TCB Debriefing 3/21-3/25/24: Ramy Youssef, Stress Positions, YALL Fest, The Studio, Happy Gilmore 2, James Corden
1. The historical moment in which we live right now is so concussive, the want for a voice that would make for any sort of reason or relief is dire. Ramy Youssef might very well be that voice, bolstered even more by the fact that he jokingly dismisses such a notion in his brand new hour special, More Feelings. Within both himself and his comedy, there’s a wondrous contrast between his casual demeanor and meeting the moment with empathy and cleverly hidden, long wick punchlines and call backs. Despite Ramy self-deprecatingly downplaying his own merits, there’s a grace with which he talks about Israel/Palestine, the current state of Muslim and Middle Eastern identities, and more that truly makes More Feelings actually special at a time where the word “special” feels hollow.
2. While comedy about the pandemic might seem beyond well-trodden territory, we’re excited to see John Early in pretty much anything and, from the looks of this trailer, Theda Hammel‘s Stress Positions might just succeed as a quarantine comedy with absurdity and nuance where pretty much everything else has missed the mark. Look for Stress Positions in limited release starting Apr. 19th.
3. Peep the first freshly announced YALLFest, put together by the Yes, And Laughter Lab (AKA YALL), a comedy festival setting its focus on highlighting the intersection between comedy and social justice. It’s set for its inaugural run on Wed. Apr. 17th-Fri. Apr. 19th at the newly revived Asylum NYC. Taking a gander at the line-up, we love a brand new festival with Chris Gethard, Dylan Adler, Kenice Mobley, Kelly Bachman, Atheer Yacoub, Roy Wood Jr., and so many other hilarious, thoughtful folks. Get more details and passes here.
4. Fingers crossed this Seth Rogen Hollywood studio satire, The Studio, blessed with a cast of Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, and Chase Sui Wonders, skewers IP-cursed Hollywood and doesn’t change a single name of anything (looking at you, MCU) (Deadline).
5. If you were wondering what an empire that Carpool Karaoke built looks like now, James Corden’s Fulwell 73 is building a $568 million film and TV studio in Northeast England (Deadline).
6. We’ll leave you with this: Know that Literally Anybody Else is an option for POTUS this year.