Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the LA Film Festival, announced that Nick Kroll (Loving, Sing, The League, Kroll Show) and John Mulaney ("Oh, Hello On Broadway," Documentary Now!, Saturday Night Live) will co-host the 2017 show on Saturday, February 25. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 2 pm PT/ 5 pm ET. The Awards are the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote diversity in the industry. Past Spirit Awards hosts have included Kate McKinnon and Kumail Nanjiani, Fred Armisen and Kristen Bell, Patton Oswalt, Andy Samberg, Joel McHale, Sarah Silverman, Samuel L. Jackson, Eddie Izzard, Queen Latifah and John Waters to name a few.
Kroll is an actor, writer, producer and stand-up comedian. He is the creator and star of the critically acclaimed series, Kroll Show, which aired for three seasons on Comedy Central. Kroll co-starred as ‘Ruxin’ in the hit FXX series, The League. He has guest starred on shows including New Girl, Parks and Recreation, Community and Children’s Hospital. Some of his film credits include Seth Rogen’s Sausage Party, My Blind Brother, Joshy, Vacation, Date Night, Get Him to the Greek and A Good Old Fashioned Orgy. He is currently staring in Loving and in the rave-reviewed Broadway production of "Oh, Hello on Broadway," which he created and wrote alongside John Mulaney. He will next be seen in Illumination’s Sing and New Line’s The House.
Mulaney is an Emmy® Award winning writer and comedian. He currently stars in the hit Broadway show, "Oh, Hello on Broadway" which he wrote and produces with co-star Kroll. He most recently released The Comeback Kid, a Netflix Original and his 3rd one-hour stand up special, which received an Emmy® nomination (Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special). In 2008 he began working at Saturday Night Live where he appeared as a “Weekend Update” correspondent and co-created characters such as “Stefon” with Bill Hader. He currently writes for IFC’s Documentary Now and for Netflix’s Big Mouth, on which he voices the character of Andrew.
This year marks the 32nd edition of the awards show that celebrates the best of independent film. Joel Gallen of Tenth Planet Productions returns for his third year as executive producer, producer Shawn Davis returns for his 15th show. Danielle Federico and Andrew Schaff will be co-producing the awards.
Sean “Diddy” Combs seeks bail, citing changed circumstances and new evidence
Sean "Diddy" Combs filed a new request for bail on Friday, saying changed circumstances, along with new evidence, mean the hip-hop mogul should be allowed to prepare for a May trial from outside jail.
Lawyers for Combs filed the request in Manhattan federal court, where his previous requests for bail have been rejected by two judges since his September arrest on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
He has been awaiting a May 5 trial at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn.
In their new court filing, lawyers for Combs say they are proposing a "far more robust" bail package that would subject the entertainer to strict around-the-clock security monitoring and near-total restrictions on his ability to contact anyone but his lawyers. But the amount of money they attach to the package remains $50 million, as they proposed before.
They also cite new evidence that they say "makes clear that the government's case is thin." That evidence, the lawyers said, refutes the government's claim that a March 2016 video showing Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend occurred during a coerced "freak off," a sexually driven event described in the indictment against Combs.
They wrote that the encounter was instead "a minutes-long glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship" between Combs and his then-girlfriend.
The lawyers argued that the jail conditions Combs is experiencing at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn violate his constitutional... Read More