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Brooklyn’s 2017 Cinder Block Comedy Festival Has Earlybird Submissions Now Open

February 17, 2017

brooklyn, cinder block, comedy festival, improv, nyc, sketch, stand up, submissions

If you’re a comedian and identify as a LGBTQ, person of color, a disabled person, woman or anyone who applied with the Cinder Block Comedy Festival back in 2016, you can apply as an individual, show/group, or sketch to Brooklyn’s Cinder Block Comedy Festival for this year at the nice price of $19.25.

The festival itself will run from September 7th-10th and if you happen to be in or around any of the five boroughs, it might be worth your time to get in at Cinder Block.

These earlybird submission prices are available until March 8th. After that, submissions will be open to everybody up until the final deadline of April 5th.

Get more details and submit here.

This Latest Simpsons x Robot Chicken Couch Gag Has a Fun Poke at “South Park”

February 16, 2017

cartoon network, comedy central, fox, robot chicken, simpsons, south park

All sorts of crossover happens here between different shows, networks, and animated media between The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, and a not-so-subtle nod to South Park.

Even The California Raisins also get in the multi-verse chaos in this brand new Simpsons couch gag.

Three Busy Debras Present “Three White Feminists Screw in a Lightbulb”

February 16, 2017

alyssa stonoha, feminism, intersectional feminism, intersectionality, jake honig, mitra jouhari, sandy honig, screw in lightbulb, sketch, three busy debras, three white feminists

Don’t even worry about the fact that they’re not asking how many white feminists, but exploring how three of them will screw in a light bulb and giving the old joke premise of “how many _____ does it take to screw in a light bulb?” a postmodern, intersectional-ist shake-up.

Just enjoy the latest sketch from hyper-absurd Three Busy Debras (Sandy Honig, Alyssa Stonoha, and Mitra Jouhari), Three White Feminists Screw in a Lightbulb.

Then, if you’re ready, think about all that stuff we said up top.

Third and Final Season of “Review” to Premiere on March 16

February 16, 2017

andy daly, comedy central, premiere date, review, season 3

Third and Final Season of “Review” to Premiere on March 16

Forrest MacNeil and his never ending quest to review “life” no matter how it ruins his life will have its final chapters starting Thursday, March 16th on Comedy Central.

This is without a doubt one of the best series that Comedy Central has made and Andy Daly gives Forrest a weirdly undeniable charm despite making pretty much nothing but awful decisions every step of the way.

The LEGO Batman Movie Keeps the Magic of the LEGO Movie Franchise Alive

February 16, 2017

lego batman movie, lego movie, warner bros

Sure, The LEGO Movies are movies adapted from a legendary toy brand that previously didn’t have any sort of familiar narrative to speak of and had people skeptical how good can a movie just adapted from some plastic mini-bricks really be?

Well, just like The LEGO Movie defied those expectations with flying colors, The LEGO Batman Movie defied our expectations that a movie adapted from a toy adaptation of DC’s Batman.

Director Chris McKay and the team of writers including Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern, and John Whittington simultaneously celebrated and poked fun in a Deadpool-ish way (though far less “blue”) the mythology of Batman. We pretty much had the same sort of wondrous daze walking out of the theater after seeing The LEGO Movie.

The setting of The LEGO Movie universe just adds to the fun as they can mish-mash worlds without worrying too much about continuity that exists in source material because, well, it’s LEGO and not the actual DC, Marvel, Harry Potter, or LOTR cinematic universe.

Also, Will Arnett voicing a LEGO Batman is and Zach Galifianakis voicing a LEGO Joker is kind of perfect.

So, go see what might be the most satisfying Batman movie in years and the long awaited next installment in the LEGO Movie series if you need to feel good about something today.

Here are showtimes for The LEGO Batman Movie at a theater in LA near you.

February 16, 2017

broadway video, chris garcia, dtla, francisco ramos, frankie quinones, free comedy, jesus trejo, los angeles, marcella arguello, stand up

Más Mejor, the online comedy channel “powered by Latino voices”, is marking their 1st anniversary with a big shin dig.

Specifically, their will be a great comedy show with the likes of Chris Garcia, Frankie Quinones, Marcella Arguello, Francisco Ramos, and Jesus Trejo performing and an open bar.

It’s free to attend so long as you RSVP here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Howard Kremer Is Selling His and Other Comedians’ Headshots QVC Style

February 15, 2017

aclu, charity, headshots, home shopping, howard kremer, memorabilia, the headshot show

When it comes to out of the box business ideas that are done for the fun of it, Howard Kremer is who you should be looking out for.

Kremer’s latest venture is really selling old headshots of his and guests (Brody Stevens pictured above) as if they’re products on a Home Shopping Network or QVC show. This does include embarrassing headshots with all different eras of looks and hairstyles and Howard and guests trying to explain what the deal was with them in those pictures at that time in their lives.

It’s called The Headshot Show and you might have noticed it happening live when catching a show or buying comics at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood. You can tune in every Wednesday (tonight included) at 8PM PST on ShopXsn.com or simply watch from the store if you go to Meltdown Comics on a Wednesday night.

Oh, we should mention that all proceeds from the selling of these headshots go to the ACLU until further notice.

John Mulaney and Nick Kroll Start Their Conan Interview Off in “Crisis”

February 15, 2017

conan, fake argument, john mulaney, nick kroll, tbs, team coco

Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, the stars of Oh, Hello and upcoming hosts of The Spirit Awards, went on Conan last night ”in the middle of having a spat”.

This just goes to show that wigs, old person make up, and fake arguments or not, Kroll and Mulaney are one of the great comedy duos of our time.

That’s part of why they have two cockroaches at a zoo named after them.

The 6th Annual L.A Podcast Has Earlybird Tickets Now on Sale and Will Be in DTLA

The LA Podcast Festival is now in its sixth year and, if you’ve ever been to it, you’d know that it’s an institution with a fiercely loyal following at this point.

WTF with Marc Maron, My Favorite Murder, The Jackie & Laurie Show, The Dork Forest, The Dollop, Comedy Film Nerds, Bertcast, We Hate Movies, Mental Illness Happy Hour w/ Paul Gilmartin, & Cashing In w/ T.J. Miller and host Cash Levy are just a handful of the podcasts that are confirmed for this year’s LA Podcast Festival.

Moving from Beverly Hills to Downtown LA at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, the festival will take place from Friday, October 6th-Sunday, October 8th.

Earlybird tickets are now on sale for $99, which you should get in on since you’ll save $50 from the regularly priced pass.

February 15, 2017

candy lawrence, casey ley, cheap comedy, comedians you should know, hollywood improv, lgbtq, live comedy, liza dye, los angeles, mo welch, nico santos, nicole paone, sam jay, solomon georgio, stand up

The regularly scheduled Comedians You Should Know is bringing a very special edition of their show next week on Thursday, February 23rd at 10PM at The Hollywood Improv Lab. As the name suggests, these are all gay comedians from around LA that you absolutely should know and go see perform on a regular basis.

Tickets are $10 and you can (and should) get them here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com

Julian McCullough Tells the Story of the Tattoo He Got For a Girl and Has Kept Hidden for Over a Decade

February 15, 2017

ari shaffir, bad tattoo, comedy central, julian mccullough, storytelling, tattoo, this is not happening, worst tattoo

For our money, we can’t think of a better way to close shop on Valentine’s Day this year than Julian McCullough’s story about one jaw-dropping tattoo that he got because of a girl that was kind of into him.

Here’s the story on the latest This Is Not Happening.

Watch Bob Odenkirk Play a Tortured Greeting Card Writer in Over His Head in Trailer for “Girlfriend’s Day”

February 15, 2017

amber tamblyn, bob odenkirk, girlfriend's day, michael paul stephenson, netflix, now streaming

For comedy, Netflix actually has two new offerings for Valentine’s Day. There’s Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Day Special and, for those seeking something a little (or a lot more dark), there’s the original Netflix film Girlfriend’s Day.

It seems to put Odenkirk in the same sort of chaos that he’s accustomed to on AMC, but in the role of a greeting card writer trying to recapture his former greeting card glory. See all the absurdist comedy madness in the trailer here.

If that’s your idea of Valentine’s, it’s now streaming on Netflix.

Earlybird Passes Now on Sale for 10th Annual Bridgetown Comedy Festival

February 14, 2017

bridgetown, comedy festival, janeane garofalo, karen kilgariff, laurie kilmartin, pdx, portland

Earlybird Passes Now on Sale for 10th Annual Bridgetown Comedy Festival

The 2017 Bridgetown Comedy Festival is set for this May 4-7 and you can now get some early discounts on festival passes for Portland’s annual comedy extravaganza.

Right now, you can save $20 and get a weekend pass for $79.

So far, Janeane Garofalo, Karen Kilgariff, Baron Vaughn, Jackie Kashian, Laurie Kilmartin, Nico Santos, and Dave Hill are all confirmed for the festival and dozens and dozens more acts will be announced next month.

If you’re going to be in or around Portland and in case you didn’t know already, do not miss out on Bridgetown.

*NOTE: Early Bird Festival Pass and Standard Festival Pass do not include admission to the pre-festival special event Patton Oswalt show at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on May 2nd, ticketed separately at portland5.com, or any shows taking place at Revolution Hall, ticketed separately at revolutionhallpdx.com as they are announced.

The Big Sick, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon’s Love Story, Will Get a Wide Theatrical Summer Release

February 14, 2017

emily gordon, judd apatow, kumail nanjiani, michael showalter, the big sick

The Big Sick, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon’s Love Story, Will Get a Wide Theatrical Summer Release

The Big Sick tells the story of how Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon became the amazing couple that they are now. It had a great showing at Sundance and has since been bought up to possibly be a big time summer romantic comedy this year.

Kumail and Emily wrote the movie, Michael Showalter directed, and Judd Apatow produced it, which hopefully are all the right ingredients for something that will be a critical and commercial success amongst all the tent-pole action franchise releases that it will undoubtedly be up against.

The Big Sick will start rolling out in theaters on June 23rd, then hit a theater near you on July 14th.

February 14, 2017

aliya kamalova, best friends show, cheap comedy, east hollywood, erin and melissa, hollywood, joe kwaczala, kim seltzer, live comedy, los feliz, shauna mcgarry, silverlake, storytelling, the virgil, virgil village, yassir lester

The Best Friends Show, the show where best friends tell stories together, is going to make its first splash at The Virgil this Saturday, February 18th at 8PM.

Real life best friends Kim Seltzer and Aliya Kamalova will welcome other best friends:
Yassir Lester & Isaiah Lester
Shauna McGarry & Celia Finkelstein
Joe Kwaczala & Anthony Gioe
Erin & MeLissa

It’s one of our favorite shows around town and something that always gives us a bit of hope in humanity.

Tickets are $5 and you should get them here ASAP.

The Steve Allen Theater/Center For Inquiry, Along with Trepany House, Will Be Torn Down This Summer

February 14, 2017

amit itelman, center for inquiry, cfi, los angeles, los feliz, ron lynch, steve allen theater, tomorrow show, torn down, trepany house

The Steve Allen Theater/Center For Inquiry, Along with Trepany House, Will Be Torn Down This Summer

There seems to be a disturbing trend of local theaters around LA being torn down in order to build condos.

The Steve Allen Theater, the long time home of The Tomorrow Show with Ron Lynch, the first home of Re-Animator the Musical, a place where the likes of Marc Maron, Bill Burr, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross worked out long sets, etc., is coming to an end this Summer. That includes the Center for the Inquiry and Trepany House, the non-profit behind the programming at the Steve Allen.

The building will be torn down so a new set of condos can be built.

There is no word yet on when the final days will exactly be or, more importantly, their shows will have to find a new home. You can read the Steve Allen/Trepany House’s own Amit Itelman’s announcement of the whole plan here.

In the meantime, we urge you to go see one of the final shows (that includes Tomorrow! w/Ron Lynch) at the Steve Allen over the next few months.

Showtime Comedy Club at SXSW Coming Back for Pt. 2 with Sean Patton, Emo Philips, and More

February 14, 2017

comedy special, eliza skinner, emo philips, ian edwards, kurt braunohler, live comedy, sean patton, showtime, stand up, sxsw

More and more, live comedy is becoming a fixture at big time music and arts festivals.

At SXSW, Showtime has been taping a special showcase to capture some of that festival comedy magic. Host Natasha Leggero, Sean Patton, Emo Philips, Eliza Skinner, Ian Edwards, and Kurt Braunohler make for one hell of a bill for the latest batch of Showtime Comedy Club at SXSW.

Look for it to premiere on Friday, March 17th on Showtime.

Patton Oswalt and Carol Burnett Win at 2017 Grammys

February 13, 2017

a special thing, ast records, audiobook, best comedy album, best spoken word album, carol burnett, grammys, in such good company, patton oswalt, talking for clapping

From last night’s Grammy Awards, Best Comedy Album went to Patton Oswalt’s Talking for Clapping off of A Special Thing Records and Best Spoken Word Album went to the audiobook version of Carol Burnett’s In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox off of Penguin Random House Audio.

While you’re still pondering Adele vs. Beyoncé, go and enjoy both the album and audiobook if you haven’t done so already.

Get the full list of the 2017 Grammy Award winners here.

Last Week Tonight Returns to 2017 to Examine Trump’s War with Truth and Buys Ads on Morning Cable News to Keep Him Informed

February 13, 2017

fox news, hbo, last week tonight, morning joe, prank ads, trump

Trump was not yet President since John Oliver and his Last Week Tonight team went on hiatus.

Now that we are on the other side and Trump is actually POTUS, it’s just a bit relieving to see that Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is also still here and doing the work that has gotten them so much well-deserved praise.

For their latest segment, they have to take on ‘you know who’ and not only do an exquisite job breaking down Trump’s constant battle against truth and offering up a direction to move forward, but they bought ads on the morning cable news shows that Trump watches in hopes that he might learn a real thing or two.

Sarah Silverman Will Now Be Doing a Netflix Comedy Special

February 13, 2017

comedy special, jash, liam lynch, sarah silverman, stand up

Sarah Silverman Will Now Be Doing a Netflix Comedy Special

Well, Netflix now has quite the stacked deck for 2017. Following from Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Amy Schumer,

Sarah Silverman is the latest big name comedian to have done their last comedy special at HBO and is set to do their newest special at Netflix. Silverman will shoot her special soon and Liam Lynch will be directing along with JASH, which she co-founded, producing.

We’re are thoroughly intrigued, given how outspoken Sarah has been in the political spectrum and the times that we’re living in now, what exactly she will do with this new special.

February 13, 2017

irvine, irvine improv, live comedy, mike birbiglia, orange county, stand up, storytelling, working it out tour

Mike Birbiglia is making a stop at the Irvine Improv for his Working It Out tour at the end of this month. He’s playing five shows from Thursday, February 23rd-25th. Mike’s trips to LA don’t happen that frequently, so make sure you snatch up your tickets quick here. They’re $25 with a 2 item minimum.

Actually, you could enter to win free tickets to the Friday late show here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

February 13, 2017

comedy scene, live comedy, los angeles, open mic

The Comedy Crawl and Open Mic Run are all updated for next week just in time to see a comedy show for Valentine’s Day or go to an open mic to complain about it.

Get the full rundown at www.thecomedybureau.com.

IFC Films Buys North American Rights to Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Death of Stalin’

February 13, 2017

armando iannucci, berlinale, death of stalin, ifc, ifc films, political comedy, political satire, stalin

IFC Films Buys North American Rights to Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Death of Stalin’

One might be wondering what the creator of Veep, In The Loop, and The Thick of It has been doing since he has handed off the show to the very capable hands of David Mandel.

Well, Armando Iannucci has been making a satire of the last days of Stalin that were filled with high ranking in-fighting, a particular specialty of his. A cast boasting Steve Buscemi, Michael Palin, and Jeffrey Tambor is something to get very excited for as well.

It would seem that these days that any of Iannucci’s work is applicable to the political, global, cultural climate more than it has ever been. With a focus on authoritarian figure to boot, this feeling raises our anticipation for Armando’s Death of Stalin that will get a U.S. release thanks to IFC’s recent purchase of the North American rights at Berlinale 2017.

Last Week Tonight Finally Returns Tonight

February 12, 2017

John Oliver and company couldn’t come back any sooner. Catch the season premiere of Last Week Tonight at 11PM on HBO tonight.

February 12, 2017

alex fernie, betsy sodaro, charity benefit, hollywood, improv, joe wengert, live comedy, mary holland, planned parenthood, sketch, tim kalpakis, ucb, ucb sunset

UCB has gathered some of their best, that just happen to be a couple of some sort (married, dating, team partners, etc.), for a special Valentine’s Day show at UCB Sunset. If you’re not into the concept of Valentine’s because you see it as a corporate cash-in, take note that all proceeds from this show will go to Planned Parenthood.

So, you can (and should) get your tickets for UCB’s Planned Parenthood Valentine’s Day Bonanza here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.