All posts tagged as: larry david
Larry David before Seinfeld
Larry David is best known for his work as writer/creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, but very few people know what Larry was doing before his success with these shows. After a little Wikipedia and youtube sleuth work I stumbled on David’s early work as writer and cast member of the show Fridays.
Fridays was a late-night live comedy show, which aired on Friday nights from April 11, 1980 to April 23, 1982 with repeats airing until October 22, 1982. The program was ABC’s attempt to duplicate the success of Saturday Night Live. Like SNL, each week Fridays featured music acts and, in the second season, celebrity guest hosts, as well as fake newscasts and spoofs of television shows and commercials.
Woody Win's Dov's Money!!
Neurotic and brilliant filmmaker Woody Allen settled out of court yesterday and secured $5 million from the uber hipster/sleezy clothing giant, American Apparel, specifically founder Dov Charney A Pocket Full of Rye hd . Allen sued the clothing company for $10 million last year after they ran ads of him in black Hasidic garb in a scene from his film “Annie Hall” without permission.
The deal was reached moments before jury selection was set to start in Manhattan Federal Court, and before Charney’s lawyers could follow through on plans to air Allen’s dirty laundry. The company’s lawyers had made noise about calling Mia Farrow- Allen’s ex and the adoptive mother of his wife, Soon-Yi Previn- as a witness. Still, Charney insisted the dispute was not personal.
Charney had this to say, “Naturally there is some relief of not having to go through a trial but I also harbor a sense of remorse and sadness for not arguing an important issue regarding the First Amendment, particularly the ability of an individual or corporation to invoke the likeness of a public figure in a satiric and social statement.”
and Allen this, “Threats and press leaks by American Apparel designed to smear me did not work, and a scheme to call a long list of witnesses who had absolutely nothing to do with the case was also disallowed by the court.”
Allen’s latest effort, Whatever Works features Larry David and hits theaters June 19th.
Watch the trailer HERE
Seinfeld's heritage…a story about something!!
Comedian, actor & funny man Jerry Seinfeld is getting some shine in the coming months and it’s not for his writing and voice skills in Bee Movie or some sort of a Seinfeld movie (holler at me LD). On May 19th, The Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation will bestow one of its “Family Heritage” awards on Mr. Seinfeld.
“Century-old passenger manifests, newly public census records and naturalization papers, stitched together by the foundation and The New York Times, document the family’s hardscrabble journey, first to Brooklyn, then to the Bronx and ultimately, to Manhattan. Collectively, they trace just how far the comedian’s family has come since the days when his paternal grandfather, a 15-year-old tailor from Stanislau, then part of Austria, arrived by himself, penniless, at Ellis Island.”
The dig has turned up some amazing things, starting in 1903 when Jerry’s grandfather Simon Seinfeld aka Seinfeld Schmischer aka Semfeld Schimscher set sail for NYC from Le Havre aboard La Bretagne and continues with Seinfeld’s first dwelling in Borough Park and an uncle Jake, of Orchard Street. Fascinating story and more details from the New York Times.
Whatever Works!
It’s just been announced that Woody Allen’s new film, Whatever Works will be opening the Tribea Film Festival on April 22nd. Whatever Works is Allen’s first film shot in his hometown of New York since 2004. His last few films have been shot overseas, showing his obsession with Europe especially France & Spain.
“Whatever Works” is a romantic comedy starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Begley Jr. and Patricia Clarkson.
In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Allen stated that “the film will be a comedy, but, “a slightly different one for me. It’s a blackish comedy.” Allen also had this to say about his choice of Larry David as the leading role, ”He’s got a great thing of his own. He’s got a great, what would you call it, sarcastic, sour or vitriolic, wonderful, wonderful, no nonsense sense of humor.”
Clip of Woody doing stand-up circa 1965 after the jump