MURPHY’S NEXT MOVE
Annie Murphy famously had $3 in her checking account when she nabbed the role of Alexis Rose, one of America’s favorite snob-to-sweetheart siblings in the uber successful sitcom Schitt’s Creek about a wealthy family turned broke. Her performance catapulted her to superstardom (she also won an Emmy), and next she’s joining the cast of Netflix’s dark and quirky Russian Doll, season two. The show’s first season was essentially a fancier (and darker) rendition of the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, following coder Nadia Vulvokov (played by Natasha Lyonne, nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of Nicky Nichols in Orange Is the New Black) who fi nds herself in an ongoing time loop after she dies on her 36th birthday only to wake up and relive the day again and again.

Show creators are remaining tight-lipped on the plot of the next season and Murphy’s character but if history repeats itself (and in this show, it does), viewers can expect another wild ride of weirdness and dark comedy.

SPRING BLING
Netflix’s hit reality series Bling Empire is filled with flashy fashion, star-studded Hollywood parties, and lavish shopping. The show follows a group of wealthy Asian American and Asian friends living in L.A., but it’s Kane Lim who steals every scene he is in.

“Being on a reality series, getting fame in Hollywood that was never my dream… reality TV was never wanted or thought of,” he told INDUSTRY.

“If you look on my Instagram, I am flashy and show a lot of fashion stuff, but that’s an online persona; the core of me is actually one of privacy. I’m a very private person.”

Brand new to working in the entertainment industry, Lim had to have faith that the executive producers would illustrate a realistic portrayal of Asians on television.

“The biggest challenge was trusting the whole process. For the three months of filming, we all wanted to talk with each other. But we’re not allowed to, because then that spoils the reactions and emotions. The producer obviously wants to capture all that on camera.”

LAUGH WITH LOVE
Whether she’s hosting/ executive producing Little Women Unfiltered: Atlanta, narrating Bridezillas, or guest judging Ru Paul’s Drag Race, comedian Loni Love lives to make people laugh. And with the many dramatic events of the past year forever changing the way people live their lives, Love believes we’re at a point in history where comedians are needed more than ever before.

“When we are feeling anxious or depressed, a few lighthearted moments laughing can make a big difference,” enthused Love, a host on daytime talk show The Real. “During ‘dark and hard’ times, humor has always gotten people through. It makes you see things differently. Plus, it’s some form of exercise, because as you’re laughing, you’re moving your stomach and your head. You are breathing differently, too. It puts your mind into a different space.”

Last year, Love released the critically acclaimed memoir: I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To: True Life Lessons

FINAL CHAPTER
America has fallen in love with Hulu’s Shrill, a comedy series starring Saturday Night Live darling Aidy Bryant, set to return for its third and final season in May. The Emmy nominated comedian has had to shoot both shows concurrently.

“That’s been a whole part of the experience, doing both at once,” noted Bryant at a recent streaming press event. “Certainly it was difficult and challenging, but I also felt up for it and happy to do it. And it’s very bittersweet to me.”

The actress, who also executive produces the series, has been vocal about being sad the show is ending. “I love working with our cast and crew in Portland this has been such a transformational experience to me. But I also am so proud of what we’ve made, and it feels like a really nice beginning, middle, and end to me. So that piece of it feels really nice.”

SEALES GETS REAL
Looking for someone fascinating to follow on Instagram? Check out actress/comedian Amanda Seales, currently filming the last season of HBO’s Insecure. The tell-it-like-it-is activist offers off beat lifestyle tips, using her platform to support fans in a tough love way.

“This era, this time that we are in, is really about adjusting,” Seales told the Los Angeles Times. “For some of us, that adjustment is having to come with a feeling of loss. Loss of jobs, family members, plans. For a lot of us, this time is dealing with the arrival of truths, realities, breakthroughs. All those things are converging. I am in the middle of that myself.”

Seales has been riding a high since her comedy game show, Smart, Funny & Black, successfully transitioned online. “We were going to do a three-day festival at the Kennedy Center until COVID hit. We had expanded the show to a real venture that has consistently managed to use comedy to bring culture to community. But when this COVID thing happened, it was like damn, this still serves a purpose…it’s been a worldwide communicative experience.”