Amy Sedaris

I can't quite explain it, but there's something just completely adorable to me about imagining Kyra Sedgwick and Amy Sedaris in a room together. I think the two would have hilarious conversations. And tonight, we get to find out what it's like when they're acting side-by-side, as Sedaris shows up on the first of two episodes of The Closer.

Just from these brief video clips, it looks like she's perfectly suited to the role: Sedaris plays Fritz's sister, Claire, who shows up to help Brenda prepare for her wedding. And to say she's quirky is a bit of an understatement: She's a vegan home cook (it's hard to watch Sedaris present trays of carrot casserole and not think about her cheeseballs!) who also fancies herself a psychic — er, rather, an intuitionist. She ends up tagging along for one of Brenda's investigations, which should be a sight to behold.

Want to get an early look at Sedaris on the show? Just read more

Tonight PBS will begin airing the first episode of a six-part documentary called Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, which explores all things comedic in America. The show features Amy Sedaris as narrator, and is hosted by comedy veteran Billy Crystal.

Comedian interviews to look out for in the series include Judd Apatow, Roseanne Barr, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, George Carlin, Larry David, Will Ferrell, Steve Martin, and Chris Rock. Pretty awesome lineup, right?

Tonight's episode is titled "Would Ya Hit a Guy with Glasses?: Nerds, Jerks, & Oddballs" and takes a look at how American outsiders have spun their exclusion from mainstream society into comedic gold. So, it's the Judd Apatow episode. You can check out the entire schedule here.

PBS also created an entire episode about humor on the World Wide Web titled, "Teh Internets" (yes, "Teh") that includes hilarious little sketches from Amy Sedaris. You can watch it right now (though it is long) if you read more

It's that time again! The twice-yearly Television Critics Association press tour kicked off in Los Angeles this week, which means the TV news is going to flow fast and furious for the next week or so. PBS and cable take the stage this week, and then the network portion kicks in early next week, when Molly and I will be flying down to LA to blog and Twitter this tour ourselves!

Until then, I'm keeping an eye on some of the TV news coming out, both from the networks that are presenting and the others that are just making announcements. Some of the highlights so far:

• TNT has picked up two new drama series, including Jada Pinkett Smith's project, Time Heals. The other series is The Line, a cop drama starring Dylan McDermott.
• Unsurprisingly, Amy Sedaris had the crowd in stitches at the PBS panel yesterday. She's narrating a new PBS miniseries called Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, which airs starting Jan. 14. Oh, and apparently Amy does not like the internet very much, but the internet still loves her.
• If you like Discovery Channel shows, then get a load of this: The network has at least seven new shows coming soon, including Out of the Wild, in which suburbanites are dropped into the Alaskan wilderness and have to find their way back to civilization. (I'm not kidding — I'd totally watch that.)
• Ian McKellen will not be nude for the PBS version of King Lear. So uh, you can cross that off your calendar, I guess.

Source

• Don Cheadle is replacing Terrence Howard in the role of Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes for Iron Man 2. — ComingSoon
• The sequel to Wall Street is actually happening and will "center on Gordon Gekko, who has recently been sprung from prison and re-emerges into a much more tumultuous financial world than the one he once lorded over." — Variety
• Amy Sedaris has signed a deal to create, write, and star in a new comedy series. — Hollywood Reporter
• Amy Adams is in negotiations to star in the comedy Leap Year, the story of a woman who travels to Dublin to propose to her boyfriend on Feb. 29, a day when he has to say yes, according to tradition. — ComingSoon
• Comedian D.L. Hughley is getting his own comedy/news show on CNN. — Broadcasting and Cable
• Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, and Malin Akerman are joining the cast of Jon Favreau's comedy Couples Retreat. — Hollywood Reporter
• Best Week Ever is changing its format, with just one host: Paul F. Tompkins. — New York Times
• Marilynne Robinson and Aleksandar Hemon are among the finalists for the National Book Award. — AP
• Starz has picked up a series called Party Down co-created by Rob Thomas and Paul Rudd. — Hollywood Reporter

Source

I wouldn't exactly name Strangers with Candy, the 1999 Comedy Central series, as an example of child-friendly fare. And if I were looking to make an actual after-school special — not a Strangers-style spoof — I don't think creator Paul Dinello and star Amy Sedaris would be the first people I'd call.

But Nickelodeon is apparently way, way cooler than I am: The network has hired Dinello to direct Gym Teacher: The Movie, which will air on Nick in September. The movie stars Christopher Meloni as an ex-gymnast who's up for a PE Teacher of the Year award. According to Entertainment Weekly, Dinello personally ordered Sedaris to "pack up her wig" and join him on set; she'll play the principal.

And this won't be the only time they collaborate with the kids' network: EW reports that Nickelodeon also has its eye on Tanner Hall, the Dinello-written, Sedaris-starring movie that got its start as a failed UPN pilot back in the day and features Sedaris and Chris Kattan as dysfunctional parents. Hmm . . . could the awesome Nickelodeon of my childhood be making a comeback?

Source

According to Big Time, funny woman Amy Sedaris has forked over $1.3 million for a 900-square-foot, 1-bedroom, 1-bath condo in Manhattan's West Village. She must have been charmed by the property, as she paid $50k over the asking price. The listing for the property reads:

Fabulous one-of-a-kind apartment full of original detail and prewar charm. Dramatic entry hall leads to rooms with arched doorways, over-sized windows and large proportions. Wood-burning fireplaces and double exposures grace both the bedroom and huge living room. Original beamed ceilings, floors, doors and hardware are all in mint condition. There are lots of nooks and crannies for special furniture and artwork. Located off Fifth Avenue in a prewar brownstone with both doorman and elevator.

I wonder if Sedaris will be making a decoupaged accent table for her new digs, or hanging portraits of herself by celebrity interior designers. The prewar apartment seems to have great bones, but I'm eager to see how she'll infuse it with her wacky personality.

Source