlant playing “Herself” in a one-woman show — an actor and comic telling the story of how she came to be a performer. In the show within the show, she also appears as various...

Natasha Lyonne has shared a creepy story about James Woods hitting on her during the filming of Scary Movie 2 as part of a darkly comedic riff on the history of sexual assault in Hollywood that left even Conan O’Brien uncomfortable.

The actor told the story during her recent appearance on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast after revisiting her earlier experience with Marlon Brando holding her boob as part of the script for Scary Movie 2 before he dropped out due to illness.

Woods replaced Brando as Father McFeely in the scene, a spoof of The Exorcist in which Lyonne plays Megan Voorhees, a parody of Linda Blair’s possessed character from the original movie. Speaking on the podcast, Lyonne remembered Woods “hitting on me as a teenager in full monster makeup,” adding, “It’s a crazy move, dude.” Watch the segment below.

Lyonne went on to...

Netflix announced on Friday that Ready to Sell Out, its newest comedy special from Mike Epps, will premiere globally on the platform on February 20, 2024.

The special is Epps’ fourth for the platform, following Indiana Mike (2022), Only One Mike (2019) and Don’t Take It Personal (2015). In it, he ponders where all of his money has gone, in spite of a thriving career, also getting into the trials and tribulations of his relationships, and a plethora of street observations. Royale Watkins directed his new hour and exec produced alongside Epps, Mark Ritchie, Thomas Cobb, Niles Kirchner, and Kyra Epps. Southpaw Productions Inc. is the production company.

Launching his stand-up career back in 1995, Epps is also responsible for the specials Under Rated… Never Faded & X -Rated and Inappropriate Behavior. Currently starring in Netflix’s sitcom The Upshaws, he’s also been seen on the shows I’m a Virgo, Survivor’s Remorse and Uncle Buck,...

A nearly unrecognizable Sofia Vergara playing a cartel boss, a new retelling of the story of the Uruguayan rugby team that crash-landed in the Andes in 1972, Kevin Hart assembling a team for a daring heist and Dan Levy dealing with loss and grief are among the standout projects hitting Netflix this January.

Spanish director J.A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow lands on Netflix on Jan. 4. The film is the latest cinematic retelling of the miraculous story of the Uruguayan rugby team that crash-landed on a glacier in the heart of the Andes in 1972, with the survivors being forced to resort to extreme measures to stay alive. After debuting in Venice, Society of the Snow has picked up plenty of awards on the international film festival circuit, and it recently made the shortlists in four categories for the 2024 Academy Awards, including best international feature film.

On Jan. 5, Netflix debuts Good Grief,...

It’s a quiet month on Netflix in January, but the streamer still has some good stuff lined up for the new year, including an interesting documentary about the Centra Tech cryptocurrency scam. Bitconned arrives on the first of the month alongside Netflix’s latest Harlan Coben adaptation, Fool Me Once, which sees an ex-soldier called Maya witness her husband’s murder on a nanny cam. The crime then leads her down a deadly path where she uncovers a deadly conspiracy.

Schitt’s Creek star Daniel Levy will also debut his first film as writer and director with Good Grief on Netflix this month. The movie follows Levy’s character Marc as he does some soul-searching after the death of his husband.

Kevin Hart has a new movie called Lift hitting the platform this month, too. He plays the leader of a heist crew looking to rob $500 million in gold from...

Sam Song Li as Bruce Sun and Justin Chien as Charles Sun in ‘The Brothers Sun’ episode 2 (Photo Cr. Michael Desmond/Netflix © 2023)

Netflix is welcoming in 2024 with a lineup of news series that includes The Brothers Sun starring Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and reality series The Trust: A Game of Greed, along with the return of Queer Eye. The streaming service’s roster of January 2024 films includes J.A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow, based on the true story of the 1972 plane crash involving a Uruguayan rugby team, and Daniel Levy’s feature film directorial debut, Good Grief.

Modern Family‘s Sofia Vergara stars in and executive produces the mob drama Griselda, premiering on January 25. And comedian Jacqueline Novak brings her hit standup act Get On Your Knees to Netflix on January 23.

Series & Films Arriving On Netflix In January 2024

January 1, 2024

Bitconned – Netflix Documentary

Ray Trapani had always wanted to be a criminal,...

A new year is around the corner, and Netflix is ready to celebrate! The streamer has released its full list of titles that will be coming to its platform to start 2024 off right, including classics and library hits, such as the first three films in the “John Wick” franchise, Train to Busan, and more.

The bulk of Netflix’s new titles, though, comes from its own original series, films, comedy specials, documentaries, and animes. Debuting in January will be “The Brothers Sun,” a new black comedy action series starring Justin Chien, Sam Song Li, and Michelle Yeoh; as well as the Sofía Vergara-led mini-series “Griselda”; new seasons of “Queer Eye” and “Masters of the Universe: Revolution”; Dan Levy’s dramedy “Good Grief”; and comedy specials from Jacqueline Novak, Jack Whitehall, and Rachid Badouri.

Check out The Streamable’s Top 5 picks for what’s coming to Netflix this month, and...

Netflix has released the full list of movies and television shows that will be available for streaming beginning on January 1, 2024.

Each month, Netflix adds a large library of new content to their streaming platform. Usually, there’s a good mix of Netflix original movies and shows, plus past and present TV shows from other networks and previously released movies, too. This month is no exception, with lots of originals coming, with some classics mixed in.

Of course, Netflix will also be removing titles, too. In January, they’ll be taking away 23 movies and TV shows!

Keep reading to find out what’s coming to Netflix…

See the full list of content being added to Netflix…

Coming January 1, 2024

Bitconned — Netflix Documentary

Fool Me Once (Gb) — Netflix Series

You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment — Netflix Documentary

Annabelle

Annie (1982)

Antz

Aquaman

Beethoven

Bruce Almighty

The Croods

Dawn of the Dead

The First Purge...

Jacqueline Novak’s comedy special “Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees” will premiere on Netflix Jan. 23, 2024. The project is directed by Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”), who also serves as an executive producer.

Filmed at The Town Hall Theater in New York City, the special features the final performance of Novak’s touring stand-up show “Get On Your Knees,” which premiered in 2019 and sold out multiple times. This 90-minute “concert film-meets-comedy special” revolves around the blowjob and is described as “both raunchy and poignant, an unexpectedly philosophical, coming-of-age tale of triumph that pushes the boundaries of stand-up,” according to the press release.

“Never in my lifetime could I imagine seeing such a hilarious, rigorous, and gut tingling semiotic deconstruction of the phallus in the theatre,” praised “Emily in Paris” actor Jeremy O. Harris of “Get On Your Knees.” “This felt as if Andrea Dworkin and Spaulding Gray had a child they...

The HBO Original stand-up comedy special John Early: Now More Than Ever airs on HBO in June and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

Logline: In his first HBO comedy special, John Early brings his unique blend of cutting commentary, pop star swagger, and all-around loveable hilarity to Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, New York. In the style of a gritty 70s rockumentary, Early performs stand-up and explosive song covers from Britney to Neil Young, intercut with Spinal Tap-esque backstage sketches.

John Early quote: “I am so excited to finally come out to the world as the lead singer of my band John Early and The Lemon Squares. I had the time of my life singing some of my favorite songs and sweating my brains out at the taping, and I can’t wait for more people to finally see this sacred show I’ve been doing some...

Amy Schumer, James Acaster, Jimmy O. Yang and many other comedians have joined the lineup of Just for Laughs Montreal’s 40th anniversary festival. The news comes ahead of the launch for tickets of the event, which goes live Wednesday.

Schumer, Acaster, Yang, Jimmy Carr, Dara Ó Briain, Debra Digiovanni, Jacqueline Novak, Katherine Ryan, Maria Bamford, Fortune Feimster will all perform concert shows over the course of the almost three-week long Canadian comedy festival. In addition, Rick Mercer will host a special concert spotlighting Canadian comics. They join previously announced performers, who include John Mulaney and Hasan Minhaj.

Just for Laughs also announced a special gala celebrating the festival’s 40th anniversary, as well as several club shows, a podcast reading for Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg’s comedy show “Girls Gotta Eat” and programming for the Off-jfl spin-off festival.

The festival also released the dates for its 26th annual New Faces series,...

John Mulaney, Billy Eichner, Bill Burr and other comedians have been added to the growing roster of performers headlining events at the inaugural “Netflix is a Joke: The Festival,” the streamer announced on Tuesday.

The festival will host over 250 live shows in over 30 Los Angeles venues over the course of 11 days, featuring A-list names in stand-up and comedy. Previously announced performers and events include David Letterman, Gabriel Iglesias, Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer, Tim Robinson and Aziz Ansari.

Highlights from the newly announced shows include stand up sets from Mulaney, Sebastian Maniscalco, Franco Escamilla, Neal Brennan and Jacqueline Novak. In addition, Eichner will host a celebration of LGBTQ+ comedians with special guest such as Wanda Sykes and Margaret Cho, while Snoop Dogg will host an event for Black comics such as Katt Williams and Mike Epps. Burr will host an event featuring surprise guest comedians at the Hollywood Palladium, and there...

With less than four weeks until the festival begins, Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival has added new shows to its lineup, including top stand-up performances, Netflix series cast events, as well as a free outdoor fan experience. The festival, which now boasts over 250 live shows across over 30 venues covering Los Angeles, is produced by Netflix in association with Live Nation.

One of the added highlights of the event is the Billy Eichner-hosted Stand Out: An LGBTQ + Celebration. The celebration is happening in 2022, (although postponed from 2020) in the wake of the October 2021 Netflix controversy that saw LGBTQ employees stage an office walkout due to what they considered to be transphobic content during Dave Chappelle’s Netflix comedy special, The Closer. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos received backlash due to two internal emails — sent out on the same day and leaked days apart — in which he defended Chappelle and argued that...

Talent agency WME is restructuring its comedy representation group to put a bigger emphasis on crossover — hustling opportunities for its funny people across touring, TV, film, publishing and endorsements.

Mike Berkowitz, an industry leader in the comedy touring space who joined WME from APA in 2018, will co-lead the new group with Allysa Mahler, the agency announced Tuesday. Talent manager Kathleen Lewis of Anonymous Content is also joining the shop, and WME’s Katie Marshall has been promoted to comedy agent.

“The comedy business today demands a 360-degree approach to servicing our clients, and we’re pleased to form this new group to bring them even more opportunities,” Berkowitz and Mahler said in a joint statement “We are excited to welcome Kathleen to the team and to promote Katie as we continue expanding and look forward to our next chapter of growth.”

Berkowitz’s background is in touring (he shepherded Amy Schumer...

Disney Plus released the trailer for “Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts,” which will premiere on July 28.

Each episode will feature an intimate roundtable conversation between the “Good Morning America” anchor and three female celebrities from all walks of life.

Guests include Debbie Allen, Sofia Carson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jenna Dewan, Sheila E., Melissa Etheridge, Mickey Guyton, Betsey Johnson, Billie Jean King, Tig Notaro, Raven-Symoné and Josie Totah.

LeBron James will serve as an executive producer on the series through his entertainment brand The SpringHill Company. In addition to Roberts and James, executive producers are John R. Green and Reni Calister from Rock’n Robin Productions and Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson and Philip Byron from The SpringHill Company, with Kadine Anckle as showrunner.

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

Casting

Starz announced that Paton Ashbrook, Berto Colon and Alix Lapri have been upped to series regulars for the second season of “Power Book II: Ghost,...

A bevy of stars joined Jack Antonoff, his sister Rachel, and the Ally Coalition Monday night for their seventh annual talent show — streamed for free via Twitch with all donations supporting homeless LGBTQ youth.

Hayley Williams donned a bathrobe to cover Massive Attack’s “Teardrop,” Lana Del Rey sang “Silent Night,” and St. Vincent covered the Beatles’ “Martha My Dear.” Maggie Rogers also busted out “Blood Ballet” from her new archival collection and Antonoff covered Taylor Swift’s “This Is Me Trying,” from Folklore.

The show also featured appearances by the Chicks,...

Lana Del Rey, Hayley Williams, the Chicks, St. Vincent, Shamir and Sleater-Kinney are slated to appear during Jack Antonoff and the Ally Coalition‘s seventh annual talent show. This year’s event will be livestreamed for free on December 21st at 9 p.m. Et via Twitch, with donations from the event supporting homeless LGBTQ youth.

Antonoff’s band Bleachers, Big Red Machine, Blu DeTiger, Clairo, Claud, Andrew Dost, Brittany Howard, Muna, Maggie Rogers, Spoon, Rufus Wainwright, Wallows and Tierra Whack are also on the bill, alongside unannounced special guests. In...

In today’s TV news roundup, Amazon Prime Video has released a trailer for their new comedy, “Truth Seekers,” and Will Ferrell and iHeartMedia announced a joint podcast lineup.

Renewals

HGTV announced that “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa” has been renewed for a second season. The 2021 installment of the show will follow a one-hour format, as Tarek El Moussa teaches tips and tricks for profiting from home renovation to new and prospective house flippers. One special episode will also feature El Moussa’s girlfriend, Heather Rae Young. The season, which will feature 12 new episodes, is produced by Tom Brickner.

First Looks

Amazon Prime Video released a teaser for its comedy series “Truth Seekers,” which centers on a group of paranormal investigators in the United Kingdom who attempt to follow ghost trails but find themselves deep into a conspiracy that proves to be deadly. The show is executive produced by Jim Field Smith,...

Get ready to laugh, Los Angeles: Netflix’s comedy brand, Netflix Is a Joke, will host a week-long comedy festival starting in April.

Entitled “Netflix Is a Joke Fest,” the festival will take place across over 20 venues in Los Angeles, including the Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theatre, Hollywood Palladium and The Largo, between April 27 and May 3. Produced by Netflix in association with Live Nation, it will feature some of the best in today’s standup performing, as well as paying homage to comedy legends.

Some of the performers taking part are Dave Chapelle, Martin Lawrence, David Letterman, Ali Wong, Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart and more.

But more importantly for the festival, Netflix is also partnering with Comedy Gives Back, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a safety net for comedians in need with mental health, medical and financial crisis support. During the festival, Comedy Gives...

Tony Sokol Jan 28, 2020

National Lampoon finds corporate sponsors for its Downfall Festival in Lemmings: 21st Century.

National Lampoon flayed the peace and love generation when a million Lemmings showed up to off themselves at a free concert. The National Lampoon franchise, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, will send a new wave over the cliff. The iconic comedy brand is rebooting their legendary Off-Broadway Show with Lemmings: 21st Century.

Lemmings was a take-off of Woodstock, promising three days of peace, love and death. John Belushi was the master of ceremonies, bassist, and suicidal cheerleader for the “Woodshuck" festival. The new original musical picks up where the original left off by spoofing the corporate festival culture which has taken over musical gatherings ever since. Lemmings: 21st Century takes on modern Millennial fests like Coachella, Burning Man, Bonnaroo, and Fyre. Their fictional music gathering is called the "Downfall Festival," and it is...

In 2014, Jack Antonoff began hosting a yearly concert for the Ally Coalition, a non-profit started by his band Fun. that provides funding to on-the-ground organizations who support at-risk Lgbtq youth. Over the past half-dozen years, Antonoff’s Ally Coalition Talent Show has blossomed into a star-studded night of surprise musical collaboration, with previous special guests and performers including Taylor Swift, the National, Kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey and Lorde.

Thursday night’s show was no different (“Our best year yet,” Antonoff said at the conclusion), featuring mini-sets from Jason Isbell...

Jacqueline Novak is worried about her entrance.

“I remember reading magazines as a teenager, and the description of the person on their way in to the interview would stick with me,” the writer and comedian says over lunch at Via Carota in Manhattan’s West Village. “I remember Maggie Gyllenhaal once being described as carrying a purse that looked like a grandmother’s sewing bag. I don’t want to slander Maggie Gyllenhaal, but I bet it was, like, a Vera Bradley bag and the author just didn’t know.

Exclusive: Comedian Jacqueline Novak will launch a new Off Broadway comedy at The Cherry Lane Theatre in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village this summer, and if the title and subject matter don’t get your attention, the comedy world support certainly will.

Executive produced by Mike Birbiglia and presented by Natasha Lyonne, Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees debuts July 10, with an official opening set for July 22. The limited engagement runs through Aug. 18.

The official description: Get On Your Knees is the most high-brow show about blowjobs you’ll ever see. Novak spins her material on the femininity of the penis and the stoicism of the vulva into an unexpectedly philosophical show that’s part feminist outcry, part coming-of-age tale of triumph.

Ira Glass has called the show a “nearly Talmudic dissection of a subject. Really funny and just really like nothing else.” Amy Schumer says Novak’s comedy “is the...

Days after the series finale of their acclaimed HBO series Girls, co-showrunners Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner announced a tour behind their weekly feminist newsletter, Lenny Letter. The six-date trek kicks off May 31st in St. Louis and wraps June 6th in Milwaukee. Tickets go on sale Friday. Lenny subscribers can access a special code for a presale launching Wednesday, April 26th.

During the Lenny: America Irl Tour, Dunham will be joined by nine other Lenny contributors: comedian/Saturday Night Live cast member Sasheer Zamata, poet Jenny Zhang, novelist Kaitlyn Greenidge,...

“Life is not a ladder. It’s a lattice.” — Amy Emmerich outside panel in the street, via Instagram On Sunday, September 18, Refinery 29’s Cco Amy Emmerich and comedian/author Jacqueline Novak discussed their creative partnership at Ifp Film Week. Refinery29’s new YouTube channel, Riot, is home to Novak’s series “How to Weep in Public,” which deals with mental health and sharing positive advice around topics like weight, anxiety and depression. Oh, and it’s super funny. In one of her articles, kicking off the series on Refinery29’s website, “How to Take Car of Your Body When You’re Depressed,” Novak advises on a workout […]...

On Sunday, September 18th, Ifp Film Week will host a discussion between Refinery29’s Chief Content Officer, Amy Emmerich, and stand-up comedian and author Jacqueline Novak, who recently released her non-fiction memoir, How to Weep in Public: Feeble Offerings on Depression from One Who Knows. Novak’s corresponding video series on mental health was developed and produced with Refinery29, and is just one example of how the popular lifestyle media site has turned its focus toward video content with full force. Their video production unit, R29 Originals, has released so far over a dozen original content series. The site aims to “debut […]...

It took years of working in network television, but Julie Miller finally created the rarest of media opportunities: An insurrection.

“Riot is an uprising,” said Miller, who serves as creative director for the YouTube channel, which is backed by Refinery29. “It’s a space for women to make comedy for everyone and not feel like they have to skew male.”

Fifteen years ago, Miller was double-booked as an intern at Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central. “I was interning for Tina Fey at Weekend Update, and I spent the other half of the week at Comedy Central assisting Jessi Klein in development,” she said. “I came to New York and immediately worked for two of the best female comedians, so the stakes were really high.”

Read More: YouTube Filmmaker Yulin Kuang Brings Cinematic Aesthetic To The CW Seed

In those jobs, Miller saw firsthand what content cable networks bought — and didn’t.

[caption id="attachment_48741" align="aligncenter" width="590"] The Half Hour TV series on Comedy Central. Pictured: Andrew Santino. Photo Credit: Comedy Central./caption]

Comedy Central has announced the talent lineup for the fifth season of The Half Hour TV show. The standup comedy series is executive produced by John Bravakis and Neil Sheridan from Triage Entertainment. JoAnn Grigioni and Miro Terrell are the Executives in Charge for Comedy Central.

The Half Hour, season five, features: Cy Amundson, Erik Bergstrom, Ahmed Bharoocha, Matthew Broussard, Naomi Ekperigin, Nate Fernald, Noah Gardenswartz, Emily Heller, Martha Kelly, Joe Machi, Drew Michael, Aparna Nancherla, Jacqueline Novak, Mike Recine, Ramon Rivas II, Ali Siddiq, and Nick Turner.

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