Recent News

Meet Curtiss Angel, Cousin/Copy Cat of Criss Angel

Didn’t know that “extreme” magician Criss Angel had a brother? Well, we didn’t either. Yet, thanks to the talents of Andre Hyland, we get to see Curtiss Angel attempt to do more realistic magic than his cousin with more emphasis on the realistic and less emphasis on the magic.

Todd Barry’s and Dan Telfer’s Tendrils of Ruin Out Today

Having both Todd Barry’s Super Crazy and Dan Telfer’s Tendrils of Ruin to listen/watch will make up for the fact you can’t go anywhere else today because you spent your gas money for the week.

Beth Stelling Makes Late Night Debut on Conan

Now based out of LA via Chicago, we’re thrilled to see Beth Stelling go from getting New Faces last year at JFL Montreal to having her first late night set on Conan. 

Angelo Bowers Name Is on The Comedy Store Wall

At the beginning of the year, beloved comedian Angelo Bowers passed away. It was a unanimous opinion that he went well before his time because of how funny he was, but, at the very least, both he and his comedy will be remembered even more as the wall of The Comedy Store now includes his name as captured by close friend and hilarious comic Jerrod Carmichael amongst the other greats that played there. 

We have little doubt, had Angelo lived, that his name would still have made it to the wall sometime in 2012.

Day 1 of Just For Laughs Montreal 2012

Théâtre Maissonneuve

While we just got here and are calling this day 1 of the Just For Laughs Montreal Comedy Arts Festival, the festival itself has been going on for weeks now. It’s a much larger event and undertaking than we’ll ever be to encapsulate here, but that’s why it’s the pre-eminent comedy festival in the world. 

Certainly, sitting amongst hundreds of people in Théâtre Maissonneuve at the Place Des Arts to see Jim Gaffigan self-reflexively whisper “How many more shower jokes is going to tell?” has made us not think otherwise.

Usually, a cab driver has no idea that comedy is happening even in a city like LA (we’re sure there are people out there that think live comedy altogether seems cancelled because of Tosh), but Just For Laughs Montreal is such an institution in Montreal that our cab driver we had from the airport just brought it up in casual conversation. 

As this is our first visit to JFL Montreal Just walking along the Place des Festivals, the staging area for many of the festivals, we’re taken aback by the numerous outdoor stages, hundreds of people walking around though no shows are yet taking place as these are things not normally associated with many of the other comedy festivals we’ve been to. The sheer size of it, not to mention having entire galas hosted by such folks as Lewis Black and The Muppets and see so many people be excited is amazing.

While still staring in wonderment that comedy could be this appreciated, The New Faces of Comedy were announced. Plenty of comedians that are either based in LA or comfortable enough with calling themselves LA comics made JFL’s prestigious list of the future comedy stars such as Ron Babcock, Will Weldon, Ahmed Bharoocha, Joe Wengert, and more. It will undoubtedly be great to see hundreds of new people in cavernous theaters laugh at the people we get to see do dive bars on a nightly basis.

As we are based out of LA, we hardly get to see anyone do a legitimate hour, especially one with a planned encore. Acts that headline clubs will generally do 40 min. and call that headlining, but it’s quite an unreal experience sitting in a nearly 1500 seat venue without an empty seat in the house to watch Jim Gaffigan.

Of course, he killed it, but, more impressive than that was being just as sharp as ever with his dry delivery and endless amount of material revolving around food. He even had a joke about poutine, a dish native to Quebec, which we can only describe is perfectly Gaffigan, “I’m an unhealthy eater, but poutine just seems irresponsible.” Applause breaks resounded as he did bacon and hot pocket jokes that well could have been recited by the entire crowd. Gaffigan, especially for the assumed encore that he did, is undoubtedly at rock star status as a comedian and deservingly so after that performance.

Following that, we braved the rain as, it’s been raining here quite frequently in our two days so far, to walk across Downtown Montreal to the Mainline Theatre. There, we caught most of the Paul F. Tompkins and The Holy Trinity Plus 1 as well as Set List: The Improvised Stand-Up Show. Tompkins’ show was a whole bunch of rambunctious, yet classy fun with Tompkins interviewing James Adomian and Rory Scovel in a made up segment called “After Set”, then updating it for Todd Glass by interviewing him before introducing him in “Pre Set”. At one point, Glass did an impersonation of Adomian doing an impersonation of him. In short, it was absurdly spectacular. 

Then, Set List featured several delightful comics from across the pond including Daniel Sloss, Keith Farnan, and Paul Foot as well as Tompkins improvising material based of incredibly random pre-written topics (1 hand in pocket vs. 2 hands in pocket or bondage regret) and though it started passed midnight, the crowd was well into the show. It’s not really a wonder why Set List has toured the world and was recently adapted into a TV show in England for how real sounding and funny much of the material that they’re merely riffing off is.

Well, now for Day 2…

LA Comedy Rundown 7/25/12

ON THE HORIZON
Channel 101 Screening @ Downtown Independent Theater Sat. Jul. 28th 8PM/10PM FREE 
The Walsh Brothers Show @ UCB Theatre Sat. Jul. 28th MIDNIGHT $5 

COMEDY CRAWL 
Point Break + Greg Proops Podcast @ Cinefamily 8PM $12
Not For Nothin’ @ Little Modern 8PM FREE
Meltdown @ Nerdist Theater 8:30PM $8
Nancy & Beth ft. Megan Mullally & Stephanie Hunt @ Largo at the Coronet Theatre 9PM $30
PBR Presents: The Ed Galvez Punk House 6 Year Anniversary @ Westside Comedy Theater 9PM $8
Hamclown! @ Little Modern 9:30PM FREE
Facebook @ UCB Theatre 9:30PM $5 (stand by only)
For Shame! @ Hollywood Improv Lab 10:30PM $5 

OPEN MIC RUN
FLAPPERS BURBANK 102 E. Magnolia Ave., Burbank, CA/Starts 6PM/3 min./No purchase necessary
GRINDHOUSE CAFE 1051 N. Havenhurst, West Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM/First come, first served/No purchase necessary
CLUB FORBIDDEN 8512 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM/First come, first served/One item min.
REDWOOD BAR & GRILL 316 W. 2nd St., Los Angeles, CA (Downtown)/Starts 6:30PM/No purchase necessary
SET LIST @ RAFAS LOUNGE ART GALLERY 1836 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA/Starts 6:30PM/Lottery/Set list of topics provided to improvise off of/No purchase necessary
THE SPOT CAFE 4455 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA/Starts 7PM/lottery/No purchase necessary
DAVE’S CHILLIN’ AND GRILLIN’ 2152 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 7:30PM
HOLLYWOOD HOTEL 1160 N. Vermont Ave., Hollywood, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 7:30PM/5 min./first come, first served/one drink min.
TRIBAL CAFE BEVERLY 3253 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA/Sign-up 7:30PM/Starts 8PM/First come, first served/6 min./No purchase necessary
TRIBAL CAFE 1651 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA/Sign-up 6:30PM/Starts 7PM/mixed mic
LIQUID ZOO 7214 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys, CA/Sign-up 8:30PM/Starts 9PM/first come, first served/7 min.
FLAPPERS BAR 102 E. Magnolia Ave., Burbank, CA/Sign-up 11PM/Starts  

Eric Andre Brings The Eric Andre Show to Conan

Eric Andre goes crazy on the set of his own show and it’s awesome. There’s little reason he shouldn’t do that during his interview panel appearances on real talk shows like Fallon, The Daily, or this latest one on Conan. 

Does his unbridled comedic presence have anything to do with him joining a Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson movie? Well, you decide (hint: it sure does).

Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch 2012 Is Now Official

                       

The Daily Variety issue featuring their 10 Comics to Watch for 2012, which was leaked, is now officially out/announced in news stands to talk freely about Moshe Kasher, Rory Scovel, Jillian Bell, Kurt Braunohler, and more even though you were probably doing that anyway. 

Congratulations (again) to those who made the list.

Day 2 of JFL Montreal

There’s so much going on, so much to see, laughs to be had by some of the most talented comedians on the planet at the JFL Montreal that there’s little time, at least yesterday, for sampling the local cuisine of Quebec. We literally just saw as many shows as possible and only left enough time in between to walk to the next one and nothing else.

Namely, Glenn Wool, the nomadic comedian brings a ferocity to comedy that’s rarely seen ever. With his ragged denim jeans and his gatsby hat, Wool maintained a swagger normally reserved for lead singers in touring stadium acts during his whole show “No Land’s Man” at the Cleopatra Cafe. His presence is so commanding and, at times, it feels as though he is bellowing the comedic truths of the world with no need for a microphone. Yet, with such a powerful persona, Wool’s makes a point to be inclusive as possible with his material, ensuring at every turn that it’s OK to laugh since he’s a citizen of the world and has a greater knowledge than most what the world is really like.

At one of the coolest venues at JFL, Katacombes, which is a bar with an ancient mass grave theme, Sean Patton, Brendon Walsh, and Ali Wong took the stage one at a time as a part of the hilarious Triple Theat show. This was definitely a great opportunity to see some very talented comedians (they share several late night credits between them) do 20 solid minutes a piece before they, hopefully, “break”. We love that we can say, “We saw Brendon Walsh once take the stage to the Game of Thrones theme and just wave his hands and have that kill.”

Sean Patton, especially, deserves to be more in the spotlight. After seeing him kill it at Katacombes then at Neal Brennan’s Midnight Surprise, his absurdly-colorful and truth-filled comedy is getting very close to, if not already, being undeniable. 

Brennan’s Midnight Surprise was, even as steeped in watching live comedy as we are, truly surprising since John Mulaney (just had a brilliant hour on Comedy Central), Chelsea Peretti (writer on Parks and Recreation and one of the best Twitter accounts out there), Nick Vatterott (performer of one of the best Conan sets this year), as well as Sean Patton on the same line-up. The term “murderers’ row” was definitely applicable here. 

*We’re sorry that we don’t have any pictures of this, but, again, there’s so much great comedy to get lost in and forget to pull out your phone to snap a picture of Nick Vatterott doing a “ring tone sonata” on stage from behind second floor railing. Just visualize that. It was hilarious.

Reggie Watts Once Angered Philadelphia Flyers Fans

It’s hard to imagine that Reggie Watts would really piss anybody watching him perform live. Yet, it’s still possible and, for proof, Watts told the story for The A.V. Club’s Stand Down web series of that exactly happening when he summoned the vicious ill will of Philadelphia sports fans celebrating a Flyers victory.

Spoiler alert: He handles it way differently than Bill Burr.

Mike Holmes and Mike Bridenstine Break Down Every Song Ever

The very funny Mike Holmes and Mike Bridenstine have teamed up to dilute the essence of Every Song Ever. Specifically, they’re getting to what every Eminem, Beastie Boys, Beyonce, Green Day, and Red Hot Chili Peppers song sounds like because all of their songs sound the same, the exact same. 

It may be not literally every song ever, but we’ll say it will damn sure be hilarious.

Fred Willard Addressed Lewd Conduct Incident with Joke on Fallon

The mark of some of the best in comedy is the ability to humorously play off some of your darkest moments and pull it off. Ex. See Fred Willard from last night’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tackle his lewd conduct in the Tiki Theater incident.

Have Bill Cosby on Fallon, Will Watch

Enjoy your Friday morning watching Bill Cosby dance, talk about his short-lived sports career, and teach Jimmy Fallon how to tell jokes. It’s literally a master at work. Parts One–Two–Three–Four.

Days 3 & 4 of JFL Montreal

Yep, that’s Andy Kindler performing in Katacombes in front of what’s been oft-described by comedians as a skull tree. Also, it’s standing room only leaving me to take a weirdly framed picture like this during Kindler’s Alternative Show two nights ago. That’s only the tip of the iceberg of two days filled with a “call to arms” by Patton Oswalt and watching Marc Maron and The Sklar Brothers do the improvised stand-up show, Set List, like it was regular material.

In short, our 3rd and 4th days at Just For Laughs in Montreal would have been comedy overload had it not been for awesome it has been.

After watching this stacked Alternative Show that had Patton Oswalt, Pete Holmes, Kurt Braunohler, and more, the label “alternative” becomes nearly superfluous when it should be replaced with “funniest thing you’ve seen in quite some time”. Oswalt impersonated Kindler and recounted doing stand-up in Germany, Braunohler presented his altered greeting cards that he places back in the stores he purchased them in, and Jerry Minor had a ridiculous musical trio that danced around dressed half-rap video/half medieval themed casino. It’s not traditional stand-up, or even, traditional comedy for that matter, but it’s unequivocally hilarious, which really should be the only distinction. Everyone killed without regard to how big they were or what their style of comedy. Pete Holmes tells jokes and both Deanne Smith & Sam Simmons throw food to an audience that couldn’t have had been laugh harder because, quite simply, it was just damn funny.

Patton Oswalt’s also gave the Keynote Address for JFL this year, which struck a much-needed-to-be-struck chord. In the frame of two letters, one to comedians at the festival and the other to the industry, Oswalt claims that everything he’s learned about comedy has become useless on a regular basis for “there are no more gates to keep” and that the days of being lucky and having stuff given to you as a performer are going away. As Louis CK has changed the entire game with his self-production and distribution, Patton emphatically stated that talent no longer needs industry. Technology for the creators has advanced so far and will continue to do so that a comedian can have the power of a network in their smart phone. So, he suggested that the comedians become more DIY with their career as many are doing right now, recounting Oswalt’s experience behind the Comedians of Comedy, and the industry get more excited, ”I want you, all of the gatekeepers, to become fans, to become thrill-seekers. I want you to be as charged with hope as I am.” As you might have guessed, there was a standing ovation at the end. A full transcript of this address is available at The Comic’s Comic.

We’ve covered a lot of ground thus far, but there’s still plenty to go with New Faces, the Eddie Pepitone documentary, The Bitter Buddha, and more, especially since it’s JFL’s 30th anniversary.