If writer-directors Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant had put more effort into their new film Hell Baby, they could have had one of the best parodies of recent horror movies.  The film has some huge laughs as well as some insight into the genre’s weaknesses, but Lennon and Garant’s sketch comedy roots wreck the picture in the worst way.  They’re content to let their scenes run on way too long, they have no idea how to tie their scenes together, and the result feels like we’re in the middle of something that’s being workshopped rather than a finished feature.  Despite a memorable performance from Keegan Michael Key, Hell Baby feels like a gigantic waste of potential that keeps us interested because we’re waiting for the next great joke.

Good news awaits fans of FX’s comedy series The League. Coming off of strong ratings for season four, the network announced today that they have ordered a 13-episode fifth season of the heavily improvised show.  Quality-wise the series has showed no signs of slowing down, and the stellar ensemble of Mark Duplass, Stephen Rannazzisi, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Katie Aselton, and Jon Lajoie continue to kill it week after week, not to mention those glorious way-too-brief appearances of Jason Mantzoukas’ Raffi.  The show’s fourth season wraps up tonight with back-to-back episodes, while production on season five will begin next summer for a fall 2013 debut.  Hit the jump to read the full press release. 

FX’s intense biker drama Sons of Anarchy has had a number of guest stars already this season (including former Disney star Ashley Tisdale, Community‘s Joel McHale, and a surprise appearance byJustified‘s Walton Goggins), but here’s another one you might not have expected: Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction will be making an appearance in the final two episodes this year.

In related FX news, Jason Mantzoukas (known to many as Ruxin’s batshit crazy brother-in-law Rafi from the FX fantasy football comedy The League) will be joining the cast of Modern Family this season as Hayley’s (Sarah Hyland) boyfriend, who is also her co-worker and a jeans designer.  If Mantzoukas brings one-tenth of the ridiculousness of Rafi to this new character, I can’t wait.  But does that mean goodbye to Dylan (Reid Ewing)?  In the meantime, hit the jump for more specifics on each of these new characters’ roles.

Late last week, Adult Swim aired The Greatest Event in Television History.  The central conceit of the special was that Adam Scott and Jon Hamm were starring in a $25 million shot-for-shot remake of the opening credits for Simon & Simon, dubbed “The Greatest Event in Television History.”  The special hilariously shows the “making of” the project, with Paul Rudd as the event’s cantankerous director and Hamm refusing to speak to Scott.

The special, directed by Scott, was actually hatched when Hamm and Scott had been emailing each other the opening credits to various TV shows and Scott suggested they do a shot-for-shot remake of Simon & Simon.  The result is over 10 minutes of hilarity, with cameos by folks like Kathryn Hahn, Paul Scheer and—best of all—director Gus Van Sant.  The entire special is now available online, and I highly suggest you hit the jump to take a look.

Earlier this year, we brought you the news that Tom Hanks would be bringing an original creation to Yahoo! in the form of the company’s first ever scripted series, Electric City.  The first teaser trailer for the project is now available.  The animated sci-fi project, produced through Reliance Entertainment and Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone, will also feature Hanks in the voice cast.  Yahoo! looks to start airing the approximately 20, four-minute-long episodes starting July 17th.  Hit the jump to check out the teaser trailer and read up on the details of Electric City in the press release.

In case you want to see more of Piranha 3DD’s cast than just David Hasselhoff, we have a new “making of” featurette for you to check out.  The Hoff was recently featured in both a clip from the film as well as a character featurette.  This new featurette, while still not a real behind-the-scenes look, showcases David Koechner, Katrina Bowden and Gary Busey talking about their characters and the fictitious lengths they had to go through to bring Piranha 3DD to the screen.  If you’re a fan of boobs and blood, or just an amateur icthyologist eager to learn more, you’ll want to hit the jump to check out the NSFW video.  Directed by John Gulager, the film also stars Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer and Danielle Panabaker.  Piranha 3DD opens on June 1st.

Dimension Films is doubling your pleasure with a second helping of boobs, blood and killer fish in this summer’s Piranha 3DD. For a while now, I thought the extra D was a cleverly disguised breast joke, but apparently it stands for “David,” as in David Hasselhoff. This new clip from the film features The Hoff in his oh-so-familiar role as a lifeguard.  Fans of the glory days of Baywatch will get a kick out of the segment and the humor aimed at an aging Hasselhoff is spot-on to what you can expect from Piranha 3DD. Be sure to check out the trailer, red-band trailer, posters and images, as well.  The film stars Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, Chris Zylka, Meagan Tandy, Katrina Bowden, David Koechner, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames, Paul Scheer, and Gary Busey.  Piranha 3DD opens June 1st.  Hit the jump to check out the new clip.

Dimension Films has unleashed seven new images from the gore-heavy sequel Piranha 3DD.  They highlight everything we expect to see from the follow-up to Piranha 3D: good looking girls in swimsuits, Ving Rhames with a gun attachment instead of a leg, and David Hasselhoff.  The sequel moves the action to a water park that’s (naturally) kept safe by stripper lifeguards, and I’m assuming much nudity and/or carnage ensues.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, Chris Zylka, Meagan Tandy, Katrina Bowden, David Koechner, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer, and Gary Busey.

The first trailer for Piranha 3DD has gone online.  For everyone who loved the first movie, the new trailer wants to let you know, “All that stuff you liked?  The boobs, the gore, the silliness, and all that stuff?  Yep.  That’s all here.  Enjoy.”  There seems to be some creative kills in store in addition to the goofiness of stripper-lifeguards and Ving Rhames-Gunlegs.  My only problem with this trailer is the notable absence of Gary Busey.  Hopefully, we’ll see him and his piranha-related lunacy soon.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, Chris Zylka, Meagan Tandy, Katrina Bowden, David Koechner, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Lloyd, and Paul Scheer. Piranha 3DD currently does not have a release date.

The League fans rejoice! FX has renewed the comedy for a fourth season. THR reports that the network has ordered 13 episodes of the series from creators Jackie and Jeff Shaffer. The semi-improvised comedy centered around a fantasy football league has had a stellar third season thus far, averaging series-high ratings with 1.7 million total viewers and 1.5 million in the all-important 18-49 demographic. FX exec vp original programming Nick Grad had nothing but high praise for the show, saying “The League continues to be one of our most successful comedy series both creatively and from a ratings standpoint.”

The show stars Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Stephen Rannazzisi, and Paul Scheer and has drawn a considerable number of guest stars including Seth Rogen, Wil Forte, Sarah Silverman, Matthew Berry and Chad Ochocinco. Season three is currently winding down on FX now, with a few more episodes left until the season finale on December 22nd.

The sequel to Alexandre Aja’s remake of Piranha 3D, aptly titled Piranha 3DD, is on its way, and we’ve got the first batch of images from the follow-up. In the sequel, the toothy amphibians head to a water park to wreak havoc. Judging from the teaser trailer, an adequate amount of carnage/nudity will ensue, and when you’re going to see a movie called Piranha 3DD, that’s really all you can ask for. Along with the first images, we’ve also got a full synopsis for the film. The images unveil David Hasselhoff in what looks to be full Baywatch gear, Gary Busey doing his thing, and a piranha feasting on some young woman’s jugular. Ah, water parks. Hit the jump for the images and synopsis.  And here’s the trailer if you missed it.

I haven’t gotten around to seeing Alexandre Aja’s remake of Piranha 3D, but I heard good things all around regarding its creative kills, delightful stupidity, and all-around exploitative nature.  It’s a movie that knows what it wants to be an pulls it off.  That general consensus combined with a solid box office performance has led to the sequel Piranha 3DD.  The new film has the carnivorous fishies headed to a water park, which aren’t really sanitary places to begin with.  Dimension Films premiered the first trailer last night at the SpikeTV Scream Awards and it looks like they’ve definitely got the “DD” part down.  Also, Ving Rhames’s character apparently shops at the same prosthetics store as Cherry Darling.  I have no complaints about gun-legs.

Hit the jump to check out the teaser trailer.  The fish food cast also includes Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, Chris Zylka, Meagan Tandy, Katrina Bowden, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer, and Gary Busey.  Piranha 3DD opens next year.

Piranha 3DD clearly has no desire to be considered a real movie and if attempting to top their previously-announced stunt casting of Gary Busey by hiring David Hasselhoff.  Unfortunately, nothing beats Busey.  The new film takes place at a water park so perhaps Hasselhoff will be playing a lifeguard.  You know, because he was a lifeguard on Baywatch.  So clever, Piranha 3DD.

The film also stars Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer, Katrina Bowden, Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, Chris Zylka, and David Koechner.  Piranha 3DD opens in 3D on November 23rd.

We have some quick casting stories for you this afternoon.  First up, The Weinstein Company has sent out a press release announcing that Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames, and Paul Scheer will return for Piranha 3DD. Their characters survived the first film, and like all good horror flick survivors, I’m sure they’ll offer some kind of cursory explanation of what’s happening, that explanation will be ignored until it’s too late, and then at least two out of the three survivors will be destroyed.  My money is on Rhames making it out alive.  The trio joins previously announced cast members Katrina Bowden, Gary Busey, Danielle Panabaker, David Koechner, Matt Bush, and Chris Zylka.  Piranha 3DD opens in 3D on November 23rd.

In other casting news, Variety reports that Michael Kelly (The Adjustment Bureau) has joined Dane DeHaan Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell, and Ashley Hinshaw in Chronicle.  Kelly will play the father of one of three teenagers who get superpowers when they come into contact with a mysterious substance.  Josh Trank will make his feature directing debut from a script by Max Landis.  Chronicle is set for release on February 3, 2012.

The League’s based on a premise unimaginable only a couple years earlier. No, The League has nothing to do with superpowers, it’s a fantasy football league that Pete (Mark Duplass) has won for three years straight. But, regardless of the thing that brings them together, the idea of men getting together to compete and act stupid is timeless and The League has assembled some crack comic performers and improv vets to pull it off, including Paul Scheer, Nick Kroll, Stephen Rannazzisi, Jonathan Lajoie and Katie Aselton. The results show more promise than actual results in the first year (often the case with comedies), but there’s enough here to think that the show might come together eventually, there’s no lack of talent, and it regardless of if you play fantasy football or not. My review of The League follows after the jump.