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Kumail Nanjiani will release a comedy special on Hulu, his first stand-up special in over a decade. The show will mark his second-ever standup special.

Since Nanjiani’s first comedy special, Beta Male, in 2013, he’s starred in projects such as HBO’s Silicon Valley and Hulu’s Welcome to Chippendales, with other appearances on shows like Only Murders in the Building. He picked up an Oscar nod for his screenplay on The Big Sick and previously hosted The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail, a Comedy Central stand-up series.

Nanjiani...

Unofficially, the awards season ended this evening when the Location Managers Guild International announced the winners of its 5th annual Lmgi Awards.

The motion picture honorees were “Dunkirk,” shot in Malo-les-Bains in France (pictured above), where the real wartime evacuation took place, and “Baby Driver,” shot at locations throughout Atlanta.

In television series, awards went to “Game of Thornes,” filmed in Northern Ireland, Croatia, Morocco, Malta and other locations, and “Ozark,” shot in the Atlanta area.

The Lmgi Awards spotlight features, television and commercials in which the creative use of filming locations “sets the tone, enriches the character and enhances the narrative.”

The awards ceremony and reception took place at the Alex Theatre in Glendale before an audience of 500, including Lmgi members, industry execs and press. Comedian Jonah Ray (“The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail,” “Mystery Science Theater 300: The Return”) served as host.

Writer/Producer Laeta Kalogridis (“Shutter Island,...

When Comedy Central was developing “The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail,” a TV show based off the weekly standup showcase at Meltdown Comics, co-host Jonah Ray knew that there was only one place the show would work. Any time someone suggested the show could be filmed in a different studio or a larger venue, the response was always the same: They had to do it in Meltdown’s back room.

“We couldn’t take the show to TV, we had to bring TV to the show. The low ceilings, the way the sound was in there, the intimacy of the crowd being right up against the comic and the fact that it was almost this speakeasy idea, people having to go through a comic book shop to get to a comedy show,” Ray told IndieWire. “The idea was to almost treat it as if it were a documentary, showing people...

Meltown Comics, an institution of Los Angeles geekdom and the home of Comedy Central’s “The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail,” is closing its doors next month. The shop, whose iconic alien mascot “Mel” graced Sunset Boulevard for more than two decades, is closing its doors forever on April 1. Meltdown Comics founder Gaston Dominguez-Letelier made the announcement Wednesday in a post to the shop’s official blog. “As is the case with all good things, at some point they must come to an end,” Dominguez-Letelier wrote. “Meltdown Comics is no exception to this rule and so, after 25 years coveting every comic...

Studio Canal is delighted to announce that following its remarkable box office success, The Big Sick – the fresh, funny and insightful hit romantic comedy from Judd Apatow (the producer of Bridesmaids and Trainwreck) is available now on Digital Download and DVD/Blu-ray. To celebrate we have 3 copies on Blu-ray to giveaway!

Based on the real-life courtship between acclaimed stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley, Portlandia, Central Intelligence) and writing partner Emily V. Gordon (The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail), The Big Sick tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Zoe Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional Muslim parents.

When Emily is beset with a mystery illness, it forces Kumail to navigate the medical crisis with her parents,...

An actual comedian hosting “Saturday Night Live”? That’s a concept as simple as… Well, as simple as an actual comedian hosting “Saturday Night Live.” While there’s definitely nothing wrong with actors, musicians, etc. hosting the show, there’s typically a better chance for a comedian’s creative voice to come through in a show that’s known for often having a static voice. So it’s no surprise “The Big Sick”/”Silicon Valley”/”Burning Love”/plenty of funny things star Kumail Nanjiani and his voice make the perfect choice for “Saturday Night Live” host.

Of course, you can’t expect any host — comedian or not — to singlehandedly change the structure of the show. Especially when the season is already off to a wobbly start.

Read More:‘Saturday Night Live’ Review: Jury’s Still Out On If Gal Gadot’s A Comedic Wonder Woman Host: Kumail Nanjiani

In terms of actual hosting choice,...

Here's the status of TV shows like The Magicians, Major Crimes, Make It Pop, Mako Mermaids, Manhunt: UNABOMer, The Man in the High Castle, Man Seeking Woman, Maniac, Mann & Wife, Marcella, Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger, Marvel's Daredevil, Marvel's Deadpool, Marvel's Iron Fist, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Marvel's Luke Cage, Marvel's The Defenders, Marvel’s New Warriors, Marvel's The Punisher, Marvel's Runaways, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mary + Jane, Mary Kills People, Master of None, Masters of Sex, Max and Shred, McMafia, Mech-X4, Medici: Masters of Florence, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, Melrose, Micronesian Blues, Mike Judge Presents: Tales From the Tour Bus, The Mindy Project, Miracle Workers, Miss 2059, The Missing, The Mist, Motive, Mozart in the Jungle, Mr. Mercedes, Mr. Robot, Mr. Student Body President, Murder in the First, Muscle Beach, The Musketeers, Narcos, Nashville, National Treasure, The New Pope, Nicki, Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn, Nightcap, The Night Manager,...

Chicago – One the hottest films to come out of the Sundance Film Festival in January was “The Big Sick,” which was written by Kumail Nanjiani (Dinesh in “Silicon Valley”) and his wife Emily V. Gordon. It is the based-on-truth story of the couple’s initial meeting, and the circumstances surrounding their early dating life.

“The Big Sick” is about Chicago stand-up comedian Kumail (Nanjiani, portraying a version of himself) who encounters a heckler named Emily (Zoe Kazan). A relationship blossoms, even though it is against the traditions of his Americanized Pakistani family, who insist that Kumail must marry a Muslim woman… leading to Emily and Kumail breaking up. Against this background, Emily then gets seriously ill, falling into a coma. Kumail must re-connect with her while she is in this state, and deal with her parents Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano). The situation creates a more deeper understanding of relationship commitment and unity.

Last Year’s Winner: “Key & Peele”

Still Eligible: No.

Hot Streak: This is only the third year of the category’s existence, but “Saturday Night Live” has been nominated in either Variety Sketch or the category’s previous, all-encompassing iteration, Variety Series, every year since 2008.

Fun Fact: “Saturday Night Live” has not won in either category since 1993.

Eighteen shows enter, six emerge. One-third of the variety sketch series on the 2017 Emmy ballot will make their way into the race, meaning many of the candidates can already taste victory…which also means the competition is going to be fierce.

The safest bets include “Saturday Night Live,” which is riding a hot streak and a hot season into the 2017 race; “Portlandia,” which has scored nods in two consecutive years and is generally beloved by the Academy; and “Drunk History,” a surprise inclusion when the sketch series category was first created that cemented...

Ice Cube and Charlie Day star as high school teachers prepared to solve their differences the hard way in the comedy Fist Fight directed by Richie Keen (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”).

On the last day of the year, mild-mannered high school English teacher Andy Campbell (Day) is trying his best to keep it together amidst senior pranks, a dysfunctional administration and budget cuts that put jobs on the line. But things go from bad to worse when he accidentally crosses his much tougher and deeply feared colleague, Ron Strickland (Ice Cube), who challenges Campbell to an old-fashioned throw down after school. News of the fight spreads like wildfire and ends up becoming the very thing this school, and Campbell, needed.

Fist Fight also stars Tracy Morgan (“30 Rock”), Jillian Bell (“22 Jump Street”), Dean Norris (“Breaking Bad”), Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”), Dennis Haysbert (“The Unit”), JoAnna Garcia Swisher (“The Astronaut Wives Club...

Don't have a meltdown, but The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail TV show is ending after its upcoming third season on Comedy Central. Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani announced they are ending their live show on their website, leaving The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail effectively cancelled.Comedy Central says the third and final season of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail premieres on Comedy Central, "Tuesday, September 27, at midnight." Technically, that is Wednesday, September 28 at 12:01 am. The show is executive produced by Ray, Nanjiani, live show producer Emily V. Gordon, and Red Hour’s Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld, Debbie Liebling and Mike Rosenstein.Read More…...

Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani's stand-up series is coming to an end on Comedy Central with the current third season. The announcement was made Thursday on The Meltdown With Jonah And Kumail ‘s website. The final show will be October 19. “We never imagined how much we'd get out of this experience — we've gotten ridiculous memories, we've gotten three seasons of a TV show on Comedy Central, and we've gotten the best damn audience on the planet,” the series’ team said. The Me…...

Beyond Fest must have their check in the mail, because ol' Jack Burton himself is coming to the festival for a 30th anniversary screening of Big Trouble in Little China. Filmmaker James Gunn will be on hand to discuss the cult John Carpenter movie with the beloved actor, and that's only one of many events fans will want to mark on their fall calendars.

Taking place September 30th–October 11th at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, Beyond Fest 2016 will also feature screenings of Phantasm: Ravager, Phantasm: Remastered, George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead in 3-D, Martin, In a Valley of Violence, The Wolf Man (1941), The Bad Batch, Raw, and City of the Living Dead.

A 4K restoration screening of Romero's The Crazies will also take place, as well as a live performance by composer Fabio Frizzi and his orchestra during a showing of The Beyond: Composer's Cut.

Scream Factory celebrates over three decades of Dan O'Bannon's graveyard bash at this year's Comic-Con with a special Return of the Living Dead autograph signing, and their annual "Inside Look" panel will feature the eagerly anticipated announcements of future releases

Taking place at Shout! Factory's booth (#4118) on Friday, July 22nd, The Return of the Living Dead autograph signing will feature cast members Thom Mathews (Freddy) and John Philbin (Chuck), as well as Sean Clark, who hosted a new episode of Horror's Hallowed Grounds for the Collector's Edition Blu-ray of the beloved horror comedy.

"An Inside Look at Shout! Factory and Scream Factory" panel, meanwhile, will be held in Room 29Ab at 8:00pm. Below, we have the official press release with full details:

Press Release: Now a mainstay at San Diego Comic-Con International, pop-culture purveyor Shout! Factory returns to the convention in 2016 with a dynamic lineup, featuring captivating panel events,...

RiffTrax Live: MST3K Reunion Show promises a night of comedy and will reunite most of the members of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Mystery Science Theater 3000 reunion show will air live in select cinemas from the State Theater in Minneapolis on June 28th.

Press Release: Denver – April 6, 2016 – Get ready for a Satellite of Love-fest as the guys of RiffTrax — Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett (best known for the groundbreaking “Mystery Science Theater 3000”) — celebrate their 10th year at RiffTrax by producing “RiffTrax Live: MST3K Reunion Show,” an amazing night of riffing and comedy with most of the original MST3K stars. Joining Mike, Kevin and Bill live, in front of a packed house at the State Theater in Minneapolis, will be none other than MST3K creator Joel Hodgson (“Joel Robinson”), Trace Beaulieu (“Dr. Clayton Forrester,” “Crow T. Robot”), Frank Conniff (“TV’s Frank”), Mary Jo Pehl (“Pearl Forrester”), Bridget Nelson (“Nuveena,...

Below, you'll find a list of recent/current/upcoming scripted TV shows on Comedy Central, DirecTV, FX, Fxx, Hallmark, and Hulu. To see a series' ratings (if they're available), click the links in the middle column.

Shows include 11.22.63, Adam Devine's House Party, American Crime Story, American Horror Story, The Americans, Anger Management, Another Period, Archer, The Art of More, The Awesomes, Axe Cop, Baskets, The Bastard Executioner, Better Things, Big Time in Hollywood Fl, Billy & Billie, Brickleberry, Broad City, Cassius and Clay, Casual, Cedar Cove, Chesapeake Shores, The Comedians, Deadbeat, Difficult People, Drunk History, East Los High, Fargo, Full Circle, Good Witch, The Half Hour, Idiotsitter, Inside Amy Schumer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jo, Justified, Key & Peele, Kingdom, Kroll Show, The League, Louie, Lucas Bros. Moving Co., Man Seeking Woman, Married, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, The Mindy Project, Moonbeam City, Moone Boy, The Path,...

American Idol‘s farewell season just got a little more pitchy, dawg.

Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell — who made up the Fox competition series’ judging panel for eight years — will be back for its 15th and final go-round.

RelatedAmerican Idol‘s Season 15 Poster Takes Us Back… Way Back

“I’ve spoken to all of them recently, and we as a team have talked to them about coming back to do something for the final season,” Idol host Ryan Seacrest tells Access Hollywood. “They are going to do it, it’s just a matter of figuring what to do with them.

Comedy Central has greenlit a third season of The Meltdown With Jonah And Kumail, the standup series featuring Mystery Science Theater 3000-revival host Jonah Ray and Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani. Season three will consist of eight episodes and air in 2016. Shot documentary style at the Nerdist Showroom in La comic shop Meltdown Comics, the show features some of comedy’s biggest names as they experiment with new material and banter backstage. In addition, The…...

Podcasts might just be Kumail Nanjiani's good luck charm. Before he was the beloved star of "Silicon Valley," one of the masterminds behind Comedy Central's "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail" and an indispensable guest on up shows like "Broad City," "Veep" and "Portlandia," Kumail Nanjiani was recording content for pop culture junkies. Back in July 2011, the comedian joined forces with "X-Play" staffer Ali Baker (later replaced by Nanjiani's wife Emily V. Gordon) to found "The Indoor Kids," a loving video game and general nerd culture podcast hosted on the Nerdist Podcast Network. But in June 2014, Nanjiani would seal his own fate with the help of a new audio project that would help garner him a role on his all-time favorite show. Here are his secrets to success.  Read More: 'The X-Files' Revival: What We Know and What We Don't Want to Know (So Far)  1. Start a Passion ProjectKumail's project,...

Production is now underway on location in Atlanta, Georgia, on New Line Cinema’s comedy Fist Fight, starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day as high school teachers prepared to solve their differences the hard way. The film is being directed by Richie Keen (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”).

On the last day of the year, mild-mannered high school English teacher Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) is trying his best to keep it together amidst senior pranks, a dysfunctional administration and budget cuts that put jobs on the line. But things go from bad to worse when he accidentally crosses his much tougher and deeply feared colleague, Ron Strickland (Ice Cube), who challenges Campbell to an old-fashioned throwdown after school. News of the fight spreads like wildfire and ends up becoming the very thing this school, and Campbell, needed.

Fist Fight also stars Tracy Morgan (“30 Rock”), Jillian Bell (“22 Jump Street”), Dean Norris...

One thing I love, that is apparent from this wave announcement, is that Fantastic Fest not only celebrates new genre cinema but relishes in repertory genre cinema! We have some awesome martial arts films and a 35mm screening of Evilspeak to coincide with Kier-La Jannise & Paul Corupe’s Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980’s. We are also getting the new horror anthology from V/H/S alumni (Producer Roxanne Benjamin, director David Bruckner and directing team Radio Silence) with Southbound! Read on fiends, read on.

Fantastic Fest announces its final wave of highly anticipated features and epic events for the annual celebration of all things genre. With signature smackdown Fantastic Debates and Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, this year’s Fantastic Fest promises more thrills than ever before as it rages through Austin from September 24 – October 1st. Joining Fantastic Fest for the first time, Charlie Kaufman...

Austin, TX – Wednesday, September 9, 2015 – Fantastic Fest announces its final wave of highly anticipated features and epic events for the annual celebration of all things genre. With signature smackdown Fantastic Debates and Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, this year’s Fantastic Fest promises more thrills than ever before as it rages through Austin from September 24 – October 1st. Joining Fantastic Fest for the first time, Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson will be in attendance to share their wildly inventive world of stop motion animation Anomalisa, Cannes Grand Prix winner Son Of Saul is screening in glorious 35mm, the stunning adult fairytale from Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone Tale Of Tales will unfurl, Jerusalem Film Festival’s top prize winner Tikkun, and we welcome the World Premiere of the action-thriller Camino with Zoe Bell and Fantastic Fest veteran / mayor Nacho Vigalondo as a religious psychopath — a prospect that should fill...

The final wave of programming for this year’s Fantastic Fest Fantastic Fest announces its final wave of highly-anticipated features and epic events for the annual celebration of all things genre. With signature smackdown Fantastic Debates and Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, this year’s Fantastic Fest promises more thrills than ever before as…

The post Fantastic Fest 2015 Announces Its Final Wave of Programming appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

Bruce Campbell and Edgar Wright will be on hand for a groovy 35mm double bill of The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II at this October's Beyond Fest, held in Los Angeles and presented by Shudder. Other screening highlights include the Kurt Russell-starring Bone Tomahawk, Karyn Kusama's The Invitation, the Henry Rollins-starring He Never Died, and much more.

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA - Thursday, September 3, 2015- Beyond Fest, the highest attended genre film festival in the Us, is excited to announce its full slate of 2015 programming featuring 25 events of mind-bending, movie madness. Presented by Shudder, Beyond Fest returns to Hollywood's famed Egyptian Theatre for 11 days of movies, music and mayhem spanning Thursday, October 1st - Monday, October 12th to generate funds for co-presenter, the nonprofit American Cinematheque.  

With a diverse slate that includes films from all corners of the globe Beyond Fest is proud to present...

Riding an impressive hot streak of originals, Comedy Central is looking to continue that momentum with a slew of summer premieres and returns including the long-awaited -- by some people, at least -- return of "Review." Starring Andy Daly as life reviewer Forrest MacNeil, "Review" was my No.2 show of 2014 and it came in at No.4 on Sepinwall's Top 10. The first season, which had already been held for a while, premiered last March and was done by the start of May. Season 2 premieres on Thursday, July 30 at 10 p.m. and Comedy Central's season description teases life experiences including "bare-knuckle brawling, joining the mile high club, and even leading a cult." Excellent. What of the other premieres? *** Created by Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome, "Another Period" is a Gilded Age satire featuring Christina Hendricks, Michael Ian Black, David Koechner, Jason Ritter and more and it'll premiere on Tuesday, June 23 at 10:30 p.

The second annual Beyond Fest is coming back to Los Angeles' Egyptian Theatre (6712 Hollywood Boulevard) and will be running from September 25 through October 4, 2014. Tickets are available through Fandango Now.

From the Press Release

Dedicated to delivering the elite in horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and badass cinema, this year’s Beyond Fest programming reflects a globally diverse and eclectic mix of premieres, rare repertory screenings, and special events, all of which are anchored in bringing firsts to the community of genre fans in Los Angeles.

Beyond Fest has also partnered with Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network as its presenting sponsor, a partnership that will make much of the festival’s programming free to creative makers and film fans alike.

“The response was so great last year that we knew we had to bring Beyond Fest back, so much so that we immediately started planning this installment,” said Christian Parkes, co-founder of Beyond Fest.

Beyond Fest returns with a vengeance in Los Angeles later this month, giving genre fans a lineup to look forward to. An eclectic mix of films both old and new are on the menu, with a screening of the Halloween 4k re-master highlighting the events. Halloween fans will also be treated to the first-ever combined appearance by John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis to discuss their horror classic.

Los Angeles – September 4, 2014 - “Beyond Fest and the American Cinematheque announced today that they are partnering for the return of the sophomore festival, Beyond Fest, featuring the best in world genre programming, September 25th – October 4th, 2014 at the Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard. Tickets will be available through Fandango today.

Dedicated to delivering the elite in horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and badass cinema, this year’s Beyond Fest programming reflects a globally diverse and eclectic mix of premieres, rare repertory screenings, and special events,...

Our favorite film festival in the world is nigh. Later next month, Austin, Texas will host hundreds of genre fans for Fantastic Fest 2014!! We have the full list which includes the Us Premiere of Tusk as well as the World Premieres of ABCs of Death 2 and Horsehead. These won’t be all the films that will play the 10th anniversary of the film festival but it would be enough if it was. Look forward to more announcement waves of programming and don’t forget to follow up with our predictions that we made last week. I have added trailers above the film titles, if available. If the trailer is not available, there will be a still above the title.

From the Press Release

Fantastic Fest Celebrates 10 Years Of Chaos And Destruction With Us Premiere Of Kevin Smith’S “Tusk”, Leonard Maltin, The Meltdown With Jonah And Kumail And “ABCs Of Death 2...

The Alamo Drafthouse’s Fantastic Fest has a stellar rep around these parts, and it’s not hard to see why when you consider some of the indie titles that have played there in recent years. Last year alone saw Coherence, Grand Piano and Septic Man make their world premieres, and films like Blue Ruin, Afflicted, Witching & Bitching, The Sacrament and Borgman all land in the U.S. for the first time.

This year doesn’t look to be any different, with a terrific lineup of indie titles including boatloads of promising horror. We’ve got sequels like The ABCs of Death 2 and V/H/S Viral, and originals like Kevin Smith’s anticipated Tusk and The Babadook. Keep in mind this is only the first wave of film announcements for Fantastic Fest 2014 – we’ll keep you posted as more titles are confirmed for the festival, which runs in Austin,...