Director David O. Russell’s follow-up to last year’s crowdpleasing awards contender Silver Linings Playbook now has a title.  Previously referred to as American Bullshit, the pic is now titled American Hustle per Box Office Mojo.  The story is based on a real-life undercover sting operation called “Abscam”, which was set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.  The film boasts an incredible ensemble cast that includes a number of Russell regulars like Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro as well as some exciting Russell newcomers like Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Michael Pena, and Jack Huston.

Russell is currently in the middle of production on American Hustle in the New York City area, and we’ve already seen a number of wildly entertaining set photos of the cast done up in their 80s garb.  The film opens in limited release on December 13th before going wide on Christmas Day, and it’s safe to assume that American Hustle will be a serious player in this year’s awards race.

Sony Pictures has given Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell’s next film a prime awards season release date later this year.  The untitled project (formerly known as American Bullshit) will hit theaters in limited release on December 13th before going wide on Christmas Day.  The pic is based on a real-life undercover sting operation called Abscam, which was set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.

The cast reads like a “Best Of” from Russell’s filmography, as Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale are set in the leads with Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Jeremy Renner, and Alessandro Nivola (Face/Off) rounding out the ensemble.  Hit the jump for more.

Director David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook picked up a number of Academy Award nominations the other day (including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Russell), and now the filmmaker has nabbed a pretty great actor for his next film. THR reports that Louis C.K. is in talks to join the cast of Russell’s next project, formerly titled American Bullshit.  The pic is based on a real-life undercover sting operation set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.

C.K. is a welcome addition to an already stacked cast that includes Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, and Amy Adams.  Details regarding the comedian’s character are under wraps, but it’s said to be a key role.  Filming begins next month.  C.K. previously announced that his excellent FX series Louie won’t return until 2014, and he appears to be making good use of his hiatus.  He most recently wrapped a role in Woody Allen’s upcoming film Blue Jasmine.

Today, we’ve learned that Woody Allen‘s upcoming film will be entitled Blue Jasmine.  As we previously reported, the romantic comedy apparently centers on a woman whose “posh New York City lifestyle” comes crashing down so she makes a move to San Francisco.  The press release adds, “It is the story of the final stages of an acute crisis and a life of a fashionable New York housewife.”  As per usual, Allen has lined up a superb cast for his latest feature, which includes Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard, and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Hit the jump for the press release.  Sony Pictures Classics will distribute Blue Jasmine, which is the sixth Allen picture for the studio.  No word yet on the release date, but I’m willing to bet we’ll see it later this year since Allen manages to get out one new movie per year.

Though fans will have to wait until 2014 for new episodes of Louis C.K.’s brilliant comedy series Louie, the comedian will be gracing the airwaves again in just a couple of short weeks.  During last night’s Bruno Mars-hosted telecast, it was announced that C.K. will be hosting Saturday Night Live on November 3rd.  This will be C.K.’s first time hosting the long-running sketch series, and I can’t wait to see how his comedy will be put to use in the SNL universe.  Interestingly, it appears that he actually made an uncredited appearance on SNL in a 1995 episode hosted by Chevy Chase as “escaped prisoner.”  C.K. is longtime friends with SNL vet Amy Poheler and has a recurring role on Parks and Recreation, and I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t be great to see the actress make some sort of cameo appearance in the episode.  He’ll be joined by musical guest fun.

It appears that Louis C.K. is taking the Larry David route with his very popular (and brilliant) TV series Louie.  FX announced today that the comedian will take an extended hiatus, with the fourth season not expected to air until Spring 2014.  This comes just a couple of weeks after the show’s season three finale capped off a wonderfully strange string of episodes that saw fantastic guest turns by the likes of David Lynch, Amy Poehler, Parker Posey, Jerry Seinfeld, and Chris Rock.  Here’s what C.K. had to say about the decision to take some time off:

“I want the show to keep getting better, I want season 4 to go somewhere new.”

Hit the jump for more details about the decision and a timetable for season four’s schedule.

The 2012 Emmy Awards air Sunday at 8pm on ABC during all of your other programming (set those DV-Rs!), so is the show worth watching?  Will there be any upsets?  Or will it just be worth it to sit there smugly as Bryan Cranston wins again for Breaking Bad, turning to your friends, significant other or Siri and saying “I totally called that.”  Hit the jump to see my predictions for who will win and whoshould win Sunday night based on Vegas odds, rumors, secret handshakes, the predictability of Emmy voters, with maybe an upset or two thrown in to keep things interesting.

FX Networks has renewed Louis C.K.’s impossibly great comedy series Louie for a fourth season, per TV Line.  The show is currently in the middle of a fantastic third season run, and it’s a minor miracle that the offbeat series has lasted this long.  C.K. basically films whatever he wants, and FX thankfully decides to air what he turns in (which is gold).  He acts as showrunner, writer, director, and star of the series, and he also edited every episode for seasons one and two before bringing in Woody Allen’s longtime editor Susan E. Morse for season three.

For a gauge as to just how “offbeat” Louie can get, look no further than the latest episode of season three.  The installment featured C.K. and guest star Parker Posey on a date that at one point found C.K. wearing a dress.  The episode was at once hilarious, heartbreaking, sweet, and insightful as it followed the two wandering aimlessly around New York City at night.  This season four renewal is great news indeed, and if you haven’t checked out Louie yet I highly recommend you do so.

Louis C.K. is one of the most honest and respected comedic voices of his generation, was recently named the world’s greatest comedian by Entertainment Weekly, and has amassed a huge following of fans who enjoy his hilarious stand-up and his FX comedy series Louie, for which he serves as show creator, executive producer, writer, director, editor and star.  Along with the show kicking off Season 3, Louis is going to launch a 39-city tour of his stand-up in October, with tickets all priced at $45 and available for purchase through www.LouieCK.net.

During a recent interview to promote the return of his popular comedy series, Louis C.K. talked about the challenges of juggling everything that he does, the guest stars that he’s excited about this season, how FX really leaves him alone to make the show that he wants, his motivation for selling tickets for his stand-up tour directly through his website, what it’s like to be recognized more often now, and what he typically likes to watch when he has the time.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Last night the second annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards were revealed, and while fans usually gripe about these kinds of people being out of touch with the public, they’re usually more accurate than the Emmys when it comes to picking the best that TV has to offer. This time was no exception as Homeland, the best new drama of the season took home the big award for Best Drama Series and Community finally won its biggest award yet by winning the Best Comedy Series award. It’s just a shame that creator Dan Harmon won’t be around next season to try again, though we’re going to give the new showrunners a chance before truly griping.

There were also some great wins for cast members from Breaking Bad, Parks and Recreation and Modern Family, not to mention some much deserved loved for BBC’s Sherlock and its star Benedict Cumberbatch, and FX’s animated comedy series Archer. I can’t say there’s much I disagree with here. Even the tie for Best Actress in a Comedy Series makes perfect sense. My favorite award though is the one that went to Louis C.K. for his turn on his own series Louie, followed closely by Paul Rudd‘s guest turn on Parks and Recreation as opposing city council candidate Bobby Newport (“Leslie, we did it!”). In addition, critics even gave us a taste of what they think the most promising shows of next season are by naming five of them the most exciting of the upcoming slate.  Check out the full list of winners after the jump.

Woody Allen looks to have finalized the cast for his next film, and a few exciting additions have been announced.  We already knew that Sally Hawkins and Cate Blanchett would be leading a cast that also includes Alec Baldwin, Michael Emerson and Bobby Cannavale, and now Variety reports that Louis C.K., Peter Sarsgaard and Andrew Dice Clay will round out the cast.  Bradley Cooper was mentioned as a possible addition at one point, but he may have run into some scheduling issues.  Max Casella and Alden Ehrenreich are also listed in the announced cast.

Though story details are under wraps, Louis C.K.’s casting is interesting for a number of reasons.  First off, C.K. has great comedic timing as well as dramatic talent so he’s a welcomed addition, but he’s also been hailed as a bit of a successor to Allen with his New York-centric, critically hailed series Louie.  I’m beyond eager to see how he fits into Allen’s next film, and the writer-director has assembled an unsurprisingly impressive ensemble for his next effort.  The untitled film will shoot this summer in San Francisco and New York City.

Though Woody Allen has head overseas for his more recent film ventures, the filmmaker and comedian loves New York City. However, it doesn’t seem like Louis C.K. is all that fond of his residence there, but this new promo for the third season of his FX comedy series Louie still takes a cue from Allen’s opening credits for Manhattan. Using a track that sounds a little bit like the classic stylings of George Gershwin and some beautiful shots of The Big Apple, it seems like another fitting tribute to the city right to the very end. You’ll see what I mean when you watch the new teaser after the jump along with the aforementioned credit sequence for your reference.  The third season of  Louie premieres on June 28th.

Before Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) came along to have a nerdy love affair with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) on Parks & Recreation, there was an adorable but failed romance the potential city council member had with police officer David Sanderson played by comedian Louis C.K. Now TV Line has word that he will return to the show for the first time since leaving to take a new job in San Diego. Is there a chance there could be some competition between Ben and Dave to bring about a romantic rumble in Pawnee? Since both of the suitors are rather timid and non-confrontational, we might just be looking at an awkward festival rather than a brawl. Either way, bringing Louis C.K. back to the show is good news.

In addition, TV Line also has another report saying Kathryn Hahn, star of NBC’s canceled series Free Agents will show up early next year as a political operative who works for another candidate in the race for City Council, so it sounds like she’ll be facing off against Leslie in the race. Hahn is a truly gifted comedic actress with turns in films like Step Brothers and Our Idiot Brother, and having her as part of the opposition in the City Council race should make for some hilarity.

The nominations for the 2011 Primetime Emmys have been announced.  HBO, as always, led the pack as the miniseries Mildred Pierce picked up 21 nominations, Boardwalk Empire picked up 18 nominations, and Game of Thrones nabbed 13 nominations.  Also, as usual, Mad Men held the most nominations of any dramatic series by picking up 19 nods.  The Emmys also once again overlooked Community in favor of garbage like Glee, but they also finally showed Parks and Recreation some love.  It’s also cool that Louis C.K. (Louie), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and Walton Goggins (Justified) picked up nominations, but overlooking Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) was just one of the many snubs that the Emmys have become known for.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominees.  Winners will be announced Sunday, September 18th at 8/7c on Fox.

We just recently found out the nominees for the first Critics Choice Television Awards, but now we have the list of fantastic shows and talents which have been nominated for the long-running Television Critics’ Association awards. This year the 27th annual awards nominees prove that the TCA just knows what they’re talking about when it comes to quality television, even moreso than the primtetime Emmys. THR unveiled the list with Game of Thrones, Justified and Parks and Recreation leading the pack with four nominations each including love for those series’ cast members like Peter Dinklage, Timothy Olyphant and Amy Poehler. Once again it’s also great to see Community and Louie get some respect along with respective cast members Danny Pudi and Louis C.K. also receiving nominations. Check out the full list of nominees after jump.