In the documentary "Dying To Do Letterman," filmmakers Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina follow comedian Steve Mazan on his journey to fulfill his dream of performing stand-up comedy on "The Late Show with David Letterman," after hearing the news that he is dying of cancer. Below the pair share an exclusive scene from their film, which is currently available to view on VOD via Oscilloscope Laboratories. ______________________ Is it okay to laugh at a movie about a guy with cancer? Comedian Steve Mazan, the subject of our documentary "Dying To Do Letterman" sure thought so. When he learned he might only have five years to live, Steve set out to chase his life long dream: performing stand-up comedy on David Letterman's show. Read More: The 10 Indies to Watch on VOD This December And he asked us to make a documentary about it. His only request was that we make it funny,...
- 12/5/2012
- by Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina
- Indiewire
Oscilloscope has acquired North American rights to Joke Fincioen’s and Biagio Messina’s "Dying to do Letterman." The documentary follows comedian Steve Mazan who was diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer and decided to dedicate his life to fulfilling his dream of performing standup on "The Late Show with David Letterman." The film features interviews with comedians Ray Romano, Jim Gaffican and Kevin Nealon. Oscilloscope plans to release the film on Cable VOD and online flatforms starting December 4. Oscilloscope's David Laub states, “[This] is a really special film—it manages to find hope and humor under the most difficult of circumstances, and Steve is at once both an entirely relatable and incredibly heroic central figure. We were moved and inspired from the moment we saw the film, and we are thrilled to be bringing it out into the world.” Fincioen and Messina add, “No one knew how Steve's story, much.
- 11/13/2012
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that it has acquired North American rights to Biagio Messina's warm comic documentary "Dying To Do Letterman." The film follows standup comedian Steve Mazan in his long-standing quest to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman, which becomes markedly more urgent after Mazan is diagnosed with potentially terminal cancer. In addition to chronicling Mazan's personal story, "Dying To Do Letterman" pulls back the curtain on the world of modern stand-up, featuring interviews with Kevin Nealon, Ray Romano and Jim Gaffigan, among others. Oscilloscope will make "Dying to do Letterman" available on Cable VOD and over online platforms beginning December 4th.
- 11/13/2012
- by Chris Pomorski
- Indiewire
We scour the interwebs for the coolest movie news and more so you don't have to ...
Pyramid Head, the Butcher, the Nurses ... these are just a few of the monsters in "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" that leave us saying "Wtf!" Moviefone looks at the 35 most Wtf monsters in movie history, from gory monstrosities to golden age nightmares. (Warning: Nsfw)
Who would win in a fight — Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees? As "Freddy vs. Jason" didn't really answer that question, Film.com attempts to settle the great debate of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" vs. "Friday the 13th."
Last week brought the borderline-absurd news that Nicolas Cage was in talks to star in a new take on the "Left Behind" franchise (this is a Wtf even for Cage). The Playlist looks to fix some careers with a list of ten actors who really need to fire their agents and go in bold new directions,...
Pyramid Head, the Butcher, the Nurses ... these are just a few of the monsters in "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" that leave us saying "Wtf!" Moviefone looks at the 35 most Wtf monsters in movie history, from gory monstrosities to golden age nightmares. (Warning: Nsfw)
Who would win in a fight — Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees? As "Freddy vs. Jason" didn't really answer that question, Film.com attempts to settle the great debate of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" vs. "Friday the 13th."
Last week brought the borderline-absurd news that Nicolas Cage was in talks to star in a new take on the "Left Behind" franchise (this is a Wtf even for Cage). The Playlist looks to fix some careers with a list of ten actors who really need to fire their agents and go in bold new directions,...
- 10/26/2012
- by Bryan Enk
- NextMovie
David Letterman is a legend in the comedy and television community for a variety of reasons, which makes performing on his show a lifelong dream for many comedians. While some comedians get numerous opportunities to impress the booking agents for the show over a long career, others find their time to perform suddenly cut short by tragic circumstances. Such a fate befell comedian Steve Mazan, who suddenly found himself diagnosed with cancer in the midst of a standup career, with doctors giving him a five-year life expectancy. Facing his imminent demise, Mazan threw himself wholeheartedly behind trying to get on Letterman, and his efforts are the subject of the new documentary Dying To do Letterman. The first trailer for the movie has now been released, and can be seen below.
- 10/24/2012
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
If you look on Netflix Instant right now, there are some great documentaries about comedians that are worth a look. Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, The Comedians of Comedy, Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project and many more have plenty of laughs and provoking insight into the life and mind of a comedian. Now a new documentary chronicles the unique trials and tribulations of comedian Steve Mazan. Like any other comic, he dreamed of performing on "The Late Show with David Letterman," but a curveball was thrown his way in the form of cancer that might leave him with only five years to live. It looks inspiring and heart-wrenching and there's interviews with comedians like Jim Gaffigan and Ray Romano. Watch the trailer! Here's the first trailer for Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina's Dying to Do Letterman from YouTube: When 35 year old stand-up comedian Steve Mazan learned he had cancer,...
- 10/23/2012
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Growing up we’re always told that it’s important to set goals, to follow your dreams. But what if you were given a time limit to achieve these (shorter than your expected life span). This is the dramatic theme in the new documentary Dying To Do Letterman. The film follows the journey of a likable professional stand-up comedian in his thirties by the name of Steve Mazan. Growing up his comedy hero was David Letterman, so his goal was to do his act on Dave’s show. Then the fates threw him a curve. His doctor told him that he had cancerous tumors on his liver. Inoperable. Worst case scenario- he had maybe five, six years. Instead of plopping on the coach and bemoaning his fate, Mazan focused in on his Letterman Show dream with a vengeance. After asking his comedy club audiences to email the show, he gets an official letter from NYC.
- 11/12/2011
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
For an independent documentary, qualifying for the Academy Awards isn't easy, or cheap. But one of this year's hopefuls has found a new way to raise money: a crowd-funding campaign based on the simple plea, "Help us qualify for an Academy Award." The producers of “Dying to Do Letterman” raised more than enough money through the Kickstarter crowd-sourcing website to do just that. The documentary, about a standup comic Steve Mazan's quest to land a spot on "Late Night With David Letterman," will screen at the International Documentary Assn.'s upcoming DocuWeeks, a...
- 7/20/2011
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Dying To Do Letterman – directed by Biagio Messina & Joke Fincioen Festival screening times – 3/4 @ 7pm, 3/6 @ 7pm, 3/8 @ 5pm World Premiere Steve Mazan has had one dream since he was a young lad of twelve, and surprisingly it had very little to do with masturbation. Little Steve, long considered the class clown, wanted to one day perform stand-up comedy on the David Letterman show. Why Letterman and not Carson? No clue but if one were to hazard a guess it would probably be because Letterman, unlike his white-haired mentor, was himself a truly edgy and goofy-looking comedian. The dream sits in the back of Mazan’s head for years, but he continues to work the comedy clubs honing his craft, skipping out on bar tabs, and “disappearing” hecklers just waiting for the right people to notice him and invite him to the Show. (That’s a baseball term I learned from Bull Durham, but...
- 3/2/2011
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.