Topic: women in comedy

Meet The Creators Of SRSLY, A Hilarious Web Show About Life In NYC

Alexandra Fiber and Danielle Gibson are the masterminds behind SRSLY – a comedic web series loosely based on their semi-glamorous lives in New York City.

It’s like HBO’s Girls, but in easily digestible two-minute episodes. (SRSLY launched about five months before Girls premiered.)
More »

Rebel Wilson Was A Great Host, But Can She Please Cut The Fat Jokes

I absolutely love Rebel Wilson so I was thrilled when I heard she would be hosting the MTV Movie Awards. It has been seven long years since a woman has hosted and Rebel is the comedy girl of the moment. Notice I how I haven’t once mentioned her weight. That is because I don’t need to. If Rebel weighed 100 pounds I would still think she was quite funny (that Channing Tatum butt pillow was hilarious) but Rebel seems to not only embrace the fat jokes but promote them and she needs to stop.
More »

Office Manager By Day, Political Comedian By Night

Nowadays it seems like every young, working lady we meet has some creative pursuit on the side. More »

Everything Is Going To Be OK: ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ Reunion In The Works!

There is a God, and he has a plan for us all: The cast of the greatest working-women sitcom in television history is reuniting to act and makes jokes together. The four female leads of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” will appear on TV together, despite costar Valerie Harper‘s recently announced terminal cancer diagnosis. The forecast calls for laughter mixed with tears. More »

Sheryl Sandberg Is A “Power Betch”

Have you heard of The Betches before? These ladies, a collective of women who started their website “Betches Love This,” are expanding their empire with a new book, Nice Is Just A Place In France: How To Win At Basically Everything. We were lucky enough to ask them a couple of questions about writing a book, being funny women, and who they (however grudgingly) admire. More »

Zooey Deschanel Starts Production Company, Already Inks A Deal

Good news for all you bangs-sporting, Sweet Valley High-reading, scarf-knitting, teacup dress-wearing, delicate gossamer spirits out there: Zooey Deschanel and her Hello Giggles partner Sophia Rossi launched a production company, and it just signed a two-year first-look deal with 20th Century Fox TV, the producers of Deschanel’s New Girl. Now you may be able to live your twee life and watch it too. More »

Haters Gonna Hate, But The New Jessica Simpson Sitcom Will Be A Huge Hit

A teenager in 2013 might be forgiven for having no idea that Jessica Simpson was once a singer and actress. In recent years she’s been way more famous for having babies, struggling with her weight, and, oh yeah, running a billion-dollar fashion empire. Now, however, she’s getting her own “Curb Your Enthusiasm-style” sitcom about her own life, and her producer is comparing her to Lucille Ball.
More »

The Tina Fey Method: 4 Ways Improvisation Can Improve Your Life

Tina Fey has it all: a hit TV show, a bestselling book, a supportive family and a flourishing career. Plus, she just earned rave reviews as the host of Sunday night’s Golden Globes along with pal Amy Poehler.

How does she do it? She credits improvisation. In her book Bossypants, she discusses how the rules she learned at improv school Second City helped her succeed both on stage and off. More »

Watch Tina And Amy’s Hilarious Opening Monologue At The Golden Globes

Oscars, you’ve got your work cut out for you: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler killed it at the Golden Globes last night. Their opening monologue (er, dialogue?) was filled with genuine LOLs, and the ceremony itself lived up to the loopy promise of an awards show at which tables are stocked with champagne. Jodie Foster came out of the closet! Bill Clinton appeared from nowhere! Jennifer Lawrence bragged, “I beat Meryl!” (Click through to watch the full opening monologue.) More »

What We're Reading:

Guy Who Created The Super Cancelled Dane Cook Sitcom Fought For More Women In The Writer’s Room

About a month ago, there was news that a new show starring Dane Cook as a moody radio host called Next Caller had not only been cancelled but it had been super cancelled, meaning it never even made it to air. It is just lost in the NBC archives now. At the time I didn’t really think twice about it or maybe just that I can’t believe Dane Cook is still relevant. But then Stephen Fallk, the Executive Producer and Creator of the show, wrote an amazing blog post in which he talked about how hard it is to suddenly have something you put your heart and sole into cancelled. And how tough it is to tell other people who did the same that they no longer have a job (plus he made Dane Cook sound like a saint.) But something else that really stuck out to me was that he said he insisted on having as near even as possible ratio of females to males in the writers room. More »

7 Reasons We’re Thrilled Tina Fey And Amy Poehler Are Hosting The Golden Globes

This week it was announced that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be the hosts of The Golden Globes this winter. “It’s exciting to have two of the most respected names in comedy. Amy and Tina’s well known chemistry along with their spontaneity and glamour makes them a perfect fit for the Golden Globes,” the show’s producers said in a totally unspontaneous, unglamorous statement released last week. As you may have noticed, we are very big fans of both these women on The Grindstone so we could not be happier and we think most people feel the same way. Like Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers tweeted, “Poehler and Fey hosting the Golden Globes is excellent news for those who love good times.” Quite right Seth. Here are six reasons we’re thrilled Amy and Tina are hosting the Globes. More »

How Much Would You Pay To Hang Out With Tina Fey And Amy Poehler For A Night?

In case you haven’t noticed, we are pretty big fans of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler over here at The Grindstone. Besides being hilarious, these women are writers, producers, directors, mothers and just all around great ladies. If I ever met one of them, I probably wouldn’t be able to form words, but I supposed if I paid to hang out with them for a night, I would have to try. Well two women will get that chance as they bought a night with this talented duo at Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars benefit in New York City. Two women ended up paying $36,000 each for the privilege of being the duo’s best friends for the night. I would think these women are worth more or possibly priceless but $72,000 will have to do.
More »

Rebel Wilson Has Reached “It Girl” Status

Rebel Wilson, scene stealer of Bridesmaids, Bachelorette, the just released Pitch Perfect and every late night talk show she has been on, just sold a new film she wrote to Universal Studios. Clearly this funny lady isn’t going anywhere and we are just fine with that. More »

Excellent Film Pitch Perfect Is Another Result Of ‘The Bridesmaids Effect’

The new film Pitch Perfect comes out today in select theaters and it is already getting fabulous reviews (watch the trailer below.) Centered on a struggling college female a capella group who finally find their voice, it stars comedy it girl Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids, Bachelorette) as well as Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Anna Camp. Elizabeth Banks produces the comedy. Though it may seem like Glee was the big influencer for this one, this girl-heavy ensemble piece, penned by 30 Rock and New Girl scribe Kay Cannon, is another result of ‘The Bridesmaids Effect. ‘
More »

Click for more posts