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Please Enjoy Jon Laster’s Set on VICE Live

jon laster, late night, stand up comedy, tight 5, vice live

Viceland’s late night experiment, VICE Live, where they do 2 hours live nightly, is still going and part of filling that time is occasionally featuring stand-up comedians per late night tradition. They highlight those in NYC’s comedy scene that deserve to be highlighted including Rachel Kaly and Gastor Almonte.

Their latest “Tight 5″ features Jon Laster who works the crowd beautifully and has a pretty great act out about public protesting. Give it a watch here.

Fleabag Season 2 Trailer Is Here

amazon, fleabag, phoebe waller bridge, season 2, trailer

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is delving into a crisis of faith for the second round of her critically acclaimed Fleabag and, according to this first full trailer, it looks to be just as unhinged, introspective, juicy, and dark (like deep-in-your-gut) funny.

See for yourself, then look for episodes to start streaming on Amazon on Fri. May 17th.

avengers, comedy show, endgame, hollywood, improv comedy, joey clift, los angeles, mark david christenson, parody

The end of this generation’s Marvel Cinematic Universe saga is coming soon as the release of Avengers: Endgame is set for the end of this month. It should stand to reason that a massive movie franchise bookend deserves a massive themed-improv comedy show to accompany it, no?

Well, that’s what’s going to happen come next Friday as they will have 77 major Marvel characters that would be featured in Endgame all in one show, doing an improvised monoscene. They did this last year with Infinity War and 76 of the Marvel characters (Captain Marvel had not be introduced yet) and it should be a rollicking, mad, hysterical midnight good time (probably even if you don’t know or care about Marvel).

So go get your tickets here before they sell out.

By the way, this is their line-up right now:
Hosted by Walt Disney (Joey Clift) and Kevin Feige (Mark David Christenson)
Featuring:
Joan Ford
Haley Mancini
Leroy Patterson
Lesley Tsina
Daniel Weiss
Ryan Hitchcock
Annabel Seymour
Joey Clift
Marian Yesufu
Samantha Jane
Eileen Mary O’Connell
Miles Roberts
Trevor Reece
Katelyn Hempstead
Eve Esquire
Eric Chad Ho
Gabe Fabricant
Rob Gentile
Royce Shockley
Katy Dolle
Casey Lawrence
Max Singer
Lawrence Marshalian
July Diaz
Bobby Ramos
Matt Harbert
Matt Mazany
Frankie Griffen
Mark David Christenson
Erik Wargo
Sara Clarke-Chan
Ezra Parter
Robert Vestal
Sheldon Price
Patrick Fisackerly
Tyler Davidson
Leigh Lahav
J. Elijah Cho
Satya Vanii
Coop Foster
Mike Hughes
Seth Finkelstein
Adam Winney
Rachael Doverspike
Tim McGorry
Sonny Dominguez
Jessica Rogers
Emily Champlin
Benny Wayne Sully
Barton A. Lewis
Ryan Cohen
Jesse Arlen Klein
Raina Deerwater
Elizabeth Mcirvin
Robin Lynn
Scott Anderson
Erin Smith
Alex Blomme
Eric Laney
Benjamin Crutcher
Maggie Clancy
Zach Olsen
Ben Kaplan
Ali Kinkade
Jeanne Lau
Jennifer Dezell
Ian Zandi
Brian Rubinow
Catherine Durickas
Blake Wilding
Matt Manser
Elisa N. Ellis
Charlie Fay
Winston Carter
Alexa Wise
Keith Saltojanes
Joseph Porter
Ashleigh Shapiro
Travis Reaves
Sean Smith
Joseph Sette
Nick Gligor
Lauren Scharf
Rosa Pasquarella
Jules Forde
Brian Palatucci
Danny Amaral
Nicholas Coluzzi

Barry Getting A Third Season at HBO

barry, hbo, renewed

Barry Getting A Third Season at HBO

If the darker path that has been suggested that Barry takes in this second season proves true, we can thankfully ponder at whatever very gut-wrenching cliffhanger that this hitman-turned-aspiring-actor dramedy will leave us with this time and how the hell Barry will get out of it.

Well, he’ll kind of get out of it, but then also get in deeper (probably killing more people he didn’t want to kill, right?). We’ll just have to wait very patiently to see how it all plays out (and that wasn’t really a spoiler as so many people getting killed off in Barry).

BBC Having Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge Return, This Time as a Host of History Series

alan partridge, british comedy, comedy, innit bruv, steve coogan

BBC Having Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge Return, This Time as a Host of History Series

When the BBC seeks to send-up its own history documentaries, who better to tap than Coogan’s legendary character (perhaps one of the most renowned characters in UK comedy history) Alan Partridge?

We can’t wait to see Partridge attempt doing something educational and can only hope that it finds it way to the States sooner rather than later.

Shooting gets underway next month and we’ll keep you posted on premiere dates, especially the ones for us Yanks.

Kenny DeForest Hysterically Dissects Toxic Masculinity on Corden

kenny deforest, late night with conan o'brien, queer eye, stand up comedy, toxic masculinity

Kenny DeForest wonderfully marks his second late night set, this time on The Late Late Show with James Corden, and does quite the remarkable job picking apart toxic masculinity and just how abjectly dumb it is. Also, he gives a generous nod to Queer Eye while doing so.

Please enjoy it here.

comedy show, hal rudnick, hollywood, late night talk show

The Pack Theater is home to many crazy, wonderful comedy happenings, one of which is an ever-changing monthly late night talk show, Your Late Night Show Tonight, featuring a different host every month. Per the host’s whims, they kind of do whatever they want whether that be hosting a hippie version of a late night talk show or fictionalizing a world where they’re hosting from a bunker after the apocalypse.

This month, they have the amazing Hal Rudnick, who we hope you would know from The Midnight Show and Screen Junkies, as host and given Rudnick’s track record of going above and beyond with his wild bits and characters, we can’t wait to see what he and his staff (including writers Cheyenne Perez, Vanessa Gritton, Connie Shin, Dempson Juvenal, and Tim McGovern and producers Gil Baron, Ben Kuerschner, and Erik Wargo) come up with.

Oh yeah, off-the-beaten-path sports expert Sal Masekela and the brilliant DeMorge Brown (probably as his one of his amazing character creations) will be featured as guests.

As always at The Pack Theater, the show is Pay what you can, but you can reserve tickets and get more info here.

andrew barchilon, bridey elliott, dating, emily ting, josh fadem, short film, sxsw, vimeo staff pick

Please Enjoy This Sweet and Absurdist Short “The Do It Up Date”

Based off a modern fairy tale of sorts that Josh Fadem wrote, The Do It Up Date is, as we see it, pretty close to how many folks feel on a first date. By the way, it got a nod from SXSW this year and picked by Vimeo Staff.

Also, it’s Emily Ting & Andrew Barchilon and stars Bridey Elliott and Josh Fadem.

Give it a watch here.

comedy show, eddie izzard, hollywood, los angeles, solo show, stand up

If you missed his run at Dynasty Typewriter a few months back, you have another chance to catch the brilliant Eddie Izzard (and a better chance with way, way more seats available) and his new hour WUNDERBAR this Summer at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.

His last tour took him to dozens of countries and saw him do his act in more than a few languages. There’s no telling how Izzard will top himself this time.

Tickets are $55-$85 and you can (and very, very much should) get them here.

Please Enjoy Jamie Loftus’ Latest Work “my dog has been radicalized by the youtube algorithm”

conspiracy theory, jamie loftus, parody, satire, youtube algorithm

Oh, the mind of comedian/writer/animator/podcaster Jamie Loftus is a weird and wonderful place and this latest short is further proof. Please binge all her videos here by the way.

By the way, we tried embedding this on Tumblr and it a video for a squash tournament came up. We guess that the powers that Jamie is speaking truth to don’t like what they’re hearing or can’t handle a satirical short about their algorithm featuring a very cute dog?

So, Dana Gould and Bobcat Goldthwait Are Going on Tour and Delightfully Calling It “The Show With Two Heads”

bobcat goldthwait, comedy tour, dana gould

This is one of those things that we didn’t know we needed in our life until it was announced into existence.

The fantastic comedy reputations of Dana Gould and Bobcat Goldthwait precede this tour (The Simpsons, World’s Greatest Dad, Stan Against Evil, Misfits and Monsters, as well as their own lengthy stand-up careers) and it’s something that will be very special, especially if you’re into clever, dark comedy.

The aptly titled The Show With Two Heads tour will take them all over the country and you really ought to snag your tickets now. Do so here.

anthony jeselnik, experimental comedy, jacqueline novak, stand up, ucb franklin

This will undoubtedly be a night to remember as Jacqueline Novak puts herself and her act on the line with Anthony Jeselnik on stage the whole time, possibly interjecting, “offering guidance” the whole way though. Perhaps, it’ll be the closest thing to a thrilling chess match in stand-up comedy.

Tickets are $12 and you best get them here.

Gastor Almonte’s New Album/Special “Immigrant Made” Is a Beautiful Collection of Stories That Highlight the Importance of Immigrants in America

800 pound gorilla, comedy album, comedy special, east brooklyn, gastor almonte, immigrant made, nyc

A lot of people have a lot of very different, very hardline opinions about immigration these days. We hope that they do remember that the majority of the country are immigrants and that the immigrant experience is integral to the fabric of the mighty U.S. of A.

East Brooklyn’s Gastor Almonte takes pride in his parents emigrating to this country and relishes that he is the fruit of the seeds that his mother and father planted. Of course, that fruit is the freedom to make an entire comedy special about that very notion and Almonte does it with wonderful poise throughout a collection of carefully constructed long form stories on Immigrant Made. Though straight forward and subtle in his delivery, Almonte observations about his world and his place in it are simultaneously funny and full of genuine heart.

Get a taste of all of that here in the trailer.

You can get in on Immigrant Made now where you listen to comedy albums and stream it on Amazon. Do so here.

Please Enjoy Ester Steinberg’s Debut Album “Hebrew School Dropout”

comedy album, ester steinberg, hebrew school dropout, stand up comedy

To try to even come up in comedy in both LA and NYC, you’ve got to have some sort of special gumption to you. Ester Steinberg has that sort of tireless work ethic, voice, comedic presence that demands to be heard and thus, successfully hopped between both cities while honing her stand-up chops.

Ester puts all of this nicely on display with her debut album Hebrew School Dropout. Dashing through a tour of her life of being a wild child to finding her very, very specific version of a perfect fiancé, she maintains a bouncy and bold energy the whole way through.

So, please go get and enjoy this first hour of Ester’s Hebrew School Dropout, available now here on Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes.

‘Fleabag’ to Follow the UK TV Tradition of Only Going for a Couple of Seasons

fleabag, phoebe waller bridge

‘Fleabag’ to Follow the UK TV Tradition of Only Going for a Couple of Seasons

So many of your favorite British comedies such as The Office over the years only go for a few seasons, if even that many. It has a lot to do with the power structure and workflow being different (the writing is done by much fewer people before production and thus more taxing on the creative end).

The critically acclaimed Fleabag seems destined for the same path as it will end with its second season after it airs this year. While we all here in the States might lament what could have been with 3rd, 4th, and 5th season of the amazing dark comedy series led by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, know that it’ll free her up to make other amazing work such as her other show Killing Eve.

At the very least, the show gets to end on its own terms rather getting cut short and leaving us with no closure. We are pretty confident Waller-Bridge will blow us away with something else in the not so distant future.

book release, dave foley, graphic novel, josh frank, live reading, marx brothers, salvador dali, sklar brothers, surrealism, tim heidecker

Did you know that famed surrealist Salvador Dali and legendary comedy team The Marx Brothers wrote a screenplay together? That really did happen and it was called Giraffes and Horseback Salad, but didn’t get made.

Well, that is, until now (sort of).

Tim Heidecker and pop-historian Josh Frank have adapted the screenplay into a graphic novel “A Night at the Surrealists” Starring Salvador Dali and The Marx Brothers : The Lost Movie.

Fore the release of the book, they’ll be doing a special night to mark the occasion at Dynasty Typewriter next week that will feature a staged live reading (feat. some very special guests The Sklar Brothers and Dave Foley), sing-alongs, and visuals to really bring you into the Salvador Dali x Marx Brothers universe.

Who knows, maybe this will lead to an actual movie (or more likely a series on streaming service) being made?

Tickets are $15 now and $20 on the day of. Go get ‘em right here right now.

LGBTQ, Spy, Adult-Animated Comedy “Q-Force” from Gabe Liedman, Mike Schur, Sean Hayes Ordered to Series

gabe liedman, mike schur, q-force, sean hayes

LGBTQ, Spy, Adult-Animated Comedy “Q-Force” from Gabe Liedman, Mike Schur, Sean Hayes Ordered to Series

We’re really curious how this will look, sound, feel, and how edgy it might get. Will it be Archer, but a tad more socially conscious? Maybe, since Schur’s involved, an animated version of Brooklyn Nine-Nine with higher stakes? Also, whether intentional or not, this should pair nicely with Netflix’s drag superhero cartoon Super Drags.

It’s hard to say at this point, but Mike Schur and Gabe Liedman and Sean Hayes together ought to come up with something that’s worth binging through whenever this comes out.

Comedy Central Gets More Into the Roy Wood Jr. Business with a First Look Deal, a Third Hour Special, a Digital Series, and a TV Pilot

comedy central, first look deal, jefferson county, night pigeon, roy wood jr

Comedy Central Gets More Into the Roy Wood Jr. Business with a First Look Deal, a Third Hour Special, a Digital Series, and a TV Pilot

Roy Wood Jr. and Comedy Central have a pretty great working history already with The Daily Show, two hour specials, and taking on hosting duties at This Is Not Happening.

So, it only makes sense (especially with the sort of money that streaming services are throwing around to snatch up top tier talent in comedy these days) that Comedy Central “renews theirs vows” with Roy with another hour stand-up special, a digital series called “Night Pigeon”, and a pilot based where Roy plays an empathetic probation officer. Oh, that’s all on top of a first look deal with the network that banks on Roy sticking around for quite some time.

Along side Trevor Noah, this might just bump up Roy to being one of the major faces of the network, which we definitely dig.

comedy show, dtla, john hodgman, los angeles, maximum fun, pete fields, podcast taping

His honor Judge John Hodgman will presiding once again within LA county for another live episode of his eponymous MaxFun podcast, this time at The Regent Theater in DTLA on Thurs. Jun. 6th at 8PM.

For the uninitiated, celebrated humorist John Hodgman will cast a decision on disputes such as:

-when is it may someone else’s Chinese food be legally considered abandoned property?
-is a machine gun a robot?

It’s a pretty damn great time (even if you’re a plaintiff or defendant).

This tends to sell out (as it should), so go get your tickets here for $30 quick.

Rachel Bloom to Host This Year’s Obie Awards

host, obie awards, rachel bloom

Rachel Bloom to Host This Year’s Obie Awards

Post Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, we can definitely see Rachel Bloom being the perfect person to host those big, high stakes awards shows.

It’s this celebration of Off-Broadway productions at The Obie Awards for now, but we’d like to see her host the Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys, etc. (maybe even the Oscars if they decide to have a host again) as her skill set is exactly what’s needed at a big time awards show (comedic chops, singing, dancing, making fun of the entertainment biz). Don’t be entirely surprised if she becomes a go-to awards host in the not so distant future.

For now, The Obie Awards are set for May 20th in NYC and, hopefully, we can find clips of it shortly thereafter.

brendon burns, comedy show, los angeles, lyric hyperion, silverlake, solo show, stand up

Brendon Burns has fiercely carved his place in comedy around the globe. Blazing through the international comedy festival circuit, doing his own podcasts, and having made 9 comedy specials, the unfiltered Burns is sincerely (and has been for quite some time) a comedic force to be reckoned with.

This Friday night, he’ll be headlining the amazing Lyric Hyperion and you really ought to catch it. You can (and should) go get your tickets here.

Kumail Nanjiani To Star In Feature Adaptation of Simon Rich’s ‘Any Person, Living Or Dead’

any person living or dead, jonathan krisel, kumail nanjiani, simon rich

Kumail Nanjiani To Star In Feature Adaptation of Simon Rich’s ‘Any Person, Living Or Dead’

Already, we love the combo of Kumail Nanjiani getting top billing, the writing of Simon Rich (Miracle Workers, Man Seeking Woman), and the directing of Jonathan Krisel (Baskets, Portlandia) here. Couple that with a story that seems to have ingredients of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Looper, and Back to the Future and we are incredibly intrigued.

Basically, we can’t wait to see Kumail potentially hunt down Shakespeare, which very likely might happen based on the premise of Any Person, Living or Dead.

Tuca and Bertie Releases Its First Teaser (and Shouts Out Equal Pay Day)

equal pay day, netflix, teaser, tuca and bertie

For so long, we’ve been so curious as to how Tuca and Bertie, the anthropomorphic animal Odd-Couple-ish dramedy from Lisa Hanawalt starring two birds voiced by Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, was going to be.

Well, wonder no more as the first teaser was just released today and cut specifically for Equal Pay Day (you know, the day pushing for gender equality in pay across the board).

There are definite BoJack Horseman elements to that can be seen here, but it seems as though Tuca and Bertie will be a little more hopeful (and a little stranger) than BoJack (where Hanawalt headed up Production Design and was an EP).

See for yourself here and mark down Friday, May 3rd for all episodes to stream on Netflix.

The Dead Don’t Die Trailer Is Here and This Jim Jarmusch Zombie Movie Looks Pretty Damn Fun

adam driver, bill murray, dead don't die, iggy pop, jim jarmusch, selena gomez, tilda swinton, trailer, zombie

We had musings about what a “Jim Jarmusch zombie movie” might be and, we’ve got to say, thankfully, the trailer for The Dead Don’t Die hits pretty close to what we’re expecting.

Great looks and quips from Bill Murray, a samurai sword wiedling Tilda Swinton, a down-to-earth Adam Driver doing his best, Iggy Pop as a zombie, and, of course, a great soundtrack has our appetite whetted even further.

Get a look for yourself here, then mark your calendars for June 14th when The Dead Don’t Die hits theaters.

chris meloni, comedy show, improv comedy, law and order, los angeles, parody, some kinda monster, svu, tribute, ucb

This show normally features a very, very well-executed improvised episode of Law & Order by the excellent improv team Some Kinda Monster and this week, it’ll feature a very, very special guest in the actual Law & Order: SVU star Chris Meloni.

Needless to say, you need to see this “very special episode” of Dramedy this Thursday. Get your tickets here quick.