Recent News

Garfunkel & Oates Playing at a Smart Phone Near You

Yes, the delightful comedy music duo of Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome, Garfunkel & Oates, are now in iPhone app form that offers photos, videos, tour dates, and most importantly, karaoke. Also, it’s free so there’s little stopping you from humming “I Would Never (Have Sex With You)” wherever you happen tobe.

Kyle Kinane Will Sign Your Clipboard

Kyle Kinane’s fans are so dedicated in their fandom that they seemingly would grab the nearest thing to have signed by the hysterical Kinane. According to Pete Holmes, Kyle will sign clipboards, “Because you’re the king, Kyle. Because you’re the king.”

New Podcasts from HAHAJK.com and Esther Povitsky

Absurdist news site HAHAJK.com is getting into the comedy podcast game with “It’s Your Journey Boo…” and “Air Quotes”. Featuring an incredibly talented and hilarious roster of hosts, Lauren Rochelle & Michelle Buteau interviewing interesting folks and Tony Sam & Kurtis Rintala chatting about the week in news with funny guests, respectively, it’ll be interesting to hear what direction HAHAJK.com goes with delving into the podcast medium. 

Having been on several podcasts herself, the very funny Esther Povitsky just launched her own podcast “Weird Adults” to spread “irreplaceable quirk” to the podcast world.

                                

Dead Kevin & Naked Jeremy for Mother’s Day

We’re not going to say anything else besides watch two freshly baked videos from sketch group Dead Kevin (Ahmed Bharoocha, Jack Robichaud, and Ryan O’Flanagan) and web series Naked Jeremy’s (Jeremy Paul) Declarative Statements for a great start to Mother’s Day 2012.

Catch Screenings of Moonrise Kingdom & This American Life

In the form of Jeopardy question: Two things that you can catch in theaters that aren’t The Avengers.

What are…

-Wes Anderson’s highly anticipated upcoming film, Moonrise Kingdom, can be seen this Sun. May 20th for free at LACMA IF you’re a Film Independent member

&

-Famed radio show This American Life did a live show screened at theaters across the country last Thursday and will be doing an encore tomorrow night, this time, featuring David Sedaris, Tig Notaro and more.

Comedy Nerd Out on This Wednesday’s Episode of Conan

          

WTF’s Marc Maron, The 818’s Brody Stevens, and Liam Neeson (the man behind one of the funniest clips on Ricky Gervais’ Life’s Too Short ever) are all on the same episode this Wed. Maybe you won’t want to TIVO this one.

The PBS Documentary of Johnny Carson Airs Tonight

At 9PM, PBS follows up their in-depth look into Woody Allen by covering another comedy legend, Johnny Carson with Emmy award winning filmmaker Peter Jones. 

Speaking of late night TV tonight, Adam Scott and Tenacious D will be on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS 11:35PM)

Craig Ferguson Takes Late Late Show to Scotland

One of the few late night hosts to actually venture outside of their studios this year with their entire show, Craig Ferguson is having The Late Late Show in Scotland. Going from town to town back in his home country including his hometown of Cumbernauld (though it sounds like a name Craig would make up, it probably isn’t), Ferguson will have the likes of Mila Kunis, Rashida Jones, David Sedaris, and more to get weird in the Highlands every night this week.

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson airs on CBS 12:35AM following Letterman.

There Is No Chopping Block for Community But This Will Be 30 Rock’s Final Season

There is no final word on the end of The Office either. This makes the casting of Jeffrey Tambor in Dane Cook’s Next Caller seeming more and more like a consolation prize..

Other comedy “trades” news:

–Judd Apatow produced Pee Wee Herman movie to start production soon. I wonder if he’s going to embarrass his daughter Maude even more by dancing around set. 

–Larry David might have joined Twitter. We imagine the first thing that would bother David is the absence of spaces in names within in Twitter handles.

Feral Audio Bolts Right Out of the Gate with Awesome Comedy Podcast Line-Up

Dustin Marshall’s listener supported podcast network, Feral Audio, launches today with a podcast line-up already ready to be reckoned with.

Monday: Weird Adults with Little Esther, Sean Conroy Presents: The Flabbgergast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour

Tuesday: Please Be My Girlfriend

Wednesday: Conversations With Matt Dwyer, Dongtini

Thursday: The Steven Brody Stevens Festival Of Friendship

Friday: Bonus Please Be My Girlfriend, two episodes a week through May, The Fancy Presents ‘Muscle Top’ (webseries)

Even though the Steven Brody Stevens Festival of Friendship should be able to tide us over for a month, more shows are to come in June and we can’t wait. 

Submit to Sundance and Liezl

Attn comedy creatives/talent: Get your delightful indie comedies and bizarre (or not so bizarre, if you prefer), but hilarious characters out for The Sundance Film Festival and Liezl Estipona. Or, you could just submit to both of them mentally and emotionally, but we’re pretty sure that won’t get you anywhere in the comedy game.

The famed Sundance Film Festival is now taking submissions still at discount for short films, features, and documentaries and has been a go to place for small independent comedy films for years.

Liezl is a wonderful and prolific comedy photographer that has already published an entire book on comedy photography. She’s looking to make another one, but with comedians that do characters in costume.

There Will Be a Documentary Behind Hannibal Buress’ Animal Furnace

Documentary filmmaker Ryan Ferguson followed Hannibal Buress right before his taping his latest special, Animal Furnace (premiering on Comedy Central Sun. May 20th 11PM) and put together a documentary called, “A Week To Kill”. As evidenced by the clip above, comedians really meet people just as crazy as the ones we put in our jokes, because, as you might have guessed, much of the time, we’re not making this shit up.

Watch PBS’ Johnny Carson Documentary Online Now

It’s free and online at PBS.org, so all of you will watch the Johnny Carson documentary that aired last night now.

Required Online Comedy Reading List 5/15

Need a collection of essays, interviews, articles, etc. about comedy or is actually comedy that is good reading? Look no further than here for everything from an expansive piece on Patrice O’Neal to an absurd take on gay marriage by Jake Weisman.

–Why Comedians Were Afraid of Patrice O’Neal by Adrian Nicole Leblanc in NY Magazine
–And Now, a Message From Future Dan Harmon by Dan Harmon in Vulture
–Funny or Die’s new issue of The Occassional (available for download for iPad)
–The Laughspin Interview with Lizz Winstead by Emma Kat Richardson
–My Personal Testimony of the Slippery Slope of Gay Marriage (NSFW) by Jake Weisman
–Giving Chase to Young Love on the Run: Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom with Bill Murray by Dennis Lim in NY Times
–Better Off Dead by Bobcat Goldthwait in Vice
–6 Creative Career Lessons From Julie Klausner and “How Was Your Week?” by Joe Berkowitz in Fast Company
–The Comedy Internet by Kristy Mangel (available for download)
–How Best Fish Taco in Ensenada Became One of the Hottest Comedy Clubs in LA by Paul T. Bradley in LA Weekly

David Sedaris Talks Amputees in Scotland and Tenacious D on Letterman

Craig Ferguson’s week in Scotland started off in the classiest way possible with Rashida Jones, David Sedaris, and Ariel Tweto having tea and discussing colostomy bags and amputees.

If anything is gained besides the awesomeness of Tenacious D performing live last night on The Late Show, it’s that they got David Letterman to say, “Boy, that is some big cock.”

Tonight on late night:
Tenacious D on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC 12:35AM)
Bill Maher and Hannibal Buress on Conan (TBS 11PM)

Break Your Piggy Bank for Reggie Watts, Tenacious D, and Jonah Ray

All three albums, Reggie Watts’ A Live at Central Park, Tenacious D’ Rize of the Fenix, and Jonah Ray’s Hello, Mr. Magic Plane Person, Hello (now available digitally) are out today. If you still have gift cards left over from Christmas for some reason, these few hours of great comedy is absolutely the reason to spend them this instant.

Ellen DeGeneres Gets/Dory Finds 15th Mark Twain Prize for Humor

Just announced today, Ellen Degeneres will be awarded the next prestigious Mark Twain Prize for Humor with an official ceremony to take place at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 22nd. Though quite the dancer, she’ll have to do more than move her body rhythmically to top Will Ferrell dropping the award during the show.

Reggie Watts Plays Funny or Die Offices

Reggie Watts is on tour to several cities and has, as evidenced by this video, even played the Funny or Die offices. By the way, by the looks of their office space, does anyone know what sci-fi hijinks FoD is up to?

Also, pick up Reggie Watts’ latest special A Live at Central Park.

Comedy Abroad-ish 5/16

           

Harland Williams @ Wiseguys Comedy Club (Ogden, UT) Fri. May 18th & Sat. May 19th $20
Taylor Williamson @ Aces Comedy Club (Riverside, CA) Fri. May 18th-Sun. May 20th $15-$25
Adam Cayton Holland @ Comedy Works Larimer Square (Denver, CO) Wed. May 30th 8PM $12
Death Defying Adventures in Comedy with Dana Gould @ The Triple Door (Seattle, WA) Sat. Jun. 2nd 7:30PM $29 in adv., $34 at door
Reggie Watts across the U.S. through June
Todd Barry in the U.S., U.K., and Canada through June