Kimberley Datnow and Amy Datnow Taking on Their Daddy Issues By Jay S. Jacobs The early passing of their father inspired sisters and British filmmakers Kimberley and Amy Datnow to get together to work on a film. However, they didn’t want to make it a sad, depressing story. That’s not who they were, nor was it really their father. Instead, they wanted to make a romantic comedy which would explore their relationships and life dealings in a world where he was no longer there. Es

Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista at the Philadelphia advanced screening of “Stuber,” at the Ritz East. Photo by George Seth Wagner. Dave Bautista and Kumail Nanjiani Action Drives an Uber by Jay S. Jacobs Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista come from totally different worlds – at least as far as show business is concerned. Which is why it was so dementedly brilliant to cast them together in the action comedy Stuber. Nanjiani comes from the comedy world. He started out as a sta

Jen Kirkman Jen Kirkman A Tour is a Place in Itself by Jay S. Jacobs Jen Kirkman is a road warrior, a standup comedian who has been hitting the clubs and auditoriums for a couple of decades now. In fact, we spoke with her a couple of years ago when she acknowledged that it was no big deal for her to wake up in a new town, hit the club, hit the road and move on the next place. However, Kirkman is a big deal, and getting bigger. Beyond all the time she plays in theaters worldwi

Jen Kirkman Jen Kirkman Living in a Material World by Jay S. Jacobs This year is comedian Jen Kirkman’s 20th year doing standup. Just don’t expect her to do anything big to celebrate that fact on her “All New Material, Girl” Tour. “No! No, no, no. Just touring is always special,” Kirkman laughed to me recently as she was preparing for her latest tour, which will be stopping at the Trocadero in Philadelphia on September 23. “In standup, 20 is kind of a baby. Jerry Seinfeld got

Paul Dooley performing “Movie Dad” at Theatre West in Los Angeles. Paul Dooley World’s Greatest Movie Dad by Jay S. Jacobs Like the old saying goes, if you look up the word “Dad” in the dictionary, chances are good that you will find Paul Dooley’s picture. A veteran character actor whose career has spanned six decades. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Dooley’s hangdog gruffness and genial sweetness made him Hollywood’s go-to choice for exasperated-but-loving father figures. He has had a

Top Five TOP FIVE (2014) Starring Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Gabrielle Union, Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, J.B. Smoove, Sherri Shepherd, Anders Holm, Romany Malco, Leslie Jones, Michael Che, Jay Pharoah, Ben Vereen, Hayley Marie Norman, Karlie Redd, Luis Guzmán, Charlie Rose, Bruce Bruce, Taraji P. Henson, Gabourey Sidibe, DMX, Jim Norton, Whoopi Goldberg, Adam Sandler and Jerry Seinfeld. Screenplay by Chris Rock. Directed by Chris Rock. Distributed by P

Daniel Tosh Daniel Tosh is Not Completely Serious by Jay S. Jacobs “I don’t have a girlfriend in every city in the country,” Daniel Tosh explains. But some people think: why shouldn’t he?  He’s young.  He’s single.  He’s a hip and happening stand-up comedian.  The women must be lining up, right? “When somebody brings that up, it’s such a ridiculous statement when you think of how many cities there are,” Tosh continues, a little frustrated.  “Even if you had a girlfriend in ev

The Job – The Complete Series The Job The Complete Series (2001-2002) (Shout! Factory-2005) It is a mystery why Denis Leary has never become huge. He’s one of the funniest guys in show business, and yet none of his films or TV ventures seems to catch on. He is a brilliant stand-up comedian (just track down his old CD No Cure for Cancer) who has tended to stand out in a series of not very good movies. He never captured the potential he showed in his debut starring film, The Re

Richard Lewis is No Longer in Pain … Well Sort of … by Ronald Sklar “It wasn’t a very romantic proposal,” Richard Lewis tells me about how he offered to tie the knot with his wife. “It wasn’t in front of the Eiffel Tower. In fact, it was in the bedroom – I had tall black socks on and my boxer shorts. I mean, I don’t even want to sleep with myself! And my back was to her, and I was looking out the window and she was in bed reading some book of Yiddish expressions and I had my