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A Very Special Episode of The Green Room with Paul Provenza, Live from Paul’s Very Own Backyard
September 12, 2023
News
andy andrist, annie lederman, doug stanhope, henry phillips, kristine levine, paul provenza, the green room

Even though it was over a decade ago since it first premiered and ran for two seasons, The Green Room with Paul Provenza still resonates with any and all comedy fans/nerds/obsessives that come across it. The premise was simply to be a fly on the wall for all those “green room” conversations that happened backstage at a comedy club or theater where some one-of-a-kind comedy gold was spun. During its run, Paul moderated conversations between amazing panels that include Bo Burnham, Marc Maron, Kathy Griffin, Eddie Izzard, Kumail Nanjiani, and more.

All that said, it has been awhile since those magical two seasons aired and folks have had a chance to visit The Green Room with Paul Provenza. Well, that while has come to a close with Paul starting to do shows in his very home, dubbed The Green House, (he “blames” us here at TBC for his backyard becoming a venue, FYI) and sometimes, that includes special, live, outdoor versions of The Green Room, produced by the original pairing of Provenza and Babs Romen (and, full disclosure, we have a hand in running the 1s and 2s too), . If you haven’t had a chance to see one of these special Green Rooms, they are magical.

To show you why The Green Room is so special, here is the latest happening of it that gathers many comedians who are sexual assault/abuse survivors, namely Andy Andrist, Annie Lederman, and Kristine Levine along with Doug Stanhope and Henry Phillips for a truly unbelievable conversation about processing some of the darkest trauma into comedy for both inner peace and hope and solidarity for others.

*TRIGGER WARNING for those sensitive to the topic and discussion of sexual assault/abuse/rape as this conversation dives explicitly into survivor experiences and humor.*

 

TCB Debriefing 9/12/23: Young Love, Ridiculousness Unionizes, Simpsons, CK Doc
September 12, 2023
News
louis ck, rebel wilson, ridiculousness, simpsons, union strong, young love

1. Spun off from Matthew A. Cherry‘s Oscar winning short film, Hair Love, Young Love follows the same family, but in full length animated series form, complete with Issa Rae and Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) as the lead voices. Issa has made her footprint in almost every space in entertainment and she has just added animated TV show to her the list. Take a gander at Young Love‘s first official trailer here, then look for it on Max on Thurs. Sept. 21st.

2. They took a vote and, surprise, surprise, Ridiculousness‘ staff have officially unionized (THR). Wouldn’t it be great if Dyrdek had to take time to acknowledge that, perhaps with some appropriate clips of the WGA strike.

3. With the unveiling of this trailer, The Simpsons is on the threshold of their 35th season, set to premiere on Sun. Oct. 1st. Apologies for elder millenials and Gen-Xers that felt a pang of their age just now.

 

4. Thanks to Greenwich Entertainment, a doc about Louis CK‘s sexcual misconduct appropriately called Sorry/Not Sorry is getting distribution in North America (Deadline). Hopefully, they release before CK has another hour special.

5. How many more years need to pass before all comedy is referred to by our collective parents and extended family as “skits”?

Pick of the Day: Chatterday Nite (in LA) Starting 10/7
September 12, 2023
News
chatterbox, los angeles comedy, stand up comedy

Though still far from what travel guides what consider the “hip” neighborhoods in and around LA, West Covina still remains home to one of the LA comedy scene’s best weekly nights of comedy at The Chatterbox. Partially due to its distance from LA proper as well as their well-earned group of regulars, Chatterbox Comedy, is well worth the trip to further reaches of the Greater LA Area for both comics and comedy fans.

Starting Sat. Oct. 7th at 8PM, you’ll have more chances to see what a great room they’re running out East as Chatterbox is launching a weekly Saturday night show for headliners (as opposed to their showcase format of 6-7 comics). This Saturday night show, which will be called Chatterday Nite, will go with a more traditional headliner format of host, feature, headliner and starting off with the amazing homegrown talents of Chris Estrada, Scott Luhrs, and host Corina Sagun.

Chatterday Nite will be every Saturday night, pairing quite nicely with the Sunday night show. So, make plans to head out to The Chatterbox starting, again, on Oct. 7th after you get your tickets for $10 a pop here. Keep up to date with all things Chatterbox Comedy @chatterboxcomedy on IG.

 

TCB Debriefing 9/11/23: Rotting in the Sun, Yorgos Wins Venice, Daniel Van Kirk, Comics Unleashed
September 11, 2023
News
byron allen, comics unleashed, daniel van kirk, jordan firstman, poor things, rotting in the sun, sebastián silva, venice film festival, yorgos lanthimos

1. If you’ve been wondering what Jordan Firstman has been up to post-Search Party and beyond his IG characters, he’s been part of one of the more meta-films to come out in recent memory. In what might be the latest Sundance gem Rotting in the Sun, Firstman plays himself trying to collaborate with esteemed Chilean director Sebastián Silva (and then some) who is played by none other than Sebastián Silva. The trailer promises something equally trippy and sharply satirical, which proved to be buzzworthy at Sundance. Take a gander for yourself here, then look for Rotting in the Sun in limted release now and then on MUBI beginning Sept. 15th.

2. All hail comedy auteur Yorgos Lanthimos and his latest work, Poor Things, for winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival (i.e. the best film a la the Palme D’or at Cannes). We have a sneaking suspicion that Poor Things could be this (or next) year’s Triangle of Sadness.

3. The unforgettable Daniel Van Kirk is going all over the U.S. of A for his Rose Gold Tour (that’ll culminate in a taping of his latest special in Chicago), spreading his homespun, yet sharply crafted tomfoolery far and wide. Get in on that tickets right now at danielvankirk.com.

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A post shared by Daniel Van Kirk (@danielvankirk)

4. Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed is coming to late night (THR). The end of The Late Late Show and the double strike has CBS (and every other network) at an impasse with what to put on their programming schedule after 10:30pm. The long standing comedian showcase, Comics Unleashed, where Byron Allen often just brings up the topic of a comedian’s joke to make it seem like they’re having a panel discussion, will not only fill in for a late night slot, but will, in its just-ordered limited run on CBS, be the only instance of new stand-up comedy on linear TV.

5. Speaking of the double strike, NBCUniversal Studio Group (guess Comcast NBC Universal wasn’t that catchy?) has suspended their deal with almighty Lorne Michaels (Deadline). Perhaps, this will amount to an actually edgy season of SNL whenever it comes back?

6. So, the AMPTP’s angle is to try to pretend like the strike’s not happening at a Drew Barrymore Show taping? We could have swore that they hired a new crisis PR firm to better their image, but, with shenanigans like this, maybe not?

Pick of the Day: (Return of) Tuesdays at the Red Room (in NYC) Starting 9/12
September 11, 2023
News
emily wilson, kgb bar, nyc comedy, tuesdays at the red room

Emily Wilson has been busy dazzling audiences across the pond at the Edinburgh Fringe with her absolutely riveting solo show, Fixed, over the last several weeks. While she had quite the Summer month in Scotland (including a big interview/write-up in the Guardian), that did mean that Emily’s spectacular Tuesday night show at the KGB Bar’s Red Room had to take a brief hiatus.

That hiatus will thankfully be over starting tomorrow, Sept 12th at 8PM. Tuesdays at the Red Room will resume being one of the best NYC comedy spots on Tuesdays. Emily has stacked her return line-up with Nataly Aukur, Michael Hirsch, and Asad Benbow. Keep up with the show @tuesdaysattheredroom on IG, buy tickets here at $9.26 a pop, and this be part of your weekly routine yet again.

TCB Debriefing 9/8/23: Typist Artist Pirate King, Tiffany Haddish’s Pay for Movie Debut, Hasan Minhaj Tour, Julie Seabaugh
September 8, 2023
News
hasan minhaj, julie seabaugh, tiffany haddish, typist artist pirate king

1. While the Brits were the originators of “kitchen sink realism”, perhaps their M.O. now is more accurately described as “bathroom sink irony”, a more deeply personal, yet acutely satirical view on British life that’s either wryly bittersweet or woebegone hilarious. The latest entry to join this wave might be Carol Morley’s Typist Artist Pirate King, a dramedy following the latter days of celebrated real life artist Audrey Amiss and a journey she took with her psychiatric nurse. Kelly MacDonald and Monica Dolan star here in the newest UK comedy export to make you feel all the feels. Take a gander at the UK trailer here for its UK rollout (and maybe VOD?) to start on Oct. 27th.

2. Before launching in to undeniable stardom in Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish didn’t get paid a cent for the first movie she starred in as it was a non-union role leaving her nothing more than a handful of DVD copies of the movie from the producers for her to sell (Variety). Just a friendly reminder about the importance of staying #unionstrong.

3. These are the dates and cities for Hasan Minhaj’s Off With His Head tour. Get tickets here quick as they’re already going very, very fast.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hasan Minhaj (@hasanminhaj)

4. Our good friend Julie Seabaugh, who just happens to be, for our money, one of comedy journalism’s most preeminent voices, just published a book of her best interview and pieces, many of which are in their unedited, full form (i.e. everything that should have been fit to print). Wonderfully titled A Tight 20: Two Decades of Comedy Journalism, it is a must read/have for comedy fans of all kinds.

5. We remember a showrunner once telling us that it’s “show business, not show art”, though it’s clear now, more than ever, that the show business can’t really run without the show art.

Pick of the Day: Goodstock ’99 (in LA) 9/9
September 8, 2023
News
elysian theater, los angeles comedy

If going to the Elysian is one of your favorite ways to beat the heat in LA (and we’ve really been feeling it this Summer thanks to climate change), then you might want to turn up this Saturday, Sept. 9th to their big one-day comedy & music festival extravaganza. Called Goodstock ’99, the Elysian is gathering many of their favorite folks from all over town to raise money for their A/C system, a crucial part of the theater, especially with the record temperatures we’ve been getting in the Greater LA Area.

They’re running from 12PM all the way to midnight with a jam packed schedule as follows:

  • 12:00PM: Vendors Open
  • 2:00 PM: Childrens Hour w / Kate Micucci, Joybell & Brother James
  • 3:00PM: Kyle Helf
  • 3:30PM: Zoog Dabbity
  • 4:00PM: BBY DRE
  • 4:30PM: Johnny Ass
  • 5:00PM: Pearl Charles
  • 5:45PM: George McAuliffe
  • 6:00PM: Pearl Derringer
  • 6:30PM: George McAuliffe
  • 7:00PM: Myke Wright
  • 7:45PM: Roxanne Starnick
  • 8:15PM: Gentleman Cowboys
  • 8:45PM: Softer
  • 9:30PM: MIRTHQUAKE
  • 10:15PM: World Destroyers Pleasure Club
  • 11:00PM: Number One Popstar

There will be food and fashion vendors as well all for the nice price of $25. That will directly go towards A/C repairs, refrigeration, and more to have the Elysian be it’s very best for it’s glamorous audiences.

Get more info and tickets right here.

TCB Debriefing 9/7/23: Quiz Lady, Atsuko Okatsuka, Sam Jay, Dreaming Whilst Black, Fallon
September 7, 2023
News
atsuko okatsuka, dreaming whilst black, hbo, jimmy fallon, quiz lady, sam jay, tonight show

1. Awkwafina and Sandra Oh join forces for what could be a very, very fun buddy road comedy that vaguely echoes Little Miss Sunshine in Quiz Lady. Take a gander with the trailer here, then look out for it on Hulu starting Nov. 3rd.

2. The marvelous Atsuko Okatsuka is about to go back out on the road for her Full Grown Tour. So, you better go get your tickets ASAP before they sell out.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Atsuko Okatsuka (@atsukocomedy)

3. If you’ve been wondering what Sam Jay has been up to since it has been a minute since Pause with Sam Jay, you have your answer in the trailer for her brand new hour special, Salute Me or Shoot Me, the long awaited follow-up to 3 in the Morning. Look for it on Max starting Sept. 23rd.

4. Your favorite new British dramedy might be right around the corner with Dreaming Whilst Black from Adjani Salmon. Take a full look with its first full length trailer here, then look for it on Paramount+ (yes, this is where Showtime Anytime was headed) starting tomorrow.

5. Several of the rumblings and rumors you’ve heard from former Tonight Show staff over the last several years were effectively confirmed following a personal apology from Jimmy Fallon himself in response to a damning article published in Rolling Stone. We’re guessing that there’s more to the story of the “freak accident” of how he broke his finger and had to have a huge cast on his hand while hosting for several weeks. If you’re not already listening to Strike Force Five, now is probably a good time to get into it.

6. Apologies for missing out on a debriefing yesterday. We’re putting on two shows this month, one of which is our 13th anniversary (it’s invite only, but let us know if you want to come!).

Pick of the Day: Jay Larson Live Taping (in LA) 9/17
September 7, 2023
News
comedy store, jay larson, live taping, los angeles comedy, stand up

One of the keenest observers and storytellers in comedy is, without a doubt, Jay Larson. To this day, he still has one of the most popular sets on Conan and, for our money, has some of the best crowd work questions. Larson has been the type of comedian for several years now, making his performances a delight whenever/wherever they happen.

With that in mind, Larson is doing a very special taping of his “signature bits” in the intimate space of the Belly Room at The Comedy Store. Don’t miss Jay essentially doing his “greatest hits” once more on Sun. Sept. 17th at 7PM & 9:30PM. Tickets are only $10 (+ 2 drink min.). Go get them here and here, respectively.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 180: Beth Lapides & Conversation Sanctity
September 6, 2023
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
alternative comedy, beth lapides, los angeles comedy, uncabaret

For an independent comedy show of any kind to last a year is a feat in such a city as Los Angeles. UnCabaret, created by Beth Lapides, has lasted for around 30 years and is very much continuing to foster a special community with its sort-of-light-bulb-moment-focused storytelling/stand-up show. It’s an undeniable institution in comedy and foundational to alternative comedy as we know and love it. This week’s TCB Field Report talks to Lapides and the history of her beautiful gathering that she has created and what goes into keeping conversation, especially the sort that’s had between performer and audience, sacred.

Follow UnCabaret @uncabaret across socials and Beth @beth_lapides on IG.

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger

Pick of the Day: How to Start a Fire with Sydnee Washington (in NYC) 9/20
September 6, 2023
News
nyc comedy, solo show, storytelling, Sydnee Washington, union hall

Though Sydnee Washington has indeed returned to NYC, she is far from a prodigal daughter. It was wondrous having her comedic spirit in and around LA for her limited stint, but, alas, her heart is in New York and is at home.

To mark her momentous homecoming, Sydnee is putting up her fantastic solo show, How To Start a Fire, once again at Union Hall. For the uninitiated, yes, the title is literal (and a little metaphorical as well) and a damn great collection of stories from Sydnee’s early years leading up to the eponymous event.

Welcome Sydnee back to NYC and please enjoy/re-enjoy this solo show on Wed. Sept. 20th at 10PM. Tickets are $18.98 and you can and should go get ’em here.

TCB Debriefing 9/5/23: Beth Stelling, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Hasan Minhaj, Woody Allen/Cancel Culture, Meme Fighter LIVE
September 5, 2023
News
beth stelling, chicken run, hasan minhaj, meme fighter, shane gillis, woody allen

1. Following up one of the best comedy specials in recent memory, Girl Daddy, the brilliant Beth Stelling just announced a new hour special, If You Didn’t Want Me Then,  exclusive to Netflix, due out just under a month from now on Tues. Oct. 3rd. Definitely set aside time to watch/revel/laugh/enjoy this the second it comes out.

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A post shared by Beth Stelling (@bethstelling)

2. Also due out on Netflix is the latest from stop motion animation legend Nick Park, the sequel to the unequivocally charming Chicken Run, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. By the way, if you’re feeling out of sorts these days because of, well, the world, a deep dive into the Nick Park universe is a pretty great pick-me-up.

3. Make sure you’re at the ready tomorrow morning when tickets go on sale for Hasan Minhaj‘s latest tour, Off With His Head. That will mark the third hour in a trio of hours entitled Homecoming King, The King’s Jester, and, now, Off With His Head. A la Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s Cornetto trilogy, will this be a sort of a ‘Royal Court’ trilogy?

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A post shared by Hasan Minhaj (@hasanminhaj)

4. Woody Allen claims to not know what it means to be canceled during the screening of his latest movie at Venice Film Festival (Deadline). He hasn’t every really stopped working and putting out movies (and that Amazon series that was very quickly forgotten), so was he ever really canceled (even if his work from the last several years have been his least acclaimed)?

5. Once again, we’re doing a very special live game show, Meme Fighter LIVE! on 9/23 in LA, with the good folks at brand new meme-making-app, Meme Fighter. See Dylan Adler, Ify Nwadiwe, and Jenny Zigrino try and claim comedy supremacy with only memes at their disposal with Nick Gligor presiding over the battle of memetic wits. Tix now on sale HERE.

6. Ironically, Shane Gillis, who is no stranger to controversy, told essentially the same joke that Bill Maher got in trouble for right after 9/11 in his new hour special, Beautiful Dogs. We’re pretty sure it’s parallel thought, but Gillis won’t experience anywhere near the heat for the joke in 2023 and, given how schadenfraude-obsessed edgelords and their fans are, it isn’t necessarily because 9/11 happened over 20 years ago.

Pick of the Day: Meme Fighter LIVE! (in LA) 9/23
September 5, 2023
News
Dylan Adler, game show, ify nwadiwe, jenny zigrino, los angeles comedy, lyric hyperion, meme fighter, nick gligor

As it stands now, there is no undisputed sort of King of Iron Fist Tournament for comedy, but, we here at The Comedy Bureau have partnered with brand spankin’ new app, Meme Fighter, to get a bit closer to such a thing with the aptly named Meme Fighter LIVE!

As you might surmise, we pit some of the very best comedians (and you know we mean that when WE here at TCB say it) versus each other with memes as the only “weapon” at their disposal. Meme Fighter Live! will decide comedy supremacy through the shrewdest, most hysterical manipulation of the language of the Internet.

For this inaugural edition, we have the esteemed “fighters” of Dylan Adler, Ify Nwadiwe & Jenny Zigrino, all undeniable comedic forces in their own rights under the presiding of one of the best hosts around, Nick Gligor. They will all gather at Lyric Hyperion on Sat. Sept. 23rd at 9:30PM and for $15 you can get a front row seat to see who is the cleverest and funniest of them all (seriously, we’re part of the running the show, which means it’ll be a damn good time).

Get tickets right now right here.

TCB Debriefing 9/1/23: Bottoms Goes Wide, How I Met Your Father, Titmouse/BWAS, Bridgett Everett, Poor Things
September 1, 2023
News
black women animate studios, bottoms, bridget everett, how i met your father, poor things, titmouse

1. Let 2023 be the year of Barbenheimer and Bottoms. Emma Seligman, Rachel Sennott, and Ayo Edebiri made such an astounding comedy that, between Barbie and Bottoms, The Oscars should be flipping the script and giving more nods to comedy in 2024. Celebrate that by going to see Bottoms, now in expanded release so you don’t have to be a coastal elite to go see it in a movie theater.

2. So, it looks like, we won’t get to know exactly How I Met Your Father.

3. The Titmouse Foundation, the non-profit arm of Titmouse Anmation (the studio behind the likes of Big Mouth, Digman!, and The Midnight Gospel) are partnering with Black Women Animate Studios to bolster the goal of hiring “200 diverse animation professionals by the end of 2025” (Deadline). Glad to see more folks are ignoring the conservative activist SCOTUS.

4. While you’ve enjoyed multiple seasons of Somebody Somewhere, you have might been missing on some new tunes from comedy’s cabaret icon, Bridget Everett. Fret not, a new single is coming very soon.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bridget Everett (@bridgeteverett)

5. Yorgos Lanthimos, the master behind The Lobster and The Favourite, has just scored a ten minute standing ovation following the premiere of his latest work, the bizarre sci-fi-period-piece-sex comedy, Poor Things. While festivals timing their standing ovations is an almost unfathomable display of privilege, we can’t lie that the anticipation for Poor Things is somehow even higher.

6. Might be controversial here, but, perhaps, there should be no 2 drink/item minimum on Labor Day Weekend?

Pick of the Day: Pooping It Out with Maria Bamford & Friends (in NYC) 9/5-9/7
September 1, 2023
News
maria bamford, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

Maria Bamford is bringing her early, rise and shine stand-up comedy shows across the country all the way to NYC. Whether you’re an early riser or just keeping the night going through to the morning, you’re going to want to watch living and working comedy legend Maria Bamford do a three day run at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective that she’s choosing to call Pooping It Out with Maria Bamford and Friends.

Maria is working her new hour, which is part of the reason why these shows are at 10AM, and will have some of NYC’s very best opening for her, bright and early (for comedians anyway). Joining in support will be Sara Hennessey, Shalewa Sharpe, and Sam Morrison at 10AM on 9/5-9/7.

$10 advanced tickets are already sold out, but you’ll be able to get a chance to see her with limited tickets available at the door (i.e. get up extra early to make sure you get in).

TCB Debriefing 8/31/23: Brooks Wheelan, Amber Ruffin, Ridiculousness, Rick and Morty S7,
August 31, 2023
News
amber ruffin, brooks wheelan, rick and morty, ridiculousness, wga strike

1. Brooks Wheelan has done some daring things for comedy including, but not limited to running an entire marathon on a whim on next to no training at the beginning of quarantine. For his latest feat, Wheelan will be taping his brand new hour special in the far reaches of Anchorage, Alaska at the appropriately named Bear Tooth Theater. To our knowledge, Brooks will have what will be one of very few hours of comedy recorded and released in Alaska (the only other one that comes to mind is Glenn Wool’s I’ll Ask Her). Go get tickets for Wheelan’s taping, if you’re up there, here.

2. While the future of The Amber Ruffin Show and late night in general is unclear, Amber Ruffin is already working on adapting the book she co-wrote with her sister Lacey Lamar (Deadline). Of course, nothing definite is set as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are still in effect. Also, isn’t it weird that Strike Force Five doesn’t include Ruffin, especially considering she is now the only non-cis-hetero-white-man in late night?

3. The writers of Ridiculousness, many of whom are comedians, are putting up the possibility of unionizing under the banner of the WGA to a vote (Deadline). One can hope that this is yet another small step to comedians having their own union?

4. Yes, Rick and Morty is such an international phenomenon that Adult Swim can make content out of just announcing episode titles, which usually don’t give almost anything away. That’s what they did here, but they better have more Rick and Morty teasers as the premiere is still several weeks away on Oct. 15th on Adult Swim.

5. If you’re legitimately exploring a comedic premise that has to do with your fondness for any time in the past being a “simpler time”, perhaps do some soul searching.

Pick of the Day: The Simpsons Bailout: Rebooting an American Family (in LA) 9/11
August 31, 2023
News
experimental comedy, los angeles comedy, simpsons, the elysian

In its 34th season and having its very own theme park, The Simpsons has left its indelible stamp on civilization for several generations to come. That said, its latter years have been troubled with figuring its place in the ever-changing zeitgeist, especially with the emergence of other highly satirical adult animation shows such as BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty.

Also, they really let handled the controversy surrounding recurring character Apu (a caricature of an Indian man being voiced by Hank Azaria) pretty poorly, even after Azaria volunteered to step down.

With that in mind, Laura Jacoves has created a show, The Simpsons Bailout: Rebooting an American Family, centered on jolting The Simpsons back towards the irrefutable significance from its pitch perfect satire that it delivered for so many years. On Monday, 9/11, at 9:30PM at the Elysian, LA’s home of boundary pushing comedy, Laura and company will be doing their own bailout of The Simpsons.

Esteemed performances/art/etc. to come from:

  • David Brown
  • Colin Burgess
  • Brett Davis
  • Bridey Elliott
  • Mitra Jouhari
  • Kaye, Loggins
  • Molly Bounds
  • Maggie Brennen
  • Conor Donahue
  • Simeon Kondev
  • Katie Lane
  • Branson Reese

At the very least, your curiosity has to be peaked, even if you haven’t watched The Simpsons in years. That’s actually part of why you should spend $15 to see what everyone has up their sleeve at this show. Get tickets right here.

TCB Debriefing 8/30/23: Chris Fleming, The Great, Poor Things, Our Flag Means Death S2, Marry My Dead Body
August 30, 2023
News
chris fleming, marry my dead body, our flag means death, poor things, the great

1. Hot on the heels of his fantastic special, HELL (now streaming on Peacock), the amazing Chris Fleming is going on a nice lil’ U.S. tour starting this winter. Get tickets now at chrisflemingfleming.com.

2. The latest culling during this double strike is of The Great on Hulu, despite it garnishing plenty of acclaim and awards over 3 seasons (EW). One can only hope that things will get uncanceled after the strikes end a la “the blip” in the MCU?

3. Yorgos Lanthimos’ (the beautiful mind behind The Lobster) latest high concept satire, Poor Things, gets a fancy new poster, a featurette, and even more anticipation from us on our ends for something we were already extremely excited for.

4. Well, at least Our Flag Means Death survives for another season (we’ll see what happens in the coming months). For now, enjoy a dollop of the latest from the most ridiculous pirate tale you ever did hear/see with the season 2 teaser here. Look for the season premiere on Oct. 5th exclusively on Max.

5. AMPAS, the governing body of The Oscars, still has the unfortunate rule of countries only being allowed to submit one film in consideration for the Best International Feature category. So, it’s a big deal when a country chooses a comedy to represent its national cinema, which is what Taiwan has done with the marvelously titled Marry My Dead Body (Deadline). Off the premise alone, which is “…a homophobic cop who is forced into a same-sex “ghost” marriage to appease the spirit of a man who has passed away. Although terrified of both homosexuality and ghosts, he has no choice but to team with his ghostly spouse to solve a long-running drugs case,” this has a strong case for an Oscar, no?

6. For any and all coming up in comedy, remember that no one is keeping attendance in comedy (i.e. it’s ok to not get five sets a night or even go up every night). If anything, we here at TCB would be responsible for keeping tabs of that and there is no way in hell we’re doing that.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 179: Jesse Friedman & Those Fightin’ Memes
August 30, 2023
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
jesse friedman, meme fighter, memes

It’s undeniable that memes are a touchstone of culture in the 21st century. With that in mind, renaissance man  Jesse Friedman (brewery owner, app developer, avid Epicurean) has gone and developed a whole app centered on coming up with your own memes as quickly and as simply as possible (and even doing so competitively).

The product of that idea is Meme Fighter, which will do all of the above and probably more, and we here at TCB are partnering with Jesse to put on an exclusive live show, Meme Fighter LIVE!, that will pit comedians in ultimate combat with only memes at their disposal. This week’s TCB Field Report talks all about Jesse’s journey from brewing all the way to Meme Fighter and finding some grassroots for the app in the LA comedy community.

Get Meme Fighter at memefighter.app and follow Meme Fighter on IG @memefighterapp. Get tickets for Meme Fighter LIVE! @ Lyric Hyperion on Sat. 9/23 here.

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger

Pick of the Day: Keegan-Michael Key & Elle Key: The History of Sketch Comedy (in NYC & LA) 10/3 & 10/6
August 30, 2023
News
elle key, greenlight bookstore, history of sketch comedy, keegan michael key, los angeles comedy, nyc comedy

While there are many a book covering the history and experience of Saturday Night Live, the entirety of sketch comedy goes far beyond the late night sketch institution. In fact, most books that you’d find in the humor section of your local book store have little to do with the world of sketch comedy as it’s mostly comprised of memoirs of stand-up comedians or comedic actors. There isn’t much when it comes to the “history of sketch comedy”, which is why Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key of Key & Peele fame have written/compiled an entire book on the subject, complete with chats with Mel Brooks, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jordan Peele, Chris Rock, and John Oliver.

The title gets straight to the point: The History of Sketch Comedy (due out on Oct. 3rd). The Keys will be doing an exclusive in-person event at Symphony Space in NYC to celebrate the release of their book on Tues. Oct. 3rd at 8PM. For LA, they’ll be at Barnes & Noble at The Grove on Fri. Oct. 6th at 7PM.

You can (and should) go get your tickets here for NYC starting at $42 and here for LA for $36.43, then go binge a bunch of your all time favorite sketches in preparation for this. The purchase of a ticket includes a hardbound copy of The History of Sketch Comedy (in case you thought the ticket price was a bit up there).

TCB Debriefing 8/29/23: Strike Force Five, Starstruck, Jay Jurden, Book of Clarence
August 29, 2023
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book of clarence, jay jurden, jeymes samuel, jimmy fallon, jimmy kimmel, john oliver, late night, rose matafeo, seth meyers, starstruck, stephen colbert, strike force five

1. The Jimmys, John, Seth, and Stephen are banding together as Strike Force Five in order to support the staff of their late night shows, which have been the productions that have suffered the longest from the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike. Kimmel, Fallon, Oliver, Meyers, and Colbert will be doing a limited run series (though plenty of episodes should be coming out) where they chat (and will hopefully provide some sort of respite from Gutfeld! being the defacto #1 late night show on the air). Strike Force Five rolls out exclusively on Spotify starting tomorrow and proceeds from the pod go to all those late night staffers, which have all probably grown some sort of strike beard by now.

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A post shared by Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon)

2. Rose Matafeo‘s chance encounter with celebrity romance has blossomed into one of the rom com series to watch of the moment, Starstruck. Season 3 is just around the corner (Sept. 28th) on Max and you can get your first taste here.

3. The irrefutably hilarious Jay Jurden just added more dates to his Kinda Sorta Sorta Kinda North American tour. Go get tickets before they sell out (again) here.

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A post shared by Jay Jurden (@jayjurden)

4. Jeymes Samuel, the director behind modern day black Western The Harder They Fall, is at it again (i.e. changing the racial narrative paradigm in genre movies) with The Book of Clarence that follows a Jesus copycat in Jesus times. It almost feels like this would have been an episode straight out of the fifth season of Atlanta (if there was one). Take your first gander at The Book of Clarence here, then look for it in theaters in 2024.

5. Per item #1, late night really does need help as they’re resorting to compilations such as “Best of SNL Writers on Seth Meyers” since they’ve been off air for so very long.

Pick of the Day: StraightioLab (in LA) 9/16
August 29, 2023
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George Civeris, live podcast, los angeles comedy, sam taggart, straightiolab, teragram ballroom

NYC has the distinct pleasure of having the brilliant George Civeris and Sam Taggart, the hosts of the esteemed StraightioLab podcast, reside in their city. The duo are truly doing critical and acclaimed work exploring straight culture, which is pretty absurd (especially given how mainstream it is), through a gay lens (and being so damn funny while doing it).

Thankfully, they’re going on their Lab Leak Tour for StraightioLab and one of their stops is a still hurricane free Los Angeles. on Sat. Sept. 16th, Civeris and Taggart will take the stage at the Teragram Ballroom near DTLA at 6PM. The show is only a couple weeks away and, somehow, there are tickets still available ($30 plus fees). You might want to snag your very own tickets before they sell out right here.

TCB Debriefing 8/28/23: Fremont, Bottoms, Eric Andre, Cat in the Hat
August 28, 2023
News
bottoms, cat in the hat, eric andre, fremont

1. Behold what might be your new favorite black and white comedy for this year, Fremont, the wry comedy from Babak Jalali that follows an Afghan immigrant writing the fortunes in fortune cookies. If that’s not charming enough for you, know that Carmy Berzatto and Neil Hamburger have bit parts in it. Get a lovely taste of it with the trailer here, then look for it in limited release at a theater near you.

2. The astounding Bottoms already throttled the funny bone of speciality theater audiences this past weekend and is poised to take over America in expanded release starting Sept. 1st. Go see it in a theater no matter how far you are from one that’s playing it, which hopefully won’t be too far beginning this Friday.

3. Master of Comedic Chaos, Eric Andre, has just announced a big U.S. tour, The Eric Andre Explosion, running through all of October and December. Tickets go on sale this Wed, but use code RANCH to get in on presales. Also, expect the completely unexpected and don’t think the “splash zone”, if there is one, is just the first couple of rows.

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A post shared by Eric Andre (@ericfuckingandre)

4. Dr. Seuss‘ classic children’s books are getting adapted into podcast form via Wondery/Amazon (Variety). This is a whole new level of whether audiobooks count as “reading”.

5. Rather than credits, would much rather prefer to hear what a specific comedian fears as part of their intro.

Pick of the Day: Return of Butterboy (in NYC) Starting 9/4
August 28, 2023
News
brooklyn, butterboy, littlefield, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

School is back in session and, thankfully, so is the Monday night comedy institution that is Butterboy @ Littlefield. Jo Firestone, Maeve Higgins, and Donwill took a bit of Summer break (because can adults do that too/Edinburgh Fringe usually sees a lot of LA & NYC go to Scotland for a month).

So, now you can find your way to Gowanus to Brooklyn staple, Littlefield at 8PM sharp for one of the most surefire ways to make Monday feel not like a Monday (with NYC and beyond’s best stand-up comedians). Per usual, tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door and Jo, Maeve, and Donwill will greet all of those coming back with them on Mon. Sept. 4th.

Oh yeah, their first line-up is a bunch of irrefutable NYC favorites including Napoleon Emill, Caitlin Cook, Petey DeAbreu, and Cansu Karabiyik.

As always get tix, more info, etc. at butterboycomedy.com.

TCB Debriefing 8/25/23: High Plains Comedy Festival, Bill Burr World Tour, Bottoms, Titanique
August 25, 2023
News
bill burr, bottoms, high plains comedy festival, titanique

1. One of the world’s coolest comedy festivals, Denver’s High Plains Comedy Festival, just announced their final wave of performers including:

  •  Langston Kerman
  • Amy Miller
  • Kristin Rand
  • Stephen Agyei
  • Mara Wiles
  • Kevin O’Brien
  • Allison Rose
  • Harris Alterman
  • Hayden Kristal
  • Rosalie
  • Sammy Anzer
  • Andres Becerril
  • Edward Bell
  • Austin Black
  • Katie Bowman
  • Ben Bryant
  • Christie Buchele
  • Janae Burris
  • Liv Carter
  • Matt Cobos
  • Georgia Comstock
  • Anthony Crawford
  • John Davis
  • Nic Dean
  • Joshua Emerson
  • Brad Galli
  • Morgan Gallo
  • Luke Gaston
  • Brent Gill
  • Steven Gillespie
  • Gabby Gutierrez-Reed
  • Shanel Hughes
  • Michael Isaacs
  • Mitch Jones
  • Ali Kareem
  • Dē Kelley
  • Ben Kronberg
  • Lane Lonion
  • Nathan Lund
  • Zac Maas
  • Jose Macall
  • Andie Main
  • Danny Maupin
  • Kate McLachlan
  • Miriam Moreno
  • Jeff Nelson
  • Nancy Norton
  • John Novosad
  • Hannah Popkin
  • Zach Reinert
  • Noah Reynolds
  • Patrick Richardson
  • Lee Robinson
  • David Rodriguez
  • Kelsey Rosen
  • ShaNae Ross
  • Jacob Rupp
  • Derrick Rush
  • BK Sharad
  • Sam Sisson
  • Mike Stanley
  • Jeff Stonic
  • Eeland Stribling
  • Kate Strobel
  • Brian Sullivan
  • Geoff Tice
  • Steve Vanderploeg
  • Matt Vogl
  • Elliot Weber
  • Lizzy Wolfson
  • Salma Zaky

So many more great comics are billed for Sept. 21st-23rd and you really go get more info, make plans, and get tickets here.

2. The one and only Bill Burr is going on a world tour that stretches from the UAE to Budapest to Vegas. You might want to get tickets sooner rather than later at billburr.com/tour.

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A post shared by Bill Burr (@wilfredburr)

3. Very quickly, Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott‘s Bottoms is astounding and hysterical and a great wake up call to the genre of high school, coming-of-age comedies and so many other things. We’ll give more thorough thoughts later, but definitely take advantage of National Cinema Day and go see one of the funniest, most badass films of 2023.

4. Once a curiosity in and around smaller comedy theaters in NYC, Titanique has not only played on Late Night with Seth Meyers, but has gone Off-Broadway and has just added LA comedy staple, Drew Droege, to its cast (Theater Mania).

5. If live comedy is set up right, there’s nowhere in the room that comic can’t hear you talking, which you shouldn’t be doign (in case you didn’t realize that).

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