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Amber Ruffin To Host the 22nd Annual Webby Awards

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Amber Ruffin To Host the 22nd Annual Webby Awards

Late Night with Seth Meyers stand-out Amber Ruffin is getting on the awards hosting track with this Webby Awards hosting gig. If her track record on Late Night serves as any indicator, we’ll be excited to see what Ruffin does for the ceremony, which is pretty weird as it is (ex. acceptance speeches have to be 5 words).

Seth Meyers alums are doing quite well as of late. Ruffin undoubtedly has bigger and better things coming her way on top of the Webby Awards in the not so distant future and Michelle Wolf is already having a hell of a year (WHCD, Netflix late night series)

Entire Monty Python Catalog Headed to Netflix

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Entire Monty Python Catalog Headed to Netflix

From Holy Grail to the Flying Circus to deep cuts like Eric Idle’s What About Dick? will all be coming to Netflix on April 15th.

It will probably be the freewheeling, absurdist reprieve that you might like on Tax Day, so get ready to binge a bunch of silliness in a few weeks.

Meltdown Comics and Nerdmelt Showroom to Close

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Meltdown Comics and Nerdmelt Showroom to Close

It would no exaggeration to say that we’ve cumulatively spent entire days of our life hanging out the backroom of Meltdown Comics, an unmistakable LA cultural landmark on a Sunset Blvd. chock full of them, catching some of the best comedy we’ve ever seen.

Of course, that back room is more formally known as the Nerdmelt Showroom. With the just announced closing of Meltdown Comics comes the closing of that back room theater as well as the Nerdist School and the podcast studio that resided upstairs above the ecosystem of comedy, comic books, D&D, Mario Kart, comic book signings, screen printing, etc. etc. Nerdmelt specifically saw the entire run of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, the flagship show of Nerdmelt, which lead to a Comedy Central series that was shot in that very back room.

There was really something magical about the room that actually transcended the notion of it being at the back of a comic book store. At least that’s what we think that’s partially responsible for seeing one of our favorite performances of all time: Rory Scovel roasting the house band on Greg Barris’ Heart of Darkness in sheer, pitch black darkness, seemingly in the voice of Werner Herzog.

FYI, the last show for Nerdmelt is Comedians Cinema Club on March 30th and they have shows every night up until then. We highly urge you to catch one of them if not all of them.

R.I.P., albeit pre-emptively, Meltdown and Nerdmelt.

Adult Swim Will Be Thowing an LA Music and Comedy Festival This Fall

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Adult Swim Will Be Thowing an LA Music and Comedy Festival This Fall

For awhile, we had Riot LA. Every now and again, we have Festival Supreme.

However, big time festivals featuring comedy in Los Angeles are had to come by. Adult Swim, fortunately, will be giving it a go by throwing a music and comedy festival at the Row DTLA this fall.

So far, a line-up has yet to be announced, but you can count on Run The Jewels being there. So, maybe, just maybe, you can forgive the delay on a new season of Rick and Morty if you’re in and around LA?

Get more details here.

John Oliver’s Parody Children’s Book About Mike Pence’s Rabbit Marlon Bundo Sells Out First Run; 2nd Print on the Way

day in the life, john oliver, last week tonight, marlon bundo, mike pence

John Oliver’s Parody Children’s Book About Mike Pence’s Rabbit Marlon Bundo Sells Out First Run; 2nd Print on the Way

So, is “The John Oliver Effect” still not a real thing?

John Oliver’s latest deep dive segment on Last Week Tonight dived into Mike Pence, the current Vice President of the United States.

In this segment, you might have learned that Pence has a pet rabbit named Marlon Bundo and has subsequently written a children’s book focused on his rabbit. Oliver and his Last Week Tonight team saw this happening and made their own pro-LGBTQ children’s book also about Marlon Bundo and had it published and distributed online with all proceeds going to the Trevor Project and Aids United.

The book’s first print run sold out and became an Amazon bestseller in less than a day, prompting for a 2nd print.

You can get more details and get your own copy of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo here.

If you can’t wait that long, you can get an e-book or audiobook version (featuring the voices of Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, and RuPaul).

While “The John Oliver Effect” may still be up for debate, at the very least this is a great example that comedy can actually make a direct difference in the world for the better.

Apple Scores Animated Musical Comedy “Central Park” From Loren Bouchard, Nora Smith, and Josh Gad

central park, josh gad, loren bouchard, nora smith

Apple Scores Animated Musical Comedy “Central Park” From Loren Bouchard, Nora Smith, and Josh Gad

As you can see the streaming services build their war chest of content, we see here that Apple has just scored a big get with this series order.

It has Gad and both a Bob’s Burgers team of Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard and Bob’s Burgers EP Nora Smith. The cast will includes the likes of Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Josh Gad, Titus Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr., and Kathryn Hahn.

In addition to Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s upcoming Amazon series Undone, it would seem as though Netflix’s line-up of critically acclaimed animated series might finally have some formidable competition this year and the next.

Paul Feig Launches Digital Content Company Powderkeg To Highlight Female, LGBTQ, and POC Voices

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Paul Feig Launches Digital Content Company Powderkeg To Highlight Female, LGBTQ, and POC Voices

This new banner launched by Paul Feig and headed up by Laura Fischer will “…focus on scripted and unscripted series as well as incubator programs”.

It’s nice to see that Feig is expanding from his passion for highlighting women in comedy (just take a look at his filmography from the last several years). This move also comes on top of a doing an “inclusion rider” on his projects and promoting a diverse work environment.

Needless to say, we’re very curious to see what comes from all of this and if the company will live up to its name.

Norm MacDonald Is Getting His Own Talk Show on Netflix

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Norm MacDonald Is Getting His Own Talk Show on Netflix

“I have a new show on @netflix and I’m tweeting the text exchange that started it all.“

-@normmacdonald

Looks Norm will actually get to make good on his Late Late Show audition (as well as stepping up his game from his own Internet talk show Norm MacDonald Live)

For those keeping score, Netflix has now/will have amassed late night/talk shows with David Letterman, Michelle Wolf, Hasan Minhaj, Joel McHale, and now, Norm MacDonald.

Our Cartoon President Picked Up for 7 More Episodes at Showtime

parody, satire, showtime, trump

Our Cartoon President Picked Up for 7 More Episodes at Showtime

We hope that this backend order means that they’ll pull even less punches in satirizing the Trump Administration.

Netflix Orders Australian Comedy Series From Chris Lilley

australia, chris lilley, netflix

Netflix Orders Australian Comedy Series From Chris Lilley

10 episodes of a series from Australian comedy multi-hyphenate star Chris Lilley, the creator of Summer Heights High and Ja’mie: Private School Girl, will be coming your way soon courtesy of Netflix.

No details have been revealed as to what the show will be and what get up Lilley will be wearing this time around, but we’re sure it’ll be a delightful surprise whenever it’s announced.

As you can see, if global domination in TV comedy is Netflix’s goal, they are well on their way.

James Comey to Appear on Colbert in First Late Night Appearance

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James Comey to Appear on Colbert in First Late Night Appearance

On April 17th, former FBI Director James Comey will sit down with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show for an interview.

We’re not exactly sure what to expect, especially with how forthcoming Comey may or may not be about anything or how sobering or playful Colbert will be (our guess is probably both). Still, this has to be pretty historic as FBI Directors tend to not make appearances on late night.

Come to think of it, it’d almost be worth doing the episode live just to see if Trump would respond on Twitter in real time allowing Colbert and Comey to have a back-and-forth with POTUS who probably will have something more important to do.

Amazon Orders Its First Animated Dramedy Series ‘Undone’ from Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy of BoJack Horseman

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Amazon Orders Its First Animated Dramedy Series ‘Undone’ from Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy of BoJack Horseman

Surprising at it may sound, Amazon apparently hasn’t entered the animation space quite like their main competitor Netflix has.

They’re looking to fix that with an animated dramedy from Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy, two of the mind’s behind the successful Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman. Called Undone, it has a bit of a sci-fi edge to it as the lead Alma has some sort of special power involving time after surviving a car crash.

Alma will be voiced by Rosa Salazar who, coincidentally, also plays an android heroine in the upcoming sci-fi action adventure movie, Alita: Battle Angel.

One can only imagine if this and Tuca and Bertie (the upcoming animated series at Netflix from BoJack Horseman’s producer and production designer Lisa Hanawalt) take off and BoJack will have sprouted an animated series dynasty.

Look for Undone to start streaming on Amazon Prime in 2019.

Funny Or Die Will Be Moving To Vox Media’s Digital Platform Starting This Summer

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Funny Or Die Will Be Moving To Vox Media’s Digital Platform Starting This Summer

Funny or Die started years ago with The Landlord and spawned an online comedy empire that even had its own proprietary media player separate from YouTube and Vimeo, but has come across hard times as of late.

Now, they’ll be partnering with online media conglomerate Vox and using their digital platforms and technology to keep FoD going. Their exact plans are vague at this point, especially with a list of goals of the parternship that FoD has already had for quite some time,

However, the idea that Funny or Die recently had a notable wave of layoffs and is fully partnering with another media company has to make one think of the ongoing struggle between art and commerce when it comes making money from comedy online (i.e. even something as established as FoD needs help these days).

Netflix Orders Hasan Minhaj Weekly Talk Show for 32 Episodes

hasan minhaj, late night, netflix, talk show

Netflix Orders Hasan Minhaj Weekly Talk Show for 32 Episodes

First off, though we think it’s long overdue, we’re so glad to finally see that Hasan Minhaj has his own show. We honestly thought that Minhaj was going to get the gig of hosting of The Daily Show if Comedy Central was going to promote internally because of how passionate and magnetic his persona is.

So, as far as late night/talk shows go, Netflix now has/will have series from David Letterman, Joel McHale, Michelle Wolf, and Hasan Minhaj. That’s a hell of a line-up that stacks up pretty well against any other network’s late night/talk show roster.

R.I.P. Barry Crimmins, 1953-2018

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R.I.P. Barry Crimmins, 1953-2018

“Helen [Crimmins] here with sad news…Barry passed peacefully yesterday with Bobcat and I. He would want everyone to know that he cared deeply about mankind and wants you to carry on the good fight. Peace.”

Comedian, satirist, activist, and all around a shining beacon of a human being, Barry Crimmins not only set a path for comedians to find their way in Boston over several decades, but also took action beyond his comedic truth that he always spoke to power (a rare thing for a comedian to do).

So, if you haven’t already, take some time to watch/listen to his one hour special Whatever Threatens You, the Bobcat Goldthwait documentary about Barry’s fight against Internet child abuse Call Me Lucky, and anything else you can find to honor Barry’s life, works, and memory.

Billy Eichner Will Be Doing His Very First Stand-Up Special at Netflix

billy eichner, comedy special, netflix, stand up

Billy Eichner Will Be Doing His Very First Stand-Up Special at Netflix

Don’t get it twisted. While it’s a stand-up special, people will still be getting “quizzed in the face”.

If you’re keeping score, Netflix has a Martin Short/Steve Martin special, their 15 minute specials, and now, a Billy Eichner special in the works. Also, we’re pretty sure that’s only the tip of the iceberg of what they’ve got planned for stand-up alone.

Steve Martin and Martin Short Are Making a Netflix Special

February 28, 2018

comedy special, martin short, netflix, steve martin

Steve Martin and Martin Short Are Making a Netflix Special

Just when you thought that Netflix couldn’t nab any more of comedy’s brightest stars, they will be getting a special that has yet to be taped from living comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short.

Short and Martin go way back and have recently gone on tour together, which was a good omen that something like a special might happen.

For those praying for a new comedy special involving Steve Martin with top billing that wasn’t a tribute some kind (i.e. Steve Martin’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony in 2005), it looks like whatever you believe in has answered your prayers.

Lionsgate’s Studio L Will Release Noir Comedy “Most Likely to Murder” with Adam Pally, Rachel Bloom, and Vincent Kartheiser

February 26, 2018

adam pally, lionsgate, most likely to murder, rachel bloom, studio l, vincent kartheiser

Lionsgate’s Studio L Will Release Noir Comedy “Most Likely to Murder” with Adam Pally, Rachel Bloom, and Vincent Kartheiser

Dan Gregor and Doug Mand wrote and produced what ought to be a great start under Lionsgate’s new production arm Studio L.

On May 1st, this noir-style comedy with Bloom, Pally, and Kartheiser that is targeted at millennials, will roll out digitally.

All of this, including the cast, genre, release strategy, has our curiosity peaked very high and we’ll definitely be keeping a close eye out for a trailer.

Comedy Central Renews Corporate for Season 2

February 26, 2018

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Comedy Central Renews Corporate for Season 2

Despite the protestations of alt-right blogs and the Catholic League, the ultra-dark workplace comedy from Jake Weisman, Matt Ingebretson, and Pat Bishop called Corporate, will be returning for a second season at Comedy Central.

We have no doubt that they’ll be doubling down on the comedic nihilism and we’ll probably be enjoying every second of it just like their season 2 writing staff will be.

Defamation Case Brought by Coal Titan Robert Murray Against John Oliver and Last Week Tonight Gets Dismissed

February 24, 2018

john oliver, last week tonight, robert murray

Defamation Case Brought by Coal Titan Robert Murray Against John Oliver and Last Week Tonight Gets Dismissed

The man who John Oliver called “Geriatric Dr. Evil” couldn’t take the jokes by the comedian and host of Last Week Tonight and opted to take his tendency towards suing people and drew up a defamation case.

Fortunately, for the sake of the of our First Amendment rights, a judge honored HBO’s request to dismiss the case.

We can only hope that Oliver has some sort of confetti and dancing mascot segment planned to celebrate a tad of good news on this week’s Last Week Tonight.

Tiffany Haddish to Host 2018 MTV Movie and TV Awards

February 23, 2018

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Tiffany Haddish to Host 2018 MTV Movie and TV Awards

“So I got some Great News Everybody! I will be hosting the MTV Movie and TV Awards.. make sure you watch Monday June 18th on MTV. The Awards will be in Los Angeles and it will be fun! #MTVAwards #SheReady #godisgood #mtv #godisshowingout“

@tiffanyhaddish on Instagram

OK, this might be a reason to tune in live to the MTV Movie and TV Awards instead of watching clips and hearing about the next day.

Also, just so far in 2018, Tiffany Haddish is also one of the leads on The Last O.G. on TBS, will be the voice of Tuca in Netflix’s new animated series Tuca & Bertie, and is the spokesperson for Groupon.

Basically, Haddish is having the year she deserves.

Rom Com Thriller Series “Run” from Vicky Jones with Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the Works

February 23, 2018

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Rom Com Thriller Series “Run” from Vicky Jones with Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the Works

You fell in love with her in her own series Fleabag and now Phoebe Waller-Bridge will be one of the stars in a series that starts off with exes honoring a pact of running away together after getting a text message from one to the other that simply reads, “RUN!”

Vicky Jones is a past collaborator of Waller-Bridge’s and, knowing only these few details, we sincerely hope this series gets made sooner rather than later and then, quickly finds its way to the U.S.

Drunk History Gets Renewed for Sixth Season at Comedy Central

February 23, 2018

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Drunk History Gets Renewed for Sixth Season at Comedy Central

“Y’all serious?
Thank you to everyone who has worked and or supported this little show become what it is. Congrats to the best cast and crew in town! Let’s do this shit again. 16 episodes?! Ok fine #drunkhistory”
-@derekwaterss

That’s right, one of TV’s most entertaining history lessons will officially be getting a sixth season. Hopefully, this will bring about less repeating of history than has happened in the last year.

Michelle Wolf Will Be Hosting the Next White House Correspondents Dinner

February 22, 2018

michelle wolf, whcd, white house correspondents dinner

Michelle Wolf Will Be Hosting the Next White House Correspondents Dinner

Michelle Wolf’s star keeps rising with a new late night show coming at Netflix and the gig of hosting this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner. She definitely is game for the task of roasting news outlets and the government, the main task for the host of the WHCD.

As Trump didn’t want to hear biting jokes at his expense delivered to his face, he skipped last year’s WHCD and with Wolf (a Daily Show alum and staunch feminist) on deck for this year, you can expect Trump to skip this one too.

In any case, we feel like Hasan Minhaj spared no fools in 2017 when he hosted and we’re pretty sure that Wolf will do the same, possibly even more so.

Comedy Cellar to Open a Location in Las Vegas

February 22, 2018

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Comedy Cellar to Open a Location in Las Vegas

The venerable NYC comedy club known as The Comedy Cellar is opening up a location out West, specifically at The Rio in Las Vegas at the beginning of April.

“.@NYCComedyCellar will open its first West Coast location at @RioVegas April 5. The intimate 300-seat club “will be just like coming to the New York Comedy Cellar,” said club owner Noam Dworman.”

–@7starsinsider

We’ll be curious to see how this plays out, specifically with where they’ll draw the majority of the comics from, how Vegas comics will factor in, and how close they get to being like original Comedy Cellar.