A.V. Club announces its return to the comedy festival circuit after last years' return to the comedy festival circuit

There's no shortage of comedy festivals around the summer time. About two years ago, news site the A.V. Club and sister site The Onion decided to throw their hat into the annualized ring. This year is no different and now the two will be joined by a major sponsor: truTV. The third iteration of the 26th Annual Comedy Festival will be in full effect starting June 1st and go until June 5th in the city that Kanye West calls home, Chicago. 

Venues include big Chicago staples like the Civic Opera House and Thalia Hall. I'm sure windy city natives are getting so turned on by the mere mention of the theaters. But you're here for the acts. Tracy Morgan, Chris Gethard, Sarah Silverman, Reggie Watts & Karen and a slew of other amazing acts are on tap to perform. A lot of the tickets are on sale while bigger shows go on sale at later dates. Check out the lineup below.

“Wednesday, June 1
Tracy Morgan at Civic Opera House, 8 p.m.

Thursday, June 2
Michael Che at Lincoln Hall, 8 p.m.
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide at Thalia Hall, 8 p.m.

Friday, June 3
Big Terrific (Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri) at Thalia Hall, 8 p.m.
2 Dope Queens (Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson) at Lincoln Hall, 8 & 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 4
Reggie Watts & Karen at Thalia Hall, 8 p.m.
7 Minutes In Purgatory With Ian Abramson at Hideout, 7 p.m.
Jo Firestone at Hideout, 10 p.m.

Sunday, June 5
Sarah Silverman & Friends at Civic Opera House, 8 p.m.”

The Onion to peel away at 'VICE'

After being successful in their take on clickbait driven site Buzzfeed with equally clickbait driven site ClickHole, The Onion is ready to capitalize on its next great venture: VICE, an HBO documentary series derived from the website that looks at the impoverished regions of the world and other serious topics. The Onion is calling its new in-house Onion Studios parody series EDGE. According to The Hollywood Reporter, most of the series was shot in May and the first few episodes are due out next week. The Onion's VP of production, George Zwierzynski Jr., says the company is highly competitive when it comes to satirical media: "VICE is wrought with a distinct self-confidence, which of course gets our writers salivating." Not only does EDGE join the likes of ClickHole, the two are in the company of other comedically driven parodies such as Onion Sportsdome (Sportscenter), Onion News Network (CNN), Onion Talks (TED Talks), Sex House (Big Brother) and others.

The Onion CEO is peeling away from The Onion

All terrible jokes aside, satire site The Onion is experiencing a shift in management today. The Wrap has learned that Steve Hannah will step down as CEO. He was there for 11 years. Hannah will continue working as a chairman while Mike McAvoy will take his spot as chief executive. Years ago, The Onion was struggling to find its place in the newly all-digital landscape for news (even its brand of satire news). Hannah is referred to as the savior of the site's new redesign and current business model. Monetary news about the site is also mentioned. The Onion is reportedly up for sale but Hannah insists they are "not in a hurry [to sell]" as they have "a number of players who we’re still [they're] having conversations with." Hannah wrote in a memo to his staff that it has been a privilege and that he considers The Onion a national treasure. In mid-July Hannah will step down fully to enjoy his hobbies as well as write a book, most likely titled The Onion: 7 Layers of Tears.   

Funny or Die Now Wants To Tell You The News

Funny of Die thinks it is possible to be both funny and informative at the same time. This Wednesday, the company announced it's launching a news oriented "content vertical. THR reports that Funny or Die News will feature daily editorials about current news.

Dan Abramson, the man overseeing the entire operation, cites The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as on of the hub's inspirations for comedy news: "You can be entertained while getting your news," he said. "This should be something that people can go to to stay informed but also get some really great comedy out of it." 

Funny or Die News will begin with blog posts that feature the day's most important news, essay-like pieces, and columns from real as well as character driven writers. Topics will range from politics to entertainment and, fuck it, why not sports and science too. So basically most things  in the world.

Other comedy news outlets include Splitsider, A.V. Club, The Colbert Report, The Onion, and THIS SITE RIGHT HERE. We are a crowded but loving bunch.