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  • Amazon’s New Fall Shows Come From Louis CK, Sacha Baron Cohen, Tig Notaro

    It’s time for another round of original pilots from Amazon.

    This year’s fall lineup includes shows from Louis CK, Sacha Baron Cohen, Tig Notaro, and Diablo Cody, starring the likes of Flea, Ryan Kwanten, Shaquille O’Neal, Terry O’Quinn, Chris Parnell, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Christina Ricci, and David Strathairn.

    As always, there’s no guarantee these pilots will turn into series. User feedback plays a role in which get chosen for full runs.

    “Our latest pilot season brings together a diverse group of shows that we think customers will really enjoy,” said Roy Price, Vice President, Amazon Studios. “We have something for everyone in this season and I am excited to see which shows spark conversation amongst our customers and what they want to be made into series.”

    Without further ado, here are the six pilots coming to Amazon video this fall:

    Edge

    Based on George G. Gilman’s best-selling book series of the same name, which has been described as “the most violent western in print,” Edge showcases the sly, raw power of the western genre. Set in 1868, Max Martini (Pacific Rim, Captain Phillips) stars as Josiah ‘Edge’ Hedges—a Union officer turned cowboy, who prowls the post-Civil War American West doling out his own peculiar (and savage) brand of justice. When we meet Edge in the pilot, his mission is personal and his vengeance hath no fury. Edge also stars Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) as Merritt Harknett, and Yvonne Strahovski (The Astronaut Wives Club, Chuck) as Beth. Edge was developed by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3) and Fred Dekker (Tales from the Crypt, Star Trek: Enterprise), teleplay by Dekker and Black, is directed by Black, and executive produced by Black, Dekker, Barry Josephson (Bones, Turn: Washington Spies), and David Greenblatt (Battle Los Angeles).

    Good Girls Revolt

    In 1969, while a cultural revolution with a soundtrack to match swept through the free world, there was still one place that refused to change with the times: newsrooms. Good Girls Revolt follows a group of young female researchers at “News of the Week,” who simply ask to be treated fairly. Their revolutionary request will spark convulsive changes and upend marriages, careers, sex lives, love lives, and friendships. Good Girls Revolt stars Genevieve Angelson (Backstrom) as Patti, Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect) as Jane, Erin Darke (We Need to Talk About Kevin) as Cindy, Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley) as Finn, Hunter Parrish (Weeds) as Doug, Jim Belushi (Show Me a Hero) as Wick McFadden, Joy Bryant (Parenthood) as Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Grace Gummer as Nora Ephron. A co-production with TriStar Television, Good Girls Revolt is written and created by Dana Calvo (Made in Jersey), directed by Liza Johnson (Return), and executive produced by Calvo, Lynda Obst (Interstellar), Darlene Hunt (The Big C), Don Kurt (Justified) and Jeff Okin (Dark Skies, Stanley Park). The pilot is inspired by the landmark sexual discrimination cases chronicled in Lynn Povich’s book, The Good Girls Revolt.

    Highston

    Highston Liggetts (newcomer Lewis Pullman) is a 19-year-old with a wide circle of celebrity friends—that only he can see. His parents, Jean (Mary Lynn Rajskub, 24), and Wilbur (Chris Parnell, Saturday Night Live) force him to get psychiatric help, but his Uncle Billy (Curtis Armstrong, American Dad!) thinks he’s just fine. Highston is a comedy about what it means to be normal in a world that’s anything but. The pilot guest stars Shaquille O’Neal (Thunderstruck) and Flea (The Big Lewbowski), and is written by Oscar-nominee Bob Nelson (Nebraska), directed by Independent Spirit Award winners Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), and executive produced by Sacha Baron Cohen (The Dictator), Todd Hoffman (Love Stinks), Nelson, and Todd Schulman (Bruno).

    One Mississippi

    A dark comedy, loosely inspired by Tig Notaro’s (Boyish Girl Interrupted) life, One Mississippi follows Tig as she deals with the complex reentry into her childhood hometown of Bay Saint Lucille, Mississippi, to deal with the unexpected death of her mother, the interminable life of the party, Caroline. Reeling from her own recently declining health, Tig struggles to find her footing with the loss of the one person who actually understood her, with help from her older but not always wiser brother, Remy, played by Noah Harpster (Transparent), and her emotionally distant stepfather, Bill, played by John Rothman (The Devil Wears Prada). A surprise visit from Tig’s girlfriend, Brooke, played by Casey Wilson (Gone Girl) only compounds the reality of how out of place Tig is in a world without her mother. A co-production with FX Productions, One Mississippi is written and executive produced by Notaro and Diablo Cody (Juno), executive produced by Louis CK (Louie), Blair Breard (Louie), and Dave Becky (Everybody Hates Chris), with pilot directed and executive produced by Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said).

    Patriot

    The political thriller Patriot follows the complicated life of intelligence officer John Tavner (Australian newcomer Michael Dorman, Wonderland). His latest assignment is to prevent Iran from going nuclear, requiring him to forgo all safety nets and assume a perilous “non-official cover” — that of a mid-level employee at a Midwestern industrial piping firm. A bout with PTSD, the Federal government’s incompetence, and the intricacies of keeping a day job in the “front” industrial piping company, cause a barrage of ever-escalating fiascos that jeopardize Tavner’s mission. The pilot also stars Terry O’Quinn (Lost) as Tom Tavner, John’s State Department Director of Intelligence father, Michael Chernus (Manhattan Project), as John’s older brother Edward Tavner, a young Texas congressman, Kathleen Munroe (Call Me Fitz), as John’s wife Alice, Aliette Opheim (Sandor slash Ida) as Agathe, a brilliant young homicide detective from Luxembourg hot on John’s trail, and Kurtwood Smith (That 70s Show) as Mr. Claret, John’s stickler of a new “boss” at the piping firm. Patriot is written and directed by Steven Conrad (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Weather Man), and executive produced by Conrad, Gil Bellows (Temple Grandin), Glen Ficarra (Crazy Stupid Love, Focus), Charlie Gogolak (Focus), and John Requa (Crazy Stupid Love, Focus).

    Z

    Z is a bio-series pilot based on the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, the brilliant, beautiful and talented Southern Belle who becomes the original flapper and icon of the wild, flamboyant Jazz Age in the 20s. Starring Christina Ricci (Monster) as Zelda Sayre, Z starts before she meets the unpublished writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (Gavin Stenhouse, Allegiance), and moves through their passionate, turbulent love affair and their marriage—made in heaven, lived out in hell as the celebrity couple of their time. The series travels through the wild parties, the wicked jazz, the dissolute artists of the era, as well as the alcoholism, adultery and struggle with dashed dreams and mental illness that characterizes their later years. Z dives into the fascinating life of a woman ahead of her time, an artist determined to establish her own identity in the tempestuous wake of a world-famous husband. The show pulls back the curtain on her triumphs and dark secrets. It’s a modern take on one of the most notorious love stories of all time, played out in salons and speak-easies from Montgomery, Alabama to the Cote D’Azur. Z is written by Dawn Prestwich (The Killing) and Nicole Yorkin (The Killing), directed by Tim Blake Nelson (Anesthesia), and executive produced by Pamela Koffler (Still Alice) and Christine Vachon (One Hour Photo) of Killer Films, as well as Ricci. The show also guest stars David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck) as Judge Anthony Dickerson Sayre, Kristine Nielsen (Savages) as Minnie Sayre, Maya Kazan (The Knick) as Livye Hart, Sarah Schenkkan (30 Rock) as Eleanor Browder, Jamie Anne Allman (The Killing) as Tootsie Sayre, and Holly Curran (Alpha House) as Tilde Sayre.

    And if you’re thinking about ponying up and subscribing to Amazon Prime, this Friday is certainly the day to do it.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Howard Stern On Cosby Rape Allegations: It’s Like a Weather Update

    Howard Stern talked with Louis CK about Bill Cosby when the comedian stopped by his studio recently. Louis CK admitted that, like many people, he was a huge Cosby fan.

    “I loved Bill Cosby when I was a kid. I saw him in Montreal a few years ago, do a concert and I was blown away. It was maybe the best standup concert I had ever seen. I listened to his albums when I was a kid, so it was like a listening thing. He has a huge catalog of albums, and I listened to all of them.”

    But Howard Stern had to ask about the rape allegations against Cosby. Louis CK’s response was also representative of many people.

    “I didn’t believe it for a long time. And there is some weird formula there to ask yourself about. Like, ‘How many does it take?’”

    As Howard Stern observed, there is an awkwardness to talking about Cosby’s work now. Louis CK agreed.

    “It’s a really weird thing, because now what do you say about him? His comedy is what it was still, and he is still the influence that he was, but it’s erased now. Like, if there’s ever any montages of American television, we’re all gonna pretend he didn’t do these things. It’s hard to [enjoy his comedy now]. I gotta be honest with you, it’s hard to. I don’t know how to feel about all of it. It’s a really complicated thing.”

    Howard Stern cracks on Bill Cosby a lot, joking that it’s like a weekly weather report, finding out who has come forward with allegations against Cosby this week. And Louis CK talked about when he finally gave in and started to believe that Cosby was guilty.

    “For me, I think everybody had some point where they went, ‘Fuck, I can’t do this now.’ For me, I saw an interview with a woman who was a writer, she was a comedy writer, and I identify with that. She was a normal-looking, average-looking comedy writer who got caught up in this thing. I got her, because I’m like her. And also, I’ve been kind of a half-homely, normal guy amongst stars. That’s what being a comedy writer is. When I saw her story I was like, ‘Oh, fuck. He did all of it. Now I know he did all of it, because I believe her so much.’ And after that, yeah, it’s really hard to [listen to his stuff.]”

  • Howard Stern Talks With Louis CK About Getting Fired

    Howard Stern recently talked to Louis CK about an embarrassing incident in the comic’s career.

    As Howard Stern recalled, back in the earlier days of Louis CK’s career, he was called on to direct the now-cult classic film Pootie Tang. Chris Rock asked for him by name. But Howard Stern observed that Louis CK got canned from the movie partway through.

    Louis CK told Howard Stern that he was canned off the movie because he was difficult to work with.

    “I didn’t know what I was doing. And I just thought that anybody who told me not to do something was an asshole. Chris Rock was in his 30s. He had a lot of pressure on him for it to work. So when I became an asshole, it was hard for him. But we’re ok.”

    Howard Stern asked Louis CK if it is tougher to do movies than television because of the amount of investment risk that you are responsible for. Louis CK agreed, and explained:

    “A movie only gets one shot, and if it doesn’t hit, it’s just gone. With a TV show, every week you have a chance to get some momentum. And there’s a sort of feeling about the show, if there’s awards and stuff. But with movies, all that effort goes into this thing. People jump out of airplanes and all this stuff, and nobody went.”

    In fact, Louis CK told Howard Stern that the whole business can get downright depressing.

    “It’s pretty brutal, and people lose their jobs. On Pootie Tang, I was in a room with all these executives, and I watched guys get fired.”

    Fortunately, as Howard Stern observed, Louis CK makes more in a few nights of standup than he would ever make on a film. Louis CK expanded on that.

    “But the freedom of the fact that I don’t need it for an income, and the I make enough doing standup means it’s a benefit to me in making movies. I don’t have to take a shitty deal to make a movie.”

  • Zach Galifianakis, Louis CK Team Up For FX Comedy Series Pilot

    The FX network has officially announced the order of a new comedy series pilot. The upcoming series, which is currently in development, will star The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis.

    However, his contribution won’t just be in front of the camera. Galifianakis and Louis C.K. will serve as the show’s creators and co-writers. The two will also act as the show’s executive producers along with Dave Becky, Andrea Pett-Joseph and Marc Gurvitz.

    This particular pilot will be the first series production to be released under FX Production’s new merger with the Pig Newton production company, which is owned and operated by C.K.

    According to USA Today, FX inked the deal with C.K. back in September of 2013 to develop and produce new shows. The series is one of twelve FX Production comedy pilots currently being developed.

    The details of the upcoming, untitled show are still quite sparse. No further details have been released, and the plot of the show has not been revealed.

    Galifianakis is best known for his role as Alan Garner in the three installments of The Hangover film series. The 44-year-old actor also has a video series titled, Between Two Ferns. The series, which appears on the comical website Funny or Die, chronicles Galifianakis interviewing notable celebrities while literally sitting between two potted ferns. 

    The series has been lauded because of Galifianakis’ comedic, yet bizarre interview style. On Between Two Ferns, Galifianakis’ bizarre personality and straight-faced quips are what make the interviews so comical. His long list of interviewed celebrities is endless.

    Celebrities that have appeared on the show include Jimmy Kimmel,Michael Cera, Jon Hamm, Natalie Portman,Charlize Theron, Bradley Cooper, Carrot Top, Conan O’Brien and Andy Richter, Andy Dick, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Sean Penn, Bruce Willis, Tila Tequila, Jennifer Aniston, Will Ferrell, Samuel L Jackson with Tobey Maguire and Arcade Fire, and Justin Bieber.

    Other credits on Galifianakis’ filmography include HBO’s Bored to Death, Kroll Show and Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

    Image via Wikimedia Commons | Zach Galifianakis