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Veep, The Big Short, Inside Amy Schumer, Silicon Valley, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Jimmy Kimmel Live Win at WGA Awards
February 14, 2016
Uncategorized
big short, bill maher, hbo, inside amy schumer, jimmy kimmel live, real time, silicon valley, veep, wga awards, writers guild of america

(via Deadline)

HBO is on a roll per usual.

Between, Silicon Valley, Veep, and Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO garnered four Writers Guild of America Awards this year. This is probably one of the few awards this awards season where the premium cable network didn’t have a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon challenging its critical acclaim supremacy.

Also, Inside Amy Schumer makes yet another victory lap with its win for “Comedy/Variety-Sketch Series”.

Here are the rest of the comedy winners announced last night:

Adapated Screenplay–The Big Short-Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay; Based on the Book by Michael Lewis; Paramount Pictures

Comedy Series–Veep-Written by Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Kevin Cecil, Roger Drew, Peter Fellows, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Sean Gray, Callie Hersheway, Armando Iannucci, Sean Love, Ian Martin, Georgia Pritchett, David Quantick, Andy Riley, Tony Roche, Will Smith

Episodic Comedy–Silicon Valley-Clay Tarver 

Animation–Bob’s Burgers-Dan Fybel

Comedy/Variety (including Talk)-Series–Real Time with Bill Maher-Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Danny Vermont; HBO

Comedy/Variety-Music, Awards, Tributes-Specials-Jimmy Kimmel Live: 10th Annual After The Oscars Special-Written by Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Greg Dorris, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Bess Kalb, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Joe Strazzullo, Bridger Winegar; ABC

Comedy/Variety-Sketch Series–Inside Amy Schumer-Head Writer: Jessi Klein Writers: Hallie Cantor, Kim Caramele, Kyle Dunnigan, Jon Glaser, Kurt Metzger, Christine Nangle, Dan Powell, Tami Sagher, Amy Schumer; Comedy Centraland Jimmy Kimmel Live: 10th Annual After The Oscars Special won for Comedy/Variety Special.

Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement-Elaine May

The full list of WGA Awards winners are here.

Here’s Your First Taste of Season 5 of “Veep”
February 12, 2016
Uncategorized
hbo, season 5, selina meyer, teaser, veep

One of the funniest shows on television, Veep, is coming back at kind of perfect time in that the current presidential election and the one fictionalized on the show might just be equally ridiculous.

Watch the teaser for season 5 here, then look for the premiere on Sun. Apr. 24th on HBO. 

Veep, Tonight Show, and SNL 40th Win at DGA Awards
February 7, 2016
Uncategorized
dga awards, directors guild of america, snl, tonight show, veep

(via Variety)

If there were odds on Vegas on the DGA Awards, we’re sure that these might be the favorites.

The Directors Guild of America Awards were handed out last night and Veep’s Chris Addison took home the award for Comedy Series, The Tonight Show’s Dave Diomedi took home the one for Variety/Talk/News/Sports-Regular Scheduled Programming, and SNL 40th Anniversary director Don Roy King took home the honor for Variety/Talk/News/Sports-Specials.

Get a full list of the winners here.

Is it just us or is this awards season have the most different results between every awards show ever?

Veep and Silicon Valley Return on Apr. 24th
January 8, 2016
Uncategorized
hbo, silicon valley, veep

ICYMI: Selina Meyer and the rest of the #Veep gang return to @HBO April 24. Who have you missed most? pic.twitter.com/h1Dyd97CsD

Mark your calendars or make an event reminder or whatever else you do to make sure that remember that both Veep returns for its fifth season and Silicon Valley for its third season Sun. night on Apr. 24th.

It might even be worthy of actually catching both when they air as opposed to watching it on HBO GO or HBO Now.

#SiliconValley Season 3 premieres April 24th on @HBO.

@Middleditch pic.twitter.com/x8iUjN9Ekt

Transparent, Veep, Anomalisa, and Master of None Get Golden Globe Comedy Nominations as Well as Joy and The Martian
December 10, 2015
Uncategorized
amy schumer, casual, crazy ex-girlfriend, hfpa, jason reitman, joy, master of none, nominees, rachel bloom, the big short, the golden globes, trainwreck, transparent, veep

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association continues to have a broader definition of comedy than anyone else during awards season.

There are your favorites as well as the favored upstarts in the field of this year’s Golden Globes nominees. The consistently praised Anomalisa and Master of None, heavy returning favorites Veep, Silicon Valley, and Transparent, comedy superstar Amy Schumer for Trainwreck, and brash newcomer Rachel Bloom for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend all got nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. There were even some noms for work that should be getting more love from more awards, but, somehow, isn’t. This includes Lily Tomlin’s turn in Grandma, Melissa McCarthy for Spy, and Hulu’s Casual from Jason Reitman.

With all of that said, films and shows that are being considered in different lights, mainly dramatic rather than comedic, have found their way into the comedy nominees, like they usually do, at The Golden Globes such as Joy, The Martian, The Big Short, and Orange Is the New Black. Certainly, Joy, The Martian, and The Big Short weren’t touting themselves as comedies in trailers and promotion and Orange Is the New Black has shifted to dramatic consideration with other awards. We’re not exactly sure why the distinction for comedy is so noticeably different with HFPA, but it does possibly allow for some notoriety for work that wouldn’t really get recognized otherwise.

So, here are the comedy nominees for this year’s Golden Globes.

Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Joy
Spy
The Big Short
The Martian
Trainwreck

Best Screenplay
The Big Short-Adam McKay, Charles Randolph

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Lily Tomlin-Grandma
Jennifer Lawrence-Joy
Melissa McCarthy-Spy
Maggie Smith-The Lady in the Van
Amy Schumer-Trainwreck

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Al Pacino-Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo-Infinitely Polar Bear
Christian Bale-The Big Short
Steve Carell-The Big Short
Matt Damon-The Martian

Best Director – Motion Picture
Ridley Scott-The Martian

Best Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
The Good Dinosaur
The Peanuts Movie

Best Foreign Language Film
The Brand New Testament-France

Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Casual
Mozart in the Jungle
Orange is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Lily Tomlin-Grace and Frankie
Gina Rodriguez-Jane The Virgin
Jamie Lee Curtis-Scream Queens
Julia Louis-Dreyfus-Veep
Rachel Bloom-Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Patrick Stewart-Blunt Talk
Aziz Ansari-Master Of None
Gael García Bernal-Mozart in the Jungle
Rob Lowe-The Grinder
Jeffrey Tambor-Transparent

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Uzo Aduba-Orange is the New Black
Judith Light-Transparent

Get a look at the full list of the 2016 Golden Globes nominees here.

Transparent, Veep, Key & Peele, Bill Murray, and More Get Nominations for 22nd SAG Awards
December 9, 2015
Uncategorized
big bang theory, carol burnett, key & peele, kristen wiig, louie, louis c.k., modern family, orange is the new black, sag awards, screen actors guild, shameless, spoils before dying, transparent, veep

Most of these nominations are, by now, the usual awards season suspects.

The nominees for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, coming up on Jan. 30th, have just been announced. As far as comedy is concerned, the perennial favorites are around again: Veep, Modern Family, Louis C.K., Key & Peele, Transparent, The Big Bang Theory. Some inclusions of note among the field are Bill Murray for his special that was just released very recently, Kristen Wiig for The Spoils Before Dying, and Carol Burnett receiving a lifetime achievement award.

See the rest of the comedy nominees below and the full list here.

Unlike The Emmys thought, The SAG Awards have put Orange Is The New Black and Shameless into consideration in the comedy category and both garner nominations.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
BILL MURRAY “A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
KRISTEN WIIG “THE SPOILS BEFORE DYING” (IFC)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
LOUIS C.K. / Louie – “LOUIE” (FX Networks)
WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper – “THE BIG BANG THEORY” (CBS)
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman – “TRANSPARENT” (Amazon)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren – “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (Netflix)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton – “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
ELLIE KEMPER / Kimmy Schmidt – “UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT” (Netflix)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / President Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)
AMY POEHLER / Leslie Knope – “PARKS AND RECREATION” (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
MAYIM BIALIK / Amy Farrah Fowler
KALEY CUOCO / Penny
JOHNNY GALECKI / Leonard Hofstadter
SIMON HELBERG / Howard Wolowitz
KUNAL NAYYAR / Rajesh Koothrappali
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper
MELISSA RAUCH / Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz

KEY & PEELE (Comedy Central)
KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY / Various Characters
JORDAN PEELE / Various Characters

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy
AUBREY ANDERSON EMMONS / Lily Tucker-Pritchett
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett
NOLAN GOULD / Luke Dunphy
SARAH HYLAND / Haley Dunphy
ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
ARIEL WINTER / Alex Dunphy

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren
MIKE BIRBIGLIA / Danny Pearson
MARSHA STEPHANIE BLAKE / Berdie Rogers
DANIELLE BROOKS / Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson
LAVERNE COX / Sophia Burset
JACKIE CRUZ / Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales
CATHERINE CURTIN / Wanda Bell
LEA DELARIA / Carrie “Big Boo” Black
BETH FOWLER / Sister Jane Ingalls
JOEL MARSH GARLAND / Scott O’Neill
KIMIKO GLENN / Brook Soso
ANNIE GOLDEN / Norma Romano
DIANE GUERRERO / Maritza Ramos
MICHAEL J. HARNEY / Sam Healy
VICKY JEUDY / Janae Watson
SELENIS LEYVA / Gloria Mendoza
TARYN MANNING / Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett
ADRIENNE C. MOORE / Black Cindy
KATE MULGREW / Galina “Red” Reznikov
EMMA MYLES / Leanne Taylor
MATT PETERS / Joel Luschek
LORI PETTY / Lolly Whitehill
JESSICA PIMENTEL / Maria Ruiz
DASCHA POLANCO / Dayanara Diaz
LAURA PREPON / Alex Vause
ELIZABETH RODRIGUEZ / Aleida Diaz
RUBY ROSE / Stella Carlin
NICK SANDOW / Joe Caputo
ABIGAIL SAVAGE / Gina
TAYLOR SCHILLING / Piper Chapman
CONSTANCE SHULMAN / Yoga Jones
DALE SOULES / Frieda
YAEL STONE / Lorna Morello
SAMIRA WILEY / Poussey Washington

TRANSPARENT (Amazon)
ALEXANDRA BILLINGS / Davina Rejennae
CARRIE BROWNSTEIN / Syd Feldman
JAY DUPLASS / Josh Pfefferman
KATHRYN HAHN / Raquel Fein
GABY HOFFMANN / Ali Pfefferman
CHERRY JONES / Leslie Mackinaw
AMY LANDECKER / Sarah Pfefferman
JUDITH LIGHT / Shelly Pfefferman
HARI NEF / Gittel/Gerson
EMILY ROBINSON / Rose Boymelgreen
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman

VEEP (HBO)
DIEDRICH BADER / Bill Ericsson
SUFE BRADSHAW / Sue Wilson
ANNA CHLUMSKY / Amy Brookheimer
GARY COLE / Kent Davidson
KEVIN DUNN / Ben Cafferty
TONY HALE / Gary Walsh
HUGH LAURIE / Tom James
PHIL REEVES / Doyle
SAM RICHARDSON / Richard
REID SCOTT / Dan Egan
TIMOTHY SIMONS / Jonah Ryan
SARAH SUTHERLAND / Catherine
MATT WALSH / Mike McLintock

52nd Annual SAG Life Achievement Award
CAROL BURNETT

On This Second Day of Hannukah, HBO NOW Is Gifting 12 Episodes of HBO’s Finest
December 8, 2015
Uncategorized
12 days of hbonow, curb your enthusiasm, eastbound & down, girls, hbo, hbo now, silicon valley, veep

If you’ve somehow not seen any HBO over the last couple of years and are wondering what all the fuss is about, this is a pretty good opportunity.

As a gift from HBO and their streaming service HBO NOW, you can now watch and share the first episodes of 12 series within their vast acclaimed catalog, free of charge. 

This includes Veep, Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Silicon Valley, and Eastbound & Down.

Get into it (or back into it as the case may be for many of you) here.

“Veep”, “The Daily Show”, and “Transparent” Win Big at Emmys
September 21, 2015
Uncategorized
emmys, jon stewart, the daily show, transparent, veep

Outstanding Comedy Series–Veep
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series–Inside Amy Schumer
Outstanding Variety Talk Series–The Daily Show
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series–Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series–Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series–Allison Janney, Mom
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series–Tony Hale, Veep
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series–Bradley Whitford, Transparent
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series–Joan Cusack, Shameless
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series–Veep
Writing For A Variety Series–The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series–Transparent
Directing For A Variety Show–Chuck O’Neil, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Full list of Primetime Emmys winners here.

Three of the most talked about comedies series of the year got their due at The Emmys last night as Jon Stewart has ended his Daily Show run with an Emmys sweep for talk/variety series, Transparent got honors for Jeffrey Tambor and series creator Jill Soloway, and Veep received its rightful due as a truly outstanding comedy series with four Emmys.

Even more notable than that, only one broadcast network sitcom, CBS’ Mom, got an Emmy. Everything else is highly touted cable shows like Veep, Inside Amy Schumer or shows on streaming networks like Amazon. If there was ever a sign of the times of TV as far as comedy is concerned, take a gander at this list of winners again.

Matt Walsh and Timothy Simons Are Developing a College Football Comedy “Red Shirt” at Paramount
July 25, 2015
Uncategorized
matt walsh, paramount, red hour films, red shirt, timothy simons, veep

(via Variety)

Take a brief moment to enjoy the idea of Mike and Jonah from Veep working on a movie together. 

Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films and Paramount have gotten on board for Matt Walsh and Timothy Simons’ college football comedy “Red Shirt”.

There are no other details as of right now, but don’t be surprised to hear that it would be an improvised movie and has a dash of Walsh’s sports podcast, Bear Down. 

Comedy Central, “Veep”, “Silicon Valley”, Louis C.K., and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” Come Up Big in 2015 Primetime Emmy Nominations
July 17, 2015
Uncategorized
comedy central, louie, louis ck, netflix, silicon valley, snl, unbreakable kimmy schmidt, veep

Comedy Central received 26 Primetime Emmy nominations as a network, 9 went to Louis C.K. for his show Louie/hosting SNL/his own stand-up special and Veep, and 7 went to both Silicon Valley and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Actually, Veep, SNL, Inside Amy Schumer, Silicon Valley, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Key & Peele, The Late Show with David Letterman, Louie, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Simpsons, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Last Man on Earth, and Last Week Tonight got more than four nominations each.

As far as networks go, Comedy Central racked its 25 Emmys between it plethora of acclaimed series including Inside Amy Schumer, Key & Peele, The Daily Show, @midnight with Chris Hardwick, South Park, Drunk History and The Colbert Report.

Cartoon Network got 4 nominations, Adult Swim received 3, and Funny or Die, IFC, and LouisCK.net all received 2.

Here are the individual nominees in the major categories:

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
black-ish-Anthony Anderson
Episodes-Matt LeBlanc
House Of Lies-Don Cheadle
The Last Man On Earth-Will Forte
Louie-Louis C.K.
Shameless-William H. Macy
Transparent-Jeffrey Tambor

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The Comeback-Lisa Kudrow
Grace And Frankie-Lily Tomlin
Inside Amy Schumer-Amy Schumer
Nurse Jackie-Edie Falco
Parks And Recreation-Amy Poehler
Veep-Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Show With David Letterman
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Outstanding Comedy Series
Louie
Modern Family
Parks And Recreation
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Drunk History
Inside Amy Schumer
Key & Peele
Portlandia
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Brooklyn Nine-Nine-Andre Braugher
Girls-Adam Driver
Key & Peele-Keegan-Michael Key
Modern Family-Ty Burrell
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-Tituss Burgess
Veep-Tony Hale

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory-Mayim Bialik
Getting On-Niecy Nash
Modern Family-Julie Bowen
Mom-Allison Janney
Saturday Night Live-Kate McKinnon
Transparent-Gaby Hoffmann
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-Jane Krakowski
Veep-Anna Chlumsky

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
The Comedians-Mel Brooks
Inside Amy Schumer-Paul Giamatti
Saturday Night Live-Bill Hader
Saturday Night Live-Louis C.K.
Transparent-Bradley Whitford
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-Jon Hamm

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory-Christine Baranski
Girls-Gaby Hoffmann
Louie-Pamela Adlon
Modern Family-Elizabeth Banks
Shameless-Joan Cusack
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-Tina Fey

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Episodes
The Last Man On Earth
Louie
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
The Last Man On Earth
Louie
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

Outstanding Variety Special
Bill Maher: Live From D.C.
The Kennedy Center Honors
Louis C.K.: Live At The Comedy Store
Mel Brooks Live At The Geffen
The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Inside Amy Schumer
Key & Peele
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special
The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards
Key & Peele Super Bowl Special
Louis C.K.: Live At The Comedy Store
Mel Brooks Live At The Geffen
The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special

Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Inside Amy Schumer
Late Show With David Letterman
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program
Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis
Billy On The Street
Childrens Hospital
Key & Peele Presents Van And Mike: The Ascension

Outstanding Interactive Program
@midnight With Chris Hardwick
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Saturday Night Live: SNL40
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Outstanding Animated Program
Archer
Bob’s Burgers
Over The Garden Wall
The Simpsons
South Park

Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program
Adventure Time
Disney Mickey Mouse
Regular Show
Robot Chicken
Steven Universe
Wander Over Yonder

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
Bob’s Burgers-John Roberts
Family Guy-Seth MacFarlane
Robot Chicken-Seth Green
The Simpsons-Dan Castellaneta
The Simpsons-Tress MacNeille
The Simpsons-Hank Azaria

Take a good long look at all of this note how this is a transitional period for comedy as the likes of Parks and Recreation, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and The Late Show with David Letterman have come to a close while Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Last Man on Earth signal the arrival of newcomers.

Get the full list of 2015 Primetime Emmy Nominees here.

HBO Renews Both “Silicon Valley” and “Veep” For Another Season
April 13, 2015
Uncategorized
hbo, renewed, silicon valley, veep

The season premieres were last night and season renewals were ordered today. If only that happened more often on TV.

There indeed will be a season 3 of Silicon Valley and a season 5 of Veep coming to HBO even though the second and fourth seasons, respectively, have just started.

For those of that you don’t have an HBO subscription, HBO Now looks even more tempting, doesn’t it?

“Silicon Valley” and “Veep” Return Tonight
April 12, 2015
Uncategorized
hbo, silicon valley, veep

Yes, there is more than just Game of Thrones tonight.

Following Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley and Veep have their season premieres tonight starting at 10PM and 10:30PM on HBO respectively making for one of the best hour blocks of comedy on television.

Do note that this is the last season that Veep’s creator Armando Iannucci will be at the helm and that this is only Silicon Valley’s second season after getting all the accolades as a freshman series.

So, again, don’t miss out.

Armando Iannucci Set to Leave “Veep”
April 10, 2015
Uncategorized
armando iannucci, curb your enthusiasm, david mandel, hbo, veep

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Curb Your Enthusiasm’s David Mandel will be taking the reins upon Iannucci’s exit.

With family back home in London and an itch to do more movies, Armando Iannucci is stepping down from his own series Veep after four stellar seasons.

We can only hope this will go notably better than what happened in season 4 of Community and that maybe Iannucci will give British intelligence agencies another course on comedy in his spare time.

Armando Iannucci Working on a Comedy About The Death of Stalin
March 19, 2015
Uncategorized
armando iannucci, stalin, veep

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

What’s funny about the death of Stalin? Leave it to Armando Iannucci to make it probably one of the funniest things that will hit the big screens in a long time.

It’s getting safer and safer to say that Armando Iannucci is one of the most brilliant minds when it comes to political comedy. In The Loop, The Thick of It, and Veep always hit the marks of being both undeniably hysterical and incredibly poignant. 

So, the idea of him working on his next feature project that’s “…a sort of comedy about the death of Stalin,” is pretty exciting. He’s still developing it, but we can only try and imagine what Stalin jokes he has percolating in his brain.

We wouldn’t be surprised at all if this become a sort of textbook to satirize dictators. After all, Iannucci has lectured intelligence agencies on comedy.

Here’s The Trailer For “Veep” Season 4
March 7, 2015
Uncategorized
hbo, hugh laurie, julia louis dreyfus, season 4, trailer, veep

The trailer for the latest season of Veep is here, which means season 4 is almost here. Specifically, Sun. Apr. 12th 10:30PM on HBO is when season 4 will premiere.

Until then, you can enjoy the obscenely smart barbs thrown back and forth within The White House as well as confirmation that Hugh Laurie will be part of this season in this aforementioned trailer.

HBO Announces Premieres for “Veep”, “Silicon Valley”, and New Series “The Brink”
January 9, 2015
Uncategorized
hbo, silicon valley, the brink, veep

One of the sharpest comedy blocks on TV, Veep and Silicon Valley, is set to return Sun. Apr. 12th for their fourth and second season respectively along with something called Game of Thrones (via EW).

HBO just announced a whole row of premiere dates for 2015 for their returning shows as well as announcing that their latest series, the dark geopolitical comedy “The Brink” starring Jack Black and Tim Robbins is coming this Summer (via zap2it).

As The Brink centers on crisis due to a possible nuclear strike through the eyes of a Secretary of State, a veteran pilot, and a government official, this is probably the closest we’ll ever get to a Dr. Strangelove as a TV show, which is something we’re completely on board for.

Birdman, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Veep, More Get Nominated for SAG Awards
December 11, 2014
Uncategorized
birdman, louie, modern family, nominees, sag awards, screen actors guild, veep

We’re in the thick of awards seasons and more and more nominations get announced every day. The nominees for The Screen Actors Guild Awards were revealed this week and we’re happy to hear that Birdman is getting its due with getting in four categories as well as the presence of perennial favorites Louie, Veep, and Modern Family. 

Here are the rest of the comedy nominees for this year’s SAG Awards:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Michael Keaton-Birdman

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Edward Norton-Birdman

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Emma Stone-Birdman
Naomi Watts-St. Vincent

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell-Modern Family
Louis C.K.-Louie
William H. Macy-Shameless
Jim Parsons-The Big Bang Theory
Eric Stonesteer-Modern Family

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba-Orange Is The New Black
Julie Bowen-Modern Family
Edie Falco-Veep
Julia Louis-Dreyfus-Veep
Amy Poehler-Parks and Recreation

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Modern Family
Orange Is The New Black
Veep

Here is the list for the full nominees. The SAG Awards will be televised live on Sun. Jan. 25th on TNT/TBS.

What Has Happened to Comedy on Broadcast Networks? (Hint: Lots of Canceling)
November 25, 2014
Uncategorized
a to z, abc, arrested development, big bang theory, black-ish, cbs, comedy central, community, cristela, fox, franklin and bash, fx, fxx, john stamos, key & peele, last comic standing, last man on earth, louie, manhattan love story, mindy project, nbc, new girl, portlandia, selfie, sullivan and son, the-simpsons, transparent, two and a half men, unbreakable kimmy schmidt, veep

It would be a little premature to say that there’s writing on the wall, but comedy definitely seems like it is playing second fiddle (or almost no fiddle at all) to hour long dramas at NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox. Comedy is currently flourishing on cable and online and, perhaps, that is where episodic comedy, wholly, is headed. 

This TV season alone, freshman comedies Selfie, A to Z, Manhattan Love Story, and Bad Judge have been canceled along with relative new comers The Millers.

Community, Arrested Development, and now The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which had a series order from NBC but didn’t even make it to air, have moved from TV networks to online streaming services.

Just yesterday, it was announced ABC also scrapped a sitcom they had already ordered to series, Members Only starring John Stamos.

Bloggers and John Mulaney alike keep talking about whether Mulaney will last on Fox. On top of all of that, there are rumors that NBC has halted production on Last Comic Standing after it already had brought it back from the dead.

We’re not saying broadcast networks have drawn a hard line on in the sand (yet) prohibiting comedy from their airwaves. Cristela, black-ish, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine have found success just starting out and the networks have a few comedy mainstays like Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, and Two and Half Men. New Girl and The Mindy Project have also seemed to fared well in their tenure at Fox. Also, cable networks TBS and TNT have recently canceled Sullivan & Son and Franklin & Bash, respectively.

Still, this last couple of years have seen an unprecedented shift of the comedy genre as an aggregate on TV from going live on air to every household with a TV on a weeknight to niche cable networks and various online entities ranging anywhere from Netflix to YouTube to Amazon. Key & Peele, Louie, Portlandia, Veep, Transparent, and Children’s Hospital are all just a few perfect examples of this new paradigm.

The future for comedy on TV and the behemoths of television does have yet to be decided. The highly anticipated Last Man on Earth from Chris Miller and Phil Lord starring Will Forte is premiering next year. Networks, like CBS, are starting to get on board with their own streaming service. 

What is clear in the current TV landscape, above all, is that the Internet isn’t going away and, because of that, viewers can watch whatever they want whenever they want to watch it. Thus, people will watch their favorite Key & Peele sketch as many as times as they can stand, binge watch The Simpsons via The Simpsons World app/site, consume as much media that exists online of their favorite comedians (i.e. web series, podcasts, stand-up clips, etc.), and do so at any time of any day in any place versus Thursdays at 8 at home,

In such an environment, it’s much harder than it used to be to launch a broad franchise sitcom that lasts 10 seasons and lives on in syndication, which has been the network TV model for comedy for decades. So, for now, as NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt poignantly remarked during Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s move to Netflix, “…we have a very drama-heavy midseason schedule.”

Hugh Laurie Might Apparently Be On The Next Season Of “Veep”
November 19, 2014
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The Baltimore Media Blog has reported a sighting of Hugh Laurie on the set of HBO’s Veep dressed very much in the mileu of Veep.

We can only hope that not only that Laurie has indeed returned to a pure, full on comedy after all those years of A Little Bit of Fry and Laurie as well as Blackadder, but that he would be on the show for a long arc, if he doesn’t get a spot as a cast regular. It would be one great thing that would have happened today in the world of comedy.

Modern Family, Louie, Veep, and Colbert Win Again at The Emmys
August 26, 2014
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It’s become routine to expect that Modern Family, ABC’s powerhouse sitcom, FX’s groundbreaking Louie, the brilliant Veep, and the supremely well-crafted Colbert Report win during awards season. Last night, at The Emmys they didn’t break with those expectations at all unlike a lot of the new winners at this year’s Creative Arts Emmys.

Here’s what they and more won at The Primetime Emmys.

Modern Family-Outstanding Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep-Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Ty Burrell in Modern Family-Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Jimmy Fallon hosting SNL-Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Louis C.K. for Louie-Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Gail Mancuso for Modern Family-Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
The Colbert Report-Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Variety Series
Don Roy King for Saturday Night Live-Outstanding Directing for Variety Series
Sarah Silverman for We Are Miracles-Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

Read the complete list of Primetime Emmy winners here.

The Primetime Emmys Announced Their 2014 Nominees
July 10, 2014
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The Primetime Emmys Announced Their 2014 Nominees

Among the comedy nominees were:

Louie, Silicon Valley, Veep, Modern Family, Orange Is The New Black, Spoils of Babylon, Derek, Episodes, Girls, Parks and Recreation, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, SNL, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Key & Peele, Portlandia, Sarah Silverman, Billy Crystal, Inside Amy Schumer, Between Two Ferns, Children’s Hospital, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, “@midnight”, Archer, Futurama, Bob’s Burgers, South Park, Adventure Time, Phineas & Ferb, Robot Chicken, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Community, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 

While not all of these shows got Outstanding Comedy Series, it’s great to see Silicon Valley get nominations in its first season (one of them being Outstanding Comedy Series), Key & Peele get the respect it deserves, and have things like Between Two Ferns also get nominated for an Emmy.

Armando Iannucci, Mike Schur, Jenji Kohan, Mike Judge, Jenni Konner, Chuck Lorre, and Marc Maron Have a Fascinating Chat
June 9, 2014
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Armando Iannucci, Mike Schur, Jenji Kohan, Mike Judge, Jenni Konner, Chuck Lorre, and Marc Maron Have a Fascinating Chat

The Hollywood Reporter gathered together comedy showrunners Mike Schur from Parks and Recreation, Jenji Kohan from Orange Is The New Black, Mike Judge from SIlicon Valley, Armando Iannucci from Veep, Jenni Konner from Girls, Chuck Lorre from Two and Half Men (and so many more), and Marc Maron from Maron to chat for awhile about being a showrunner for a comedy series in 2014. 

The results are pretty intriguing and enlightening. At one point, due to the modifier asking the entire group a number questions that they qualified with an exemption of Lorre’s shows, Chuck Lorre asked, “What am I doing here?”

Joe Biden and Selina Meyer Hang Out as Two Veeps
May 6, 2014
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The line between television and reality was blurred as this past weekend, Veep’s VP Selina Meyer played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and actual Vice President, Joe Biden were. hanging out together.

It’s as much fun as you’d think it would be. Watch it here.

Matt Walsh on How Close Veep Is To Real Life Politics
May 1, 2014
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This week, the great Matt Walsh stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers and revealed that, perhaps unsurprisingly, that the political world is not far off from the one portrayed in Veep. Also, Walsh and Meyers have a fun run of riffing off each other.

Watch the interview here.

HBO Renews ‘Veep’ and ‘Silicon Valley’
April 21, 2014
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HBO Renews ‘Veep’ and ‘Silicon Valley’

That’s right, HBO is re-upping both Veep and Silicon Valley. The two fantastic comedy series will be getting a 4th season and a 2nd season respectively as they completely deserve.

This news also kicks off a week where Last Week Tonight with John Oliver premieres on HBO. So, you probably know this or have just figured it out, but HBO is on a roll with comedy. 

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