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Matthew McConaughey is a huge fan of Stephen Colbert's former Comedy Central show from the '90s called Exit 57.

“I religiously watched that show,” said McConaughey, as Colbert commented on how astounded he was that McConaughey has memorized quotes from the relatively unknown series. The actor stood up and showed off his memorization skills, acting out a scene from the show.

His favorite skit was "Forecast" about two men who work at a newspaper. It was a sketch Colbert didn't even remember but he happily obliged McConaughey's wishes to act out the scene together.

In the Exit 57 sketch McConaughey...

Chicago – One of the great new premium channel TV series, which piggybacked on the “Twin Peaks” return on the Showtime Network, is “I’m Dying Up Here.” Set in the 1970s, it tells the stories of fictional stand up comedians in Los Angeles, and one of the Consulting Producers and series writers is Cindy Caponera.

Ari Graynor as Cassie in ‘I’m Dying Up Here’

Photo credit: Showtime Network

Caponera wrote the latest episode, “Girls Are Funny, Too,” which focused on Cassie (Ari Graynor), as she tries to break new ground in an era where women in comedy had even more obstacles in a man’s show business world. The episode was loose, poignant and funny, and highlighted the excellent cast, which includes Oscar winner Melissa Leo as Goldie, the owner of the club that the stand up comics perform in. Add in Jake Lacy, Al Madrigal, Andrew Santino, Erik Griffin and Rj Cyler,...

Chicago – December 9th is the 2014 second season premiere of “Ground Floor,” the TBS workplace comedy featuring John C. McGinley (“Scrubs”), plus Skylar Astin and Briga Heelan (seen in the film “Pitch Perfect”). Chicago native Cindy Caponera is a writer and co-executive producer on the show.

In a variation on the “Slobs versus the Snobs” scenario, “Ground Floor” is set in a financial company that features a romance between an occupant of the upper floors – where the master-of-the-universe financial consultants hold court – and a worker on the “ground floor,” where the operations and maintenance crew resides. A big part of the hilarity is provided by John C. McGinley, playing a mentor character as in “Scrubs,” but in a softer and gently funny way. The chemistry between the featured couple, portrayed by Astin and Heelan, provides the conflict between the two parts of the company.

The Second Season of ‘Ground Floor’ Premieres December 9th,...

Chicago – It was a cold Chicago day in May, typical of the endless winter. The coffee shop was warm and inviting, as I waited to interview the comedy icon, Cindy Caponera. She had written a book – “I Triggered Her Bully” – but as she walked in I was more interested in what she was wearing.

Her pullover was resplendent with an inlayed collar design, a thread embroidery that took me back to the court of Marie Antoinette. She paired that with one of the latest and hottest styles, the casual stretch pant, which she pulled off like a young Audrey Hepburn brought back to life for a chocolate ad. Her manicure, which she described as “mediocre,” glowed under the halogen lamps of the shop like Michael Jackson brought back to life as a sequined corpse. She said she had spent 45 minutes to make her eyebrows less purple, and as I looked more closely,...

Colbert on Letterman by poppadiddypuff New York (AP) — With the announcement that Stephen Colbert will be the new host of CBS' "Late Show," his fans likely feel a clash of emotions: — Happiness that their hero has landed a sweet promotion. — Regret that he's leaving his Comedy Central post. — Uncertainty over who the Stephen Colbert hosting "Late Show" will be. For nine years on "The Colbert Report," he has reigned as the founding father of Colbert Nation. He has won four Emmys, two Peabody awards and a stake in the national conversation. He hasn't just satirized politics and culture, he has rolled up his sleeves to organize a "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on Washington's National Mall with his Comedy Central colleague Jon Stewart, and to create a super Pac to draw attention to the tyranny of money on elections. And he has done it all behind a mask — the mask of "Stephen Colbert,...

It was just last week when it was announced that David Letterman was stepping down from The Late Show after 21 years; now we already have a new host (among other duties) to announce.

Stephen Colbert will not only host The Late Show but will also serve as a writer and executive producer. He was probably a top 3-5 choice of most people who care to talk about these TV news items, so I don’t expect much of an uproar. We shouldn’t expect he will bring the satire and parody that made him famous on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, it’s The Late Show after all, right?

Here’s the boring press release:

CBS Announces Stephen Colbert As The Next Host

Of “The Late Show”

The CBS Television Network today announced that Stephen Colbert, the host, writer and executive producer of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “The Colbert Report,...

News

Ryan Murphy may have said that he’s still planning to end Glee next season, but Fox told E! news that kind of talk is premature. While season six was ordered as a potential final season, the network still wants to hold onto the possibility of continuing the drama into the seventh season.

The Good Wife has made more casting announcements and, as always with this show, the news is amazing. Victor Garber is set to appear as a judge whose compulsive orderliness is disrupted by a chaotic double jury trial. Hunter Parrish will play a client fighting DNA evidence against him.

Hunter Parrish

Which TV pilot has cast a big star for its lead, but can’t announce it because people will figure out the star’s current character is about to be killed off?

Yeah, as much as I like New Girl Nick and Jess‘ relationship is straining the show.

Chicago – Amy Sedaris is well remembered in Chicago for her work at the Second City Troupe, as well as the Annoyance Theater. The comedian, actor, author and entrepreneur recently wrote a new book, “Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People!,” which is her wacky perspective on crafting and entertaining.

Sedaris was at Borders Michigan Avenue last November, greeting admirers and signing the book. Based on the premise that “being poor is a wonderful motivation to be creative,” Simple Times is a follow-up to her best seller “I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.”

No Stranger: Amy Sedaris at Borders Books Michigan Avenue, Chicago, November 13th, 2010

Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com.

After breaking out of Chicago, Sedaris started in TV on Comedy Central in 1995 with “Exit 57,” co-starring Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello. With those two, she next wrote and starred in the cult hit, “Strangers with Candy,...

Hi, Zoners! It’s a deliciously musical week on the Report, with a rocker, a Broadway legend, and a classic folkie on the roster. There should certainly be lots for our Emilyoo to write about! And of course, on Thursday, comes the gal we’ve all been waiting breathlessly for: Amy Sedaris!!!! If we must have a holiday break, then this is going to send us off on the highest note. Joy to the Zoners!

Monday, December 14th: Patti Smith

The week is off to a rockin’ start with poet, painter, performance artist, and “godmother of punk,” the one and only Patti Smith. Best known for her recording of Because the Night (co-written with Bruce Springsteen), Smith had her own, eponymously named band before briefly retiring into motherhood. She later returned to the stage after her husband’s death, and Rolling Stone magazine included her in their list of “The...

Heya folks - Ken Plume here, with an interview from the vaults. I interviewed Stephen Colbert towards the middle of 2003, when it was still possible to set up an in-depth piece with Stephen that wasn’t destined for Entertainment Weekly or The New York Times.

I had followed Colbert ever since I’d seen him as a castmember of the short-lived Dana Carvey Show (bonus points if you can spot me in one of the episode openings), and I kept track of him as he moved on to Exit 57, Strangers With Candy, and then his regular spot as a correspondent on the original Craig Kilborn version of The Daily Show.

When I did this in-depth piece with Stephen, The Daily Show - under Jon Stewart - had begun to take off, and was fast becoming a strong voice in the political and journalistic landscape.

Below, you’ll find my original introduction to the piece,...

The Colbert Report is in vacation right now (it returns on September 14), so how about we look at the career of Stephen Colbert to get us through these weeks?

Rolling Stone has a new cover story on Colbert and an interesting feature up at their site that gives an overview of what Colbert has done over the years. Not just the stuff we've all seen (like The Dana Carvey Show and Strangers with Candy), but also his work on the short-lived sketch show Exit 57, a dramatic turn on Law and Order: Ci, and voiceover work for a really terrible-looking video tennis game.Continue reading Before his own show, Stephen Colbert did Good Morning America

 

Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Late Night, Celebrities, Reality-Free

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One of the most sought-after comedians, Amy Sedaris, has inked a deal with 20th Century Fox TV to create, write and star in a comedy series project.

Sedaris will pen the script with her writing partner Paul Dinello, who also is attached to direct.

The single-camera project will be co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants, which has a first-look deal with Sedaris, a longtime friend of Letterman's and a frequent guest on his "Late Show" on CBS.

Sedaris and Dinello are "fleshing out" the premise for the show, which is based on an idea Sedaris came up with about six years ago.

"It just seemed the right time to do it now," she said.

Busy filming an arc on TNT's "The Closer" as the sister of agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney) and promoting the paperback release of her book "I Like You," Sedaris said she wasn't looking to do...