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.
Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned actor Jussie Smollett's conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in downtown Chicago in 2019 and lied to police.
The state's highest court ruled that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after the Cook County state's attorney initially dropped charges against Smollett in exchange for forfeiting his $10,000 bond and conducting community service. The ruling and the appeal did not address Smollett's continued claim of innocence.
Smollett, who is Black and gay, claimed two men assaulted him, spouted racial and homophobic slurs and tossed a noose around his neck, leading to a massive search for suspects by Chicago police detectives and kicking up an international uproar. Smollett was on the television drama "Empire," which filmed in Chicago, and prosecutors alleged he staged the attack because he was unhappy with the studio's response to hate mail he received.
"We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust," Justice Elizabeth Rochford wrote in the court's 5-0 decision. "Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the state was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied."
Smollett's attorneys have argued that the case was over when Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office dropped an initial 16 counts of disorderly conduct. The deal prompted immediate backlash, with then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel calling it "a whitewash of justice." A special prosecutor was appointed, and a grand jury... Read More