The little comedy experiment that could just keeps on…doing?
We already know that Louis C.K.’s standup special Live at the Beacon Theater was a success monetarily and artistically. Now, it has a chance to be a critical winner.
That’s because Louis C.K. has scored 7 Emmy nominations, four of which are for his standup special that never even appeared on network or cable television.
Live at the Beacon Theatre scored nominations for Outstanding Special Class Programs, Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special, Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special, and Outstanding Picture Editing For Short-Form Segments And Variety Specials.
For the crazily 7 Emmy noms i got today, I want to thank New York City. Best backdrop, crews, actors, smell. I Love you NYC.
After deciding to cut out the middleman, Louis C.K. released Live at the Beacon straight to fans via his website back in December of 2011. He set a flat price of $5, and for that fans could grab multiple streams and downloads that were DRM-free.
In one week, proceeds hit the $1 million mark, 75% of which Louis C.K. donated to charity. It was so wildly successful, that other standup comedians like Jim Gaffigan and Aziz Ansari followed suit.
I guess you can give the finger to the man and still get your props. He’ll be testing that premise again this summer, as he’s been selling tickets to his standup tour directly from his site as well, and even threatening those who would resell them at a markup on sites like StubHub.
For his FX show Louie, Louis C.K. also received three (higher profile) nominations; Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.
