Just when we needed to watch something abjectly silly and absurd and brilliantly dumb today, long time sketch comedy collaborators David Brown and Mike Lane delivered this short film, Ants.
If you need a pick me up today for some reason, this might do the trick.
Enjoy Ants here.
Kat Burns has won two Emmys for putting together the brilliant choreography on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. That’s all we should need to say in order to convince you to see her show that blends the worlds of dancing and comedy. You should note that she’s also down choreo for Wet Hot American Summer, Another Period, Weird Al Yankovic.
As far as we can see, Kat brings comedy and dance together unlike anyone else.
Thus, you should catch her big variety show The Raggle Taggle Dance Hour that will feature dancers getting a little silly and comedians cutting a rug and more. Please go get your tickets here.
Looks Desus & Mero have both just received a torch of sorts from late night legend David Letterman.
Nearly 26 years ago, David Letterman made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, a show that was being kept on an incredibly short leash at the time even though Letterman’s name followed “Late Night with” not even a year earlier. What transpired between Conan and Dave that night was the closest thing we’ve seen to a legitimate blessing from late night host to the other, generation to generation, class to class as well as a killer interview. Conan O’Brien is forever thankful to Dave for the appearance as you can see decades later on Conan here.
Last night, on the season 2 premiere (on Showtime) of Desus & Mero, an even more distinguished and stately David Letterman graced the studio where Desus Nice and The Kid Mero riff up a storm of jokes, bits, runs, etc. that make some of the most exciting things in late night in recent memory. Not only is the interview pretty fantastic (the Tarantino vs. Dave story alone is worth watching), but Letterman again gives his blessing (even much more explicitly this time around than with Conan) to Desus & Mero.
If anyone is making a timeline of late night history, please put a pin right here that might signify where late night is headed (Dave also voices this opinion FYI).
Even in seeing just a staged live reading of My Favorite Murder: The Unauthorized Musical, we were really blown away with how cleverly wrought and expertly executed Dahlya Glick, Michael O’Konis, and Andrew Young’s musical tribute to one of the biggest podcasts around, the comedy true crime juggernaut My Favorite Murder. The mystery that Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark solve in the musical, the Elvis song, how Steven figures into the whole thing, and the range of songs are really worth catching live.
Even if you aren’t that familiar with the pod, the true crime comedy combo distilled into hysterical musical numbers are pretty damn satisfying.
So, we can only imagine how fun this initial run of the full scale production at the newly minted comedy variety venue Silver Park Arts will be like at the end of March, beginning of April. Get your tickets for $13 right now right here.
If comedians ever reached a status from which they could be officially considered “national treasures”, such a designation should be bestowed on one Maria Bamford. Her latest hour special, Weakness Is The Brand, is by far her most conventional special (it’s in one location and it’s a traditional theater), but it shows that Bamford’s strangely beautiful comedy wares are something to truly revel in.
Bamford not only is a master of her stand-up comedy craft, but so in tune with her comedic voice that she can make her act work anywhere (as evidenced the previous Special Special Special where Maria performed in front of her parents at her house) or anyhow (whether she’s touching on mental illness or the idea that she’s a mental illness comedian or anything else). On Weakness Is The Brand, there’s an even more freewheeling Maria that, if you can imagine, that’s more delightful as she jumps back and forth around the fourth wall and joyfully leans into her act outs/voices. The self-awareness of her persona, her material, the audience, the viewer, etc. that she expresses throughout the special is remarkable and pretty damn funny as well.
On top of all of that, there’s a touching original song with her husband Scott Marvel Cassidy that leaves us feeling hopeful and elated like we do with every Maria Bamford special that we can remember.
Maria Bamford: Weakness Is The Brand is now available from Comedy Dynamics on almost platform that you stream comedy specials.
Up until this weekend, you’ve mostly come to know Quibi via a bunch of intriguing announcements of acquisitions, series orders, and additions to their development slate.
Yet, this past weekend, we got our first legitimate look at a scripted comedy series, Flipped, that honestly looks pretty fun. Kaitlin Olson and Will Forte is a pretty great pairing and a series that forces them to renovate the houses of drug cartels and other baddies has our curiosity peaked. Certainly, the trailer gives us some sort of sense if the Bluths of Arrested Development tried some scheme involving HGTV and we’re on board for that.
Even though there is a lot more to see before we can truly make a call on Quibi, they do continue to impress us.
See for yourself in the trailer for Flipped here, then keep a look out for it on Quibi on Apr. 2020.
The freshest, legitimately fun (and that goes for the audience, the viewer, and Desus & Mero themselves) late night show is finally back for their second season/first episode of 2020/returning after a break that was too long for our taste.
If you haven’t gotten into the unbelievably rambunctious fun of Desus Nice and Kid Mero riffing in studio or on the street, please acquaint yourself with their YouTube Channel.
Then, get into Desus & Mero’s return properly tonight at 11PM with one of their biggest guests thus far (and perhaps a rite of passage in the realm of late night), David Letterman.
The stars of the latest iteration of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Jonah Ray, Baron Vaughn, and Hampton Yount will assemble once again to roast those sorts of movies that beg the sorts of confused questions, “How?” “Why?”
Though, this time, they’ll be doing so as themselves sans any sort of puppetry or outer space back drop. Join them at Dynasty Typewriter later this month for Destroy All Movies to revel in their razor sharp, speedy riffing.
Tickets are $15 right now and $20 on the day of. Save a bit of cash and get tickets right now right here.
Almost 22 years ago, we were introduced to one of John Turturro’s more iconic characters, Jesus Quintana via The Big Lebowski. Even though his part was relatively small, his purple ensemble and mannerisms is one of the more noted facets of The Big Lebowski canon.
A score of years later, Turturro is following Jesus’ story in his own style (as he is writing and directing in addition to starring) in Jesus Rolls. As you can see in this teaser, it’s a tad (if not more) different than your typical Coen Brothers fare (though it has cast stacked like Joel and Ethan would).
We’re actually very excited to see where Jesus Rolls goes as we still have a soft spot for Turturro’s big swing of a dark rom com musical Romance & Cigarettes.
See what you think after watching the teaser for Jesus Rolls here, then look for it in theatrical release on Feb. 28th.
Gary Gulman Set to Write Memoir ‘K Through Twelve’
Gary Gulman has already established himself as one of the best stand-up comedy’s best artisans and his HBO special The Great Depresh really laid out how wonderful Gulman can be when getting deeply personal about his past and struggles with depression in his comedy.
We can only imagine that him weaving an entire memoir out of his childhood would be one hell of a beautiful book. Thus, we can’t wait for K Through Twelve to hit shelves, both real and digital.
Another run of Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone’s brilliant, lauded, subversive musical/religious satire The Book of Mormon is happening in LA, this time at the Ahmanson in DTLA’s Music Center.
They’ll be running six nights a week from Feb .18th-Mar. 29th (no Monday performances) and tickets are going for $45-$179. It’s a lengthy run, but you not to miss your chance (and don’t be surprised if certain nights get sold out).
Get your tickets here.
It should come as no surprise that comedy greats Steve Martin and Stephen Colbert being in the same room together on last night’s Late Show would spark plenty of bits, jabs, riffs, etc. (as well as genuine moment remembering Terry Jones) that harkens back to a great classic late night interview. From start to finish, Martin and Colbert had hijinks planned (or inspired in the moment) and it’s kind of what you would hope for with a Steve Martin appearance on The Late Show.
Also, Steve Martin really does have an upcoming Hulu series with Martin Short where they investigate murders, but only in the building they live in called Only Murders in the Building. He gives a little more insight what very well could be a delightful cross between My Favorite Murder and Too Much Tuna/Oh, Hello.
Neil Hamburger, America’s favorite lounge act character that mostly roasts music, is going really big this month. There will be a bigger line-up than his usual residency has slated (that will probably get bigger than this flyer), but all of this will be done in service of Australian Wildfire Relief.
As you can see, this night of true variety will be dazzling, hysterical, and, of course, go to a great cause.
Go get your tickets here (they’ll probably sell out fast)!
HBO Max Developing Aida Rodriguez Comedy with Tiffany Haddish Attached to EP
Of the lives of a comedian that you could explore in a sitcom, Aida Rodriguez sure has one hell of a life where she fought tooth and nail to get where she is now.
Just listen to her ep. of The Crabfeast and you’ll get a pretty get sense of how compelling her story is. Knowing that Haddish will be EP’ing and that Rodriguez will get to star and co-write this project that follows, “an Afro-Latina comedian (Rodriguez) who is trying to kick start a career while raising two very different teenagers on her own over multiple time zones,” has us pretty intrigued.
Additionally, HBO Max’s development slate just keeps getting more and more enticing.
Wes Anderson’s Latest ‘The French Dispatch’ Release Date Set for July 24th
For all the beauty, symmetry, warmth, candor, humor, delightful peculiarities of a Wes Anderson movie, it’s something that we’d really like to see right now as we enter the thick of an election year.
We have no doubt that this movie that recounts stories from a fictional American magazine from fictional French city that boasts a cast of Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Lea Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson will be everything that you’re looking for in a Wes Anderson movie.
Our mind swirls as to what all of these elements together will look and feel like and we almost can’t wait (though we will) for July 24th.
The Last Podcast on the Left gang has taken their celebrated expertise in true crime/horror/comedy and distilled into a brand new book, aptly titled The Last Book on the Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History’s Most Notorious Serial Killers (hardcover available Apr. 7th). Not only will they recount the history of serial killers in their uniquely hilarious way, but their will be accompanying illustrations as well.
To mark the occasion of releasing their first book, Marcus Parks, Ben Kissel, and Henry Zebrowski are embarking on a Last Book Tour on the Left, which will have a stop in LA at the historic Orpheum Theatre in DTLA on Sun. May 3rd at 8PM. Truly, any chance you get to catch Last Podcast on the Left in any context is a chance you should very much take.
Tickets are going for $29-$49+ right now and you really ought to go get your tickets now before they sell out. Do so here.
The combination of Broad City alumni Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky and a significant portion of the forces behind The Good Place, creator Mike Schur along with that has a Vegas diva mentor an “outcast 25 year-old” seems to be the sort of thing that a lot of streaming services are looking for right now.
While this pilot order did come from HBO Max, we could see such a series get developed at Hulu, Quibi, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, etc. etc. All of that is too say that many streaming services are clearly aiming at younger cord cutter viewers that also have somewhat discerning taste in comedy. If that’s so across the board (in the realm of streaming), perhaps that means cheesy multi-cams will be no more? Only time will tell.
In any case, this pilot definitely is intriguing with very, very funny people in charge and we kind of can’t wait to see who they cast as the leads.
Your favorite cannabis fueled comedy variety show @imtooeffinghigh is back this weekend!
AND we have a couple free tickets that you could win! Sign-up for our mailing list at thecomedybureau at gmail for a chance to make those tickets yours!
The magic, mystery, and dankness of High Priestess is finally back! Hosts Sara June and Bri Pruett curate an enrapturing evening of comedy, witchy-ness, tarot, and cannabis. It’s a night for all the senses to be sure as well as a hearty laugh.
They’ve got a new home at the Atwater Village shop A Love Bizarre (3042 Glendale Blvd.) and they’ll be having their first 2020 show there on Sat. Feb. 8th at 7:30PM (doors 7PM).
Thus far, they’ve got a grand line-up of:
Giulia Rozzi
Jenny Yang
Nori Reed
Kimberly Clark
Rachel Scanlon
All of this wonder at High Priestess will only cost you $5 right now ($8 at door). You can (and very very much should) get your tickets here.
Titmouse Animation Signs Overall Deal at Netflix
Netflix has done quite well with its adult animated series offerings including Big Mouth, BoJack Horseman, and F Is For Family.
So, they’re dipping their toes deeper into the adult animation pool with this overall deal with Titmouse Animation, the studio behind Big Mouth as well as the upcoming trippy adult animated series, The Midnight Gospel (that just so happens to be set to stream at Netflix in the not so distant future).
As far as we can see, Netflix really wants to be a 1-for-1 synonym for television, though the proliferation of streaming services is making this goal of TV domination a whole lot harder. At the very least, Netflix can dominate little pockets here and there and they definitely have become one of the dominant players in the adult animation space along side Adult Swim and Fox.
In any case, we’re very very curious to see what Titmouse comes up with under this deal and how much they’ll push the envelope.
Last Friday, Carmen Lynch showed yet again that she can really craft and deliver a hilarious classic late night set on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Callbacks, misdirection, and overall great joke structure and delivery are all on display here in addition to the charm of Carmen’s low-key persona and incredibly expressive eyes (used marvelously to comedic effect).
So, please enjoy Carmen Lynch’s latest late night set here.
Fiona Landers’ solo show Funeral Bouquet so floored us when we saw it several months ago at Lyric Hyperion. We’re still thinking about how much it affected us with big laughs and pulling our heart strings taut by reimagining some of the darkest parts of Fiona’s life. Landers has continue to develop the show and now has enlisted Alison Agosti, one of our favorite comedy writers and storytellers, helping her to further fine tune and hone the show.
This show is already pretty amazing and we have no doubt the next set of performances will be very special too. With all of that in mind, you should most certainly go witness this hysterical, moving, heartbreaking, enrapturing solo show Funeral Bouquet over its next few dates:
@ Lyric Hyperion Tues. Jan. 28th 7PM $10
@ UCB Franklin Thurs. Feb. 13th 7PM $7
Several years ago, a music video for a track entitled “NYC Bitche$” by one Awkwafina somehow found its way into one of our recommended feeds. Brash, loud, and silly, we really dug it and was curious was to come of rapper Awkwafina. Perhaps, something that was a little more expansive to the tone and attitude was in store for the nascent rap star?
You might very well know that Awkwafina AKA Nora Lum ascended into film stardom via Ocean’s 8 and The Farewell and now, her own semi-autobiographical series Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens premiered on Comedy Central this week. The series itself, from watching the pilot, makes good on the sort of bold, fun spirit we had first seen out of Awkwafina all those years ago.
Awkwafina really gets to shine as herself and it’s pretty damn fun to watch. So, get into the pilot, which Comedy Central was nice enough to put on YouTube, then make a reminder that new episodes of Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens airs Wednesdays at 10:30PM on Comedy Central.
In stand-up comedy, so much of crowd work is dependent on how quick a comedian can be on their feet. There is also a great deal of finesse involved as well. How perceptive one comedian can be from moment-to-moment can be the difference between unraveling into utter chaos and delightfully riding right up to that line.
Moshe Kasher takes great care to not only be as quick as can be with his razor sharp wit and ribbing audience members just the right amount on his new album Crowd Surfing Vol. 1, but he achieves his goal of making it engaging and captivating for us listeners that weren’t at this particular taping. He succeeds in capturing that lightning in a bottle that is stand-up crowd work by letting audience members tell stories and then slickly threading his commentary throughout. It’s a clever move on Moshe’s part by letting audience stories sort of anchor the “crowd work experience” and then cutting loose with his magnificent blend of high and low brow references, phrasing, and graceful delivery/cadence.
Best of all with Moshe Kasher: Crowd Surfing Vol. 1: A Crowd Work Experience, you can enjoy hearing some truly top shelf riffing with the crowd and have zero worries of being made fun of.
Moshe Kasher: Crowd Surfing Vol. 1: A Crowd Work Experience is available now wherever you get/listen to/stream your comedy albums.
Really, any chance you can get to see Jenny Slate, Max Silvestri, and Gabe Liedman individually should be taken immediately.
Above that, it should be mandatory to see the three of them assemble for their long running, yet occasional (because they’re busy making big time specials, shows, etc.) Big Terrific at Largo where it’s a night of stand-up and stories from Jenny, Max, and Gabe.
Thankfully, there’s one coming up, right after Valentine’s Day, on Sat. Feb. 15th at 8:30PM at Largo. Tickets are $30 and you really ought to get them here.