Crackle.com's Fall Season Sizzles With New Original Series From Barry Sonnenfeld, the Groundlings

Crackle.com's Fall Season Sizzles With New Original Series From Barry Sonnenfeld, the Groundlings

AND JON HEDER'S ZOMBIE COMEDY, 'WOKE UP DEAD'

CULVER CITY, Calif., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Crackle.com, Sony Pictures Entertainment's online video network, today announced its highly-anticipated new 13-week season of original programming that begins on September 16, 2009. The new lineup features the tech show "The Esquire Digital Man," written and hosted by film director and Esquire columnist Barry Sonnenfeld (directed "The Addams Family," "Get Shorty," "Men in Black" and writes a monthly column for Esquire Magazine on all things digital) and "Hardline: Inside the Idaho Sex Cult," a 60-Minutes-style mockumentary from world famous comedy troupe, the Groundlings. Finally, the fall season's programming extravaganza, scheduled for October, is "Woke Up Dead," a live-action, zombie comedy starring Jon Heder.

   (Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080424/LATH509LOGO)    "Hardline: Inside the Idaho Sex Cult"   

(Wednesdays) Launching Wednesday, September 16th is "Hardline: Inside the Idaho Sex Cult," the new mockumentary style series from the Groundlings that follows a Hardline news crew as they uncover secrets about an obscure sex cult and the mystery surrounding its members' final mass suicide. The web series is produced by Groundlings Films and is distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

"The Esquire Digital Man"

(Fridays) Premiering Friday September 18, Esquire Magazine's resident "Gadget Guru," Barry Sonnenfeld, will share his expertise in the new web series "The Esquire Digital Man." Twice a month, Sonnenfeld will share his tests on the newest gadgets and technology, as well as occasionally cover more esoteric items like cowboy hats and portable espresso machines. The series will air two episodes per month for a year - 24 episodes total. Sonnenfeld is the executive producer on the project, which is produced by Right Coast Film Co., and is distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

Barry Sonnenfeld's films include "The Addams Family," "Addams Family Values," "Get Shorty," and the "Men in Black" franchise. He was an executive producer of the ABC show "Pushing Daisies" and received an Emmy Award for directing the pilot. Before becoming a director, he was a cinematographer for the first three Coen Brothers movies including "Blood Simple," "Raising Arizona," and "Miller's Crossing," as well as the movies "Three O'clock High," "Big," "When Harry Met Sally," "Misery," and "Throw Momma from the Train." He is a contributing editor for Esquire Magazine and has written the monthly column, "The Digital Man" for the past five years.

Woke Up Dead

(October) "Woke Up Dead," a re-imagining of the zombie mythology, is Crackle.com's special fall programming event. Four episodes of the series will premiere on October 5, 2009, and a new episode will be made available each weekday through October 30. The series, from Electric Farm Entertainment, stars comedian Jon Heder ("Napoleon Dynamite," "Blades of Glory"), Josh Gad ("Back to You," "The Rocker"), Krysten Ritter ("Breaking Bad," "27 Dresses"), Wayne Knight ("Seinfeld") and Jean Smart ("24," "Samantha Who?"), among others. Twenty-three high-quality episodes of the series will be available at Crackle.com and across its online and mobile distribution partners.

In "Woke Up Dead", Heder stars as Drex Greene, a down-and-out college grad who finds himself undergoing a sudden and inexplicable transformation from everyday zero to zombie hero. With his newfound zombie powers, Drex breathes new life into his dead-end job and lackluster love life with the help of his best friend wannabe filmmaker Matt (Josh Gad) and med student Cassie (Krysten Ritter). In his quest for answers, Drex discovers that being dead has its privileges.

Stan Rogow ("Afterworld," "Gemini Division") and Brent Friedman ("Gemini Division," "Star Trek: Enterprise") serve as executive producers on the series. Sony Pictures Television has partnered with Electric Farm Entertainment on "Woke Up Dead" and will be the exclusive worldwide distributor of the series.

In addition to Crackle.com, the series will also be available across one of the largest distribution networks in the industry, making it possible for consumers to enjoy Crackle content across online and mobile outlets that include: YouTube, Hulu, Veoh, AOL, MySpace, Bebo, and direct to Sony BRAVIA TVs via BRAVIA Internet Video Link, among others.

About Crackle.com

Crackle, Inc., a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, is a multi-platform next-generation video entertainment network that distributes digital content including original short form series and full-length traditional programming from Sony Pictures' vast library of television series and feature films. Crackle is one of the fastest growing entertainment destinations on the Internet today, offering audience's quality programming in a variety of genres, including comedy, action, sci-fi, horror, music and reality. Crackle reaches a global audience through its impressive online and mobile distribution network. Visit Crackle's site at www.crackle.com.

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Source: Crackle.com

CONTACT: Karen Barragan of Sony Pictures Television, +1-310-244-6467,
Karen_Barragan@spe.sony.com; or Kelly Mullens, +1-310-477-4442,
kkmullens@42west.net, or Sarah Levinson Rothman, +1-646-254-6030,
sarah.rothman@42west.net, both of 42West, for Crackle.com

Web Site: http://www.crackle.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment