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.
AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech
The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists.
The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case refusing to change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.
"The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government," the AP said in its lawsuit, which names White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
"This targeted attack on the AP's editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment," the news agency said. "This court should remedy it immediately."
In stopping the AP from attending press events at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, or flying on Air Force One in the agency's customary spot, the Trump team directly cited the AP's decision not to fully follow the president's renaming.
"We're going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America," Trump said Tuesday.
This week, about 40 news organizations signed onto a letter organized by the White House Correspondents Association, urging the White House to reverse its policy against the AP.
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