Comedy
Fred Willard Tributes: Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Steve Carell & More Honor Comedy Legend
This afternoon brought the sad news of Fred Willard’s passing at the age of 86. The beloved comic and actor was a frequent presence on movie theater and television screens for more than 40 years, and his witty, satirical brand of comedy led to many memorable roles. From film roles in Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and Anchorman, to TV spots on Rosanne, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Modern Family, Willard left a lasting legacy that will not soon be forgotten. As news of his death spread on Saturday, Willard’s former co-stars and friends posted tributes to social media. Jamie Lee Curtis, the wife of Willard’s longtime collaborator Christopher Guest, was one of the first people to confirm his passing. “How lucky that we all got to enjoy Fred Willard’s gifts,” she wrote. “Thanks for th...
R.I.P. Fred Willard, Beloved Comic and Actor Dead at 86
Fred Willard, the beloved comic and actor who kept Hollywood laughing with roles in This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Anchorman, has died at the age of 86. Willard’s daughter, Hope, told The Hollywood Reporter that her father passed “very peacefully” from natural causes. “He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever,” Hope added. A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Willard began pursuing comedy in the 1950s, following a brief tenure in the US Army. He was initially part of a comedy duo with Vic Grecco, performing in clubs in New York’s Greenwich Village. He later moved to Chicago and became a member of the city’s legendary comedy troupe, Second City...
Eric Andre Announces First Standup Special, Legalize Everything, Coming to Netflix
It’s hard to believe, but nobody has ever offered Eric Andre a gobsmacking amount of money for a standup comedy special — until now. In a typically deranged Instagram post, the actor and comedian announced that his first special, Legalize Everything, will be coming to Netflix on June 23rd. The new comedy event takes its name from Andre’s 2019 “Legalize Everything” world tour. The announcement video included a short peek into Andre’s apartment. “Hey guys,” he began, “This is a painting of the Pope hugging GG Allin in outer space. Which brings me to my next point: the guy from Celebrity Apprentice was appointed President of the United States. Now,” and here he began to spin in circles while singing, “I can show you the world,” from Aladdin. This accomplished, Andre arrived at ...
Hulu’s The Great Never Lives Up to Its Name: Review
The Pitch: In 18th century Russia, a penniless Prussian noble named Catherine (executive producer Elle Fanning) is betrothed to Emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult). Catherine, who makes up for what her family lacks in finance with the kind of sick optimism preserved for golden-haired, porcelain-perfect teenage girls in these types of fairy tales, travels across Europe and Asia with wide-eyed hopes of marital bliss, a progressive Russia, and maybe even some pull in court. Of course, as these things go, Catherine’s husband is loutish, childish, and more concerned with drinking himself into a stupor than just about anything else. Catherine is forced to grow up, fast. Their marriage quickly devolves into a battleground. A mere six months in and with all of her dreams shattered in pieces at her feet...
Universal’s Watch Party Series to Kickoff With Halloween Hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is back on her live-watch game. Today, Universal announced it will be taking over weekends with a series of Twitter watch parties, and Laurie Strode herself will kick things off this Saturday, May 16th with 2018’s Halloween. She won’t be alone when she returns to Haddonfield, Illinois. Director David Gordon Green will co-host alongside the Scream Queen and entertain special guests John Carpenter, Jason Blum, Judy Greer, James Jude Courtney, and Nick Castle. Sadly, Dr. Sartain will not be joining them. Editors’ Picks The rest of the month will see watch parties for Apollo 13, hosted by former NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, in addition to The Breakfast Club, hosted by everyone’s favorite site founded by Chris Hardwick: Nerdist. Radical. In order to join, simply follow the...
Lil Dicky’s FXX Series Dave Renewed for Second Season
Lil Dicky’s surreal comedy series Dave has been renewed for a second season. A fictionalized story based on Lil Dicky’s own life, the first season of Dave proved a hit for FX, as it surpassed Atlanta as the network’s most-watched comedy series with a per episode average of 5.32 million viewers. No doubt bolstering Dave’s viewership was the slew of guest starts who appeared throughout the first season, including Justin Bieber, Young Thug, Gunna, YG, Marshmello, Macklemore, MadeinTYO, O.T. Genasis, Ninja, and Charlamagne tha God. That’s not to discount Lil Dicky, a star in his own right, whose comedy-rap videos have amassed hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. The show’s season one cast also included “Pillow Talk” co-star Taylor Misiak, GaTa, Andrew Santino, Travis “Taco” Benn...
Jerry Stiller Gave Seinfeld Its Greatest Blooper
Jerry Stiller stole the screen. That’s not exactly a hot take, so much as it’s a known fact, but it’s worth saying on the day of his death. At 92 years old, the legendary comic lived a lifetime of on-screen vitriol, the likes of which felt limitless and ageless. So, if there’s anything more to say, it’s that we didn’t just lose a person, we lost an energy. Because really, nobody could dust up a storm like Stiller. It’s why most of his famous lines all end with quotations, be it “Serenity now!” or “A Festivus for the rest of us!” or “That’s what I’m talking about!” Hell, he couldn’t even reference colleagues without making a banner statement, which is why we’ll always scream names like “Sid Farkus.” Now, it’s almost impossible to distill a legacy into one clip, but if there was a proper In ...
Jerry Stiller Tributes: Jason Alexander, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin James Honor Comic Icon
Jerry Stiller, legendary actor and comic of Seinfeld and The King of Queens, passed away on Monday morning. In the wake of his passing at the age of 92, countless co-stars and fellow colleagues offered their thoughts and condolences. His son, Ben, broke the news this morning on Twitter: “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.” Jason Alexander, who portrayed his on-screen son George Costanza in Seinfeld, tweeted: “He was perhaps the kindest man I ever had the honor to work beside. He made me laugh when I was a child and every day I was with him. A great actor, a great man, a lovely friend.” Editors̵...
Veteran Actor & ‘Seinfeld’ Star Jerry Stiller Dead At 92
Source: CBS Photo Archive / Getty Jerry Stiller stole the hearts and got big laughs as Frank Constanza on the hit sitcom Seinfeld and was in a comedy duo with his wife, Anne Meara. Their son, actor Ben Stiller, confirmed via Twitter that the elder Stiller died of natural causes on Monday (May 11). Ben Stiller’s tweet briefly explained the situation and honored his father in a quiet way, complete with a picture of him to accompany the message. “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad,” Stiller wrote of his father. Jerry Stiller’s career began after leaving Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in Speech and ...
R.I.P. Jerry Stiller, Legendary Comedian Dies at 92
Jerry Stiller, legendary actor and comic of Seinfeld and The King of Queens, passed away on Monday morning. He was 91 years old. His son, Ben Stiller, confirmed the news on Twitter: “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.” A comic, an actor, an author, Stiller spent years on the comedy circuit with his wife Anne Meara as the team Stiller and Meara. He’s perhaps best known for his iconic role as Frank Costanza in Seinfeld and Arthur Spooner in The King of Queens. In addition to his roles in both hit series, Stiller also appeared in a number of films alongside his son, including Zoolander, Heavyweights, The Heartbreak ...
Saturday Night Live to Air New “At-Home” Episode for Season 45 Finale
Much like everything else, Saturday Night Live’s 45th season was thrown for a loop when COVID-19 effectively shut down the entire world. The cast and crew have twice filled the Saturday night airwaves normally reserved for SNL with “At-Home” episodes, and they’ll do so again this weekend in what marks the season’s finale episode. The two previous “At-Home” episodes have featured celebrity cameos from Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Paul Rudd, Adam Sandler, and Larry David, as well as musical performances from Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Miley Cyrus. You can probably anticipate a similarly celebrity-filled episode this weekend, but SNL is of course keeping things close to the vest for now. This weekend’s episode could also mark the final turn for several veteran cast members: in particular, Colin Jos...
Jimmy Fallon Impersonates Nicolas Cage Playing Tiger King’s Joe Exotic: Watch
The idea of Jimmy Fallon impersonating Nicolas Cage playing Tiger King’s Joe Exotic reads like something an Internet algorithm made up. Alas, The Tonight Show clown king made it a reality on Tuesday night, capitalizing on the news of the forthcoming scripted series. Basically, it’s Fallon doing his best bar room gesticulation of Cage, only wearing all the Tiger King accoutrements. The bleach-blonde wig? Check. The ’90s Fleer Ultra shades? Check. The Spirit Halloween threads? Check. He even wrote a country song. Of course, this writer is well aware of the hypocrisy that he’s writing this up and promoting it. But, if you’re like him, and already convinced the world is teetering on the edge of destruction, then perhaps you’ll take joy in muting the video and simply imagining Fallon has just l...
