Uncategorized

R.I.P. Brody Stevens, 1970-2019

February 23, 2019

brody stevens, rip, steven brody stevens

As a comedian, Brody was truly fearless on stage in a way that so few in comedy get to. His energy and presence were undeniable and long time friend Zach Galifianakis even noted that he thought of Brody fondly as a “jock doing performance art”.

Just a few hours ago, TMZ broke news that beloved comedian Brody Stevens was found dead by hanging in an apparent suicide.

For our money, he was the best crowd warm-up, he did indeed have a scene stealing part in the Hangover, and his connection with any crowd was simply magical. We wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see anything like Brody ever again.

Stevens was very open about his mental health issues, joking about it every night on stage. Still, it would seem, there was something else that lead him to his end today. (FYI, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255 and they’re available 24 hours a day if you need someone talk to)

Brody was a great comedian and his passing sadly came too early. Please remember him for his great works including his comedy special at The Comedy Store, his Comedy Central series Enjoy It!, and one of our old favorites, The Brody Stevens Interview Challenge.

Also, just Google and YouTube Brody Stevens and enjoy working “YES! You got it!” into your daily vernacular in his honor.

Watch Desus & Mero Keep Their Freewheeling, Rambunctious Energy Up in Their First Episode on Showtime

February 22, 2019

desus and mero, desus nice, showtime, the kid mero

Desus Nice and Kid Mero had made waves in late night with their undeniable exuberance and the way they trash talk what’s in the zeitgeist rather than do traditional one-liner jokes in a traditional late night monologue on the Viceland version of their show.

With the upgrade of being on Showtime that premiered last night, Desus & Mero stay true to that dynamic while upping their profile with a sketch (a righteous parody of Green Book) and a remote segment (making Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s D.C. office feel more like the Bronx). Through it all, they stayed true to their gritty, yet fun vibe. Perhaps, one of the only small differences we noticed is that they ask guests what they would want a neon sign to say (superimposed later in post) as opposed to their original question of what a guest would want a rainbow to say. It’s really just a higher-powered version of their original show.

We’re genuinely excited to see what good sort of ruckus the duo can raise in the weeks and months to come.

See for yourself as Showtime put the whole first episode on YouTube, then tune in to catch them weekly on Showtime on Thursdays at 11PM.

February 22, 2019

comedy show, garfunkel oates, los angeles, musical comedy, silverlake, the cooties, vulfpeck

The Cooties are, in our opinion, one of the best musical comedy acts around. Their harmonies and absurdist lyrics are so unabashedly and undeniably fun and sweet to the ear.

It has been a minute since they’ve played in town, so don’t miss their latest show on Thu. Feb. 28th 8PM at The Satellite (which will just also feature another one of the best musical comedy acts around, Garfunkel & Oates, and even a member of the wondrous indie pop band Vulfpeck, Jack Stratton).

Tickets are only $10! Go get ‘em here.

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

Desus & Mero Have Their Showtime Debut Tonight

February 22, 2019

desus and mero, desus nice, kid mero, premiere, showtime

At 11PM tonight, Showtime will be stepping into the late night arena and the arena itself will get a fresh, new spark introduced to it. Desus Nice and Kid Mero already made quite the splash with their own unique take on late night over at Viceland that emphasized riffing and a more down-to-earth vibe than all the other glossier late night talk shows.

Now, Desus and Mero have got an upgrade in moving to Showtime (even an actual set with a live audience versus a conference room at Vice). From the looks of this remote segment, they have hit the ground running.

Check ‘em out at 11PM on Showtime (or, more likely, on their YouTube page tomorrow here).

February 21, 2019

a star is born, alternate history, alternate universe, cait raft, comedy show, experimental comedy, los angeles, midnight, mike mitchell

Often, what happens at midnight at UCB is some of the most intriguing, rewarding experiments.

We have a hunch that this live presentation and panel discussion from Cait Raft about Bradley Cooper’s remake of A Star Is Born in an ALTERNATE REALITY where 9/11 never happened might just be one such show. Certainly, they have a great line-up to pull off this stunt including Birthday Boys’ Mike Mitchell and Drew Spears.

It’s definitely a case of “this is so crazy, it just might work”.

So, get ready to stay out late this Saturday and go get your tickets here.

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

#ConanWithoutBorders’s Next Stop Is Australia

February 20, 2019

conan, conan australia, conan o'brien, conan without borders

#ConanWithoutBorders’s Next Stop Is Australia

Thankfully, the new, revamped Conan will allow Conan O’Brien to do more of this globetrotting that makes his, effectively, one of the best goodwill ambassadors that America has.

His first stop in 2019 will be Australia and we can only imagine that Conan will be repeatedly asking if he can do his old style fist-a-cuffs fighting with a kangaroo outfitted with boxing gloves.

They’re currently taping in Australia right now, so you can get a bit of a preview of what they’re up to on Team Coco’s Instagram.

February 20, 2019

blind barber, comedy show, highland park, los angeles, secret show, stand up

One of Culver City’s gems has been The Secret Show, a monthly stand-up show located in the speakeasy style bar at The Blind Barber. It’s always packed (they actually had to do an early and late show because they had such big turnouts) and Chappelle has taken such a shine to the place, he’ll occasionally do a very intimate night there.

So, as there is now a Blind Barber in Highland Park (5715 N Figueroa St.), the Secret Show is now expanding over there starting Mon., Mar. 11th at 8PM.

Of course, the show will still be invite only. However, you can sign-up for their mailing list to get said invite at barbershowhp@gmail.com.

With a line-up of Maria Bamford, David Gborie, Joe Zimmerman, Dan Boulger, Brian Moote, Jono Zalay, and Logan Guntzelman, we really think you ought to get on that list.

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

“Medical Police” at Netflix Will Be a Childrens Hospital Spiritual Sequel/Reunion/Etc.

February 20, 2019

childrens hospital, erinn hayes, medical police, netflix, new show, rob corddry, rob huebel

“Medical Police” at Netflix Will Be a Childrens Hospital Spiritual Sequel/Reunion/Etc.

Rob Corddry, Jonathan Stern, David Wain, Erinn Hayes, Rob Huebel, Malin Akerman, Lake Bell, and Ken Marino once brought you the beautiful madness that was Childrens Hospital over at Adult Swim.

It looks like they’ll be up to their darkly comedic and absurdist shenanigans yet again with Netflix’s newly orderd series Medical Police, though, this time, it will be set at a children’s hospital in Brazil and include the threat of world ending virus. Also, they’ll be getting double the screen time with traditional 30 minute episodes.

So, for those holding your breath since Childrens Hospital went off the air in the hopes that it would live on somehow, you can stop (if you’re somehow still alive) because, we guess, it worked.

Please Enjoy DeMorge Brown Giving a “Spirited Defense” of Poetry as Ephraim Elizabeth King

February 19, 2019

character comedy, demorge brown, poetry

DeMorge Brown is a treasure in case you didn’t know (just see this Fruit Bats music video that made our top 100 list last year). The way he inhabits any character he plays is pretty revelatory and always funny in the best, most unexpected ways possible.

Such is the case, yet again, with this latest piece where he takes the stage as a celebrated, yet enraged poet Ephraim Elizabeth King.

So, without further adieu, please watch and delight in this performance here.

February 19, 2019

comedy show, los angeles, los feliz, stand up

The backroom of Blue Rooster Art Supplies in Los Feliz is quickly becoming a new place to be as their shows Faded, On Deck, (and an already sold out All Fantasy Everything taping) have done quite well for themselves.

Now, they’re adding a new monthly stand-up show Signature Drink to their roster with two great hosts in Courtney Karwal and Megan Gailey. Also, per the name of the show, there will be a “specialty cocktail” for the evening.

The inaugural Signature Drink will be happening this Saturday at 8PM (Doors 7:30PM) and you can enjoy all of this for the nice price of $10. Get tickets here.

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

Veep’s Final Season Gets a Trailer

February 18, 2019

final season, hbo, julia louis dreyfus, tony hale, trailer, veep

Veep, for what will be 7 seasons, will undoubtedly be remembered as producing some of the best political comedy and satire ever in television history (that’s on top of having so many bitingly funny jokes per minute that it’d put any multi cam sitcom to shame in that regard and giving the indomitable Julia Louis-Dreyfus another platform to shine)

So, with all of that in mind, get ready for Veep’s 7th and final season, premiering on HBO Sun. Mar. 31st, with this trailer.

2019 Writers Guild Award Winners Include Nathan For You, Eighth Grade, and Barry

February 18, 2019

2019, wga, winners, writers guild awards

2019 Writers Guild Award Winners Include Nathan For You, Eighth Grade, and Barry

While, the rest of the award season seems to be a hot mess, we’re glad to see that the WGA gave a well deserved honor to Bo Burnham and Nathan Fielder for their fantastic, groundbreaking work on Eighth Grade and Nathan For You, respectively.

Also, Barry, the breakout HBO comedy series of last year, managed to win the new series and episodic comedy series. Of course, perennial favorites Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Last Week Tonight, and The Simpsons went home with awards as well.

All in all, this is definitely one of the better list of winners we’ve seen thus far this year. The rest of the comedy winners for 2019′s Writers Guild Awards are below.

FILM

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY-Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY-Eighth Grade, Written by Bo Burnham; A24

TV

COMEDY SERIES-The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Written by Kate Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Jen Kirkman, Sheila Lawrence, Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman Palladino; Prime Video

NEW SERIES-Barry, Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Liz Sarnoff, Ben Smith, Sarah Solemani; HBO

EPISODIC COMEDY-“Chapter One: Make Your Mark” (Barry), Written by Alec Berg & Bill Hader; HBO

COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES-Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Writers: Tim Carvell, Raquel D’Apice, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Daniel O’Brien, John Oliver, Brian Parise, Owen Parsons, Ben Silva, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Seena Vali, Juli Weiner; HBO

COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES-Nathan For You, Writers: Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Michael Koman, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS-The Fake News with Ted Nelms, Written by John Aboud, Andrew Blitz, Michael Colton, Ed Helms, Elliott Kalan, Joseph Randazzo, Sara Schaefer; Comedy Central

ANIMATION-“Bart’s Not Dead” (The Simpsons), Written by Stephanie Gillis; Fox

Here’s the complete list of Writers Guild Awards winners over at Deadline.

February 18, 2019

buddy cole, character comedy, comedy show, kids in the hall, los angeles, scott thompson, silverlake

Since Kids in the Hall’s Scott Thompson relocated to LA, you have might gotten a chance here or there to see him do his renowned Buddy Cole character live here or there.

More likely than not, the opportunity probably slipped through your fingers to watch Thompson’s unapologetic, yet perfectly coifed firebrand Buddy Cole let loose.

Thankfully, Thompson is doing an entire month long residency at the Lyric Hyperion of Après le Déluge: The Buddy Cole Monologues for the nice price of $10 (if you get tickets in advance). You can (and really should) snag ‘em over here.

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

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Begins Its 2019 Cycle Tonight

February 17, 2019

2019, hbo, john oliver, last week tonight

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Begins Its 2019 Cycle Tonight

Just a friendly neighborhood reminder that John Oliver and company get back to their award winning, wondrous satirical edutainment tonight at HBO at 11PM.

So, tune in tonight or, more likely, look for the YouTube link to the deep dive segment sometime after midnight.

Too Soon: The Comedy of 9/11 Doc Finally Gets a Trailer

February 15, 2019

9/11, 9/11 jokes, controversial comedy, documentary, edgy comedy, film independent, taboo

It’s almost 20 years since 9/11 and, in that time, there have been a plethora of comedy referencing one of the most horrific events in U.S. history. It’s an inevitable way to process the grief surrounding the memory of 9/11 and comedians have definitely delivered that over the years.

Too Soon: The Comedy of 9/11 attempts to tap into this phenomenon and explain why there is in an inclination to joke about such a massive tragedy and a reciprocal desire to get an emotional release through laughter. There was already a great excerpt that covered how The Onion dealt with 9/11 that made our top 100 list from last year.

Here’s a trailer that gives a better scope of what this doc from Nick Fituri Scown and Julie Seabaugh will be covering (that includes interviews with Lewis Black, David Cross, Doug Stanhope, Gilbert Gottfried, Lizz Winstead, Laurie Kilmartin, and Ian Edwards, and of course plenty of 9/11 jokes).

Find out more about and when the release date will be for Too Soon at TooSoonDoc.com.

Please Enjoy Jenny Zigrino’s Latest Set on Conan

February 15, 2019

conan, jenny zigrino, late night, stand up

In prepping for the new streamlined Conan, Jenny Zigrino was the comedian that Team Coco went for to do a test show in the new format. The word is she crushed it.

Thankfully, she got to actually do a set that made it to air and we definitely see what that test audience got to see.

Please enjoy it here.

February 15, 2019

comedy show, dynasty typewriter, k town, los angeles, lucas brothers, stand up, westlake

Next Saturday, you’ll get the chance to not only see The Lucas Bros. present a solid line-up of their favorite performers including Byron Bowers, Sasheer Zamata, and Rosebud Baker, but you’ll also get to see them run their new hour and let their pointed, but still chill (and also silly) comedic stylings delightfully wash over you.

Their hour, entitled A Will To Believe will be at Dynasty Typewriter near MacArthur Park.

Tickets are going for $20 at the door, but you can snag ‘em for $15 right now.

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

February 14, 2019

comedy show, hari kondabolu, northridge, stand up, w kamau bell

Between acclaimed Netflix specials and albums and their own groundbreaking documentary/doc series, W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu are two of the best lightning rod comedians that make it seem as though comedy can be both a force for good and still manage to be blisteringly funny at the same time. Essentially, they prove that political correctness and free speech in comedy can indeed co-exist and thrive.

The duo will co-headlining The Soraya at CSUN come Saturday, March 16th at 8PM and you really ought to not miss it. Tickets are going for $28-$62 and you can (and should) get them here.

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

Desus & Mero’s First Guest on Showtime Will Be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

February 14, 2019

alexandra ocasio cortez, aoc, desus and mero, showtime

Honestly, there’s been a certain emptiness since Desus & Mero have taken a hiatus from late night in transition to Showtime from Vice. Their banter that’s pretty much them as opposed to the traditional format of set-up punch monologue jokes and desk pieces was very refreshing.

Thank goodness, that wait is almost over as they return to TV next Thurs., Feb. 21st at 11PM on Showtime. Also, they landed the perfect first guest in Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, a representative from the Bronx. The BX gets a lot of love from Desus Nice and The Kid Mero and for how forward thinking the show is, AOC should shine like she has been.

We mean, just look at this promo.

Comedy Central Adds Scripted Projects ‘Interracial Couple’ from Naomi Ekperigin & Andy Beckerman, ‘The Chameleon’ from Matteo Lane, and an Adaptation of ‘Meaty’ from Samantha Irby

February 12, 2019

chameleon, comedy central, development, development slate, interracial couple, meaty

Comedy Central Adds Scripted Projects ‘Interracial Couple’ from Naomi Ekperigin & Andy Beckerman, ‘The Chameleon’ from Matteo Lane, and an Adaptation of ‘Meaty’ from Samantha Irby

This announcement by Comedy Central for their time at the TCA Press Tour is much more exciting than their addition of another David Spade pop culture show to their late night offerings.

Couples Therapy’s Naomi Ekperigin and Andy Beckerman are long overdue for their own show, especially one following their lives, the prospect of seeing Matteo Lane as a spy is pretty enticing as well, and Samantha Irby is already showing a lot of promise from her work that we can see on Hulu’s upcoming series Shrill. We hope these get fast tracked through pilot to series over at CC.

February 12, 2019

amrita dhaliwal, clowning, comedy show, experimental comedy, gemma soldati, los angeles, silverlake

The idea of a show about death and loss created and performed by modern day clowns might seem a little ridiculous, maybe diametrically opposed.

However, we’d say that death itself is a little ridiculous as it happens to us all, but none of us (NONE OF US) knows what happens afterwards.

It is this hardline contrast that us living folks have to deal with and is, consequently, the absurdity that Amrita Dhaliwal and Gemma Soldati, two modern clowns (perhaps even delightfully postmodern?) so beautifully created their show The Living Room around (and make grief a little easier to handle).

We’ve seen this show develop in 2018 and we thoroughly enjoyed the journey, almost free of space and time, that we were taken on, laughing the whole way through.

Go get your tickets for next week’s performances here.

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

So, Every Episode of Last Stream on the Left, Last Podcast on the Left’s Livestream Show, Is Now Available at AdultSwim.com

February 12, 2019

all seasons, ben kissel, henry zebrowski, last podcast on the left, last stream on the left, marcus parks, now streaming

So, Every Episode of Last Stream on the Left, Last Podcast on the Left’s Livestream Show, Is Now Available at AdultSwim.com

If you’re fans of the threesome of Marcus Parks, Ben Kissel, and Henry Zebrowski talking all horrors real and imagined on Last Podcast on the Left, you might just dig the three of them taking turns sharing their favorite online videos and taking calls on their Adult Swim livestream show Last Stream on the Left.

You could previously only see a few episodes at anytime in addition to the current week’s episode, but now you can enjoy six seasons of the Last Podcast gang really diving into the dark sense of humor as well as their love of dogs and waxing poetic on the phone with such real characters as Keybump.

If anything, Henry opening one episode in a full on hazmat suit and sweating bullets because of it is one of favorite moments, end of discussion.

Get into all of it, for free, at your convenience, here.

February 11, 2019

comedy show, dave mizzoni, game show, lgbtq, los angeles, matt rogers, silverlake

Dave Mizzoni and Matt Rogers are bringing their hit NYC game show GAYME SHOW! back to LA again, this time to the Satellite in Silverlake.

For the uninitiated, Mizzoni and Rogers have straight contestants go through a gauntlet of trivia and challenges that test their knowledge of LGBTQIA+ culture (they’ll have experts to help them along the way in the forms of “Woman Who Gets It and a Wise Queer”).

Of corx, you need to be in attendance on Wed. Mar. 13th at 8:30PM at The Satellite LA. Tickets are $12-$15 and you can (and should) get them here.

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

Byron Bowers Makes a Damn Fine Network TV Debut on Colbert

February 10, 2019

byron bowers, colbert, late show, stand up

If you haven’t heard our praises of Byron Bowers over the years at TCB, we hope that this set on last week’s Colbert will fix his name in your memory as he is a wholly original voice and cut from such a unique, completely genuine cloth of comedy.

Also, the way he opens might be one of our favorite openings to a late night set ever.

Please enjoy it here.

How the #FuckFuckJerry Movement Was Born as Summarized by Its Creator Megh Wright

February 9, 2019

comedy, fuck jerry, fuckjerry, instagram, jerry media

How the #FuckFuckJerry Movement Was Born as Summarized by Its Creator Megh Wright

So much has happened so fast that with #FuckFuckJerry that we had a bit of trouble with keeping up with the developments of this story. Thankfully, Megh Wright over at Vulture has given an exhaustive account in the article linked above of what has happened with the movement that she started and why Jerry Media should be taken down several more notches than they already have.

Currently, they’ve been knocked down from 14.3 million followers on Instagram to 14 million. While you’re at it, you can go ahead and unfollow the rest of the Jerry Media gang: @beigecardigan and @krispyshorts.

Really, all hail Megh Wright, a righteous defender of the art form of comedy, which is indeed an art form and not an endless mine of potential ad copy to be exploited.