(we will say that props should be given to writer Eric Moneypenny, directors The Grimes Bros. and the cast: Josh Fadem (Twin Peaks, Better Call Saul, 30 Rock), Sam Brown (Whitest Kids U Know), Alex Walters, Luke Baldridge, Michael Gabriel, Jesse Arlen Klein, Alex Vaughan)
Paul Scheer Brought on as New Writer for the ‘Galaxy Quest’ TV Reboot at Amazon
Taking the reins of the script from Robert Gordon, the host of How Did This Get Made? (also, The League, Human Giant, Crash Test, and a million other things you love in comedy) Paul Scheer will now be writing the script for the new Galaxy Quest reboot as a TV series at Amazon.
Whether the original cast from the movie will join in has yet to be seen given the untimely passing of Alan Rickman.
Still, there seems to be endless, great possibilities with Paul Scheer now attached this project and we can’t wait to see what he might do.
Reddit Has Begun to Let Selected Users Upload Videos Directly to Reddit
It’s a beta test, but don’t be surprised to see if Reddit having its own native video player apply to all Reddit users (which will most certainly come with a fair share of growing pains given the controversial nature of some subreddits) happens very soon.
That being said, this provides a whole new avenue for comedy. It could change how AMAs with big time comedy folks are run, how stand-up is often digested on Reddit, and, if you’re savvy enough with Reddit, a new way to go viral with a funny video.
TruTV’s foray into scripted sitcoms has proven fruitful and deservingly so thus far.
Those Who Can’t is humming along to its third season and, just announced yesterday afternoon, Andrea Savage’s I’m Sorry picked up a second season after a positive reception both critically and commercially.
The second season is slated for 2018. If you add Bobcat Goldthwait’s upcoming anthology series, TruTV could be looking at a very, very solid line-up of scripted comedy series on their programming line-up.
While not officially sanctioned by some internationally governing body or national organization responsible for American diplomacy abroad, Conan O’Brien is made himself into one of the best ambassadors the good ol’ U.S. has got.
So, Conan continues to go to places that are relevant and, in many ways, offer an opportunity to enlighten people as to what’s going on in other countries while getting to be a tall clown.
Announced yesterday, the latest trip is coming soon this September and will be to Israel. Watch the announcement here.
For our money, we can get a pretty good kick and laugh out of DIY soap box cars made by adults, especially since this particular event has been held by Red Bull over 100 times.
Just take a look at a gallery of past races and you’ll get what we’re saying.
This Sunday, Red Bull’s Soapbox Race will take over Elysian Park and race down Angels Point Road.
Here’s the day’s specific itinerary:
9:00 AM-Shuttles Start from Dodger Stadium
9:30 AM-Pits Open. Check out the teams and vote for your favorite to win the People’s Choice Award!
10:15 AM-Show starts! Don’t miss the Red Bull Air Force and Street Freestyle Rider Aaron Colton
11:00 AM-Race Begins!
4:00 PM-Approximate Last Race
4:15 PM-Awards Ceremony
Best of all, you can watch the race all along the route for free along with free parking at Dodger Stadium.
Get more details here.
The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.
Dan St. Germain’s measured execution, quick pacing and timing, etc. translate very well to late night sets. Thus, he does stand-up on television quite frequently and deservingly so.
With that in mind, enjoy his latest set on Conan here where, among other things, explains himself as a dumb liberal.
Jetsons Live Action Reboot Gets a Put Pilot Order from ABC
Kind of funny how one major TV network announces the order of a pilot that makes run of the preponderance revivals and reboots these days and another major TV network announces the order of a pilot of such a reboot all on the same day.
We will say that if this does end up going to series, it’d be nice if one, just one, futuristic series on television was a bit hopeful and imagines an actually better world, you know, kind of like the original Jetsons.
Also, perhaps this version of The Jetsons could address or correct an oft overlooked dark detail from the original show that one Adam Newman happen to notice and write a great joke about.
Fox Orders a Put Pilot of a Comedy That Makes Fun of TV Revivals and Reboots
Even though Fox has recently had shows about the last people on this planet and time travel and mixing a live action sitcom with animated fantasy characters, this might be one of the highest concept projects that they’ve taken on.
Of course, as far as shows that skewer Hollywood for they penchant for trying to cash in on something that worked once, there was The Comeback starring Lisa Kudrow and then the comeback of The Comeback. Also, BoJack Horseman does a spectacular job of satirizing the entertainment industry in this regard.
This project feels a little different from the others as it’s taking on the whole trend of how many networks and production companies can’t seem to rebooting/remaking shows as its focus. The creative team here consists of folks that have experience with high concept sitcoms including Nahnatchka Khan, Sally Bradford McKenna, Chris McKenna, and a very in-demand Michael Showalter. Maybe they’ll pull it off? We’re definitely curious to see what’s to come from such an endeavor.
So far, we’re thinking this might be a sort of a BoJack Horseman if it was live action and didn’t have anthropomorphized animals and was on Fox as opposed to Netflix.
For many of you, this is a moment (well, the first in a series of moments related to Nathan For You) you’ve been waiting for.
The trailer for the fourth season of Nathan For You is here and, boy oh boy, does it look to be a doozy. Taking on Uber, going a quest with a Bill Gates impersonator, a check-up on past “clients” in a hour long special, and a “blues smoke detector” are all just a bit of what’s to come in what we’re guessing will be Nathan Fielder’s most ambitious season of his show/socio-cultural comedic art experiment yet.
Season 4 of Nathan For You premieres on Thursday, September 28 and the hour long special “Nathan For You: A Celebration” premieres a week before, on Thursday, September 21st on Comedy Central.
If you’ve even wondered what it would look to do a quick sort of “interrogation” of a comedian right after their set, Blame Social Media is the show for you. Hosts Greg Edwards, Kaseem Bentley, Christine Little, and Quincy Johnson sit performers down right after they do a traditional stand-up set and perhaps bring up stuff from their social media feeds and profiles that peaks their curiosity or maybe even “raises suspicion”.
This edition, taking place next Monday, of Blame Social Media will have plenty to dig through with a great line-up who you’ve seen and/or heard on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Roast Battle, and more.
Tickets are $5 and you can (and should) get them here.
The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.
Comedy Sucks, the comedy variety show that features satirical video art work by the one and only Grimy Ghost, is celebrating one year! Other contemporaries of Grimy Ghost, Everything Is Terrible and Vic Berger will also be there giving you as much repurposed, mutated pop-culture mash-ups as you can handle in addition to the great comedy stylings of Todd Glass, Brody Stevens, Howard Kremer, Jamie Loftus, and Brodie Reed.
Tickets are on sale here, but we’ve got a pair of tickets that you could win if you enter here: http://thecomedybureau.dola.com/giveaways
Apple Has Plan to Drop $1 Billion on Video Content Over the Next Year
In joining the streaming service fray of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube Red, etc. etc., Apple says that they’re putting down $1 billion to make their own exclusive, original content.
As to what exactly that might be has yet to be seen.
However, we’re pretty confident at least a few slices of that billion will go towards comedy, whether it be from some high profile folks or some dark horses that have built their following on their own.
Ali Wong and Randall Park Will Star in a Rom Com Feature That They Co-Wrote for Netflix
This romantic comedy will follow a bit of a star crossed lovers archetype as both protagonists, though in love with each other, grow up in very different circumstances.
What has us excited is the possibility of Ali bringing her comedic sensibilities that you saw on her Netflix special, Baby Cobra, and Randall bringing his from Channel 101 to a modern romantic comedy. This project will be co-written by Grimm staff writer and playwright Michael Golamco as well, which could add yet another unique flavor here.
With the creative latitude one might get at Netflix, such a unique rom com, whatever that may be, could be very possible.
Basically, if you need a pick me up because of the state of the world right now, look no further than the pure ray of sunshine that is Tiffany Haddish in her interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
If you on board with Haddish from that, you might want to catch Girls Trip in theaters now and her Showtime comedy special TIFFANY HADDISH: SHE READY! FROM THE HOOD TO HOLLYWOOD that premieres this Friday, August 18th at 9PM.
Get a preview of what Tiffany’s bringing with her special here.
Not in recent memory can we remember revenge looking like such fun as Danny McBride’s foolishly headstrong Neal Gamby is hellbent on revenge in the second and conclusive season to Vice Principals on HBO with the “help” of Walton Goggins’ Lee Russell.
The result, according to this official season 2 trailer, has Gamby attempting to be a True-Detective-Taxi-Driver (Gamby is definitely taking cues from Bickle’s playbook in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver) type, but doing so as only McBride can.
Season 2 of Vice Principals premieres on HBO on Sunday, September 17th.
The 7th Annual Echo Park Rising, the big neighborhood festival that’s mostly free, starts tomorrow.
As there’s plenty of comedy in Echo Park, there will of course be comedy featured at EPR.
That includes:
Super Tight @ Echoplex Thursday, Aug. 17th 7PM (comedy/music/art)
Comedy Garage @ Rafa’s Lounge Art Gallery Thursday, Aug. 17th 9PM (stand-up)
Comedy Runway @ Spacedust Saturday, Aug. 19th 1:30PM (half stand-up show, half fashion competition)
Good Heroin @ Stories Saturday, Aug. 19th 8PM (stand-up)
BUSted! Storytelling @ Stories Sunday, Aug. 20th 5PM (stories from taking the bus)
Admission for all these shows are free and the line-ups are solid. So, make sure you get to Echo Park early if you’re going to any of these.
The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.
Take This TCB Reader Survey and You’ll Automatically Have a Chance to Win $50 Amazon Gift Card
Hopefully, the survey will help us better understand how you consume comedy and maybe help you buy, probably, $50 worth of snacks.
As far as we’re concerned, you should watch Eddie Pepitone, especially when he gets to do his own night, whenever and whenever you can.
So, with that in mind, Eddie will be doing a weekly residency on Wednesdays at 8PM through all of September at Starburns Castle.
Tickets are $10 and you should get them ASAP.
Tickets for Sept. 6th here.
Tickets for Sept. 13th here.
Tickets for Sept. 20th here.
Tickets for Sept. 27th here.
The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.
This is a very small teaser that mostly uses very high praise of the cast (which includes Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson) of Noah Baumbach’s latest film, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected).
Still, this is worth paying attention to as Baumbach is one of the handful of film auteurs left (and does so in his particular brand of dramedy) and this does like that shooting star of movie where Adam Sandler takes everyone by surprise (Punch Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, Men Women & Children).
Look for The Meyerowitz Stories to start streaming on Netflix on Friday, October 13th.
Whatever you take away from this, Stephen Colbert’s interview of Anthony Scaramucci is and will be a milestone in Colbert’s tenure at The Late Show.
It’s intriguing that Scaramucci picked Colbert, who has taken the lead in ratings in late night most likely for being outspoken against the Trump Administration and, on top of that, is a particularly sharp and prickly interviewer when he wants to be.
As you might expect, Scaramucci makes a concerted effort to not say the sorts of things that probably got him dismissed from his White House Communications Director gig in record time. Still, in awkwardly avoiding a mishap while Colbert probed his experience at The White House, you almost get the feeling your watching Veep (current showrunner David Mandel has commented how “Trump is doing us.”). Could we call this “gonzo comedy”?
So, without further adieu, watch Colbert interview Anthony Scaramucci here and here.
Help Us Get a Better Sense of TCB Readers (That’s You) by Taking This Survey
Wild Horses (that’s Erin Whitehead, Mary Holland, Stephanie Allynne, and Lauren Lapkus) are absolutely one of the best improv teams around. So, any chance you get see them “prance” is one you should take.
Their show on Thursday at UCB Sunset has been sold out for sometime and just happens to feature Matt Besser, one of the UCB 4, as the special guest.
If you still want to go, you might just be in luck as we’ve got tickets that you can win.
Enter here: http://thecomedybureau.dola.com/giveaways
Fresh from Megan Koester and Joshua Turek comes Mommy to Brayden, a sharply satirical short film that’s as “tapped into the Zeitgeist” as can be while also unapologetically poking at such a notion at the same time.
Please watch and enjoy it here.
Before hitting stateside, White Gold, the 80s period British comedy that follows the foibles of window salesman, specifically selling the molding (or “double glazing” if you’re from across the pond) on your windows, has already been picked up for a second season at BBC Two.
Thankfully, us Yanks will be able to see this first season starting Thursday, August 17th on Netflix. In case you didn’t know, White Gold comes from Damon Beesley who created The Inbetweeners and you might recognize Ed Westwick’s devilish good looks from Gossip Girl.
Here are two promos that will give you a sense of a more stylish and, perhaps, edgier take on a workplace comedy that you might want to binge this coming weekend.