I first became aware of Amy Sedaris through the late night talk show circuit, particularly in her frequent Conan O’Brien and David Letterman appearances. Her frenetically cute comedic style made her instantly endearing, and within days of seeing her in the interview seat, I was watching her breakout Comedy Central series STRANGERS WITH CANDY. In that show she plays Jerri Blank, a 46-year-old ex-drug addict who goes back to high school, with hilariously awkward results. In the years that followed, Sedaris played recurring roles on popular comedy shows like JUST SHOOT ME!, SEX AND THE CITY, RAISING HOPE, and STAN VS. THE FORCES OF EVIL, and even appeared in dramatic shows like RESCUE ME, MONK and THE CLOSER. Her big screen work includes voices in SHREK THE THIRD and CHICKEN LITTLE, and roles in DANCE FLICK, OLD DOGS, JENNIFER’S BODY, PUSS IN BOOTS, GOODBYE TO ALL THAT, CHEF and GHOST TEAM. All you have to do is look at her IMDb credits to see that Amy is someone filmmakers genuinely enjoy working with.
Born in Endicott, New York, Amy honed her comedy skills at Second City and Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, and even ran a cupcake and cheeseball business out of her Greenwich Village apartment when she wasn’t acting. She would later combine her talents with cooking and comedy with the rather meta homemaking show called AT HOME WITH AMY SEDARIS, a sort of parody of Martha Stewart’s home cooking shows. Outside of being a successful comedy writer for TV, Amy is also an accomplished book author with multiple releases under her belt. Her very frequent talk show appearances have become a big hit with television viewers, and it’s clear the hosts had a ball talking to Amy, even when she had nothing specific to promote.
Most recently she’s been starring in THE UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, NO ACTIVITY and BOJACK HORSEMAN, and will soon be heard in the new Disney live action/CGI version of THE LION KING. But if you live in the Dallas area, you can see her in person this weekend courtesy of Dallas VideoFest, where she’ll be accepting the Ernie Kovacs Award – the first female recipient. There will be a candid Q&A co-hosted by yours truly and festival head Bart Weiss, and you’ll be treated to a hilarious career highlight reel. Amy is very busy these days, so don’t miss this rare opportunity to see her live in what is likely to be a very special moment.
You can find more information at the Official Facebook Event Page here, or purchase tickets by clicking here.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
