Fresh off his gig hosting this year’s Primetime Emmys, comedian and “SNL” veteran Kenan Thompson is back on stage Thursday night in Atlanta, as he kicks off the 13th edition of his “Kenan Presents The Ultimate Comedy Showcase” — and this time with a few new technological wrinkles.
The stand-up comedy search, which leads off at the Atlanta Comedy Theatre on Sept. 22, follows Thompson as he scouts for adult comedians and talented kids in more than 50 cities. Among the new elements, all around the country (50+ major cities).
Thompson has teamed up with Rendered Talent to include a virtual reality option for participants to partake in the metaverse through the “Failed To Render Comedy Club.” In addition, Thompson partnered with Proto to be able to join live shows through the metaverse as a digital hologram, attending showcases digitally to accommodate his busy schedule via Proto’s 4K hologram device.
After the initial Atlanta showcase,...
The stand-up comedy search, which leads off at the Atlanta Comedy Theatre on Sept. 22, follows Thompson as he scouts for adult comedians and talented kids in more than 50 cities. Among the new elements, all around the country (50+ major cities).
Thompson has teamed up with Rendered Talent to include a virtual reality option for participants to partake in the metaverse through the “Failed To Render Comedy Club.” In addition, Thompson partnered with Proto to be able to join live shows through the metaverse as a digital hologram, attending showcases digitally to accommodate his busy schedule via Proto’s 4K hologram device.
After the initial Atlanta showcase,...
- 9/23/2022
- by EJ Panaligan
- Variety Film + TV
Tubi has begun production on Spread, a Tubi Original Movie starring Elizabeth Gillies (Dynasty), Harvey Keitel (The Irishman), Diedrich Bader (Veep), Bryan Craig (Good Trouble) Teri Polo (Meet the Parents), Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners), Tim Rozon (Schitt’s Creek) and Keith Walker (The Upshaws). The movie hails from Cartel Pictures for premiere in 2023.
Spread follows an ambitious aspiring journalist (Gillies) who lands a temp job at an adult magazine run by an aging industry king (Keitel) and must reconcile her idealism as she strives to help the company succeed.
Directed by Ellie Kanner (Authors Anonymous), the film is written and co-produced by Buffy Charlet (Holy Ghost People). Dia Frampton (Candy Coated Christmas), Jonah Platt (Uncoupled), and Diora Baird (Cobra Kai) also star.
The movie is inspired by Charlet’s real-life experience as a temp at Hustler magazine who rose to be an editor. Gillies also executive produces. Spread is produced by...
Spread follows an ambitious aspiring journalist (Gillies) who lands a temp job at an adult magazine run by an aging industry king (Keitel) and must reconcile her idealism as she strives to help the company succeed.
Directed by Ellie Kanner (Authors Anonymous), the film is written and co-produced by Buffy Charlet (Holy Ghost People). Dia Frampton (Candy Coated Christmas), Jonah Platt (Uncoupled), and Diora Baird (Cobra Kai) also star.
The movie is inspired by Charlet’s real-life experience as a temp at Hustler magazine who rose to be an editor. Gillies also executive produces. Spread is produced by...
- 9/22/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Food Network is teaming up with its sister streaming service Discovery+ to get into the holiday TV movie business with the cable channel’s first-ever scripted film, “Candy Coated Christmas.”
Though the movie, which features “The Pioneer Woman” star Ree Drummond in her first ever acting role, is a Food Network production, it will not air on the cable channel, instead being available only to Discovery+ subscribers when it debuts in November.
Here’s the official synopsis for “Candy Coated Christmas”:
Molly Gallant (Molly McCook), a Los Angeles-based marketing executive on top of the world, is planning a new business venture with her best friend and heading to the airport for her annual holiday father-daughter trip to Hawaii when she learns that the seed money she was counting on for her business has disappeared. Molly’s father (John McCook) suggests she visit the small town where her late mother grew up,...
Though the movie, which features “The Pioneer Woman” star Ree Drummond in her first ever acting role, is a Food Network production, it will not air on the cable channel, instead being available only to Discovery+ subscribers when it debuts in November.
Here’s the official synopsis for “Candy Coated Christmas”:
Molly Gallant (Molly McCook), a Los Angeles-based marketing executive on top of the world, is planning a new business venture with her best friend and heading to the airport for her annual holiday father-daughter trip to Hawaii when she learns that the seed money she was counting on for her business has disappeared. Molly’s father (John McCook) suggests she visit the small town where her late mother grew up,...
- 8/25/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Discovery Plus and Food Network are staking their claim to the holiday movie business.
Food Network has completed production on its first-ever scripted movie, “Candy Coated Christmas,” which won’t air on the linear cable channel but rather on Discovery Plus. The feel-good holiday movie features Ree Drummond, host of the cabler’s long-running “The Pioneer Woman.”
“Candy Coated Christmas” will mark the first original scripted movie to air on Discovery Plus. Discovery and Food Network aim to grab a slice of the holiday movie audience that has proven to be so lucrative for Hallmark Channel, Freeform, Discovery’s OWN and other cablers. Food Network and its sibling channels under the Discovery umbrella such as HGTV and Investigation Discovery already attract large female audiences, which is a good fit with the holiday movie demo.
Kathleen Finch, Discovery’s chief lifestyle brands officer, said the plan is to promote “Candy Coated...
Food Network has completed production on its first-ever scripted movie, “Candy Coated Christmas,” which won’t air on the linear cable channel but rather on Discovery Plus. The feel-good holiday movie features Ree Drummond, host of the cabler’s long-running “The Pioneer Woman.”
“Candy Coated Christmas” will mark the first original scripted movie to air on Discovery Plus. Discovery and Food Network aim to grab a slice of the holiday movie audience that has proven to be so lucrative for Hallmark Channel, Freeform, Discovery’s OWN and other cablers. Food Network and its sibling channels under the Discovery umbrella such as HGTV and Investigation Discovery already attract large female audiences, which is a good fit with the holiday movie demo.
Kathleen Finch, Discovery’s chief lifestyle brands officer, said the plan is to promote “Candy Coated...
- 8/25/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Alberto Belli, Pete Chatmon, Kate Barker-Froyland, Ellie Kanner, Solvan Naim and Marcus Stokes have been selected to participate in Sony Pictures Television’s 2nd annual Diverse Directors Program, Spt annouced today. The initiative seeks to provide opportunities for artists of diverse backgrounds to shadow established TV directors on episodes of various Spt series. The six participants will work on Spt series including: The Blacklist, Dr. Ken, The Goldbergs, The Night Shif…...
- 11/5/2015
- Deadline TV
Ellie Kanner's Authors Anonymous concerns a writing workshop for aspiring novelists, but on the strength of the film you get the sense that Kanner would benefit from attending a few workshops of her own. Although perhaps the blame ought to be directed elsewhere.
This is the debut screenplay by a certain David Congalton, who is described in his Amazon profile as "a speaker, radio talk show host, and animal welfare advocate"; he's also the author of such estimable works of nonfiction as When Your Pet Outlives You: Protecting Animal Companions After You Die and Three Cats, Two Dogs: One Journey Through Multiple Pet Loss.
Congalton seems to have moved on from themes of feline mortality and grief, as what pets appear in Authors Anonymous survive ...
This is the debut screenplay by a certain David Congalton, who is described in his Amazon profile as "a speaker, radio talk show host, and animal welfare advocate"; he's also the author of such estimable works of nonfiction as When Your Pet Outlives You: Protecting Animal Companions After You Die and Three Cats, Two Dogs: One Journey Through Multiple Pet Loss.
Congalton seems to have moved on from themes of feline mortality and grief, as what pets appear in Authors Anonymous survive ...
- 4/16/2014
- Village Voice
DVD Release Date: June 17, 2014
Price: DVD $24.98
Studio: Screen Media
Chris Klein and Kaley Cuoco in Authors Anonymous
A dysfunctional writers’ group melts down when their newest member finds overnight success in the 2014 film comedy Authors Anonymous.
After a group of unpublished writers with the motto “all for one” accept in Hannah Rinaldi (Kaley Cuoco, TV’s Big Bang Theory), the last thing they expect is her overnight success—but that’s exactly what they get. While her career takes off with a book and movie deal, her eccentric and envious colleagues struggle to find their own paths to publishing fame and fortune.
Directed by Ellie Kanner, the PG-13-rated movie also stars Dennis Farina (Get Shorty), Chris Klein (American Reunion), Dylan Walsh (TV’s Nip/Tuck) and Jonathan Banks (TV’s Breaking Bad).
Authors Anonymous will pop up in a U.S. theater or two on April 18 prior to its DVD premiere in June.
Price: DVD $24.98
Studio: Screen Media
Chris Klein and Kaley Cuoco in Authors Anonymous
A dysfunctional writers’ group melts down when their newest member finds overnight success in the 2014 film comedy Authors Anonymous.
After a group of unpublished writers with the motto “all for one” accept in Hannah Rinaldi (Kaley Cuoco, TV’s Big Bang Theory), the last thing they expect is her overnight success—but that’s exactly what they get. While her career takes off with a book and movie deal, her eccentric and envious colleagues struggle to find their own paths to publishing fame and fortune.
Directed by Ellie Kanner, the PG-13-rated movie also stars Dennis Farina (Get Shorty), Chris Klein (American Reunion), Dylan Walsh (TV’s Nip/Tuck) and Jonathan Banks (TV’s Breaking Bad).
Authors Anonymous will pop up in a U.S. theater or two on April 18 prior to its DVD premiere in June.
- 4/15/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Screen Media Films and Starz Digital Media have partnered to acquire all North American rights to Ellie Kanner’s comedy Authors Anonymous, which stars Kaley Cuoco, Chris Klein, Dennis Farina, Jonathan Bennett, Dylan Walsh, and Teri Polo. The film is slated for early Spring 2014 release date across VOD and digital platforms and in select theaters.
Authors Anonymous is about a dysfunctional group of unpublished writers. When they accept Hannah (Kaley Cuoco) into their fold, the last thing they expect is her overnight success. Can these lovable misfits achieve their artistic dreams and avoid killing one another in the process?
Authors Anonymous was directed by Ellie Kanner, written by David Congalton, produced by Hal Schwartz and Ellie Kanner. The film is from Kanner’s Forever Sunny Productions and Schwartz’s Bull Market Entertainment in association with Cynthia and Laine Guidry’s Lainie Productions. The Executive Producers are Cynthia Guidry, Lainie Guidry,...
Authors Anonymous is about a dysfunctional group of unpublished writers. When they accept Hannah (Kaley Cuoco) into their fold, the last thing they expect is her overnight success. Can these lovable misfits achieve their artistic dreams and avoid killing one another in the process?
Authors Anonymous was directed by Ellie Kanner, written by David Congalton, produced by Hal Schwartz and Ellie Kanner. The film is from Kanner’s Forever Sunny Productions and Schwartz’s Bull Market Entertainment in association with Cynthia and Laine Guidry’s Lainie Productions. The Executive Producers are Cynthia Guidry, Lainie Guidry,...
- 11/16/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Screen Media Films and Starz Digital Media, the digital distribution unit of Starz, have partnered to acquire all North American rights to Ellie Kanner’s comedy “Authors Anonymous,” which stars Kaley Cuoco, Chris Klein, Jonathan Bennett, Dylan Walsh, Teri Polo and Dennis Farina in one of his last roles. The film will be available on ultra-vod on March 18, 2014 before it hits theaters on April 18. David Congalton wrote the script, which follows a dysfunctional group of unpublished writers. When they accept Hannah (Cuoco) into their fold, the last thing they expect is her overnight success. Can these lovable misfits achieve their.
- 11/16/2013
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Screen Media Films and Starz Digital Media have partnered on North American rights to Ellie Kanner’s comedy Authors Anonymous starring Kaley Cuoco, Chris Klein, Dennis Farina, Jonathan Bennett, Dylan Walsh, and Teri Polo.
The film is set for an early spring 2014 launch across VOD and digital platforms and on limited theatrical release.
Authors Anonymous tells of a dysfunctional group of unpublished writers whose newest member enjoys overnight success.
The distributors brokered the deal with Traction Media on behalf of the film-makers.
Gravitas Ventures has set a January 1 2014 worldwide VOD release for Joe Eddy’s comedy/drama Coyote (pictured), about a social misfit who befriends an illegal Mexican labourer’s family across the border. The film won the feature competition grand jury prize at the Dances With Films festival last summer. Gravitas has a deal with the festival to distribute the winner.
The film is set for an early spring 2014 launch across VOD and digital platforms and on limited theatrical release.
Authors Anonymous tells of a dysfunctional group of unpublished writers whose newest member enjoys overnight success.
The distributors brokered the deal with Traction Media on behalf of the film-makers.
Gravitas Ventures has set a January 1 2014 worldwide VOD release for Joe Eddy’s comedy/drama Coyote (pictured), about a social misfit who befriends an illegal Mexican labourer’s family across the border. The film won the feature competition grand jury prize at the Dances With Films festival last summer. Gravitas has a deal with the festival to distribute the winner.
- 11/14/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Spotlight Pictures will introduce Afm buyers to the rom-com Authors Anonymous starring Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory alongside Chris Klein, Teri Polo and the late Dennis Farina in one of his final roles.
Authors Anonymous centres on a group of struggling La screenwriters who accept a new member only to see her shoot to fame while they continue to toil away in obscurity.
“Author’s Anonymous is a hysterical look into the nature of fame,” said Spotlight CEO Matt McCombs. “Ellie Kanner has done a remarkable job in directing a film with such life and biting satire. Of course the cast is first-rate, led by Kaley, who is arguably the biggest star on television right now. We are honoured to offer this film to buyers at Afm”.
McCombs brokered the deal with producer Hal Schwartz.
Authors Anonymous centres on a group of struggling La screenwriters who accept a new member only to see her shoot to fame while they continue to toil away in obscurity.
“Author’s Anonymous is a hysterical look into the nature of fame,” said Spotlight CEO Matt McCombs. “Ellie Kanner has done a remarkable job in directing a film with such life and biting satire. Of course the cast is first-rate, led by Kaley, who is arguably the biggest star on television right now. We are honoured to offer this film to buyers at Afm”.
McCombs brokered the deal with producer Hal Schwartz.
- 10/11/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
I was happy enough to see Willem Dafoe and Matt Dillon come together on The Whiskey Bay, yet the crime thriller is still managing to cohere rather nicely. According to Deadline, Tom Berenger, Neal McDonoguh, Amy Smart, Frederick Weller (In Plain Sight), and Christopher Marquette (Kilimanjaro, Life During Wartime) will also star for debut director Chris Brinker.
We had previously been told that his debut, penned by Jonny Hirschbein, would follow “a veteran cop (Dafoe)” who uses “estranged white supremacist and ex-con, Jesse Wheeler (Dillon)” as an undercover agent against the man’s former Aryan Brotherhood brethren; this is reflected in the casting, as Berenger is coming on to appear as the group’s “amoral architect,” as Amy Smart has been signed for the role of Jesse‘s wife.
Should things work out, Whiskey Bay will end up being, in Brinker‘s words, “a movie which is reminiscent of my...
We had previously been told that his debut, penned by Jonny Hirschbein, would follow “a veteran cop (Dafoe)” who uses “estranged white supremacist and ex-con, Jesse Wheeler (Dillon)” as an undercover agent against the man’s former Aryan Brotherhood brethren; this is reflected in the casting, as Berenger is coming on to appear as the group’s “amoral architect,” as Amy Smart has been signed for the role of Jesse‘s wife.
Should things work out, Whiskey Bay will end up being, in Brinker‘s words, “a movie which is reminiscent of my...
- 8/28/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Scribble
Kaley Cuoco, Dylan Walsh, Chris Klein, Dennis Farina, Teri Polo, Tricia Helfer, Jonathan Bennett and Jonathan Banks are all set to star in Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman's indie comedy "Scribble".
The comedy follows a group of working people who want to be writers. [Source: Deadline]
Lego
Elizabeth Banks and Morgan Freeman will lend their voices to lead roles in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's animated 3D "Lego" movie at Warner Bros. Pictures. Freeman will voice a character called Vitruvius.
The pair join Chris Pratt and Will Arnett in the film about an ordinary Lego mini-figure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil Lego tyrant from gluing the universe together. [Source: Deadline]
Stage Fright
Minnie Driver will star alongside Meat Loaf Aday in Jerome Sable's horror-musical "Stage Fright" at Serendipity Point Films. Shooting kicks off September 6th in Ontario, Canada.
The story is...
Kaley Cuoco, Dylan Walsh, Chris Klein, Dennis Farina, Teri Polo, Tricia Helfer, Jonathan Bennett and Jonathan Banks are all set to star in Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman's indie comedy "Scribble".
The comedy follows a group of working people who want to be writers. [Source: Deadline]
Lego
Elizabeth Banks and Morgan Freeman will lend their voices to lead roles in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's animated 3D "Lego" movie at Warner Bros. Pictures. Freeman will voice a character called Vitruvius.
The pair join Chris Pratt and Will Arnett in the film about an ordinary Lego mini-figure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil Lego tyrant from gluing the universe together. [Source: Deadline]
Stage Fright
Minnie Driver will star alongside Meat Loaf Aday in Jerome Sable's horror-musical "Stage Fright" at Serendipity Point Films. Shooting kicks off September 6th in Ontario, Canada.
The story is...
- 8/28/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco, Unforgettable co-lead Dylan Walsh, Chris Klein, Dennis Farina, Teri Polo, Tricia Helfer, Jonathan Bennett and Jonathan Banks are set to star in indie comedy Scribble directed by casting director-turned-helmer Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman and produced by Kanner-Zuckerman’s Ekz Prods. and Hal Schwartz’s Bull Market Entertainment in association with Lainie Guidry and Cynthia Guidry’s Lainie Prods. Written By David Congalton, Scribble is a comedy about a group of working people who want to be writers. Schwartz and Kanner-Zuckerman are producing, with Cuoco, Cynthia & Lainie Guidry and Bennett executive producing. Cuoco is repped by Sdb Partners and Brillstein Entertainment; Walsh and Polo are with Gersh and Bob McGowan Management. Kanner-Zuckerman was a top TV casting director who cast the pilots for such hit series as Friends and Sex & The City before segueing to feature directing with the 2001 Rachel’s Room.
- 8/28/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Title: For the Love of Money Director: Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman Starring: Yehuda Levi, James Caan, Edward Furlong, Oded Fehr, Jeffrey Tambor, Paul Sorvino, Steven Bauer, Delphine Chaneac, Richard Gunn, Jonathan Lipnicki, Inbar Lavi, Joshua Bitton Part “Scarface,” part “In America,” immigrant’s tale “For the Love of Money” puts a Jewish-American spin on the hardscrabble and borderline-illegal fight for entrepreneurial rooting that colors dramatic depictions of so many stories of strangers trying to find their way in opportunistic and upwardly mobile fashion in a new country. Touting itself as based on true events (and feeling very much financed by some of the parties depicted in the movie), it’s a period piece that [ Read More ]...
- 6/8/2012
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
Jerome Dillon is the composer of the upcoming crime drama For the Love of Money. The film is directed by Ellie Kanner (Wake) and stars Edward Furlong, Jeffrey Tambor, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Steven Bauer, Oded Fehr and Jonathan Lipnicki. The movie follows the true account of a Jewish immigrant who searches for his piece of the American dream. Jenna Mattison co-wrote the screenplay and is producing the drama and Andrzej Sekula (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs) is the cinematographer on the project. Dillon is best known as a drummer with industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails. A number of musicians associated with the group, including Trent Reznor, the only constant member of the live-band, as well as former member Charlie Clouser have active careers as film composers now. Dillon has previously scored the 2009 horror thriller The Collector. No release date announcement has been made yet for For the Love of Money.
- 5/29/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Jeffrey Tambour and Edward Furlong are set to start with Delphine Chaneac (Splice) and Yehuda Levi (Munich) in All Cash Productions indie drama For the Love of Money. Ellie Kanner directs from the writing by Jenna Mattison, who will also produce. Izek Shomof and Ken Topolsky will serve as executive producers on the project which is based on a true story of the life of Izek Shomof. The story focuses on the themes of family, friendship as well as the ties that bind between Jewish gangsters.
- 10/13/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Have you ever seen a movie that left no impression on you at all? Something not good enough to enjoy but not bad enough to bother complaining about? Director Ellie Kanner’s Wake is one of those movies that you’ll quickly forget about and never mention again. There is nothing interesting or memorable about this film at all.
The first scene starts out rather promising, with our leading lady Carys (Bijou Phillips) laid out on a slab at a funeral home, while the mortician makes up her face. She’s not dead. She just likes to lie there while her infatuated friend Shane (Danny Masterson) touches her up with his undertaking skills. She asks him about upcoming wakes and funerals because she likes to attend them.
At this point, you may be thinking that you’re in for an enjoyably morbid comedy about someone obsessed with death, such as...
The first scene starts out rather promising, with our leading lady Carys (Bijou Phillips) laid out on a slab at a funeral home, while the mortician makes up her face. She’s not dead. She just likes to lie there while her infatuated friend Shane (Danny Masterson) touches her up with his undertaking skills. She asks him about upcoming wakes and funerals because she likes to attend them.
At this point, you may be thinking that you’re in for an enjoyably morbid comedy about someone obsessed with death, such as...
- 4/21/2010
- by Rob Young
- JustPressPlay.net
DVD Playhouse—April 2010
By
Allen Gardner
Ride With The Devil (Criterion) Ang Lee’s revisionist take on the Civil War is awash in moral ambiguity, along with some stunning cinematography, production design, and fine performances. Set during the Kansas-Missouri border war, Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich star as two friends who join up with the Confederate-sympathizing Bushwhackers, finding an odd ally in a former slave (Jeffrey Wright). While it’s fascinating to see America’s bloodiest conflict through the eyes of a foreigner, thereby allowing much of the previously mentioned ambiguity a certain latitude, the film never loses the bad taste it leaves for one simple reason: it asks us, the audience, to side with not just the Confederates, but some of the lowest trash that made up the dregs, and the fringes, of the movement. Big points for audacity, but snake eyes on the story itself. Singer Jewel is impressive in her film debut.
By
Allen Gardner
Ride With The Devil (Criterion) Ang Lee’s revisionist take on the Civil War is awash in moral ambiguity, along with some stunning cinematography, production design, and fine performances. Set during the Kansas-Missouri border war, Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich star as two friends who join up with the Confederate-sympathizing Bushwhackers, finding an odd ally in a former slave (Jeffrey Wright). While it’s fascinating to see America’s bloodiest conflict through the eyes of a foreigner, thereby allowing much of the previously mentioned ambiguity a certain latitude, the film never loses the bad taste it leaves for one simple reason: it asks us, the audience, to side with not just the Confederates, but some of the lowest trash that made up the dregs, and the fringes, of the movement. Big points for audacity, but snake eyes on the story itself. Singer Jewel is impressive in her film debut.
- 4/16/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
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