Best Short Film Nomination for “Thugs, The Musical”
February 6, 2012:
Well guys, our world premiere at the Texas Black Film Festival was a huge success!
Even before the film screened, I was approached a bunch of times by either festival staff who had already viewed “Thugs” and loved it, or by filmmakers and festival attendees who had heard of the film and couldn’t wait to see it! It was a humbling, awesome, and surreal feeling all at once.
Thugs, The Musical made its premiere on Friday night along with the Bernie Mac documentary I Ain’t Scared of You. As a comedian, it was an incredible honor to have our movie screened alongside a film that paid tribute to such a comedy titan. It was even more mind-blowing to sit in a theater full of people laughing at what we put on the screen, including things I didn’t even realize were funny (a comic’s dream).
And as if all that wasn’t cray enough, Thugs, The Musical was nominated for Best Short Film! And as if that wasn’t cray-cray enough, I got to meet not 1 but 2 of my film/acting heroes: Robert Townsend writer/director of Hollywood Shuffle and – one of my favorite movies of all time - The Five Heartbeats, and Law & Order‘s S. Epetha Merkerson, both of whom had films making their premieres in the festival, as well.
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Not to worry, everybody; I resisted the urge to address Ms. Merkerson as "Lu", even after we'd all been drinking.
Big thanks go out to David Smalls and everyone at the Texas Black Film Festival for inviting us and making it such a great time. And, again, thanks to all of you who made the film possible with your generosity and belief in me.
Finally a special thank you goes out to all of the cast and crew of Thugs, The Musical for birthin’ this baby! I can’t believe how lucky I was in getting to work with such a cool, super-talented, and simply awesome group of people. The whole experience was amazing, and the ride for “Thugs” is just beginning. Thank you!
Richmond, VA, we’ll see you very soon!
“Here Comes the Wrongness!”
January 30, 2012:
YEEESSSS, the Thugs, The Musical official poster is finally here! “Thugs” is coming ya’ll, and this is what it looks like…
Come see the WORLD PREMIERE of Thugs, The Musical at the Texas Black Film Festival in Dallas, THIS FRIDAY, Feb 3rd at 10pm at the Studio Movie Grill! GET TICKETS HERE.
And if you’re in the DC/Virginia area, see “Thugs” make its EAST COAST PREMIERE at the Mix International Short Film Festival on Saturday, Feb 18th at 2pm in Richmond, VA at the historic Byrd Theater! GET TICKETS HERE.
More dates and updates will be announced soon!
“Thugs, The Musical” WORLD PREMIERE!!!
January 27, 2012:
Well everybody, it’s been a long road from funding to shooting and post-production, and now to the festival circuit – none of which we could have done without help and support from you guys. So, I’m incredibly excited to announce to all of you that Thugs, The Musical will be making its WORLD PREMIERE NEXT WEEK IN DALLAS at the Texas Black Film Festival!!!
The Texas Black Film Festival runs from Wednesday, Feb 1st thru Saturday, Feb 4th. “Thugs” will be playing on Friday, Feb 3rd at 10pm at The Studio Movie Grill in Dallas. And I’m incredibly honored th
at the fest is showing our film with the Bernie Mac tribute film, I Ain’t Scared of You. So, if you’re in the Dallas area, or you’re crazy enough to fly/drive/boat/hot-air balloon to Dallas, you can purchase tickets ($8) to see Thugs, The Musical with I Ain’t Scared of You RIIIGHT HERE!
And if that wasn’t enough, 2 weeks after that, “Thugs” will be making it’s EAST COAST DEBUT in RICHMOND, VA at the Mix International Short Film Festival! I’m looking at you, friends of mine in DC and all of Virginia!
The Mix International Short Film Festival takes place Friday, Feb 17th thru Sunday, Feb 19th. Thugs, The Musical will be screening on Saturday, Feb 18th at Richmond, Virginia’s historic Byrd Theater in the 2pm shorts block. And yours truly will also be taking part in a Q&A with the filmmakers after the screening. To get tickets ($7) to see the film (including the other short films shown in the 2pm block), click RIIIGHT HERE!
We’ll be announcing more screenings in more cities in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned. And I know what a lot of you are thinking. “Hey, that’s awesome Kev, but where’s my crap?” We are working on that right now, and will finally start rolling out your donor gifts very soon. It’s been a hectic, crazy process, so I really appreciate all of your patience.
Again, thank you so much. I’ll have more updates again for you all very soon, including posts, pics, and even video from our Dallas and Richmond, VA screenings!
Keep it gangsta!
- Kevin Avery
New “Siskel & Negro” Episode!
October 4, 2011:
Another piping hot episode of The Siskel & Negro Podcast is out of the oven.
Me & Kate talk about a guy who made a very awkward date-rape “confession” at a comedy show. Also, in Kamau’s absence, “Fake-Katt Williams” briefly takes over the show. Come and get it!
A Big Ol’, Long-Ass “Thugs, The Musical” Update
September 6, 2011:
Thug Nation…
It’s been so long since we’ve talked; and I know what you’re saying: “Well, we’ve been right here, Kevin? Where the hell have you been?”
Well, I know I’ve been MIA, but haven’t forgotten about you guys! The production staff, crew and cast have been crazy busy with the film since you’ve last heard from us, but the great news is that a lot has and is happening on the Thugs, The Musical front, and I’m crazy excited to tell you about it. So, here’s where we’re at:
We’ve completely finished shooting the film and it’s now in post-production – being edited, sound-mixed, color corrected, and all that good stuff. I’ve seen it. It’s looking good. It’s looking really good, actually, and I can’t wait for you all to see it too!
In the meantime, the making of the soundtrack is underway.
“Soundtrack?” you say.
“Soundtrack, indeed,” I reply.
All the songs from the film are being co-written and produced by composer Alex Burke, and will be featured on the soundtrack. So you can look forward to hearing some of your favorite thug anthems, like “Break Yo’self”, “Who’s that Keepin’ it Real”, “Ballad of a White Guy”, and more, as well as some other surprises. In fact, I’m going into Alex’s studio today to record one of my favorite songs from the film, “Drive By”! Yes, people…gangstalicious!
“So, what’s next, Kevin?” you ask…
Well a few things. Let’s list them…
- For starters, we’ll be completing the film in the next week or two and will begin submitting it to film festivals like Sundance, South by Southwest, and Slamdance to name a few.
- We’ll also be adding content to thugsthemusical.com, so you’ll be able to see set photos, behind the scenes videos and get other updates and info about the film, the cast, and the characters.
- We’re working on the DVD which will have all kinds of extra features – behind the scenes stuff, cast interviews, cast and director commentary and, if I can make this happen, commentary from my parents. My mom is reading this for the first time, so fingers crossed, e’rybody!
- The “Thank You” rap is coming! I say again, the “Thank You” rap is coming! I promise, you haven’t missed it, and I haven’t forgotten!
- What else is coming? Your donation gift packages! Now that the film is just about done, we’re working on putting those together. There are a lot of you guys, and a lot of things to pull together, so it’s gonna take a little bit, but we are gonna get them out to you as soon as we can.
- And finally…MORE UPDATES SOON! I’ll be in touch with you guys, letting you know what’s going, and posting some videos and cool stuff from the production very, very regularly from now on. This includes when the official release of the film will be, and when/how/where you guys will all be able to see it, so stay tuned!
And finally finally, I want to give another big THANK YOU to all of you! Aside from making this film happen, you’ve also helped me to have the experience of a lifetime in being able to make it and work with some truly amazing people. It’s been a dream come true, and it’s really just beginning! I can’t thank you enough.
Much love and thuggery!
Kevin
Kevin Avery for “Prodigal Sunn Chips”
May 31, 2011:
Me and my Thugs, The Musical castmates, Prodigal Sunn and Jocelyn Cruz, before we actually were castmates, did a brief sketch – a commercial parody for “Prodigal Sunn Chips” – for this season of Latino 101 on the SiTV network. Here’s the short clip, which is followed by another bit from the show, featuring comedians Godfrey and Ruperto Vanderpool.
Oh, and check me and all these guys out on Latino 101 Friday’s at 9pm!
“The Well Written Woman” & Me
May 23, 2011:
Hey everybody, I’m liked by Woman! Don’t believe me? Well, then go visit thewellwrittenwoman.com website and check out this article written by co-founder Lauren Mack! Then hang out for a while and see a ton of other good stuff they have on the site.
A Call to Arms…Or Just to Your TV’s this Season
May 18, 2011:
Well, it’s that time of year when television networks are announcing the shows they’ll be premiering in the fall. And if you’re a TV addict like I am, you’re already putting together a detailed wall chart of which shows will be premiering when and on what network, at what time, and how they’ll fit into your already established and rigorous television/DVR schedule (surely, I’m not alone in this).
But this new season brings us a particularly sweet smell of awesome because two of these new shows prominently feature some good and very funny friends of mine. So, if you like TV, have a TV, or just know what a TV is, then check out and support these new comedies…
Free Agents (NBC – Wednesday 8:30/7:30c)
This show features three of my stand up comedy friends: Al Madrigal and Mo Mandel (as “Gregg” and “Dan” respectively), two very funny San Francisco comics who I came up with in the SF comedy scene (Al and I actually started together), and Natasha Leggero (as “Emma”), who has also been a guest on The Siskel and Negro podcast. On top of them being on this show together, Natasha, Al, and Mo have all had crushingly hilarious Comedy Central Presents specials premiere in the last year that you should definitely hunt down and watch. Translation: All three of them will be really fun to watch on this show.
Are you there, Vodka? It’s me, Chelsea (NBC)
This one is based on Chelsea Handler’s best-seller of the same name and stars Laura Prepon (That 70′s Show) as Chelsea and the real Chelsea as her own sister. Confusing? Who cares, cause what’s important is that the show also stars my buddy Natalie Morales (as “Ivory”) who, as well as being really funny and multi-talented, also told me the craziest falling down the stairs story I’ve ever heard in my life. Also, she recently watched one of my more harrowing performances in a bar in Silverlake (yes, I still have those shows from time to time) and did not judge…at least not openly, so watch her show.
The Daily Show (Comedy Central – Weeknights 11:00/10:00c)
And finally, this show isn’t new, but it’s newest correspondent is. The aforementioned Al Madrigal made his debut as The Daily Show‘s Senior Latino Correspondent last night. Do I really have to tell you how dope this is? Check him out here, and then keep checking him out regularly on this show and Free Agents!
Me, Sara B. & Crushable.com on Social Media and Fans and Such and Whatnot…
May 18, 2011:
(I'm the one on the left)
From time to time someone who writes for something somewhere asks me “Hey, Kevin, what do you think of stuff?” Such is the case with this interview of comedian Sara Benincasa and me, by Natalie Zutter of Crushable.com, about fans and fan love and too much fan love and how we love fans. I’m not sure, but I may actually say too much in this interview.
Visit Sara Benincasa’s website here, and follow her on Twitter.
And for that matter, follow ME on Twitter!
Kevin Avery’s Obsessed – Harry Potter vs. Twilight
January 31, 2011:
Well, everybody it’s finally here! The pilot episode of my new web series for MSN.com, Kevin Avery’s Obsessed is up and running! WHOHOOO!! In each 3 minute episode, I spend time hanging out with all kinds of interesting (and sometimes freakishly strange) folks in order to learn about and even participate in their various obsessions, from LARPing, to Drag Queen shows to my own obsession with tracking down Matt Damon and having a beer with him.
In this episode, I attend a Twilight book club meeting, hang out at the Harry Potter 7 midnight premiere, talk to web experts and meet superfans Katie Aiani and Ashley Fragomeni to find out exactly who is more obsessed – Twilight fans or Harry Potter fans.
Check out the pilot episode of Kevin Avery’s Obsessed, “Harry Potter vs Twilight”, on MSN’s new site, The Bubble, riiiight here:
