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Henry Phillips Has a New Henry’s Kitchen and a Henry’s Kitchen Cookbook

December 18, 2016

chris fairbanks, diy, fish stew, henry phillips, henry's kitchen, holiday recipes, how to, parody

Henry Phillips has two gifts for us all this holiday season.

First, he made a brand new holiday themed episode of Henry’s Kitchen where he tries making a ‘holiday fish stew’. Watch it and decide if that’s a road you want to go down instead of ham or turkey.

Second, he has just released a Henry’s Kitchen Cookbook, which is perfect for anyone who is looking for an “alternative” to traditional cooking.

This year, Henry has really outdone himself in attempting to cook for us all during these holidays.

December 18, 2016

allan mcleod, comedy show, director's commentary live, hollywood, los angeles, movie riffing, rudolph the red nosed reindeer, tim kalpakis, ucb, ucb sunset

UCB stalwarts like Allan McLeod, Tim Kalpakis, and Neil Campbell watch and riff on a movie as if they’re the ones who made it and are giving a commentary on the film at UCB Sunset.

This round of Director’s Commentary Live, happening this upcoming Wednesday, will take apart the holiday classic stop motion animation special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Tickets are $5 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.

Comedy Crawl All Updated for Christmas Week

December 18, 2016

comedy shows, improv, los angeles, podcast, sketch, stand up

Comedy Crawl All Updated for Christmas Week

While you’re trying to scramble through the last bit of Christmas shopping, ignoring the holiday altogether, enjoying LA emptying out, or are just looking for a damn fine comedy show to enjoy, we’ve got you covered.

Jax Media Is Making a Colin Quinn Pilot ‘Luncheonette’

December 17, 2016

colin quinn, jax media, luncheonette, pilot

Jax Media Is Making a Colin Quinn Pilot ‘Luncheonette’

Following up the great special New York Story, Colin Quinn is starring and has written a pilot Luncheonette where he plays an ex-cop coffee shop owner. Jax Media, the company behind Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and the developing of a Robin Thede show, is producing it and might just have a great 2017.

Over the last few years, Quinn has extended himself wonderfully all over the place between acting, writing, and performing solo shows, which makes the prospects for what Luncheonette might be very exciting.

If you think about it, it could be a sequel-of-sorts to both New York Story and Cop Show.

December 17, 2016

irvine improv, orange county, patton oswalt, stand up

Patton Oswalt is headlining at The Irvine Improv this coming Monday and Tuesday for $25 a pop (plus 2 item minimum).

If you’re in LA and don’t have tickets to Patton’s Largo shows over the next couple of months (FYI, they’re sold out), you might want to make your way to Irvine.

Get tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Rachel Dratch Has to Run Through a Margot Robbie Themed Obstacle Course on Billy on the Street

December 16, 2016

billy eichner, billy on the street, conan, ellen, margot robbie, obstacle course, rachel dratch, trutv

This actually sends up media coverage and the rise of A-listers more than it does Margot Robbie specifically. The mix of satire is pure silliness is as done exquisitely as to be expected with Billy on the Street.

Either way, it’s another ridiculous and ultra-clever Billy on the Street obstacle course with Rachel Dratch trying to make her way through, kind of terrified, with Billy Eichner yelling the whole way through.

Watch and enjoy it here (and take note of the more subversive edge that Eichner and company have taken this season).

Please Get Billy Wayne Davis: Live at Third Man Records Just Released Today

December 16, 2016

billy wayne davis, comedy album, comedy special, live at third man records, stand up, third man records

Jack White’s Third Man Records is incredibly picky when it comes to comedians that bring into the fold. So far, the likes of only Reggie Watts, Neil Hamburger, and Rory Scovel have gotten to make a record on the highly regarded label.

The latest pick is Billy Wayne Davis and Davis’ sharp-wit wrapped in his warm, inviting persona and comforting Southern accent makes it a pretty great choice.

Billy Wayne Davis: Live at Third Man Records showcases Davis’ full comedic range of having insightful, yet mischievous material that has been carefully honed all the way to delightfully messing around with as much irreverence as he can muster. Here’s a taste of what we’re talking about.

The album comes as 12″ vinyl that includes a download code for video of Davis doing the same hour, effectively giving you both an album and a special in one purchase.

Please get the album for yourself or a loved one at Third Man Records here.

Pete Holmes’ HBO Series “Crashing” Gets a Full Trailer

December 16, 2016

crashing, hbo, jermaine fowler, pete holmes, sarah silverman, tj miller, trailer

Crashing, as you’ll see in this trailer, will be a fun look into what Pete Holmes’ life was like and how desperate it was before he was flying high in his career with an HBO special and series under his belt.

Take note that 2017 might be a really good year for Jermaine Fowler too.

Crashing premieres on Sunday, February 19th at 10:30PM on HBO.

Jermaine Fowler’s Superior Donuts To Get Special Thursday Preview with The Big Bang Theory as a Lead-In

December 16, 2016

big bang theory, cbs, jermaine fowler, superior donuts

Jermaine Fowler’s Superior Donuts To Get Special Thursday Preview with The Big Bang Theory as a Lead-In

It’s good to see that CBS wants to kick-off its sitcom from Jermaine Fowler (also a sitcom that’s noticeably different than the other new CBS sitcoms The Great Indoors, Kevin Can Wait, and Man with a Plan) by potentially having the most eyes on it when it first airs (The Big Bang Theory still draws huge ratings).

This special preview will happen on Thursday, February 2nd at 8:30PM, then have the series follow 2 Broke Girls with a slot on Mondays at 9PM.

Andy Richter’s Home for the Holidays Special Streaming on Seeso Dec. 20th

December 16, 2016

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FYI, Andy Richter Controls The Universe fans (as well as fans of anything that Andy Richter does and his work on Conan), there’s an Andy Richter holiday special streaming next week on Seeso.

In case you’re not already on board, here’s a promo from Andy himself.

December 16, 2016

bryan cook, championships, comedy show, competitive erotic fan fiction, eliza skinner, hollywood, live reading, los angeles, los feliz, silverlake, storytelling, the virgil, virgil village, zach sherwin

The best of the best comedian slash fiction writers in LA, including Eliza Skinner, Zach Sherwin, Alison Leiby, Phoebe Bottoms, and Keith Carey, will assemble to see who will be the Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction champ.

Join in with host/CEFF ringleader Bryan Cook and see who emerges as the best lurid pop culture parodist this Sunday, December 18th at The Virgil with doors opening at 7:30PM. The show itself is free leaving little excuse to not catch it if you’re in town.

More details here.

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

Sofiya Alexandra Tells the Story of Having to Translate One of the Most NSFW Surgeries to Her Grandpa While It’s Happening to Him

December 15, 2016

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Of the dozens of stories that have been shared on Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening, this is one of the more insane and graphic ones.

Fortunately, Sofiya Alexandra weaves the story of having to act as a Russian translator for her senile grandfather during an emergency surgery that you probably have never even imagined in such a way that makes it a stand out amongst the TINH canon.

Finally, a Crackling Fireplace Video Gets a Director’s Commentary (Narrated by Maria Bamford)

December 15, 2016

andrew michaan, director's commentary, fireplace, maria bamford, parody, zed cutsinger

The holiday season is in full swing and, amongst several holiday trappings, uncut video of a soothing, crackling fireplace becomes popular once again.

Yet, the story behind the making of such a video has never been told… until now.

Thanks to Andrew Michaan, Zed Cutsinger, and Maria Bamford, there is now a director’s commentary for that static single shot of a fireplace that reveals a personal darkness lurking underneath the making of the video that focuses on light and warmth.

Enjoy this holiday treat here.

December 15, 2016

benefit show, feliz navidad, feliz navipod, garfunkel and oates, hollywood, jimmy pardo, los angeles, meltdown comics, music, nerdmelt, planned parenthood, stand up, superego, variety show

Jimmy Pardo, Garfunkel and Oates, ½ of Superego are on the bill and that’s not even half of what next Monday’s Feliz Navipod’s Feliz Navidad Variety Show at The Nerdmelt Showroom has to offer on top of benefitting Planned Parenthood.

Get your tickets for $15 here.

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

Hari Kondabolu’s Latest Album Mainstream American Comic Now Streaming on YouTube

December 14, 2016

hari kondabolu, kill rock stars, mainstream american comic, now streaming, stand up

Vice has very accurately pointed to Hari Kondabolu as a comedian to look to under the upcoming Trump Administration.

Take a listen or a look at all of his stand-up and you’ll see why Kondabolu could rise to stand alongside John Oliver and Samantha Bee poking fun at those in power that will be unjustly abusing it very soon.

In fact, you can start with his latest album Mainstream American Comic, which Kill Rock Stars has conveniently made available for streaming on YouTube, free of charge. As you might guess at this point, we really dug it.

2017 SAG Awards Comedy Nominees: Florence Foster Jenkins and black-ish Still Going Strong

December 14, 2016

black-ish, florence foster jenkins, grace and frankie, meryl streep, modern family, netflix, orange is the new black, sag, sag awards, screen actors guild, unbreakable kimmy schmidt, veep

2017 SAG Awards Comedy Nominees: Florence Foster Jenkins and black-ish Still Going Strong

*comedy nominees in italics

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Amy Adams, “Arrival”
Emily Blunt, “The Girl on the Train”
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Hugh Grant, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Ellie Kemper, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
“The Big Bang Theory”
“Black-ish”
“Modern Family”
“Orange is the New Black”
“Veep”

The rundown of comedy nominees in this year’s awards season have many notable differences between the nominations for a few awards ceremonies that have been announced so far.

Still, Florence Foster Jenkins and black-ish seem to be holding consistently throughout as they just picked up multiple nominations for the 2017 SAG Awards. Netflix has plenty to be proud of here too, especially since they got all but one nomination in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category.

Get the full list of 2017 SAG Awards nominees here and see who wins on January 29th on either TBS or TNT (or you’ll be able to stream it) at 5PM PST..

Conan’s Leaked Obama Trump Calls Are One of the Most Fun Recurring Post-Election Bits Right Now

December 14, 2016

barack obama, conan, conversations, donald trump, leaked, parody, satire, team coco

Conan O’Brien and his staff walk such a great, fine line with these recurring leaked phone calls between Obama and Trump.

The bit, born after the election out of the fact that Obama and Trump do have real life conversations, are very silly and clever, a cornerstone of Conan, but it still sticks it to Trump.

Plenty of roaring fire is being held to feet of Trump and his cronies by John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers and they’ll continue to do so exquisitely over the next four years.

With that angle covered, Conan takes the approach he has always taken where he aims for the comedy, specifically the silly and absurd, before getting too political or partisan.

These recurring leaked phone calls accomplishes that and also steers clear of normalizing the situation of President Elect Trump as all of these faux conversations are about how irregular all of this is.

Also, take note how spot on the Obama impersonator is.

It’s a little bit of the best of both worlds in late night satirizing Trump.

Facebook to Start Paying to Have Original Content Stream on Facebook

December 14, 2016

Facebook to Start Paying to Have Original Content Stream on Facebook

It was only a matter of time before Facebook was going to do this, right?

If a company has the money and is in any way related to media, it would seem the prevailing winds these days push them towards producing original content whether it be TV shows, digital short form series, movies, podcasts, etc.

That’s why Facebook making their own content seems like a forgone conclusion at this point.

Initially, the idea of Amazon making original shows and movies seem odd, but they’ve gotten plenty of traction and acclaim with their releases in the short time that Amazon Studios has been around. Facebook making their own shows and movies seems even less weird as they are a social media company.

Nothing specific has been indicated in terms of what they’ll be making and how much of it they’ll be making, but comedy will probably play a big role. What we’ll be watching for is if this push will attract people not on Facebook’s payroll to upload their content on FB instead of YouTube, Vimeo, Funny or Die, etc.

YouTube is so ingrained in the cultural consciousness that it would be hard to imagine that happening on a large scale, but we’ll have to see what Zuckerberg has up his sleeve in the next several months.

Mike Judge Will Be Receiving a WGA Lifetime Achievement Award For Animation

December 14, 2016

animation, beavis and butthead, king of the hill, lifetime achievement, mike judge, wga, writers guild of america

Mike Judge Will Be Receiving a WGA Lifetime Achievement Award For Animation

Mike Judge has done so much post-animation with Idiocracy and Silicon Valley and this WGA Lifetime Achievement Award for Animation is a great reminder that Judge also brought King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead to TV during the animation period of his career.

This is probably the first of multiple lifetime achievement awards that Judge will receive in the years to come.

IFC Orders Second Season of Dana Gould’s Stan Against Evil

December 14, 2016

dana gould, ifc, john c mcginley, renewed, stan against evil

IFC Orders Second Season of Dana Gould’s Stan Against Evil

Looks like Stan/John C. McGinley has plenty more demons to dispatch and cranky quips on the changes in society and culture as time marches forward.

Overall, we’re happy to hear that more TV by the brilliant Dana Gould will be made in 2017.

December 14, 2016

comedy show, fairfax, henry phillips, hollywood, improvised stand up, jay mohr, kira soltanovich, los angeles, melrose, set list, stand up, weho, wil anderson

See stand-up comedy created before your very eyes with the world renowned improvised stand-up show Set List. It’s having its latest round at the Hollywood Improv this Sunday, December 18th with a great line-up of Wil Anderson, Kira Soltanovich, Jay Mohr, and music from Henry Phillips.

You can (and should) get your tickets here.

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

A Video Store Comprised of Over 14,000 Jerry Maguire VHS Tapes Exclusively to Open in Echo Park

December 14, 2016

art exhibit, art installation, echo park, everything is terrible, iam8bit, jerry maguire, jerry pyramid, los angeles, vhs, video

For several years, the satirical video art collective known as Everything Is Terrible has collected every single copy of Jerry Maguire on video cassette tape that they could get their hands on.

Their efforts have led them to collecting over 14,000 copies of the film Jerry Maguire which will now be used to create a pop-up “video store” exhibit at iam8bit in Echo Park. It’ll be like the Blockbuster brick-and-mortar stores of yore, but with only Jerry Maguire lining every shelf. The mere idea of this is ridiculously absurd and fun while also offering much more to dissect than other large scale art projects in LA like that giant rock outside of LACMA.

This is only the start as a permanent #JerryPyramid in the desert being built is a goal that this exhibit is ultimately shooting for.

Through the two week run, there will be live events including comedy from Kate Berlant, DJ Douggpound, Greg Barris, and, of course, some video mischief from Everything Is Terrible.

Start looking for The Jerry Maguire Store on January 13th.

Rashida Jones’ Nail Salon Dramedy ‘Claws’ Going to Series at TNT

December 14, 2016

claws, niecy nash, rashida jones, series order, tnt

Rashida Jones’ Nail Salon Dramedy ‘Claws’ Going to Series at TNT

There’s a lot of things to be excited for here including:
-Rashida Jones making more television
-TNT expanding its branding into dramedy.
-another female led ensemble underworld that might give that newly announced DC female villains movie a run for its money
-Niecy Nash starring with diverse cast
-a dark dramedy centered around a nail salon

Look for 10 episodes of Claws coming next year.

Focus Features Get Rights to Adapt Daniel Clowes’ Patience

December 13, 2016

adaptation, daniel clowes, focus features, patience

Focus Features Get Rights to Adapt Daniel Clowes’ Patience

With Wilson on deck and this acquiring the rights to adapt Patience by Focus Features, we’re excited to see this uptick in Daniel Clowes based studio projects.

Patience in particular, with its ‘cosmic timewarp deathtrip’, might play out pretty damn well on the big screen, perhaps rivaling certain Marvel movies that have plenty of cosmic adventures through time and space, but don’t necessarily get into the emotional nuanes of Clowes’ characters and worlds.

Baskets Season 2 Gets a Full Trailer

December 13, 2016

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Just over a month from now, there will be the return of Louie Anderson as a mom, Zach Galifianakis as one of the saddest clowns ever, and Martha Kelly being Martha Kelly.

There have been plenty of short promos over the past several months, but here’s a full trailer that will satisfy, at least for a little while, your fix for more Baskets.

Season 2 is set to premiere on FX on Thursday, January 19th.