Vanessa Bayer News

The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the showcase of new independent feature films selected across all categories for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, from January 23a?"February 2, 2020. The Sundance Film Festival is Sundance Institute's flagship public program, widely regarded as the largest American independent film festival and attended by more than 120,000 people and 1,300 accredited press, and powered by more than 2,000 volunteers last year.

SHOWTIME has announced a pilot order for the half-hour comedy series BIG DEAL, starring and executive produced by Emmy nominee Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live). Bayer co-created the project with Emmy nominee Jeremy Beiler (Saturday Night Live), who will also executive produce. Emmy winner Jessi Klein (Inside Amy Schumer, BLACK MONDAY, Big Mouth) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer), who will direct. Annapurna's Megan Ellison and Sue Naegle will also executive produce. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, Presidents of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.

Deadline reports that Kay Cannon, who directed 'Blockers' and wrote 'Pitch Perfect,' will write an upcoming biopic about improv giants Del Close and Charna Halpern.

Showtime Networks celebrated its 2019 nominees at a private event hosted at the San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood on Saturday, September 21, 2019. The company feted the cast and producers of Escape at Dannemora including Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano, WHO IS AMERICA and its star and creator Sacha Baron Cohen, BLACK MONDAY's Don Cheadle, and Pop TV's SCHITTS CREEK including Dan Levy and Eugene Levy.

 SiriusXM and Pandora today announced that Howard Stern will commemorate the official October 7th opening of SiriusXM Hollywood, the company's new Hollywood complex featuring artist-first studios, with Stern's first broadcast from the West Coast in almost 20 years.

After years of sell-out runs and critical acclaim anon, this Fringe institution smash-hit wonder has become one of the most celebrated improv shows in the world and returns this August with more brand new, ad-libbed, exhilarating 55-minute musicals, all taken from audience suggestions.

Pour a shot and learn a lot! The Emmy(R) Award-winning Comedy Central series Drunk History returns with eight all-new episodes premiering Tuesday, June 18 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, leading off with the highly innovative and spellbinding Derek Waters' Believe It or Not and followed by the series premiere of Alternatino with Arturo Castro at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. Fans can watch the all new trailer featuring highlights from the new summer season here and catch up on the first eight episodes of season six on the Comedy Central App and at cc.com/drunk.

Effective parody isn't that common, it doesn't happen to every iconic TV show, and it IS a big deal!

Following the rapturous reaction to the release of On The Line, Jenny Lewis is proud to unveil the star-studded video for “Red Bull & Hennessy,” available now for your viewing pleasure. Watch here!

“The rest of winter” means a return to our favorite shows--some coming back midseason, others beginning a completely new one. Here's a quick recap of some of this week's best and brightest scripted comedies. Spoilers abound.