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After 67 Years, Mad Magazine Will Be Reduced to Best Ofs, and Special Editions

After 67 Years, Mad Magazine Will Be Reduced to Best Ofs, and Special Editions

This week, it was announced that the seminal humor publication Mad Magazine will no longer be focusing on pushing out new issues, content, etc. later this year. There will be issues that feature old pieces (spanning over 3 scores of years) released by DC that aim for that nostalgia dollar, but you can see this as the final cap on an era of humor.

One has to wonder what lies ahead with the sort of comedic sensibilities that made Mad Magazine into a household name. Indie zines and indie comics have popped up here and there, but the Onion is effectively all digital now. Will there be anything like Mad Magazine again?

Our guess is probably not, which is probably why they’ll be doing best of collections of Mad Magazine in the years to come.

anniversary, comedy show, comedy variety, cooties, dana gould, greg barris, hannah einbinder, los angeles, los feliz, martha kelly, mimi cave, parker seaman, reggie watts, ryan sickler, silverlake, sklar brothers, super serious show

Truly, it only seems like a little while ago that a super cool variety show called The Super Serious Show started up in a super cool photo studio and provided a stellar variety showcase of stand-up, short film, characters, music, and more.

Yet, almost 9 years later, The Super Serious Show, now at the also super cool Virgil, continues to stand as that same stellar, very diverse, carefully handpicked comedy variety showcase we really love.

For their 9 year mark, they’re really bringing the goods as you can see in the 9 year anniversary line-up above. Don’t miss out on helping them celebrating 9 years and seeing a great, great comedy show.

You’re going to want to get your tickets ASAP ($7 in adv., $10 at door-cash only). Do so here.

Watch Trailer for Season 11 of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

barry marder, bridget everett, eddie murphy, jamie foxx, jerry seinfeld, mario joyner, martin short, matthew broderick, melissa villaseñor, netflix, ricky gervais, season 11, sebastian maniscalco, seth rogen, trailer

Just like the breezy rides that the series takes us through while Jerry Seinfeld and his guest hang out for the most successful version of comedians having coffee, we have coasted on to season 11 of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (that’s 2 more than Seinfeld FYI).

Per usual, Jerry has stacked line-up of guests including Eddie Murphy, Melissa Villaseñor, and Martin Short and, as far as we can see, Jerry’s winning formula here will keep going as long as he wants.

See it for yourself in this season’s trailer here.

allen strickland williams, amber nelson, barbara gray, biniam bizuneh, experimental comedy, kristen studard, kyle ayers, late late breakfast, maggie maye

The somewhat controlled chaos of Late Late Breakfast is finally back with more hysterical, insane challenges for LA favorites in stand-up to attempt while doing their sets.

Hosts Tyler Jackson and Danny Maupin will be at Lyric Hyperion in Silverlake this time around on Sat. Jul. 20th at 4PM. Tickets are only $5 for what is truly a beautifully bonkers experience.

Please go get tickets here.

Trailer for Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein Promises Something That’s as Meta As It Can Get

david harbour, frankenstein's monster's monster frankenstein, netflix, trailer

OK, let’s see if we can get this right…

In this mockumentary, real life actor David Harbour went and created his own alternate family history that makes the Harbours a family of actors. From there, Harbour wants to dissect his father’s attempt to make a stage play for TV that is a re-imagining-of-sorts of the Frankenstein story and thus makes this documentary. Harbour plays himself and “David Harbour Jr.”, his “father” in this meta-mockumentary that, in this trailer, includes a pull-quote from Harbour himself.

Pretty meta, right?

What this might be is a little murky at this point, but Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein looks like it could be a lot of fun in a Christopher Guest-ish way. The title certainly is the right kind of silly to peak our curiosity.

Watch the trailer here, then look for it streaming on Netflix, Tues. Jul. 16th.

Silverlake Lounge Bought by Owners of Tabula Rasa; Promise to Keep Independent Spirit of the Place Alive

silverlake lounge

Silverlake Lounge Bought by Owners of Tabula Rasa; Promise to Keep Independent Spirit of the Place Alive

This curious dive bar that has been a crucial intersection of all sorts of scenes, generations, and more in Silverlake is getting a new owner (and presumably a big overhaul) in Zach Negin, the owner of Tabula Rasa in Little Armenia.

Silverlake Lounge has been home to countless nights of music, comedy shows, latinx drag shows, and even a scene from Ben Stiller indie-vehicle Greenberg. That’s in addition to being one of the city’s oldest watering holes. As mentioned above, the owners state that they want to keep the independent spirit of the place alive for years to come, but that’s very vague.

Given that, recently, Amoeba Records in Hollywood has been sold off and will have to pack up and move in a year, The Echo/Echoplex/Regent being taken over by Live Nation, the Steve Allen Theater finally getting demolished, a popular house comedy show Wolf Den got shut down because some neighbors complained (and are, we’re guessing, major killjoys) after years of being around, we can only hope that Negin will stay true to his word and keep indie events including comedy happening at what still is Silverlake Lounge for the time being.

Truly, we’ll just have to wait and see.

charity benefit, comedy show, danielle perez, freedom for immigrants, highland park, jackie kashian, kira soltanovich, los angeles, maria bamford, stand up, vince caldera

Other than trying to watch Maria’s social media feeds to see if you can watch her workshop her new hour over coffee with her or during her runs at The Clubhouse, you can watch her along with a great line-up of stand-ups and support the Freedom for Immigrants charity on August. 27th at Highland Park’s Hi Hat (5043 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA).

As far as we can see, you need to go to this if you can. Tickets are $40 (21+ only) and you can (and very much should) get them here. Don’t be surprised if they sell out.

Earios, the Podcast Network by Women for All, Announces Impressive Debut Programming Slate

earios, kimmy gatewood, margaret cho, podcast network

Earios, the Podcast Network by Women for All, Announces Impressive Debut Programming Slate

Earios started off with a crowdfunding campaign that promised a podcast network that would be by women, for everyone.

Between having a show with Margaret Cho, a podcast about the life and times of Britney Spears, a faux guide to celebrating Christmas, indie rock star Feist talking to guests about getting through life these days, the creator of Netflix’s Love finding what brings joy to people’s lives, diving into bits of the Dark Web, a guide to parenting from GLOW’s Kimmy Gatewood, and more, we’d say they’re starting off pretty damn well with their mission statement.

Go get into all of that at Earios here.

largo, largo at the coronet, musical comedy, rachel bloom

When the mind and, subsequently, the comedy of Rachel Bloom are such a fascinating thing, especially when they get to roam free. Things like the award winning Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or the OCDance! get to happen.

Hi, I’m Rachel Bloom and This Is My Show coming up this month at Largo is your chance to see Rachel unfettered as the show description even says, “Join Rachel Bloom for 60-90 minutes of whatever she wants to do!” We have no doubt that it’ll be something special.

Tickets are $35 and you best get them before they sell out here.

Everything Is Terrible Is Opening Their Own Store

everything is terrible, opening

The satirical video/performance art collective Everything Is Terrible has been bringing you the best in recontextualizing the worst in pop culture for several years now and are stepping up their game by opening very own Everything Is Terrible Store deep in East LA (i.e. true East LA and not this noveau-Eastside LA label of Highland Park/Echo Park/etc.).

EIT! is the video and performance collective known for their Jerry Maguire VHS collection (and Echo Park Video Store installation), epic psychedelic video compilations, and live shows featuring beautiful and whimsical costumes and puppets! Now they finally have a permanent home here in LA, where they can experiment with new installations, videos, and performances, as well as showcase limited edition Everything Is Terrible! apparel, accessories, and more!

They’re throwing a big shindig to celebrate their opening on July 6th at 8PM in case your interest is peaked. Their new address is 754 S. Atlantic Blvd. (note: told you it was deep in East LA).

Please Get and Enjoy Chris Charpentier’s Debut Album “Brain Thoughts”

ast records, chris charpentier, comedy album, stand up comedy

When it comes to being unapologetically silly on stage, few do so it well as Chris Charpentier. You can hear Chris “put on a clinic” in this regard with this debut album Brain Thoughts.

Seeing him on stages all around the country, Chris, for us celebrates silliness in such a joyous way with his stand-up. There’s a giddiness that’s infectious as he is clearly still tickled by his own ridiculous observations and misdirects. It’s almost as if Charpentier’s goofiness comes from his soul as he goes through bits, characters, stories, etc. in this undeniably fun hour.

Brain Thoughts is available now from AST Records and you can (and should) go get it here or on Apple Music here.

los angeles, lyric hyperion, solo show, stand up comedy, tiff stevenson, uk comedy

The UK’s whipsmart Tiff Stevenson is back in town and bringing her latest hour show with her. Every time we’ve seen Tiff in LA, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed her cleverly crafted material that she makes work both in the UK and here in the States.

So, with that said, go see her work shop her latest show, Mother at Lyric Hyperion this coming Monday. Get tickets here.

Watch Brad Evans and Nick Ciarelli’s Dark Take on Corporations Trying to Tweet

brad evans, corporations, dark comedy, nick ciarelli, parody, satire, sketch comedy

Watch Brad Evans and Nick Ciarelli’s Dark Take on Corporations Trying to Tweet

Though they may try, corporations/brands/etc. attempting to engage on a “real level” with the consumers they so desperately want often goes awry (especially when it comes to tragedy).

So, the great sketch duo of Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans have done their own super dark, satirical breakdown of what corporations might be thinking when pretending to have feelings on social media. Please enjoy their latest sketch here.

The First Ever Southland Comedy Festival Is Taking Submissions for Stand-Up

comedy festival, los angeles, open call, southland comedy festival, stand up comedy, submissions

Finally, someone is giving another shot at throwing a legit comedy festival in LA.

The Southland Comedy Festival, set to debut Jan. 7th-11th, 2020, will feature the best stand-up they can find in and throughout the LA scene at comedy clubs, bars, underground venues, and more. For specific showcases, they’re really try to go out of their way for industry execs and reps to be see bright, shiny, new stand-up talent that ought to be elevated.

All you need is a 5-7 min. tape to send and $35 submission fee (until July 25th, then $45 until August 25th, $60 until October 25th) for consideration. If you’re interested in submitting, do so here.

Get more details in general about the first Southland Comedy Festival here.

comedy shows, lgbtq, los angeles, put your hands together, stand up comedy

Over 6.5 years, Put Your Hands Together has been a regularly sold out stand-up show, an award winning podcast, and one of the best inclusive spaces for stand-up in LA.

Hosts Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher along with the producing team of Ryan McMenamin and Hannah Settle continued to uphold the primetime Tues. night slot for stand-up at UCB Franklin. Before them, Comedy Bang! Bang! had their amazing run in that time slot, then faithfully passed the torch to PYHT.

Announced yesterday, Put Your Hands Together will be ending their wonderful run at the end of this July. Cameron will be hosting on July 9th & 16th (tickets on sale now) and Rhea will be hosting on the 23rd and 30th (follow @pyhtshow to see when they go on sale).

Do not miss your chance, truly, to see and end of an era.

Chris Gethard Presents Series Premiere Is Tonight, Starting with Carmen Christopher

carmen christopher, chris gethard, chris gethard presents, manhattan neighborhood network, public access

Chris Gethard’s latest comedy experiment, Chris Gethard Presents, which is essentially a showcase that allows Gethard’s handpicked favorites to also experiment as they see fit, back at public access at MNN (where The Chris Gethard Show’s roots are) officially kicks off tonight.

While it is airing on Manhattan Neighborhood Network, you can stream it live here at 8PM PST/11PM EST, then watch it archived on YouTube here.

The very first episode will be brought to you by the mind and comedic stylings of Carmen Christopher, a wonderful weirdo out of NYC that has a whole host of characters in addition to doing stand-up all over, as The Great Night Show with Carmen Christopher.

Watch it live or watch it later (just watch it somehow) because we have a good feeling about what Chris is cooking up here.

Butt Is Going on Tour Across America

butt, chris stephens, comedy tour, joe mcadam, sketch comedy

One of our absolute favorite sketch duos in LA is BUTT (Joe McAdam and Chris Stephens) and they’ll be thankfully sharing their wares with a big chunk of the rest of America this Summer on the appropriately titled Butt Across America Summer Tour.

Starting in the end of July through the beginning of August, McAdam and Stephens will bring their top notch absurdity to NYC, Chicago, Lincoln, NE, and more.

Get more details and tickets here.

Oh, also, you can also see them in LA this Sunday 6/30 at our Most Wanted List show at The Satellite.

Flyer by Adrienne Lobl

atwater village, comedy show, experimental comedy, los angeles

Underbelly, your favorite stand-ups-doing-anything-but-stand-up-comedy show is back.

For years, this show and hosts Chris Garcia and Ryan Singer have hopped from venue to venue bringing their comedic and mystical delights in the form of characters, songs, experiments, etc. all to bring the cutting edge in comedy with many of the city’s best.

So, this Saturday at Cahmadee Club (basement of Oeno Vino), another Underbelly will happen with:

Blair Socci
Maggie Maye
Anna Seregina
Greg Edwards
Alex Stone & Adam Dubowsky
plus Drennon Davis and Mike Nissen!!

Oh yeah, admission is FREE! Get more details, RSVP, etc. here.

Adult Swim Festival Announces 2019 Line-Up

adult swim festival, banc of california stadium, comedy music festival, eric andre show, exposition park, los angeles, rick and morty season 4

On top of having cutting edge music, comedy, and art, this year’s Adult Swim Festival will be at the Banc of California Stadium at Exposition Park (near USC) (instead of an outdoor mall near Skid Row) on Fri. & Sat. Nov. 15th & 16th.

For our money, a live Eric Andre Show, exclusive Rick & Morty season 4 screening, Three Busy Debras, Jena Friedman, Joe Pera, Sarah Squirm, Wham City, and Conner O’Malley is a pretty great deal.

All the early bird tickets are sold out, so you can get a one day pass for $49 or two-day for $95. Or, if you want exclusive service, entry, all the free swag, open bar, and private bathrooms, you can drop a cool $900 on a Prestige Plus 2 Day Pass.

Go to http://adultswimfestival.com/ for more details.

Alice Wetterlund to Have Stand-up Special “My Mama Is a Human and So Am I” at Amazon

alice wetterlund, amazon, comedy special

Alice Wetterlund to Have Stand-up Special “My Mama Is a Human and So Am I” at Amazon

We were wondering when Amazon was going to push forward with stand-up comedy specials in going toe-to-toe with Netflix.

Well, we’re glad to see that Amazon has tapped the splendid Alice Wetterlund to release a special (and, maybe, fill the space that Netflix used to by giving full comedy specials to comedians that weren’t already majorly famous at the time of their first Netflix special, highlighting some great talent, i.e. Ali Wong, Tom Segura, Jen Kirkman).

Called My Mama Is a Human and So Am I, it’s due out later this year to stream on Amazon Prime and will hopefully be the first in many comedy specials that Amazon sagaciously produces.

Comedy Central Orders Anthony Jeselnik Interview Series ‘Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik’ to Series

anthony jeselnik, comedy central, good talk, series order

Comedy Central Orders Anthony Jeselnik Interview Series ‘Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik’ to Series

For six episodes that include chats with the likes of Kumail Nanjiani, Kristen Schaal, Nick Kroll, and Tig Notaro, Anthony Jeselnik will be an interviewer, perhaps on a more peer-to-peer level.

In fact, this might be your best chance to see Jeselnik drop the “heel comedian” persona a bit/break kayfabe, but we can’t say for sure right now. The mystery of how that might go is intriguing enough for us to want see Anthony has up his sleeve this time.

bj novak, folar, friends of the la river, frogtown, frogtown show, james adomian, kevin christy, los feliz the podcast, morgan murphy, nick thune, yassir lester

Los Feliz: The Podcast (yes, the Los Feliz neighborhood has its own lovely podcast hosted by the funny duo of Morgan Murphy and Kevin Christy) is doing a special live taping across neighborhood lines in Frogtown.

In fact, the lovely Frogtown Show will be hosting them in the beautiful Spoke Bicycle Cafe in order to raise money for Friends Of the LA River (FOLAR). So, they’ll be doing inter-eastside chat, stand-up, and more (with a pretty damn fine line-up too as you can clearly see above).

Donations are accepted, but you can guarantee a seat in advance for $25. Get more details here.

“Other Show” Line-Ups for DCM 21

dcm 21, del close marathon, hollywood, improv comedy, los angeles, other shows

A big part of the Del Close Marathon, set for this weekend, is the shows that happen in the late, late night, the early, early morning, and the normal morning. Dubbed the “Other Shows”, it features some more of the experimental forms in long form improv or just comedic experiments in general.

Some that you should watch out for in DCM 21 include:

Matt Besser’s Hootenany Sing-A-Long Improv Comedy Experiment
Carl Tart on a Hoverboard
Stop Matt Apodaca From Doing Comedy
Pass That Blunt Attempts a 15 Minute High Harold
Three Princes Presents: The Wildest Nastiest Pretty Fucking Flower
Jacob Wysocki Sells His Shit
New Zealand’s #1 Improv Troupe
Bad Guitar Solos
Anything Can Be A Black Mirror Episode

The full “Other Shows” schedule are below. To get the full DCM 21 schedule, go here, and to get tickets/passes here. By the way, passes for “Other Shows” are only $12 for one day and $20 for the weekend.

Please Enjoy’s Nick Ciarelli and Bradford Evans Take on Every Cameo Video Ever

brad evans, cameo, nick ciarelli, parody, satire, sketch comedy

Please Enjoy’s Nick Ciarelli and Bradford Evans Take on Every Cameo Video Ever

In this age of apps, there is, of course, an app that allows you to pay for “celebrity” (heavy emphasis on the quotation marks there) shout outs and endorsements via a video shot on a phone.

It’s called Cameo and, as you can imagine, the videos have gotten a bit weird, and it is definitely ripe for the sort of send-up that the uber-clever Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans just did.

Please enjoy it here.

andres du bouchet, comedy show, conan, dan cronin, jose arroyo, laurie kilmartin, levi macdougall, los angeles, stand up, team coco

Peacock has already been off-to-the-races in terms of putting on a great weekly Thursday stand-up show in the heart of Atwater Village.

This Thursday is very special as you can see that the writers of Conan are assembling on to one show WITH Conan sidekick and announcer, the one and only Andy Richter hosting. Did we mention that it’s only a $5 suggested donation to attend? OK, we mentioned it now. So, make a reminder on your phone for #TeamPeacock (or PeaCoco?) at Club Tee Gee this Thurs. 6/27.