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News

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Phantom of the Open, a Biopic of a Real Golfer More Ridiculous Than Happy Gilmore, Gets Picked Up at Sony Pictures Classics
July 28, 2021
News
mark rylance, maurice flitcroft, phantom of the open, sony pictures classics

(via The Wrap)

In the 70s, there was a man named Maurice Flitcroft who dreamed of being the best golfer he could be. Unfortunately, due to his circumstances and timing, he had a lot going against him, especially since he set his targets on playing in the British Open.

This story actually made for one of the best episodes of one of our favorite podcasts, The Dollop, that also takes the name of Flitcroft’s apt moniker, Phantom of the Open. Truly, the real life story of Maurice sneaking his way into professional golf tournaments is, as we said up top, more incredulous than the golf antics of Adam Sandler classic, Happy Gilmore, and had made him a legend.

The esteemed Mark Rylance took on the titular role and Phantom of the Open just got picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics meaning that those in North American will get to witness one of the more astounding sports stories of our time at a date TBD. Seriously, listen to this ep. of The Dollop and you’ll be pretty hyped to see Flitcroft on the big screen.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 70: Carly Hoogendyk & The New NYC
July 28, 2021
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
derek delgaudio, jfl, neal brennan, new faces of comedy, nyc comedy

One of our favorite comedy hyphenates Carly Hoogendyk (comedy producer-talent manager-photographer) joins us for this week’s TCB Field Report to give us the NYC perspective on comedy reopening (we literally ask her to give us the lay of the land when looking out her apartment window) and what’s going on behind the scenes out in the streets of NYC comedy (across several boroughs). FYI, there’s some nice comedy show lineage history here between the ungodly amount of comedy that has been seen between both Carly and TCB’s Jake Kroeger. Also, we go in on with “hot” takes on this year’s JFL New Faces of Comedy and Neal Brennan using the world’s new preeminent magician, Derek Delgaudio, to direct his new special.

Follow Carly @carlyhoogs and keep tab on her shows including @the100percentshow & @gooddeliverycomedy

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: Neal Brennan-Unacceptable (in NYC) Starting 8/25
July 28, 2021
News
cherry lane theatre, derek delgaudio, neal brennan, three mics

Neal Brennan put out his best work to date with his last special Three Mics in 2017. 2017 seems like eons ago, most likely because eons worth of stuff has happened since then. Still, it was one of the best specials that year and a very welcome break for the one mic style stand-up special.

So, Brennan seems like he’s venturing out on another reimagining of the form, though we’re not quite sure what it will be, as he has tapped magician Derek Delgaudio, from the hit magic/solo show special In and Of Itself, to direct this latest hour, which will be titled, Unacceptable. In and of Itself was such a departure from the typical magic show that one has to ponder what both Derek and Neal have up their sleeves.

Brennan is just about to embark on a limited run of Unacceptable at the Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC starting Aug. 25th and going through the beginning of October. Tickets start at $40 and you ought to get your tickets real quick before they all sell out.

Comedy Central Announces Half Hour Specials for Ian Lara, RB Butcher, and Yedoye Travis
July 27, 2021
News
comedy central, comedy special, ian lara, rb butcher, yedoye travis

‘Tis the season for stand-up comedy announcements.

Just over the last few weeks, you’ve got the roster for the latest half hour specials at Netflix, this year’s JFL Montreal New Faces of Comedy, and the line-up for Denver’s High Plains Comedy Festival.

Now, you can add another big time announcement with Comedy Central‘s picking of Ian Lara (who was just named as a JFL New Face and just had an HBO Latino special), RB Butcher, and Yedoye Travis to tape half hour specials this Friday at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. You might notice that the three comics chosen represent a much smaller group of half-hour specials than in past years (though, maybe Comedy Central will order up more?). Also, this will be the first time the Knitting Factory will be featured in these sorts of high profile specials, which, given its comedy history over the last decade or so, is most certainly deserved.

Also, this will be the first taping for Comedy Central, since lockdown started, that will be done indoors (proof vaccination will be required for audience members). There were some outdoor performances that the cable network taped last year, but this signals a return and looking forward for CC and what we’re sure will be great shows.

Tickets are available for free, so long as you RSVP at theblacklistnyc.com/ccknit.

Pick of the Day: JFL Festival (Streaming 7/28)
July 27, 2021
News
jfl montreal, just for laughs, virtual comedy

As you well know, there won’t be a grand weeks-long display of comedy in Montreal for the annual JFL Montreal Festival this year, but there will still indeed by stuff happening with JFL’s renowned banner on it. Notably, several streams of live shows, some pre-taped, some live will be streaming at festival.hahaha.com starting tomorrow and be available, free of charge, to stream through the entirety of August.

Such streams will include:

JFL Awards Show starting 7/28

In Conversation with Bert Kreischer starting 7/30

Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch starting 7/29

JFL Eat My Shorts starting 7/28

JFL Live in Montreal starting 7/30 (featuring Jen Grant, Nigel Grinstead, Cassie Cao, Marito Lopez, Rodney Ramsey, and Dino Archie; hosted by Jon Dore)

JFL Live in LA starting 7/29 (featuring Maz Jobrani, Gina Yashere, Alonzo Bodden, Jeremy Hotz, Liza Treyger, and Rachel Feinstein; hosted by Sabrina Jalees)

JFL Live in NY starting 7/28 (featuring Todd Barry, Michael Kosta, Josh Johnson, Emma Willmann, Jessica Kirson and Marina Franklin; hosted by Dulcé Sloan)

The Nasty Show starting 7/28 (featuring Donnell Rawlings, Rosebud Baker, Robert Kelly, Yamaneika Saunders, Paris Sashay, and Ari Shaffir)

The Alternative Show starting 7/29 (featuring Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn, Laurie Kilmartin, Patton Oswalt, Solomon Georgio and Tart & Tarver; hosted by Andy Kindler)

Comedy Night in Canada starting 7/30 (featuring Ali Hassan, Arthur Simeon, Brittany Lyseng, Derek Seguin, Courtney Gilmour, Kyle Brownrigg, and Sterling Scott)

Aside from JFL’s New Faces of Comedy (which you need a ComedyPRO pass for), you can stream all of this for free at festival.hahaha.com. Given how rampant the Delta variant is and the rise of breakthrough cases of COVID-19 of fully vaccinated people, it might make watching live comedy just a tad easier this week.

Get Your First Look at Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s “Reservation Dogs”
July 26, 2021
News, Stand Up
fx, fx on hulu, reservation dogs, sterlin harjo, taika waititi, trailer

The return of the film festival circuit has kicked up such a dust that one might have overlooked the very first glimpse of a brand new comedy, Reservation Dogs (yes, they do their own take on the iconic walk in Reservoir Dogs), that charmingly takes on what life is for indigenous Gen Z kids on the reservation.

Coming from the minds of Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the trailer has the sort of promise that keeps FX’s track record for original comedies pretty damn good (Atlanta, What We Do In The Shadows). You can sense Waititi’s touch (maybe a bit akin to Hunt for the Wilderpeople) in a world that isn’t quite seen a lot, especially from the perspective of indigenous people. Above all, Reservation Dogs looks like a good bunch of a fun with a lovable crew of misfits.

See for yourself in the Reservation Dogs trailer here, then look for it to start streaming on Aug. 9th on Hulu.

 

JFL Announces New Faces of Comedy for 2021 (Which Will Be Presented Virtually)
July 26, 2021
News

(via Deadline)

JFL Montreal has one of the longest standing traditions in comedy with their New Faces that, sans a global pandemic, would be happening up in Montreal in the middle of one of the world’s longest running, most well known comedy festivals, The Just For Laughs Montreal Comedy & Arts Festival.

Last year, there was no shot at in-person festival and JFL opted for having virtual panels with their “Creators” category. This year, the situation was still too precarious to risk the big annual comedy shindig that JFL Montreal usually is, so they are going to present all the New Faces of Comedy for 2021 with sets that will be streamed to exclusive JFL ComedyPRO pass holders (the rest of the festival will be available for streaming later this week through all of August at festival.hahaha.com).

So, if you’re opting for a ComedyPRO pass, you’ll get to see JFL exclusive sets from:

Aaron Weber
Abby Roberge
Andre D. Thompson
Ariel Elias
Brian Simpson
Danielle Perez
Dave Mizzoni
Erica Clark
Ian Lara
Jaye McBride
Jes Tom
Kiry Shabazz
Maddie Wiener
Peter Kim
Randall Otis
Robin Tran
Sarah Squirm
Sydnee Washington
Wally Baram
Will Foskey

CHARACTERS

Andrew Knox
Aristotle Athiras
Corin Wells
Elena Skopetos
Joseph Lymous
Kate Owens
Patty Guggenheim
Vinny Thomas
Woody Fu

CANADA

Aaron Read
Al Val
Andrea Jin
Drew Behm
Harrison Weinreb
Juliana Rodrigues
Meg MacKay
Nitish Sakhuja
Salma Hindy
Travis Lindsay

Congratulations to a historic class of New Faces (that includes some of our favorites such as Danielle Perez, Aristotle Athiras, Brian Simpson, Dave Mizzoni, Sarah Squirm, and Peter Kim) that will, hopefully, be the only one to happen during a pandemic. We hope that whenever JFL can throw a proper, safe, in-person festival, that everyone here gets a shot at actually performing in person.

Hannah Einbinder Is Sublime in Her First Late Night Panel Interview
July 23, 2021
News
hannah einbinder, late show, stephen colbert

We don’t keep it much of a secret around here that we’re pretty big fans of Hannah Einbinder and that we have been for years. She has always had something special, even when we saw her early on at open mics beginning to formulate her nuanced, conceptual bits.

Still, outside of her act, she’s effervescent and clearly ready for the limelight. You can really see Hannah shine in this interview far better than most people doing panel on late night ever do on their first appearance. If this was an episode of Talk Show: The Game Show, Einbinder would have crushed.

Colbert mentions that Hannah’s first Emmy nomination for Hacks will assuredly be one of many and we wholeheartedly concur.

Please enjoy Hannah’s first late night interview here.

Denver’s High Plains Comedy Festival Makes First Line-Up Announcement for 2021
July 23, 2021
News
denver comedy, high plains comedy festival

A good deal of comedy festivals are very likely not going to happen until next year. However, there are a small contingency of them that postponed several times during lockdown, but have finally secured dates for in-person live performances.

High Plains, Denver’s standing, very popular comedy festival was one such festival and, thankfully, they made it to this side of the pandemic and are heading forward with their Sept. 16th-18th schedule. People miss the festival so much, they actually sold out of advance festival passes.

Don’t worry though–you’ll have a chance to buy tickets for individual shows, which you’ll absolutely want to do because they already have a killer line-up of comedians from around the U.S. coming up to Mile High City.

So far, High Plains has:

  • Matt Braunger
  • Megan Gailey
  • Solomon Georgio
  • Vanessa Gonzalez
  • Dave Hill
  • Liza Treyger
  • Chris Garcia
  • Eliza Skinner
  • Sean Patton
  • Chanel Ali
  • David Gborie
  • Ian Karmel
  • Sean Jordan
  • Amy Miller
  • Shane Torres
  • Irene Tu
  • Daniel Van Kirk
  • Arlo Weierhauser
  • Gareth Reynolds
  • Rosebud Baker
  • Adam Cayton-Holland
  • Nore Davis
  • Ben Roy
  • Subhah Agarwal
  • Andrew Orvedahl
  • Dave Ross
  • Caitlin Cook
  • Derek Sheen
  • David Perdue
  • Sam Tallent
  • Andy Haynes
  • Andrew Orolfo
  • Katrina Davis
  • Sam Evans
  • Mat Alano-Martin
  • Akeem Woods
  • Andrew Youngblood
  • Janae Burris
  • Chris Charpentier
  • Jordan Doll
  • Stephen Agyei
  • Mara Wiles
  • Brent Gill
  • Kevin O’Brien
  • Rachel Weeks
  • Jim Hickox
  • Allison Rose

There are a lot of our absolute favorites in there, just in case you didn’t know and needed some more convincing.

So, sign-up for notices on when individual tickets go on sale at highplainscomedyfestival.com.

Please Watch and Enjoy’s Alex Falcone Debut Late Night Set on Colbert
July 23, 2021
News
alex falcone, late night, stand up comedy, stephen colbert

Last night’s Colbert was one for the comedians. Not only did previously featured comedian Hannah Einbinder take to doing panel for the first time, but Alex Falcone notched his very first late night stand-up set.

Falcone’s set was the sort of perfectly observed material that Alex has clearly honed into the perfect degree of tightness for a late night TV set. Also, the world ought to get a great laugh and a very important lesson from his take on “the friend zone”.

We have no doubt that Alex will probably be doing plenty more late night sets/stand-up on TV in general.

So, without further adieu, enjoy his Alex Falcone’s debut set on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert here

Pick of the Day: Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch 16th Anniversary Jam! (IG Live) 7/24
July 23, 2021
News
anniversary, brendon small, brent weinbach, chris walsh, craig anton, dana gould, davey johnson, laura kightlinger, michael mortilla, michael serwich, ron lynch, tomorrow show, virtual comedy

For 16 years, Tomorrow! has been the thing to do on Saturday night at midnight in LA. For so many years, longer than we’ve been doing or covering comedy, Ron Lynch has faithfully brought the perfect mix of absurdity, silliness, beauty, and honesty that’s worth keeping the night going that late.

Of course, for the last year, they haven’t been able to do that in a proper venue and Lynch company have taken to Instagram Live to keep the Tomorrow! flame going and indeed they have kept the show alive and kicking for all these months since whenever March 2020 was (that was a decade ago, right?).

To mark their 16 year anniversary, Ron will be bringing back the original trio, himself, Craig Anton, and Brendon Small, that started off this midnight institution as well as such luminary comedians as Dana Gould, Laura Kightlinger, and Brent Weinbach. Very likely, they’ll have more than just that to celebrate the occasion (in addition to the “Core Four” and Michael Mortilla).

These days, it ought to be something really special if you’re going to tune into an IG Live show, but the 16 Year Anniversary of Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch more than fits that bill. Tune in at Sat. Jul. 24th at 11PM PT/2AM ET on IG Live @ronlynch1 and support the show on Venmo @tomorrowshow.

Best of all, you won’t have to worry about the Delta variant!

Get Your First Look at Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas in an Arthouse Comedy “Official Competition”
July 22, 2021
News
antonio banderas, official competition, penelope cruz

It’s not often that internationally acclaimed movie starts Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas star in a high brow comedy that is satirically poking at cinema/high art itself.

Yet, Official Competition from enlists both Banderas and Cruz to play up the pretense of auteurs and their various collaborators and just how ridiculous it can get. From the teaser, we’re getting a strong reminder of The Square from Ruben Östlund and how devilishly it dissected the contemporary/modern art world.

For now, we only get a small taste of  what co-directors and co-writers Gastón Duprat & Mariano Cohn, along with co-writer Andrés Duprat, have cooked up, but after just a minute, we’re pretty much on board.

There’s no official release date, much less a release date for just North America, but we imagine that it’ll likely find its way on some sort of streaming service, if all else fails, before the end of the year.

PEN15 Is Going to Have an Animated Special Next Month
July 22, 2021
News
animated special, anna konkle, hulu, maya erskine, pen15

Animation has been a saving grace for many a show throughout the last year and a half including No Activity and One Day at a Time and it looks as though that will continue to be the case as PEN15 has just announced that it will have an animated special due out next month.

Other shows have opted to try doing a special via Zoom (Mythic Quest did a pretty smashing job with that), but that can’t really be an option for PEN15 as Zoom has several years before being invented and dial up not being the only option for an Internet connection.

This very special episode will be technically be part of season 2 and titled “Jacuzzi” and is due out on Hulu on Fri. Aug. 27th. So, you will actually have a much needed hit of PEN15 while you’re anxiously awaiting season 3.

This does have us imagining, if they did have a functioning, open teleconferencing platform, Anna and Maya would waste most of their time turning their cameras on and off depending on how “secret” whatever secrets they’re divulging really are.

Cancel Culture Finds It Way to Japan as Director of Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony Is Fired Over 20 Year Old Holocaust Joke
July 22, 2021
News
cancel culture, holocaust joke, tokyo olympics

(via AP)

Though the conversation of cancel culture, especially in regards to comedy has been more than well worn in America (and perhaps, not even that effective?), its reach goes far beyond North America. Just announced today, Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremonies director Kentaro Kobayashi was sacked from one video of a bit he did over twenty years ago as part of a comedy duo called The Rahmens where he made a Holocaust joke.

Not only is the phrase “Let’s play Holocaust” that is being quoted by the Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee as the phrase that’s so offensive that it’s worth firing their director a score of years later out of context, but the bit itself is so old and Kobayashi, it would seem, has stepped back from the comedy stage to direct (not to mention that people have spoken highly of his character since).

The whole situation feels incredibly obtuse, especially since the Tokyo Olympics continues to face a dire situation due to COVID-19. They already delayed from 2020 when the Olympics had been set to take place, but with the proliferation of the Delta variant across the globe and surges of COVID-19 popping up around the globe, which very much includes Japan, the Tokyo Olympics has already scaled back its scope with having no spectators and stepping up their COVID-19 protocols in the Olympic Village.

In short, this Olympic Games is already a mess and it’s about get messier. It would almost seem that Organizing Committee is piling on here with Kobayashi to make it seem it won’t entirely be the fault of them pushing forward with the Games (as they stand to lose billions of dollars if they outright cancel the Games). Of course, the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic persisting due to lack of vaccine access, vaccine hesitancy, premature lifting of pandemic protocols, and the numerous variants is only bringing more and more chaos as Tokyo going on with their Olympics.

There’s no telling what’s going to happen with the Olympics (we sincerely hope that everyone involved is safe and doesn’t get or further the transmission of the virus) or with Kentaro (and how cancelled he is) at this point. Maybe Kentaro will dip back into comedy to clear his name? More importantly though, we’ll see if this Olympics even gets through the majority of its schedule (one country and big corporate sponsors have already bowed out).

Pick of the Day: Hannah Einbinder (in NYC) 11/5
July 22, 2021
News
bell house, brooklyn, hannah einbinder, nyc, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

In LA, pretty much all of Hannah Einbinder‘s headlining dates have sold out. You might get a chance to see her here and there on a plethora of shows here and there, but you won’t get to bare witness to the full breadth of full length set, unless you snagged a ticket for one of her Dynasty Typewriter dates, for awhile (probably in October).

That said, if you’re in NYC, you still have a shot at catching the late show of Hannah Einbinder’s evening at The Bell House on Fri. Nov. 5th. Already, the 7:30PM ET show has sold out, but you can still get tickets for the 10PM ET show at $20 a pop. Please don’t miss your chance to see Hannah live, who will be such a delightful conceptual, yet still very personal comedy surprise for all of you whether you’ve seen her on Hacks or not.

So, go get your tickets already.

Netflix’s Latest Series Worth Diving Into Might Be “The Chair”
July 21, 2021
News
jay duplass, netflix, sandra oh, the chair, trailer

With going back indoors seeming more and more to be the operative move as the pandemic continues, you might be wondering, “What else is there to watch?” Even if you thought you reached the end of Netflix or whatever your streaming service of choice is, we’re betting that you didn’t even get close.

That said, we’re sure it’ll take something of real quality or, at the very least, looks damn promising to invest yourself in another round of binge watching. One of Netflix’s latest series, The Chair from Amanda Peet & Annie Wyman, might be just the thing you’re looking for as a dissection of the non-sense and oft-unchecked privilege of higher education faculty. Sandra Oh leads what is a very impressive ensemble cast and also has to tangle with, from the looks of the trailer, a pretty perfectly cast problematic professor in Jay Duplass.

Just from our first impression, The Chair seems to be a little on the same wavelength as the classic 90s sharp satire Election, but just a bit more grown-up, perhaps for university. We certainly hope it’s up to that level.

We shall see if it makes that grade when it drops on Netflix on Fri. Aug. 20th.

Pick of the Day: Secret Show at The Blind Barber (in LA) 7/26
July 21, 2021
News
andy peters, asif ali, beth stelling, comedy show, dave waite, grant lyon, la comedy, nick anthony, secret comedy, zainab johnson

LA has many a secret comedy show, but many don’t actually carry the name of “Secret Show” (and, if they do, they often aren’t worthy of the moniker). Yet, the actual Secret Show that has been happening for years at the barbershop-turned-speakeasy, The Blind Barber, is one of LA’s best underground stand-up comedy shows thanks to its stewards Grant Lyon, Andy Peters, Dave Waite, and Nick Anthony.

For obvious reasons, they had to take several months off, but they’re officially back for a COVID-19 free show (proof of vaccination or negative test results within 72 hours required at door) next week! On Mon. July 26th, The Secret Show at the Blind Barber crew will be putting on two shows, 7:30PM PT & 9:30PM PT.

You can and should RSVP for the show here, before tickets run out (and they usually do).

Their first line-up is stacked with

Beth Stelling – Netflix’s The Standups
Asif Ali – Marvel’s WandaVision
Andy Woodhull – Comedy Central Half Hour
Felicia Michaels – Showtime, MTV
Zainab Johnson – Last Comic Standing

As the show often sells out pretty quick, get on their mailing list at barbersecretshow@gmail.com and for their sister show in Highland Park at barbershowhp@gmail.com.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 69: Luke McGarry & No Straight Lines
July 21, 2021
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
animation, bo burnham, cartoonist, festival supreme, illustration, julio torres, luke mcgarry, mary tyler moore, tenacious d

Prolific cartoonist/illustrator/animator/musician Luke McGarry, who has done all sorts of wonderful comedy and music posters and art (including for Festival Supreme and MAD Magazine), joins in for this week’s TCB Field Report. Luke runs us through his winding path to being one of the go-to illustrators, especially when it things get imaginatively silly, and the wide, wide, very wide myriad of projects he has coming up (graphic novels to tour art to much much more). Also, “hot” takes on Julio Torres’ A24 movie, The Mary Tyler Moore Show doc, and Bo Burnham’s Inside getting a theatrical run.

Follow Luke @lukeymcgarry on IG and at lukemcgarry.com

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: Paul F. Tompkins @ The Bell House (in NYC) 11/12 & 11/13
July 20, 2021
News
paul f tompkins, spontourco, varietopia

One of our greatest joys, pre-lockdown, was going to watch Paul F. Tompkins do, well, anything. Whether it be improv, podcasts, both at the same time, or another thing entirely, we would very much try to clear our schedule to catch Tompkins take the stage whatever the situation may be. The brilliance of his irreverence is without compare (even going all the way back to his early album, Impersonal).

So, in regards to catching Paul F. Tompkins’ first post-lockdown performances, there is a date for Paul’s recurring modern variety show Varietopia at the Lodge Room in Highland Park on Sept. 20th, but that is, unsurprisingly, already sold out.

Don’t worry Angelenos. PFT has another date for us on Oct. 23rd. More details TBA.

For NYC, there will be both a Varietopia and a SPONTOURCO (Paul’s interview transformed into improv with Tawny Newsome, Eugene Cordero, and Janet Varney show) at The Bell House in Brooklyn in November.

Specifically, SPONTOURCO will have an early and late show, 7:30PM ET & 10PM ET, on Fri. Nov. 12th and Varietopia will go up Sat. Nov 13th also at 7:30PM ET & 10PM ET (FYI, the early show is sold out).

Get more details and please, please, please get tickets before they sell out, which will very likely happen very soon.

Get Your First Look at S3 of What We Do In The Shadows (as Nandor Tries VR)
July 20, 2021
News
first look, fx, season 3, teaser, what we do in the shadows

One of the most heralded comedies (that is so glaringly absent from the field of this year’s Emmy nominees on a technicality) in recent memory, What We Do In The Shadows is set to return very soon (though not soon enough if you ask us).

The master vampires of Staten Island return with their increasingly mysterious familiar Guillermo for their third season on Thurs. Sept. 2nd on FX (and next day on Hulu). That is indeed weeks away, but at least we have this very first teaser to look at (and just hope that there are more to come like there have been in the past two seasons).

Funny enough, this first look is also a first look for Nandor as he ventures to try a VR headset for the first time. Enjoy this as much as you can over the next month and change.

Pick of the Day: Low Key Outside Year Anniversary 7/28
July 19, 2021
News
la comedy, low key outside, matt rife, outdoor comedy, paul elia

At various places around LA (and sometimes outside of it), for a year, Paul Elia and Matt Rife have held down outdoor comedy under the banner of Low Key Outside. In this era of live comedy that had to take place during pandemic, they’re celebrating making it to a year with beloved show (it has been packed as long as we have been aware of it).

That’s especially impressive considering many live show don’t last a year even without a pandemic.

So, Paul and Matt are marking a year of Low Key Outside in an outdoor space in Arts District, a neighborhood that somehow got even hipper during lockdown at 411 S. Hewitt St., Los Angeles, CA on Wed. Jul. 28th at 7PM PT. They haven’t announced the line-up yet, but we have no doubt that they’ll pull in as stacked of a line-up for their first year anniversary.

Tickets are on sale right now, starting at $30, and you can and very much should go get them here.

Steven Conrad Might Have Just Made Something Weirder Than ‘Patriot’ with Ultra City Smiths
July 16, 2021
News
amc, steven conrad, trailer, ultra city smiths

The Kafka-esque tale of espionage that is Patriot remains as one of the more unique series in recent memory. Methodical in its pacing, but twisting and turning at every turn, the sheer absurdity of Steven Conrad’s creation sticks with us to this day.

With that said, he might have just made something even stranger, which is kind of a tall order, with his latest series, Ultra City Smiths. Conrad has woven a noir-ish tale of intrigue that will drive a detective to his limits and past them. Oh, he’s exclusively using refashioned baby dolls and stop motion animation to realize this vision.

It’s wonderfully ridiculous from what we saw in the trailer.

Honestly, we’re still trying to process the possibilities of such a mash-up of stylistic and genre elements, again leaning into somewhat absurdist territory, and how Conrad might have just topped himself. See all of this for yourself here.

If you’re digging it, you can catch Ultra City Smiths on AMC’s streaming platform AMC+ (you didn’t think that there were going to be no more new streaming services, did you?) starting Jul. 22nd.

Pick of the Day: HELLTRAP NIGHTMARE (in LA) 8/28
July 16, 2021
News
helltrap nightmare, la comedy, sarah squirm, zebulon

THE world’s premier horror comedy extravaganza known as HELLTRAP NIGHTMARE is crawling out from the cocoon it has been quarantining in and putting up its first show in so, so very long.

HELLTRAP NIGHTMARE’s ringleader Sarah Squirm will be leading off the show once again in its new-ish home, Zebulon, between Atwater and Frogtown. Throughout lockdown Squirm and HELLTRAP NIGHTMARE put on several stacked variety comedy live-stream fundraisers that were probably some of the virtual shows throughout the entirety of quarantine.

All these months later, on Sat. Aug. 28th w/doors at 8PM PT, all the cleverly engineered and devised grotesque body horror and socio-political humor will rise once more to all of our collective enjoyment in what sure as hell feels like the end times.

Tickets are on sale now for $12.30 and you can and very, very much should go get them here.

Bo Burnham’s Inside Is Getting Theatrical Run (That Just Got Extended by Three Days)
July 15, 2021
News
bo burnham, inside, theatrical run

(via Deadline)

Without a doubt, one of the most talked about comedy specials of 2021 is Bo Burnham’s Inside. Cinematic and timely, it’s without a doubt one of the best comedy specials to be made during the pandemic and further proof that great artists can figure out how to make powerful, moving works of art despite the constraints of a worldwide pandemic.

Originally, Netflix was planning an exclusive one night only screening of Inside, but demand for seeing one of the most epic looking specials (despite it being almost entirely shot in one room) on the big screen has prompted the streaming giant to make it into a whole run for next weekend Jul. 22nd-25th at hundreds of theaters across North America.

It’s very rare for comedy specials to ever find their way into theaters and, as far as we can even remember, the last few specials to even make an attempt at a theatrical run over the last few years might all be just from Kevin Hart.

In any case, this is a great excuse to go watch Bo Burnham’s Inside yet again.

Pick of the Day: Phoebe Robinson HBO Special Taping (in NYC) 8/13
July 15, 2021
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comedy taping, free show, hbo max, ny comedy, phoebe robinson, tv taping

As live comedy is returning to some of the pace and volume that it used to be, so are exclusive tapings of comedy specials for big time networks and streaming services (and it won’t be something unprecedented like a drive-in or sitting at a converted part of Universal Studios).

The latest high profile special that will be taped will feature Phoebe Robinson, whom you ought to know from 2 Dope Queens/Doing the Most/Tiny Rep Books/guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, for HBO Max. Robinson will be bringing her first hour filled with her hot takes on the world that are equal parts sharp and bubbly to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on Fri. Aug. 13th for two shows, 8PM ET & 10PM ET.

Best of all, tickets are free and you best go RSVP for them right here right now.

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