1. This Paul F. Tompkins interview by Jesse David Fox in Vulture honing in on Tompkins finally returning to stand-up comedy after several years as an improv and comedy podcast star is a must read. Quite simply, Tompkins’ Impersonal is one of the best stand-up comedy albums and we’re thrilled that PFT is going back up solo as he still is one of the funniest people working today. Read all about Paul’s journey to where he is now handily juggling improv, characters, podcast appearances, and his return to the “brick wall brotherhood”.
2. Hulu is trying their hand at the panel discussion series game and going with the black focused The Conversations Project. A curated panel of black luminaries from every field will talk about the most pressing issues around a neatly set dining table. That said, in the official trailer, you’ll notice that it’s mostly the comedians Phoebe Robinson, Wyatt Cenac, Josh Johnson, Jordan Carlos, Rell Battle, and Roy Wood Jr. doing the majority of the talking. Find out what their hot takes/incisive points will be when The Conversations Project premieres on Hulu on Mon. Aug. 28th.
3. As the 100th day of the WGA/SAG-AFTRA Strike comes to pass, Tinseltown is feeling how tied their hands are with talent not being able to not only work on their shows, but go out and promote them as well. Since Peacock cannot count on Craig Robinson to cross the picket line to promote the second season of Killing It, they’re aiming to put the first three episodes on multiple platforms including YouTube, USA Network, and TikTok (THR). We sincerely hope this doesn’t mean we have to watch an entire half hour and/or hour long programming on TikTok in the not so distant future.
4. UK comedy star, Romesh Ranganathan, will have another shot at American stardom (the first being Showtime reality series Just Another Immigrant) with the arrival of his latest sitcom, Avoidance (Variety). As the UK’s latest dramedy export, Avoidance will be available via BritBox (Variety). Anyone have Britbox?
5. If you’re in and around LA and looking for more guaranteed stage time for your improv team, take a look westward, all the way to Santa Monica. Westside Comedy Theater is holding auditions for their resident teams this month and, as a bonus, Santa Monica is usually ten degrees cooler than the rest of LA. Get more details here.
6. With half of LA seemingly being on strike, maybe a comedians’ could actually have a chance of happening once again?