Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky On Cracking ‘Hacks’ & Cancel Culture’s Impact On Comedy – Crew Call Podcast

Jim Owens, who was in the forefront of bringing country music into a new era of entertainment television programming, died today with wife Lorianne Crook by his side.

John Mayer has shared some important news with fans on Instagram – he’s leaving Columbia Records.

Katie Meyer‘s parents are speaking out.

Jason Momoa has made an additional, rare statement on his split from Lisa Bonet.

Eugene Hernandez has been promoted to the new role of SVP of Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and Executive Director of the New York Film Festival (NYFF), and Dennis Lim has been upped to the NYFF’s first-ever Artistic Director, newly promoted President, Lesli Klainberg, announced on Friday. Hernandez will also continue to lead FLC’s strategic initiatives, including his role as publisher of Film Comment.This year will mark the 60th anniversary of NYFF, and the festival will run from Sept. 30 to Oct.

Everyone’s favorite loveable, awkward underage drinker is finally a dad himself! Michael Cera, 33, confirmed yesterday he recently welcomed a new baby with his wife of four years, Nadine. The ‘Superbad’ star shyly shared the happy news after Life & Beth costar Amy Schumer spilled the baby beans in a joint interview for Entertainment Tonight. The baby is Michael and Nadine’s first.

Who says exes can’t get along? Ryan Seacrest, 47, and his ex-girlfriend Julianne Hough, 33, had a great rapport with each other when the former Dancing With The Stars judge was a guest on Ryan’s SiriusXM show on Friday March 4. Julianne was a guest along with her brother Derek, 36, to discuss the siblings’ upcoming Oscar salute, but Ryan’s co-hosts couldn’t resist discussing the American Idol host’s past relationship with Julianne.

Foo Fighters have paid tribute to late friend and Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski during a recent Australian performance.The concert took place last night (March 4) at GMBHA Stadium in Geelong, Victoria, just a few hours out of Melbourne. It marked the first time an international act has played a stadium show in the country since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.The rock legends played a series of hits including ‘The Pretender’, ‘Times Like These’, ‘My Hero’, and more, finishing their set with a tribute to Gudinski, a leading Australian promoter and record executive who brought a host of international acts to the country during his career.“I would like to dedicate this last song to an old friend, who’s not here with us tonight – a person that always brought us over here, took care of us and made us happy – a sweet man, who made everything fun Down Under,” frontman Dave Grohl said.“Coincidentally, we managed to get down here about… Almost exactly a year since his passing.

Lee Hodson insists Kilmarnock's Challenge Cup defeat to Raith can't stop their momentum as they aim to win the Scottish Championship.

Lanark Amateur Musical Society (LAMS) return to the stage of Lanark Memorial Hall later this month with their new musical revue LAMSTRAVAGANZA.

The Oscar for Best Documentary is likely going to Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s “Summer of Soul,” but the 2022 IDA Awards gave its main competitor a notable boost. Jonas Poher Rasmussen‘s “Flee,” which made history as the only film to earn Documentary, Animated, and International Oscar nominations, took Best Feature.

Prince collaborator Morris Day has some strong words to share with Prince’s estate management. The 64-year-old lead singer of the classic 80’s funk band Morris Day & The Time took to Instagram to air his grievances about his apparent lack of ability to use the name he’s given such legacy to over the years.

Mira Sorvino is looking back at working with Woody Allen and Harvey Weinstein.

The home where Brittany Murphy was found dead once belonged to Britney Spears. Years later, Spears remains "curious" about what happened to Murphy.  The 40-year-old pop star shared — then deleted — a People magazine cover regarding new details about Murphy's death that were shared in HBO's documentary "What Happened, Brittany Murphy?" Murphy was found dead inside her Hollywood Hills home Dec. 20, 2009, at the age of 32.

Tim Considine has died at the age of 81. Considine died Thursday at his home in Mar Vista, California, according to Disney.  Considine made his acting debut in 1953 at the age of 12 in "The Clown" and also appeared in the "Mickey Mouse Club" show "The Adventures of Spin and Marty." Tim Considine has passed away at the age of 81. The actor was born into an entertainment industry family.

Hopefully Pete Davidson is already hard at work preparing himself for space travel, because if Jeff Bezos has anything to say about it, the comedian is going to be launched into orbit SOON!

Billy Watson, a child star who was one of the famed Watson Family, the only acting family that has their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, died February 17 of natural causes at age 98 in a Spokane, Washington hospital.

The Weeknd’s latest album,, you’ll definitely want to check out the singer’s newest concert special,, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.  invites you to experience the album in a whole new way, as “a purgatory otherworld where live performance, theater, and performance art collide for a night out at the club.” Along with this new immersive musical special comes an official merch collection available to shop now on Amazon. Watch NowShop Now is The Weeknd’s fifth studio album, featuring appearances by Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne and narration by Jim Carrey. joins the ranks of other streamable immersive specials available through Prime Video, including and three volumes of Rihanna’s .Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch and how to shop the new merch: A post shared by The Weeknd (@theweeknd) is currently available to stream now on Prime Video. Watch Now is streaming exclusively on Prime Video. Access to Prime Video is a perk included in an Amazon Prime membership, available for $15 monthly or $139 for the year. If you aren't already subscribed or interested in subscribing to Amazon Prime and just want access to the Prime Video library, a membership to Prime Video is available for $9 monthly.

Ellise Shafer “Flee” won best feature at the International Documentary Association’s annual awards ceremony on Friday night.Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, “Flee” is also nominated for best documentary feature at this year’s Oscars. Leading the ceremony with the most wins, however, was “Summer of Soul,” which took home the best director prize for Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson as well as best music documentary and best editing.The ceremony also handed out speciality awards, honoring Roger Ross Williams with the Career Achievement Award, Ronan Farrow with the Truth to Power Award, Cecilia Aldarondo with the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award, Jean Tsien with the Pioneer Award and Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh with the Courage Under Fire Award. Below, find the full list of winners.Best Feature“Flee” (Denmark, France, Norway / NEON, Participant.

Game of Thrones actor John Stahl has died, aged 68.The Scottish actor played the role of Richard Karstark in two seasons of the show and was also well known for playing Inverdarroch in long-running soap opera Take The High Road. He died on the Isle of Lewis on March 2; a cause of death is yet to be disclosed.Stahl’s death was confirmed by his agent who described him as “an actor of remarkable skill and a stalwart of Scottish theatre”.The full statement read: “We are very sad to announce the death of John Stahl. John was an actor of remarkable skill and a stalwart of Scottish theatre, where he appeared in numerous productions as well as at The Royal Shakespeare Company and The National Theatre.“He was well known for playing Inveradarroch in Take the High Road from 1982 – 2003 and for the role of Rickard Karstark in two series of Game of Thrones. He died on the Isle of Lewis on March 2 2022 and is survived by his wife, Jane Paton.”An additional statement on Twitter read: “We’re deeply saddened to report the death of our beloved friend and client, John Stahl. He was an actor of the most remarkable skill, with a decades-long career gracing our screens and stages. We will miss him terribly.”We’re deeply saddened to report the death of our beloved friend and client, John Stahl.

Bauhaus have announced their first tour in over 16 years.After breaking up in 1983, Bauhaus reformed and have had a number of different formations over the years. Following a 20th anniversary tour in 1998, the band returned for a performance at Coachella in 2005 before going on to support Nine Inch Nails the following year.Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins, and David J officially reunited again in late 2019, playing three shows in Los Angeles.

Kanye West is sharing his thoughts about what divorce has been like for him.

Flee and Summer of Soul divided honors at the 37th Annual IDA Awards tonight, with Flee claiming Best Feature Documentary, and Summer of Soul capturing three awards, including best director for Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson [full winners list below].

Mitchell Ryan, a veteran film and television actor who captivated daytime television fans in his role as Burke Devlin on the groundbreaking daytime soap Dark Shadows, has died. He was 88 years old and no cause of death was given.

A column chronicling events and conversations on the awards circuit. 

More to come

A fan asked Charli XCX a question on Watch What Happens Live that left her impressed by the inside knowledge the fan had!

Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, stars Jean Smart as Vegas-based comedy star Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava, Deborah’s 25 year-old writing assistant.

One of HBO Max’s breakout hits (well, at least that’s what social media tells us), “Hacks” has been the third jewel in the Jean Smart renaissance that began with “Watchmen” and was followed by definite ratings hit, “Mare of Easttown.” Of course, you could argue that the veteran Hollywood actor never went anywhere or that her “comeback” really started with an Emmy-nominated turn in the second season of “Fargo” or maybe her run in another FX standout, “Legion.” Whatever the case, Smart has gotten more deserved attention and admiration than she has in years, and her fans are here for it.

SPOILER ALERT - Stop reading now if you don’t want to know what happened in the season one finale of Hacks!

a second season, a decision that co-showrunner and executive producer Lucia Aniello said the creators kind of “forced” onto HBO. By the end of Season 1’s final episode, Deborah (Jean Smart) is gearing up for a nationwide tour of a new hourlong stand-up routine, and she’s bringing her begrudging assistant Ava (Hannah Einbinder) along with her.

Following its premiere on HBO Max in May, Hacks became a runaway hit, generating awards buzz and swiftly landing a Season 2 renewal. While the comedic two-hander’s success hinged on chemistry between its stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, it also has a great deal to do with the sharp scripts penned by series creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky.

Ahead of its season finale on Thursday, HBO Max has renewed breakout comedy “Hacks” for a second season.The series stars Jean Smart as Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava, a 25-year old struggling comedy writer who works for the acerbic Vance. The series is from creators Paul W.

After already landing a buzzworthy breakout with “The Flight Attendant,” HBO Max has done it again with the critically acclaimed dramedy “Hacks.” Created and produced by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky, the series focuses on a legendary Las Vegas comedienne, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), who finds herself dealing with a “canceled” television writer, Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), who wants nothing more to return to her life in Hollywood.