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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Wednesday 10 May 2023
Comedian Hannah Gadsby returns with a stand-up ‘love letter’

By MARK KENNEDY be prepared. Because I
AP Entertainment Writer wasn’t and I made a dog’s
NEW YORK (AP) — Hannah breakfast of it.”
Gadsby’s new Netflix spe- Gadsby is one of those
cial illustrates a different people who doesn’t be-
side of the comedian that lieve suffering is needed to
fans may not expect — a make good art and notes
happier one. they don’t need to gener-
“It’s a lighter show,” Gads- ate any more since there’s
by tells The Associated plenty to mine from their
Press ahead of “Something past.
Special” airing on Tuesday. “Something Special” builds
“It’s more positive. It’s ex- from “Douglas,” where
pressing a happiness I don’t Gadsby revealed their di-
think I had done in earlier agnosis of high-functioning
Netflix specials.” autism. The new show gives
The comedian kicks it off viewers a glimpse of how
with good news “I got mar- Gadsby sometimes misun-
ried. I know! It’s nice” and derstands social queues
then promises viewers a and intentions.
change of pace from pre- Asked in the interview,
vious sets: “This is going to they say the diagnosis has
be a feel-good show be- been freeing, in a way. It
cause I believe I owe you means Gadsby doesn’t
one.” Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on Dec. 10, 2018. worry about understand-
Gadsby, who uses the pro- Associated Press ing everything, conserves
noun they, is in many ways more energy and offers a
going back to the style of “In every one of my shows, together many of the jokes people to love what I bit more control.
comedy they employed I’m always talking about that have been talked love. For someone on the “Understanding it has
before exploding to fame where I am a particular about. spectrum, it can be really helped. It has given me
with the special “Na- moment in my life,” they If there is a motif this time, it lonely,” Gadsby says. “It’s the confidence to under-
nette” in 2018, which had say in the interview. “I re- is rabbits. only been in recent years stand my framing of things,
deeply affecting stories of ally want people to not The critters are part of two that I’ve learned how to which I think has made writ-
violence, homophobia, mi- know what I will do next, tent-pole stories, one in- make lasting connections ing easier,” they say. “Now
sogyny and shame. because therefore I am not volving an ex-girlfriend through the diagnosis and I feel like I have a lot more
“It’s much more difficult to under the pressure of deliv- and another their wife. Pa- confidence and things like control.
do comedy around a posi- ering something.” per bunnies decorate the that. So I thought that was I’m not scrambling to be
tive theme. Nobody is re- Asked it they’re a little like stage. worth sharing.” normal anymore, whatever
ally that pleased watching Adele albums, in that they Gadsby calls it a “love let- In one section, Gadsby ad- that means.”
someone be happy,” they preserve a moment in time, ter” to their wife, Jenney mits they were ill-prepared Fans who adore Gadsby’s
said. “It’s a real risky show. Gadsby laughs. “Yeah, I’m Shamash, an American for fame, illustrated by a revolutionary take on art
I’d say this is riskier than much better at being hap- producer. story of giving a very non- history a large portion of
‘Nanette.’” pier than she is. That’s a Their relationship deep- diplomatic reaction to get- “Nanette” called out the
The new hourlong stand- little joke.” ened during the pandem- ting a birthday gift from inexcusable behavior of
up special recorded at It’s still a typically Gadsby ic, and Shamash now lives Jodie Foster. art’s most towering figures
the Sydney Opera house set, with personal obser- in Australia with Gadsby Of fame onstage, Gads- like Pablo Picasso — will
in Australia explores mar- vances and sudden quick- and their two dogs, Doug- by says: “Don’t expect it, find more of that at an ex-
riage, sudden fame, par- thrust political critiques, las and Jasper. that’s gross. But just on the hibition they organized at
enting styles, cultural differ- culminating in a climax at “Part of what I like to do off chance you find your- the Brooklyn Museum this
ences and life with autism. the end in which they draw on stage is I want other self famous, you’d better summer. q

Amazon films, series to get wider distribution via licensing

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon its acquisition of MGM and Rocky series.

said Monday it will distrib- which houses more than “With the integration of
ute its original films and TV 4,000 film titles and 17,000 MGM, we wanted to take
shows, like “The Marvelous TV episodes for $8.5 billion. advantage of the exist-
Mrs. Maisel,” to media out- At launch, the new division ing team to expand our
lets outside its Prime Video will offer several series and business in ways that will
service for the first time. films including “Coming 2 greatly benefit our custom-
The works will be licensed America” and “Borat Sub- ers around the world,” Jen
via a new unit called Ama- sequent Moviefilm,” Ama- Salke, who heads up Ama-
zon MGM Studios Distribu- zon said. The unit will be led zon and MGM Studios, said
tion, which expands the by Chris Ottinger, the head in a prepared statement.
number of titles currently of distribution at MGM, who Last week, Amazon said it
offered by Hollywood stu- will continue to oversee dis- would add more than 100
dio MGM. Last year, the tribution of MGM’s new re- Amazon Originals to i ts Amazon’s Prime Video streaming app is seen on an iPad, March
e-commerce-behemoth- leases and film franchises, free, ad-supported stream- 19, 2018, in Baltimore.
turned-media-giant closed such as the James Bond ing service Freevee.q Associated Press