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The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 38: Jill Paiz-Bourque & Big Business in Comedy Live-streaming
December 16, 2020
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
bbc, boots riley, chappelle's show, i'm a virgo, jill bourque, new comedy awards, rushtix

The proliferation of virtual comedy due to the COVID-19 pandemic would naturally bring about the creation/transition of entire platforms/venues/etc. in order to serve a gradual mass exodus of comedy, for the time being, into the live-streaming sphere. Jill Paiz-Bourque founded RushTix to serve that exact purpose and has done quite well with building and creating a premium comedy live-streaming platform that aims to be a destination for comedy fans and those in dire need of that connection that they would get at any sort of live show (but especially in live comedy). Jill zooms with TCB’s Jake Kroeger to detail RushTix rise to putting on comedy live-streams that boast thousands of attendees as well as get in “hot” takes on Chappelle’s Show being taken off HBO Max, BBC’s new New Comedy Awards, and Boots Riley getting the green light for his new series I’m a Virgo. 

Follow @RushTix across socials & visit RushTix.com for schedule/tickets/info & follow Jill @jillbourque on Twitter.

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: Normalize Everything 12/19
December 16, 2020
News
atsuko okatsuka, benefit show, comedy fundraiser, jeena bloom, johan miranda, kazu kusano, maddie connors, mental health

With or without a pandemic, the issue of mental health is so vitally important and yet, even after all the progress that has been made over the last few years, is still not regarded seriously enough. With COVID-19 still keeping us so isolated, more so than most of us have ever been, the importance of one’s mental health has become more glaringly clear.

So, along those lines, wonderful LA based comedians Atsuko Okatsuka and Maddie Connors are hosting a special benefit show, NORMALIZE ANYTHING, that will raise money for for Painted Brain, a marvelous LA based mental health org.

Joining Atsuko and Maddie will be the very special comedic stylings of Jeena Bloom, Johan Miranda, and Kazu Kusano (FYI, they are all comics whose parents suffer from mental illness and are perfect for a show such as this).

RSVP, donate, and tune in to NORMALIZE EVERYTHING this Sat. Dec. 19th at 7PM PT/10PM ET.

Search Party Season 4 Finally Has a Teaser
December 15, 2020
News
alia shawkat, duke johnson, hbo max, john early, john roberts, search party

Quarantine has lasted so long that we almost forgot a brand new season of the amazing dark comedy thriller series, Search Party, was on the horizon. It’s not on TBS anymore, so you’ll have to have HBO Max or “have access” to HBO Max, but the prospect of Dory now missing for this latest season has us really jonesing for this fourth season of Search Party to premiere already.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until Thurs. Jan. 14th, 2021 until we get our Search Party fix. Until now, we can obsess over this teaser that poses a whole new game for Elliott, Portia, Drew, and a Dory that might just be getting her long overdue comeuppance.

BBC Comedy Association to Revive New Comedy Awards & Appoint a “Young People’s Comedy Laureate”
December 15, 2020
News
bbc, bbc comedy association, new comedy awards, young people's comedy laureate

Just over the weekend, the BBC’s BBC Comedy Association announced the plans for the next year and going forward with the rebooting their New Comedy Awards, a comedy competition dedicated to finding new talent. It has been off the air since 2006, but it will be brought back to UK audiences (and, hopefully, us Yanks via some streaming service?) as part of a fresh commitment by the BBC to “promote inclusion and representation”.

New comedy talent getting a legit chance on TV or just a set of awards dedicated to comedy is hard to come by these days, so we’re intrigued at what this new version of BBC’s New Comedy Awards will bring in the coming year.

Additionally, BBC Comedy Association Controller of Comedy Commissioning  Shane Allen announced that a Young People’s Comedy Laureate will be appointed next year to head up outreach for workshops, masterclasses, and the like all around the UK. From the looks of it, we’re guessing that’ll be a UK comedian of note, but we’re also excited to see who that might be. After all, Fleabag had its TV roots at the BBC.

Seeing what comes of this, maybe U.S. based networks/streaming services will have to do better than another season of Last Comic Standing or Bring the Funny.

Pick of the Day: Padma Puts On a Virtual Comedy Show 12/17
December 15, 2020
News
amber ruffin, aparna nancherla, Ayo Edebiri, Benito Skinner, bowen yang, Caleb Hearon, chelsea peretti, dulce sloan, emily v gordon, fair fight, georgia runoffs, hasan minhaj, jo firestone, joel kim booster, john early, julio torres, kumail nanjiani, marie faustin, matt rogers, Meg Stalter, michelle buteau, mike birbiglia, mitra jouhari, naomi ekperigin, nikki glaser, padma lakshmi, patti harrison, patton oswalt, phoebe robinson, roy wood jr, sarah silverman, Sydnee Washington, tituss burgess, w kamau bell, wanda sykes

We told you that there would be plenty of big time comedy benefit shows for the Georgia Runoffs and, lordy lordy, there sure are. This latest one is being put up by the one and only Padma Lakshmi that’s very explicit in this regard by being called, “Padma Puts on a Virtual Comedy Show for the Georgia Runoff Elections: An Evening to Benefit FairFight”.

Stacey Abrams’ FairFight was instrumental in registering voters and contributing to Biden’s 2020 Election win and will undoubtedly be crucial in the upcoming special Georgia Senate Runoffs.

So, they tapped Padma for a live benefit show and she, in turn, got one hell of a line-up that includes:

Hasan Minhaj, Phoebe Robinson, Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Peretti, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, Benito Skinner, Mike Birbiglia, John Early, Roy Wood Jr., Julio Torres, Michelle Buteau, Patton Oswalt, Aparna Nancherla, Caleb Hearon, Wanda Sykes, Joel Kim Booster, Tituss Burgess, Meg Stalter, Patti Harrison, Nikki Glaser, Ayo Edebiri, Jo Firestone, Amber Ruffin, Dulce Sloan, Naomi Ekperigin, W. Kamau Bell, Mitra Jouhari, Sydnee Washington, Marie Faustin, and Andy Cohen.

There will also be music from King Princess, Perfume Genius, Waxahatchee, Brittany Howard, Local Natives, Aloe Blacc, and Cautious Clay.

Lastly, the evening’s virtual festivities will be hosted by none other than the Las Culturistas themselves, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.

Reads like a festival line-up, doesn’t it? Well, we still can’t do that in person right now, but you can enjoy this gigantic Padma Puts on a Virtual Comedy Show comedy live-stream on Thurs. Dec. 17th at 6PM PT/9PM ET at youtube.com/padmalakshmi and donate to FairFight here.

Desus & Mero Bring the Hype in Announcing This Year’s Black List
December 14, 2020
News
announcement, boon jo ho, desus nice, franklin leonard, kid mero, taika waititi, the black list

Every year around this time, The Black List announces the most popular screenplays around Tinseltown that have yet to be produced into actual movies. Normally, it would just be announced on social media and a .PDF would make the rounds with titles, names, and loglines.

Yet, Franklin Leonard, the creator of The Black List, has opted for a much slicker announcement, even slicker than most award shows by tapping Desus Nice & The Kid Mero. Awards shows like The Emmys and The Oscars have a couple celebrities get dressed up way too early in the morning and plainly read nominees. In contrast, Desus & Nice bring the signature riffing off-the-cuff while reading off all the screenplays that made it into the 2020 edition of The Black List.

Leonard himself predicts that Desus & Mero will host The Oscars and we sincerely, deeply hope that he’s right.

Please enjoy the whole Black List announcement with Desus & Mero here.

Read the entirety of this year’s Black List here.

Jo Firestone Subjects Herself to a Very Risky Game of Her Own Design “Rate the Cookie”
December 14, 2020
News
adult swim, jo firestone, rate the cookie

Part of the comedic brilliance of Jo Firestone is her penchant for putting herself in situations that demand the utmost vulnerability and then delivering just that.

So, for her latest work, Firestone puts herself at the whim of strangers in a “game show” where, after chatting and rating the taste of cookies, they have the option of being Jo’s friend or getting paid $50 cash right then and there. It’s a risky proposition, for Jo that is, and it makes for some those moments that are so human that you can’t help but laugh (and definitely can’t make up).

Please enjoy Jo Firestone’s quest for friendship with Rate The Cookie here

Get First Look at Amazon Comedy ‘Eulogy’ Special “Yearly Departed”
December 14, 2020
News
amazon prime, bye 2020, comedy special, Natasha Legerro, natasha rothwell, patti harrison, phoebe robinson, rachel brosnahan, sarah silverman, tiffany haddish, yearly departed, ziwe

Though eulogies don’t really cross into the territory of comedy specials, this year hasn’t been a time for anything normal. Actually, 2020 is the focus of said special entitled, “Yearly Departed” and is a good-riddance send-off to the year that has and continues and will traumatize all of us living through it.

For 2020 getting kicked to the curb, this special has a marvelous and feisty line-up of comedy folks including Rachel Brosnahan, Tiffany Haddish, Patti Harrison, Natasha Legerro, Sarah Silverman, Natasha Rothwell, Ziwe, and Phoebe Robinson hosting for the evening.

It’s a roast of 2020 at 2020’s funeral and it sure looks like the socially distanced party had a hell of a time letting 2020 know what they thought of it (even though we’ll have to likely deal with so much of 2020 for a good chunk, if not most of, 2021).

Get your first look at YEARLY DEPARTED with its trailer here, then look for it to stream on Amazon Prime on the Eve of New Year’s Eve, Dec. 30th.

 

Pick of the Day: Torture Ben Wasserman 12/15
December 14, 2020
News
Ben Wasserman, brian bahe, brooklyn eviction defense, eviction defense, jo firestone, julia shiplett, Kyle Harris, Marcia Belsky, Milly Tamarez

Defending against evictions right now during this historic pandemic is so crucial that comedian Ben Wasserman is seemingly up for anything to raise money for Brooklyn Eviction Defense. In fact, he’s so down for the cause that he’s putting on a show called Torture Ben Wasserman wherein very special guests (including NYC favorites Jo Firestone, Marcia Belsky, Julia Shiplett, Milly Tamarez, Kyle Harris, and Brian Bahe) will subject him to challenges that seem to be at their whim while he’s doing the simple, yet infamous “cinnamon challenge”.

The exhibition of Ben’s suffering for comedy’s sake will hopefully prevent potential suffering of those at risk of eviction at this time.

Torture Ben Wasserman is set for Tues. Dec. 15th at 5:30PM PT/8:30PM ET. Donations will be accepted ($5-$10 is suggested). FYI, “for every $25 raised, Ben will up the ante all for your sick and twisted pleasure.”

Get more info/RSVP/donate here.

Watch Trailer for Latest New Zealand Export “Baby Done”
December 11, 2020
News
baby done, rose matafeo, taika waititi

Over the last several years, New Zealand has give us Americans quite a bit of heartfelt and brilliant comedy whether it be Flight of the Conchords or Taika Waititi.

New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo was set to be next in line of Kiwi comedy exports to the U.S. and she had just started making headway in America as the pandemic took hold. She already had an appearance on Conan and her debut special, Horndog, was set to drop on HBO Max.

Everything came to a grinding halt/got postponed/rescheduled/cancelled in March and Matafeo’s ascent in the States had to slow down, but only a little. Her special still went ahead and premiered on HBO Max, thanks to Team Coco, and now, Matafeo is starring in a movie, Baby Done, from Sophie Henderson and Curtis Vowell and presented by none other than Taika himself.

As you can see in the Baby Done trailer for this coming-of-age-into-motherhood tale, it very much could be a vehicle for Matafeo as she shines just in two minutes.

Adult Swim Has an Open Call for Live LA Open Mic (That Will Happen When It’s Safe To Do So)
December 11, 2020
News
adult swim, megan koester, open call, open mic

It’s not often that some a network like Adult Swim has an open call for open mic, but, as you are more than well aware of at this point, 2020 is far from any sort of normal that any of us have known.

Performances at this mic will be taped as part of a special project with beloved LA comedy staple Megan Koester and will only do so with ALL NECESSARY COVID-safe protocol AND when it’s SAFE to do so (i.e. that date is TBD–but maybe, maybe sometime in January). Still, when that date comes, you can do a tight three minutes if you’re in the LA area and relive the former “glory” that is imbued in all comedy open mics.

If interested, you can fill out this form here.

Pick of the Day: LA Gives Back 24 Hr. Global Telethon 12/17
December 11, 2020
News
benefit show, bob baker marionettes, brownies and lemonade, elizabeth messick, eric andre, iheartcomix, joel mchale, keyboard cat

The holidays roll on and so do the big time charity shows that aid in very worthy causes.

Next Thursday, IHeartComix and Brownies & Lemonade are stepping up to aid LA’s unhoused folks with the annual LA Gives Back event. This time, it’ll be a massive, massive 24 hour global telethon featuring stacks and stacks of music, comedy, and other trippy, wondrous holiday performances.

Line-up so far includes:

Bob Baker Marionette Theatre – Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) – Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses) – Elizabeth Messick – Eric Andre – HEALTH (reading a Xmas story) – Joel McHale – Paris Belelc – Simone Turkington

& music from:

143 – A Club Called Rhonda – A-Trak – AC Slater – Alfie Templeman – Andre Power (Soulection) – Baauer & Holly – Baths – Brainfeeder presents The HIT – Butcher Brown – CID – Claud – Cmten – Crush Club – Giraffage – glaive – HANA – Hello Forever – Jasmine Solano (Clubhouse Global) – Joseph Arthur – Keyboard Cat – Lou Rebecca – Loud Village – Madeon – Manilla Killa – Mara Conner – Matt Berninger (The National) – Mija – MNDR (debuting Between Two Tunes) – Open Mike Eagle – Party Favor – Pearl & The Oysters – Pearl Charles – Post Glam Acid Disco – Pussy Riot – Rexx Life Raj – Rufus Wainwright – Snakehips – Soft Glas – Teezo Touchdown – Tiffany Roth of Midnight Magic – Tim Heidecker & Weyes Blood – Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) – Viktoria Modesta – Yung Baby Tate

All of this will be streaming live from Death Metal Santa’s (that’s right, they got a Death Metal Santa booked for this special night) at twitch.tv/browniesandlemonade on Thurs. Dec. 17th at 5PM PT/8PM ET.

Proceeds will all be going to the unhoused of LA via School House Connection, Downtown Women’s Center & My Friends Place. Also, there will be a lottery via donation for special items from Ariana Grande, Eric Andre and more on Fandiem at fandiem.com/lagb that will also donate to these orgs.

Hear more about it direct from Death Metal Santa in the LA Gives Back announcement here!

RSVP, get more info, donate, etc. at lagivesback.org.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival Now Aiming to Return in Full Force in 2022
December 10, 2020
News
edinburgh, edinburgh fringe festival, fringe festival

(via Scotsman)

Though the first tiny waves of vaccines for COVID-19 are starting to make their way to essential front line medical workers, the time at which some sort of degree of normalcy where gathering isn’t at all a massive health hazard is still far off enough that a specific date is speculative at best.

That means that large scale festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival are going to have to wait longer to get back to a semblance of how they used to do things. The chiefs of one of the largest performance festivals in the world, which happens to include a cornucopia of comedy and comedy adjacent shows/acts, have decided that they won’t even think about doing a full scale, “normal” version of the Edinburgh Fringe in 2021, but look towards for 2022 for that to happen.

The likelihood of having to social distance at a festival that historically jam packed within and outside of every venue presents a problem for any of the performers putting up their shows on their own dime and trying to make money/break even. Rather than deal with that, the Edinburgh Fringe is still trying to formulate exactly what they’re going to do with this year that will be COVID-19 safe meaning that the legendary crowds multiplying the population of Edinburgh a few times over will be absent.

Please Enjoy Carmencita the Christmas Mouse Driving By and Roasting Neighborhood Holiday Lights
December 10, 2020
News
carmen morales, christmas lights, comedy roast, sketch comedy

Though we can’t gather close together for the holidays (really, we shouldn’t be gathering with COVID-19 cases, infection rates, and hospitalizations spiking like they are), we can still get into the holiday tradition of touring around the neighborhood and looking at everyone’s holiday lights set-up. If you don’t feel safe doing that, you still don’t have to miss out as Carmencita the Christmas Mouse (Carmen Morales) went ahead and did a holiday lights tour for everyone.

Actually, she did one better and added some of her personal commentary/roasted some of the “one-of-a-kind” houses that she drove by.

Enjoy Carmencita the Christmas Mouse’s holiday lights tour/get into the true holiday spirit here.

Pick of the Day: Syd Can Cook Holiday Extravaganza 12/20
December 10, 2020
News
comedy livestream, cooking show, syd can cook, Sydnee Washington

Many comedy livestreams have come and gone in 2020. The same goes for comedians attempting to cook during a livestream for humorous effect. Yet, one of the standout shows in this arena that have stood the test of COVID-19 time (i.e. what’s time anymore?) is Sydnee Washington’s Syd Can Cook, which is half comedy green room hang/half cooking show/whole “a real good time” that gets us through a bit more of this year.

For the holidays, Sydnee is doing a very special marathon version of Syd Can Cook on Dec. 20th at 4PM PT/7PM ET at @justsydbw on Instagram. You know that she’ll be going strong on IG Live w/Karolena Theresa through her holiday feast no matter what folks are putting up in the thread and there will be a grand virtual procession of special guests the whole way through.

Per Sydnee herself, “PLEASE SUGGEST WHAT YALL WANT TO SEE US MESS UP, I MEAN COOK” @justsydbw.

 

Get Your First Look at the “Nicolas Cage’s History of Swear Words”
December 9, 2020
News
history of swear words, netflix, nicolas cage

There is something special to the exclamations of Nicolas Cage in any role he’s in. Even in one of the quieter movies he took on in his career, The Weather Man, there are some pretty perfect bits of cursing by Cage. The unhinged level that Cage can achieve is singular to his acting and is pretty much, as far as we can figure, the whole reason Mandy exists as a movie.

As this is the case, Netflix has ordered up an edutainment series on the history of swearing/cursing and has very logically tapped Nic Cage to be the host. Called Nicolas Cage’s History of Swear Words, you can see in this first look that he’s pretty perfect for this gig.

You’re already in, aren’t you? If so, look for Nic Cage’s History of Swear Words to stream starting Jan. 5th, 2021.

More Wondrous Vignettes of the Human Condition Will Be Discovered in a Newly Ordered Season 2 of How To with John Wilson
December 9, 2020
News

There’s no mistaking that the quietly observed, but sharply crafted How To With John Wilson that earnestly and humorously explores the human condition through often overlooked minutia is one of the best shows of the year. Additionally, it’s a welcome, refreshing reminder of how important is to genuinely connect with people in a time where we all have been more separated and isolated than most of us have ever been.

Wilson was able to uncover the beauty of life via scaffolding, furniture covers, small talk, etc. right before and leading up to the pandemic (that finale was probably the perfect piece of television for the world at this very time of being in lockdown again, FYI). HBO has just ordered a second season of How To With John Wilson.

We can only imagine that How To with John Wilson is one of a handful of shows that are immediately going to touch on the pandemic and we’re so curious as to how his gentle, but detailed touch will be applied to the trauma that we all just went through/are going through. There’s no telling when this will be shot or what the timeline for the second season will be at this point, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Wilson has only amassed plenty of those magical real life moments he caught in the first season while in lockdown.

Maybe some of the second season will be shot from the vantage point of his apartment window only?

We don’t know, but we’re thrilled that there’s going to be another whole round of this, especially as we could all need another reminder of the humanity of people (the core of How To with John Wilson in our opinion) in 2021.

.@HBO renews critically acclaimed docu-comedy series #HowToWithJohnWilson for a second season: https://t.co/XFLYyHTy89 pic.twitter.com/xhTZbd938c

— HBO PR (@HBOPR) December 9, 2020

Pick of the Day: Dead Kevin and Friends 12/13
December 9, 2020
News
ahmed bharoocha, dead kevin, jack robichaud, ryan o'flanagan, sketch comedy

Dead Kevin has been and will continue to be one of our all time favorite sketch groups. Comprised of stand-ups Ahmed Bharoocha, Ryan O’Flanagan, and Jack Robichaud, their non-sequitur-ish sketches of some guys that lived together always perfectly hit a nerve with us. Just see for yourself in their vast catalog available for your viewing pleasure and convenience on their YouTube channel.

While Ahmed, Ryan, and Jack hadn’t gotten together as Dead Kevin in awhile (they did put out some sketches as lockdown took hold though), it’s pretty damn exciting to know that they’re assembling once more for a live-stream show via asemblco. Dead Kevin & Friends is set as the trio’s very next live show that will stream on this Sun. Dec. 13th at 5PM PT/8PM ET.

Tickets are only $5 and you can (and should) get them here.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 37: Andrew Max Levy & Seeing What’s Out There
December 9, 2020
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
andrew max levy, comedy photography, iheartradio, natalie palamides, nate, outdoor comedy shows, outdoor shows, podcast awards, vidiots

Andrew Max Levy is one of the LA comedy scene’s favorite comedy photographers. He has been covering the beat for local LA shows for some time now and has even shot outdoor shows during the pandemic (when it was safe to do so and if shows were taking enough precaution/enacting enough protocol). TCB’s Jake Kroeger zooms with Andrew and gets into what he’s seen on the front lines of live, in-person comedy during COVID-19 (and why he’s stopped for now). They also get into Levy’s fervent devotion to Twitch as an angle for comedians and comedy folks to build a following and make a little money. Lastly, there’s “hot” takes on IHeartRadio’s Podcast Awards nominees, the still impending comeback of Vidiots (via Variety), and Natalie Palamides’ NATE.

Follow Andrew Max Levy on Twitch at twitch.tv/justoffthesix & IG @justoffthesix. Andrew recommends you follow these folks on Twitch:

twitch.tv/morganjay
twitch.tv/dasakeetie
twitch.tv/neelnanda
twitch.tv/andreworolfo
twitch.tv/jimmccambridge
twitch.tv/thenearlymen
twitch.tv/maxxeddy
twitch.tv/comedyhub
twitch.tv/razorlou

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

And Here Are the Comedy Nominees for The 3rd Annual IHeartRadio Podcast Awards
December 8, 2020
News
conan o'brien needs a friend, hollywood handbook, iheartradio, las culturistas, my favorite murder, nicole byer, office ladies, podcast awards

(via THR)

IHeartRadio, which just seemed to work its way into podcast only relatively recently, has their very own podcast awards that’s now on its a third year. It might be a little suspicious as they have their very own podcast network under the IHeartRadio umbrella, but nonetheless, they’ve got a spread of categories that feature many a great comedy podcast including Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, My Favorite Murder, Las Culturistas, Hollywood Handbook, Nicole Byer, Office Ladies, and more.

The winners for The 2021 IHeartRadio Podcast Awards will be named during a virtual event on Thurs. Jan. 21st at 9PM.

Best Comedy Podcast

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend (Team Coco/Earwolf)
Office Ladies (Earwolf/Jenna Fischer/Angela Kinsey)
The Read (Loud Speakers Network)
Smartless (Independent)
Fake Doctors, Real Friends (iHeartRadio)

Best Crime Podcast

Crime Junkie (AudioChuck)
Criminal (PRX/Radiotopia)
Deep Cover: The Drug Wars (Pushkin Industries)
Forgotten: Women of Juarez (iHeartRadio)
My Favorite Murder (Exactly Right)

Best Pop Culture Podcast

Bitch Sesh (Earwolf/Casey Wilson/Danielle Schneider)
Las Culturistas (Big Money Players/iHeartRadio)
Pop Culture Happy Hour (NPR)
Still Processing (The New York Times)
The Read (Loud Speakers Network)

Best Ad Read

• “Comedy Bang Bang” (Earwolf / Scott Aukerman)
• “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” (Team Coco/Earwolf)
• “Hollywood Handbook” (Earwolf)
• “Office Ladies” (Earwolf / Stitcher)
• “Revisionist History” (Pushkin Industries)

Best Overall Host – Male

• Conan O’Brien (Team Coco/Earwolf)
• Dax Shepard (Armchair Umbrella)
• Jonathan Van Ness (Earwolf/Stitcher)
• Michael Barbaro (The New York Times)
• Questlove (iHeartRadio)

Best Overall Host – Female

• Ashley Flowers (Parcast)
• Brene Brown (Parcast)
• Michelle Obama (Higher Ground/Spotify)
• Nicole Byer (Headgum)
• Nora McInerny (APM)

Best TV & Film Podcast

• “Fake Doctors, Real Friends” (iHeartRadio)
• “How Did This Get Made?” (Earwolf/Paul Scheer/June Diane Raphael/Jason Mantzoukas/Stitcher)
• “Office Ladies” (Earwolf/Jenna Fischer/Angela Kinsey)
• “Rewatchables” (The Ringer/Bill Simmons)
• “You Must Remember This” (Karina Longworth)

You can read the whole list of nominees for the 2021 IHeartRadio Podcast Awards here.

Pick of the Day: Riffing for the Georgia Runoffs 12/18
December 8, 2020
News
dulce sloan, fundraiser, georgia runoffs, jon ossoff, patton oswalt, Sarah Cooper, sarah silverman

One of the final chapters of the 2020 General Election comes down to a run-off Senate race in Georgia between Jon Ossoff and Sen. David Perdue. As such, there will be accompanying benefit shows where comedic heavy hitters join in to raise money for the fate of the U.S. Senate.

Riffing for the Georgia Runoffs is another such comedy live-stream, brought to you by The Comedy Resistance, that aims to support Ossoff to unseat the incumbent and conservative Perdue. Thus far, this show has got Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, and Dulcé Sloan and we’re sure that many more very special guests will join the show as Fri. Dec. 18th 5PM PT/8PM ET, the night of the live-stream, gets closer.

You can get access and support The Comedy Resistance’s fundraiser for the Georgia Runoffs for $15 right here.

Black Mirror Creator Charlie Brooker Is Making a Netflix Mockumentary Comedy Special, “Death to 2020”
December 7, 2020
News
charlie brooker, Cristin Milioti, death to 2020, Diane Morgan, Hugh Grant, Joe Keery, leslie jones, lisa kudrow, netflix, samuel l jackson, teaser, tracey ullman

Without question, 2020 has been one of the worst years that anyone alive has been living. It will very likely be the worst year that many of us (who have many years of living ahead of them) will have lived through in our lifetime. COVID-19, Trump, climate change, and the uprisings from systemic/racial/misogynistic/classist/transphobic oppression have made 2020 a terribly tragic year on a historic level.

With that in mind, master of dystopia Charlie Brooker, creator of Black Mirror, is going to do a very special mockumentary style comedy special dedicated to how especially awful this year has been. Brooker is very aptly calling it Death to 2020.

Outside of it being a mockumentary Netflix “comedy event” and the cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Hugh Grant, Lisa Kudrow, Tracey Ullman, Leslie Jones, Diane Morgan, Cristin Milioti, and Joe Keery, there’s not very many other details to be had at this time as you can see in this teaser here.

As far as 2020 goes, it makes total sense that someone who is responsible for giving you nightmares about robotic dogs hunting humans to extinction would be doing a comedy special about this year.

 

Pick of the Day: Final Week of Comedy Quarantine
December 7, 2020
News
babs gray, comedy livestream, comedy quarantine, comedy show, dominque gelin, ig live, instagram live, sam varela, teresa lee

Comedy Quarantine has been dutifully and faithfully delivering stand-up comedy via Instagram Live (in a pretty slick way, we might add) for almost every week of lockdown/quarantine/this damn pandemic. The team of Barbara Gray, Teresa Lee, Dominque Gelin, and Sam Varela have connected the best comedians from around the country and the world to stay connected to everyone else and work on material within their own home or wherever they happen to be at the time (Teresa went live from a protest in DTLA) longer than any other comedy live-stream that we have known about this year.

On top of that, they have been taking donations to not only support the comedians on their line-up, but have raised plenty of $$$ for great organizations such as Ground Game LA or The Okra Project.

So, this week will be their last week and, as they have done throughout the duration of the pandemic, they’ve got stacked line-ups that are very, very much tuning into on IG Live for (as you can see above).

If you weren’t already checking them out, please check @ComedyQuarantine out for their final shows this Wed., Thurs., and Fri. at 7PM PT/10PM ET.

New Proposed Stimulus Bill Would Give $15 Billion to Movie Theaters and Live Venues
December 4, 2020
News
save our stages, stimulus package

(via Variety)

The fate of movie theaters and live entertainment very much still uncertain in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. When and how to go about reopening is guess work even though the vast majority of venues have been dark for most of 2020. Relief or even the promise of relief has been hard to come by, especially knowing that live entertainment will be one of the last things to come back once things start to legitimately reopen after a vaccine has been distributed. Comedy clubs/theaters/venues have been feeling the bleakness of the situation since packing in people into dark rooms is one of the best ways to accelerate the transmission of COVID-19.

The Senate continues to debate the finer points of a new, much needed and very, very much overdue stimulus bill that is currently totaling over $900 billion, $15 billion of which will be earmarked for movie theaters and live venues. As to whether that’ll pass or if that will even be enough, we unfortunately will have to wait and see (though, again, relief was needed months ago for everyone). A very probable, tiered, long reopening process will keep many live venues struggling for awhile even after a vaccine arrives.

For now, if there’s a way to support your favorite local live venue or movie theater virtually or otherwise, please support them if you can.

Pick of the Day: Bechdel Cast Presents The Santa Clause Livestream 12/13
December 4, 2020
News
benefit show, caitlin durante, jamie loftus, live reading, reclaim and rebuild our community, the santa clause

It’s very likely that a seminal holiday movie, whether you liked or not, was The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen. You could have seen it at a formative time in your childhood or maybe screenings were sold out your local theater for several weeks and your parents just shrugged the shoulders and apologized.

No matter what your memory of it was, you might be perusing the holiday movie catalog and The Santa Clause might be coming to mind, which is a perfect time for Jamie Loftus and Caitlin Durante of The Bechdel Cast to do their own live-read of the movie (effectively giving it the reimagining it needs for 2020). They’ll be doing this live-read as a fundraiser for a great org, RROC (Reclaim & Rebuild Our Community), making it for a pretty perfect thing to watch during these new holiday lockdown measures.

The Bechdel Cast Presents Live Reading of The Santa Clause is set for Sun. Dec. 13th at 6PM PT/9PM ET. Live-stream access is available for $10 donation, but it’ll be available after the event.

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