News – Page 47 – The Comedy Bureau

Pick of the Day: Megan Stalter (in LA) 3/14

February 28, 2022

largo, los angeles comedy, megan stalter, stand up comedy

Ever since we saw Megan Stalter take the stage at Genghis Cohen all those years ago, we knew that there were plenty of dates destined for her on bigger, brighter, and more renowned stages ahead. Thanks a lot COVID for making that wait a lot longer.

Now, Meg is going to have a night all to herself and however she wants it to go (beautifully controlled mischief most likely) at one of LA’s most revered theatres, Largo (@ The Coronet). This night, on Mon. Mar. 14th at 8:30PM PT, will be the very first of what we hope will be several performances there for Meg and you really best get tickets before they sell out (Meg has really hardcore stans, FYI).

Get tickets here now.

SXSW 2022 Announces SXSW Comedy Festival Line-Up for This Year (Yep, the First One Since 2020)

February 28, 2022

News

asssscat, byron bowers, comedy festival, creek and the cave, eddie pepitone, jim gaffigan, joe derosa, john cleese, jon daly, matt besser, mitra jouhari, rosebud baker, shane torres, sxsw, the comedy store, three busy debras

In Jan./Feb. 2020, we were so excited that we were getting to go to SXSW for their big comedy shindig for the first time. For years, SXSW’s comedy off-shoot was a pretty big, fantastic swell of comedy in Austin, an already very solid, thriving comedy scene as is.

2020 was 2020 and, of course, that didn’t happen. SXSW was actually one of the world’s first major festivals to postpone indefinitely due to COVID-19.

Now, here in Feb. 2022, SXSW is thankfully resuming their comedy festival and are doing things up bigger than we remember from last time. From Mar. 11th-19th, those in attendance will get to see the comedy stylings of:

Alyssa Stonoha • Andy Haynes • Anthony Atamanuik • Blair Socci • Bonnie McFarlane • Bruce McCulloch • Byron Bowers • Camilla Cleese • Danielle Schneider • Doug Benson • Dulcé Sloan • Eddie Pepitone • Eleanor Kerrigan • Emma Willman • Ian Lara • Jessica Michelle Singleton • Jim Gaffigan • Joe DeRosa • John Cleese • John Gemberling • Jon Daly • Kiry Shabazz • Liza Treyger • Logan Guntzelman • Marina Franklin • Mary Lynn Rajskub • Matt Besser • Matthew Broussard • Mike Lawrence • Mike Yard • Mitra Jouhari • Nick Thune • Punkie Johnson • Rich Vos • Ricky Velez • Rosebud Baker • Sandy Honig • Scott Thompson • Sean Patton • Shane Torres • Stuart Goldsmith • Vanessa Gonzalez • Yamaneika Saunders

as well as special presentations/events:

Adult Swim Presents Three Busy Debras Season 2 Sneak Peek • ASSSSCAT (the first in-person since 2020) • The Comedian’s Comedian • A Night at the Comedy Store • Comedy with the Cleeses • The Creek & The Cave • Doug Loves Movies • Find Your Beach • Gotham Comedy Club • improv4humans • Matt Besser’s 420 Show • Roast Battle • The Stand NYC • Wide World of Dougs • Would You Bang Him?

Since SF Sketchfest had to postpone again, this will be the first big comedy festival of 2022 and you wouldn’t want to miss that, now would you?

If you don’t already have a badge for SXSW, you best get on that right now, right here.

iHeart Podcast Union Gets Official Recognition; Production Teams for Rick & Morty and Solar Opposites File to Unionize

February 25, 2022

News

iheart, iheart podcast, rick and morty, solar opposites

Only a few months ago did the staffers at iHeart’s podcast arm announce that they were seeking unionization and a collective bargaining agreement. As of yesterday, Feb. 24th, the iHeart Podcast Union was officially recognized. This represents a huge step for the whole world of podcasting as well as the shows under the iHeart Podcast Union banner including How Did We Get Weird? with Vanessa and Jonah Bayer, Life Will Be the Death of Me with Chelsea Handler, Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, a number of Jamie Loftus audio projects/shows, and Will Ferrell‘s own imprint, Big Money Players. Perhaps, other big podcast networks will follow suit as podcasts have increasingly become the way to circumvent gatekeepers in order to build an audience/make a living/tour in comedy and elsewhere in entertainment.

Also on the comedy unionization front, the production teams behind adult animated hits Rick & Morty and Solar Opposites are both filing for collective bargaining agreements with The Animation Guild (via Deadline). Both Justin Roiland co-created shows have multiple seasons under their belt, at Netflix and Hulu respectively, and thusly require a dedicated team to crank out the episode orders that keep coming in. That includes production managers, production supervisors, design assistants, casting assistants, storyboard coordinators and office production coordinators and assistants. Unfortunately, the studios behind either show have not formally recognized either group as part of The Animation Guild yet.

We hope that the feeling that a wave of unionizing in and around comedy is, after these two steps forward, are more than just a feeling.

Pick of the Day: Chris Rock: Ego Death (in LA & NYC) Oct. & Nov.

February 25, 2022

News

chris rock, dolby theatre, la comedy, stand up comedy

When Chris Rock has dates lined up somewhere, is there any more to say than the comedy legend is coming to town in order to convince you to go? There most certainly shouldn’t be, especially after the vulnerability he had in his last special, Tamborine, that gave us a look at a never before seen side of Rock.

Rock, of course, isn’t just going to play any old comedy club and as such, wants it to be at a time where, hopefully, we will be a stage at the pandemic/endemic where thousands of folks can gather together once more in a crowded theater.

So, with all of that in mind, Chris Rock has set the dates for his latest tour, Ego Death, which will include a stop at Radio City Music Hall in NYC on 10/6 & 10/7 and The Dolby Theatre here in LA on 11/17 & 11/18. Tickets start at $69.50 (plus fees) at the Dolby and $102 at Radio City Music Hall. Best go get them here before they inevitably sell out.

Russell Howard Finally Gets Back to America, Starting with Colbert

February 24, 2022

News

late night, late show, russell howard, stand up comedy, stephen colbert

One of the UK’s current best comedy exports (and, consequently, one of the world’s biggest comedians), Russell Howard was supposed to go on a global tour that got was cut short back in 2020 because of, well, you know by now.

Now, on this side of things, Russell, one of the most upbeat comedians working today by the way, has hopped back on his global tour now called Respite. He’ll be working his way through North America starting next month, but kicked off his joyous arrival stateside on one of our biggest stages, The Ed Sullivan Theater at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Enjoy Russell’s cheery and spirited stand-up (that isn’t too cheery to the point of annoyance) here, then maybe go snag tickets for a date on Russell’s Respite tour near you at russell-howard.co.uk.

Pick of the Day: The Comedy Co-op Presents Moon Goon (in LA) 3/5

At Feb. 24th, 2022, there’s still no telling what is going to happen with UCB and any sort of in-person return. That said, the beloved performers of the Upright Citizens Brigade, especially the house improv and sketch teams, are still very much around and very much want to take the stage again to perform for those folks that would line-up around the block night after night at any UCB in LA or NYC.

Moon Goon was a heralded Maude sketch team that sported the comedic acumen of many of UCB’s very best including Mary Anthony, Kylie Brakeman, Jill Cepela, Jeremy Culhane, Jasmine Don, Josh Fleury, Angela Giarratana, Paul Heredia, Mary Lou, Skyler Madsen, Chanse McCrary, Patrick McDonald, Nikki Mckenzie, and Andrew Santiago putting up sharply written and daringly performed bits, characters, and more every month pre-pandemic.

Thanks to the Comedy Co-op, Moon Goon is returning again to the stage, this time at the ultra cool, all-inclusive arts/event space Junior High in Glendale on Sat. Mar. 5th at 8PM PT. Tickets are only $12 and the sales go directly to the performers (an important sticking point in The Comedy Co-op‘s mission)

Space is limited, so go get your tickets now before it sells out right here.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 100: Yemi Afolabi & Comedy in Swenglish

February 23, 2022

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

amazing jonathan, aziz ansari, bill murray, daniel radcliffe, european comedy, jerry lewis, king bach, sweden comedy, weird al yankovic, yemi afolabi

Yes, it is The Comedy Bureau Field Report’s 100th Episode. This podcast started at the beginning of the pandemic and the pandemic has been going on this damn long. That said, it’s quite the milestone and, as such, we have Yemi Afolabi, a comedian who TCB’s Jake Kroeger started out with back at the turn of the decade to the 2010s, who has had an astounding journey himself going from finding himself in some corner of comedy in LA to gaining real heat doing stand-up in Sweden (often in Swedish/English hybrid known as Swenglish) and then coming back to NYC to focus in on climbing the ladder in the endlessly competitive NYC comedy scene.

Yemi talks all about that and more as well as “hot” takes on Aziz Ansari/Bill Murray’s latest feature project, the passing of Amazing Jonathan, and more.

Follow Yemi @yemicomedy and Hot & Bothered at @hotandbothered.comedy on IG

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

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

Pick of the Day: Christina Catherine Martinez in Residence (in LA) Tuesdays in March

February 23, 2022

News

catherine christina martinez, elysian theater, la comedy, residency

The summation of her art critic background, penchant for the sublimely absurd in clowning, and her whimsical, class-struggle-informed stand-up is just a bit of why we love and, consequently, write so much about the absolutely splendid Christina Catherine Martinez here at TCB (and elsewhere).

We just got a sneak preview of her upcoming special How To Bake a Cake in the Digital Age and, yet again, was astounded at how cleverly she was defying the form of a comedy special, but still very much getting the jokes out. That’s all to say that is truly something special to see Christina take the stage in any form, no matter what she’s doing/has up her very fashionable sleeves.

So, you should probably go to every one of her residency dates at The Elysian coming next month in March. Christina will be workshopping new performances every Tuesday at the-new-place-to-be in LA comedy at 9PM PT. Tickets are only $12, meaning it would only be $48 for all four shows. Go get tickets to all of them right now right here.

Pick of the Day: BBC World Service Presents Comedians vs. the News (in NYC) 3/8

February 22, 2022

News

eman el-husseini, jess salomon, josh gondelman, zarna garg

The panel show, often comprised of comedians weighing in on the news, is a time honored institution in the UK, bringing many of the UK’s biggest comedians their first bit of exposure. Outside of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Chelsea Lately (and maybe @midnight?), there hasn’t been the same sort of fervor for comedians giving their several cents on the pressing topics of the day in America as it has been across the pond.

We’re not sure why it hasn’t caught on quite as much (now would be an even more perfect time for Tough Crowd in our opinion), but that shouldn’t deter comedians riffing over the news. If you need some sugar to have some of the very hard tasting medicine that the news has been for the last several years (and want something other than the feel good factory that was John Krasinski’s Some Good News or the same old set-up punch sort of monologue jokes), you might want to take advantage of any American comedian news panel show.

Lucky for you, BBC World Service is having that very thing happen under the moniker Comedians vs. The News with the astounding comedy power couple that is Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini and guests (and also very funny comedy people) Josh Gondelman and Zarna Garg taking on whatever is wreaking havoc on the world at the moment.

Catch this Comedians vs. The News in person at the Greene Space in NYC on Tues. Mar. 8th at 7PM ET. Tickets are free, but you better RSVP before they run out right here.

“Eating Salad Drunk”, Out Now, Offers Up Haikus From Many of Comedy’s Best

February 22, 2022

News

aparna nancherla, aubrey plaza, bob odenkirk, chris gethard, comedy poetry, eating salad drunk, haiku, janeane garofalo, jerry seinfeld, maria bamford, roy wood jr, ziwe

Editor and Littlefield booker Gabe Henry not only loves both comedy and haikus, but saw that similarities between the precision of a joke and the 5-7-5 structure of a haiku and wanted to marry the two.

Gathering dozens and dozens of comedy’s very best and renowned including Aparna Nancherla, Roy Wood Jr., Maria Bamford, Bob Odenkirk, Janeane Garofalo, Jerry Seinfeld, Aubrey Plaza, Ziwe, Chris Gethard, and so many more, Eating Salad Drunk: Haikus for the Burnout Age by Comedy Greats gives you perfect morsels of comedic minimalism. Emily Flake even adds some more flavor to the haiku anthology with her wondrous illustrations.

Best of all, all author proceeds will go towards Comedy Gives Back, a crucial nonprofit for comedians, especially when it comes to mental health, medical, and crisis support resources.

You can and very much should get a copy of Eating Salad Drunk, available now wherever books are sold.

Please Enjoy Sam Morril’s Return to Corden

February 22, 2022

News

james corden, late late show, sam morril

It was actually not all that long ago that Sam was hopping from rooftop to rooftop in NYC to record a special in the thick of the pandemic. Yet, seeing Sam take the stage once more at The Late Late Show with James Corden makes that reality so far away, just like Sam’s last set on Corden in 2018 seems like eons ago.

That all said, Sam is still a shining example of classic stand-up that’s cut from today’s cloth with a perfected balance of manipulating turns of phrase, dissecting unassuming minutia, and sharp punchlines. It almost, might possibly seem like, perhaps, that comedy is picking up where it left off in 2019/2020?

In any case, you should enjoy another great late night set from Sam here.

Pick of the Day: Bob Odenkirk: Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama (in LA & NYC) 2/28 + 3/9

February 21, 2022

News

alan sepinwall, bob odenkirk, memoir

Bob Odenkirk, now a comedy legend turn celebrated drama thespian/action star, has recounted his wild, topsy turvy career (it’s almost as unpredictable as an episode of Mr. Show at this point) in his upcoming memoir Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama. Not only will this book undoubtedly be on the reading list of any comedy fan this year and beyond, but Odenkirk is going on an in-person book tour (yes, we’re doing those again) that ought to be a must see event.

For LA & NYC, Odenkirk will be stopping into The William Vale in Brooklyn, with the heralded critic Alan Sepinwall in conversation, on Mon. Feb. 28th at 7:45PM ET and the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo here in LA on Mar. 9th 8PM PT. Tickets are $35 and $50 respectively and includes a signed copy of the book. Get them here and here ASAP.

Nikki Glaser Is Going to Become One of the First Comedians to Have a Reality Series About Her Life with “Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?”

February 18, 2022

News

e!, nikki glaser, reality tv, welcome home nikki glaser

(via Deadline)

For all the bits about reality television that comedians have done over the years, rare is the chance that comedians themselves have actually gotten the experience of being in on anything like the Real Housewives or Vanderpump Rules. Yes, there has been Last Comic Standing, which, in its first few seasons, had all the finalist comedians living in a house together and deal with one another Big Brother style and Nikki herself was the spicy host of HBO Max’s FBoy Island. Nothing else categorized as a reality series for the lives of comedians has been done as of yet.

That’s all going to change with Nikki Glaser.

Nikki Glaser, someone who has risen from the ranks of Last Comic Standing to a pre-eminent roaster and a very funny national touring headliner, is going to get a reality show solely focused on her life. Specifically, Welcome Home Nikki Glaser will follow Nikki moving back, a move that happened during the pandemic, to St. Louis, where she grew up. Glaser’s leaving Hollywood for her hometown is almost like a sitcom unto itself, but Glaser is breaking new ground by having it be a full on reality TV show rather than a run of the mill multi-cam sitcom.

What that will look like, how much will Glaser be doing bits as a part of the reality TV artifice, and how much of this will be a comedy versus a reality TV show like Keeping Up with the Kardashians has yet to be revealed for the upcoming E! series. Still, Glaser is going where, pretty much, only Kevin Hart has gone (with his “tell-all” docu-series Don’t F*ck This Up) at this point in comedy history.

Look for Welcome Home Nikki Glaser on May 1st on E! In the meantime, watch Nikki tell you all about the show herself here while roasting E./E!.

Pick of the Day: GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM! with Wajahat Ali and Hari Kondabolu (in NYC) 2/23

February 18, 2022

News

bell house, brooklyn, hari kondabolu, nyc, nyc comedy, Wajahat Ali

As the world opens up yet again (and we sincerely hope it sticks this time around), many folks are re-acclimatizing themselves to the thing that so many of us took for granted, talking to one another. In this reboot of our conversational and empathy skills, we hope that we’ll be better this time around.

In that spirit, you should watch and enjoy the upcoming conversation between brilliant comedian Hari Kondabolu and writer Wajahat Ali about Ali’s book GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM: AND OTHER HELPFUL RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO BECOME AMERICAN. They’ll have an earnest and blunt chat about being more inclusive and accepting of brown folks of all kinds here in America.

GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM! with Wajahat Ali and Hari Kondabolu is set to go live and in person on Wed. Feb. 23rd at The Bell House in Brooklyn at 7:30PM ET. Tickets are $15 right now and you can (and should) go get them here.

Will Smith’s Stand-Up Series “This Joka” Will Actually Get to See the Light of Day

Well before COVID-19, there was a weekend where many of LA and NYC’s very best comedians that you needed to know were swept up to Vegas to tape a special stand-up comedy series that was entirely put up by the one and only Will Smith. Called This Joka, it was going to be a new introduction to many of our absolute favorite comedians that we personally try to highlight whenever we can here at TCB.

So, not only did COVID-19 put a pause, interrupt the scheduling of, or even outright shut down so much comedy, but This Joka temporarily fell victim to originally be at the ill-fated short form streaming service, Quibi. When the news broke that Quibi was closing up shop, This Joka was still on the docket to premiere and we were worried that this whole series would never get to be seen by you, us, and everyone else that needs to see the future of stand-up comedy.

Thankfully, Roku bought up Quibi’s library including This Joka and we will all get treated to see Will Smith’s curated stand-up series that features Baron Vaughn, Sam Tallent, Punkie Johnson, Rosebud Baker, Clayton English, Chris Estrada, David Gborie, Sean Patton, Megan Gailey, Rell Battle, Shane Torres, Vanessa Gonzalez, Daphinque Springs, Martin Urbano, Jackie Fabulous, and Christi Chiello.

Many have since gone to new heights in their career by the way. Estrada has his own Hulu series in the works, Rosebud got her own special, and Sam became an acclaimed author.

Come Fri. Mar. 4th, you’ll be able to stream This Joka for free on Roku. You can get a taste of what’s to come (and get nostalgic about comedy right before COVID) with the trailer here.

Larry David Is Getting His Own HBO Doc “The Larry David Story”

February 17, 2022

News

comedy documentary, curb your enthusiasm, hbo, larry david

The prospect of a Larry David documentary that follows his rise to some of the highest echelons of comedy success might be attractive just off the idea that you might hear and see Larry take a step back from his Curb Your Enthusiasm persona or any sort of bits or riffing that he is celebrated for.

Also, his rise from being a comedian to creating Seinfeld to following that up with Curb will undoubtedly be a tale that you’ll have to hear as any sort of person doing, involved in, or a fan of comedy.

We’ll get a portrait of Larry’s long and distinguished comedy career in the upcoming HBO doc, The Larry David Story, which is the latest in the row of comedy docs that have come out recently (Phat Tuesdays, We Need to Talk About Cosby, The One and Only Dick Gregory, The Comedy Store, The Real Charlie Chaplin). Larry’s doc ought to stand out as he is not only still alive, but still very much working and thriving own his own terms and at his own whims.

Case in point that this docu-special will be shown in two parts titled “American Jewboy” and “The Jewish Fountainhead” on Mar. 1st at HBO at 9PM (and HBO Max). Get a look of the “real” Larry David talking about Larry in the trailer for The Larry David Story here.

Pick of the Day: (Actual Return of) Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen (in LA) 2/28

February 17, 2022

News

kristen schaal, kurt braunohler, los angeles, los angeles comedy, stand up comedy, the virgil

Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen, arguably LA’s most venerable weekly comedy show, was supposed to come back some weeks ago, but, due to the variants, continued to postpone their return like so many other live events around town.

We were so excited to return to the Virgil and post up in the back, resting on the prickly back door that opens up into the show room and watch Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal lead off many of LA and elsewhere’s best and brightest in comedy, famous and needing-to-be-discovered, classic stand-ups and bonkers weirdos. Also, we can’t wait to see how Kurt and Kristen incorporate the pandemic rat from the Hot Tub live-stream into the in-person show.

So, we’re thrilled, yet again, to say that Hot Tub with Kurt Braunohler & Kristen Schaal is returning (again, we hope) to The Virgil on Mon. Feb. 28th at 8PM PT sharp. Tickets and line-up to come soon! Follow @hottub_show on Twitter and IG for updates (and to make sure you snag tickets before they inevitably sell out.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 99: Will Miles & Keeping it Chicago

February 16, 2022

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

hbo max, kanye, nikki glaser, south side, white house correspondents dinner, will miles

This week’s TCB Field Report has the marvelous Will Miles takes his through his journey that has seen him start out in stand-up in Chicago and brought him to writing and acting in an acclaimed sitcom, South Side, about Chicago. Miles came full circle with this path while having a family with a great full time comedian, by the way.

Also, “hot” takes on this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner, Nikki Glaser’s new reality show, Kanye offering up Michael Che double his SNL salary, and more.

Follow Will @mrwillmiles across socials and watch South Side, now streaming on HBO Max.

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

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

Pick of the Day: Adam Cayton Holland: Happy Place (in NYC) 4/9

February 16, 2022

News

adam cayton holland, brooklyn, happy place, nyc comedy, solo show, union hall

At this current point in time, even though the pandemic isn’t over, it does seem like we are now legitimately picking up where we left off in March 2020 and as we’re nearing the actual two year mark of when lockdown happened, we’re reminded of all the great things that came to a screeching halt around then.

The brilliant Adam Cayton-Holland was on the path of touring his solo show loosely based off his critically acclaimed tragi-comic memoir, Tragedy Plus Time, resulting in a beautiful, funny, and heart-wrenching hour. Now, on this side of the pandemic, we have no doubt that there’s even more to the show that will be timely and so cathartic, especially as the themes of “suicide, mental illness, stand-up comedy and Nancy Kerrigan,” have become prevalent in our lives in 2022 (Kerrigan comes to mind because of the Winter Olympics happening right now).

Adam will be bringing his Happy Place show back to Brooklyn’s Union Hall on Sat. Apr. 9th at 7:30PM ET. Tickets are only $15 and you best not miss your chance to watch Cayton-Holland’s most arresting and affecting work to date. Get tickets here.

Please Watch the Docu Series on the Influential Comedy Night “Phat Tuesdays”

February 15, 2022

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amazon prime, docu series, phat tuesdays

Phat Tuesdays was a historic weekly comedy show that should be mentioned in the same breaths, when talking comedy history, as Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen or The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. It’s unfortunately not as the racial divisions in comedy, as elsewhere in the world, still hold.

Sadly, stand-up comedy has been very segregated and remains so in several regards. From the get go scores of years ago, the division between white comedians (mostly men at that too) and everyone else has been an ever evolving barrier. As such, many black comedians created their own scene/circuit where they could not only make space for themselves as artists in comedy, but entertain their own. The for-us-by-us mentality has been woven through so much of black art and performance for so long. It’s that spirit that carried Guy Torry’s Phat Tuesdays to The Comedy Store and had it thrive for a decade.

The eponymous doc Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy from Reginald Hudlin tells that story in how influential and prolific that night was for black comedians of all backgrounds, for The Comedy Store (it kept the club alive during one of its darkest decades), comedy in general, and for the culture. Interviews featuring Phat Tuesdays architect Guy Torry, his brother Joe Torry, Tommy Davidson, Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Dave Chappelle, Luenell, Kym Whitley, and so many more paint a wondrous picture of a Comedy Store milestone that was a spark for so many of the most beloved black comedians and similar nights and shows across the entire country.

In fact, it’s such a milestone that it’s egregious that Mike Binder’s Showtime docu-series about The Comedy Store glosses over Phat Tuesdays as almost if it was a small footnote. You might watch this and wonder why this story exists separately from the narrative of comedy history/The Comedy Store that praises the days of Pryor and Carlin. We sincerely hope that you watching can make that division fade, even if just a little.

All three episodes of Phat Tuesdays: the Hip Hop Era of Comedy are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Watch the Worst Nightmare of Every Die Hard Football Fan

February 15, 2022

News

christian duguay, emily maya mills, sean green, sports curse, sports parody, superstition

When being a fan of a professional sports team is a way of life for you, you might take on a bit (or a lot in some cases) of a spiritual connection or superstition to the team’s journey throughout a given season. People do the strangest things as a blessing or a curse for the fortunes of their teams, which you could spend several days going down an Internet research rabbit hole. That’s how rabid the superstition of diehard sports fan can be.

Thanks to Christian Duguay and Sean Green and direction from Emily Maya Mills, they have dreamt up what the very worst thing that could happen to such a sports fan when their team suffers a loss. See what that nightmare is in this extremely fun sketch here.

Pick of the Day: Niles Abston’s Basement Fest (in NYC) 2/17-2/19

February 15, 2022

News

anwar newton, brooklyn, bushwick public house, joey dardano, lili michelle, mike turner, Niles Abston, nyc comedy, this week sucks tonight

Being on the rise from working your way up the ladder of any comedy scene is one very admirable thing. It’s a whole other thing to be so on the rise that you can throw a three day comedy festival in Brooklyn to celebrate your birthday. Then again, Niles Abston has honed his comedy chops tirelessly and built such a following that he will be doing exactly that at the Bushwick Public House in Brooklyn this week.

Coined as Niles Abston’s Basement Fest, Niles will be taking over the space for three nights from Thurs. Feb. 17th-Sat. Feb. 19th and hosting a live podcast recording of Niles Abston’s Big A$$ House Party, the beloved bodega comedy show, Peaches and Cream, This Week Sucks Tonight (voted Phoenix, Arizona’s NUMBER ONE live comedy show), and taping an hour set all himself.

Here’s the whole schedule:
2/17 @ 7:30PM ET & 10PM ET: Niles Abston’s Big A$$ House Party: A live podcast, comedy, music, and film experience hosted by Niles Abston

2/18:
@ 7:30PM ET: Peaches and Cream Comedy Show: Hosted by Lili Michelle and Joey Dardano, Brooklyn’s wildest stand up show comes to Basement Fest!

@ 10PM ET: This Week Sucks Tonight: Hosted by Anwar Newton and Mike Turner. They were voted Phoenix, Arizona’s NUMBER ONE live comedy show and now they’re joining Basement Fest!

2/19 @ 7:30PM ET & 10PM ET: Niles Abston’s hour set taping featuring New York City’s best to open the show!

Also, you’ll get to see some more of NYC’s best with Nore Davis, Shalewa Sharpe, Jay Jurden, Lili Michelle, Becca O’Neal, Yedoye Travis, and even more.

Individual tickets start at $20, but you can get a three day pass for $50. Go get them right here right now.

Get the Real Story of the Empire that Lucy & Desi Built with Lucy and Desi (Trailer)

February 14, 2022

News

amy poehler, desi Arnaz, I love Lucy, Lucille ball

Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, and Aaron Sorkin have made a lot of noise with their biopic, Being the Ricardos. That said, no amount of painstaking detail in a biopic that can tell as much truth as in-depth documentary.

That’s why Amy Poehler’s upcoming documentary Lucy and Desi will undoubtedly be required viewing. Poehler will dive into one of Hollywood’s first power couples as well as their production company, Desilu Productions and Lucille having to deal with being labeled as a communist and more. Intimate audio tapes and home movies are spliced in with classic footage of I Love Lucy and the expected abundance of interviews from many comedy folks, both contemporaries and those who she inspired.

Look for Lucy and Desi to drop on Amazon Prime on Mar. 4th. In the meantime, see all of this for yourself in the trailer here.

Trevor Noah to Be First Comedian to Host White House Correspondents Dinner Since 2018

February 14, 2022

News

trevor noah, whca, white house correspondents dinner

(via Politco)

It seems like eons ago when there was a civil enough discourse that would allow for the President of the United States to be roasted on C-SPAN by one of the country’s most renowned comedians. Because Donald J. Trump is a narcissistic twerp, perhaps one of the biggest of all time, he chose to be absent from the White House Correspondents Dinner and consequently made it more acrimonious when Hasan Minhaj and Michelle Wolf took on hosting duties. Many experts actually point to Seth Meyers taking Trump to task at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011 as the fiery spark that made him run for POTUS to expedite the disillusionment of the American Empire.

That’s all to say we haven’t had a White House Correspondents Dinner like Colbert did of George W. Bush in a very long time. After Trump and COVID making the WHCD into a footnote over the last few years, the White House Correspondents Association is set on having it return to form on this side of the pandemic come Apr. 30th. Trevor Noah, the current host of The Daily Show, is set to host, and, hopefully, he’ll get to satirize President Biden and Vice President Harris to their face and tell off mainstream media on one of the least watched cable channels live on air.

That will make it six years since we even had a WHCD to watch and that ought to make it a certain type of special. With all that in mind, we really hope that Noah and his writing staff spares no punches.

Pick of the Day: Comedy @ Chaplin with Howard Kremer (in LA) Wednesdays Starting 2/16

February 14, 2022

News

howard kremer, los angeles comedy, outdoor comedy, outdoors, squatmelt, stand up comedy

Pre-pandemic, one of LA’s favorite comedy oddities was SquatMelt, born out of one Howard Kremer keeping the spirit of the legendary Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail at NerdMelt Showroom @ Meltdown Comics alive. When the building was sold, Kremer just “squatted” in the parking lot behind the comic books store and did a stand-up show there with a portable speaker and a DJ hidden in a tree, DJ Trees.

Yes, we are not making that up.

Despite the gray area legality of it, this “SquatMelt” persisted with folks bringing out lawn chairs and lining up to watch in the most unconventional ways that people have watch live stand-up in person. Construction on the space (as Meltdown Comics sold its space), but Howard would still carry that torch on by performing in the parking lot of another former comedy space, The Steve Allen Theater, the former home of Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch. Eventually, after being featured as Gene Cosineau’s theater where he taught his acting classes in Barry, that theater was bulldozed too.

So, Howard leaned into the nomadic nature of the show and had it be a walking tour of the neighborhood where comics would do a set and then they would walk to another spot. Sometimes, the city of LA is hell bent on making it really difficult to organically bring folks together for something unmistakably cool. So, there would be one more move of the show before COVID-19 hit when SquatMelt headed to Echo Park and walked around Echo Park Lake.

Kremer has kept safe this whole time during the pandemic, but is finally returning to the great outdoors, with Naked Comedy, for what will be known as Comedy @ Chaplin on Wednesdays at 8:30PM PT. The comics and audiences will meet at the Charlie Chaplin mural across the street from one of the best diners in LA, Fred 62 with Howard leading the way. This first post-lockdown edition of the show with its newly minted name will feature LA staples Anna Seregina, Kyle Mizono, Chris Garcia, Maggie Maye, Paul Danke, and Max Beasley.

Oh yeah, it’s the nice price of FREE as well. Don’t miss the first Comedy @ Chaplin this Wed. Feb. 16th at 8:30PM PT. Bring a jacket on top of your vaccinated and masked self.

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