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benefit show, comedy show, jason saenz, jeff ross, jermaine fowler, murderfist, rory scovel, saenz spinez

You might have heard that beloved comedian Jason Saenz had a horrific fall that resulted in a severe spinal injury a few months ago and that the accident occurred just right before he took on a gig that would have covered his medical expenses. While there was a gracious outpouring of support a few months ago and over $184K has been raised, he still needs help as other complications and the general cost still hasn’t been covered (it’s an estimated $300K).

So, three benefit shows together as The Jason Saenz Benefit Extravaganza will happen around the country to raise money for Jason. Here in LA, on April 1st, a show that’s so unbelievably stacked with LA comedy gems (really, take a long gander at that flyer) on top being hosted by legendary comedy group Murderfist.

Please go get your tickets for what we’ll be a very special show for a great cause. If you’d like to donate to Jason’s recovery now, you can do so at his GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/jason-saenz-recovery-fund-aka-saenz-spinez.

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater Has Moved to Highland Park

comedy show, highland park, los angeles, puppetry

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been home to puppetry of all kinds in Los Angeles for over half a century. Its namesake Bob Baker not only left a legacy within the art form, but he also bequeathed thousands of puppets and marionettes to the theater, some of which you can still see thanks to such folks as The LA Puppetry Guild.

So, we’re glad to see that they will get to live on (rather than go the way of Nerdmelt, Cinefamily, The Steve Allen Theater, iO West, etc.) in a brand spanking new location (especially considering that they’re an official Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Landmark) and their roster of puppetry/comedy shows, both for kids and/or adults, will get to thrive very soon in Highland Park from their original DTLA adjacent location.

Their new address is 4949 York Blvd. and they’ll be announcing their schedule very soon. Keep an eye out for it here.

Please Enjoy Ryan Conner’s Set on Corden

james corden, late late show, stand up

The jokes of Ryan Conner kind of sneak up on you as it has in LA for years. He may seem mild mannered in appearance and has a calm, approachable presence, but his writing and delivery are impeccable and hidden-in-the-seams of his very natural cadence (on top of having a fascinating life story).

His tradecraft was put on display in this set from last week’s Corden and it does not disappoint. Please watch and enjoy it here.

comedy show, free screening, fx, hollywood, improv comedy, los angeles, preview, sneak preview, ucb sunset, what we do in the shadows

In addition to getting a sneak peek at the highly anticipated What We Do In The Shadows adaptation coming to FX on March 27th, there will be a special improv show also happening at this exclusive event.

Yes, all the free tickets have been snagged, but there will be a waitlist/stand by line come this Thursday (and we’re betting that some people won’t show and it might be worth showing up early to UCB Sunset’s Inner Sanctum).

Get more details here and start making plans.

Moses Storm Does Stand-Up and a Panel Interview on Conan and Shows Just How Dedicated He Was to Watching Conan O’Brien as a Kid

conan, moses storm

It’s clear at this point that Moses Storm is one of Conan O’Brien’s favorites. He often does remote segments on the show in addition to performing stand-up and is a part of Conan’s live tour. That all happens with good reason as Moses has great comedy instincts on so many levels in almost every situation.

You can see all of this in his latest appearance on Conan from last week as the sole guest doing both stand-up and then sitting down to chat with Conan. In the chat, you’ll also get to see that such a night is a dream come true for Moses based on the lengths he used to go in order to watch Late Night with Conan O’Brien as a kid.

comedy show, los angeles, musical comedy, schadenfreude, ucb, will hines

Will Hines is a renowned and celebrated improviser and comedic performer and has had such a reputation for several years.

However, in all of that time all the way up into the current moment, Will Hines has not been noted for his virtuosity in playing guitar, especially guitar solos.

Thus, that is why his experimental show Bad Guitar Solos wherein one Will Hines attempts his best at a guitar solo behind an actually good backing band was one of our favorite comedy things of 2018.

Hines is diving in yet again into Bad Guitar Solos this weekend on Fri., Mar. 22nd at 8PM at UCB Sunset’s Inner Sanctum. Admission is free, but, in our opinion, should be mandatory. Get more details here.

A Little Late with Lilly Singh to Replace Last Call with Carson Daly at NBC

a little late, carson daly, last call, late night, lilly singh, nbc

A Little Late with Lilly Singh to Replace Last Call with Carson Daly at NBC

We were curious with what NBC was going to do after announcing the end of Last Call with Carson Daly. Given that it airs at 1:30AM after the block of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, we kind of thought they would just end that slot together.

Yet, a pleasant surprise came today when they announced that international YouTube star Lilly Singh would take over that slot with her own late night show. This marks a few pretty significant firsts as Singh is the first female-POC to host in late night on a broadcast network. Singh also enters as one of the first YouTube stars to have her own talk show on traditional linear TV (the other being Grace Helbig with the very short-lived The Grace Helbig Show on E!).

We’re curious what Singh will do in the parameters of traditional late night talk show and, more importantly, what NBC will let her do with a slim half-hour slot, especially since 1:30AM is so late (though, we have a feeling that pushing the content online the following day will be a major component to this show).

We’ll just have to wait and see when A Little Late with Lilly Singh debuts in September.

arts district, best friends show, character comedy, comedy festival, comedy show, dtla, experimental comedy, festival fest, ian abramson, los angeles, parody, sketch comedy

Sure, you’ve been to a festival before. If you’re reading this, you’ve likely been to a comedy festival. However, have you been to a comedy show that gathers a bunch of festivals that parody the idea of the biggest festivals around like SXSW, Coachella, etc. (and probably FYRE too) in one night?

The folks behind The Best Friends Show and Atlantic City along with wonderful musical comedy group The Cooties and so many other great LA comedy performers are gathering to do just that and you’ll get to see something that you have (probably) not seen before and will very likely get a huge kick out of.

Best of all, it’s just a single comedy show as opposed to an entire festival where you have to rearrange your entire life and finances to go to.

It’s called Festival Fest and it’s happening next Saturday. Go get your tickets here now.

Please Enjoy Zane Rubin’s Short Film “A Good Dinner Party”

a good dinner party, allan mcleod, brodie reed, short film, zane rubin

You might be now asking yourself, “What makes a good dinner party?” Before you dive too deep into thought about that, let Zane Rubin, the mind behind the wonderful Comedy Central digital series That’s How I Lost the Last One, show you what might make for a “good” dinner party with her latest short film.

Please watch and enjoy (and then think about what makes a good dinner party after) here.

Here’s a First Look at Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong as Tuca & Bertie from Lisa Hanawalt

ali wong, lisa hanawalt, netflix, tiffany haddish, tuca and bertie

One of the shows we were most excited for coming into 2019 is Tuca & Bertie, a sort of Odd-Couple-esque animated series starring two middle-aged birdwomen voiced by Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong.

Well, the series premiere is just around the corner (all episodes start streaming on Friday, May 3rd on Netflix) and we we’re finally getting a first look into the show in this featurette that shows creator Lisa Hanawalt (who is getting upgraded from her gig at BoJack Horseman) and stars Haddish and Wong in the recording booth as well as them in their bird women form.

Somehow, we’re even more excited about Tuca & Bertie now.

benefit show, comedy show, d'arcy carden, eugene corder, improv comedy, jason mantzoukas, long form improv, los angeles, marc evan jackson, maribeth monro, the good place, the improv project

Surely, you’re not going to miss out on watching the cast of The Good Place to do an improv show that benefits the creative youth of Detroit at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in DTLA in May, are you?

Well, best set a reminder for Friday 10AM PST to snag tickets and we have no doubt that this will sell out fast. You’ll be able to buy them tomorrow right here.

Olivia Wilde’s Directorial Debut “Booksmart” Could Be This Year’s Blockers

beanie feldstein, booksmart, kaitlyn dever, olivia wilde, red band trailer, trailer

Blockers was a pleasant surprise last year as a heartfelt, yet still widely appealing teen comedy for these times.

Enter Olivia Wilde’s first feature as a director Booksmart with a script written by Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katherine Silberman, Emily Halpern, which very well could be that kind of film for 2019. It has overtones of Blockers and Superbad, and, from the looks of this red band trailer, a lot of promise like those predecessors. The duo of stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein seem have a very charming, yet grounded chemistry and the trailer doesn’t seem to be giving all the best set pieces and jokes away (unlike so many teen comedies these days).

If you’re into it, look for Booksmart to start rolling out in theaters at the end of May on Memorial Day Weekend.

Gimlet Media Becomes First Podcast Network to Unionize at Writers Guild of America

gimlet media, podcasts, unions

Gimlet Media Becomes First Podcast Network to Unionize at Writers Guild of America

Though Gimlet isn’t primarily known as a comedy podcast network, their unionization could be groundbreaking for the entire world of podcasting, which comedy dominates in (if they pull this off and don’t upset their owners at Spotify).

The Onion also unionized at the end of 2018 after so many other digital outlets went under or got absorbed into their larger media companies.

Potentially, this could mean that places like Earwolf, Headgum, Forever Dog, Starburns Audio, and All Things Comedy could unionize in the not so distant future and podcasting can be even further legitimatized than it already is (imagine getting benefits for podcasting?), but we will probably just have to wait and see how Gimlet fares here.

comedy show, experimental comedy, hollywood, improv comedy, izzy roland, long form improv, los angeles

We got to see this show Mom Prov Presents Family Therapy where Izzy Roland along with her mother and grandmother do long form improv together on stage and was simply blown away. It was almost half-improv, half-actual-reality-TV as their real life relationships inevitably blend into their performance, making for something uniquely hysterical.

With that said, you shouldn’t miss their next show at UCB Sunset on Tues., Mar. 26th at 8:30PM. Tickets are $7 and you can (and should) get them here.

Here’s the First Trailer for Hulu’s Modern Day Muslim Comedy “Ramy”

hulu, ramy youssef, trailer

Ramy Youssef’s semi-autobiographical eponymous series seeks to give a that dramedy single camera perspective on what it means to be a young Muslim in America these days.

With A24 and Jerrod Carmichael on board, we were already very intrigued as to what this project might be and, with this trailer, we are even more excited as to the full potential of Ramy. For all the themes and points-of-view that it explores, it would almost seem like this show is long overdue.

If this really is as good as the trailer is promising it to be 2019 is shaping up to be quite a year for Hulu (with PEN15 being pretty much beloved across the board).

Look for all episodes of Ramy to start streaming on Fri., Apr. 19th.

comedy show, dynasty typewriter, janeane garofalo, koreatown, los angeles, stand up comedy, westlake

Any chance to get to see living comedy legend Janeane Garofalo is a treat and, as she so rarely comes through LA these days, this date at the Dynasty Typewriter really ought to not be missed.

Tickets are $23 and will probably sell out. Go get them here quick.

Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits TV Adaptation from Taika Waititi in Development at Apple

apple, in development, taika waititi, time bandits

Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits TV Adaptation from Taika Waititi in Development at Apple

We all saw what Taika Waititi got to do in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Thor: Ragnarok. Not only did he manage to please the overlords and fanboys of the MCU, but make what will probably remembered as one of the funniest superhero movies in recent memory.

To imagine what Taika might do in the endless, infinite sandbox of Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits is just a wonderful dream and we really can’t imagine a better person for the gig. Apple’s development slate with an increasing number of projects as intriguing as this one, just keeps getting better and better.

Watch Molly Shannon as Emily Dickinson (Along with Emily’s Secret Love Life) in “Wild Nights with Emily” Trailer

emily dickinson, madeleine olnek, molly shannon, wild nights with emily

Not only does writer/director Madeleine Olnek’s Wild Nights with Emily promise Molly Shannon (who is having quite the streak over the last few years we might add) to play the mysterious, yet legendary poet Emily Dickinson in a movie, but also bring Emily’s secret love life (via her private letters) to the big screen (and probably to your eyes and ears for the very first time).

This trailer looks very promising and continues the atypical period piece comedy tone that The Favourite did so well in 2018.

If you’re digging it, look for it in theaters starting April 12th.

Matt Ingebretson and Jake Weisman, Creators and Stars of Corporate, Get to Enjoy Some Silence with Stephen Colbert (and Also Do an Interview)

colbert, interview, jake weisman, late night, late show, matt ingebretson

Corporate is unquestionably one of our favorite shows right now for how dark, weird, and existentially funny it all is.

That energy and vibe definitely carries through in this panel interview on Friday’s Colbert with Matt and Jake (especially including Matt’s hair). Watch and enjoy it here.

comedy show, daniel van kirk, hollywood, los angeles, podcast taping, rory scovel, starburns audio

The second every LIVE Pen Pals podcast taping will happen Saturday, March 23rd at UCB Franklin at 10PM #GrowtheShow. That’s right, your Pen Pals hosts Rory Scovel and Daniel Van Kirk (in that order because of the logo only) will be answering letters and post cards (that’s for pennies and pal-ers that show up to the show) live #FTF in person, in real time.

Yes, in case you didn’t know, Rory and Daniel have been answering letters as pen pals on a podcast for several months now and it has been so damn good. In fact, they got to be marshals at a parade because of it.

So, do not miss out on going #FTF and get your tickets ($12) right here right now.

Here Is Brody Stevens’ Set on Conan

brody stevens, conan, funny people, judd apatow, late night, stand up, team coco

Here Is Brody Stevens’ Set on Conan

Brody Stevens should have gotten to do a lot more things for how purely funny he is. In the last several days, you might have scoured the Internet to watch Brody do his thing, which is what we all should have been doing more of when he was around, and saw something like his set on The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail.

For us, we immediately wanted to rewatch and share his set from 2012 on Conan.

It’s special for a few reasons:

1) It is one of his first big time stand-up performances on TV
2) It is one of his first late night spots
3) Most importantly, it’s one of the first times that a national audience got to see Brody be Brody, i.e. the in-the-moment-performance-art-jock that people knew and loved (and thankfully JP, Conan, and Team Coco let that happen in this set).

We weren’t able to find the set outside of the context of Enjoy It!, but we asked the good folks at Team Coco about it and they now have the set for you to watch and enjoy right here.

Oh, you might notice that he indeed jokes about being cut out of Judd Apatow’s Funny People in this set. Judd Apatow found the footage of Brody in Funny People and actually brought everything full circle by showing it on Conan this week.

Please Get and Enjoy Kara Klenk’s Debut Album “Undefeated”

a special thing, ast records, comedy album, kara klenk, stand up comedy, undefeated

Over the course of several years, Kara Klenk has honed her great comedy chops both in NYC and LA and subsequently became beloved in both scenes.

The energy of the two scenes are undoubtedly present in this album Undefeated as Kara presents a tight hour of personal observations and stories that pack plenty of punch, but also flow beautifully with nuance (as well as go down some weirdly specific and fun rabbit holes). Also, Kara is so self assured in her delivery, you do truly feel like your hanging with one of your funniest friends (but one who is naturally so as opposed to one who tries really hard to “be on” all the time).

Undefeated is her debut album, fresh off the presses from AST Records. You can (and very much should) get it on iTunes or on CD now.

fielding edlow, lyric hyperion, silverlake, stand up

When it comes to the unapologetic, the whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth style of stand-up of comedy, we’ve been enjoying see Fielding Edlow hone her own niche and channeling her rage into delightful rants, stories, and bits over the last few years.

Now, she’ll be taping a half hour over at the Lyric Hyperion on Thurs. Mar. 28th at 8PM with the great Kira Soltanovich opening. Admission is FREE and you can get more details and RSVP here.

FYI, you might want to be careful googling what’s on the flyer if you don’t already know what it is.

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

KRFT Punk’s Political Party Will Fill In Your Eric Andre Show/Who Is America? Void

adult swim, catholic league, dan curry, eric andre, eric andre show, flat earth, krft punk political party, loose change, rachel dolezal

The Eric Andre Show character KRFT Punk has elevated himself from mere prankster DJ in a macaroni covered helmet.

On the half-hour Adult Swim special KRFT Punk’s Political Party, conspiracy theorists, the Catholic League, political pundits, and more somehow got talked into sitting in a room with KRFT Punk and got The Eric Andre Show treatment.

If you’re jonesing for more Who Is America? and saddened by the fact that Sacha Baron Cohen says that he can’t do another project like that for awhile, this is the special for you. It’s all the chaotic mischief you’ve come to know from The Eric Andre Show team, especially writer Dan Curry.

KRFT Punk’s Political Party airs on Adult Swim tonight on midnight, but you can stream it right here, right now (FYI, it’s absolutely NSFW, probably even if you’re working at midnight).

HBO Orders Comedy ‘Run’ From Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Vicky Jones to Series

green light, hbo, phoebe waller bridge, run, vicky jones

HBO Orders Comedy ‘Run’ From Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Vicky Jones to Series

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Vicky Jones wowed all those who saw Fleabag (and the second season looks to be pretty astounding as well) and Waller-Bridge has gained loads of acclaim for Killing Eve.

So, it seems like a smart move on HBO’s part to greenlight their series where a woman leaves here basic life to run off with her first love. Can’t wait to see what they’ve cooked up as we’re pretty sure there’s a whole lot more complex nuance and humor under the surface of this very brief premise.