by Klaus Kinski

Patton Oswalt, Johnny Depp, & Tim Burton @ Comic Con - july 23, 2009 (Anime Nut)

"Some of the 3-D effects aren't going to look absolutely perfect," said Patton Oswalt, the comedian and voice actor who moderated a presentation of Disney's forthcoming "A Christmas Carol," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Tron: Legacy." Mr. Oswalt asked attendees not to blog about effects being "quite subpar." [NY Times]

The New York Comedy Festival isn't until November 4 - 8, but with the line-up just announced, Carnegie Hall tix available now, and ticket presales (and some on sales) starting on August 12, the time to mention it is NOW. This is the 6th installment of the festival and unlike NYC music festivals such as CMJ or Northside (festivals where you can wander the city for days on end catching hundreds of bands), the focus here is on having a few large-scale shows over the course of a few evenings. NYC is a place where you can catch cheap or free comedy with big name talent almost every evening, but sometimes it's nice to venture out of the back rooms, basements, and comedy clubs and see one or two of your faves at a fancy pants venue. The full schedule is below, but for me some of the better highlights include:

• 11/4 - Stand Up For Heroes - a special benefit presented by NYCF and the Bob Woodruff Foundation at Town Hall
• 11/5 - Ricky Gervais - Carnegie Hall - ON SALE NOW
• 11/5 - Mike Birbiglia - Town Hall - Presale 8/12, On Sale 8/17
• 11/6 - Tracy Morgan - Carnegie Hall - ON SALE NOW
• 11/7 - Patton Oswalt - Town Hall - Presale 8/12, On Sale 8/17

Full schedule (Andy Samberg included) and ticket info below...

Continue reading "New York Comedy Festival - 2009 dates, lineup & ticket info "

Seth Meyers on strike - November 5, 2007 (CRED)

He (Lorne Michaels) is wary about what is going to happen this weekend when this venerable sketch show returns after more than three months. So for Saturday's return he has enlisted Tina Fey, an "SNL" alum, and the country singer Carrie Underwood............Mr. Michaels said that even with her familiarity with the show, he picked Ms. Fey as host because "it was just the right time for her." He noted that she had won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award and a Producers Guild award in recent months, "all in stealth fashion." Next week's host is Ellen Page, star of the Oscar-nominated film "Juno." After that things get murky until May when Shia LeBoeuf and Steve Carell are committed, largely because both have films ("Indiana Jones" for Mr. LeBoeuf and "Get Smart" for Mr. Carell) opening this spring. [NY Times]

Then Sunday night is the Oscars where it will be a battle between "No Country For Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood", though according to the Guardian..

If the general public had any say in the matter, this year's best picture Oscar would go to Juno rather than joint favourites There Will be Blood and No Country For Old Men. For good measure, 20-year-old Ellen Page would scoop the best actress award while Johnny Depp would be named best actor for his turn in Sweeney Todd. Each is considered a long shot, at best, to win an Oscar this Sunday.

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