Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterEleven of the TV industry’s top comedy creators and showrunners came together to talk about the so-called return of the broadcast sitcom, the daunting task of reshaping and adhering to beloved IP and why the workplace comedy is still a tried-and-true format during Variety‘s “A Night in the Writers’ Room” event Thursday.During the comedy roundtable, TV editor Michael Schneider chatted about these topics and more with Jenny Bicks (“Welcome to Flatch”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Dave Burd (“Dave”), Greg Daniels (“Upload”), Chris Miller (“The Afterparty”), Tracy Oliver (“Harlem”), Saladin K. Patterson (“The Wonder Years”), Joe Port (“Ghosts”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”), Meredith Scardino (“Girls5eva”) and Hayden Schlossberg (“Cobra Kai”).
‘Somebody Somewhere’ Star Bridget Everett on Depicting a Tornado Right and Her Improvised Song About Pee Pee
27.05.2022 - 01:41 / variety.com
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe night before HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere” was set to shoot an episode revolving around a tornado, a real one came close to the show’s set. “Somebody Somewhere” star Bridget Everett recounted to Variety‘s Awards Circuit podcast how life imitated art that day, and vice versa.“There was a real tornado that ripped through Naperville (Ill.) and also not far from where we were staying in Lamont,” she says.
“Jay Duplass was directing that episode, and the people in the Duplass’ post, the VFX and all that stuff, they knew how to make it look real, and to kind of fake it in the right ways. But it was important to me that it felt like a real tornado, because I’m from Kansas, and I know what that shit looks and feels like.” In “Somebody Somewhere,” Everett (“Inside Amy Schumer”) stars as Sam, a woman who returns to the small Kansas town where she grew up and stuggles to find her place.
She’s dealing with grief from the death of her sister, and navigating her complicated relationships with her parents and surviving sister. But singing is her saving grace, which leads her to a new community of friends, including Joel, played by Jeff Hiller.“Somebody Somewhere” has now been renewed for a second season.
We spoke with Everett about the show and the positive response that it has received, plus the show’s personal nature, its music and more. Listen below!Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen created “Somebody Somewhere,” and like Everett, also hail from the Midwest.
“So we wanted it to feel that way,” Everett says. Everett is known for her cabaret performances and incorporating music into her stand-up act; one favorite is Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart.” “Somebody Somewhere” makes sure to include
.
Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Amy Sedaris & More Set For Musical Comedy ‘Theater Camp’ From Picturestart, Topic Studios And Gloria Sanchez Productions
Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Amy Sedaris, Alan S. Kim, Patti Harrison, Owen Thiele, Jimmy Tatro, Ayo Edebiri, Caroline Aaron and Nathan Lee Graham will star in the musical comedy Theater Camp, marking the directorial debut of Gordon and Nick Lieberman.
Ben Platt, Molly Gordon and Amy Sedaris to Star in Musical Comedy ‘Theater Camp’
Ben Platt, Molly Gordon and Amy Sedaris have signed up to lead the cast of “Theater Camp,” a feature adaptation of Nick Lieberman’s 2020 short film of the same name.“Booksmart” and “Shiva Baby” star Gordon will make her directorial debut alongside Lieberman, who has helmed a number of video shorts and music videos for Platt, the award-winning star of “Dear Evan Hansen.” Gordon, Lieberman, Platt and co-star Noah Galvin (“Booksmart”), who wrote the short film together, will write the screenplay. The foursome will partner with composer Mark Sonnenblick (“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”) on original music.Set in upstate New York, the film revolves around the eccentric staff of a rundown theater camp that threatens to fall apart when its beloved founder falls into a coma right before the start of the summer session.
Lauren Sanchez visits migrant children at newly-built educational spaces in Mexico
Lauren Sanchez is using her presence for good, spending her free time leaning about the lives of those less fortunate than many of us.The girlfriend of billionaire Jeff Bezos teamed up with This Is About Humanity to visit some of their newly built educational spaces for migrant children in Mexico.Sanchez reposted a video from This Is About Humanity’s account to her Insttagram page, which shows some clips of her visit with the children.A post shared by Lauren Sanchez (@laurenwsanchez)“Since the beginning of 2021, the number of migrant children reported in Mexico has drastically increased from 380 to nearly 3,500,” the video’s caption reads. “Children are amongst the most vulnerable people in the world.
Awards HQ June 6: Elle Fanning’s Double Push; Banff’s Return; Trent Crimm Moderates ‘Ted Lasso’; More!
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThrough the years, there have been countless creators, producers, directors and actors who have gone without an Emmy Award. And then there are those lucky enough to earn multiple kudos for different projects — in the same year.That could be the case for numerous stars leading up to the 2022 Emmys, with more than a dozen actors with multiple projects in contention.Elle Fanning is Hulu’s shining star this year, with both “The Great” and “The Girl From Plainville” in the conversation; not only does she lead the comedy and the dark drama, she also serves as an executive producer on both.“I only had two weeks in between to go from ‘The Great’ to ‘The Girl From Plainville.’ So it was a complete 180 for sure,” says Fanning of wrapping the second season of the period comedy and heading into the true-crime story.
‘Westworld’ Star James Marsden Set to Return to the HBO Series for Season 4
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeJames Marsden, who starred in the first season of HBO’s “Westworld” and recurred in its second season, is coming back. The network announced the news on Saturday at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, where Marsden made a surprise appearance during a panel promoting the show’s Season 4.Also as part of the panel, HBO released key art for the new season, which returns Sunday, June 26 at 9 p.m.
‘Ghosts’ Star Utkarsh Ambudkar Boards Tribeca-Bound Comedy ‘Four Samosas’ As EP; Verve Ventures To Handle Sales
EXCLUSIVE: Utkarsh Ambudkar, who stars as Jay on CBS’ breakout comedy Ghosts, has boarded the Tribeca-bound indie Four Samosas as an executive producer, with Verve Ventures coming aboard to handle sales.
What’s It Like For Your Star to Rise During a Pandemic? Sam Jay Was Too Busy Working on Six Projects to Find Out
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeStill not enough? In March, Peacock debuted the comedy series “Bust Down,” which Jay co-created and stars in alongside Chris Redd, Langston Kerman and Jak Knight. With so many gigs all at once, at this year’s WGA Awards, Jay pulled off a triple nomination in the comedy/variety sketch series category for her work on “SNL,” “Michael Che” and “Pause.” But here’s the thing: This all happened mostly during an age of lockdowns, social distancing, quarantines and masks.
‘History Of A Pleasure Seeker’: Crystal Yu to Star In Hulu Pilot
EXCLUSIVE: Crystal Hu is joining the Hulu musical pilot History of a Pleasure Seeker.
‘Star Wars’ Fires Back Against Racist Messages Sent to ‘Obi-Wan’ Star Moses Ingram
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” last week, where she stars as Reva, the Inquisitor. Reva is obsessed with hunting down Obi-Wan to bring him to Darth Vader; apparently, she believes that she’ll get “what I’m owed” if she does.
Jeff Bezos & Lauren Sanchez smile at MIT commencement ceremony
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were spotted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) commencement ceremony. The couple was smiling and having a good time at the ceremony hosted this past Friday.Lauren Sánchez praises Jeff Bezos’ tribute to his Cuban dad Miguel BezosLauren Sánchez praised female business owners and asked people to support fair trade shopsThe photos show Bezos and Sanchez laughing together. Bezos wore a pinstriped suit with a white button-down shirt and a dark pink tie.
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford set Manchester United challenge by Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate has told Manchester United stars Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford that they must shine under Erik ten Hag to revive their World Cup dreams. Sancho and Rashford have both been omitted from the England squad for the upcoming Nations League games.
'Elvis' Drops New Trailer & Star-Studded Album Lineup - Watch Here!
Warner Bros. is giving fans a new look at Elvis!
‘Bel-Air’ Star Jabari Banks’ Big Plans: Becoming a Rap Star and Eventually Opening His Own Disneyland
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeJabari Banks remembers the exact date that his favorite actor, Chadwick Boseman, passed away. It was August 28, 2020, and Banks was working at a factory in Temecula, Calif., doing a temp job wrapping gutters.
How Shows Like ‘The Girl From Plainville’ Are Helping TV Improve Depictions of Mental Health
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeI recently wrote a story, timed to Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, about “Fresh off the Boat” executive producers Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan’s growing roster of projects spotlighting different elements of the vast AAPI experience for multiple networks and streamers. That’s a positive development in this expansive world of limitless distribution.
Redesigning Women: How Robin Thede And Bridget Everett Are Raising The Comedy Bar On HBO — Deadline Disruptors
Robin Thede of A Black Lady Sketch Show and Bridget Everett of Somebody Somewhere have taken over for Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the comedy queens of HBO. Here, Deadline checked in with multi-hyphenates about their start in Hollywood and how they made their visions a reality.