Marc Maron on ruining your life then making TV show out of it

Garage podcaster Marc Maron's TV show Maron starts in the UK tonight, we caught him with him to find out how it came about.

Was Maron an idea you had kicking around for a while or did a particular show or film get you fired up to make your own series?
I think it came about because the podcast was proving popular and my life is what it is, and I had a meeting with Jim Serpico [producer] and he loved the podcast and was like 'well is there anything we can do with this?' I said 'Yeah we could do a show about a guy who's ruined his life and is trying to keep it together and runs a podcast out of a garage', and he said that sounds like a great idea, which was good. because I'm living it.

Twisted: ABC Family Series Cancelled; No Season Two

Today brought good news for Switched at Birth fans as the series was renewed for a fourth season. Unfortunately, the news wasn’t good for fans of the Twisted TV show. It’s been cancelled and won’t be back for a second season.

New fall TV series mine familiar territory

Even before the new fall series lineup is announced, one thing is known: to expect the expected.

TV productions are expensive, so the safest investments are usually the ones that have proven themselves in the past. As "Seinfeld" gave way to "Friends" and countless other sitcoms based around a group of singles, the tried-and-true of more recent programming returns, dressed slightly differently but ready for ratings success.

Inside billion-dollar, super-censored inflight movie industry

Robin Williams possessed the swiftest of wits, the gift of voracious speech, and an endless Rolodex of characters to summon. In every medium he worked, the late entertainer’s mastery of improvisation knew no equal.

For movie actors, going off script is generally a fireable offense. Williams, however, got a rare pass from Hollywood and encouragement to test his own material. Some of Williams’s most famous characters — including the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin — developed as products of his impromptu experiments.

Power: Has Season Two Been Cancelled by Starz?

The first season of Power recently finished airing on Starz, leaving fans of the TV show ready for a second season. The series was already renewed for season two which will start airing in 2015. But now, there are rumors that those plans have been cancelled. What’s going on?

Created by Courtney Kemp Agboh and produced by rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Power revolves around James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) — the owner of Truth, a popular New York nightclub.

Simon Cowell is producing Betty Boop's feature-length film

Right about now, Betty Boop is probably reapplying her lipstick to prepare for her big-screen debut.

Last seen in a cameo during 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Boop is about to get her first feature-
length film, and Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment is part of the production team behind it. Teaming with Animal Logic Entertainment and Fleischer Studios, Syco Entertainment is finally giving the 1930’s cartoon flapper the movie she deserves. A press release describes the film as “a music-driven hybrid animated comedy.”

Watch Robin Williams's Best Ad-Libbed Movie Moments

Robin Williams possessed the swiftest of wits, the gift of voracious speech, and an endless Rolodex of characters to summon. In every medium he worked, the late entertainer’s mastery of improvisation knew no equal.

For movie actors, going off script is generally a fireable offense. Williams, however, got a rare pass from Hollywood and encouragement to test his own material. Some of Williams’s most famous characters — including the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin — developed as products of his impromptu experiments.

Why We Still Pay To See 'Bad' Movies

Predictably, the Michael Bay-produced new adaptation of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" ruled the box office this weekend and has already been given the greenlight for a sequel set to be released in summer 2016 despite being panned by critics.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is the epitome of a summer blockbuster with its huge budget, gratuitous special effects, and plot that doesn’t ask for much in terms of brain power from its audience.

Ben Affleck says tabloid scrutiny helped Gone Girl performance

Ben Affleck looks distinctly ill at ease.

Portraying Nick Dunne—a man attempting to put out the dragnet for his missing-and-presumed dead wife Amy (played by British actress Rosamund Pike)—during a key scene in the adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s bestselling crime thriller Gone Girl, Affleck has swapped his usual movie star luster for, well, flop sweat.

Inside billion-dollar, super-censored inflight movie industry

(CNN) -- In a small, darkened editing suite with no windows, a man peers into his monitor at the Will Ferrell movie "Bewitched."

He's scanning for the scene with the sausages, so he can edit it out.

He'll censor any dialogue that mentions sausages and edit the subtitles too.

He works for a company that sells movies to airlines, and this particular customer comes from the Middle East, where pork and its derivatives are taboo.

Chart: Robin Williams' Most Successful Movies

The audience loved Robin Williams for the sheer variety of energetic characters he brought to the big screen. From Sean, the tough and wounded psychiatrist in Good Will Hunting to a more light hearted Peter Pan in Steven Spielberg’s  Hook, his 47 films grossed over $5 billion.

Even though recent movies such as Night at the Museum turned into box office hits, his earlier work still remains the most successful when inflation is taken into account. Out of all of his films, his greatest hit remains 1993′s Mrs. Doubtfire which grossed over $441 million during its theatrical run, equating to almost $730 million in 2014 dollars.

Old Hollywood landmark Villa Carlotta apartments sold

The Villa Carlotta, a landmark luxury Hollywood apartment house built in the early days of the motion picture industry, has sold for $12.25 million to a Los Angeles investment firm that intends to improve it.

The classic Spanish Colonial-style building in the Franklin Village neighborhood was built in 1926 for the widow of silent film pioneer Thomas Ince as a residence for Hollywood notables.

Confessions of a Hollywood 'poker princess'

•     Molly Bloom, 36, made up to $4million a year hosting poker games

•     Clients included Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire

•     Maguire was at first friendly but soon became rude and aggressive

•     Left and began running poker games for bankers in New York

•     Was charged with profiting from illegal poker games in 2013

•     Has written a memoir called Molly's Game about her experiences

She was the Hollywood poker princess who hobnobbed with celebrities and raked in up to $4million a year before an encounter with the Mafia and an FBI sting brought her world crashing down.

But despite her losses, Molly Bloom, now 36, says wants to move on from the experience and hopes to one day mentor up-and-coming female entrepreneurs.

Genesis Rocking Full Time in Charming Hollywood Attic

Here's the fantastical interior of Genesis, the pop-up nightclub that will become a permament fixture to the Hollywood nightlife scene come August 14. Founded by Jeremy Fall with a series of temporary evenings in an old attic, it's a refreshing change of pace from the over-sized, sceney clubs lining Hollywood Blvd these days. 

END OF AN ERA:All 16 Hollywood icons named in Madonna’s Vogue

(CNN) — The death of famed actress Lauren Bacall, the husky-voiced starlet known for her sultry sensuality, not only meant the loss of a true Hollywood legend, but also the end of a golden era of icons.

As first reported by Slate, all of the 16 Hollywood icons named in singer Madonna’s pop song, “Vogue,” have now died after the passing of Bacall on Tuesday.

The song, released in March 1990, was inspired by the New York City dance community. Voguing is a stylized dance that evolved from the Harlem ballroom scene in the 1980s.

Censorship in Hollywood: Celebs Blacklisted Pro-Israeli Media?

Spain’s most notable actors, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz may be soon unemployed, well at least in Hollywood. The Guardian reported that the “The couple were among 100 film professionals to sign the open Spanish letter calling on the European Union to end Israel’s military operation in Gaza, along with director Pedro Almodovar in July.”

Why Hollywood Isn't Funny Anymore - but TV Is

It's not only the tragic passing of Robin Williams that has leached the humor out of Hollywood recently. Like many of the celebrated actor's late-career moves, the big-time film industry has been stepping away from comedy.

It wasn't so long ago that comedies were an important staple of any major studio's release diet. No more. These days, moviegoers would be hard-pressed to find one at their local multiplex.

Lauren Bacall Dies at 89; in a Bygone Hollywood, She Purred Every Word

Lauren Bacall, the actress whose provocative glamour elevated her to stardom in Hollywood’s golden age and whose lasting mystique put her on a plateau in American culture that few stars reach, died on Tuesday in New York. She was 89.

Her death was confirmed by her son Stephen Bogart. “Her life speaks for itself,” Mr. Bogart said. “She lived a wonderful life, a magical life.”

With an insinuating pose and a seductive, throaty voice — her simplest remark sounded like a jungle mating call, one critic said — Ms. Bacall shot to fame in 1944 with her first movie, Howard Hawks’s adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel “To Have and Have Not,” playing opposite Humphrey Bogart, who became her lover on the set and later her husband.

Family entertainment: On the calendar

HEAD OUT

National Geographic Explorer Dr. Kenny Broad recently shared his knowledge with participants in the Punta Mita Beach Festival, an annual event held at the St. Regis resort in Punta Mita, Mexico. Broad, an environmental anthropologist and the father of two sons, suggests these five destinations for families interested in exploring the natural world.

1. Yucatan Peninsula. Head to this region of southeastern Mexico, flanked by the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, for a sampling of jungle, Mayan ruins, sinkholes and beautiful beaches, Broad advises. “Families will learn about the thousands of sinkholes, or cenotes, that provide fresh water.” Some are accessible for swimming, snorkeling and diving. The cenotes, considered gateways to the underworld, play an important role in the ancient and contemporary Mayan culture. Lodging options range from luxury hotels to cottages on the beach. Contact: mundomaya.travel/yucatan; travelyucatan.com

Entertainment Calendar

CONCERTS

‘Blues and BBQ’: Blues both outside and inside of the Columbia Theatre, including Dave “Buttermilk” Whittaker, Robbie Laws, Karen Lovely, Dover Weinberg, Willis Moss, Pete Moss and Dave Miller. 5 p.m. Sept. 20. $45 with BBQ in advance, $35 without BBQ. A fundraiser for the theater. 575-8499, www.columbiatheatre.com.

PLAYS
‘The Ministry of Fairy Tale Justice’: Play by local writers Cody Swires and Seth Burns about a duo’s quest to stop an evil sorceress despite trolls, dragons and even koala bears. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15 and 16 and 2 p.m. Aug. 17, Stageworks Northwest theater, 1433 Commerce Ave.

North shore 'best bets' for family entertainment

Since school has just started in St. Tammany Parish, it's another slow weekend with few choices in organized family entertainment. That's okay; it allows everyone to settle in to new schedules and gear up for the coming of fall, when the north shore will soon be awash in events and activities for all ages. Here are a few relaxing, gentle suggestions for family fun for the weekend of Aug. 15-17:

The Abita River Amphitheater Concert and Movie Series will present a free outdoor screening of the cult classic family favorite, "The Princess Bride," on Saturday (Aug. 16) starting at approximately 8 p.m., after a musical performance by Manual's Hot Tamales from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets so the kids can sprawl out and enjoy the show! It happens at the new amphitheater in the trailhead park, 22049 Main St., Abita Springs.

Restaurant owners oppose new license for entertainment

As city of Frederick officials consider new rules for restaurants with entertainment, business owners are asking them what problem they are trying to solve.

Business owners made clear to Mayor Randy McClement and the Board of Aldermen at their workshop Wednesday that requiring restaurants to get a new license to have entertainment would not solve the city’s problems of late-night rowdiness downtown.
Former Mayor Jennifer Dougherty, owner of Magoo’s on West Second Street, asked the officials to go out downtown on a weekend night before making such broad changes.

Xenia may land family entertainment center

An Indianapolis company is eyeing Xenia for a family entertainment center.

Creative Entertainment Concepts Inc. out of Indianapolis is looking at space in the former Xenia Towne Square Shopping Center to support a family entertainment center. The facility, owned by R&B Investments, has a 30,000-square foot retail space formerly housing Fulmers grocery store, which has been vacant since mid-2010.

Celine Dion postpones Las Vegas residency care ailing husband

Céline Dion has postponed her Las Vegas residency dates and canceled a planned tour of Asia in order to assist her ailing husband, she announced Wednesday in a statement on her website and on Twitter.

The statement said that the postponement would allow the 46-year-old singer "to focus 100% of her attention on her husband René (Angélil), their family and associated health issues. Since Rene's surgery last December to remove a cancerous tumor, it's been a very difficult and stressful time for the couple as they deal with the day-to-day challenges of fighting this disease while trying to juggle a very active show business schedule, and raise their three young children."

Entertainment company slaps Nicki Minaj with $50K suit

An entertainment company is suing rapper Nicki Minaj for $50,000, saying she acted like a diva, showing up late for an event and leaving early.

IMP Entertainment gave 50-grand to Minaj to host an NBA All-Star weekend event in Hollywood on Feb. 19, 2011.

Williams was depressed and broke

Neighbour who saw him before his death said comedian was drawn and thin and looked ‘a shell of himself’.

Robin Williams was found dead after telling friends he had "serious money troubles". He had sought treatment for depression in the weeks before his death, it emerged last night.

The 63-year-old actor, who was once reputed to be worth $150 million, had complained of losing a large chunk of his fortune in alimony payments to his two ex-wives, and had been trying to sell his 240ha ranch in California.

Losing a testicle, gaining a comedy show

Finding a lump and having my testicle replaced with a prosthesis made me realise stand-up comedy was nothing to fear

I was 27 when I found out I had cancer. I had just moved out of home. Pathetic, I know, but rents were high and I was suffering from crippling laziness. I was painting houses and doing deliveries. I was just floating along. My mother sat me down one day and told me that if acting was what I really wanted to do, I needed to move out, get a job and start saving to go to London.

Comedy Dynamics offers vast comedy library on Hulu featuring Jim Norton, Whitney Cummings, DL Hughley and many more (Sponsored video)

Comedian and frequent Time magazine contributor Jim Norton gets really awkward in social situations. But that’s partly because other people are obnoxious and awkward, too. Norton’s superb 2013 stand-up special Please Be Offended talks about the people in life who are way too sensitive and way too annoying. All of these people make Jim anxious, like the old man “warming up” to talk to you on the elevator. Yes, we’re aware that the elevator is moving slowly. Know what else is? You.

Lion taming and laughter: why fringe audiences love multitasking comedy

From throwing fruit in ‘sports’ challenges to circus escapology, comedy lovers are keen to watch standups do just about anything

The comedy boom – the explosion of UK comedy, its ubiquity over the last 10 years – continues to extend itself. Now it’s found a new manifestation in Edinburgh, traceable perhaps to the 2012-13 success of The Wrestling, the extraordinary late-night, theatrical combat encounter between professional wrestlers and standup comedians. The Wrestling was the ne plus ultra of “event comedy” on the fringe, but it’s also promoted the idea that audiences won’t just pay to see comedians performing comedy, but also see them being amusingly bad at a range of other activities.

Robin Williams' comedy inextricably linked with his troubles

I wonder how many headline writers turned to "Tears of a Clown," when writing about the death of Robin Williams.

I know it was my first thought when I posted a blog item Monday night. Rarely has a cheap sentiment been so appropriate. There was something tortured about Williams' comic psychology.

Utopia recap: Is the new Working Dog comedy a place you'd really want to be?

• Utopia: how well it went with viewers

The mere fact that this is a Working Dog production means that you can guess the tone – this is the D-Gen production team, the folks behind Frontline and The Hollowmen. So all your immediate assumptions are correct: it's an ensemble cast, it's about a deeply bureaucratic organisation, and it's damn funny.

The show is set in the offices of the chillingly plausible Nation Building Authority, a private-public initiative putting together the Woolarong Urban Development.

Michael Cera Pulls a Beyoncé, Drops Surprise Album

Michael Cera pulled a Beyoncé and dropped an entire album out of the blue. The album, True That, which was announced by Jonah Hill on Twitter is filled with mostly acoustic, instrumental pop tunes that have a distinctly folksy bent with some jazzy influences.

The endearingly lo-fi album is pretty darn good, but that should come as no surprise to anyone who watched Cera sing sweet nothings about friendship and pie with Reggie Watts on the first season of Comedy Bang! Bang!‘s companion series, Reggie Makes Music.

Robin Williams masked depression with veil of comedy - friends

(Reuters) - From an eccentric alien to an animated blue genie, a loveable British nanny and a fatherly therapist, actor Robin Williams used his multi-layered brand of comedy to make people laugh.

But behind the boyish exuberance and hyperactive energy was a sensitive man who lived to perform in front of a crowd, friends and colleagues of the actor said following his death from an apparent suicide on Monday.

While the Oscar-winner's death came as a bolt from the blue to the public, the actor's longtime friend and fellow comedian Bob Zmuda said he was not "totally shocked" by the news.

Ansel Elgort, Justin Timberlake, and More Celebrities Risking Brain Freeze for Charity

 Unless you live under a rock, it’s hard to ignore the latest social movement that’s taken over Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram one icy bucket at a time. The Ice Bucket Challenge to strike out ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) has flooded newsfeeds across America, after originating in the computer of Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the incurable disease in 2012. Over the last few days everybody’s been doing it: Your neighbor, his dogs, professional athletes, and, of course, celebrities. From Martha Stewart’s salon dunk to Ansel Elgort going shirtless for a good cause, it seems like there isn’t one person in America who hasn’t poured icy water on their head in support of ALS research.

Shawn Mendes: Ontario internet celebrity poised for worldwide fame

Mendes has over 3 million followers on Vine, record deal with Universal

Hundreds of screaming teenage girls gathered Wednesday outside Universal Music Canada’s head office in Toronto to get up close and personal with Canada’s very own vinelebrity, Shawn Mendes.

• A new breed of artists highlight the creative uses of Vine
• Vine and Instagram users face off in video app battle

The 16-year-old from Pickering, Ont., is being called the next Justin Bieber for his looks and talent. Mendes caught the attention of his now 3 million Vine followers after posting a six and a half second clip of Bieber’s As Long as You Love Me.

Book News: Christian Retailer Halts Sales Of Celebrity Pastor's Book

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

• A major Christian retailer has suspended sales of celebrity pastor Mark Driscoll's book A Call to Resurgence. On Friday, LifeWay Christian Resources pulled the book from its website and stores while it "asses[es] developments regarding his ministry," LifeWay spokesman Marty King wrote in an email to NPR. Driscoll, a controversial evangelical pastor, is accused of plagiarizing sections of the book and artificially inflating his book sales by bulk-buying copies. Driscoll apologized in both instances, calling the "improper citation" an error that was "unintentional, but serious" and the inflated book sales "wrong." LifeWay's decision to halt sales comes shortly after Driscoll was asked to step down from the Acts29 Network of churches. "It is our conviction that the nature of the accusations against Mark, most of which have been confirmed by him, make it untenable and unhelpful to keep Mark and [his church] Mars Hill in our network," Acts29 wrote in a . A representative for Mars Hill did not responded to a request for comment.

Robin Williams: Celebrity vs non-celebrity suicide

Robin Williams.

Ernest Hemingway. Kurt Cobain. Marilyn Monroe. Vincent VanGogh. Sigmund Freud. Spalding Grey. Frida Kahlo. Shakir Stewart (Def Jam). Cleopatra. Junior Seau. Roy Raymond (founder, Victoria’s Secret). Socrates. Sylvia Plath. Hunter S. Thompson. L’Wren Scott. Virginia Woolf. Abbie Hoffman. David Carradine. Wendy O. Williams. Mary Kay Bergman (SouthPark voices) Robert Enke (soccer).

These are the suicides you hear about in the media. Because of their accomplishments and talent, their suicides supercede the hushed rule in newsrooms throughout the land: We don’t cover suicides unless it’s someone famous or caused a public spectacle.

Celebrity Buzz: Rush Limbaugh questions 'fawning' coverage of Robin Williams suicide

Today's pop-culture roundup includes the EIB Network, a sultry voice gone silent, a pop punk's plea, our mystery music video and much more.

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 KEEN INSIGHT: Or something like that, per The Wrap, “On Rush Limbaugh's radio show Tuesday, he was asked about the apparent suicide of Robin Williams. A caller said that the media used to downplay celebrity suicide, but that this has changed, surmising that there was a political component to it.

Daniel McNulty didn't deserve to become footnote in celebrity story, friend says

Daniel John McNulty was a father, a friend, an addict and a part-time drug dealer.

But despite his many faults, the 48-year-old did not deserve to become a footnote in a celebrity story, one of his former friends said following his death in a public housing block in Redfern at the weekend.

"Daniel was a street kid who never had any tools to live life," the friend, who asked not to be identified, told Fairfax Media.