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Nico Mastorakis has an uncanny ability of pulling ideas from various sources and running them through the Cuisinart of his peculiar sensibility, producing something altogether idiosyncratic. The six films assembled in Arrow Video’s new box set—one evocative religious allegory and five bawdy action comedies—testify to Mastorakis’s skills as a pop-cultural bricoleur. As a result, they serve as a series of variably amusing time capsules, deploying plenty of medium-specific references that might just delight viewers who came of age in the 1980s and early ’90s. Others will have to spend some time doing due diligence on Wikipedia.

The Time Traveler, from 1984, stars Keir Dullea as a man who fell to Earth, found naked along the Mykonos shore by expat American widow Andrea (Adrienne Barbeau). The new arrival soon names himself Glenn (as in astronaut John Glenn) and proceeds to learn the ways of the world. Unsurprisingly, a...

Executive producers Gina Prince-Bythewood, Reggie Rock Bythewood and co-showrunners Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon were at Deadline’s Contenders TV event Saturday to discuss the historical importance of showing Black stories onscreen in the latest season National Geographic’s anthology series Genius.

Season 4 focuses on Civil Rights icons Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre) from their formative years, molded by their fathers and racial injustices, to their legendary careers that changed the world.

Undoubtedly, there have been copious amounts of media and examinations on the lives of X and King, the two most pivotal figures in fighting against racial injustices and prejudice. However, Jackson and Macedon went undeterred in trying to find a new way to tell their story in Genius MLK/X.

“We gathered a multitude of historians and people who knew either Martin or Malcolm to give us the behind-the-scenes insight as...

The news cycle surrounding Woody Allen these days tends to go as follows: Reminder of previous allegations, followed by announcement of new film, followed by talent in new project being asked about allegations, followed by new film receiving either critical acclaim or relative indifference, followed by new reminder of previous allegations.

Right now, we’re in the “announcement of new film” phase, with Tuesday’s casting of Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, and Selena Gomez in Allen’s upcoming untitled feature film. But that same morning, Hulu premiered the most savage takedown yet of not just Woody Allen’s modern day work as an auteur, but the cult of personality around him.

“Difficult People” in general and creator Julie Klausner in particular have never been shy about poking fun at certain topics the rest of Hollywood might consider taboo. Just consider the metric ton of jokes about Kevin Spacey’s sexuality...

Normally a packed Italian restaurant and bar in the East Village of New York City, San Marzano has been transformed into Lola’s D’s Café (more on that name change in a bit), a less busy café run by Denise (Gabourey Sidibe) and Nate (Derrick Baskin), where Billy Epstein (Billy Eichner) works on Difficult People. During Et’s visit to the set of the Hulu comedy, which just so happens to be a day they’re filming scenes from the season three finale, things are noticeably different.

For one thing, there’s that name. Normally called D’s Café, the place has been taken over by Lola, an outspoken transgender waitress played by the bitingly funny Shakina Nayfack. “Lola saved us from Sephora,” Denise explains to the staff -- Billy, Lola, Denise, Nate and Matthew (Cole Escola), who has triumphantly returned from a Supermarket Sweep-turned-Scientology fiasco -- gathered around a table. But there’s...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– The Provincetown International Film Festival (Piff) has announced the latest slate of programming for its 19th edition, running June 14 – 18. The added programming includes an awards presentation for actress Aubrey Plaza, who will receive the festival’s inaugural Next Wave Award, which recognizes those who have exciting and distinctive voices, take artistic risks, and have a passionate commitment to independent film. Plaza, who stars in and produced the festival’s Closing Night Film, “Ingrid Goes West,” will receive the honor at a ceremony on Sunday, June 18 at Fishermen Hall in Provincetown.

Additionally, the festival announced a special presentation with Julie Klausner and Scott King, the creators of Hulu’s hit original series “Difficult People“ and a special screening of a new documentary from acclaimed filmmakers Sebastian Junger...

Hope you didn't watch Saturday Night Live while eating a pre-night snack... Octavia Spencer, who recently starred in the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures, made her hosting debut on the NBC show, first appearing in the cold open, a Forrest Gump parody in which she reprised her role as Minny Jackson from The Help, which had earned her an Oscar. The character is one of several who sits on a bench in Alabama and chats with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, played by SNL cast member Kate McKinnon.   She asks him if he is "the one Corette Scott King wrote that letter about," to which he replies, "Oh wow, well that was 40 years ago....

Elizabeth Warren called into MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” Tuesday after being reprimanded by the Senate for her speech against Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked a rarely used rule to silence Warren for reading an old letter from Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor, criticizing Sessions, that was already in the Congressional record. “I was speaking about Jeff Sessions and, what I believe to be, his complete lack of qualification to be Attorney General of the United States,” Warren told Maddow. Also Read: 7 Reasons Why Jeff Sessions as Donald Trump Ag Is Freaking People Out Scott King.

Coretta Scott King has long been known as the powerful force behind one of the nation’s greatest civil rights icons, her husband Martin Luther King Jr. But she has also cemented herself as a legendary activist in her own right.

“What we know of my father really came from her resilience, her determination, her faith, her courage,” Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Martin and Coretta, told ABC News‘ Robin Roberts in an interview that aired Monday on Good Morning America.

“She used to say that this family is called. We grew up hearing that a lot,” she added,...

Selma and A United Kingdom star calls for greater diversity among industry decision-makers and within film companies.

British actor David Oyelowo has slammed the lack of diversity among key decision-makers in the UK film industry, a trend which he says motivated his move to the Us.

“I felt I had to leave,” said the Selma star during an impassioned keynote speech at the BFI London Film Festival’s (Oct 5-16) Black Star Symposium.

“If I had seen A United Kingdom when I came out of drama school, I don’t think I would be living in America now.”

The Bafta-nominated actor noted that fundamental change would only come when key executives, companies and organisations are noticeably more diverse.

“You have to change the people who are making decisions,” he declared.

“Only when 50 percent of the people working in film companies are women and when a significant number come from minorities will we have diversity.”

Oyelowo stated...

Think back to some of the best nicknames that your friends, family or significant other has given you. Those names usually stick around for a couple of years, if not forever, right? Well in the Hulu comedy “Difficult People,” Julie’s (Julie Klausner) boyfriend, Arthur (James Urbaniak), has a slew of creative pet names that he gives her throughout the first two seasons.

The randomness of the nicknames are just too fun not to mention, and that’s why the folks at Hulu created a fun compilation video of a handful of silly things Arthur has called Julie in the past episodes. Included in the batch are names like “whiffle bat,” “water bug,” “mouse pad,” “thin mint” and the most-used “noodles.” It doesn’t stop there, there’s also “spinach,” “spray cheese” and my favorite, “lava lamp.” Check them all out in the hilarious clip below.

Read More: Julie Klausner...

Because "our lives are garbage and it's the world's fault," watch the official trailer for the second season of the Difficult People TV show. Season two premieres on Hulu, Tuesday, July 12, 2016. The trailer includes a quick cameo by Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as scenes with Nathan Lane and Fred Armisen.

Creator Julia Klausner stars with Billy on the Street host Billy Eichner. The Venture Bros' James Urbaniak recurs, as do Gabourey Sidibe, Cole Escola, and Derrick Baskin. The Difficult People TV series is executive produced by Klausner, Tony Hernandez, Amy Poehler, Scott King, and Dave Becky. Read More…...

With only two weeks away from the Season 2 premiere of “Difficult People,” Hulu released a brand new trailer filled with even more crazy wackiness from best friend duo, Julie and Billy.

The latest clip features all kinds of wild scenes including the besties yelling at their new intern, forcing Nathan Lane to put his hand down the toilet, Fred Armisen doing the nay nay and a Lin-Manuel Miranda cameo.

Read More: Binge or Bust? Why Streaming Networks Release Shows Like ‘Difficult People’ and ‘Community’ Weekly

Hailing from Julie Klausner, who stars alongside Billy Eichner, the second season will see best friends Julie and Billy continue to search for fame, to diminishing returns. Billy will seek a boyfriend, while Julie tries her best to avoid a deeper commitment to Arthur and not become her mother.

The comedy is executive produced by Amy Poehler, Dave Becky, Tony Hernandez of Jax Media and showrunner Scott King.

Twista entered a not guilty plea in his marijuana possession case, and his legal team is looking into the possibility the rapper was profiled the night he got busted. Twista was in the Porter County courthouse on Monday to face the misdemeanor charge. As we reported ... he and 3 other members of his crew got busted last month when cops pulled him over before his Valparaiso concert ... and found half an ounce of weed. But Twista's attorney,...

This just in: The 2016 Emmy Awards might just include some mean tweets.

Jimmy Kimmel is in talks to emcee this year’s ceremony, which will air on ABC in September, our sister site Variety reports.

VideosGeorge Clooney, Hugh Laurie Unite for ER ‘Reunion’ Sketch on Jimmy Kimmel

Though nothing is set in stone yet, Kimmel’s got some Emmy experience under his belt: He hosted the 2012 broadcast and has presented at the primetime ceremony multiple times.

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* After getting pulled from both Netflix and Hulu, Seasons 1 through 8 of Doctor Who will...

As part of its festival’s first ever “Hulu Original Series” event, the Paley Center today announced that Difficult People has been added to the lineup of PaleyFest La 2016. Creator and star Julie Klausner is set to appear along with co-stars Billy Eichner, Andrea Martin, James Urbaniak, Cole Escola and Executive Producer/Showrunner Scott King during the panel discussion scheduled Friday, March 18 at 7:30 P.M. Pt at the Dolby Theatre. "Being included in this year's…...

In its first development season, Alcide Bava Prods., the Warner Bros. TV-based company of The Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki, has sold its first project — a multi-camera comedy from writer Scott King, showrunner of the Hulu series Difficult People, which has been set up at CBS. Additionally Alcide Bava is developing a half-hour comedy series based on the A.J. Jacobs’ bestselling book The Year of Living Biblically. The untitled Scott King project, which has received…...

Hulu has renewed another one of its original series. The streaming video platform has already ordered the second season of Difficult People from executive producer Amy Poehler.

With the first season arriving on Hulu on August 7, 2015, Difficult People stars show creator and executive producer Julie Klausner as a fictional version of herself living in New York City. Klausner and her best friend Billy (played by Billy Eichner from Billy on the Street) always seem to let their irreverent, self-involved attitudes jeopardize their chances of success in the entertainment industry.

“We have been big fans of Difficult People from day one and are so happy to have Julie and Billy be part of the Hulu family,” said Hulu’s Svp and Head of Content Craig Erwich in a release. “I cannot wait to see what a whole new season will bring and am pleased to bring more of their hilarious brand of comedy to fans.

Hulu’s original series Difficult People starring Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner has been picked up for a second season, the streaming service said this morning. The Season 2 order is for 10 episodes. Its a high-profile title for Hulu, with the comedy coming from executive producers Amy Poehler, Dave Becky (Louie), Tony Hernandez of Jax Media and showrunner Scott King. Klausner — creator, star and executive producer — and Eichner both are returning to the Universal Cable…...

Carmen Ejogo's life has changed quite a bit since she last played Coretta Scott King, the wife of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. She played the role in the 2001 HBO telefilm "Boycott," about the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, and again this year in "Selma," about the 1965 voting rights marches in the titular Alabama city. Ejogo became a mother in the intervening years, which helped her relate to Scott King, whose own life changed dramatically in-between the events of the two films. -Break- Common ('Selma') on the 'Glory' of Martin Luther King & fight for civil rights [Video] "I think the Coretta I got to play in 'Selma' is a much wearier, burdened personality," says Ejogo (watch our interview below). "She was an intellect, an academic, she was a singer, she was a progressive, a feminist, and in some ways by 1965 she had really kind of been...

Exclusive: In the company’s first two official sales this development season, Mark Gordon‘s Mark Gordon Co. has set up two comedy projects from writer Scott King (The Neighbors) — one at ABC and one at Fox. Both are produced by ABC Studios where the Mark Gordon Co. is based. The ABC project, The After Party, is an adult ensemble comedy about three recently single siblings who have two things in common: 1) insanely happily married parents and 2) failed marriages. The Fox project, Clothing Optional, is about a family who own and operate a wholesome all-inclusive resort but suddenly must put their morality and better judgment on hold when a scandal rocks their hotel and they decide to just go with it and turn the place into a Clothing Optional resort to keep the business afloat. Comedy has been a priority for the Mark Gordon Co., which has built its TV...

The man who claims he invented Tommy Lee's awesome roller coaster drum solo thing has kept his word -- officially following through on a promise to Sue the drummer ... for allegedly jacking his design.L.A. based engineer Scott King filed the lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming he approached Lee back in 1991 with an initial design for a drum-roller coaster for his concerts ... and Lee jacked it for Motley Crue's 2011 tour.

It seems like the Lifetime movie network is producing more original black movies (or movies with black people in starring roles) than any other TV (broadcast or cable) network right now; there's the all-black cast remake of Steel Magnolias; the recent acquisition of Terry McMillan’s A Day Late And A Dollar Short which the network plans to adapt; the Mary J. Blige/Angela Bassett project which centers on the relationship between Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King called Parallel Lives; there's Abducted: The Carlina White Story, which stars Aunjanue Ellis, Keke Palmer, and Sherri Shepherd; and also...

Michael Vartan will stop by "Go On" this season.

According to TVLine, the "Alias" veteran will play hockey with Matthew Perry's character and real-life hockey pro Jeremy Roenick. E! Online was the first to report Vartan's casting.

On "Go On," Perry plays Ryan King, a sportscaster who joins a support group in an effort to come to terms with his wife's death. The series previewed during the Olympics, but officially debuts on Tues., Sept. 11 at 9 p.m. Et.

In other casting news ...

Angela Bassett will play Correta Scott King. In the Lifetime movie "Betty and Coretta," Bassett will co-star opposite Mary J. Blige. The movie follows King and Dr. Betty Shabazz as they carry on after the assassinations of their husbands. [THR]

Tessa Ferrer is one of the new faces on "Grey's Anatomy." Ferrer will play a recurring role, but no specific details have been releeased. [TVLine]

Lori Petty will guest star on "Shameless.

Tommy Lee Stole the idea behind his awesome upside-down rollercoaster drum solo thing -- so says an engineer from L.A., who claims he pitched the idea for the concert stunt back in 1991 ... and Lee ripped him off.The engineer -- a guy named Scott King -- fired off a legal letter to Motley Crue's lawyers recently, claiming Lee turned down his pitch 20 years ago ... then jacked the drum-coaster idea for Motley Crue's 2011 tour.