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Exclusive: Comedian Brad Williams has unveiled his latest comedy special, Starfish, announcing that it will premiere exclusively on the streaming platform Veeps on Thursday, December 21st around 5 p.m. Pt.

Williams’ new hour, filmed at Sony Hall in New York City, sees him talk about navigating relationships and everyday life as a little person. He says that he selected the 21st as its premiere date given the fact that

“it’s the shortest day of the year!”

While the special will be available for free for Veeps All Access subscribers, fans can purchase individual tickets on veeps.com for $14.99 with pre-order code Brad, or for $19.99 day of show. All Access subscribers will be able to enjoy it as many times as they like for a full year following the livestream, with the special to be made available to other ticket holders for seven days post-airing.

Directors for Brad Williams: Starfish...

Michael Madsen, Rob Morrow and Jay Mohr have joined the cast of the indie drama feature Max Dagan from writer-director Terre Weisman. It follows Max Dagan (Zachary Gordon) as he works to earn his dying father a compassionate release from prison. In desperation, Max seeks the help of Alaina (newcomer Lindsey Dresbach), the daughter of the man his father killed.

Kirk Fox, Jeffrey Ross, Rob Brownstein, Lisa Roumain, Jacob Wysocki, and Eugenia Kuzmina round out the cast.

“Attracting such talented actors with this script, adapted from my novel, is a testament to this original story that has been over a decade in the making.” said Weisman. “I’m truly honored to collaborate with this incredible cast.

The producers are Terre and Mitch Weisman of Creative Balance Films; Rafi Jacobs, Stephen Mastrocola and Liana Montemayor, under their newly formed banner Static Films; and Barry Katz through Barry Katz Entertainment.

Cameras began...

On Election Eve, Nov. 2nd, many of America’s biggest stars will join together for the second ever Telethon for America to create the biggest voter turnout in history and combat voter suppression and disinformation.

In addition to being a night of comedy, live performances and a live celebrity video bank, the event will offer critical voter protection information.

The event is presented by fiercely non-partisan anti-corruption organization RepresentUs and will air live at 9 pm Et/6 pm Pt on Free SpeechTV and simulcast on TelethonForAmerica.com, and the social media platforms of RepresentUs and celebrity talent.

Hosted by award-winning actress Rosario Dawson and comedian, actor, and television host Ben Gleib, the event is free and open to the public to watch live. Flipping the traditional telethon on its head, instead of donations, viewers are asked to make a pledge to cast their vote on Nov. 3rd, and to bring their friends to the polls.

Updated with more details: Olivia Munn will step into the hosting role for the first-ever Telethon For America, part of Michelle Obama’s non-partisan, non-profit campaign “When We All Vote.” The telethon will stream online on Election Eve…which is tonight!

More stars have been added to the already robust roster of tonight’s comedy-themed event. Pharrell Williams, Sean Hayes, Debra Messing, Charlize Theron, Scott Rogowsky, Ben Bailey, Constance Wu, Natalie Portman, Backstreet Boys, Nikki Glazer, Tom Green, Felipe Esparza, Ashley Benson, Jim Jeffries, Roy Wood Jr, and others will appear on the special which will encourage people to get out the vote in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

The event will stream live on Comedy Central, WatchMojo, Bet Facebook Live, GLAAD YouTube, and Funny or Die from 9-11 Pm Et/6-8 Pm Pt.

Previously: Launched by Michelle Obama’s non-partisan, non-profit...

Judd Apatow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lilly Singh and Olga Kay are among the notables set to take part in a get-out-the-vote streaming comedy special dubbed “Telethon for America” on Nov. 5, the night before the midterm elections.

The two-hour telecast will stream live on YouTube, Facebook Live and Comedy Central’s website. The goal is to generate “pledges” from younger voters to show up at the polls on Nov. 6. Spearheaded by actor and comedian Ben Gleib, the non-partisan effort is tied to the When We All Vote initiative recently launched by former first lady Michelle Obama.

“The ‘Telethon For America’ flips the traditional telethon on its head. Young Americans are more motivated than ever before and the Telethon For America is working to build on that momentum to make sure an even higher percentage of young people get out and vote,” Gleib said. “We are excited to reach them in a brand new way,...

Park City, Ut — Tribeca’s distribution arm, Tribeca Film announced Friday it has acquired North American rights to Kevin Pollak’s directorial debut “Misery Loves Comedy.”

The film premiered the same day at the Sundance Film Festival. The Heretic Films and NewAley Pictures production is written by Pollak and John Varhous, and produced by Becky Newhall, Burton Ritchie and Barry Katz. Ben Galecki, Ashton Newhall, Liz Davidson and Jess Ravich are the executive producers. Tribeca is targeting a 2015 spring release.

Tom Hanks, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau, Lisa Kudrow, Larry David, Steve Coogan, Jim Gaffigan, and Whoopi Goldberg are among over 60 famous funny people featured in the film, which aims to shine a light on the strange profession of making strangers laugh.

“As a first time director, I couldn’t ask for more than the thrill and assurance I’ve received from the entire team at Tribeca.

Ahead of the film's Park City world premiere today, Tribeca Film has snapped up North American rights to comedian Kevin Pollak's directorial debut "Misery Loves Company." This Heretic Films and NewAley Pictures coproduction features an array of comic talking heads, including Tom Hanks, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau, Lisa Kudrow, Larry David, Steve Coogan, Jim Gaffigan, and Whoopi Goldberg. Pollak melds in-depth interviews with famous funny men and women who offer anecdotes and insights from the comedy underbelly to reveal the strangeness—and "Misery," we can safely surmise—hidden beneath the profession. The partly-Kickstarted film is written by Pollak and John Varhous, and produced by Becky Newhall, Burton Ritchie and Barry Katz. Ben Galecki, Ashton Newhall, Liz Davidson and Jess Ravich are the executive producers. Tribeca is targeting a 2015 spring release.

Sundance: In another preemptive move that has kept the news flowing in the first two days in Park City, the distributor announced it has acquired North American rights to Kevin Pollak’s directorial debut.

Misery Loves Comedy premieres on Friday (January 23) and features numerous talking heads discussing the art of making people laugh.

Interviewees include Tom Hanks, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau, Lisa Kudrow, Larry David, Steve Coogan, Jim Gaffigan and Whoopi Goldberg.

Tribeca has earmarked a spring release for the Heretic Films and NewAley Pictures production.

Pollak and John Varhous co-wrote the script and Becky Newhall, Burton Ritchie and Barry Katz produced. Ben Galecki, Ashton Newhall, Liz Davidson and Jess Ravich are the executive producers.

Tribeca Film brokered the deal with UTA Independent Film Group.

The movie features Tom Hanks, Jimmy Fallon, Judd Apatow, Kevin Smith, Lisa Kudrow and many more

Tribeca Film is acquiring North American rights to Kevin Pollak’s directorial debut “Misery Loves Comedy,” which makes its world premiere Friday at the Sundance Film Festival. Tribeca announced it is targeting a spring 2015 release.

The talking-head documentary, a Heretic Films and NewAley Pictures production, was written by Pollak and John Varhous, and produced by Becky Newhall, Burton Ritchie and Barry Katz. Ben Galecki, Ashton Newhall, Liz Davidson and Jess Ravich served as executive producers.

Also Read: Sundance Party Report in Pictures: The Snowy...

Bill Bellamy has signed with Resolution in all areas. He stars in and executive produces the syndicated comedy Mr. Box Office and toplined the Showtime specials Crazy Sexy Dirty and Bill Bellamy’s Ladies Night Out and exec produced and hosted last month’s Centric Comedy All Stars. Bellamy also is a recurring co-host on The Rachael Ray Show and appeared in the 2013 feature 10 Rules For Sleeping Around. He is managed by Barry Katz. Jonny Campbell has inked with Verve. The UK-based TV director also has signed to helm the BBC/HBO adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy. The Warner Bros-produced project will premiere on the BBC before airing on HBO. Campbell directed last year’s BBC Three miniseries In The Flesh and has helmed multiple episodes of UK series including Doctor Who, Shameless, Ashes And Ashes and Phoenix Nights. He is repped in the UK by 42.

Jay Mohr Sports will air live from noon to 3 Pm Et on weekdays beginning January 2, 2013. Mohr moves into the midday spot after guest-hosting for Premiere Sports and AM570 Fox Sports La. He has appeared in more than 200 episodes of network television, including Ghost Whisperer, Gary Unmarried and Saturday Night Live. His film work includes Hereafter, Pay It Forward and Jerry Maguire in which he played the role of back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar. Mohr is represented by the law firm of Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein and manager Barry Katz (Barry Katz Entertainment).

Jay Mohr and Ellen Woglom (Outlaw, Californication) have joined Josh Cooke as co-leads in TV Land’s multi-camera comedy pilot Brothers-In-Law, while Ben Falcone is set as the lead of TV Land’s other comedy pilot, the single-camera I’m Not Dead. Written and executive produced by comedy veterans Bill Martin and Mike Schiff (3rd Rock From The Sun), who will serve as showrunners, Brothers-In-Law revolves around the family dynamic between a husband (Cooke) and the eccentric new boyfriend (Mohr) of his wife’s fraternal twin sister (Woglom), who have nothing in common but the sisters constantly force them to bond. Scott Stuber is executive producing the pilot, with Quan Phung producing. Actor-comedian Mohr, managed by Barry Katz, recently recurred on ABC’s Suburgatory. Woglom is with Paradigm and Sanders.Armstrong.Caserta. I’m Not Dead Yet, from Ben Silverman’s Electus, marks TV Land’s first single-camera pilot. Written...

Josh Duvendeck is the latest performer cast in Fox’s In Living Color reboot, executive produced by Keenan Ivory Wayans. He joins previously cast Kali Hawk, Jennifer Bartels, Jermaine Fowler and Lilrel Howery. The new In Living Color, which starts production this month, will debut as two half-hour specials. Duvendeck, repped by Coast To Coast and Management 101, recurred on NBC’s Park & Recreation and has a supporting role in the Seth MacFarlane’s upcoming feature Ted. Nicholas Braun has landed one of the two leads in CBS’ comedy pilot Friend Me, about twenty-something best friends, Evan and Rob (Braun), who move from their hometown of Bloomington, Indiana to Los Angeles to begin their exciting new lives working at Groupon. Also cast in the pilot is actor-comedian Dan Ahdoot as Reggie, an ethnically diverse indie filmmaker. He is with Innovative and manager Barry Katz. Groundling alumna Colleen Smith has been cast...

Stockard Channing and Kurt Fuller have joined ABC’s single-camera pilot starring Mandy Moore and directed by Shawn Levy. The project, written by Bob Fisher and Stacy Traub, centers on newlyweds Annie (Moore) and Ben, who get the opportunity of a lifetime to run a hip, new restaurant in Annie’s hometown bringing her closer to her needy and high-maintenance family. Channing and Fuller will play Annie’s parents: her warm and devoted and sometimes overbearing and manipulative mother Barbara and good-natured dad Steve. Jay Mohr has joined the CBS pilot Applebaum, directed by Chris Columbus. Based on Ayelet Waldman’s Mommy Track Mysteries series of books, Applebaum centers on Juliet Applebaum (Rachelle Lefevre), a former public defender who becomes a private investigator to keep from being bored to death as a stay-at-home mom. Mohr, repped by Gersh and manager Barry Katz, will play Juliet’s partner at the Pi agency,...

Actor/comedian Jay Mohr has signed with Gersh for film, TV and literary representation. He was at Paradigm. Mohr, who is recurring on the ABC freshman comedy series Suburgatory, is currently filming the feature Bert Wonderstone with Jim Carrey and Steve Carell. Mohr continues to be repped by longtime manager Barry Katz, and the law firm of Jackoway Tyerman. Gersh also has signed top Mma fighter Josh Barnett, who is looking to venture into acting. The agency handles other crossover Mma talent, including Randy Couture, Cung Le and Gina Carano. Barnett, who is under a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce, continues to be managed by Blue’s Leland Labarre.

Exclusive: Following his recent exit from New Wave Entertainment, veteran comedy talent manager Barry Katz is going solo again with the relaunch of Barry Katz Entertainment. All of Katz’s clients at New Wave will follow him to the new company including Jay Mohr, Christopher Titus, Bill Bellamy, Paul Rodriguez, Cheri Oteri, Nick Dipaolo and Faizon Love. Katz ran his original Barry Katz Entertainment for 15 years before selling it to New Wave at the end of 2003. Over the past eight years, he was involved in New Wave’s transformation into a full-service talent management, digital distribution, and production company with over 25 managers, producers, and development executives. The two sides parted ways last month when Katz’s contract was up. “After being a part of creating a different kind of management company — one that combined representation and production — I wanted to get back to focus less on the issues of a large company,...

Exclusive: Eight years after Barry Katz sold his talent management company to New Wave Entertainment, the two are parting ways. Katz will leave New Wave at the end of the year when his contract is up after the company opted not to renew it. “It has been a great eight years having Barry on our team, as we have truly accomplished a lot together; however, the time is right for us both to move on,” New Wave CEO Paul Apel said. “We sincerely wish him continued success in his endeavors.” Katz’s official title at New Wave was president of talent management, but he had mostly focused on his clients lately. Head of Production & Svp of Talent Management Brian Volk-Weiss, who has been leading New Wave’s Talent Management, Development and Production divisions, will continue to do so. Volk-Weiss was a longtime associate of Katz at Barry Katz Entertainment whom...

After horrendous ratings for the first three episodes, NBC has made the decision to cancel their period drama The Playboy Club that was once seen as being the next Mad Men! The cancellation is with immediate effect and the show won’t see it’s full run of episodes made. The show hit a low 1.2 rating last night that was the death knell for the show.

The show will temporarily be replaced by repeats of Prime Suspect in the Monday 10pm time-slot with Brian Williams’ newsmagazine Rock Center being the full replacement starring on October 31st.

You can read our 1 star review of The Playboy Club’s premiere episode Here.

Meanwhile the intolerable comedy shows Up All Night and Whitney have been picked up for the full season. Here’s NBC’s full announcement;

NBC has picked up the new comedies “Up All Night” and “Whitney” for the remainder of the 2011-12 season,...

The sit-com market is an especially tricky game these days, and Whitney is an effort that seems to be trying largely to go back to a construct that used to capture people in droves, mixed with a somewhat updated sense of humor. It has certain Mad About You feel to things, but we're watching a different couple, in a different age. These are people who grew up with Seinfeld, and their friends are fans of Cougar Town (after the revamp). It's a bit more adult, and this is an era in which comedy often means being a bit more open to the speaking of one's mind, and letting the censors figure it out later.

This is not in the sense that there is a lot of cussing or vulgarity, but in the sense that when Whitney becomes uncertain about whether or not she's having sex with her boyfriend often enough,...

In Barry Katz's world, a blown-out knee is funny. Katz, who heads New Wave Entertainment's talent management division, is producing "Dumbbells," a buddy comedy about a college basketball star who blows out his knee and gets a job working at a dumpy Los Angeles gym. The basketball player, who has NBA dreams, learns the true meaning of life at the gym. Brian Drolet (MTV's "Disaster Date," "2 Dudes and a Dream") wrote the movie and stars. Hoyt Richards ("The Disciple") also stars. "Hit and Runway's" Chris Livingston is directing. Travus Pope, Jordan Eubanks and Josh...

Earlier we shared the 2011-2012 NBC lineup of shows, and now we have some clips of the new comedies for you to check out. The shows include Whitney, Up All Night,Free Agents, Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea, Best Friends Forever, and Bent. I am interested in seeing Up All Night the most because of the cast. Check ou the clips below and share your thoughts!

Whitney:

Whitney’ -- A hilarious look at modern love, “Whitney” is a new multi-camera comedy series about Whitney (Whitney Cummings, “Chelsea Lately”) and Alex (Chris D’Elia, “Glory Daze”), a happily unmarried couple. Together for five years, the duo is in no rush to get hitched. However, after attending yet another one of their friends’ weddings, Whitney realizes that she and Alex are dangerously close to relationship boredom. Determined not to let that happen, Whitney consults her close circle of opinionated...

It's that time again, and NBC has revealed it's 2011-2012 schedule. A couple of things have been kicked to the curb, and a host of new shows are coming to fill things in. I have a preview of the new fall shows, and the full schedule for you. There are a few surprises on the cut and not cut side of things, and the new shows have a bit of something for everyone. As usual, some of the ones that look the best to me are reserved for mid-season. And, NBC has apparently given up on Saturday altogether.

It's a whole lot of info, so let's just jump in.

NBC has introduced its 2011-12 primetime schedule, showcasing six new dramas and six new comedies from a roster of renowned hit-makers that includes Steven Spielberg, Lorne Michaels, Brian Grazer, Tom Werner, John Grisham and Peter Berg, among many others.

The season’s new dramas are “Smash,...

NBC announced their Prime Time slate for 2011-2012 today. Chuck has been moved to Friday night for it's final season. I am really looking forward to seeing how The Playboy Club turns out. It will also be interesting to see how Free Agents and Up All Night do on Thursdays. For a full overview of NBC's method to it's madness click Here.

NBC Fall 2011-12 Schedule (New programs in Upper Case)

Monday

8-10 p.m. – The Sing-Off

10-11 p.m. – The Playboy Club

Tuesday

8-10 p.m. – The Biggest Loser

10-11 p.m. – Parenthood

Wednesday

8-8:30 p.m. – Up All Night

8:30-9 p.m. – Free Agents

9-10 p.m. -- Harry’s Law

10-11 p.m. -- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Thursday

8-8:30 p.m. – Community

8:30-9 p.m. -- Parks and Recreation

9-9:30 p.m. – The Office

9:30-10 p.m. – Whitney

10-11 p.

Chicago – The slow trickle of news regarding NBC cancellations and renewals has finally burst the dam and we have the entire Fall schedule to present along with descriptions of the new programs and time/day changes for several of your favorites.

Chuck

Photo credit: NBC

NBC will aggressively try to right a ratings-challenged ship by programming 12 new programs over the year — 6 new dramas and 6 new comedies. Many of them won’t premiere until mid-season and “30 Rock” won’t return until then either, running uninteruppted from that point (not unlike “Parks and Recreation” did this year). In other major news, the final, 13-episode season of “Chuck” will air on Friday nights.

The returning shows for the network include “Parenthood,” “Harry’s Law,” “Chuck,” “Community,” “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Voice,” “The Sing-Off,” “The Celebrity Apprentice,” “The Biggest Loser,” “30 Rock,” and “Dateline NBC.”

Canceled programs for the network include “The Event,...

All season long, NBC's "Chuck" and Fox's "Fringe" have been in a neck-and-neck battle as the worst show I can't seem to quit ("Glee" lost the race last November, when I kicked it to the curb. It really wasn't hard). "Fringe" has had great ideas but lousy, convoluted execution, while "Chuck" has really had nothing much of value to offer this season other than a history I've developed with the characters over the last four years. I don't enjoy watching "Chuck" but I feel a weird sense of loyalty to the people who populate the show. I had hoped -- especially after the ratings began to plummet even further than they had before -- that NBC would make the decision easy on me and simply cancel it. But like "Fringe" -- which was renewed despite having only half the viewers of far better shows like "Chicago Code" and "Breaking In,...

With a modest 30 years under his belt, Nick Cannon has done it all. He’s a lead actor, improviser, Reality TV host (America’s Got Talent), presidential DJ, radio show host, and Chairman of TeenNick. He’s also married pop-star Mariah Carey and is heading for fatherhood later this year. Eat your heart out Diddy.

Now, Cannon is heading to the stage in his first ever stand-up comedy show special on Showtime. Saturday, May 14th at 9 Pm, Showtime will debut Nick Cannon: Mr. Showbiz. It’s advertised as a storyteller’s comedy show, with Cannon discussing his rise to fame and all the celebrity DOs and Don’Ts along the way. Apparently, he also considers himself a failed gangster. Perhaps his tough guy routine in Drumline boosted his inner rebel. He’s also had twitter-beef with rapper Eminem. Why? Probably because beef with Eminem or 50 Cent is like a rite of passage these days.

Showtime is letting Nick Di Paolo unleash his caustic observations in a new stand-up special. The comedian -- known for his cutting commentary on Comedy Central's celebrity roasts -- will star in his first hour-long comedy special, "Nick Di Paolo Raw Nerve," which will premiere on Showtime April 30 at 9 p.m. "Raw Nerve," which was filmed at Comix in Connecticut's Foxwoods Resort Casino, is being co-executive produced by Di Paolo, and Brian Volk-Weiss and Barry Katz of New Wave Dynamics. An accompanying digital album of the same name will be released on...

"Road Trip" funny man Tom Green is preparing to unleash his first stand-up comedy special, along with an accompanying album, according to a rep from the projects' production company. The one-hour special is being co-produced by the "Freddy Got Fingered" comedian and Brian Volk-Weiss and Barry Katz of New Wave Dynamics.   The currently untitled special, which will shoot this summer, will air on an as-yet-unannounced network. New Wave's other comedy ventures include "Dane Cook's Tourgasm" on HBO and the upcoming "Eddie Griffin: You Tell 'Em I Said It," which will air on Comedy...

From Wonder Woman…to Chelsea Handler! NBC made a flurry of pilot orders today, including one inspired by Handler’s bestselling book Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea. The E! talk show host will executive produce the multi-camera comedy – along with Tom Werner, Mike Clements, and Tom Brunelle – that will focus on the lives of a group of 20-somethings who live and work together with a very outspoken young woman. Other exec producers include Julie Larson and Dottie Dartland Zicklin. Handler will not appear.

NBC also ordered these other comedy pilots today:

Untitled Whitney Cummings Project. Starring and...

The agency will book his arena-filling stand-up comedy tours, but Dane Cook signed with UTA to boost his acting career. He was already set to make his Broadway debut this spring in Neil Labute's Fat Pig, alongside Julia Stiles and Josh Hamilton, and he was just booked to guest star in an episode of CBS's Hawaii 5-0, playing Scott Caan's brother. Cook has been in such films as Dan in Real Life, Good Luck Chuck, Waiting and Mr. Brooks, but hasn't yet been able to duplicate his stand up success onscreen. Cook left CAA late last year, and continues to be managed by New Wave Entertainment's Barry Katz. He certainly doesn't need help on the stand up part of his repertoire, where's a cash machine. He just completed an arena tour last month, and released his sixth album, I Did My Best--Greatest Hits. He's always near or...

 

NBC is partnering with comedian Dan Levy and Jamie Tarses to develop a new comedy to fill the spots of Outsourced and 30 Rock which have been moved to 10 pm. New Wave Entertainment, Tarses' Fan Fare and Sony Pictures Television are partnering with Levy on the deal.

Several Children is about a businesswomen who lives in a houseful of "kids", including her much younger husband, their two children and occasionally her husband's friends.

Levy is a veteran comedian and is best known for Long Distance Relationship which began as his web series but has now been turned into a pilot for MTV. He recently starred in the Comedy Central pilot Let it Ride and is writing an ABC Family movie entitled Stoked.

Julia Franz, Barry Katz, Brian Volk-Weiss and nm1460981 autoMichael Pelmont[/link] will also serve as executive producers on the NBC project.  This sounds a lot like ABC's The Middle which...

E! has ordered another docusoap series, "Pretty Wild," following a trio of teenage sisters hobnobbing in Hollywood.

"Wild" follows the daughters of a former model -- Taylor (19) and Alexis (18) and Gabrielle (15) Neiers, who are active in the Hollywood social scene.

"These sisters are compelling, unpredictable and drop-dead gorgeous -- perfect prey for all that Hollywood has to offer, the good, the bad and the ugly," said Lisa Berger, executive vp of entertainment at E! "Their lives were recently turned upside down and our viewers will be there every step of the way to find out what happens next."

Tom Brunelle and Chelsea Handler are executive producers for Borderline Amazing Prods. Barry Katz, Brian Volk-Weiss and Bill Thompson for New Wave Entertainment; Amber Mazzola for Five Five Prods.; and Dan Levy are also exec producers for the series.

"Wild" debuts in March.

On the heels of his latest highly rated stand-up special on Comedy Central, Ron White has inked a deal with the network for his own show.

Comedy Central has handed out a pilot presentation order to "The Ron White Show," a half-hour program designed to showcase the blue-collar comedian's opinionated persona.

On the show, which will feature branded segments, remotes and story telling, White will look at stories nationwide, focusing on the heartland, through his everyman perspective.

White created the show with Eddie Feldmann ("Dennis Miller Live"). The two are exec producing with White's manager, John MacDonald, and with Michael Pelmont, Brian Volk-Weiss and Barry Katz of New Wave Entertainment, which manages Feldmann.

White's most recent special, "Behavioral Problems," drew 3.3 million viewers Sunday, ranking as Comedy Central's most-watched stand-up special of the year. His other Comedy Central specials include "You Can't Fix Stupid" and "They Call Me Tater Salad.

New Wave Entertainment, Tri Destined Films and Blumhouse Productions are joining forces to bring the inspirational story of University of Texas track and field coach Beverly "Bev" Kearney to the screen.

Kearney, who was injured in a car accident in 2002, continued coaching championship teams as well as countless Olympians while teaching herself to walk again.

Barry Katz, ND Brown, and Jason Blum will produce with Trey Haley, Gregory Anderson executive producing.

Blowtorch Entertainment has purchased "Doormat", a comedy by Todd Carr.

The plot centers on a man who has been walked on his entire life, but with the help of some unlikely allies finally learns to stand up for himself.

Blowtorch's Daniel Schnider is overseeing development. Brad Mendelsohn, Barry Katz and Brian Volk-Weiss of New Wave Entertainment will produce. This is Carr's first feature screenplay sale. Last year, Touchstone acquired his spec television pilot "Shoes".

Frank TV made a big impression on TBS.

The cable network has ordered eight more episodes of the late-night sketch comedy show starring comedian-impressionist Frank Caliendo. The series, slated to return later this year, combines stand-up pieces shot before a live audience and segments shot on location, with Caliendo doing impersonations of celebrities ranging from John Madden to Jack Nicholson to President Bush.

Frank TV drew 3.2 million total viewers to its November premiere, including 2.1 million in adults 18-49, setting records for a late-night original series launch in cable, according to Nielsen Media Research. Overall, the show significantly improved TBS' performance in the 11 p.m. slot, averaging 2.1 million total viewers, including 1.4 million in the demo, for its initial eight-episode order.

"Frank has a very appealing everyman sensibility," said Michael Wright, senior vp in charge of the content creation group for TBS, TNT and TCM. "He laughs at the same things we all laugh at in the popular culture around us, and the show's sketches catch that comedic point of view perfectly."

Frank TV, from TBS Prods., is executive produced and written by Caliendo, Matt Wickline and John Bowman, with Barry Katz also executive producing.

New England sports network NESN has greenlighted a sports-focused stand-up comedy series from New Wave Entertainment.

The weekly half-hour series, titled "NESN's Comedy All-Stars", has been given a 10-episode order. The show, an Original NESN Entertainment production being produced in partnership with Barry Katz and New Wave, will be hosted by Gary Gulman, a New England native and former contestant on "Last Comic Standing". Katz is an executive producer on the NBC reality competition.

Each week, "All-Stars" will feature three comedians from Boston and nationwide performing stand-up routines with sports-only topics. Gulman and the other top comics also will participate in remote pieces focusing on Boston teams and in sports-themed comedy sketches.

The show is set to go into production Sunday through Thursday at the Comedy Connection located inside Boston's Faneuil Hall and at other locations throughout New England.

" 'NESN'S Comedy All-Stars' represents the expanding efforts of (Original NESN Entertainment) to bring unique programming to the network by partnering with a nationally renowned production team," said Joel Feld, vp programming/exec producer at NESN.

This review was written for the theatrical review of "Good Luck Chuck".Trash-talking fat guys seem to be all the rage this year, as the success of "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" demonstrates.

Viewers' response to "Good Luck Chuck" might depend on how much enthusiasm they have for the raunchy rantings of another overweight man-boy, played by Dan Fogler, who won a Tony for his more nuanced turn in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." Fogler's Stu, a lecherous plastic surgeon, is not the main character in "Chuck". But he's the hero's horny best friend, and you have to spend an awful lot of time in his company, which will probably tickle dirty-minded teens and drive everyone else up the wall.

"Chuck" is a high-concept hard-R comedy that will delight its core audience, but it seems unlikely to match the (somewhat undeserved) critical acclaim and boxoffice success of "Superbad". The gimmick here is that Charlie (Dane Cook), a dentist who had a curse placed on him when he was a kid, is destined for sex but not love. It seems that every woman who sleeps with him will marry the next man she meets, making him the good-luck charm for all kinds of women desperate to tie the knot. At first, Charlie enjoys all the casual sex that comes his way, but he begins to resent the fact that he's not a keeper. Matters get even more complicated when he meets an accident-prone young woman, Cam (Jessica Alba), who seems to be a perfect match, but he worries that if they sleep together, she's sure to marry someone else -- unless he can break the curse.

The premise allows for lots of sex play, lots of crude encouragement on the part of Stu and some tiresome sight gags depicting Cam's pratfalls and mishaps. The script by Josh Stolberg has no fizz. It's possible to sit for half an hour without cracking a smile. Part of the problem is sheer repetitiveness; another problem is that Stu's leering remarks are repulsive rather than endearing. Yet this juvenile comedy directed by Mark Helfrich turns out to be easier to take than it has any right to be, largely because of the presence of Cook. He's co-starred in dumb comedies like "Employee of the Month", and he made a rather convincing psycho in "Mr. Brooks", but here he's playing romantic comedy, and he turns out to be surprisingly skillful at it. He might have the potential to be a latter-day Chevy Chase, who managed to navigate farce as well as romance with panache. Because of Cook's performance, we end up feeling sympathy for Charlie and rooting for him to get lucky in love.

Alba also gives an appealing performance, and she displays the right chemistry with Cook. Other cast members are merely adequate. Technical credits and music are solid, but they can't rescue the witless script.

GOOD LUCK CHUCK

Lionsgate

Karz Entertainment

Credits:

Director: Mark Helfrich

Screenwriter: Josh Stolberg

Producers: Mike Karz, Barry Katz, Brian Volk-Weiss

Executive producers: Tracey Edmonds, Russell Hollander, Ogden Gavanski, Michael Paseornek

Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond

Production designer: Mark Freeborn

Music: Aaron Zigman

Co-producers: Cece Karz, Karen Russell

Costume designer: Trish Keating

Editor: Julia Wong

Cast:

Charlie: Dane Cook

Cam: Jessica Alba

Stu: Dan Fogler

Joe: Lonny Ross

Jennifer: Caroline Ford

Carol: Chelan Simmons

Natalie: Natalie Morris

Reba: Ellia English

Young Charlie: Connor Price

Young Stu: Troy Gentile

Eleanor Skepple: Jodie Stewart

Running time -- 96 minutes

MPAA rating: R...

Kate Hudson is set to star opposite Dane Cook in Lionsgate Films' Bachelor No. 2, helmed by Howard Deutch.

Production is slated to begin in August in Boston. A third-quarter 2008 release is planned.

Jordan Cahan's screenplay centers on Tank, a man hired to take girls out on terrible dates to prompt them to return to boyfriends they left. Conflict ensues when he offers his services to his best friend and falls for the girl. Hudson will play the love interest, Alexis.

Cook's production company Superfinger Entertainment is producing with Management 360 and Terra Firma. Producers include Management 360's Guymon Casady and Doug Johnson; Terra Firma's Adam Herz, Greg Lessans and Josh Shader; and New Wave's Barry Katz and Brian Volk-Weiss. President of production Michael Paseornek will oversee the project for Lionsgate.

Hudson was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role as Penny Lane in Almost Famous. Her credits also include You, Me and Dupree. She is set to star opposite Matthew McConaughey in Warner Bros. Pictures' Fool's Gold, slated for a February 2009 release.

Dane Cook is in negotiations to star in Bachelor No. 2, a comedy that Howard Deutch is in final negotiations to direct for Lionsgate.

Cook's production company Superfinger Entertainment is producing the film along with Management 360's Guymon Casady and Doug Johnson as well as Terra Firma's Adam Herz, Greg Lessans and Josh Shader. Barry Katz and Brian Volk-Weiss of New Wave Entertainment also are producing.

Written by Jordan B. Cahan, the script focuses on a man named Tank, known for being hired to take girls out on absolutely terrible dates so they will crawl back to the boyfriends they dumped. When his best friend needs his help with the girl who dumped him, Tank struggles with his raging libido and the meaning of friendship.

An August shoot is being eyed.

Cahan is repped by CAA and Management 360.

Deutch, repped by ICM, is attached to executive produce and direct the comic book adaptation Preacher for HBO.

Cook, a successful stand-up comedian, takes a dramatic turn with Mr. Brooks, the Kevin Costner thriller opening Friday.

NBC has picked up a fifth installment of the reality series Last Comic Standing to air in the summer.

The new season, to be hosted by Bill Bellamy, will go international, searching for the funniest comedian in the English-speaking world. Auditions will be held in London, Montreal and Sydney as well as in Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Tempe, Ariz. Talent scouts for the new installment will include Comic alumni Alonzo Bodden, Ant and Kathleen Madigan.

In its most recent fourth season, Comic averaged a 3.6 rating/10 share in adults 18-49 and 8.1 million viewers overall.

Comic is produced by Peter Engel Prods., Magical Elves and NBC Universal Television Studio. Peter Engel, Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz and Barry Katz are the executive producers. Javier Winnik serves as co-executive producer.

An attempt to carve out Office Space in a warehouse store setting, Greg Coolidge's Employee of the Month falls short of that inspired Mike Judge mark but manages to retain a certain goofy appeal thanks to the stand-up efforts of its comically adept cast members.

It would certainly seem to be a ripe, untapped environment for laugh-getting, but the picture -- following the ruthless rivalry between a cocky cashier and a laid-back boxboy for those title honors -- takes a little while to find its groove. Once it does, the wry, character-driven humor picks up enough momentum to carry it through to the checkout desk.

Given that comedies tend to be in short supply this time of the season as studios start unloading all the awards bait, the Lionsgate release could ring up some respectable receipts over the Columbus Day weekend.

Groundlings grad Dax Shepard is on the money as Vince Downey, the insufferably smug SuperClub head cashier. It would seem as if his 18th consecutive employee of the month award -- which comes with a "newish" car -- was a done deal, but perennial slacker Zack Bradley (affable stand-up comic Dane Cook) is determined to stop him in his slickly choreographed tracks.

Their rivalry heats up with the arrival of Amy (a self-conscious Jessica Simpson), the sweet new cashier who has a bit of a reputation for sleeping with employees of the month.

But even as Zack looks as if he just might have what it takes to see his picture hanging on the staff lounge wall of fame, he is forced to consider what effect his take-no-prisoners behavior is starting to have on those who used to watch his back.

While first-time feature director Coolidge -- who receives screenplay credit along with writers Dan Calame & Chris Conroy -- tries too hard for irreverence, there's a fast and loose, lightly ad-libbed dynamic between nice guy Cook and fastidious, preening Shepard that generates genuine laughs.

Even better is the loopy rapport between Shepard and his dim but devoted lackey, Jorge (Napoleon Dynamite's Efren Ramirez), while Tim Bagley wears the short sleeves convincingly as the club store's gung-ho manager Glen Gary, who has an older brother called Glen Ross (Danny Woodburn).

The production was shot extensively in a barely disguised Costco in Albuquerque, N.M., with all that washed-out, bright lighting to prove it. Even though the Costco name has been thoughtfully covered up on all the shopping carts, somehow product placement allowed for the Kirkland house brand to be prominently displayed throughout the store.

Production values are cost-effective, though somehow one suspects all that low-cut, form-fitting wardrobe donned by Ms. Simpson wouldn't pass any store clothing policy approval -- unless, say, Hooters were to get into the warehouse game.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Lionsgate Tapestry Films

Credits:

Director: Greg Coolidge

Screenwriters: Dan Calame & Chris Conroy and Greg Coolidge

Story: Dan Calame & Chris Conroy

Producers: Andrew Panay, Peter Abrams, Robert L. Levy, Joe Simpson, Barry Katz, Brian Volk-Weiss

Executive producers: Mike Paseornek

John Sacchi, Michael Burns

Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond

Production designer: Jon Gary Steele

Editors: Kimberly Ray, Tom Lewis

Costume designer: Denise Wingate

Music: John Swihart

Cast:

Zack: Dane Cook

Amy: Jessica Simpson

Vince: Dax Shepard

Jorge: Efren Ramirez

Glen Gary: Tim Bagley

Lon: Andy Dick

Iqbal: Brian George

Russell: Harland Williams

Running time -- 103 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13...

ABC already is making its summer plans, greenlighting an unscripted hourlong series from the producers of Last Comic Standing. Peter Engel and Barry Katz are set to executive produce The Imposter, a search for the best celebrity impersonator in the country, through their shingles, Peter Engel Prods. and New Wave Entertainment. ABC has ordered eight episodes with an eye on airing Imposter in summer 2007. For Engel, Imposter will be his first non-NBC project in 20 years, having exclusively paired with the peacock on such young-skewing series as Saved by the Bell and Hang Time. His production company was a subsidiary of NBC Enterprises until 2003. With Standing, which NBC has renewed for a fifth season, he recently posted his 1,000th episode of television produced under his auspices.

ABC already is making its summer plans, greenlighting an unscripted hourlong series from the producers of Last Comic Standing. Peter Engel and Barry Katz are set to executive produce The Imposter, a search for the best celebrity impersonator in the country, through their shingles, Peter Engel Prods. and New Wave Entertainment. ABC has ordered eight episodes with an eye on airing Imposter in summer 2007. For Engel, Imposter will be his first non-NBC project in 20 years, having exclusively paired with the peacock on such young-skewing series as Saved by the Bell and Hang Time. His production company was a subsidiary of NBC Enterprises until 2003. With Standing, which NBC has renewed for a fifth season, he recently posted his 1,000th episode of television produced under his auspices.

Dane Cook has sold a comedy pitch to the Weinstein Co. At the same time, the actor-comedian is in final negotiations to play opposite Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life, a romantic comedy Peter Hedges is directing for Touchstone Pictures. The sale to the Weinstein Co. came about when Cook was making the rounds pitching another project. He told the execs a one-line idea, and they went for it. Details are being kept under wraps, though it is known to be a relationship comedy with heart and broad elements. Cook will now write the script with another writer, yet to be determined. Cook will star and produce through his production company, SUperFInger Entertainment. Barry Katz from New Wave Entertainment also will produce, while the company's Brian Volk-Weiss will executive produce.

Dane Cook is set to star in Sony Pictures Television's Cooked, a half-hour comedy presentation that the studio is planning to shop to broadcast and cable networks. Liz Vassey and Joel David Moore round out the cast of Cooked, a single-camera comedy that centers on Cook's quirky relationship with his friends (Vassey, Moore) and their exploits. Barry Katz and Jay Kogen are executive producers, with Cook co-executive producing. David Steinberg will direct, with Kogen serving as writer. Shooting begins next week, with SPT understood to be shopping the show to networks once the presentation is finished.

Jay Mohr has inked an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television to create, star in and produce projects for the studio targeted for network TV and cable. Mohr will develop the projects for Sony through his company, Giraffe Prods. At the company, which already is eyeing several projects, Mohr works alongside Cori Fry and Charles Gerencer. Mohr, who toplined Fox's critically praised comedy Action, most recently hosted and exec produced NBC's reality series Last Comic Standing and co-starred in the comedy feature Are We There Yet? He recently wrapped Jump Shot and next appears in King's Ransom. Mohr is repped by Paradigm and managed by Barry Katz at New Wave Entertainment.

Two celebrity judges on NBC's Last Comic Standing have raised questions about the veracity of the show's process for selecting the final 10 participants to be featured in the televised competition. Comedians Drew Carey and Brett Butler said their input as judges was discounted during the semifinal round that took place last month in favor of NBC executives and the show's producers. One of Last Comic's executive producers, Barry Katz, also is the manager of two of the performers who made the final 10, the one-name comic Ant and Gary Gulman, and he also manages Last Comic host Jay Mohr. In an interview last week at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo., where he headlined two events, Carey cited the discrepancy between the show's final picks and the judges' reactions to the 20 contenders in the semifinals, which took place Feb. 26 at Le Theatre des Arts in Las Vegas. "I thought it was crooked and dishonest," Carey said. "It was like somebody at NBC cast the show ahead of the event in Vegas.

Sources said FX is close to picking up two comedy pilots from Fox TV Studios and Barry Katz Entertainment, Trash to Cash and Hurt Bert. Trash to Cash, starring comedian John DiResta, is expected to be ordered up as a half-hour series, while Hurt Bert, toplined by stand-up Bert Kreischer, would run as a series of shorts or a half-hour series. Trash to Cash, a co-production with Hallock Healy Entertainment, showcases DiResta's hobby of cruising with his brother, a designer, through the neighborhood searching for discarded old pieces of furniture and turning them into handmade rustic tables and artistic items they sell. In each episode of the show, the two will help people do major decorating projects on very tight budgets.

Comedian Dane Cook has inked a six-figure talent holding deal with UPN to star in a comedy or drama project for the network targeted for midseason. Cook, one of today's highest-paid stand-up comics, is best known for his physical comedy that often draws comparisons to Jim Carrey during his stand-up days. "I am really looking forward to being a part of a network where they are taking chances and exciting risks while working with a team of executives that are looking to break new ground in the world of television," Cook said. The comedian is already reading scripts for potential midseason projects. Cook headlined his own half-hour special for Comedy Central in 2000. Material from the special will be featured on a DVD that Comedy Central's new record division will release in May along with a CD. Cook's screen credits include appearances on CBS' Late Show With David Letterman, NBC's The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, voice-over work on Comedy Central's series Crank Yankers as well as roles in the features Mystery Men and the upcoming Torque, starring Ice Cube. Cook is repped by ICM and Barry Katz Entertainment.