The Nerdist Gets New Leadership/Expanding Brand
With the additions of Adam Rymer as President and Jack Herrguth as head of development, Nerdist is poised to start making projects beyond their YouTube channel including more feature length films, half hour comedies, and much much more.
Just think about this: This whole media empire, which arguably has the digital space figured out much better than many networks, started off with just a podcast.
Jackie Kashian’s Special “This Will Make an Excellent Horcrux” Out Today
Jackie Kashian’s brand new stand up special This Will Make an Excellent Horcrux is finally here from All Things Comedy for only $5.
On top of you wanting to see a Jackie Kashian special, it being for the low price of $5, Jackie gets 100% of the profits. So buy and enjoy her wonderful comedy (it is pretty great in case you haven’t checked it out) and you will be, as suggested above, 100% supporting her.
TruTV Gives Greenlights First Sketch Comedy Series “Friends of the People”
Coming this Summer, TruTV will expand their branding as a network to include a sketch comedy show starring the likes of Kevin Barnett, Jennifer Bartels, Jermaine Fowler, Lil Rel Howery , The Lucas Bros. and Josh Rabinowitz.
So, TruTV first had comedians do talking heads on shows like World’s Dumbest Criminals, then had Impractical Jokers, and now will go on with fully contained sketch comedy, which is very nice to see.
Lena Dunham to Write Four Part Mini Series for “Archie” Comic Books
With Lena Dunham doing a mini series for the renowned Archie comics, this might be a rare time that we’re really into a new branch of a comic book mythology as opposed to all those zombie versions of most super hero properties.
MaxFunCon 2014 Line-up Announced
Jesse Thorn’s annual MaxFunCon comedy/music/knowledge/etc. retreat is coming up soon, specifically May 30th-Jun. 1st and if you’re going, you enjoy…
Comedy from:
Ricky Carmona, Ian Edwards, Shelby Fero, Kumail Nanjiani, and Brent Weinbach
Panels & Other Entertainment from:
Dan Deacon, John Hodgman, Geoffrey Nunberg, RISK!, Stop Podcasting Yourself, Throwing Shade
Workshops from:
Colin Anderson, Chuck Bryant, Jessica Charlton, Julia Crookston, Liezl Estipona, Emily Gordon, Benjamin Harrison, Kenneth Lecky, Sarah Morgan, Jordan Morris, Oh No, Ross and Carrie!, DC Pierson, Joe Randazzo, Ten West
Tickets are sold out, but there is a waitlist if you still want a chance to go.
Michelle Obama to Appear on ‘Parks and Recreation’
Following doing a sketch on The Tonight Show called “Ew!”, The First Lady of the United States’ next scripted appearance will be on Parks and Recreation.
Of course, we’ll be looking fowards to .gif made of Leslie Knope’s reactions to meeting Michelle Obama.
Ellen Burstyn To Star In Amy Poehler’s NBC Comedy Pilot ‘Old Soul’
Leave it to Amy Poehler to add Ellen Burstyn to the cast of Natasha Lyonne, Rita Moreno, Fred Willard, and Nick Thune, in her comedy pilot Old Soul at NBC to be directed David Wain.
We know that this post is almost identical to our post about Old Soul casting yesterday, but Poehler and co. just keep making it better and better thus necessitating us to almost repeat ourselves.
Paul F. Tompkins Will Live Tweet Esquire’s Oscars Coverage
Only the likes of Paul F. Tompkins a veritable expert a live tweeting who has covered things like the Pope’s Midnight Mass wonderfully in 140 character bursts can make reading tweets about something live that you can watch thoroughly entertaining
That’s why he will be given the Esquire Twitter account this Sunday to do the same for The Oscars. So, when you’re checking the whole of your Twitter feed for funny Oscars tweets, be sure to check on Paul’s @esquiremag.
ABC Orders Pilot Presentation of Cristela Alonzo Comedy
Cristela Alonzo’s comedy project is still in play this pilot season as it has just gotten order for a pilot presentation at ABC.
Let’s hope that it avoids any more of the development process where you have to figure out what the difference between pilot presentation and pilot is.
Cast of NBC’s Undateable (Ron Funches, Chris D’Elia, Brent Morin, Rick Glassman) Going on Tour
Whether it’s in promotion of the upcoming sitcom Undateable at NBC or just touring for the hell of it, Ron Funches, Chris D’Elia, Brent Morin, and Rick Glassman going to tell jokes around the country with series co-creator Bill Lawrence hosting is something you should probably catch.
Cities, dates, and their respective tickets at the link.
Fred Willard To Co-Star In Amy Poehler’s NBC Comedy Pilot ‘Old Soul’
This news means Natasha Lyonne, Rita Moreno, Nick Thune, and now Fred Willard will now be starring in a pilot produced by Amy Poehler and directed by David Wain.
Sounds pretty grand, right?
We hope that we get to see this relatively soon whether it gets a series order, which we sincerely are hoping for, or not.
Microsoft In Talks to Partner with France’s Internet Video Site Dailymotion
If this potential partnership happens with Dailymotion and Microsoft and Dailymotion gains serious traction in the States, you’ll have to seriously think about where to upload your sketches and parody videos between them and YouTube, Vimeo and Funny or Die or whether to do all four.
It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility if, in a few years, there were bidding wars for hosting funny viral videos between them all much like studios do for scripts, projects, and properties.
Legendary comedy troupe Monty Python is not only reuniting for a live stage show this summer, but they will also be getting together in a film by their very own Terry Jones entitled Absolutely Anything. They’ll be joining an already star-studded cast of Kate Beckinsale and Simon Pegg as well as Eddie Izzard and Robin Williams.
So, perhaps in 2014, Monty Python is making a full scale comeback?
Max Silvestri Co-Hosting a Food Road Comedy Show on FYI Network
The very funny Max Silvestri will be regularly on TV on the to-be-launched FYI Network as third co-host of an untitled “food comedy road show” with food critic Gail Simmons and chef Marcus Samuelsson.
There isn’t much more details beyond that, but we’re glad that Silvestri will be going around showing us food or, we hope as it’s “food comedy road show”, start massive food fights.
Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele to Guest Star in FX’s Fargo
That’s right, Key & Peele will have be guest starring in a few episodes in the TV adaptation of Fargo at FX premiering Apr. 15th.
We’re sure .gifs of this, when it happens will dominate all of our social media feeds.
Tweets, Vines Set to Play on U.S. Movie Screens This Summer
So, in that time before you watch 20 minutes of trailers, your tweets and vines might just be featured at your local multiplex.
For comedians, this will be a prime opportunity to tell their parents that they made it to the big screen and didn’t even have to audition.
Andy Sandford’s “me the whole time” Out Today
Remember when we told you that the hilarious Andy Sandford has an album coming out soon that you should get?
Well, soon is over and today, me the whole time is out. So, as we said before, you should get pick it up today and have yourself a good laugh.
New Channel 101 for Feb. 2014 Is Here
Channel 101’s latest batch for this month is here and shows Car Jumper and NY Stories are still deservedly top finishers.
As always, if you’re not familiar with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab’s independent monthly short form series that’s been running for more than a few years, then please do acquaint yourself with hours of hilarious awesomeness.
Lena Dunham to Host SNL on Mar. 8th
With this announcement of Lena Dunham hosting SNL next week and the Internet’s proclivity towards parodying Girls (SNL included), we are wondering how many Girls based/themed sketches there will be.
In fact, we’d wouldn’t mind if most of this episode would be a parody of Girls as done by its creator.
Comedy Central Renews ‘Broad City’ for Second Season
Comedy Central is on quite the streak as of late with their new series with the very funny Broad City being the latest example.
It’s good to see that a combination of plenty of positive reviews and good ratings are rewarded very quickly with a second season renewal.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to Adapt “Console Wars” Based on Nintendo vs. Sega
A movie following the all out PR fight between Nintendo and Sega, which got to a point comparable to political mudslinging, is already interesting enough.
What will be more interesting is that the filmmaking team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are currently attach to adapt the book Console Wars chronicling the face-off between the two biggest video game consoles of the 90s.
Based off of everything else they’ve done and the tone of the book, this might have a more dramatic bent than the rest of Rogen/Goldberg’s filmography.
Hopefully, you’ve heard of Groundhog Day, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, and so on with an illustrious career of storied comedy writer/actor/filmmaker and now late Harold Ramis.
Instead of letting this ruin Monday, let’s remember Ramis, who just passed away at 69, fondly with re-watching all of his classics that he was involved in one way or another.
Amtrak Planning to Offer Free/Low-Cost Writing Residencies
If you haven’t taken a train beyond the subway, then it’s probably been quite some time since you’ve heard the company name Amtrak in any context. Well, that just changed as the long standing train service is forming a writer’s residencies program where they’d hope to offer select writers a free round trip to write whatever they’re working on.
Their parameters for writers aren’t strict either, so it can be more than just novelists (i.e. something comedy related). There are no places to apply yet, but we’ll keep you updated.
Will Ferrell Will Go Against Red Hot Chili Peppers Drummer Chad Smith in Drum Battle
Because enough money, specifically over $300,000, was raised for the Cancer for College charity, Will Ferrell will make good on a promise to battle the drummer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chad Smith.
Hopefully, Will will duel with several cowbells.
Also, it would seem that Ferrell could raise plenty of money for charity if he did a tour of publicity stunts like this one.
Eddie Pepitone’s “A Great Stillness” Coming Out on Vinyl
One of the best comedy albums to be released in 2011 was Eddie Pepitone’s sophomore album A Great Stillness. It really did capture how great it is to see Eddie live and how his performances are one-of-a-kind, brilliant, brash, and, most importantly hysterical.
Stand Up! Records remastered the album and is releasing this great, important piece of comedy on vinyl next week on Feb. 25th. You can pre-over at the link above.