Recent News – Page 60 – The Comedy Bureau

Pick of the Day: Elaine May Mondays @ Los Feliz 3 (Starting 8/9)

August 2, 2021

There isn’t much debate when it comes to the comedic brilliance of Elaine May. From her time as part of trailblazing comedy duo Nichols & May to her work both in front of and behind the camera throughout her extensive and hysterical filmography.

As such, the films of Elaine May are always worth a retrospective, especially when comedies don’t often to get to play at revival theaters. Luckily, the Los Feliz 3 is just about to reopen with American Cinematheque at the helm and they are indeed honoring Elaine May with a weekly screening series that will feature the likes of A New Leaf, Ishtar, and Mikey and Nickey.

Called Elaine May Mondays, these classics will screen on Mondays at 7PM PT, then Fridays at 4PM PT. Tickets are $13 GA and $8 for American Cinematheque members. Go get more info and tickets here.

Here’s a Trailer for the Latest Quarantine Comedy “Together” with Sharon Horgan and James McAvoy

August 2, 2021

News

james mcavoy, sharon horgan, stephen daldry, together, trailer

The shared experience of over 7.5 billion people through the COVID-19 global pandemic is both one that’s traumatic and that hasn’t even reached its end yet. Understandably, there might be an inclination to not have a perspective of what this historic time is like mirrored back at us as the world has so much healing to do (on top of getting vaccinated against COVID-19).

Still, the “shared” part of that experience is undeniable territory for comedy as it’s probably the most relatable thing in any of our lifetimes, which is why we’re all only seeing the beginning of the comedic lens processing through some sort of collective experience of the last year and a half.

Cue in Together from the renowned Stephen Daldry that follows a family, lead by both Sharon Horgan and James McAvoy, that go into lockdown as COVID-19 ravages through the UK and hashing out their already on-the-rocks marriage. Thankfully, this wasn’t shot on Zoom or had to employ some clever shooting strategy to maintain distance from actors (or even be just a collection of monologues delivered straight to camera). Instead, James and Sharon are up in each other business and, it would seem, there’s a new level of sit-com style “talking head” here that doesn’t even bother cutting to a separate interview. Both James and Sharon just look to camera to express their non-diegetic thoughts in the middle of a scene as opposed to what The Office or Modern Family did for so long.

In any case, there’s some enticing promise here as it’s hard to go wrong with Sharon Horgan cursing up a storm.

Get your first look at Daldry’s Together with the official trailer here, then look for it in theaters starting Aug. 27th.

Bill Cosby Documentary at Lionsgate Is Officially Dead (Though Another Doc Might Still Be in the Works)

July 30, 2021

News

bill cosby, documentary, lionsgate

(via Variety)

Though disgraced, yet freed comedian/actor/former beloved father figure Bill Cosby has his sights set on gaining back some of the real estate of his massive career, he is thankfully being met with plenty of stern resistance. Cosby plans on taking the stage again and attempting to get former projects off the ground, but there are no current takers willing to give him a mic (at least, that we know of yet) and virtually everything he was working on before he took the stand years ago has vanished.

One of those projects was a documentary being put forth by Lionsgate, which has been killed by the studio, reportedly, as of this week. Since the U.S. legal system still contains so many loopholes that it can’t hold monsters like Cosby accountable (keep in mind, he was still found guilty, but got freed off of a technicality off of a deal regarding his own testimony), it is going to be on the public at large to get the job done.

With that said, there’s a separate docu-series from one Michelle Major on Cosby that is nearing completion, but, thus far, it hasn’t secured any guarantee of distribution anywhere. If it ever does find a place to be shown, we can only hope it gets buried like Louis C.K.’s “I Love You, Daddy”.

If we hold up our end of keeping Cosby accountable, perhaps that would spell out a better, safer future where celebrity would not be allowed to perpetuate systemic sexual violence no matter how revered they are.

Pick of the Day: How to Start a Fire from Sydnee Washington (in NYC) 8/14

July 30, 2021

News

nyc comedy, solo show, Sydnee Washington

Fresh off being named one of the New Faces of Comedy by the Just For Laughs Festival, it’s more imperative than it already was to go watch Sydnee Washington whenever and wherever she plays (you ought to know that Comedy at the Knitting Factory on Sundays is the place to be in Brooklyn). Sydnee’s panache and vulnerability in her comedy together truly demand your attention and why she is a fast rising star right now.

Sydnee has just started in on a solo show, How to Start a Fire, that follows a very specific thread of her childhood that lead to “an infamous fire that could have ruined her family” (as opposed to that one in Manchester By the Sea). The first performance of it sold out almost instantly and, thusly, you should snag tickets to her latest date for How to Start a Fire set for Sat. Aug. 14th at 10PM ET.

Tickets are $15 and you can (and very, very much should) go get them here.

The White Lotus Is Absolutely the Series That You Should Be Watching Right Now

July 29, 2021

News

hbo, mike white, white lotus

Sure, the arrivals of season 2 of both Ted Lasso and I Think You Should Leave are dominating the conversation of comedy on television right now for very good and clear reasons. One is garnering a record amount of Emmy nominations for a freshman comedy and the other delivers on being the sort of absurdist, daft brilliance that we need to make it through the current moments of 2021.

That said, Mike White‘s The White Lotus, his follow-up to the brilliant Enlightened, has also begun its journey on HBO and HBO Max and, for our money, deserves much more praise and obsessive discussion (like the aforementioned other hit comedies). Just like with Enlightened, White has one of the keenest senses for writing and casting. The performances from the ensemble cast of Murray Bartlett, Jake Lacy, Alexandra Daddario, Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Sydney Sweeney, Fred Hechinger, Brittany O’Grady, and Natasha Rothwell match writing that might have some of the sharpest teeth of any comedy or drama on TV right now. Don’t be surprised finding yourself repeating the many quotable/meme-able moments of The White Lotus.

The ultra serene setting of a luxury Hawaiian resort (and the pitch perfect score by Cristobal Tapia De Veer) belies the ugly head of class, privilege, and the wild lack of self-awareness that Mike and his cast have so masterfully woven in the three episodes that are currently streaming. Additionally, there is a thin air of suspense hanging over the increasingly chaotic stay of the guests at The White Lotus with the series opening on Lacy, presumably after his vacation has come to a spectacular implosion, flying home with a murdered body from the resort. It nails that delicate, yet wild genre mix that only series such as Search Party have really figured out.

If you’ve been curious about what’s going on with HBO Max’s more broad offerings versus the prestige TV that HBO built its empire on, rest assured that The White Lotus is keeping HBO well in the game for prestige dramedy that is award worthy. Get a taste of all of what’s to come at The White Lotus with this mid-season trailer here.

Pick of the Day: Arts & Crafts Comedy (in LA) 8/22

July 29, 2021

News

charlie hankin, ever mainard, jon zucker, la comedy, langston kerman, laurie kilmartin, mike mulloy, nick skardarasy, stand up comedy, will miles

Though you might have seen a lot of shows get postponed or outright cancelled this week in LA due to the rise in COVID-19 cases (and breakthrough infections of fully vaccinated people), there is plenty of stuff to look forward to next month as LA’s wide swath of shows continue to return, step-by-step.

One of the latest shows to announce its return is Arts & Crafts Comedy, which has delightfully been marrying the visual arts with stand-up comedy for years around LA. Hosts Nick Skardarasy and Jon Zucker set a splendid tone for the evening where stand-ups will get some sort of artistic interpretation of their stand-up in a drawing, sculpture, artistic creation of some kind from an esteemed artist.

This first show back since lockdown will feature seasoned illustrator Charlie Hankin (half of the great sketch group Good Cop Great Cop) who has gotten plenty of work featured in The New Yorker. Hankin will be making art inspired a lovely handful of great stand-ups (Laurie Kilmartin, Will Miles, Ever Mainard, Langston Kerman, Savannah Manhattan, and Mike Mulloy).

The first of Arts & Crafts Comedy of 2021 is set for Sun. Aug. 22nd at 8PM PT at Rita House. Tickets are $10 and you can (and very much should) get them here.

Phantom of the Open, a Biopic of a Real Golfer More Ridiculous Than Happy Gilmore, Gets Picked Up at Sony Pictures Classics

July 28, 2021

News

mark rylance, maurice flitcroft, phantom of the open, sony pictures classics

(via The Wrap)

In the 70s, there was a man named Maurice Flitcroft who dreamed of being the best golfer he could be. Unfortunately, due to his circumstances and timing, he had a lot going against him, especially since he set his targets on playing in the British Open.

This story actually made for one of the best episodes of one of our favorite podcasts, The Dollop, that also takes the name of Flitcroft’s apt moniker, Phantom of the Open. Truly, the real life story of Maurice sneaking his way into professional golf tournaments is, as we said up top, more incredulous than the golf antics of Adam Sandler classic, Happy Gilmore, and had made him a legend.

The esteemed Mark Rylance took on the titular role and Phantom of the Open just got picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics meaning that those in North American will get to witness one of the more astounding sports stories of our time at a date TBD. Seriously, listen to this ep. of The Dollop and you’ll be pretty hyped to see Flitcroft on the big screen.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 70: Carly Hoogendyk & The New NYC

July 28, 2021

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

derek delgaudio, jfl, neal brennan, new faces of comedy, nyc comedy

One of our favorite comedy hyphenates Carly Hoogendyk (comedy producer-talent manager-photographer) joins us for this week’s TCB Field Report to give us the NYC perspective on comedy reopening (we literally ask her to give us the lay of the land when looking out her apartment window) and what’s going on behind the scenes out in the streets of NYC comedy (across several boroughs). FYI, there’s some nice comedy show lineage history here between the ungodly amount of comedy that has been seen between both Carly and TCB’s Jake Kroeger. Also, we go in on with “hot” takes on this year’s JFL New Faces of Comedy and Neal Brennan using the world’s new preeminent magician, Derek Delgaudio, to direct his new special.

Follow Carly @carlyhoogs and keep tab on her shows including @the100percentshow & @gooddeliverycomedy

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

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

Pick of the Day: Neal Brennan-Unacceptable (in NYC) Starting 8/25

July 28, 2021

News

cherry lane theatre, derek delgaudio, neal brennan, three mics

Neal Brennan put out his best work to date with his last special Three Mics in 2017. 2017 seems like eons ago, most likely because eons worth of stuff has happened since then. Still, it was one of the best specials that year and a very welcome break for the one mic style stand-up special.

So, Brennan seems like he’s venturing out on another reimagining of the form, though we’re not quite sure what it will be, as he has tapped magician Derek Delgaudio, from the hit magic/solo show special In and Of Itself, to direct this latest hour, which will be titled, Unacceptable. In and of Itself was such a departure from the typical magic show that one has to ponder what both Derek and Neal have up their sleeves.

Brennan is just about to embark on a limited run of Unacceptable at the Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC starting Aug. 25th and going through the beginning of October. Tickets start at $40 and you ought to get your tickets real quick before they all sell out.

Comedy Central Announces Half Hour Specials for Ian Lara, RB Butcher, and Yedoye Travis

July 27, 2021

News

comedy central, comedy special, ian lara, rb butcher, yedoye travis

‘Tis the season for stand-up comedy announcements.

Just over the last few weeks, you’ve got the roster for the latest half hour specials at Netflix, this year’s JFL Montreal New Faces of Comedy, and the line-up for Denver’s High Plains Comedy Festival.

Now, you can add another big time announcement with Comedy Central‘s picking of Ian Lara (who was just named as a JFL New Face and just had an HBO Latino special), RB Butcher, and Yedoye Travis to tape half hour specials this Friday at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. You might notice that the three comics chosen represent a much smaller group of half-hour specials than in past years (though, maybe Comedy Central will order up more?). Also, this will be the first time the Knitting Factory will be featured in these sorts of high profile specials, which, given its comedy history over the last decade or so, is most certainly deserved.

Also, this will be the first taping for Comedy Central, since lockdown started, that will be done indoors (proof vaccination will be required for audience members). There were some outdoor performances that the cable network taped last year, but this signals a return and looking forward for CC and what we’re sure will be great shows.

Tickets are available for free, so long as you RSVP at theblacklistnyc.com/ccknit.

Pick of the Day: JFL Festival (Streaming 7/28)

July 27, 2021

News

jfl montreal, just for laughs, virtual comedy

As you well know, there won’t be a grand weeks-long display of comedy in Montreal for the annual JFL Montreal Festival this year, but there will still indeed by stuff happening with JFL’s renowned banner on it. Notably, several streams of live shows, some pre-taped, some live will be streaming at festival.hahaha.com starting tomorrow and be available, free of charge, to stream through the entirety of August.

Such streams will include:

JFL Awards Show starting 7/28

In Conversation with Bert Kreischer starting 7/30

Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch starting 7/29

JFL Eat My Shorts starting 7/28

JFL Live in Montreal starting 7/30 (featuring Jen Grant, Nigel Grinstead, Cassie Cao, Marito Lopez, Rodney Ramsey, and Dino Archie; hosted by Jon Dore)

JFL Live in LA starting 7/29 (featuring Maz Jobrani, Gina Yashere, Alonzo Bodden, Jeremy Hotz, Liza Treyger, and Rachel Feinstein; hosted by Sabrina Jalees)

JFL Live in NY starting 7/28 (featuring Todd Barry, Michael Kosta, Josh Johnson, Emma Willmann, Jessica Kirson and Marina Franklin; hosted by Dulcé Sloan)

The Nasty Show starting 7/28 (featuring Donnell Rawlings, Rosebud Baker, Robert Kelly, Yamaneika Saunders, Paris Sashay, and Ari Shaffir)

The Alternative Show starting 7/29 (featuring Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn, Laurie Kilmartin, Patton Oswalt, Solomon Georgio and Tart & Tarver; hosted by Andy Kindler)

Comedy Night in Canada starting 7/30 (featuring Ali Hassan, Arthur Simeon, Brittany Lyseng, Derek Seguin, Courtney Gilmour, Kyle Brownrigg, and Sterling Scott)

Aside from JFL’s New Faces of Comedy (which you need a ComedyPRO pass for), you can stream all of this for free at festival.hahaha.com. Given how rampant the Delta variant is and the rise of breakthrough cases of COVID-19 of fully vaccinated people, it might make watching live comedy just a tad easier this week.

Get Your First Look at Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s “Reservation Dogs”

July 26, 2021

News, Stand Up

fx, fx on hulu, reservation dogs, sterlin harjo, taika waititi, trailer

The return of the film festival circuit has kicked up such a dust that one might have overlooked the very first glimpse of a brand new comedy, Reservation Dogs (yes, they do their own take on the iconic walk in Reservoir Dogs), that charmingly takes on what life is for indigenous Gen Z kids on the reservation.

Coming from the minds of Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the trailer has the sort of promise that keeps FX’s track record for original comedies pretty damn good (Atlanta, What We Do In The Shadows). You can sense Waititi’s touch (maybe a bit akin to Hunt for the Wilderpeople) in a world that isn’t quite seen a lot, especially from the perspective of indigenous people. Above all, Reservation Dogs looks like a good bunch of a fun with a lovable crew of misfits.

See for yourself in the Reservation Dogs trailer here, then look for it to start streaming on Aug. 9th on Hulu.

JFL Announces New Faces of Comedy for 2021 (Which Will Be Presented Virtually)

July 26, 2021

News

(via Deadline)

JFL Montreal has one of the longest standing traditions in comedy with their New Faces that, sans a global pandemic, would be happening up in Montreal in the middle of one of the world’s longest running, most well known comedy festivals, The Just For Laughs Montreal Comedy & Arts Festival.

Last year, there was no shot at in-person festival and JFL opted for having virtual panels with their “Creators” category. This year, the situation was still too precarious to risk the big annual comedy shindig that JFL Montreal usually is, so they are going to present all the New Faces of Comedy for 2021 with sets that will be streamed to exclusive JFL ComedyPRO pass holders (the rest of the festival will be available for streaming later this week through all of August at festival.hahaha.com).

So, if you’re opting for a ComedyPRO pass, you’ll get to see JFL exclusive sets from:

Aaron Weber
Abby Roberge
Andre D. Thompson
Ariel Elias
Brian Simpson
Danielle Perez
Dave Mizzoni
Erica Clark
Ian Lara
Jaye McBride
Jes Tom
Kiry Shabazz
Maddie Wiener
Peter Kim
Randall Otis
Robin Tran
Sarah Squirm
Sydnee Washington
Wally Baram
Will Foskey

CHARACTERS

Andrew Knox
Aristotle Athiras
Corin Wells
Elena Skopetos
Joseph Lymous
Kate Owens
Patty Guggenheim
Vinny Thomas
Woody Fu

CANADA

Aaron Read
Al Val
Andrea Jin
Drew Behm
Harrison Weinreb
Juliana Rodrigues
Meg MacKay
Nitish Sakhuja
Salma Hindy
Travis Lindsay

Congratulations to a historic class of New Faces (that includes some of our favorites such as Danielle Perez, Aristotle Athiras, Brian Simpson, Dave Mizzoni, Sarah Squirm, and Peter Kim) that will, hopefully, be the only one to happen during a pandemic. We hope that whenever JFL can throw a proper, safe, in-person festival, that everyone here gets a shot at actually performing in person.

Hannah Einbinder Is Sublime in Her First Late Night Panel Interview

July 23, 2021

News

hannah einbinder, late show, stephen colbert

We don’t keep it much of a secret around here that we’re pretty big fans of Hannah Einbinder and that we have been for years. She has always had something special, even when we saw her early on at open mics beginning to formulate her nuanced, conceptual bits.

Still, outside of her act, she’s effervescent and clearly ready for the limelight. You can really see Hannah shine in this interview far better than most people doing panel on late night ever do on their first appearance. If this was an episode of Talk Show: The Game Show, Einbinder would have crushed.

Colbert mentions that Hannah’s first Emmy nomination for Hacks will assuredly be one of many and we wholeheartedly concur.

Please enjoy Hannah’s first late night interview here.

Denver’s High Plains Comedy Festival Makes First Line-Up Announcement for 2021

July 23, 2021

News

denver comedy, high plains comedy festival

A good deal of comedy festivals are very likely not going to happen until next year. However, there are a small contingency of them that postponed several times during lockdown, but have finally secured dates for in-person live performances.

High Plains, Denver’s standing, very popular comedy festival was one such festival and, thankfully, they made it to this side of the pandemic and are heading forward with their Sept. 16th-18th schedule. People miss the festival so much, they actually sold out of advance festival passes.

Don’t worry though–you’ll have a chance to buy tickets for individual shows, which you’ll absolutely want to do because they already have a killer line-up of comedians from around the U.S. coming up to Mile High City.

So far, High Plains has:

Matt Braunger
Megan Gailey
Solomon Georgio
Vanessa Gonzalez
Dave Hill
Liza Treyger
Chris Garcia
Eliza Skinner
Sean Patton
Chanel Ali
David Gborie
Ian Karmel
Sean Jordan
Amy Miller
Shane Torres
Irene Tu
Daniel Van Kirk
Arlo Weierhauser
Gareth Reynolds
Rosebud Baker
Adam Cayton-Holland
Nore Davis
Ben Roy
Subhah Agarwal
Andrew Orvedahl
Dave Ross
Caitlin Cook
Derek Sheen
David Perdue
Sam Tallent
Andy Haynes
Andrew Orolfo
Katrina Davis
Sam Evans
Mat Alano-Martin
Akeem Woods
Andrew Youngblood
Janae Burris
Chris Charpentier
Jordan Doll
Stephen Agyei
Mara Wiles
Brent Gill
Kevin O’Brien
Rachel Weeks
Jim Hickox
Allison Rose

There are a lot of our absolute favorites in there, just in case you didn’t know and needed some more convincing.

So, sign-up for notices on when individual tickets go on sale at highplainscomedyfestival.com.

Please Watch and Enjoy’s Alex Falcone Debut Late Night Set on Colbert

July 23, 2021

News

alex falcone, late night, stand up comedy, stephen colbert

Last night’s Colbert was one for the comedians. Not only did previously featured comedian Hannah Einbinder take to doing panel for the first time, but Alex Falcone notched his very first late night stand-up set.

Falcone’s set was the sort of perfectly observed material that Alex has clearly honed into the perfect degree of tightness for a late night TV set. Also, the world ought to get a great laugh and a very important lesson from his take on “the friend zone”.

We have no doubt that Alex will probably be doing plenty more late night sets/stand-up on TV in general.

So, without further adieu, enjoy his Alex Falcone’s debut set on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert here

Pick of the Day: Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch 16th Anniversary Jam! (IG Live) 7/24

July 23, 2021

News

anniversary, brendon small, brent weinbach, chris walsh, craig anton, dana gould, davey johnson, laura kightlinger, michael mortilla, michael serwich, ron lynch, tomorrow show, virtual comedy

For 16 years, Tomorrow! has been the thing to do on Saturday night at midnight in LA. For so many years, longer than we’ve been doing or covering comedy, Ron Lynch has faithfully brought the perfect mix of absurdity, silliness, beauty, and honesty that’s worth keeping the night going that late.

Of course, for the last year, they haven’t been able to do that in a proper venue and Lynch company have taken to Instagram Live to keep the Tomorrow! flame going and indeed they have kept the show alive and kicking for all these months since whenever March 2020 was (that was a decade ago, right?).

To mark their 16 year anniversary, Ron will be bringing back the original trio, himself, Craig Anton, and Brendon Small, that started off this midnight institution as well as such luminary comedians as Dana Gould, Laura Kightlinger, and Brent Weinbach. Very likely, they’ll have more than just that to celebrate the occasion (in addition to the “Core Four” and Michael Mortilla).

These days, it ought to be something really special if you’re going to tune into an IG Live show, but the 16 Year Anniversary of Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch more than fits that bill. Tune in at Sat. Jul. 24th at 11PM PT/2AM ET on IG Live @ronlynch1 and support the show on Venmo @tomorrowshow.

Best of all, you won’t have to worry about the Delta variant!

Get Your First Look at Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas in an Arthouse Comedy “Official Competition”

July 22, 2021

News

antonio banderas, official competition, penelope cruz

It’s not often that internationally acclaimed movie starts Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas star in a high brow comedy that is satirically poking at cinema/high art itself.

Yet, Official Competition from enlists both Banderas and Cruz to play up the pretense of auteurs and their various collaborators and just how ridiculous it can get. From the teaser, we’re getting a strong reminder of The Square from Ruben Östlund and how devilishly it dissected the contemporary/modern art world.

For now, we only get a small taste of what co-directors and co-writers Gastón Duprat & Mariano Cohn, along with co-writer Andrés Duprat, have cooked up, but after just a minute, we’re pretty much on board.

There’s no official release date, much less a release date for just North America, but we imagine that it’ll likely find its way on some sort of streaming service, if all else fails, before the end of the year.

PEN15 Is Going to Have an Animated Special Next Month

July 22, 2021

News

animated special, anna konkle, hulu, maya erskine, pen15

Animation has been a saving grace for many a show throughout the last year and a half including No Activity and One Day at a Time and it looks as though that will continue to be the case as PEN15 has just announced that it will have an animated special due out next month.

Other shows have opted to try doing a special via Zoom (Mythic Quest did a pretty smashing job with that), but that can’t really be an option for PEN15 as Zoom has several years before being invented and dial up not being the only option for an Internet connection.

This very special episode will be technically be part of season 2 and titled “Jacuzzi” and is due out on Hulu on Fri. Aug. 27th. So, you will actually have a much needed hit of PEN15 while you’re anxiously awaiting season 3.

This does have us imagining, if they did have a functioning, open teleconferencing platform, Anna and Maya would waste most of their time turning their cameras on and off depending on how “secret” whatever secrets they’re divulging really are.

Cancel Culture Finds It Way to Japan as Director of Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony Is Fired Over 20 Year Old Holocaust Joke

July 22, 2021

News

cancel culture, holocaust joke, tokyo olympics

(via AP)

Though the conversation of cancel culture, especially in regards to comedy has been more than well worn in America (and perhaps, not even that effective?), its reach goes far beyond North America. Just announced today, Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremonies director Kentaro Kobayashi was sacked from one video of a bit he did over twenty years ago as part of a comedy duo called The Rahmens where he made a Holocaust joke.

Not only is the phrase “Let’s play Holocaust” that is being quoted by the Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee as the phrase that’s so offensive that it’s worth firing their director a score of years later out of context, but the bit itself is so old and Kobayashi, it would seem, has stepped back from the comedy stage to direct (not to mention that people have spoken highly of his character since).

The whole situation feels incredibly obtuse, especially since the Tokyo Olympics continues to face a dire situation due to COVID-19. They already delayed from 2020 when the Olympics had been set to take place, but with the proliferation of the Delta variant across the globe and surges of COVID-19 popping up around the globe, which very much includes Japan, the Tokyo Olympics has already scaled back its scope with having no spectators and stepping up their COVID-19 protocols in the Olympic Village.

In short, this Olympic Games is already a mess and it’s about get messier. It would almost seem that Organizing Committee is piling on here with Kobayashi to make it seem it won’t entirely be the fault of them pushing forward with the Games (as they stand to lose billions of dollars if they outright cancel the Games). Of course, the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic persisting due to lack of vaccine access, vaccine hesitancy, premature lifting of pandemic protocols, and the numerous variants is only bringing more and more chaos as Tokyo going on with their Olympics.

There’s no telling what’s going to happen with the Olympics (we sincerely hope that everyone involved is safe and doesn’t get or further the transmission of the virus) or with Kentaro (and how cancelled he is) at this point. Maybe Kentaro will dip back into comedy to clear his name? More importantly though, we’ll see if this Olympics even gets through the majority of its schedule (one country and big corporate sponsors have already bowed out).

Pick of the Day: Hannah Einbinder (in NYC) 11/5

July 22, 2021

News

bell house, brooklyn, hannah einbinder, nyc, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

In LA, pretty much all of Hannah Einbinder‘s headlining dates have sold out. You might get a chance to see her here and there on a plethora of shows here and there, but you won’t get to bare witness to the full breadth of full length set, unless you snagged a ticket for one of her Dynasty Typewriter dates, for awhile (probably in October).

That said, if you’re in NYC, you still have a shot at catching the late show of Hannah Einbinder’s evening at The Bell House on Fri. Nov. 5th. Already, the 7:30PM ET show has sold out, but you can still get tickets for the 10PM ET show at $20 a pop. Please don’t miss your chance to see Hannah live, who will be such a delightful conceptual, yet still very personal comedy surprise for all of you whether you’ve seen her on Hacks or not.

So, go get your tickets already.

Netflix’s Latest Series Worth Diving Into Might Be “The Chair”

July 21, 2021

News

jay duplass, netflix, sandra oh, the chair, trailer

With going back indoors seeming more and more to be the operative move as the pandemic continues, you might be wondering, “What else is there to watch?” Even if you thought you reached the end of Netflix or whatever your streaming service of choice is, we’re betting that you didn’t even get close.

That said, we’re sure it’ll take something of real quality or, at the very least, looks damn promising to invest yourself in another round of binge watching. One of Netflix’s latest series, The Chair from Amanda Peet & Annie Wyman, might be just the thing you’re looking for as a dissection of the non-sense and oft-unchecked privilege of higher education faculty. Sandra Oh leads what is a very impressive ensemble cast and also has to tangle with, from the looks of the trailer, a pretty perfectly cast problematic professor in Jay Duplass.

Just from our first impression, The Chair seems to be a little on the same wavelength as the classic 90s sharp satire Election, but just a bit more grown-up, perhaps for university. We certainly hope it’s up to that level.

We shall see if it makes that grade when it drops on Netflix on Fri. Aug. 20th.

Pick of the Day: Secret Show at The Blind Barber (in LA) 7/26

July 21, 2021

News

andy peters, asif ali, beth stelling, comedy show, dave waite, grant lyon, la comedy, nick anthony, secret comedy, zainab johnson

LA has many a secret comedy show, but many don’t actually carry the name of “Secret Show” (and, if they do, they often aren’t worthy of the moniker). Yet, the actual Secret Show that has been happening for years at the barbershop-turned-speakeasy, The Blind Barber, is one of LA’s best underground stand-up comedy shows thanks to its stewards Grant Lyon, Andy Peters, Dave Waite, and Nick Anthony.

For obvious reasons, they had to take several months off, but they’re officially back for a COVID-19 free show (proof of vaccination or negative test results within 72 hours required at door) next week! On Mon. July 26th, The Secret Show at the Blind Barber crew will be putting on two shows, 7:30PM PT & 9:30PM PT.

You can and should RSVP for the show here, before tickets run out (and they usually do).

Their first line-up is stacked with

Beth Stelling – Netflix’s The Standups
Asif Ali – Marvel’s WandaVision
Andy Woodhull – Comedy Central Half Hour
Felicia Michaels – Showtime, MTV
Zainab Johnson – Last Comic Standing

As the show often sells out pretty quick, get on their mailing list at barbersecretshow@gmail.com and for their sister show in Highland Park at barbershowhp@gmail.com.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 69: Luke McGarry & No Straight Lines

July 21, 2021

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

animation, bo burnham, cartoonist, festival supreme, illustration, julio torres, luke mcgarry, mary tyler moore, tenacious d

Prolific cartoonist/illustrator/animator/musician Luke McGarry, who has done all sorts of wonderful comedy and music posters and art (including for Festival Supreme and MAD Magazine), joins in for this week’s TCB Field Report. Luke runs us through his winding path to being one of the go-to illustrators, especially when it things get imaginatively silly, and the wide, wide, very wide myriad of projects he has coming up (graphic novels to tour art to much much more). Also, “hot” takes on Julio Torres’ A24 movie, The Mary Tyler Moore Show doc, and Bo Burnham’s Inside getting a theatrical run.

Follow Luke @lukeymcgarry on IG and at lukemcgarry.com

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

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

Pick of the Day: Paul F. Tompkins @ The Bell House (in NYC) 11/12 & 11/13

July 20, 2021

News

paul f tompkins, spontourco, varietopia

One of our greatest joys, pre-lockdown, was going to watch Paul F. Tompkins do, well, anything. Whether it be improv, podcasts, both at the same time, or another thing entirely, we would very much try to clear our schedule to catch Tompkins take the stage whatever the situation may be. The brilliance of his irreverence is without compare (even going all the way back to his early album, Impersonal).

So, in regards to catching Paul F. Tompkins’ first post-lockdown performances, there is a date for Paul’s recurring modern variety show Varietopia at the Lodge Room in Highland Park on Sept. 20th, but that is, unsurprisingly, already sold out.

Don’t worry Angelenos. PFT has another date for us on Oct. 23rd. More details TBA.

For NYC, there will be both a Varietopia and a SPONTOURCO (Paul’s interview transformed into improv with Tawny Newsome, Eugene Cordero, and Janet Varney show) at The Bell House in Brooklyn in November.

Specifically, SPONTOURCO will have an early and late show, 7:30PM ET & 10PM ET, on Fri. Nov. 12th and Varietopia will go up Sat. Nov 13th also at 7:30PM ET & 10PM ET (FYI, the early show is sold out).

Get more details and please, please, please get tickets before they sell out, which will very likely happen very soon.

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