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After a year away, the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival returned to Montreal with a star-studded line-up of the biggest names in laughter. On July 24, Variety presented their annual 10 Comics To Watch at a cocktail party sponsored by Cohen Gardner Law, who has been partnering with Variety on the honor for the past 20 years. All 10 comics were in attendance, including recent Emmy nominee Robby Hoffman (“Hacks”), “Overcompensating” breakout Mary Beth Barone and social media sensation Dyon ‘Mojo’ Brooks. They were joined by fellow honorees Joe Dombrowski, Nate Jackson, Morgan Jay, Gianmarco Soresi, Jiaoying Summers, Steph Tolev and Tacarra Williams.

Jeff B. Cohen, partner at Cohen Gardner, noted that Cohen Gardner Llp has sponsored the 10 Comics with Variety for almost 20 years. “Variety has a remarkable track record of identifying comedy’s next stars with its 10 Comics to Watch List,” said Gardner. “Also, kudos to Just For Laughs for bringing back the s “Also,...

Comedy Dynamics has announced a handful of new stand-up specials as part of its “Spring Originals” slate.

Among the comics with new specials are Jay Jurden (a writer for “The Problem With Jon Stewart”), Bob the Drag Queen (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Chris Porter (“Last Comic Standing”) and Jiaoying Summers (host of the “Tiger Mom” podcast). All four specials have wrapped filming and are currently in post-production. Each are expected to debut in late 2025.

All four specials were filmed at the Joy Theatre in New Orleans and are directed by Comedy Dynamics founder Brian Volk-Weiss, who calls the “Spring Originals” “some of the funniest specials we’ve ever filmed.” He serves as executive producer alongside Cisco Henson.

“I think it’s the best introduction to My style of comedy, which is trying to give you 10 pounds of jokes in a 5 pound bag. It’s Black, it’s queer, and dammit it’s funny as hell,...

Exclusive: Canada’s Quentin Lee has touched down at Series Mania this week with scripted show Morning, Paris! and a third season of their stand-up show Comedy InvAsian in their back pocket.

The director-producer’s Margin Films has again teamed with Comedy InvAsian co-creator and showrunner Koji Steven Sakai from Little Nalu Pictures and exec producer Victor Elizade from Viva Pictures on the show, which spotlights Aapi comedians doing 30-minute sets in each episode. Lee is the director.

The show is produced by Little Nalu Pictures and distributed by Viva Pictures Distribution. It was the TV debut of Aapi comedians such as Atsuko Okatsuka, Joey Guila, Robin Tran and Jiaoying Summers.

Seasons 1 and 2 premiered on Hulu as an exclusive in 2018, and both are now streaming on Peacock, Tubi and Prime Video. Season 3 is set for principal photography in July.

“With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Dei) a hot-button in the national discussion,...

Exclusive: Comedian Jiaoying Summers has signed with WME for representation in all areas.

The agency touts Summers’ “blend of unique observational humor from an immigrant’s perspective and personal anecdotes,” as the reason she connects “with audiences from all walks of life.” She boasts over four million followers across social media.

John Singleton inspired her career in comedy, following a lunch in 2016 when he suggested Summers host an open mic night. Her first was held in 2019, and today, as the owner of the Hollywood Comedy Club, open mic events take place 7 days a week. On weekdays, they are held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a comedy show to follow on weekends. Summers focuses on producing minority and female-centric shows.

Additionally, she leads her hit podcast Tiger Milf, where the host and guests discuss just about anything under the sun. Previous topics have included relationships,...

Exclusive: 3 Arts veteran Josh Lieberman is leaving the management and production company to join Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Also joining Brillstein is Allie Veneris of Authentic Talent & Literary Management.

“We’re excited to continue our focused expansion with the addition of Josh and Allie,” said Jon Liebman and Cynthia Pett, Brillstein’s co-ceo’s. “They have great clients, great taste, and great futures ahead.”

Lieberman was at 3 Arts for almost two decades, having started at the company — now majority owned by Lionsgate — in June 2004 as an assistant.

The list of his clients, dominated by multi-hyphenates in the comedy space, include Dave Attell, Atsuko Okatsuka, Karan Soni, Moshe Kasher, Katherine Ryan, Vanessa Gonzalez, Noah Garfinkel, Brent Morin, David Nihill, Jiaoying Summers, Sara Weinshenk, Jessi Cruickshank, Sarah Burns, Marc Evan Jackson as well as WWE’s Sami Zayn.

For Veneris, this marks a return to Brillstein where she was a college intern in the early 2010s.

Indie alien abduction film, “Static Codes” begins production on locations in Los Angeles June 23, 2022. Augie Duke (FX’s Mayan Mc) and Jiaoying Summers (Peacocks’ Asian Invasion 2.0) have joined the cast which stars Sadie Katz (Wrong Turn 6), Mike Ferguson (Amityville Uprising) and Shane Woodson (8 Days to Hell). The thriller follows a paralyzed …

The post Augie Duke from Mayans Mc and Stand-Up Comedy Star Jiaoying Summers Join Cast of “Static Codes” appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Indie alien abduction film, “Static Codes” begins production on locations in Los Angeles June 23, 2022. Augie Duke (FX’s Mayan Mc) and Jiaoying Summers (Peacocks’ Asian Invasion 2.0) have joined the cast which stars Sadie Katz (Wrong Turn 6), Mike Ferguson (Amityville Uprising) and Shane Woodson (8 Days to Hell). The thriller follows a paralyzed [...]

The post Augie Duke from Mayans Mc and Stand-Up Comedy Star Jiaoying Summers Join Cast of “Static Codes” appeared first on Horror Asylum.

“For All Mankind” will return for its third season on June 10, Apple TV Plus announced Monday.

Created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, the critically-acclaimed science fiction drama imagines an alternate history where Russia beat the United States in putting a man on the moon first. As a result of this historical divergence, the space race between the two countries never ends, leading to a world where both nations have advanced moon colonies staffed 24/7 and the Cold War has led to much quicker technological advances. The series focuses on the exploits of the astronauts and staff of NASA in this alternate universe, delving into both their professional and personal lives.

The first two seasons of “For All Mankind” covered a span of almost two decades, starting in 1969 and ending in the late ’80s. Season 3 again jumps ahead into the early ’90s, as the space race expands to the exploration of Mars.