Recent News

Kristen Wiig Got Emotional During SNL Send-Off

In what is most likely her send-off, Kristen Wiig danced to a Rolling Stones medley with the cast and Lorne Michaels and got a little teary-eyed. Basically, over the last two days, NBC showed two drastically different ways you can leave the network.

Hannibal Buress, Aziz Ansari, and Eric Andre Take Over Your TV Tonight

Tonight…

Aziz Ansari’s Dangerously Delicious premieres on Comedy Central 10PM
Hannibal Buress’ Animal Furnace premieres on Comedy Central 11PM
The Eric Andre Show premieres on Adult Swim 12:30AM

 

DON’T MISS A SINGLE SECOND OF ANY OF THESE PREMIERES.

5 Sentence Review: Hannibal Buress’ “Animal Furnace”

1. Many of the topics on his second special Animal Furnace are very traditional in the realm of stand-up comedy (i.e. airports, expressions that are weird, rap lyrics, etc.), but Hannibal Buress has such a wondrous perspective on the world that he could be talking about almost anything and it’d be funny, even food.

2. Through entirety of the hour long Comedy Central special, it’s evident that Buress has gotten his comedic voice down pat to where many of his side remarks, non-sequiturs, and tangents within and between his jokes get huge laughs.

3. It almost transcends the idea of accessibility in comedy as there are clear cut jokes and also references for those more comedy savvy to appreciate, but none of that really comes to mind while watching Hannibal go through his material when you simply enjoy it for being funny sans qualifiers.

4. Covering weird women, handlebar mustaches, Odd Future lyrics, and more weird women, the content of Animal Furnace is a bit scattered, but the jokes are so good it doesn’t make it hard to follow.

5. Hannibal does mention being black, but only does so fleetingly, because he’d rather just talk about the hardships being named Hannibal has brought him rather than the collective black experience, which is a type of self-truth that more comedians should strive for.

Animal Furnace will be available on both DVD and CD on Tues. May 22nd and is airing on Comedy Central right after this review was posted.

Season 1 Extended Trailer of Comedy Bang Bang on IFC

Here’s 4 min. of Comedy Bang Bang on IFC goodness featuring host Scott Aukerman and bandleader Reggie Watts as well as guests Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, Paul F. Tompkins, Chris Parnell, Amy Poehler, and more.

Stream the Webbys Over Afternoon Cofee

Hosted by Patton Oswalt, the 16th Annual Webby Awards can be streamed live here at 2:30PM PST (Red Carpet coverage streams at 1:30PM PST).  There’ll be 5 word speeches from winners as well as appearances from Special Achievement Honorees including Louis CK, Graydon Sheppard of Shit Girls Say, and more.

We can’t think of a better way to take your afternoon coffee (assuming you take it black like we do).

Payman Benz Makes Actually Funny Awards Segments

Many awards shows attempt to make something that’s funny and often fall short because too many people have too much say in what’s supposed to be funny. Not sure how it worked out exactly in this case, but Payman Benz who’s directed plenty of funny sketches for The Midnight Show and Uncle Mom got to make a really funny parody that played at The Billboard Awards with Modern Family’s Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen last night. 

Weird Al Yankovic Visits the Speak Easy with Paul F. Tompkins

In the second full episode of Paul F. Tompkins’ Speak Easy web series, song parody legend Weird Al Yankovic has a drink and discusses the possibilities of performing at The Super Bowl Half Time Show. While watching, you can figure out Tompkins’ next cameo in new PT Anderson movie The Master.

At Long Last, a New Episode of Henry’s Kitchen

As we noted last in our year round-up, Henry Phillips’ Henry’s Kitchen is one of the most hysterical things on the Internet. This episode of Henry’s Holy Guacamole is certainly no different as the guacamole is made with “guacamolo”.

Stephen Wright Is On Ferguson Tonight And It’s Required Watching

Stephen Wright’s favorite late night talk show to appear is on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and maybe it’s because he’s a guest that Ferguson is quite possibly at his funniest with. CBS 12:35AM. Don’t miss it. Watch this one of many appearances by Wright for proof.

Patton Oswalt and Marc Maron Are Roasting Each Other Over Twitter

That’s what often happens when you get two comedians on the same plane together. Follow @marcmaron and @pattonoswalt now.

Comedy Abroad-ish 5/22

Beards of Comedy @ Jukebox Comedy Club (Peoria, Il) Wed. May 23rd 7:30PM $10
Eugene Mirman @ St. Lawrence Arts Center (Portland, ME) Wed. May 23rd 7PM $10
Snob Theater @ The Dark Room (San Francisco, CA) Fri. May 25th 10PM $10
Wendy Liebman @ Richmond Funny Bone (Richmond, VA) Thurs. May. 24th-Sun. May 27th $15/2 item min.
Pete Holmes w/You Made It Weird Podcast @ The Comedy Attic (Bloomington, IN) Fri. Jun. 1st-Sun. Jun. 3rd $12-$20
Sean Patton @ The New Parish (Oakland, CA) Wed. Jun. 6th 8PM $15 in adv., $20 at door
Jarrod Harris @ Morty’s Comedy Joint (Indianapolis, IN) Thurs. Jun. 7th-Sat. Jun. 9th $15/2 item min.
Jon Dore @ Cap City Comedy Club (Austin, TX) Wed. Jun. 13th-Sat. Jun. 16th $9-$19
Lizz Winstead Book (Lizz Free or Die) Tour through June in the U.S.

Clips for Anchorman 2 and Todd Solondz’s Dark Horse Are A Great Way To Wake Up

The teaser for Anchoman 2 is the pleasant way to wake up with the ol’ news crew back complete with classiness…

…and Todd Solondz, possibly one of America’s most subversive writer/directors (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness) has a new dark comedy out, Dark Horse, which would be the way to definitely wake up and stay up today (if you’re waking up right now, that is).

LA Gets Two Improv Festivals One Right After the Other

The first ever LA Indie Improv Festival will take place this Saturday May 26th at The Complex (Santa Monica Blvd. x Wilcox Ave.) and at The Elephant Studio (6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA) bringing together indie improv shows Tuesday Night Thunder, Crashbar, Room 101, and The 11th Hour Show. More details and full list of teams here.

The 10th Annual LA Improv Comedy Festival is back at iO West also in Hollywood with tons of shows from Conan Writers Live, The Armando Show w/the cast of Community and Dan Harmon, Opening Night: An Improvised Musical with Dan Castelleneta, plenty of workshops, and more. June 3rd-9th.

Dave Hill’s Tasteful Nudes and Hannibal Buress’ Animal Furnace Out Today

Both Dave Hill’s highly anticipated book Tasteful Nudes… and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation and Hannibal Buress 1-hr Comedy Central Special “Animal Furnace” are out today.

From the book jacket of Dave Hill’s Tasteful Nudes:

Dear ridiculously attractive person who just so happens to be holding Tasteful Nudes in his or her soft and supple yet commanding hands,

Hi. My name is Dave, and this is my very first collection of essays. As you can probably imagine, it pretty much has everything. In fact, if you like stories about stolen meat, animal attacks, young love, death, naked people, clergymen, rock ‘n’ roll, irritable Canadians, and prison, you have just hit a street called Easy because my book talks about all that stuff and a bunch of other stuff, too.

So why aren’t you picking this up right now?

Hannibal Buress’ Animal Furnace a wonderful special and you can read our exact thoughts on it here (not to worry, it’s only 5 sentences long), then get it on DVD or just on CD right after that as you should if you like to laugh and clap repeatedly.

Charlie Kaufman Developing Series at HBO

HBO developing comedy series starring Catherine Keener and written & directed by Charlie Kaufman. As this half-hour series’ premise promises to affect reality (or not) and this being at HBO, it has a better chance than Community should it get picked up.

and in other comedy ‘trade’ news:

The Office brings in new executive producers to help and possibly reboot the show. Maybe everyone can have a British accent and Office purists can stop whining.

The Simpsons to get short film played front of Ice Age: Continental Drift. Kids will get a chance to learn about plate tectonics and how great The Simpsons in a completely innaccurate way.

4 Min. Trailer + What Old People Think of IFC’s Bunk

Here’s a 4 min. glorious preview of IFC’s Bunk (coming in June), the game show that host Kurt Braunohler makes sure delightfully has no point.

…and here’s what old people think of it.

You Can Vote For Roseanne

That’s right. That’s her name on a primary ballot for the Green Party.

RiffTrax Goes Live in Movie Theaters with Manos The Hands of Fate

Following This American Life going live in movie theaters across the nation, RiffTrax (from the folks of Mystery Science Theater 3000) is the next in line (on August 16th) to show that there is more than the Opera being broadcast live at your local multiplex.

Required Online Comedy Reading List 5/23

Here’s another round of essays, articles, etc. that is or about comedy for the voracious comedy nerd reader featuring a controversial defense of the WTF podcast, a publication trying to defend itself against a joke by Hannibal Buress, and more.

WTF, Marc Maron? by Jay Caspian King for Grantland
How to Sell Topical Jokes: A Primer by Jonas Polsky
Hey Industry Executives… by Jonah Ray 
Buress’ Comments Unfair, Skewed on the Daily Eastern News (which addresses Hannibal Buress’ hilarious and justified bit on this article on his latest special) 
Why ‘Community’s’ Dan Harmon Was Fired: A Showrunner (anonymous) Explains All on The Hollywood Reporter 

…and any article that says NBC and Sony made a really bad move for firing Dan Harmon off of Community.

Katie Crown Takes Her Interviews to The Trees

It’s risky to say such blanket statements in comedy, but pretty much anything Katie Crown does is delightful, hysterical, and ridiculous. Here “Treeterviews” are perfect proof of that statement.