If there’s a holy grail of awards opening monologues, it’s Judd Apatow’s at the DGA Awards.
In typical fashion, the filmmaker who is known for his killer Bill Cosby impersonation, took the mic for the fifth time to host the DGA Awards — with the opening monologue cut off to the press room. Don’t ask why that is in a post Trump era political environment.
Apatow won over the room with his jokes about how hasty the DGA came to an agreement with the AMPTP, M&As and how Byron Allen could be the ultimate buyer of all media companies, and SAG-AFTRA president as “the voice of reason” during the swamps of the strike.
“My agent said I should hold out for more money, but in the spirt of the DGA, I accepted their first offer!” ribbed the 40-Year Old Virgin director in reference to how fast...
In typical fashion, the filmmaker who is known for his killer Bill Cosby impersonation, took the mic for the fifth time to host the DGA Awards — with the opening monologue cut off to the press room. Don’t ask why that is in a post Trump era political environment.
Apatow won over the room with his jokes about how hasty the DGA came to an agreement with the AMPTP, M&As and how Byron Allen could be the ultimate buyer of all media companies, and SAG-AFTRA president as “the voice of reason” during the swamps of the strike.
“My agent said I should hold out for more money, but in the spirt of the DGA, I accepted their first offer!” ribbed the 40-Year Old Virgin director in reference to how fast...
- 2/11/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Natalie Sitek
- Deadline Film + TV
When Byron Allen was just 14, he started doing stand-up comedy. Four years later, in 1979, he became the youngest comedian to appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” It was a launching pad for an entertainment career that included a stint on “Real People,” a lead role in “Case Closed,” a TV movie he co-wrote and a syndicated late-night show bearing his name.
But all along, Allen had his eyes on a much bigger prize. “Growing up in Detroit, I was fascinated by Berry Gordy and Henry Ford,” says Allen. “I read about them and about John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. They were my heroes. I studied them and knew I wanted to build something big and iconic. That was always my desire.”
That something proved to be Allen Media Group, which encompasses Entertainment Studios (founded 30 years ago as Cf Entertainment) and its expanding portfolio — the company owns 10 cable networks,...
But all along, Allen had his eyes on a much bigger prize. “Growing up in Detroit, I was fascinated by Berry Gordy and Henry Ford,” says Allen. “I read about them and about John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. They were my heroes. I studied them and knew I wanted to build something big and iconic. That was always my desire.”
That something proved to be Allen Media Group, which encompasses Entertainment Studios (founded 30 years ago as Cf Entertainment) and its expanding portfolio — the company owns 10 cable networks,...
- 12/17/2023
- by Stuart Miller
- Variety Film + TV
Decades before leading his own multi-million media empire Entertainment Studios, Byron Allen was a teenage kid with a dream, standing in the parking lot of The Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd., watching his stand-up mentors go up on stage.
As Jim Carrey tweeted today, “If she loved you, you did well. If she didn’t, you did something else,” and Allen was one of the guys who did quite well by Shore. Not only was The Comedy Store the place where Jimmie Walker first recognized the young stand-up and enlisted him on his comedy writing team, but it’s also where Allen was first spotted by NBC talent scouts for his Tonight Show debut at 18 years-old and his long-running hosting stint alongside Fred Willard, Sarah Purcell, and Skip Stephenson on the network’s Emmy-winning reality comedy series Real People.
Allen met Comedy Store matriarch Mitzi Shore when he was 14 years old during the ’70s.
As Jim Carrey tweeted today, “If she loved you, you did well. If she didn’t, you did something else,” and Allen was one of the guys who did quite well by Shore. Not only was The Comedy Store the place where Jimmie Walker first recognized the young stand-up and enlisted him on his comedy writing team, but it’s also where Allen was first spotted by NBC talent scouts for his Tonight Show debut at 18 years-old and his long-running hosting stint alongside Fred Willard, Sarah Purcell, and Skip Stephenson on the network’s Emmy-winning reality comedy series Real People.
Allen met Comedy Store matriarch Mitzi Shore when he was 14 years old during the ’70s.
- 4/12/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Sunday Pm update: At a time when streaming is encroaching on certain cinema genres and sending them to mobile screens, Entertainment Studios is looking to keep moviegoing alive on the big screen.
This weekend the $4M TIFF acquisition that Entertainment Studios’ chief Byron Allen made for Scott Cooper’s western Hostiles paid off with a $10M-$11M wide opening, easily besting tracking’s low single-digit projections.
Even more impressive, Hostiles beat the weekend results of all the big studio Oscar-nominated titles, many of which also went wide, i.e. The Shape of Water and Phantom Thread.
“It’s nice when your competitors call you and say ‘Wow, we were wrong, you were right,'” beamed Allen who literally made his minimum guarantee on Hostiles back this weekend in its film rental.
“Although we are an independent, we are throwing punches like a major studio,” said Allen about his commitment to...
This weekend the $4M TIFF acquisition that Entertainment Studios’ chief Byron Allen made for Scott Cooper’s western Hostiles paid off with a $10M-$11M wide opening, easily besting tracking’s low single-digit projections.
Even more impressive, Hostiles beat the weekend results of all the big studio Oscar-nominated titles, many of which also went wide, i.e. The Shape of Water and Phantom Thread.
“It’s nice when your competitors call you and say ‘Wow, we were wrong, you were right,'” beamed Allen who literally made his minimum guarantee on Hostiles back this weekend in its film rental.
“Although we are an independent, we are throwing punches like a major studio,” said Allen about his commitment to...
- 1/29/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
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