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Exclusive: Comedian Trevor Wallace has added 38 theaters to his The Alpha Beta Male Tour, which kicked off in March, with tickets for the second leg to go on sale on his website on Friday, August 8 at 10 a.m. local.

Wallace sold out the first leg, featuring performances at theaters including The Fillmore in Detroit, Meridian Hall in Toronto, Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. and The Chicago Theatre. Some highlights of his next set of dates include performances at The Beacon Theatre as a headliner for the New York Comedy Festival, The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, The Wiltern in Los Angeles, Paramount Theatre in Austin, and The Wilbur in Boston.

Boasting 26 million followers and over 5 billion views across all social platforms, Wallace’s sold-out Are You That Guy Tour landed him one of the first original hour-long specials for Amazon. Titled Pterodactyl, it premiered on the platform in November 2023.

A...

Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Pete Holmes are among the comedic talents set to appear at this year’s New York Comedy Festival, taking place from Friday, November 7 to Sunday, November 16.

Colbert and Sedaris will join Paul Dinello on November 8 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the cancellation of Strangers with Candy, the sitcom for Comedy Central co-created by Colbert, Dinello, Sedaris, and Mitch Rouse. Other headliners this year include The Basement Yard, Hannah Berner, Michael Blackson, Margaret Cho, Alex Edelman, Chris Fleming, Morgan Jay, Ismo, Ryan Long, Nurse John, Yohay Sponder, and Trevor Wallace, to name a few.

Founded by Caroline Hirsch in 2004, the New York Comedy Festival features 200+ top comedians from around the globe across more than 100 shows in all five boroughs, taking over iconic NY venues like Carnegie Hall, the Beacon Theatre, Madison Square Garden and Town Hall. Information on further Nycf programming, including Stand Up for Heroes,...

Laughs are loading for this year’s New York Comedy Festival.

The festival will feature more than 200 comedians at 100 shows at venues across the five boroughs for 10 days from Nov. 7-16. This year’s headliners include such acts as the Basement Yard, Hannah Berner, Michael Blackson, Louis C.K., Margaret Cho, Alex Edelman, Chris Fleming, Pete Holmes, Morgan Jay, Ismo, Ryan Long, Nurse John, Yohay Sponder, Trevor Wallace and more.

Also on the lineup is a special reunion for Strangers with Candy creators and stars Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello and Amy Sedaris. The event, to be held at Town Hall on Nov. 8, is billed as a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the show’s cancellation. Strangers with Candy aired for three seasons on Comedy Central and became a cult classic thanks to its risqué humor and wild storylines. It cast Sedaris as Jerri Blank, a 46-year-old ex-drug addict who returns...

IndieWire took home four of the top prizes at the 2025 Southern California Journalism Awards, including Best Website, News Organization Exclusive to the Internet, which honored the entire staff, and three awards for individual writers. IndieWire received a grand total of 11 nominations at this year’s awards, which marks the most it has earned in a single year. The winners were announced by the Los Angeles Press Club at a gala on the evening of Sunday, June 22.

IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers won the Criticism of TV award, with the judges offering the following praise for his review of “Somebody Somewhere” Season 3: “What is the best thing a review can deliver? If it’s a favorable review, and the reader has not experienced the production, it inspires the reader to immediately seek out the piece and experience it. This review fills that bill admirably — and as a bonus offers accessible...

IndieWire received 11 nominations for the 2025 Southern California Journalism Awards, including a nomination for Website, News Organization Exclusive to the Internet honoring the entire staff and 10 acknowledgements for staff members in individual categories. The 11 nominations are the most IndieWire has received in a single year, breaking a previous record of nine.

IndieWire’s Chief Film Critic and Reviews Editor David Ehrlich and TV Critic Ben Travers are nominated in the Criticism of Film and Criticism of TV categories, respectively, which encompass their entire bodies of work from the previous year.

IndieWire Digital Director Christian Blauvelt is nominated for Obituary/In Appreciation, TV/Film Personalities for his story The Late Quincy Jones Reinvented Film Music, Defined ‘Fusion,’ and Did Something Extremely Rare at a Post-Screening Q&a.

IndieWire Executive Editor Ryan Lattanzio received a nomination in the Film Feature, Profiles of Creatives category for Sean Baker Breaks Down the Emotional Last Scene...

Dave Chappelle is set to take center stage at Toronto’s Departure Festival + Conference, with an exclusive stand-up performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

The six-time Grammy winner, five-time Emmy winner and recent recipient of the NAACP President’s Award, anchors the comedy-focused expansion of the festival, organized by Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group.

The comedy programming also features rising Canadian talent, with homegrown comedians Jasmeet Raina, Ivan Decker, Sophie Buddle, Hassan Phills, and Ali Hassan joining the lineup, alongside the founder of viral comedy platform Don’t Tell Comedy, Kyle Kazanjian-Amory.

Chappelle, whose recent “Saturday Night Live” monologue stands as the longest in the program’s 50-year history, tops a bill that includes previously announced comedy podcast “How Did This Get Made? Live,” comedian Trevor Wallace, Pete Holmes, Harland Williams, Caroline Rhea, and Elvira Kurt.

The festival’s film and television component will include an advanced screening of Harland Williams’ new comedy “Wingman,...

The iconic Laugh Factory Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard is putting comedy to good use to support firefighters amid the catastrophic wildfires ravaging Los Angeles.

The club confirmed on Friday that it will donate all proceeds from Friday’s 7:45 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows to the Los Angeles Fire Foundation. Per Laugh Factory’s Instagram, the lineup will feature Trevor Wallace, Drew Lynch, Langston Kerman, Chaunté Wayans, Vinny Fasline and Mike Marino.

“Tonight, your laughs at the Laugh Factory go beyond the stage,” reads the post, which continues that funds raised will be funneled toward critical tools “like emergency fire shelters, hydration packs and fast response vehicles.”

Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada said his club is proud to lift up “our heroes who are putting their lives on the line to save people and property” across Los Angeles.

“Our firefighters are real-life superheroes and we are proud to support...

Your star sign can tell you which comedian will make you laugh the hardest, according to the online astrologers over at Times of India.

Okay, we’ll bite — which stand-up comic corresponds to your particular astrological sign? Here are the dubious, er, divinely inspired results…

Aries

Aries people, with their quick wits and competitive nature, “are drawn to comedians who bring the heat,” says Toi. That means Dave Chappelle is Aries’ favorite comic, thanks to his provocative takes and unapologetic subject material.

Taurus

Give a Taurus a comic with a laid-back, relaxed vibe that still has some substance — in other words, how about John Mulaney? “Mulaney’s balance of quirky and familiar will resonate deeply with the steady Taurus.”

Gemini

Geminis are quick thinkers who can navigate difficult topics, explains Toi, making Ali Wong a likely fit. Wong’s “ability to jump between personal and societal observations matches Gemini’s multifaceted personality.

The LA Press Club has released the nominees for the 17th National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards, and IndieWire has received a site-record 14 nominations, including for Best Entertainment Website. This recognition occurs after IndieWire received seven notices in the final Naej awards in 2023, including a third-pace finish last year for Best Entertainment Website, out of our nine nominations that year.

In addition to the Best Entertainment Website nomination, which recognizes the entire IndieWire staff, 13 individual IndieWire staffers received specific recognition.

”The IndieWire team created a lot of terrific work this year and we’re honored to see so many of our submissions receive recognition,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire’s senior VP and Editor-in-Chief. “Many thanks to the LA Press Club for giving us a site record for nominations.”

IndieWire’s Ben Travers received two nominations: One for Best TV Critic, recognizing his entire body of work for the year, and one in the Obituary,...

As part of its annual list of podcasting’s most powerful players, THR asked every honoree to fill out a questionnaire about the state of the industry, the challenges holding it back, their recording booth habits, and what they consider to be the most underrated podcast. A selection of our favorite responses below, from the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Alex Cooper, Kara Swisher and many more.

Bill Simmons (The Bill Simmons Podcast)

What are your podcasting guilty pleasures?

The JFK assassination or mysteries centered around dead porn stars. A narrative pod about a dead porn actress who may have been the second JFK shooter would be my dream pod.

Current favorite podcast (that you’re not involved in)?

This isn’t a specific pod, but I love any social media clip of a retired NBA player saying the worst sports take possible. It’s 2024’s single best trend. I never...

After receiving a record nine nominations this year at the 2024 Southern California Journalism Awards, it was announced last night at an awards dinner gala at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles that IndieWire’s Senior Social Media Manager, Veronica Flores, and Senior Social and Cultural Editor, Vincent Perella, had won Best Use of Social Media to Enhance and/or Cover a Story by a Group for their work on “How Barbie Became Real.” Judges for the category commented, “Well put together, clean editing, snappy and just right for social media. Great job!”

In addition to this win, IndieWire’s Deputy TV Editor and TV Critic Ben Travers, who won an award last year for Criticism of TV, received third place in the same category for a number of his reviews, including his piece, “‘I Think You Should Leave’ Season 3 Is the Song of the Summer.”

IndieWire’s Features Writer,...

This year’s nominees for the 66th Southern California Journalism Awards were released today by the Los Angeles Press Club and IndieWire received a site-record nine nominations. Coming on the heels of our wins last year for Criticism of TV and Entertainment Reporting and following our 2022 win for Best Website, Traditional News Organization, the entire IndieWire staff has been nominated for Best Website, News Organization Exclusive to the Internet. IndieWire writers also earned nominations for individual accolades in eight categories.

“The nominated work illustrates the scope, insight, and unparalleled quality of our team,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, Senior VP and Editor-in-Chief at IndieWire. “We are thrilled and sincerely appreciate the Los Angeles Press Club for the Southern California Journalism Award nods.”

After winning the award for Best Criticism of TV last year, IndieWire’s Deputy TV Editor and TV Critic Ben Travers is a finalist in the category again for a number of his reviews,...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Poolman, A Man in Full and Hacks.

TCM Classic Film Festival

After kicking off with a Pulp Fiction reunion on April 18, the TCM Classic Film Festival continued through the weekend, as Jodie Foster had her handprints and footprints enshrined in concrete at the Tcl Chinese Theatre and then appeared at a screening of her film The Silence of the Lambs; Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins reunited for a screening of their film The Shawshank Redemption; and Mel Brooks introduced a closing night presentation of his film Spaceballs.

Jodie Foster signs her autograph in cement during the Handprint and Footprint Ceremony TCM Host Eddie Muller, Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins and TCM Host Dave Karger attend ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ screening Mel Brooks speaks onstage at the ‘Spaceballs’ screening

Poolman premiere...

With no new bust-out limited releases, repertory continues to do its part for the specialty box office, the latest a 4k restoration of Nostalghia. Kino Lorber said the Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1983 film, which opened Wednesday, will gross an estimated $22.87k at Film Forum in NYC for the five days.

It’s currently the top performer at the theater and will take in more than all other films screening there combined over that period. Two additional shows at the Roxie in San Francisco and the Austin Film Society bring combined grosses to about $29.4k. Expands next week to Philadelphia and Montreal with additional markets coming later. The film about a Russian poet and his interpreter, who travel to Italy researching the life of an 18th-century composer, stars Oleg Yankovskiy, Andrei Gorchakov, Erland Josephson, Domiziana Giordano and Patrizia Terreno.

Kino Lorber had success with the restored 4k re-release of Bernardo Bertolucci’s...

Exclusive clip "Phone Magic" showcases an awkward phone call dilemma in upcoming comedy Drugstore June. Esther Povitsky stars as June, dealing with robbery suspicion and personal struggles in the film. Produced by Bill Burr, the offbeat indie comedy boasts a star-studded ensemble cast.

We've gotten our hands on an exclusive clip from the upcoming crime comedy caper, Drugstore June, which finds Haley Joel Osment on one end of an increasingly awkward phone call. From executive producer Bill Burr, Drugstore June stars Esther Povitsky as the titular June, a wannabe influencer juggling multiple issues: her parents pressuring her to move out, her ex-boyfriend accusing her of stalking, and two detectives who suspect she’s involved in the robbery of the local pharmacy.

You can check out our exclusive clip, “Phone Magic,” below.

As well as the footage, you can also check out the official synopsis for Drugstore June.

“After the pharmacy...

Exclusive: Stand-up comic Martin Amini took to YouTube on Tuesday to unveil his first special, I’m Transcending, which sees him discuss his upbringing with immigrant parents, as well as the challenges of contending with dual cultural influences in a divorced household.

A trailer for the special can be viewed above. Watch it in full here. Taped in Washington, D.C., the special was directed by comedian Erik Griffin, with Amini, Matt Rife and Christina Shams serving as executive producers.

Based in Los Angeles, with roots that trace back to Silver Spring, Maryland, the comic is known for material drawing on his relationships with his Iranian father and Bolivian mother. In addition to his stand-up, he is the founder of D.C. comedy club Room 808, which has featured appearances from comics like Rife and Trevor Wallace, among many others.

Currently on the road for his “Martin Had a Dream” theater tour,...

The Los Angeles Press Club held the 16th annual National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards on Sunday night, honoring the best reporting, criticism, and analysis from across the digital, print, and broadcast media industries. IndieWire received nine nominations and ultimately won seven awards.

Executive Managing Editor Christian Blauvelt won first place in the Soft News, Arts category, for his analysis piece “Will Disney Win Against DeSantis? The Florida Lawsuit Explained.”

IndieWire’s entire staff was honored with third place in the Entertainment Website category. TV Critic and Deputy Editor Ben Travers was also awarded third place in the TV Critic category for his overarching body of work at the site. Additionally, four other individual stories were honored with second or third place finishes.

“I’m really proud of the IndieWire team,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, senior VP and Editor-In-Chief at IndieWire. “We’re a small but mighty crew and I’m...

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Halloween might be long gone by now, but that doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of new shows, docs, and films to stream ahead of the holidays on Prime Video. November began with the long-awaited season premiere of a must-watch Prime Video superhero series. But the rest of the month isn’t short on intriguing debuts, either. These include a competition show inspired by a long-running film franchise,...

If the film and television industries have been challenged like never before in a year of double strikes, in the world of comedy, the story is very different.

In truth, stand-up has never been bigger, with one story after another rolling out of comedians setting records for attendance and viewership. Take Nate Bargatze, for example, who earlier this year set an Amazon streaming record with his special Hello World, before going on to sell a record number of tickets to an April show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and bringing SNL its highest-rated episode of the season. Or Matt Rife, a young up-and-comer with 10+ years under his belt, who hit the upper echelons of comedy seemingly overnight after blowing up on TikTok, selling out a global tour encompassing some 600,000 tickets in less than 48 hours, before going on to land his own forthcoming Netflix special, Matt Rife: Natural Selection. Also operating...

The Los Angeles Press Club unveiled the nominations for the 16th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, and IndieWire earned nine nominations. After 1,600 entries were evaluated by the committee, IndieWire’s entire staff was honored with a nomination for Best Entertainment Website, and eight staffers received additional nominations for their individual works.

IndieWire’s TV Critic and Deputy Editor Ben Travers was nominated in the TV Critic category for his entire body of work over the past year.

IndieWire’s Executive Managing Editor Christian Blauvelt earned a nomination in the Soft News, Arts category, for his analysis piece “Will Disney Win Against DeSantis? The Florida Lawsuit Explained.”

IndieWire’s Executive Editor, Business Tony Maglio received a nomination for Humor Writing for his essay “I Took My Daughters, 3 and 6, to See ‘The Little Mermaid.’ Here’s Who Slept and Who Danced in the Aisles.”

IndieWire’s Senior Reporter Brian Welk was also nominated in the Business,...

Exclusive: Comedian Trevor Wallace this morning unveiled his first-ever stand-up special, Trevor Wallace: Pterodactyl, an Amazon Original that will premiere on Prime Video November 14th.

Boasting over 2.5 billion views to date across his social media channels, as well as over 16 million followers, Wallace is known for the relatable characters he’s unleashed across the internet, from “The Guy Who Never Left His Hometown” to “Guys with ‘Entrepreneur’ in their bio” to “the guy with too many monitors at the coffee shop.” In the special directed by George Nienhuis, he introduces viewers to the real-life characters he’s come face-to-face with, as he navigates male birth control, smoking oregano, his unique birds-and-the-bees talk, experiencing his first Buc-ee’s, the red flags of dating, and the worst thing you could ever order on a date.

Trevor Wallace: Pterodactyl is produced by Amazon Studios and 800 Pound Gorilla. Andy Farag and Trevor Wallace served as executive producers,...

The comedy community is just grateful to be nominated.

Top professional funny people have weighed in on this week’s news that the annual Golden Globe awards have introduced two new categories, one of which will honor best performance in stand-up comedy on television.

Comedy is a notoriously tough sell when it comes to awards season, though the Globes have always shown love in the form of a dedicated category for comedies and musicals in the best picture space. The live special format has reached global saturation and popularity thanks to streaming platforms, YouTube and social media. Six solo comics, or a breakout member of a troupe or ensemble, will duke it out for the prize for the first time on the Jan. 7 telecast.

“I’m thrilled about the Golden Globes acknowledging the outstanding contributions of my fellow comedians in the world of stand-up comedy. I have a deep passion for this beautiful art form,...

Exclusive: Rising stand-up comedian Matteo Lane, who has released a number of YouTube specials, has signed a deal with Studio71.

The move will see the company expand Lane’s reach across digital media and act as his ad sales partner to monetize his content. The deal will see Studio71 distribute his work.

Lane is the latest comedian to work with Studio71, which is growing its stand-up roster; it already works with the likes of Trixie, Trevor Wallace, Bob the Drag Queen, Mayim Bialik, Josh Wolf, Brittany Furlan and Tim Chantarangsu.

He has more than 3M followers on social media and his last self-released special Hair Plugs & Heartache has been gaining traction on YouTube. He also released The Advice Special last year and has appeared on Netflix’s Stand Out and The Comedy Lineup as well as appearing in series such as Survival of the Thickest and Crashing.

Joseph Marchese, EVP of Creator Partnerships,...

Studio71 is making more moves on Facebook. The digital media company has inked partnerships with comedian Trevor Wallace, fighter Ronda Rousey, and the automotive aficionados of Donut Media, all of whom reach millions of followers on Meta’s flagship platform.

Through its latest swath of deals, Studio71 will work with its new clients to grow their Facebook operations and improve their monetization. The media company — a subsidiary of German corporation ProSiebenSat.1 — is also touting the flexibility of its contracts, which will help Wallace, Rousey, and Donut Media level up their channels without locking them into onerous terms.

“Studio71’s Facebook Division has seen tremendous growth and helped a wide variety of creators build a successful business on the platform,” says Studio71 Co-CEO Adam Boorstin in a statement. “Through tailored content strategies, video optimization, and effective marketing, we have significantly expanded the size of our network since last year.”

Though Studio...

Exclusive: Esther Povitsky (Dollface), Bobby Lee (Reservation Dogs) and Beverly D’Angelo (National Lampoon’s Vacation) are among the notable comedic talents set for Drugstone June — a new feature that Utopia, All Things Comedy, and Shout! Studios have partnered to produce for world sales.

Others set to appear in the film directed by Nicholaus Goossen (Grandma’s Boy) include James Remar (Sex and the City), Brandon Wardell (Easter Sunday), Danny Griffin (Fate: The Winx Saga), Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams (The Ms. Pat Show), Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly), Al Madrigal (Morbius), Haley Joel Osment (The Kominsky Method), Matt Walsh (Veep), Jackie Sandler (You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah!), Nick Rutherford (Rick and Morty), Jon “Dumbfoundead” Park (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens), Trevor Wallace (Add-tv), Bhad Bhabie (Lights Out with David Spade), Steph Tolev (Old Dads), Jon Gabrus and Bill Burr (The King of Staten Island).

Drugstore June follows a...