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Please Get and Enjoy Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s “Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory”

books, raphael bob-waksberg, short stories, someone who will love you in all your damaged glory

If you are feeling like you’re missing new episodes of BoJack Horseman in your life or if you’re looking for stories about love, warts and all (figuratively and kind of literally), then you’ll want to go and pick up Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s latest work, a collection of short stories gloriously entitled Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory: Stories.

Once again, the BoJack Horseman creator balances emotional complexity in magically real, ridiculous scenarios such as trying to break tradition in planning a pagan wedding to beautifully comic effect in a handful of love stories (well, the sort of dark-tragically comedic love story that is Bob-Waksberg’s bread and butter).

So, go get Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory: Stories, available in hardcover, on Kindle, and as an audiobook now.

forever dog, kevin mcdonald, kids in the hall, live podcast

Kevin McDonald (Kids in the Hall) and his delightfully meta podcast Kevin McDonald’s Kevin McDonald Show is doing another live taping at the Lyric Hyperion Theatre & Cafe on July 8th at 8PM.

The show always features sketches, sketches within sketches, music, Kevin interviewing guests, and other treats for those in attendance.

We’re pretty sure this will sell out, so go your tickets for $10 right quick.

The Razzie Awards Are, for the First Time Ever, Getting Made Into a TV Special Thanks to Comedy Dynamics

comedy dynamics, razzie awards

The Razzie Awards Are, for the First Time Ever, Getting Made Into a TV Special Thanks to Comedy Dynamics

The Razzie Awards, otherwise known by their more formal(?) name The Golden Raspberry Awards, are the unapologetic trolls of awards season that “honor” the worst that Hollywood spat out into theaters over the last year.

Admittedly, it is fun to see who gets nominated and there is usually way less debate (though we’re not sure whether that’s because no one’s jockeying for a Razzie or if they are just that spot on with their picks).

An entire TV special would essentially (probably) be a roast and, perhaps, a pretty entertaining one depending on who the host is (Nikki Glaser, Matt Rogers/Bowen Yang, Joel Hodgson?).

Maybe this is the spiritual consolation for the White House Correspondents Dinner no longer being hosted by a comedian? We’ll just have to see what Comedy Dynamics has up their sleeve and how far they’re willing to go.

comedy show, dramedy, fiona landers, funeral boquet, los angeles, musical, silverlake, solo show

Damn.

We saw Fiona Landers’ Funeral Bouquet show not really knowing what to expect (outside of a loosely dark comedic solo show as the show’s title suggests).

What we saw was a wallop of an autobiographical musical that exquisitely leaves it all, and we mean all, on the stage. It exceeded our expectations being more enthralling, darker, and funnier than we had kind of anticipated. Truly, Fiona’s stories accompanied by deftly constructed songs that touch on cancer, death, and rape cover the range of being so damn funny to being so damn heartbreaking (all in the best way possible). In so many ways, Funeral Bouquet shows how amazing and unforgettable a solo show can potentially be.

The next performance of Funeral Bouquet will be Mon., July 15th at 10PM at Lyric Hyperion. Tickets are $10. Please go get them here.

Reparations for Slavery Haven’t Happened, But Maybe You Can Support a Comedy Short “16,000 Dollars” About What Reparations Might Actually Look Like

brodie reed, david gborie, ellington wells, francesca fiorentini, jermaine fowler, maggie maye, symone baptiste

As Juneteenth today marks the end of slavery in the U.S. (with its specific end in Texas), it’s as good of a time as ever to highlight the issue of reparations.

Specifically, you can help crowdfund a short film featuring many of LA comedy’s best (Brodie Reed, David Gborie, Maggie Maye, Jermaine Fowler, Francesca Fiorentini, Ellington Wells, Symone Baptiste) imagining a comedic reality where reparations for slavery actually happened in the present day.

Many politicians still, to this day, have trouble talking about reparations, so who knows what will it actually happening. At the very least, you can back this film 16,000 Dollars that will probably further the conversation as well as offer a chance for a really stellar cast and crew to shine.

Find out more about 16,000 Dollars and back it here.

Well, Officially R.I.P. Steve Allen Theater/Center for Inquiry

los angeles history, rip, steve allen theater

It seems so long ago that we had heard about the beloved Steve Allen Theater, where we spent many a late, late Saturday night at Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch or catching Cartoon Dump, a live show with comedians dressed as cartoons (as well as some cartoon classics), or catching Marc Maron work out an hour, or even, recently, watch the theater get propped up for Gene Cosineau’s acting class in Barry or performing in the parking lot of for Howard Kremer’s SquatMelt, getting sold off to be demolished and made into, probably, apartments with retail space on the ground floor (as is the trend these days in LA).

Actually, it has been so long since we heard about that sale that we wondered when (or if) the actual building was going to be torn down.

As you can kind of see above via a picture we took while going down Hollywood Blvd., we don’t have to wonder anymore. The Steve Allen Theater/Center For Inquiry (during the day, the theater was a center for skeptics organization) is now physically rubble, but a memory that big handful of folks get to share.

That being said, comedy in LA lives on, as you know from following us, quite vibrantly. Tomorrow! still happens every Saturday at midnight just a hop-skip-and-a-jump (sort of) away at the Lyric Hyperion.

Anyways, to any and all that enjoyed live performance at the Steve Allen, take a moment to cherish those times and then, cherish your present favorite theaters/clubs/etc. so they don’t come to the same fate.

Netflix Renews Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave for Second Season

i think you should leave, netflix, renewed, tim robinson

Considering that I Think You Should Leave has, far and away, some of the best sketches this year (and maybe in recent memory), this renewal should have come several weeks ago, you know, a day or two after the show premiered.

Still, that means more delicious, absurdist morsels from the beautifully bizarre mind of Tim Robinson and co. are coming our way. Thank goodness.

all black female, black herstory, comedy show, dj zuri, felicia folkes, janelle james, jil chrissie, katrina davis, kristal adams, los angeles, stand up comedy

It may be redundant to say as this show is being presented by D.O.P.E., but if you want to see a dope all black female showcase, look no further than next week’s Black Herstory at the Virgil.

With a line-up that hails from across the country (with some of our personal favorites), this evening, hosted by Charla Lauriston, will be an unforgettable night of black girl magic comedy that should be the thing you’re doing next Saturday night.

Go get your tickets right here right now.

Lisa Kudrow To Voice Literal ‘Therapy Dog’ in Animated Presentation for Fox

clea duvall, fox, lisa kudrow, therapy dog

Lisa Kudrow To Voice Literal ‘Therapy Dog’ in Animated Presentation for Fox

OK, so Lisa Kudrow will be starring at the titular Therapy Dog, a dog that actually provides traditional therapy for other animals, in this animated project that comes from a team that includes Clea DuVall (whose film The Intervention doesn’t get enough love in our opinion), Jennifer Crittenden, and Gabrielle Allan along with writer/producer/actress dramedy powerhouse Sharon Horgan attached.

Also, the dog that Kudrows plays will also be in an questionable marriage and curious about a charming coyote.

So far, this checks plenty of boxes for us. Even the idea of a dog that is a therapist is pretty damn adorable. Hopefully, this makes it through development hell just to see what this might look/sound/feel like (because it could be great).

Anthony Jeselnik Tells the Story of Opening for Queens of the Stone Age at San Quentin State Prison

anthony jeselnik, jimmy kimmel, prison show, san quentin, storytelling

Anthony Jeselnik pretty much lives up to the expectations that come from that headline.

Enjoy the story from last night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! here.

busy tonight, conan, good one podcast, hollywood, I love you america, inside late night, jimmy kimmel live, neuehouse, vulture

Already, the Good One podcast featured a great ep. of a NY late night writers panel moderated by host Jesse David Fox.

Now, Vulture, Good One, and Jesse are doing a West Coast edition that will feature writers Jessie Gaskell, Jocelyn Richard, Danny Ricker, and Jenny Yang from Conan, I Love You America, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Busy Tonight respectively.

It’s effectively a State of Late Night discussion that you shouldn’t miss. Also, you’ll get to sneak into the exclusive NeueHouse for a night.

Vulture Presents Inside Late Night is happening next Thurs. Jun. 27th at 7PM. Tickets are $25 and you best get them here.

Get a Sneak Peek at Full Episode of Comedy Central’s Newest Sketch Show “Alternatino”

alternatino, arturo castro, comedy central, sketch comedy

The Arturo Castro fronted Alternatino will be Comedy Central’s latest foray into sketch comedy and hopefully pick up the torch from where Inside Amy Schumer left off.

You can see a bit of whether that rings true for you with this full ep. that Comedy Central so nicely put on their YouTube channel. As far as we can see, there’s a lot of promise here with a sharp sense of humor that weaves in and around the modern idea of latinx identity and an explicit narrative arc, a rarity in sketch series.

Alternatino premieres on Comedy Central this Tues. Jun. 18th at 10:30PM.

So, the LA Central Library Has a Studio Called the Octavia Lab That Allows You to Make Whatever Your Imagination Can Come Up With

creative resources, la central library, octavia lab

So, the LA Central Library Has a Studio Called the Octavia Lab That Allows You to Make Whatever Your Imagination Can Come Up With

You know, you might have to start going downtown to the LA Central Library more often?

This newly minted Octavia Lab, free to use with reservation, contains almost every creative tool you can imagine from Adobe Creative Cloud and ProTools to a 3D Printer and a CNC Machine to a sewing machine and a green screen to a lab where you can digitize any old form of media.

Whether you’re a sketch group, podcaster, installation artist with a sense of humor, this might be the thing for you if you don’t have access to any of this equipment, much less all of this equipment in one place.

For our readers that are big dreamers that have really ambitious visions, this might be a good place to start to actualize said vision. Do note that hours are limited and you must make a reservation to use the Octavia Lab (named after renowned sci fi author Octavia Butler).

Also, there will be a mobile version of this that will be making the rounds at other library branches in LA.

Between Two Ferns Movie to Have Zach Galifianakis Go on a Road Trip for Redemption and Adds Ryan Gaul, Lauren Lapkus, Jiavani Linayao to Cast

between two ferns

Between Two Ferns Movie to Have Zach Galifianakis Go on a Road Trip for Redemption and Adds Ryan Gaul, Lauren Lapkus, Jiavani Linayao to Cast

You might have been able to guess that a feature length adaptation of Between Two Ferns would probably have to pull back the curtain (even though the series is premised on that already) a little more.

Turns out that this Netflix movie version will have Zach Galifianakis still doing interviews of high profile celebrities, though doing them on the road as a way to show Will Ferrell that he is actual a good interviewer and not the sort of “best/worst” sort of interviewer that has made Between Two Ferns one of the most beloved, long running web series on the Internet. Also, Gaul, Lapkus, and Linayao being smarty added as the crew is another intriguing wrinkle that really has us pondering just how meta this film will get.

We’re curious to see if this premise means that Zach, for a bit, does legitimately try to interview his guests well, but, because of his reputation in the Between Two Ferns universe, it all still goes awry. We’ll find out not too long from now on the film’s release date on Netflix, Sept. 20th.

bojack horseman, book release, dynasty typewriter, raphael bob-waksberg, skylight books, someone who will love you in all your damaged glory

Few have captured the spirit of these times quite like Raphael Bob-Waksberg and the show he created BoJack Horseman. Raphael’s comedic sensibilities match up quite nicely with a certain existential frustration in the, if we may say, collective unconscious.

Anyways, that’s all to say that you should go to this book release event for his book Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory, a collection of stories about love, warts and all, at Dynasty Typewriter this Friday. Raphael will be live in person in conversation with Kara Brown and tickets plus a copy of the book are only $40 now (w/o book is $15).

Go get them here.

Please Enjoy John Early, Kate Berlant, and Andrew DeYoung’s Latest Short “Rachel”

andrew deyoung, john early, kate berlant, short film

Some of the best short films these days seem to come from the collaboration of John Early, Kate Berlant, and Andrew DeYoung (555, Dinner Party). There is striking balance of feeling grounded, organic, and real as well as threading a line of ridiculousness throughout that we really enjoy.

Such is the case with their latest offering, Rachel, which we won’t spoil with any sort of description. Just let it sink in over 12 min. or so here.

Revival of Daria at MTV Shifts Into Daria Spin-Off “Jodie” Starring and EP’d by Tracee Ellis Ross

daria, jodie, tracee ellis ross

Revival of Daria at MTV Shifts Into Daria Spin-Off “Jodie” Starring and EP’d by Tracee Ellis Ross

While initially there was supposed to be a Daria reboot, MTV has read-the-room and have opted to do a series based on the black character on Daria, Jodie Landon. While some diehard Daria faithful might be upset, it’s an intriguing change, especially with Tracee Ellis Ross calling the shots.

There are so many different elements in play here that we’re truly curious as to what Jodie might sound, look, feel like (even if it’s wildly different from Daria) and how successful this move is in, presumably, attempting to be a Gen-Z take on Daria.

One thing we do know is that if Jodie has any bit of success, you can count on this being a popular Halloween costume for years and years to come.

benefit show, comedy show, ladyhammer, reproductive rights, silverlake, stand up comedy, yellowhammer

These are precarious times, especially when it comes to reproductive rights and the unfortunate movement towards losing them. So, a number of comedy shows are now raising money for the Yellowhammer Fund, to support much need assistance in Alabama, a state that only has three abortion clinics.

This particular Ladyhammer benefit show will feature a very stacked line-up of stand-ups including Sabrina Jalees, Danielle Perez, Punkie Johnson, Irene Tu, Sara Schaefer, Jenny Zigrino, Janelle James, Zainab Johnson, and Madison Shepard!

It’s a great cause and a really stellar night of comedy. So, go get your tickets here already.

Here’s the First of the Newest Batch of Looney Tunes Shorts “Dynamite Dance”

animated shorts, bugs bunny, dynamite dance, elmer fudd, looney tunes

That’s right. The original Looney Tunes animated shorts are coming back again, trying to maintain their signature absurdity from their original 30s/40s counterparts and being updated for today’s sensibilities/audiences.

The Annecy Film Festival got to showcase many of these new Looney Tunes including this one, Dynamite Dance, that has been officially released on YouTube, directed by David Gemmill and written by Gemmill, Pete Browngardt, and Johnny Ryan.

There is definitely spirit from the original Looney Tunes, but it’s interesting that this first one featuring iconic characters Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd without either one speaking. We are definitely curious who Warner Bros. has lined-up to follow the legendary Mel Blanc.

Most of us will just have to wait and see when the rest are released sometime in 2019.

Aisling Bea’s ‘This Way Up’ To Be Streamed on Hulu

aisling bea, channel 4, hulu, this way up

Aisling Bea’s ‘This Way Up’ To Be Streamed on Hulu

OK America, we hope this, this being another promising UK/US sitcom in This Way Up, will be the thing that gets you on board with UK comedian/actress Aisling Bea.

For awhile now, Aisling has dipped her toe stand-up wise here in the States and has been such a legitimate breath of fresh air with her peppy, upbeat energy and persona. Even when delving into potentially divisive material, Bea still keeps it undeniably fun.

So, hearing that her own TV series at Channel 4 in the UK and Hulu where she plays an ESL teacher trying to keep it together co-starring with Sharon Horgan and Aasif Mandvi has us really amped that U.S. audiences will hopefully get to see what we’ve been seeing for years.

comedy show, having funlessness, hollywood, hollywood improv, jen kirkman, live podcast, stand up comedy, weho

For our money, getting to catch, one of our all-time favorites, Jen Kirkman share her beautiful, unapologetic, hysterical truth in her stories/experiences live for an hour is a must see.

In LA, you’ll have two chances to do so with a recording Having Funlessness with Jen Kirkman on June 25th and then Jen performing an hour of stand-up on July 26th all at the Hollywood Improv.

Go get your tickets/RSVP for all of this right now right here.

Everything’s Great with Another Everything’s Great Ticket Giveaway

addie weyrich, comedy show, demi adejuyigbe, everything's great, free tickets, kyle mooney, nick kocher, sabrina jalees, sandy honig, ticket giveaway

Yep, you can win another pair of tickets on us for Addie Weyrich, Demi Adejuyigbe, and Nick Kocher’s Everything’s Great at Dynasty Typewriter featuring very special guests Kyle Mooney (SNL), Sabrina Jalees (Transparent), and Sandy Honig (Three Busy Debras).

Pretty, as suggested, great, right? Well, enter for your chance to win by signing-up for our mailing list at thecomedybureau@gmail.com

Here’s the Del Close Marathon 21 Schedule

comedy festival, dcm21, del close marathon, improv comedy, long form improv, los angeles, ucb, upright citizens brigade

Del Close Marathon, the long running 55 hour long form improv marathon has its schedule up and running, though, as you can see, this seems to be just the sort-of primetime slots (DCM goes non-stop the entire weekend in case you didn’t know).

There are plenty of the mainstay and big time shows (ASSSSCAT, Hebecky Drysbell, UCBTNY All Stars) from here in LA and some from NYC (as well other teams from elsewhere in the country) and then something called “Other Show”, which, we’re assuming will be a whirlwind of dozens upon dozens of teams performing in the wee hours of the morning and the actual morning.

We currently don’t have the details and line-ups for those time slots, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do. You can count on those 1AM-1PM slots being a fast, furious blur of improv from teams big, small, weird, weirder, and otherwise.

Get more details, tickets/passes, and more about DCM 21, tickets/passes here.

comedy show, forever dog, live podcast, los angeles, podcast, silverlake, storytelling

Don Fanelli’s acclaimed podcast, The Need to Fail, is coming up on its 100th episode and, to mark the occasion, will be taping a humdinger of a live ep. at Lyric Hyperion this Friday with two, count ‘em, two stellar guests, Casey Wilson and Bobby Moynihan.

Of course, the podcast follows closely to the title as Fanelli’s guests share the the low points in the career, their failures that preceded the plethora of success they currently have. Without a doubt, you’ll want to hear what Wilson and Moynihan went through to get where they are now.

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

Eric Andre Is Going on a Gigantic Worldwide “Legalize Everything” Tour

comedy tour, eric andre, global tour

Eric Andre Is Going on a Gigantic Worldwide “Legalize Everything” Tour

From the end of August through December, Eric Andre will be galavanting from the UK to Germany to Netherlands to Australia to New Zealand to all over North America bringing his brand of controlled(?) chaos for one gargantuan stand-up comedy tour.

So far, we count 30 different stops on this Legalize Everything tour and we wouldn’t be surprised if Eric adds dates along the way.

As to what’s in store for those in attendance, we can only guess how crazy it might get, especially since it’s called the Legalize Everything Tour (though we’re sure you’ll get stand-up from Eric and special guests).

Take a look at the whole schedule here.