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Recent News

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TCB Debriefing 10/6/23: Welcome to Flatch, Dave Ross and Ismael Loutfi’s Mostly Trains Tour, She Came to Me, Rooster Teeth
October 6, 2023
News
dave ross, ismael loutfi, rooster teeth, she came to me, welcome to flatch

1. Jenny Bicks and Paul Feig’s Welcome to Flatch canceled following its second season (TV Line). Is it possible that TV mockumentaries have reached their limit?

2. Dave Ross and Ismael Loutfi could just go on a stand-up tour and we’d tell you that it would be worth your hard earned money and sparing free time to go see them, but they’re upping the ante by going on tour almost entirely by train across North America with the aptly named Mostly Trains Tour. So, they’re probably lowering their carbon footprint and will undoubtedly have the best material on trains that anyone has heard in decades. Go see dates and get tickets at mostlytrains.davetotheross.com.

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3. She Came to Me, a comedy about an opera composer who gets out of a creative rut by starting an affair with a tugboat captain, is playing in limited release starting this weekend. If Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei, and director Rebecca Miller aren’t enough of sell, that premise should peak your curiosity plenty.

4. One of the biggest YouTube channels out there, Rooster Teeth is opting to depart the online video giant in favor of creating their own exclusive video platform/streaming service (Deadline). If you thought the proliferation of streaming services would stop with just international media conglomerates, you better get ready for boutique streaming services like Rooster Teeth to start popping up more and more.

5. We’ll leave you with this: How much longer before all they hecklers are “destroyed” so the art of live comedy can be enjoyed as intended? Or are they REALLY being “destroyed”?

Pick of the Day: Cult Classic (in LA) Mondays Starting 10/9
October 6, 2023
News
lindsay adams, los angeles comedy, sam wiles, stand up comedy, will miles

No matter the state of the world/economy/government, nothing really changes Mondays from being Mondays and, in our minds, it’s imperative that they are reliable forms of mental relief via legit weekly comedy shows plentifully available. Such is the case on Wednesdays in LA (Hot Tub, Better Half, Microdose, Motherland, Totally!, and Skin Contact to name a few).

Mondays are much more sparing.

That’s why it’s thrilling to hear that LA comedy staples Lindsay Adams, Sam Wiles, and Will Miles are starting up a brand new weekly stand-up show, Cult Classic, in Eagle Rock’s Señor Fish. Every Monday night at 7PM, just head on up Eagle Rock Blvd. to wooden-fort-ish Señor Fish after you bought your $8 tickets to enjoy a painstakingly curated, secret line-up and negate any instance of “having the case of the Mondays”. Also, don’t you want to get in on the ground floor of a “cult classic”?

Keep up with everything for Cult Classic @cultclassiccomedy on IG and go get tickets for their inaugural show this coming Monday, Oct. 9th.

TCB Debriefing 10/5/23: Roy Wood Jr., Pamela Adlon Feature, Cate Blanchett/Guy Maddin, Afternoon Delight with Brendon Walsh, Dicks the Musical, Sort Of, Junior High
October 5, 2023
News
brendon walsh, cate blanchett, crank calls, dicks the musical, guy maddin, junior high, pamela adlon, roy wood jr, sort of

1. Roy Wood Jr. is tired of waiting and has opted to leave The Daily Show unless he’s given the role of host (THR). Comedy Central ought to know that using the WGA strike as an excuse for the delay of making a decision is only going to be valid for a little longer.

2. If you’ve been missing Better Things since the series finale, rejoice in the directorial debut of Pamela Adlon, Babes, starring Hasan Minhaj and Ilana Glazer is going to get a release via Neon (Variety). Fingers crossed that we wont’ have to wait through too much of 2024 to see it in theaters.

3. Enigmatic, but renowned Canadian director Guy Maddin and living and working legend Cate Blanchett are about to start shooting Maddin’s latest, a dramedy called Rumors (THR). If it’s even half as trippy as My Winnipeg, this will probably flip your world every which way possible several times over.

4. Long live crank calls and all hail to Brendon Walsh for keeping them alive with his live show Afternoon Delight. Walsh just started bringing back his show in LA and now has a handful of dates booked in CA. Go get tickets ASAP at afternoondelightshow.com.

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A post shared by Brendon Walsh (@bholewalsh)

5. Just a friendly reminder, that Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson’s raucous Dicks the Musical begins its theatrical run this weekend and we’re betting that it’s going to be every bit the required viewing that Barbie and Oppenheimer were/still are.

6. Bilal Baig‘s touching and illuminating dramedy, Sort Of, will see its end with this upcoming third season (Deadline). Part of SAG AFTRA’s new contract should prohibit Warner Discovery from cancelling stuff for a few months at least?

7. The wondrous, all inclusive performance space, Junior High, is hiring event staffers. Just a heads up in case if you’re looking for work that isn’t being a waiter or bartender right now.

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8. We’ll leave you with this: It’s our founders b-day today and if you’d like to support TCB (he’s the one running the whole show), some love via Venmo @jakekroeger, would be greatly appreciated.

Pick of the Day: EDINBURGH POSTVIEW FESTIVAL (near LA) 10/15
October 5, 2023
News
edinburgh fringe, los angeles comedy, public displays of altadena, solo show

If you just so happen to not have several thousands of dollars lying around this Summer to head on to Edinburgh, Scotland for the world famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival, you might wonder how you’d ever get to have enough dough to ever actually catch even a bit of the hundreds upon hundreds of shows that descend upon the city in August every year.

Well, if you’re in LA, you’re in a bit of luck as many who have embarked to the Fringe (and subsequently made it back in one piece) are doing another exclusive performance of their shows in a place almost as mountainous as Edinburgh (Altadena). Yes, Public Displays of Altadena is having an entire day/night of LA based Fringe shows featuring the exuberant comedy and comedy adjacent talents of Mark Vigeant, Claire Woolner, Brianna Ahlmark, John Norris, George Aivaliotis, Maddie Widdoes, and Liz Toonkel.

Instead of $$$$, this Edinburgh Postview Festival will only run you $60 for the whole thing (or $10-$15 per show), which is such a grand deal. PDA is hosting this Edinburgh Postview Festival on Sun. Oct. 15th from 12PM to 10:30PM. Get more details, schedule, and, most importantly, tickets right here.

TCB Debriefing 10/4/23: Beth Stelling Special, The Drew Barrymore Show, Chloe Troast on SNL, Moshe Kasher, Zainab Johnson,
October 4, 2023
News
beth stelling, chloe troast, comedy special, moshe kasher, netflix, snl, stand up comedy, the drew barrymore show, zainab johnson

1. The long awaited follow up from Girl Daddy, a special that will be remembered as one of the best of this decade, is finally here. That’s right, Beth Stelling brand new special, If You Didn’t Want Me Then, has just been released on Netflix this morning and delivers on the high expectations that were riding on it. Stelling is somehow even more self-assured in this hour (when that’s already her specialty), commanding the theater and anyone watching it as a special on Netflix with such ease and casual grace. It’s that sort of ever present sense of calm (reinforced by her choice of tea rather than the standard issue bottle of water on the stool) that makes her punchlines and tags and asides pop so acutely. Her continued, evolving portrait of herself as a woman in this day and age is so rich and full even though it feels like an old friend (albeit, your funniest friend) is just catching you up to speed over the last few years. Just give Beth her own late night talk show already. While we wait for that to happen, enjoy If You Didn’t Want Me Then now streaming on Netflix here.

2. The Drew Barrymore Show is now set to return after the debacle of trying to return during the WGA Strike, then rescinding the announcement. That said, her head writers Chelsea White, Cristina Kinon and Liz Koe have declined the offer to return as a result of not only Drew trying to get back on the air during the strike, but finding out via social media ticket giveaways (THR). So, expect at least one, if not a few, “very special episodes” of The Drew Barrymore Show when it finally makes back to TV

3. Chloe Troast will be SNL’s newest cast member and, as of this debriefing, the only new cast member to be added this season. We hope this signals a continuation of SNL getting weirder and wilder as it has with Sarah Squirm, Please Don’t Destroy, James Austin Johnson, and Bowen Yang.

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4. Some folks actually did get around to their King Lear during lockdown. One of those folks is the brilliant comedian Moshe Kasher. Moshe already has one astounding memoir under his belt with Kasher in the Rye and is set to release his next one, Subculture Vulture: A Memoir in Six Scenes, on Jan. 30th. Kasher is such an exquisite writer and storyteller that he shouldn’t have to make a promo on IG to promote the book, but he did anyway so you can enjoy something until the book’s release. Pre-order Subculture Vulture here.

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A post shared by Moshe Kasher (@moshekasher)

5. Take your first gander at Zainab Johnson‘s very first hour special, Hijabs Off, due out on Oct. 24th on Amazon Prime. It’ll be the perfect time to watch it as you probably also try to get two day shipping on whatever last minute costume you’re coming up with for Halloween.

 

6. We’ll leave you with this: Should we rebrand the term “gallows humor” as “2020s humor”?

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 184: Eitan Levine & Avoiding Eviction When Doing a Comedy Festival in Your Apartment
October 4, 2023
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
apartment fest, eitan levine, nyc comedy

Little did NYC comedy staple Eitan Levine know that essentially starting a comedy festival as a bit in getting rejected from an actual comedy festival would manifest into running a successful comedy festival out of his apartment. Returning post-panedmic, Apartment Fest is a weekend long comedy festival complete with beloved NYC headliners and sponsors with the main difference from every other festival being that it’s still run entirely out of Eitan’s apartment (despite getting evicted once from doing it).

This week’s TCB Field Report sits down with Eitan to find out how he pulled all of this off and what he envisions for the future of it and, most importantly, what to be mindful of when you make a submission tape.

Follow Eitan @eitanthegoalie across socials and get tickets for Apartment Fest 10/19-10/22 here.

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger
Photo by @photojuice

Pick of the Day: DAD (in NYC) 10/16
October 4, 2023
News
alex english, Devon Walker, gary richardson, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

Once upon a time, there used to be a special gathering of the comedic powers of Alex English, Devon Walker, and Gary Richardson at the Jane Hotel in the West Village about once a month or so. Called Dad, you’d never really want to miss it when it came around, no matter that there are so many amazing things in NYC comedy that are happening every night and that not all three hosts worked at SNL yet.

Now, English, Walker, and Richardson all write/perform at Saturday Night Live and are returning with Dad at their brand spankin’ new home of The Georgia Room on the other side of the city (specifically Kips Bay, which is specifically-specifically north of Gramercy Park in Manhattan). Celebrate Dad’s glorious return on Mon. Oct. 16th at 8PM. Tickets are $17.85 a pop and you better go get them here now as we’re pretty sure they will sell out.

TCB Debriefing 10/3/23: Blake Wexler Special, Nateland, Only Murders in the Building, Mulaney, CYSWK
October 3, 2023
News
blake wexler, comedians you should and will know, comedy special, john mulaney, nate bargatze, nateland, only murders in the buidling, stand up comedy, vulture

1. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, Blake Wexler’s pandemic fueled exodus from LA back to Philly, then releasing a humdinger of a comedy special makes our hearts here at TCB flutter. Daddy Long Legs is the debut hour special from Wexler and Blake makes the sort of first grand impression with a special that one could hope for their very first hour. Taking cues from mentor Todd Glass, Blake is an agile balance of silly and sincere and exuberant and nuanced. He doesn’t so much navigates through this hour as he jubilantly flies through it and it’s quite the ride he takes you on. Please enjoy Daddy Long Legs streaming now, for free, on YouTube, courtesy of 800 Pound Gorilla, here.

2. Nate Bargatze has added entertainment mogul to his resume with the official unveiling of his content company Nateland (Deadline). Though it’s focused on “family friendly” fare, amazing specials from Joe Zimmerman and Greg Warren produced by Nateland suggest that there is plenty to be enjoyed by adults who hate “family friendly” content.

3. Only Murders in the Building will get a fourth season, which means comedy/banjo legend Steve Martin will stay in the realm of comedy for a little longer, thank goodness.

4. John Mulaney just announced dates for a national tour running through all of November and December. If you want tickets, you better go to johnmulaney.com right now before they all sell out.

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A post shared by John Mulaney (@johnmulaney)

5. Vulture’s 2023 class of Comedians You Should & Will Know was finally unveiled yesterday and, in case you didn’t already know, we have something to do with it. Please go enjoy what might be the most fairly run list (we run it kind of like the MacArthur Genius Grant) of “who’s next/who to watch” in all of comedy.

6. We’ll leave you with this: if you’re wondering how commonplace parallel thought is in comedy, late night had five months off due to the WGA Strike and still managed to land many of the same jokes about the same news items on their first night back.

Pick of the Day: Velvet Tuesdays with Cameron Esposito (in LA) 10/10
October 3, 2023
News
cameron esposito, elysian theater, los angeles comedy, stand up comedy, variety show

We think all that we should have to say to get you to go to this is that Cameron Esposito is starting up a monthly show at the Elysian and then you would just go buy tickets here.

That said, we’ll fill you in on some details. Esposito remains as one of our favorite comedians for all of her wit, candor, and warmth that has only gotten more refined and nuanced since we’ve first saw her live on stage. The prospect of getting to see her live on a regular basis again is absolutely thrilling news and that will indeed be happening with Velvet Tuesdays with Cameron Esposito, a (for now) monthly show at the Elysian kicking off on Tues. Oct. 10th at 7:30PM.

The inaugural line-up will be stacked with the likes of Byron Bowers, Steph Tolev, Deb DiGiovanni, and Chad Damiani.

Tickets are $16 and we highly suggest getting on them right now right here before they sell out.

 

TCB Debriefing 10/2/23: Sam Jay, DCA Grants, SpongeBob, Maria Bamford, Late Night, Invisible Fight
October 2, 2023
News
dca, invisible fight, maria bamford, sam jay, spongebob squarepants

1. Sam Jay both has a brand new HBO special, Salute Me or Shoot Me, streaming now and tour dates announced for her Me & You tour going all the way through to spring 2024 all around the U.S. Jay’s special is a hysterically, unflinching exploration into Sam’s journey of what being deeply in love, taken on a traditional male roles, and sharing some black people’s deep held, secret thoughts of what they think of white people. As you’d expect and enjoy, Sam leaves no stone unturned, but does so with irresistible confidence and charm. So, go see the special ASAP and get tickets to her shows near you right here.

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2. Heads up to LA, The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs is taking submissions for a whole new round of artists grants. They don’t have a comedy specific one (yet), per se, but there are broad categories that you might qualify for. Find out more details and apply here.

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3. As the WGA Strike has ended, it’s sweet to hear that something didn’t get canceled for a change. Instead, SpongeBob Squarepants got renewed by Nickelodeon, making it reach a 25th year on TV (Deadline).

4. Maria Bamford is so many amazing things and one of those things will now include a New York Times Bestseller with her astounding, newly released memoir, Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult. Go get your copy ASAP here.

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A post shared by Maria Bamford (@mariabamfordcomedy)

5. As of tonight, all of late night returns including Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (as well as Last Week Tonight, which returned last night). We’re not going to lie; it’ll be nice to hear a topical joke delivered in a button up shirt and maybe a blazer.

6. If you’ve been looking for an Estonian, heavy metal, kung fu, monk action comedy, your movie is here in Ranier Sarnet’s Invisible Fight. No, this isn’t a fake trailer for a bit, it’s a real movie and we hope we can see it stateside soon. Take your first gander and behold Invisible Fight here.

7. We’ll leave you with this: Perhaps, for shows that aren’t stand-up or clown, venues should have a sign that it’s safe for shy audience members to sit in the front row and won’t be talked to/the fourth wall won’t be broken?

Pick of the Day: Tinder Live (in NYC) 10/12
October 2, 2023
News
brooklyn, lane moore, nyc comedy, tinder live, tv eye

As of the last couple of years, there has been a delightful proliferation of comedy dating shows that have popped up, but Lane Moore’s Tinder Live still holds a special place in our hearts (especially the part that wants to see the dating app be used to comedic perfection).

It has been awhile since Lane has fired up Tinder and shown a crowd full of raucous adoring fans the wild conversations and matches that she dives into in real time. So, we feel obligated to tell you that Lane, along with with special guests Tim Barnes and Brittany Luse, will be doing the latest edition of Tinder Live at Ridgewood, Brooklyn’s TV Eye on Thurs. Oct. 12th at 8PM. For our money, no one does Tinder better than Lane and watching Tinder Live is watching a true master at work.

Tickets are $26.08 and worth every penny. Go get ’em here.

TCB Debriefing 9/29/23: Joe Zimmerman, Sean Patton, Toxic Avenger, Invisible Fight, Perfect Amount of Wrong
September 29, 2023
News
invisible fight, joe zimmerman, mike bridenstine, perfect amount of wrong, sean patton, toxic avenger

1. Without a doubt, Joe Zimmerman has one of the best comedy specials of this year with Cult Classic. In 2023, believe it or not, Zimmerman achieved that on the strength of classical joke writing/telling/delivery alone. The most stodgy old guard comedy snobs and modern day comedy fans alike should love this special. We’ll leave our thoughts at that for now and expound how much we dig Zimmerman’s latest hour for later. For the time being, just enjoy Cult Classic, free of charge and streaming service on YouTube right here.

2. Rain, sleet, or snow, we’ll probably endure any conditions to go see the brilliant Sean Patton, a master of both tall tales and hysterical, heart-wrenching true stories. He’s on tour come November across the U.S. of A. You need to go tickets now at meseanpatton.com and plan accordingly on how to get to any of these cities if you don’t already live relatively close to them.

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A post shared by Sean Patton (@mrseanpatton)

3. The Troma classic The Toxic Avenger from Lloyd Kaufman is getting a modern/actually budgeted update with a star-studded cast that includes Peter Dinklage in the title role, that includes Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon. It almost feels like part of the Suicide Squad Universe derived from the DCEU with its plethora of delightful viscera. Take a gory gander here.

 

4. Mike Bridenstine’s Perfect Amount of Wrong, a wondrous detailed chronicle of the rise of alt comedy in Chicago’s North Side (that includes the ascent of Pete Holmes, John Mulaney, Kyle Kinane, Cameron Esposito, and Kumail Nanjiani) is out now. Go get a copy for yourself or as a present for the holidays for family or friends or, again, yourself.

5. We’ll leave you with this: Some folks might have taken the advice of the screenwriting how-to book Save the Cat a little too literally?

Pick of the Day: Don’t Tell Comedy NYC Tapings (in NYC) 10/6 & 10/7
September 29, 2023
News
don't tell comedy, live taping, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

Though the name says otherwise, Don’t Tell Comedy is a nationwide (and, actually, an international) phenomenon. This year alone, they’ll have done thousands of pop up comedy shows in over 140 cities, wherever they may be a weird, cool, non-traditional comedy venue and strong comedy scene might be.

The strength of that brand has lead them into now having taped sets presented on Don’t Tell’s YouTube channel that rival any that you’d see on TV or streaming services. If you’re in the NYC area next week, you could actually be part of the latest round of Don’t Tell Comedy tapings, set for Fri. Oct. 6th in Williamsburg/Brooklyn and Chelsea/Manhattan on Sat. Oct. 7th. You could actually make it a comedy taping hat trick as Comedy Central’s tapings are on 10/5.

Tickets are only $25 and, per the Don’t Tell Comedy protocol, the line-up is secret and exact location is revealed day of after purchase of your ticket. Go get them here before they sell out.

youtube

TCB Debriefing 9/28/23: The Curse, Cam Gavinski, Late Night Returns, Big Mouth S7, Fingernails, Ziwe, Zainab Johnson, Invisible
September 28, 2023
News
airplane, big mouth, cam gavinski, fingernails, late night, the curse, zainab johnson, ziwe

1. Take your first peek at what hath Nathan Fielder, The Safdie Brothers, and Emma Stone wrought with a teaser for their “haunted” real estate series, The Curse, set to premiere on Nov. 10th Showtime/Paramount+.

2. Cam Gavinski proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the best way to break the rules in comedy is to know them with one hell of a debut special how to make everything about you forever and always. We’ll share more thoughts soon, but, for now, please enjoy a grand 90 minute, very tightly rehearsed meta comedy epic here.

3. Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert are all set to return to their desks on Oct. 2nd (and effectively kick that punk Gutfeld to the curb) along with John Oliver coming in a day early on Oct. 1st with Last Week Tonight. Expect a new episode of Real Time with Bill Maher this Friday as well (Variety).

4. A “Making of Airplane!” is in the works (Deadline) and you ought to know that there will be plenty of old folks saying that they couldn’t make a movie like this today (despite the Internet being chock full of much more controversial content).

5. As October is technically the spookiest month of the year, it only makes sense that the adult animated series that simultaneously makes you burst out laughing about the most embarrassing moments of your adolescence. Get ready with this first trailer for season 7 of Big Mouth, set to premiere on Oct. 20th on Netflix.

6. Fingernails is The Office meets Black Mirror? See for yourself on Nov. 3rd on AppleTV+.

7. Unsurprisingly, tickets for Ziwe’s Black Friend Tour are selling out fast and have resulted in more dates being added. Go get your tickets at ziwe.com before you miss out and are forced to think how you would have fared on a round of Baited.

8. Zainab Johnson, who you have probably have seen on Upload, but hopefully have seen do delightful stand-up, is having her debut hour on Amazon Prime, come Oct. 24th, with the wondrous title, Hijabs Off.

9. We’ll leave you for this: Drew Carey not only covered people’s tabs at Swingers and Bob’s Big Boy for the entire duration of the WGA Strike, but included one extra day as a victory breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Pick of the Day: Spaghetti Fest (in LA) 11/1-11/11
September 28, 2023
News
comedy festival, experimental theater, los angeles comedy, the elysian

Another day, another comedy festival. That’s a saying, right? Well, certainly this Fall is full of comedy festivals of all shapes and sizes including the daring, all original, all brand spankin’ new experiment Spaghetti Festival (FKA Forget About Spaghetti Festival).

10 nights of 10 freshly dreamt up and produced shows that span comedy to experimental performance from all corners of LA are set to take over the Elysian from Nov. 1st–Nov. 11th. There will be shows that imagine realities beyond a concession stand, a Kyle Mizono-ified world of Being John Malkovich, Nosferatu’s Sweet 16, the end of a cult, and an entire clown interpretation of the Zodiac. The first one was a beautiful fever dream and this one ought to pick up right where the last one last left off.

All shows are at 8PM each night and individual tickets are $18, but you can save yourself $30 if you wanna catch all 10 shows by being a Spaghetti Festival Pass for $150. Get all the info, specific schedule, and tickets/passes here. Do it right now. Seriously. It’ll be the best thing you spend money on November (and that includes whatever the hell you do for Thanksgiving).

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 183: Zach Zucker & Stamptown Stamping Everywhere
September 27, 2023
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
stamptown, zach zucker

Zach Zucker has taken his creation Stamptown and its ringleader Jack Tucker to the height of international comedy stardom with having it being a rollicking circus of all types of comedy and wild performance in LA, NYC, and London (and elsewhere too). For our money, Zucker is one of the only folks in all of comedy to pull this off on a regular basis and his award winning antics are the proof to back up such a feat. This week’s TCB Field Report dives into the ins and outs of touring all around the globe doing some of the wildest comedy out there (and continuing to push the comedy envelope beyond that).

Follow Stamptown at stamptowncomedy.com and Zach Zucker @zach_zucker across platforms.

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger
Photo by Jill Petracek

Pick of the Day: Filipino Comedy Festival (in NYC) 10/20 & 10/21
September 27, 2023
News
caveat, filipino american heritage month, filipino comedy festival, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

It’s comedy festival season in NYC. The New York Comedy Festival is on the horizon, there is Apartment Fest 2023, and now there is the very first Filipino Comedy Festival, presented by the NYC Filipino comedy collective that is Banana Ketchup, that’s coming to NYC as well (just in time for Filipino American Heritage Month, FYI).

Keith Pedro, Patricia Dinglasan, and Kyle Marian will indeed be taking over Caveat in LES for four shows over two night highlighting some of the best Filipino comedians, many of which have gotten shine elsewhere on TV or in LA & NYC including Michael Cruz Kayne, Andrew Orolfo, and Clare O’Kane. Fingers crossed that there will be plentiful lumpia as well instead of the typical comedy show staple of chicken fingers.

Come kick off this inaugural Filipino Comedy Festival on Fri. Oct. 20th and Sat.. Oct. 21st and you can snag $15 tickets if you go buy them right now (this will also be available for livestream if you’re not in NYC or maybe in the P.I.).

TCB Debriefing 9/26/23: WGA Strike Ends, Rick & Morty S7, Dr. Strangelove Live, The Office, Relax, I’m From the Future Moonlighting, Brad Wenzel
September 26, 2023
News
armando iannucci, brad wenzel, dr strangelove, moonlighting, relax I'm from the future, rhys darby, rick and morty, steve coogan, wga strike

*before we begin, WordPress is a dinosaur and, as such, we apologize for the massive amount of “dust” in trying to make some fixes to such an old hunk of junk.

1. WGA votes to ratify interim agreement and rescind strike order. This has the return of late night, including the Jimmys, Stephen, Seth, and John as well as SNL, set in motion for the next month or so. More importantly, that means Greg Gutfeld will no longer be #1 on late night anymore.

2. Here’s your official gander at Rick and Morty season 7 with the kickoff set for Oct. 15th. Not sure if Arm Rick will be as popular as Pickle Rick, but we didn’t think that Schezuan sauce debacle would actually get out of hand as much as it did (as well as hearing the new voices of Rick & Morty because of Justin Roiland…, well, you know by now).

3. Um, Steve Coogan will star in an Armando Iannucci/Sean Foley live stage adaptation of Dr. Strangelove that is set for an Oct-Dec. run in London’s Noel Coward Theatre (Deadline). Honestly, this is kind of worth the airfare, hotel, and ticket.

4. Apparently, there is a reboot of the U.S. version of The Office in the works (Collider). Something tells us if we let this reboot fly, we’re going to have another decade of reboots. Please go watch originals.

5. Speaking of originals, Rhys Darby continues to be a one-of-a-kind with the full length feature adaptation of the critically acclaimed time travel comedy short, Relax I’m from the Future. Take a gander here, then look for it in limited release right now.

6. One of Bruce Willis‘ crowning achievements in his very long, decorated career is one of his earliest, Moonlighting, co-starring a paragon of her time, Cybill Shepherd. You’ll be able to see why soon as the entire series will be on Hulu as of Oct. 10th (Indiewire).

7. One of the best one liner comedians/artisanal joke tellers out there today is Brad Wenzel. He’s currently on the road and you really ought to go see him live. After all, you have to be a very special Brad in comedy to have the URL bradcomedy.com (where you’d go get tickets to go see at these shows).

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A post shared by Brad Wenzel (@bradwenzel)

8. We’ll leave you with this: Seriously, we’re working on a better TCB for all of you (and us too because updating everything has been a nightmare for a long time). Once more, please pardon our dust.

Pick of the Day: Joe Kwaczala Album Release (in LA) 9/28
September 26, 2023
News
comedy album, dynasty typewriter, joe kwaczala, los angeles comedy

With his prolific output of sketches at a single given time (31 for 31 and 21 for 21) and Joe’s simultaneous balancing that with his ever-so-clever stand-up, you’d think that he’d have a few albums under his belt.

If that’s what you’re thinking, then you’d be genuinely surprised to know that his very first album, the aptly named, Funny Songs & Sketches, is just about to come out. Kwaczala is having a very special night this Thur. Sept. 28th at 7:30PM at Dynasty Typewriter to celebrate the release that will very likely be every bit as magical as when we first saw Joe do The Wheel Show at Nerdmelt Showroom, a sketch variety show whose fate was decided by the spin of a wheel.

Tickets for Joe’s album release are $20 a pop and you better get them here soon as Thurs. 9/28 is coming up real quick.

Pick of the Day: Apartment Fest 2023 (in NYC) 10/19-10/22
September 25, 2023
News
apartment fest, eitan levine, harlem, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

Sure, sure, The New York Comedy Fest is coming in November and taking over the entire NYC comedy scene for a week and a half. What if you don’t want to wait until November for a comedy festival in the NYC area?

Thank goodness that Eitan Levine is here for you with the return of his Apartment Fest, a four day comedy festival that’s run out of, you guessed it, his apartment, somewhere in Harlem (and it’s a little crazy to us that this doesn’t happen more often in any of the five boroughs, to be honest). This will be the festival’s sophomore year following his first run pre-pandemic that, like so many things in comedy, started as a joke (creating a festival because Eitan was rejected from a comedy festival), then manifested into a real, very fun thing.

This year, Apartment Fest will run Thurs. Oct. 19th-Sun. Oct. 22nd with NYC comedy scene staples as headliners including Chloe Radcliffe, Ismael Loutfi, Stef Dag, Sureni Weerasekera, and Matthew Broussard. Tickets are $10 per show right now and we highly suggest you get in on ’em here.

TCB Debriefing 9/22/23: Kyle Kinane, Bumper in Berlin, Mean Girls, Kidnapping of a President, Toxic Avenger
September 23, 2023
News
bumper in the berlin, kidnapping of a president, kyle kinane, mean girls, toxic avenger

1. The great Kyle Kinane has just lined up his fall and winter dates. Go buy tickets immediately at kylekinane.com and think of going to see his truly beautiful comedy as an early holiday present for yourself or someone else.

2. The latest casualty of the strike is Bumper in Berlin, which has now been canceled at Peacock (Deadline). That’s after it already got an order for a second season, which means that your show isn’t safe until all episodes of your show have been written, shot, edited, and most importantly, aired.

3. The movie version of the musical adaptation of the 2004 comedy classic Mean Girls has gotten an upgraded release as it’ll now play in theaters near you as opposed to just Paramount+ (THR). Will Lindsay Lohan be part of the inevitable 20 year retrospective of the movie that will be made just to promote Gen-Z’s(?) Mean Girls.

4. There is a Finnish dramedy in the works about the very real kidnapping of a former Finnish president aptly titled The Kidnapping of a President (Variety). If it’s a hit and there’s an interest in a U.S. adaptation, interested parties could just do a mini-series about the idiots that tried to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

6. Heads up to all the midnight movie buffs out there, a remake of Troma shlock classic, The Toxic Avenger has been remade with Peter Dinklage and Elijah Wood (Indiewire). If remaking Troma movies becomes a thing, now would be a pretty great time to take a stab at rebooting Surf Nazis Must Die.

7. We’ll you leave you with this: big theaters need to do better with bike storage/parking (i.e. don’t force folks to either risk their bike getting stolen on the street or having to pay $10 to lock it up safely in a parking garage, which is completely a thing we did when going to see Please Don’t Destroy).

Pick of the Day: Live After Death: a comedy show about grief and loss! (in LA) 10/13 & 10/14
September 22, 2023
News
Ben Wasserman, live after death, los angeles comedy, solo show

The hysterical and poignant Ben Wasserman did get to bring his very special solo show, Live After Death, to LA to mix unfettered silliness with deep healing from grief and loss, but had to do it in a traditional theater, an atypical set up for his show which was largely performed at a funeral home.

Thankfully, Wasserman’s return to Los Angeles with Live After Death is going to happen at Death Doula LA, a different sort of family planning service that guides individuals and their families through the end of life. Wasserman’s show is special as is with truly getting you to have you double over laughing and also “feel all the feels” between absurd bits and cathartic sharing of stories and remembering of loved ones that we’ve lost. It will undoubtedly be something, even more so, that one shouldn’t miss at a venue that deals with death on a day-to-day basis.

Ben has Fri. Oct. 13th and Sat. Oct. 14th at 7:30PM set for two exclusive performances of Live After Death with LA comedy darlings Reshma Meister and Camirin Farmer opening the shows respectively. Tickets are $15 and you can (and should) go get them here.

TCB Debriefing 9/21/23: Ralph Barbosa, Hari Kondabolu, Matt Walsh/DTWS, Seth MacFarlane, Colin From Accounts
September 21, 2023
News
colin from accounts, dwts, entertainment community fund, hari kondabolu, matt walsh, ralph barbosa, seth macfarlane

1. Seems like Netflix is picking their old pace of stand-up specials. Earlier this week, it was Luenell and now they’re set to release rising star Ralph Barbosa and his debut hour special on the streaming giant. Called Cowabunga, Ralph’s hour is set to premiere on Halloween, which should provide a nice non-scary alternative to those who are mostly looking to ignore trick-or-treaters or getting dressed up that Tuesday night. Here’s Ralph’s very chill announcement to prove that sentiment.

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A post shared by Ralph Barbosa (@ralphbarbosa03)

2. The absolutely brilliant Hari Kondabolu has just his touring dates for this Fall. Do not miss out on some of the smartest and most clever stand-up in any of these cities (even if you’re only kind of close to it). Tickets available at harikondabolu.com/tour.

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A post shared by Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu)

3. Matt Walsh holds up from taking the floor on Dancing With the Stars until the WGA Strike is resolved (Deadline). So, this means more live improv from Matt Walsh until then?

4. Seth MacFarlane has now upped his total contribution to the Entertainment Community Fund, a general fund for those affected by double strike, to $6 million in total (Deadline). Hope that the strike is referenced in plenty of episodes of the multitude of shows that MacFarlane has a hand in (especially The Orville).

5. The latest comedy export from Australia will come in the form of Aussie hit TV series Colin From Accounts on Paramount+ on Nov. 9th. Take a gander at how charming their accents are amidst an absurd meet cute.

6. We’ll leave you with this: Was anyone thinking that comedians were telling the 100% unembellished truth, ever? How is that even news?

Pick of the Day: Comedy Central Stand Up Featuring Taping (in NYC) 10/5
September 21, 2023
News
comedy central, nyc comedy, stand up comedy, taping

Comedy Central is doing its latest round of exclusive tapings for their digital stand-up showcases, which is the most consistent stand-up comedy endeavor from the comedy channel these days. Also, it has been nice to see that these recent tapings have seen comics getting to play fast and loose rather than stick strictly to a set list.

The 2023 NYC Comedy Central Stand-up Featuring will have two tapings at NYC’s beloved Cutting Room on Thurs. Oct. 5th. Per usual, tapings are free to attend so long as you RSVP (do so here).

Slated to perform are choice picks out of the NYC comedy scene:

6:30PM: Ayanna Dookie, Sam Morrison, Chinedu Unaka, Homles, Randall Otis, Lucas Zelnick & Kate Sisk

9PM: Tommy Brennan, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Usama Siddiquee, Mark Smalls, Mav Viola, Asha Ward, Ethan Simmons-Patterson, & Eagle Witt

Again, RSVP here before it fills up! FYI, there is an open bar an hour prior to the show!

 

TCB Debriefing 9/20/23: COVID-19 Gets Shepherd/Kimmel, Luenell, Ryan Reynolds, Ms. Pat, Nate Craig, Voy! Voy! Voy!
September 20, 2023
News
covid-19, jimmy kimmel, luenell, ms. pat, nate craig, netflix, ryan reynolds, sherri shepherd

1. Sherri Shepherd, Jimmy Kimmel, and the staff of a Steve Martin/Martin Short show all got COVID-19 and have had to postpone/cancel whatever shows they were doing (THR). This is great time to remember that “endemic” doesn’t mean “disease free”.

2. Take a gander at the Luenell‘s Netflix special, Town Business, with the official trailer. Curiously, not only is it presented by Dave Chappelle, but branded as Chappelle’s Home Team. Wonder if they have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with pronouns on that team.

3. Ryan Reynolds will be the latest recipient of the Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter in support of Glenn Close’s Bring Change to Mind org, a children’s mental health NPO (THR). They would have to probably not invite Deadpool to this, right?

4. Ms. Pat will add judge to her resume by taking up a gavel and presiding over Ms. Pat Settles It on BET on Oct. 18th (Deadline). If there’s eventually some sort of competitive reality show that will pit Ms. Pat against Judge Judy and Chrissy Teigen, we won’t be surprised in the slightest.

5. Nate Craig, who released one hell of a special this year with Live at the Green Mill, has got some tour dates all around the country. Go get tix at natecraig.com/calendar.

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A post shared by natecraig.com (@natecraiglive)

6. Another country is going to submit a comedy to AMPAS for Oscar consideration. This time, Egypt is going with Omar Hilal’s Voy! Voy! Voy! a sports comedy about a man with normal vision trying his fortunes playing blind football (Deadline). Honestly, it should get some sort of distribution deal on the premise alone.

7. We’ll leave you with this: Guess Vegas is still aggressively relaxed on their COVID-19 measures.

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