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Recent News

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Pick of the Day: Tommy McNamara: Christmas Boy (in NYC) 12/19

December 8, 2023
News
christmas, nyc comedy, union hall

Yep, Christmas is approaching fast and the deluge of holiday themed comedy shows are well under way. There are so many, kind of like the normal plethora of comedy shows, that you wonder which ones might be the ones to check out. Definitely, beloved Brooklyn/NYC comedy fave Tommy McNamara reprising his annual holiday comedy bash, Christmas Boy, with sharply wrought mirth and song will even warm the heart of the Grinchiest person in the audience.

Having a line-up of NYC’s very best of Josh Gondelman, Alex Kumin, Mike Hanford, Ashley Hamilton, Nick Naney (as Santa), Pay Byrne, Chris Donahue, and Kevin O’Brien will be a gift to any and all in attendance.

Christmas Boy is slated for Tues. Dec. 19th at 7:30PM @ Union Hall with tix going for $11.55. Go get ’em here.

TCB Debriefing 12/7/23: Jacqueline Novak, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Joe Pera/Atsuko Okatsuka, Surrounded

December 7, 2023
News
atsuko okatsuka, donald glover, jacqueline novak, joe pera, maya erskine, mike falzone, mr and mrs smith, surrounded

1. Jacqueline Novak finally puts the frosting on the cake for her long running, critically acclaimed solo show, Get On Your Knees, the most hysterically poetic meditation on blowjobs, with it coming to Netflix as a special on Jan. 23rd.

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2. The trailer for Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine is here. If you’re Gen-Z, this isn’t your sibling’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith (with Brad and Angelina) and if you’re a Millennial, this isn’t your great grandparents’ Mr. & Mrs. Smith (from Hitchcock). Get ready for a dark, moody, and quietly sassy Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Amazon Prime on Feb. 2nd.

3. Joe Pera and Atsuko Okatsuka are both wonderful and both deserving of your time and money and have just added dates to their upcoming tours. Get tix now at joepera.com or at atsukocomedy.com/#tour.

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A post shared by Atsuko Okatsuka (@atsukocomedy)

4. In case you didn’t know, Mike Falzone went VR with his hit in-the-round crowd work show, Surrounded and it went well enough that they got a second season coming at the end of the month. That gives you enough time to put a VR headset on your Christmas list.

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A post shared by Mike Falzone (@mikefalzone)

5. We’ll leave you with this: We might still have free tix for Brett Goldstein on Sun. 12/10 in Pasadena. E-mail us at thecomedybureau@gmail.com to find out.

Pick of the Day: Scary Little Krampus (in LA) 12/15

December 7, 2023
News
christmas, dani collucci, elysian, krampus, los angeles comedy, variety show

Truly, one of the most astounding holiday comedy shows in LA is Dani Colluci‘s Scary Little Krampus. Collucci gets done up as a fully formed Christmas demon, Krampus (it’s pretty much a big budget movie level make-up job) and hosts the sort of holiday comedy show for those who want Halloween to be all year long (looking at you, Jack Skellington).

Joining her on the dark side of Christmas will be a cadre of wonderful weirdos dedicated to make Fri. Dec. 15th at The Elysian a night to never forget (because you’ll be hilariously haunted by it?).

That’ll include:

  • Matt Olson

  • Freak Nature Puppets

  • Nnamdi Ngwe

  • Ryan Asher

  • Chad Damiani

  • Dean Evans

  • Camirin Farmer

  • Sam Walt Jones

  • Maureen SanDiego

  • Jessie Prez

  • Nate Pringle

  • JJ Phillips

  • Aerica Goetten

  • Andrew Goetten

Tix for Scary Little Krampus are going for $20 and we highly suggest that you snag them right now right here.

 

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 193: Johnny Gold & The Importance of Small Scenes

December 7, 2023
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
inland empire, johnny gold, la comedy

As instrumental as the hubs of LA and NYC are to comedy, smaller scenes are crucial to the art form too. Johnny Gold returns to the TCB Field Report to extoll the virtues and dissect the experience of small, upcoming comedy scenes. He ought to know since Johnny was one of the first comics we ever met in the LBC in in the 2010s and is now getting up in small rooms and mics in the I.E. in the 2020s.

Follow Johnny @johnnygold777 on IG

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger

TCB Debriefing 12/5/23: Norman Lear, Kyle Ayers, Last Week Tonight, Jesse David Fox, Jackie Fabulous, Taskmasters

December 6, 2023
News
brendon walsh, brian keith etheridge, jackie fabulous, jesse david fox, john oliver, johnny ryan, kyle ayers, last week tonight, norman lear, taskmasters

1. R.I.P. Norman Lear. Rather than write a whole screed about how much of a legend to comedy, television, and representation he is, we’ll just say that he’s much more deserving of The Mark Twain Prize for Humor, an award that’s supposed to honor people in comedy who have effectively changed the dialogue that Americans have with each other, than the majority of the recipients. Yes, he was not a performer, but the landscape of comedy and American sitcoms are wholly influenced by Lear.

2. Kyle Ayers is brilliant and hilarious and also suffers from Trigeminal Neuraligia AKA “Suicide Disease”. Ayers deserves all the support we can muster, especially because calling the American Health Care system a joke is being nice. Please support his GoFundMe here.

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3. In the biggest no brainer ever, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is renewed for three seasons through 2026.

4. Vulture/Good One’s Jesse David Fox explains explaining comedy on Seth Meyers, despite some folks thinking that comedians are just making it all on up the spot and not hard working artisans. Please watch and enjoy here. Also, go get his book Comedy Book-How Comedy Conquered Culture-and the Magic That Makes It Work for further explanation of how exactly comedians do the magic that they do.

5. The amazing, effervescent Jackie Fabulous is going on tour. Please go get tix at jackiefabulous.com.

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6. Brendon Walsh and Brian Keith Etheridge (South Park) and Johnny Ryan have an animated series, Taskmasters, that incorporates prank calls that just got a script commitment at Fox (Deadline). Fingers crossed that this turns into a green light as Walsh is the living king of prank calls.

7. We’ll leave you with this: Tickets to a cool comedy show count as a great holiday gift.

Pick of the Day: Brett Goldstein (near LA) 12/10 + *Tix Giveaway*

December 6, 2023
News
brett goldstein, los angeles comedy, pasadena, stand up comedy

If you’re nestled in the cozy heights of Pasadena surrounded by a much more classic LA aesthetic, we get that you probably don’t want to leave all that often to LA proper or even hike it to something cool at Highland Park. That leaves limited comedy options for you if that’s the case. The Ice House, LA’s oldest comedy club is back in action, but they can only give you so many options.

Suffice it to say that it isn’t every night or even every week or every month that someone like Brett Goldstein (i.e. Roy Kent and Hercules) comes through the Pasadena city limits. Yet, Goldstein is headlining the classic Pasadena Civic Auditorium this Sun. Dec. 10th at 7PM. It’s a hop, skip, and not even a jump from Old Pasadena, so you can get in a stroll and probably some very expensive wine in before you head to the show.

Tickets start at $72 and you can buy ’em here, but we actually have a couple pairs of tickets if you want them. Just let us know at thecomedybureau@gmail.com!

TCB Debriefing 12/4/23: Ziwe/George Santos, Cole Escola, Central Park, Bill Burr

December 4, 2023
News
amazon, apple tv plus, bill burr, central park, cole escola, george santos, ziwe

1. Ziwe might be interviewing freshly ousted U.S. Representative George Santos. This is further proof that Showtime/Paramount is wholly foolhardy and short-sighted (for the sake of profit margins) for cancelling an iconic show.

Let’s do it @ziwe 😜 https://t.co/Y4TbeZEGOg

— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) December 3, 2023

3. The brilliance of Cole Escola will not be denied. This “lost” pilot for “Our Home Out West” is equal parts pitch-perfect camp and sharply drawn absurdism in a charming dreamy version of a Western with Cole giving Eddie Murphy a run for his money in playing multiple characters. Please watch and enjoy “Our Home Out West” now and over and over.

3. Apple TV+ cancels the musical comedy series Central Park after three seasons (Deadline). So much for a Bob’s Burgers, Great North, Central Park mega crossover episode in the Loren Bouchard-iverse (is that a thing, yet?).

4. Bill Burr has just announced his 2024 dates and we have a feeling you better set several reminders if you want to get tickets at billburr.com/tour if you want to get tix on Wednesday.

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5. We’ll leave you with this: Amazon is brazenly taunting your dependence on them as a corporation in the Fallout trailer. Shop accordingly (i.e. maybe not on Amazon) this holiday season.

Pick of the Day: Christmas Is Cumming with Alan Cumming & Guests (in NYC) 12/7

December 4, 2023
News
2 Perfect Gentelmen, alan cumming, Antwayn Hopper, Gayle Rankin, holiday fundraiser, nyc comedy, The Boy Band Project, variety show, Yves Matthieu

Alan Cumming is come back to his namesake venue Club Cumming for a pull-out-all-the-stops big holiday variety show fundraiser. Without even telling you anything else, it is currently sold out, but the line-up and cause are so good, it’s worth making plans for stand by.

Christmas Is Cumming with Alan Cumming will be raising money for Trinity’s Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH) in NYC and feature the likes of, not only Alan, but the gorgeous piano playing of Henry Koperski and comedy/music/queer talents of Matt Rogers, Gayle Rankin, Antwayn Hopper, 2 Perfect Gentelmen, The Boy Band Project, Yves Matthieu, and more.

It’s quite the holiday show, absolutely one that you shouldn’t miss if you’re in NYC on Thurs. Dec. 7th at 10PM, and entirely worth squeezing in the back at Club Cumming. Take note that tix are $50 with all proceeds going to Trinity’s SAFH.

TCB Debriefing 12/1/23: Blair Socci, Jamie Lee/Nikki Glaser, JFL Vancouver, Chelsea Handler, Arclight/Cinerama Dome?

December 1, 2023
News
blair socci, chelsea handler, cinerama dome, jamie lee, jfl vancouver, nikki glaser

1. We’ve seen Blair Socci be a comedic force to be reckoned with (especially if you’re a fan of Triscuits) ever since we first saw her years and years ago. She just came out with her first hour special Live from the Big Dog and, we have to say, Blair is worth trying to figure out another streaming service (Veeps)

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3. Jamie Lee and Nikki Glaser co-starring in a sitcom, Unsettling, where they go in on co-parenting a kid since they reached their 30s childless? Even though we’d never ever have children (don’t @ us, please), we’re on totally on board for anything Lee and Glaser do, both together or separately. (Deadline)

3. JFL is really back in full force, huh? Both Moontower JFL Austin and JFL Vancouver line-ups just had their first announcement and both are jam packed. Get tickets for the Mid-Feb festival if you’re in and around Vancouver at jflvancouver.com.

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4. Chelsea Handler will return to host The Critics Choice Awards (Variety). If she gets a third go around hosting this, will that be enough holes on her awards show punch card to get another late night show?

5. We’ll leave you with this: You can uncross your fingers if you were hoping the ArcLight/Cinerama Dome in LA was going to reopen next year. Try 2025. (Deadline). It’s pretty much the last movie theater to reopen if it was indeed going to reopen.

Pick of the Day: Julian Velard Is In the Middle of Something (in LA) 12/10

December 1, 2023
News
julian velard, los angeles comedy, musical comedy, solo show

Julian Velard is many a thing including a masterful pianist with golden pipes with wit and panache to match. He’s also middle aged and in, well, the middle of figuring things out.

Part of figuring it out is doing an entire beautiful and hilarious and vulnerable and raw solo musical show about the whole ordeal of being in the middle of your life/getting your ducks in a row/figuring out how the hell the future is going to work out. We’ve seen the show and Julian hits a wonderful comedic and emotional nerve with his premise where something like This Is 40 or a deluge of sitcoms about being middle aged missed the mark.

So, don’t miss the next time Julian Is In the Middle of Something, which just happens to be pretty close to the middle of this month, Sun. Dec. 10th at 9:30PM at the Lyric Hyperion in fact. Tickets are $15 and you really ought to go get them here.

 

TCB Debriefing 11/30/23: Moontower, Kimmel/Aidy Bryant, Leo Reich, Daily Wire Adult Animated Series

November 30, 2023
News
aidy bryant, austin comedy, daily wire, jfl laughs, jimmy kimmel, Leo Reich, moontower

1. Moontower JFL Austin makes their first line-up announcement, so plan accordingly.

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2. Jimmy Kimmel is, of course, hosting the Oscars again and Aidy Bryant, a little more surprisingly, is hosting the Spirit Awards next year. Kimmel will probably do another solid job and become this generation’s poster boy for The Oscars, but we hope that Aidy uses her husband Conner O’Malley in a bit, if not several for the Spirit Awards telecast.

3. Take a gander at Leo Reich‘s first special, Literally Who Cares? coming direct to HBO (then probably watched by you at Max). As far as Gen Z comedy specials go, Leo is who putting their money on.

4. Conservative entertainment brand The Daily Wire is trying their hand at an adult animated series with the likes of Adam Carolla and Candace Owens set for the voice cast (Deadline). Get ready to be upset?

5. We’ll leave you with this: Anyone’s Spotify Wrapped have a comedian as their top artist?

Pick of the Day: JANE LYNCH & KATE FLANNERY: A SWINGIN’ LITTLE CHRISTMAS (in NYC) 12/1-12/3

November 30, 2023
News
jane lynch, kate flannery, nyc comedy, tim davis, tony guerrero quintet

With the start of December tomorrow, we’re into the heart of the holiday season and, as such, a plethora of holiday themed variety shows are coming ’round the corner. One of those that you should absolutely not miss is Jane Lynch: A Swingin’ Little Christmas featuring Kate Flannery & Tim Davis with The Tony Guerrero Quintet. It’ll be a rollicking good time of song, comedy, mirth, and the cheeky twists that would only come with Lynch, Flannery, and Davis all at the venerable Joe’s Pub.

A Swingin’ Little Christmas is actually on tour, but doing a run at Joe’s Pub this Fri. Dec. 1st-Sun. Dec. 3rd at $50 a pop (w/2 drink or 1 item min.). Go get yourself and/or your loved ones/dear friends a gift in the form of a ticket here.

TCB Debriefing: 11/29/23: Conan & Jordan, Kate McKinnon, Bergamot Comedy Festival, Charlie Day

November 29, 2023
News
bergamot comedy festival, charlie day, conan o'brien, jordan schlansky, kate mckinnon

1. Um, there’s a whole podcast that’s just Conan O’Brien and infamous associate producer/living manifestation of the phrase “Well, actually”, Jordan Schlansky called The Conan and Jordan Show. Listen and subscribe since it is everything that you want this enduring love/hate relationship to be.

2. Kate McKinnon returns to SNL. Hopefully, it will be on the space ship that she left on.

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3. Santa Monica is having a brand new comedy festival out of the arts colony, Bergamot Station, where The Crow Comedy is so conveniently located with a gigantic parking lot and a metro stop. The inaugural edition of The Bergamot Comedy Festival is now taking submissions here.

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4. Charlie Day is starring in a dark comedy called “Kill Me” (deadline). The premise sure sounds like an ep. of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia where Day is trying to figure out whether he tried to kill himself or someone is out to get him.

5. We’ll leave you with this: Tip of the cap to Sabrina Wu and Robby Hoffman crushing their Netflix sets. Go watch them ASAP.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 192: Kristian Mercado & Directing Comedy in 2023

November 29, 2023
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
kristian mercado

Kristian Mercado has very quickly made a name for himself not only as a director of comedy specials (Hannibal Buress, Aida Rodriguez, Michael Che, Taylor Tomlinson to name a few), but an up and coming auteur in comedy with his first feature, If You Were the Last, a very charming take on an outer space rom com. This week’s TCB Field Report talks to Mercado in depth about the in’s and out’s of directing all sorts of comedy these days on all sorts of screens.

Follow Kristian @krismerc on IG and watch If You Were the Last now on Peacock.

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger

Pick of the Day: iL FUNGO presents Saturnalia: A Holiday Bacchanal (in LA) 12/9

November 29, 2023
News
clowning, il fungo, los angeles comedy, yard theater

iL FUNGO, the sensational LA comedy bouffon troupe has really been making waves this year not only because of their outrageous modern takes on a bouffon costume, but for their special brand of controlled chaos that always gets the crowd enthralled and doubled over while being mystified all in the same breath. That’s all credit to the clowning talents of Deidre Scott, Grant O’Connell, Joshua Kilcoyne, Mike Rose, Starlette Cravens, Tiffany Lawrence and Tyler Ramirez and the troupe’s director Dean Evans.

For the first time ever, they’re going to do a full length live show and celebrate the cooler, sexier holiday this holiday season, Saturnalia. The best, most hilarious sort of chaos will ensue.

Look out for iL FUNGO presents Saturnalia: A Holiday Bacchanal at the Yard Theater on Sat. Dec. 9th at 9PM. Tickets are $12 and you can (and very much should) go get them here.

TCB Debriefing 11/28/23: Dream Scenario, Verified Stand Up, Eddie Izzard, Beautiful Anonymous

November 28, 2023
News
beautiful anonymous, chris gethard, dream scenario, eddie izzard, netflix, stand up comedy

1. Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario makes Nicholas Cage plays one of his best roles yet as an unremarkable professor that everyone starts seeing in their dreams. It’s trippy, terrifying, and all sorts of hysterical, but also cuts very deep into the human desire for belonging and community. Come to think of it, there is a similar vibe to Cage’s Paul Matthews here and his role in The Weather Man where Cage deftly plays someone who wants so badly wants to find meaning/purpose in his life all while believing his remarkable and ignoring how unremarkable he is all the same time. Dream Scenario is playing a limited release at a theater new you.

vvfv                                           v2. Netflix’s version of Premium Blend for 2023, Verified Stand-Up, has arrived, featuring stand-up from TCB faves like Leslie Liao, Vanessa Gonzalez, Robby Hoffman, and Sabrina Wu. We’re pretty sure that much of the showcase series has sets so good that you’ll forgive how out-of-touch the name is.

3. Eddie Izzard is doing Hamlet all by herself in NYC (AP). Being a living legend in comedy, doing stand-up comedy in at least three different languages, running a football/soccer team, running for public office, and regularly running marathons just wasn’t enough for her, was it?

4. Chris Gethard’s Beautiful Anonymous has graduated to a full on subscription service, hence the name Beautiful Anonymous +. After 400 episodes, what started as an idea that Chris thought would bait prank callers has turned into one of the most beautiful, hilarious, enlightening, heartbreaking, comforting tapestries of humanity that has been committed to record. Yes, there is a tier that allows you a better chance at being one of the callers.

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5. We’ll leave you with this: Wonder if there will be shows that are marketed as “no-crowd work” for those folks that want to watch stand-up, but, under no circumstance, want to be singled out.

Pick of the Day: Filth with Steph Tolev (in LA) 12/5

November 28, 2023
News
comedy store, filth, los angeles comedy, steph tolev

Go figures as there is John Waters: Pope of Trash exhibit at the Academy Museum that there would be an ascent of a Queen of Filth just up the road at a comedy club. That’s right, Steph Tolev is a well-earned, self-styled Queen of Filth with the perfect husky voice to compliment and she’s doing a very special, very blue night of stories and stand-up at The Comedy Store this coming Tues. Dec. 5th.

When it comes to going dirty, Tolev isn’t so much wheeling and dealing in going graphic just for the sake of it or for schadenfreude, but is so exquisitely talented at sourcing comedy out of the filthiest crevices she can find every month with the aptly named, Filth.

Also, this night will be double as a toy drive for the WeHo LAFD, so you can do some good while listening to something that’s unequivocally NSFW.

Tickets are $10 (plus 2 drink min.) and you can (and should) go get them here.

TCB Debriefing 11/27/23: The Holdovers, Colbert, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, This Is Spinal Tap 2

November 27, 2023
News
late show, scott pilgrim, scott pilgrim takes off, spinal tap, stephen colbert, the holdovers

1. Alexander Payne + Paul Giamatti = devastatingly delivered, hysterically wrought dialogue by charmingly flawed characters. The formula worked to perfection with Sideways and that same cinematic math works out in The Holdovers. Giamatti plays an even more pretentious teacher, aspiring author than he did in Sideways, which requires a bit of simmering before it gets cooking. Still, the incredulity of Giamatti and his obsession with projecting ancient civilizations at this decaying prep school as superior contrasted during Vietnam era America makes for some beautifully hilarious moments, both out of emotional deafness and rage with a big vocabulary. The humanity of Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa’s performances as two characters doomed to “hold over” during winter break with Giamatti only further highlight another signature Giamatti tragicomic performance. Don’t be surprised to see an Oscar nomination for Screenplay here.

2. Stephen Colbert got appendicitis leading to a ruptured appendix and thus, there is no Late Show this week. Thankfully, Stephen Colbert is OK and recovering and both Kimmel and The Daily Show are going to get your late night fix. Of all the reasons to go off the air in 2023, can you believe it’s not COVID?

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3. With as clever and innovative as the anime spin-off/sequel/adaptation Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is, the creators of this iteration of Scott Pilgrim are happy to keep their timelines right where they are, contained within one season (Rolling Stone). The MCU would do well to take a cue here.

4. Rob Reiner has confirmed that This Is Spinal Tap 2 will commence filming in early 2024 (Deadline). With Reiner in charge, we’d hope for a sequel that lives up to the cult status of the original film, but it’ll be a curious see another Spinal Tap movie after nearly two decades of mockumentaries being some of the most lauded and most watched works in comedy (as opposed to being something groundbreaking in 1984). We hope Reiner has something truly special up his sleeve.

5. We’ll leave you with this: a sign that you’ve been in showbiz for a long time is forgetting what you ringtone sounds like because your phone is eternally set to silent or vibrate.

Pick of the Day: Standup For Inclusion: A Fundraiser For EPIC Players (near LA) 12/1

November 27, 2023
News
crow comedy, danielle perez, epic players, jessica keenan, joe eurell, liz pollack, los angeles comedy, nic novicki, rachel barcellona, santa monica, stand up comedy

Many a thing is bandied about when it comes to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), but, often, little action is actually taken to make it happen. The EPIC Players is one such organization that, since 2016, have dedicated themselves to shines a light on neuro-diversity through their unique, non-profit theater company.

Sounds pretty grand, yes?

Well, EPIC Players will be having an exclusive comedy fundraiser with a plenty inclusive line-up featuring some amazing neuro-diverse comedians (and some NTs as well) at Santa Monica’s Crow Comedy Club (keep in mind that they’re located in a gorgeous arts colony with a gigantic free parking lot) this coming Friday, Dec. 1st at 8PM.

On the bill thus far are:

Joe Eurell
Danielle Perez
Jessica Keenan
Liz Pollack
Nic Novicki
Rachel Barcellona

Tickets for Standup For Inclusion: A Fundraiser For EPIC Players are only $35 and you can (and should) go get ’em here.

TCB Debriefing 11/24/23: Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, Tig Notaro/Colbert, Hasan Minhaj, YouTube Fact Checking

November 24, 2023
News
albert brooks, defending my life, fact checking, hasan minhaj, hbo, late show, rob reiner, stephen colbert, tig notaro

1. Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, the Rob Reiner documentary tribute to his dear friend and certified comedy genius, Albert Brooks, is truly illuminating and a sensational reminder of how absolutely, devastatingly funny and original Brooks was. As far as alternative comedy goes, you could draw a line from Ernie Kovacs to Albert Brooks to almost anything off-beat done on stage today and this doc makes emphatically sure that you know that and will never forget it. Required viewing for anyone into comedy or even likes laughing, even just a little bit. Albert Brooks: Defending My Life is streaming now on Max.

2. Speaking of “defending my life”, Hasan Minhaj just added a bunch of dates for his Off With His Head tour. Get your tix at hasanminhaj.com.

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A post shared by Hasan Minhaj (@hasanminhaj)

 

3. Tig Notaro was in peak Tig form on Colbert. Please enjoy.

 

4. We were watching this Don’t Tell set from Malik Elassal and noticed that YouTube has tacked on a Wikipedia embed for the page about how the Flat Earth is a scientifically disproven conception based off of the title of the video “Woke Flat Earthers”. We have no doubt comedians will figure a way to twist this new move to some hysterical result (and perhaps go overboard with it in the process).

5. We’ll leave you with this: Can we not do a bunch of bits about saying “happy holidays” this year? There are plenty of actual wars going on versus the fake “War on Christmas”.

Pick of the Day: Overheard LA Presents Roast of LA (in LA) 12/13

November 24, 2023
News
bourbon room, hollywood, los angeles comedy, overheard la, roast

It’s no mystery that LA, along so many of its gorgeous, sun-soaked facets, is inherently and thoroughly ridiculous. That’s part of the reason that @OverheardLA is so popular on IG. If you’re not familiar, get ready to deep dive on the very real fringes of LA’s characters that we wish we’re just made up for a Groundlings or UCB showcase.

That said, Overheard LA is culminating their focus into a live show, an entire Roast of LA, hosted by NYC comedy’s Stef Dag. Of course, having a New Yorker preside over a roast of LA isn’t entirely fair, so they’re going to have Angelenos do it (including some of the funniest people in the Greater LA Area).

ROASTING THE CITY OF ANGELS HOWEVER THEY PLEASE WILL INCLUDE:Anna Seregina
Babe Motel
Brian Bahe
Carmen Christopher
Connor Wood
Courtney Pauroso
Dylan Adler
Hannah Pilkes
Jared Goldstein
Joe Kwaczala
Luke Mones
Morgan Jay
Rachel Pegram
Rob Haze
Robby Hoffman
Vinny Thomas
Zach Zucker

This Roast of LA, set for Wed. Dec. 13th at 8PM at The Bourbon Room, might even top Randy Newman’s LA anthem “I Love LA” actually being a low key diss track. Tickets start at $25 a pop (plus 2 item min.). Go get ’em here.

TCB Debriefing 11/22/23: Jay Jurden, Wellington Paranormal, Toy Story/Frasier, Will Arnett, Sheng Wang

November 22, 2023
News
don't tell comedy, frasier, jay jurden, jimmy kimmel live, sheng wang, toy story, wellington paranormal, will arnett

1. While we are glad that the laugh per minute metric is wholly outdated and not really relied on anymore, Jay Jurden gets more laughs per minute than almost any other comedian out there. He racks up more punchlines and tags than the most quick-witted multi-cam sitcom on top of being sinfully clever and incisive in his observations about sexual and racial identities. Witness the undeniable comedy of Jay Jurden in this latest set on Don’t Tell.

2. One of the best spin-offs of all time, Wellington Paranormal, a spin-off of the original What We Do In the Shadows film, will live on as a podcast (Deadline). Even more delightful is the fact that it will be a meta behind-the-scenes podcast with all the original cast members including Mike Minogue and Karen O’Leary playing their roles from the series discussing how the paranormal investigation mocku–err… documentary series was made.

3. So, there might be more Toy Story and Frasier potentially in the works? Pretty sure sequels had a pretty spotty 2023.

4. Will Arnett gets back to Will Arnett-ing on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

5. Peep these Sheng Wang tour dates. There’s a reason they’re selling out all over the place. He’s damn good and you shouldn’t miss your chance to see him. Tix at shengwangtime.com.

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A post shared by Sheng Wang (@shengwangtime)

6. We’ll leave you with this: Squid Game: The Challenge producer Tim Harcourt, when asked about whether the reality competition series based off of the brutally anti-capitalist Korean satire series Squid Game misses the point of the source material in a THR interview, says:

“I take issue over the notion that Squid Game has just one point. One of the important strands was the capitalist critique. But it’s also a critique of how we are ingrained from childhood to be ultra competitive via these childhood games. It’s also about how people behave under pressure — and that’s what makes reality shows interesting. Even if it’s an artificial or conceited situation, how do people behave? It was also about camaraderie. Also, the drama was about people fending off their desperate circumstances to win a huge prize. Our show isn’t about people in need. It’s about people being presented with an opportunity. So we flip that on its head. So, yes, there is one element [of the original show] that people have latched on to that they think is being not served by a reality show, but I would say it’s a very small part of the original Squid Game.”

We hope this ends up being the source material for a sketch in the fourth season of I Think You Should Leave because that might be the most BS answer we’ve heard all of 2023 (and that’s really saying something).

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 191: Frank Chindamo & Proof of Laughter Being Medicine

November 22, 2023
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
frank chindamo, laugh md

Frank Chindamo went from comedy nerd to SNL to mobile video innovator to professor to CEO and founder of Laugh MD, an app tailor made to bring comedy for wellness to hospital patients. This week’s TCB Field Report follows Chindamo’s unbelievable journey that has actually been bookended by two different WGA strikes, at this point, and found himself leading the way to putting a spotlight on laughter demonstrably/scientifically/undeniably making people’s lives better.

Follow all things Laugh MD at laughmd.com

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger

Pick of the Day: What Does it All Mean, What Does Any of This Mean? Why? How? Help! (in LA) 12/5

November 22, 2023
News
alison stevenson, existential crisis, los angeles comedy, philosophical research society, talk show

The return of movie and TV stars as the go-to guests for late night means that there’s less chance to ponder the human condition, the existential crisis derived from the meaning of it “all”, and whether comedy actually makes a difference (because movies have to be promoted by their talent, right?).

Thankfully, LA comedy staple Alison Stevenson is putting on a talk show to actually get back to actually filling the actual void by staring right into it (with a panel of amazing LA comedians including Guy Branum, Brian Bahe, Johnny Pemberton, Maggie Maye, and Laurie Kilmartin). The philosopher king aspect of comedy will definitely be highlighted on Tues. Dec. 5th at 7PM at The Philosophical Research Society when the aptly named What Does it All Mean, What Does Any of This Mean? Why? How? Help! goes down.

Tickets are only $15 for a talk show that isn’t going to sidestep the meaning of life through playing some version of Match Game. Go get ’em here.

 

TCB Debriefing 11/21/23: Molly Ruben Long, Amy Poehler, Beverly Hills Cop 4, Unprisoned

November 21, 2023
News
amy poehler, axel foley, beverly hills cop, eddie murphy, molly ruben long, unprisoned

1. The hilarious Molly Ruben Long got diagnosed with breast cancer a week ago and then went ahead and hosted a comedy show in a NYC bookstore with these breast cancer jokes. Round of applause right now wherever you are for Molly. Please send her well wishes/support/good vibes/whatever you can.

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A post shared by Molly Ruben-Long (@mollyrubenlong)

2. Following parting ways with Upright Citizens Brigade as a brand, Amy Poehler is now taking her improv talents to Masterclass (for grown-ups not looking to be on SNL?) (Variety)

3. Take your first gander at the nostalgia machine marching on in the first image of Eddie Murphy reprising his iconic Beverly Hills Cop role as Axel Foley.

4. Critically acclaimed (and even with that, not talked about enough?) dramedy Unprisoned is getting another season (Deadline). Kerry Washington has the most fun she’s had in years in a role on top of a fascinating dissection of life post-incarceration.

5. We’ll leave you with this: If you must watch cis straight white men do stand-up, know that there are plenty that are great and aren’t even remotely controversial. Case in point, Joe Zimmerman with one of the best specials of the year.

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