News

Chain, the concept dining experience founded by actor-writer B.J. Novak and Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth, hosted an intimate pop-up at their Hollywood Chain House.

On both Wednesday and Thursday night, May 8 and 9, the nostalgia-inducing space transformed into “The Pollo Lounge,” a riff on the iconic Polo Lounge, becoming a cozy and classy jazz speakeasy where invited guests were served their take on Kentucky Friend Chicken classics. Chain specializes in transforming chain restaurant classics, like a KFC chicken bucket, into a more elevated version of itself.

For the Pollo Lounge pop-up, guests were served generous portions of chicken tenders, french fries, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and biscuits at tables centered around a small stage. In addition to the food, guests were able to choose from a menu of cocktails made with the new prebiotic soda Levo, which sponsored the evening. The soda was also available on its own for...

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival has announced its Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events slate, which will include series executive produced by people like Jordan Peele and Steven Soderbergh, as well as episodic content starring Rosamund Pike.

The Untitled Amy Berg Documentary, directed and produced by Berg, will also be heading to the festival, as will Kyra Sedgwick’s “Girls Weekend,” starring Amy Landecker and Ali Liebegott.

Overall, 12 episodic works, 73 short films from 33 countries and four special events have joined the festival slate that was first announced last week. Of the projects announced on Monday, 53 percent were directed or created by one or more women, 51 percent were directed or created by one or more filmmaker of color, and 26 percent were created or directed by one or more people who identify as Lgbtqia.

Also Read: Sundance Documentary 'Ask Dr. Ruth' Picked Up by Hulu and Magnolia

“Our newly-expanded programming team took in...

In only its second year of bringing independent television to Park City as part of its Indie Episodics section, Sundance has picked a dozen series that could include the next big TV hit. Among the announced independent shows include works by Nick Hornby, Richie Mehta, and Kyra Sedgwick, which range from comedies about start-ups to dating comedies about trans relationships to dramas about race. Sundance is also bringing in some other TV projects under its Special Events banner, including the newest season of IFC’s ongoing doc parody series “Documentary Now!” and Gregg Araki’s upcoming Starz series “Now Apocalypse,” executive produced by Steven Soderbergh.

The Special Events section will also play home to a brand new (and as yet untitled) documentary from Sundance regular Amy Berg, which tracks the creation of the Women’s March and what followed.

In an announcement, Sundance director of programming Kim Yutani said that...

Special Events include Gregg Araki’s Now Apocalypse.

The second year of the Indie Episodic section at Sundance Film Festival brings world premieres of the Nick Hornby marriage therapy comedy State Of The Union directed by Stephen Frears and starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd, and Kyra Sedgwick’s Girls Weekend, about a queer daughter who returns for a family gathering in Las Vegas.

Festival programmers have lined up 12 Episodic works, alongside four special events, among them Gregg Araki’s half-hour Starz comedy series Now Apocalypse about the misadventures of four friends in Los Angeles. Steven Soderbergh is among the executive producers.

Listen, breakfast is great. It’s so good people have invented an extension of breakfast so they can justify eating it later in the day. (“Brunch,” I’m looking right at you.) Obviously, people are fans.

And while we can commiserate with the desire to have the best breakfast as close by as possible, the good people of “Portlandia” — Peter (Fred Armisen) and Nance (Carrie Brownstein) — take “breakfast near me” to a whole new level in the sketch below. Rather than lay around dreaming of a great meal, this married couple crafts the perfect breakfast experience long before the morning sun rises.

Read More:‘Portlandia’: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein Create the Next True Crime Podcast Sensation… Maybe

The video is not only a new look at the final season, but the fifth in a series of videos premiering on IndieWire before the Season 8 debut. IFC and IndieWire are...

True crime podcasts are all the rage, but no one gets to see how the secrets are uncovered, cases are chosen, or mistakes are exposed. What matters is the story itself — how it sounds, not how it’s found.

Well, let’s hope it’s not like this.

In an exclusive look at Season 8, “Portlandia” stars and creators Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein pop into a Portland police station to record a podcast. While they’re welcomed in for an official visit, the two don’t exactly return the professionalism in kind. Their methods are peculiar, motivations less than pure, and end result not what anyone had in mind.

Turns out making a podcast may not be pretty, but it makes for a pretty good sketch. The video below is not only a new look at the final season, but the fourth in a series of videos premiering before the Season 8 debut.

When you see one chili on a sushi menu, you’re safe. Three is clearly very hot stuff, but two? Two could mean anything. Two could be just right — as its middle placement implies — or it could veer wildly into all-too-mild or far-too-spicy territory.

Fred Armisen learns this lesson the hard way in an exclusive sketch from the upcoming season of “Portlandia.” During a casual dinner with his wife (played by Carrie Brownstein), the couple is sent into a panic when learning just how spicy their sushi is labeled on the menu.

You gotta ask, Fred. You gotta ask.

Read More:‘Portlandia’ Season 8: Kath and Dave Highlight the Dos and Don’ts of Escape Rooms — Watch

The video below is not only a new look at the final season, but the third in a series of videos premiering before the Season 8 debut. IFC and IndieWire are partnering to bring...

Kath and Dave are two of Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen’s most intense creations. Whether they’re trying to save the human race (after a local power outage) or going out for tapas (and dancing on the table), this couple doesn’t do anything half-assed.

Add escape rooms to the list.

In IndieWire’s exclusive video below, Kath and Dave team up with two strangers to work an escape room. Needless to say, they’re not the best team players, though one could argue their intensity only helps in the end.

Read More:‘Portlandia’: Carrie Brownstein Tackles Sexism at the Workplace in First Look at the Final Season — Watch

The video below is not only a new look at the final season, but the second in a series of videos premiering before the Season 8 debut. IFC and IndieWire are partnering to bring you exclusive sketches from “Portlandia” Season 8. Over the next six weeks,...

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are back for one final season of “Portlandia,” and they’re taking on the big issues before bowing out.

In the video below, Brownstein plays the first female partner at a male-dominated law firm. But before she can be properly welcomed to the family, the men of the room have a few quick questions for her. With sexism, sexual harassment, and sexual assault dominating headlines in multiple industries, it’s encouraging to see the sharply satiric creators of “Portlandia” addressing the issue head-on.

Read More:‘Portlandia’: Carrie Brownstein on Directing, Men’s Rights and Her 5 Favorite Sketches of Season 7

The video below is not only viewers’ first look at the final season, but the first in a series of videos to premiere before the Season 8 debut. IFC and IndieWire are partnering to bring you exclusive sketches from the final season of “Portlandia.” Over the next seven weeks,...

Digital comedy collective Jash is taking its unique stylings offscreen for the inaugural JashFesht -- a two-day gathering taking place in Palm Springs, Calif., during the first weekend of April.

The event will comprise live comedy sets, musical performances, screenings and talent panels featuring Jash’s founders: Michael Cera, Sarah Silverman, Reggie Watts and Tim & Eric.

In the digital world, Jash recently announced a pact to create original content for the Verizon streaming app Go90. Jash's upcoming real life festival will serve to premiere some of those new shows, including episodes of Pound House, starring Doug Lussenhop and Brent Weinbach, and Arkippiana from Ucb Founder Matt Besser.

The network, which was founded in 2013 to help comedians hone their digital strategies and also serves as a distribution platform for comedy content, describes Jashfesht as “a unique and historic gathering of the comedy community, creating a grassroots and experiential vibe,” according to a press release.

The 11th annual Nevada City Film Festival, running Aug. 18-21, is four nights crammed full with short films, several feature-length documentaries, one dramatic feature, stand-up comedy performances and more surprises, all nestled within the rolling hills of Northern California.

The fest opens with the feature documentary Someplace With a Mountain, directed by Steve Goodall and narrated by Chevy Chase. The film tells the story of the embattled people of the Puluwat atoll who are besieged by the Pacific Ocean itself. Rising waters due to global warming are making their land slowly disappear beneath the waves.

Other feature docs include music-based films We Are Wizards, directed by Josh Koury, about the oddball phenomenon of rock bands that only craft songs about the world of Harry Potter; and Everyday Sunshine, directed by Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler, which profiles the legendary ska punk band Fishbone that continues to bring their enthusiastic music to the masses.