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Pick of the Day: Brighter Comedy (BIG SUNDAY Benefit)

April 9, 2020
News
betsy sodaro, big sunday, carl tart, dannah phirman, jason mantzoukas, kate micucci, maria bamford, nick kroll, phil lamarr, seth morris

If you can believe it (and we hope that you can because of how much we’ve got listed at our site), there is still plenty of comedy going on and lots of shows are raising money for great causes that are so deserving of your support.

One such event is happening this weekend called Brighter! It’ll be an atypical talk show that features Mickey and Robin Bright (Dannah Phirman, Seth Morris) who are divorcing while in quarantine and getting in touch with the likes of Maria Bamford, Nick Kroll, Jason Mantzoukas, Kate Micucci, Phil LaMarr, Carl Tart, Betsy Sodaro and more playing their neighbors in their “artist commune apartment building” to check-in/get advice to cheer up, especially given their situation. For those missing the sort of fare you’d get to see at UCB in the before times, this might be what you’re looking for.

The show will be in support of BIG SUNDAY, a Los Angeles-based non-profit, organizing free meal delivery for doctors, nurses and staffers who work in the ER in LA. Anyone can watch the show, but they will be taking donations.

Brighter! will be streaming live this Saturday Apr. 11th at 6PM PT at www.brightercomedy.com.

The Last Book on the Left, The First Book from The Last Podcast on the Left Is Out Now

April 8, 2020
News
ben kissel, henry zebrowski, marcus parks, true crime, true crime comedy

The allure of true crime and comedy intersecting rarely gets better than The Last Podcast on the Left. Over years and years, Marcus Parks, Ben Kissel, and Henry Zebrowski have built a veritable The Last Podcast on the Left empire. This includes touring internationally, producing and releasing live specials, doing a separate live-stream show (and that was way before everyone was doing it like they are now) Last Stream on the Left, and even birthed their very own podcast network from it.

So, the idea of the Last Podcast on the Left boys writing a book not only seemed like an inevitability, but something that we’d very much want to dive into and thankfully the day has arrived. As of yesterday, The Last Book on the Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History’s Most Notorious Serial Killers, officially got released. There is still an accompanying book tour, but it has just been postponed to August as several of the dates ended up taking place right now when nearly everyone in America seems to be on lockdown.

The book, which will actually be the first in a series, revisits some of the most heinous murderers that have ever been while injecting Last Podcast’s signature rambunctious gallows humor that have gained them an unshakeable legion of fans. Whether you’ve gotten back into reading or were already an avid reader and a fan of this podcast or a fan of just true crime, it should definitely be the next thing you pick up after you get all of your essential purchases out of the way.

Channel 101, Renowned LA Short Form TV Series, Is Now Taking Submissions for Shows That Are 30 Seconds

April 8, 2020
News
channel 101, short films, submissions

Channel 101 stands as kind of a local legend here in LA, the birthplace of such wonderfully weird cultural juggernauts as Rick & Morty. It is, and has been for several years, a competitive short form TV competition that has cultivated such an innovative and tightly knit community that makes some of the best, genre-bending, fiercely independent series that have ever been made.

Certainly, this is one of those things in LA that we’d very much like to keep around/going. As movie theaters are still very much closed right now, namely their home theater The Downtown Independent in DTLA, they can’t really go about business as usual.

So, instead of sourcing 5 minute pilots and shows that have been renewed from the previous month by vote, they’re doing a condensed version of Channel 101 that is look for 30 second shows to feature virtually for their Channel 101: Hot 30 Virtual Screening.

If you’re up for it, you have until Wed. Apr. 22nd to submit your 30 second show to 101hot30@gmail.com.

View this post on Instagram

No April screening but the HOT 30 IS BACK!! Submit your original 30-second micro show by April 22nd to 101hot30@gmail.com #CHANNEL101 #hot30

A post shared by Channel 101 (@channel101official) on Apr 7, 2020 at 10:32am PDT

The Midnight Gospel’s Full Trailer Hints at the Trippy Show That Will Really Let You Escape the World Right Now

April 8, 2020
News
duncan trussell, pendelton ward, the midnight gospel, trailer

The Midnight Gospel, the adult animated series born out of a collaboration between Pendelton Ward and Duncan Trussell, is an absolute visual feast on top of probably being one of the more trippier things you might have seen in awhile. As such, it might be the perfect calming thing to watch (as opposed to watching another doc/movie/TV series about viruses and pandemics).

Just see for yourself in the just released full trailer here, then see if you’re not just momentarily put at ease from being transported as far away as can be from reality right now. Then, look for the whole series to drop on Netflix, later this month on Mon. Apr., 20th.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 2: Joel Mandelkorn & Live-streaming Live Comedy

April 8, 2020
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
butterboy, gayme show, hot tub with kurt and kristen, joel mandelkorn, livestream comedy, workplace comedy

This second episode of The Comedy Bureau Field Report goes a bit behind-the-scenes as TCB founder Jake Kroeger sits (remotely) down with one of the best comedy producers around, Joel Mandelkorn (Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen, The Super Serious Show, Toasty, plenty of short films and TV projects). Having co-produced (with producer/life partner Mandee Johnson) Hot Tub with Kurt [Braunohler] and Kristen [Schaal], absolutely one of LA’s best weekly comedy shows, Joel had to hit the ground running into translating that show into a live-stream stand-up show because of, well… you know, the global pandemic. Also, we go to 40 minutes, but it’s worth it.

They talk the challenges and nuances of such an endeavor as well as a workplace comedy TV series set in the times of COVID-19 already being in the works, premium free series that are suddenly free at HBO and IFC, (as always) what you should be watching and listening to (GAYME SHOW and Butterboy), and what we think the future holds for the sort of comedic bits that’ll work months from now in seeing live comedy again.

Tune into Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen Home Edition on Mondays at 8PM PST/11PM EST at holdthephone.tv, Follow Joel @cleftclips and follow The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB’s GoFundMe.

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

Please Enjoy an Animated Interview of Malcolm Gladwell by Desus & Mero

April 7, 2020
News
animated, cartuna, desus and mero, interview, malcolm gladwell, showtime

As if a chat between Desus & Mero with celebrated journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell wasn’t enough for you to satisfy you, the wonderful artists over at Cartuna put the icing on the cake by animating the interview.

In the animated world, they really play up the contrast of Gladwell in Desus & Mero’s world and also lets you imagine a current day conversation that doesn’t require social distancing. Enjoy it here.

Get Your First Look at Middleditch and Schwartz’s Improv Specials Coming to Netflix

April 7, 2020
News
ben schwartz, comedy special, improv comedy, improvisational comedy, long form improv, netflix, thomas middleditch

When it comes to televised improv, all that most people have seen or known about is the short form improv institution that is Whose Line Is It Anyway? 

Yet, Middleditch & Schwartz might just get to that status very soon. The duo made up of Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz have toured together around the globe as, perhaps, one of the most successful long form improvisational comedy acts of all time, creating hysterical scenes and having a solid, surprising narrative arcs seemingly out of nowhere.

So, Middleditch & Schwartz are about to make television history with a full-fledged long form improv (scenes get improvised just off a suggestion versus short form improv that relies on very specific games that have very specific rules to improvise through) comedy special. That comes after reaching milestones like having continuously sold-out performances at Largo, touring everywhere, and playing Carnegie Hall.

Seeing how they’ll make that translate into a comedy special given the ephemeral nature of improv will undoubtedly be fascinating (and probably why they’re releasing three performances of them). You can get your first look at what that might look like with this trailer here, then look for them to drop on Tues., Apr. 21st on Netflix.

The Live, Solo Show Version of “Fleabag” To Be Released to Raise Money in Fight Against COVID-19

April 7, 2020
News
amazon prime, charity, fleabag, nhs, phoebe waller bridge

(via Deadline)

Lots of people in comedy right now, especially the big timers, are figuring all sorts of innovative ways to raise money to support the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The brilliant, award-winning, deservingly celebrated Phoebe Waller-Bridge has opted to release a special recording of her solo show performance of Fleabag (which incidentally led her to making the groundbreaking, perfect two seasons of television by the same name).

This live stage production version of Fleabag will begin streaming on Amazon Prime for U.S. access on Fri., Apr. 10th for $5. Proceeds will go to supporting, “…The National Emergencies Trust, NHS Charities Together and Acting For Others, as well as the newly launched Fleabag Support Fund, which will distribute grants of £2,500 to freelancers working in the UK theatre industry affected by the crisis.”

Not that you needed another reason to watch an exclusive live version of Fleabag, but now it’s both for your own enjoyment/enlightenment and supporting organizations that very much need your help.

Paul Feig’s Powderkeg Looking to Feature “Shut In” Short Films Made in Quarantine

April 6, 2020
News
film festival, open call, paul feig, powderkeg media, short film

Depending on where you are in the world, you might have been locked down in your house for several weeks or even months at this point. With all of that time on your hands, especially if you’re part of the millions of people out of work, you might have gotten into baking, learning a foreign language, or even tried to make a comedic short film or sketch.

If you happened to have done the latter (or plan to do so), you’ll be happy to know that Paul Feig’s Powderkeg is looking for such short films/sketches to screen/spotlight as part of their new Shut In Short Films program. We will say that, having gotten a number sketches sent to us for potential posting here at TCB, if you are thinking about doing or sending sending up Tiger King, you will be far from alone in doing so.

Here are the details below:

“The guidelines are simple: Filmmakers grab a phone and make a comedic short inside the confines of where you are sheltering in place. Shorts should be under five minutes. Shorts will be screened by us and we will spotlight the filmmakers on our website and twitter/IG. You can email a link to your short at shutinshorts@powderkegmedia.com”

View this post on Instagram

Filmmakers and storytellers! My digital company Powderkeg has launched the Shut In Film Festival. We are looking to spotlight people who are getting creative while they are sheltering in place. For more info, visit powderkegmedia.com or head to @powderkegtv! We want to hear and see your voice!‬

A post shared by Paul Feig (@paulfeig) on Apr 3, 2020 at 6:50pm PDT

The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness To in No Particular Order of 2021

January 2, 2022
News

Believe it or not, just like we made it through 2021, there were 100 things in comedy that we loved that happened through this mostly wretched year (same as in 2020). Truth be told, we probably wouldn’t have made it through 2021 without these things and much love to all of them for being a collective life raft through the last 365 days.

Again, this is our 100 favorite things in comedy from 2021 in no particular order:

  1. Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar-If there were a time where we could use carefully crafted pure absurdity, it was this past year (and, well, the year before that and the year before that too). Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo delivered in the Airplane! of our time, Barb & Star.
  2. Danny Jolles: Six Parts-Jolles’ shows off the polish, shine, and craftsmanship of his extremely keen observations in a wonderful display of classical stand-up with 2021 sensibilities. All of its done in a beautifully non-traditional way in six different locations, none of which are some sort of gigantic theater paid for by Netflix.
  3. James Adomian’s Mike Lindell & Alan Watts-Adomian’s mastery of characters, especially those that operate on the perimeter of society, has not lost a step as Jimmy Kimmel Live hit him up repeatedly as My Pillow Founder Mike Lindell and James fully improvised as self-made mystic, Alan Watts.
  4. Search Party S5-This is a little unfair as season 5 hasn’t technically premiered yet, but we did get a special sneak preview of the first episode and the chaos that Search Party has risen to is funny in a way that answers the question, “How the hell are they going to top Dory getting kidnapped by a psychopath?”
  5. Shiva Baby-Emma Seligman’s feature length debut with a breakout performance from Rachel Sennott gives Curb Your Enthusiasm a run for its money in anxiety driven comedy centered around a Jewish character.
  6. Back to Life S2-Daisy Haggard’s second season takes the torch from season 1 in being one of the best written comedies in all of television that doesn’t get nearly enough praise (the other being What We Do In the Shadows)
  7. A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape by Joe Pera, illustrations by Joe Bennett-This book both doubles as a product for its intended purpose and a glaringly funny book about the emotional baggage we take to the bathroom with us that you don’t need to be in the restroom to enjoy.
  8. Kenice Mobley’s late night debut set on The Tonight Show-the very beginning of stand-up being reintroduced to late night started with very non-traditional sets done outside, because of COVID-19, and Mobley rose to the occasion (quite literally as she was on a roof) with a brilliant first late night set.
  9. Joe Kwaczala: 21 for 21-This is Kwaczala’s follow-up to 31 for 31 that raised money for East Hollywood Mutual Aid and brought the wonder of dozens of novelty honks into our lives.
  10. Jes Tom-Whether you need a comedic entry point to understanding non-binary identity or you want to hear whipsmart, slyly delivered material that proves that being “with the times” doesn’t hinder comedy, Jes is the comedian you need to go see. They also, in their material, have the best advice on sex that applies to everyone.
  11. Who Wants $2.69? with Martin Urbano-Urbano achieved a rare feat of taking a hit virtual comedy format and make it work in person. Urbano’s almost too-sly-for-its-own-good game show is so well written that you almost don’t care if people get the answers right.
  12. Addie Weyrich as Ted Cruz with Amnesia-Weyrich’s frustration with the Texas senator led her to this fever dream of a bit that has her interact with the audience as Ted Cruz, Memento style, trying to figure out who the hell they are at the discretion of an audience (that probably are not Cruz-heads to begin with).
  13. Nori Reed-Nori’s set throughout this year where she deftly put the audience on with “not telling a joke” has been a joy to watching all throughout 2021 (whenever it was safe enough to go see).
  14. Indefensible with Jena Friedman-Friedman continues to put forth work that is both crucial to cultural dialogue regarding malignant societal issues that’s necessary to have (in this case, murder) and amazing comedy that stares down the people she’s punching up at.
  15. Louis CK protest-Even though it he’s barely shown any sort of personal grievance for his crimes, Louis CK going back into the world to do stand-up as if everything’s (relatively) fine is getting normalized. When he played a quiet night at the Improv last year, there was a protest by mostly comedians not so quietly reminding Melrose Ave and a live-stream audience that this shouldn’t be normal. Also, everyone’s speech was a pretty damn funny set too.
  16. Zach Zucker & Stamptown-To our knowledge, there is no other regularly occurring comedy variety extravaganza that regularly plays LA & NYC and the UK to bring audiences, whether they’re in a backyard or in a proper theater, a grand whirlwind of characters, clowns, stand-ups from across the world.
  17. Dylan Adler-Dylan’s musical acrobatics are just one facet of his amazing act. It truly is just frosting on the cake of his honest, vulnerable, deeply personal (and slightly absurd) comedy.
  18. Hannah Pilkes-Pilkes was already on her way up in LA before she moved to NYC with her charmingly unhinged characters. From we saw last fall, she’s on the rise, and deservedly so, in and throughout the NYC scene.
  19. The Elysian-Kate Banford and many of the former stalwarts of the Lyric Hyperion from the before times have revived an old playhouse into one of LA’s most exciting, daring, and inventive comedy venues. It gives us hope for 2022 and beyond in LA.
  20. Holy Shit Improv-in the art form of comedy, long form improv might have had the hardest time of all in regards to trying to return to performing on stage in person, especially with the still uncertain fate of UCB hanging in the balance. Casey Feigh and company have made a DIY home at Silverlake Lounge that has brought many of LA’s very best improvisers to do what they do best in a dive bar.
  21. Clown Zoo-One of the greatest successes in outdoor comedy was Juzo Yoshida, Corey Podell, Courtney Pauroso, Max Baumgarten, Christina Catherine Martinez, Bill O’Neill, Ian Bratschie, Natalie Palamides, and Chad Damiani, (and live musical accompaniment from Jim Venable) gathering together every Wednesday at the Old LA Zoo in Griffith Park to do the wildest improvised mask show ever.
  22. Hannah Einbinder‘s bit about testifying in Congress as a baseball coach and Trees in LA-Einbinder has really upped the precision with her writing and performance, which we already loved. That has become more evident with the amount of detail, depth, and fervor about how she couldn’t help but testify in Congress as little league coach and how much LA city planners of years past screwed up with the trees they chose to plant throughout the Greater LA Area.
  23. Robin Tran-Robin Tran really arrived in 2021 via just being her non-stop funny self on stage, taking down Chappelle a few notches, and being one of the few Twitter accounts that make it worth still being on Twitter.
  24. Emily Wilson-we only had to hear the sweet melodies, catchy hooks, and sweet, sweet satire of Emily Wilson a couple of times to know that we’re on board for whatever the hell she wants to sing about (including impulse buying small gifts for yourself)
  25. Tim Platt‘s Three Nights of Wedding Speeches-Platt put together a handful of nights that curated NYC’s very best to do a character out-of-left field giving some sort of wedding speech at Life World. It was so fun that we almost missed in-person weddings that were postponed because of COVID-19 for a second.
  26. Sean Patton‘s Abortion Bit-We’re well aware that we’re shouting out a man for a bit about abortion, but Sean’s bit is just that good. Go see him live the next chance you get to see it (we wouldn’t dare to try to write it from memory here and present it out of context).
  27. Sara Schaefer‘s Evening at the Haha Hole-The extremely talented Sara Schaefer loves to do miniatures and, in this time of the pandemic, has built a miniature replica comedy club with all the accoutrements she affectionally called “The Haha Hole”. Schaefer then preceded to do virtual shows while puppeting dolls accompanied by the voices of actual comedians doing stand-up . Then, right before this latest period of shows going away, Sara did a live, in-person version of this show at The Elysian that was such a hysterical trip where the audiences got to see comedians live on stage, the Haha Hole being controlled by Sara and company, and a screen where the miniature action was projected live on screen. This made for golden moments including when Robin Tran made fun of the white doll audience member in the Haha Hole for not reacting to any of her material.
  28. Rory Scovel improvising his whole set live at Largo-We saw what Rory was capable of in his docu-special Live Without Fear when performing 1000% improvised stand-up. Getting to see Rory do it up close was as special as you could ever imagine it to be.
  29. James Austin Johnson‘s debut on Saturday Night Live-It has been quite some time since someone so perfect for SNL was given the canvas to play with on Saturday Night Live right from the get go. James Austin Johnson’s debut was very much that and JAJ shined beautifully.
  30. Roy Wood Jr.-Even in seeing Roy work out his latest hour for Comedy Central at Caveat, Roy proved that he is flat out one of the best comedians we have working today and certainly one of the funniest voices on The Daily Show (even if he’s not the host).
  31. A.J. Holmes: Yeah, But Not Right Now-Holmes’ musical solo show revels in his virtuoso multi-instrumental abilities and goes as deep as it can come to show off the human condition through his flawed relationships through extremely clever songwriting.
  32. Grace Freud & Merry Goodnight-There was a beautiful few weeks in 2021 where Steven Kreager, Kate McCarthy, Andrew Friedman, and Grace Freud found the tiniest backyard they could find in Highland Park and put on one hell of a midnight variety show (even the powerpoint presentations were something of the most delightfully bizarre things we’ve ever seen).
  33. Sean Devlin’s Airports, Animals.-Devlin’s debut comedy album is delivered in such a literally calming and measured voice that you, upon initial listening, might not catch on to how subversive, radical, and funny Devlin’s comedy really is.
  34. Atsuko Okatsuka’s Corden set-Atsuko ascent into comedy stardom continues and this splendid set on The Late Late Show is more proof of that/long overdue.
  35. Valley Heat-While we admittedly took a sabbatical from podcasts for most of the pandemic to listen to sad music, the going-ons of the Rancho Equestrian District in Burbank, CA, complete with a litany of local ads that utilize full length original rock songs for jingles, in Christian Duguay’s universe known as Valley Heat were a necessary exception that is one of the best scripted podcasts we’ve ever heard.
  36. Ziwe on Showtime-Ziwe conquered 2020 with Baited on IG Live and then did the very same with an eponymous show on Showtime. She manifested her own iconic status because, well, Ziwe is just that damn good.
  37. Too Soon Comedy after 9/11-The exhaustive documenting of the journey of comedy touching on 9/11 from 9/11 itself to now is illuminating on almost every level. Julie Seabaugh and Nick Fituri Scown made one of the best docs of 2021, let alone in comedy.
  38. Maria Bakalova getting an Oscar nomination-Bakalova’s star-making performance in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earning an Oscar nomination is a move that shows that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is doing at least one thing right.
  39. Ester Steinberg: Burning Bush-Comedians weren’t ever supposed to do stand-up to people who were in their cars in an open parking lot, but Ester absolutely killed in her debut special taped last Summer at the Rose Bowl in such a non-ideal environment.
  40. Bo Burnham: Inside-Bo Burnham’s return to making music inside after becoming an acclaimed filmmaker was one of the very few specials made during the pandemic that will very much stand the test of time.
  41. Jo Firestone: Good Timing-The endearing charm of Jo Firestone teaching old folks how to do stand-up and then having them do a showcase live is the sort of heartwarming yet mischievous comedy that we live for.
  42. White Lotus-Mike White manages to one-up his satire of humanity on Enlightened with the gorgeous dramedy that is White Lotus.
  43. Patti Harrison on Kimmel-the shell shock of the pandemic made most late night interviews more awkward than they already were in the before times. Patti rose above and nailed a late night interview that regales us all with why Patti is sadly banned from Twitter forever.
  44. Megan Stalter‘s Human By Orientation HBO Max special-Stalter’s devil may care antics on stage were captured by HBO in their Human By Orientation queer-centric series and it was a big treat to see Meg comically direct an audience on what seemed like the top of a parking structure somewhere in LA.
  45. What We Do in the Shadows S3-Any awards that have take consideration for comedy at all should be ashamed at themselves for not properly honoring TV’s best pure comedy at every possible opportunity. Season 3, just like season 2 was at the start of the pandemic, was a saving grace for when it aired this year.
  46. Graham Kay’s set on The Tonight Show-we were thrilled to see that Graham’s wit and edge have survived fully intact to this side of the pandemic for a great set, in-person, on The Tonight Show.
  47. Sampson McCormick-McCormick’s entire presence, inviting Southern drawl included, is so pleasantly disarming. Together, it all ratchets up the humor of all his stories and experiences navigating life in the South as a gay black man.
  48. Scout Durwood’s Comedy Electronica Vol. 2-Durwood’s follow-up to Comedy Electronica Vol. 1 gets darker and more existential and juxtaposes that with the sheen of electronica-forward pop music serving as a great answer of how to make great comedy without a live audience in this time.
  49. The Big One-there’s a new comedy house in LA, mostly comprised of very funny Chicago transplants. From the start, they’ve already got an amazing comedy house show that keeps LA’s long standing house comedy show tradition alive and well. *photo by @justoffthesix
  50. Hacks-For our money, Hacks is the best look at the inner workings of stand-up depicted in a TV series in addition to having Jean Smart making herself a household name once again and putting Hannah Einbinder in the spotlight for a career making role. Also, Meg Stalter steals pretty much every scene she’s in.
  51. Ben Roy’s Take That Sandwich-Roy’s first album since COVID-19 hit is a much needed one as Roy’s expertise in drawing the comedy out of sheer darkness is near unparalleled.
  52. Alex Falcone’s Colbert set-Let this debut late night set be remembered for both its tight jokes and unshakeable take on “the friend zone”.
  53. The George Lucas Talk Show-Though Connor Ratliff and company didn’t live-stream GLTS as much as they did in 2020, it was still the undeniable juggernaut live-stream event whenever it decided to pop up to do some deeply ambitious marathon of some kind on Planet Scum Live.
  54. The Neil Hamburger Event-Neil Hamburger returned to stage this year at Zebulon, since his long time home of The Satellite has sadly disappeared, and is better than ever with Neil riffing a bit with his special guests as opposed to just doing very blue one-liners about bands and celebrities.
  55. Petey DeAbreu-The mere presence of Petey means that there is a damn good party happening and his unflappable sense of fun should be even more treasured than it already is.
  56. Andrés du Bouchet’s Poseidon’s Retreat-the extensive and fantastical character work by Andrés du Bouchet did not fail us during lockdown. Du Bouchet, one of the few performers that could put out a great piece of comedy album/special without a live audience, released this studio comedy album that featured his peculiar, but marvelous monologues and our perspective on radio ads for casinos are changed forever.
  57. Ten Year Old Tom-Steve Dildarian’s latest animated series shows that Bart Simpson isn’t the only animated 10 year old who can get in a bunch of trouble and have it be a laugh riot.
  58. The Other Two S2-Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider offer up more evidence that they are some of the best comedy writers around with one of the best casts (Drew Tarver, Heléne Yorke, Molly Shannon, and Ken Marino) with their second round of The Other Two.
  59. Humour Resouces with Jon Dore-Jon Dore being reimagined as an HR rep for “comedy” as a whole is very ingenious as a concept, but the actual execution of it is a testament to Dore’s comedy chops and ability to pretty much never break.
  60. Sophie Buddle’s Corden set-Buddle is poised to be Canada’s next great comedy export and it starts with this set on The Late Late Show
  61. PEN15 S2, Part 2-The pandemic cut into the middle of the production and release of season 2 of PEN15, but the wait was more than worth it. Anna and Maya, once more, had us all intensely laughing and crying at carefully measured cringe humor and then masterfully tugging at our heart strings at the very same time.
  62. Zach Zimmerman-The polish and zippiness of Zach’s sharply drawn observations about his life and times during COVID-19 makes you almost forget the fact comedians largely had to not perform live in front of people for over a year and might have lost a step or two. His powerpoint about his anti-vax mother is a perfect example of why comedy about the pandemic and virus are not only necessary, but healing.
  63. Femmedy Trio-the harmonies and folksy arrangements of Dahlya Glick, Stacey Hardke, and Gabi Van Horn are the lure that brings you in for precocious feminist-leaning anthems. It was a pleasure to hear them once more at the Yard Theater right before shows went dark again.
  64. Goopy with Anna Seregina and Kyle Mizono-Anna and Kyle might very well be one of the best duos in comedy right now, end of discussion. Their freewheeling sense of fun and penchant for organized chaos made for what will be the only holiday play we’ll tolerate (we’re not big fans of the holiday season at TCB, FYI).
  65. Naomi Ekperigin‘s new half hour-Of the half hours that Netflix just put out with the third season of The Standups, Naomi is an absolute must-see. Ekperigin’s frustration derived from this time feels universal and is channeled in such hilarious way.
  66. All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks-The most genius of comedic geniuses wrote a memoir and that’s pretty much all you need to know.
  67. The kid from C’mon C’mon-Woody Norman has a beyond stand-out performance as Jesse in Mike Mills’ latest film C’mon C’mon. He stands tall next to the one and only Joaquin Phoenix the whole time, which has to be a rare feat for adults to even pull off. Though not really a comedy or even a dramedy, so many of Woody’s moments had us doubled over laughing in the theater.
  68. Jessica Watkins’ docu-special: SPECIALish-Capturing the process of creating, developing, making comedy will always be elusive to a great degree. Watkins walking across America in an attempt to make a comedy special and then, subsequently, making a documentary about that gives that rare look into the ephemeral nature of not only trying to write jokes, but the creative process as a whole, especially when processing trauma.
  69. John Oliver’s Sex Blanket prank–Last Week Tonight has made it their business to put their money where their very sarcastic mouth is and their sex blanket prank on local TV outlets to show the ease with which to buy quality air time for a non-vetted product was one of their very best.
  70. Babs Gray’s If I Did It-Babs’ album is one of a handful of releases in 2021 that was recorded in the before times and then released in the thick of the pandemic. Gray blends her fondness for being unabashedly silly with personal truths in a hysterical hour that will be a great listen even though we’ll never live like it’s 2019 ever again.
  71. Michael Cruz Kayne-NYC’s Cruz Kayne first dazzled us up on the roof of a parking structure even though he’s a very decorated, award winning comedy writer. His balance of being prickly and sincere and smooth in his delivery of personal material won us over right then and there.
  72. Brody Stevens Day-The City of Los Angeles has deemed August 18th or 8/18 as Brody Stevens Day, one of the most beloved figures in the LA comedy scene. #818forever.
  73. Search Party S4-The fourth season of Search Party doesn’t even closely resemble season 1 and yet, Search Party creators, Charles Rogers and Sarah Violet Bliss, still maintain the same mysterious allure of this rare comedic thriller series while upping the stakes to the nth degree.
  74. Blair Socci’s Corden set-The voice of Blair Socci holds such power that you can’t help but be enthralled with her every word. Just watch this set and you’ll know.
  75. Don’t Look Up-Adam McKay’s latest work as an auteur might be his darkest and most outlandish yet (only because it hasn’t come true thus far). This impending doom comedy that’s (barely) an allegory for the rampant denial of science throughout the U.S. finds howling laughs in the stark absurdity of people ignoring clear and present danger that they can see with their own two eyes.
  76. Fern Brady: Power & Chaos-This debut special from Scotland’s Fern Brady continues the grand Scottish comedy tradition of being clever in the darkest way possible.
  77. Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster-Gaffigan serves up his edgiest special yet that spices in bits of the reality we’ve been faced with in 2020 and 2021 amongst more of his signature jokes about his gigantic family and food.
  78. How To with John Wilson S2-season 2 of How To With John Wilson somehow manages to be more human than the first round of the series. Wilson focuses his lens on his own personal journey both in past and present, often resulting in an altered future punctuated by the perfect visual punchlines.
  79. Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees-Long long ago, when COVID was, at best, a non-sense word, we saw Novak work out her hit solo show Get on Your Knees before it became the sensation it was clearly destined to be. Seeing it again on Largo’s Coronet stage was amazing on so many levels as Novak has just as much (maybe even more) jubilation with performing Get On Your Knees than we remember and the lyrical beauty of her diction and syntax still, after all the time that passed since we last saw it, be so poetic and funny at the same time.
  80. Mentally Al-Josh Edelman might have had one of the best portraits of a brilliant comedian that gets in their own way that has ever been put into a documentary.
  81. Wellington Paranormal-Stemming from the movie What We Do In the Shadows and the hit spin-off TV series on FX, this spin-off series from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi follows the police side of things while all this paranormal hijinks run amok with the same ingenious sense of humor as the other parts of this WWDITS cinematic universe. That said, we actually hope this is truly the makings of a WWDITSCU.
  82. The Mitchells vs. The Machines-Credit to Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe for blending the terror of the singularity and artificial intelligence becoming the end of the human race into an adorable family comedy, rivaling anything Disney Pixar put out in the last year or so.
  83. Sarah Squirm’s The Sarah Vaccine-Before officially being credited as Sarah Sherman on Saturday Night Live, Sarah Squirm created her most hysterically grotesque work to date with The Sarah Vaccine, which, we really hope, was the main thing that got her on SNL (and that she’ll get to do something like that on the show soon).
  84. James Acaster: cold lasagne i hate myself 1999-Acaster’s best hour yet puts the old comedy guard in the UK (and elsewhere) in check, especially when it comes to the prospect of finding comedy in compassion versus punching down. Yet again, it’s another hour of comedy that we saw worked out pre-pandemic that has blossomed into something even more exciting and comedically satisfying than we remember.
  85. River Butcher’s Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootleg-River Butcher changed their name a few times throughout the pandemic, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is a must-listen to album, especially when it comes to jokes about being non-binary.
  86. Chris Gethard: Half My Life-Though Gethard has made a career out of being a podcaster via Beautiful Anonymous, Half My Life shows that Gethard’s bones are still in comedy. This special that possibly takes cues from the structure of Sandler’s 100% Fresh and Attell’s Road Work is a wonderful (and very funny) love letter to stand-up comedy (and hopefully the reason that Chris will keep doing it for years to come).
  87. Brian Simpson-The combination of the minimalist presence and writerly comedy of Simpson reminds a bit of Dave Attell, but Brian sets himself apart by even going further into very cogent observations in a magnificently obsessive way. Go see his half-hour on Netflix if you haven’t done so repeatedly already.
  88. Tig Notaro: Drawn-Animating stand-up bits has been done for years, but an entire special was not a precedent that had been set until the trailblazing Tig Notaro opted for it with her hour special this year, Drawn. The pandemic made animation a more optimal choice for all of television, but the very choice animation style and direction suited Tig’s storytelling and wry delivery perfectly.
  89. The One and Only Dick Gregory-Gregory is a pioneer as a comedian, activist, and black artist. He’s all of those together and separately and could have a documentary just covering those facets of his life separately. This Showtime deep dive doc does a spectacular job highlighting why his name should be more common in conversation when discussing the all time greats of comedy.
  90. Limbo-The timely story of seeking asylum from Syria gets superbly accented by writer/director Ben Sharrock with all the strangeness of small town life in Scotland.
  91. The Super Bob Einstein Movie-physical comedy icon Bob Einstein AKA Super Dave Osborne gets lovingly memorialized by his closest friends and contemporaries in this HBO comedy doc. If you’ve not had the chance to go on a YouTube deep dive of Bob Einstein or only have seen him on Curb Your Enthusiasm, watch this to gain full appreciation of the breadth of Einstein’s comedy career.
  92. Abbott Elementary-Quinta Brunson balances her less-than-ideal personal experience at an underfunded public elementary school with the sort of humor that lovingly highlights why we need to put more money into education ASAP.
  93. Notes from the Bathroom Line-Amy Solomon assembled so many of comedy’s funniest women to make for one of the best collections of written comedy work in recent memory.
  94. It Never Ends by Tom Scharpling-the life and times of Tom Scharpling in this memoir are a great example of how the paths to comedy greatness are infinite and can almost never be foretold (mostly because they’re so damn windy and all over the place).
  95. The Glendale Room-Sean Casey might have created the coziest comedy venue in existence with the adorably book-accented (and we mean book-accented) and intimate Glendale Room.
  96. Laurie Kilmartin’s Corset-By Zoom, drive-in show, or impromptu outdoor venue, Kilmartin kept her comedy chops as sharp as they’ve ever were in pre-pandemic times and this album is a testament to Kilmartin being one of the best comedians we’ve got, especially when the times we live in are undeniably dark.
  97. Alice Hamilton-On an almost seemingly random weekday night at an overly hip taco shop, we got to see Alice for the very first time dish out her acutely and deftly written jokes on race and class while also de-escalating the tension brought from a massively drunk heckler and have been enjoying seeing her deservedly pop up on nearly every stage in LA ever since.
  98. Ladies Who Ranch-Together, Kelly Cooper, Sophie Zucker, Maya Sharma, Caroline Yost, and Caitlin Dullea are not only a multi-faceted comedy troupe that dazzles when doing either improv or sketch as Ladies Who Ranch, but are, for our money, the NYC group to watch closely right now.
  99. Joy Ride with Bobcat Goldthwait & Dana Gould-Part stand-up special, part live tour doc, part couples therapy, alternative comedy giants Bobcat Goldthwait and Dana Gould make one hell of a concert film following their tour together that just happened under the wire of lockdown from COVID-19.
  100. I Think You Should Leave S2-Tim Robinson has solidified his place in sketch and absurdist comedy history with showing what he could do when giving free reign to do sketches about coffin flops and complicated shirts for men.

OH, HELLO: the P’dcast Is Officially Here to Win the Quarantine

April 6, 2020
News
george st geegland, gil faizon, john mulaney, nick kroll, oh hello

Nick Kroll and John Mulaney’s indelible creations, Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland, return once again to bring us the best of their geriatric tomfoolery and charming pronunciations with a podcast (definitely an essential business right now).

Called OH, HELLO: the P’dcast, Faizon and St. Geegland pick up where they left off with a supposed podcast project they had started years ago (back when they just had their acclaimed Broadway run and Netflix special). Already, there’s plenty of mischief afoot from just the trailer and ep. 1 and we have no doubt that more of anything from Kroll and Mulaney will help us keep calm and “win the quarantine”.

Get into Oh, Hello: the P’Cast now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Ian Abramson’s 7 Minutes in Purgatory Gave a Preview of What Comedy Would Be Like During COVID-19 Pandemic

April 9, 2020
News
bobcat goldthwait, comedy central, experimental comedy, ian abramson, jon dore, maria bamford, michelle buteau, stand up comedy

When it comes to comedians performing without a traditional audience like is the temporary norm for now, you might have heard references to comedy specials recorded years ago from Drew Michael or Harland Williams (Michael recorded it on a sound stage for HBO and Williams stood on a rock in the desert and did his hour).

We’d actually like to point you to something that is an even more apt comparison and a pretty spot on precursor to what how live comedy is performed and consumed right now. The ever innovative Ian Abramson put himself on the map a bit with ultra-innovative (at the time) live comedy show called 7 Minutes in Purgatory where comedians had to perform remotely, though near an actual venue without any chance to hear the laughs of the live audience that was in attendance for the show.

For the crowd, they were treated to watching a live feed of the comedian in the remote performance space and got to watch them try and perform. If you’ve seen a stand-up comedy show on Twitch, Instagram Live, Zoom, etc., you ought to know that 7 Minutes in Purgatory gave us a preview (even though it was unaware of doing so) of what was to come.

It was and is a great show and a daring comedic experiment that had comics recalibrate their act, try a daring bit that leans into the format, or automatically go into uber self-deprecation (exactly like they do now).

As an artifact of the before times, it’s even more fascinating to see what doing comedy in the way we have to do right now was like when we didn’t have to do that.

Get into the Comedy Central digital series version of 7 Minutes of Purgatory, that includes performances from Michelle Buteau, Jon Dore, Maria Bamford, Bobcat Goldthwait & Caitlin Gill, and more here.

Chris Garcia Shares His Experience Performing Stand-Up via Live-Stream with LA Times

April 6, 2020
News
chris garcia, la times, live stream stand up

By this point, you have had to dip into at least one comedy live-stream somewhere just to, if nothing else, satisfy your curiosity as to what comedy is right now, will be for some weeks to come, and what will undoubtedly have an undeniable effect on live comedy going forward.

It’s a strange sight to see comedians in their homes, apartments, parts of apartments that they live in and perform stand-up, often while seated, to any number of live-streaming platforms. Yet, despite the lack of a live audience (unless you’re doing/watching it on Zoom), live comedy can indeed work in this unprecedented set-up, especially when almost everyone could use a break from the non-stop news about COVID-19.

To this point, the LA Times sat down, remotely, with Chris Garcia (one of our absolute local favorites and one of the hosts of LA comedy scene staple, The Business) to interview him about how he’s making performing comedy in such strange way really work for him. Watch the interview here.

October 24, 2010
Uncategorized
bureau, comedy, los angeles

The Comedy Bureau.  That’s all you need to know for now.

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The Greater LA Comedy Landscape

October 24, 2010
Uncategorized
comedy, los angeles

The Greater LA Comedy Landscape

The Comedy Bureau has its eye on LA Comedy like the Eye of Sauron did on Middle Earth, though without the destruction of mankind/spread evil part.

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The Ultimate Free & Cheap LA Comedy List 10/24-10/30

October 24, 2010
Uncategorized
cheap, comedy, free, los angeles, wisepix

The Ultimate Free & Cheap LA Comedy List 10/24-10/30

Want to know where all those secret shows are where you can see the country’s best comedians in Los Angeles for free/pretty damn close to free?  

1) Those shows aren’t really secret.

2) You just saw the link, so all that’s left to do is click.

3) This message might self-destruct in an unspecified amount of time.

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Morning Debriefing 10/26/10

October 26, 2010
Uncategorized
anne frankly, comedy, keep it clean, la, morning debriefing, public house

1) Keep It Clean @ 1739 Public House was “on” last night w/ JC Coccoli regulating both comedically and on the juke box guy who keeps breaking her equipment.  In case you missed it, WHICH YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE, Nimesh Patel, Kyle Dunnigan, Mike Burns, Kevin Kataoka, Nick Vatterott, Matty Goldberg, Heather Thomson, Yassir Lester, and a special sneak-in drop-in by TJ Miller all kept the laughs rolling heartily for those night owl Los Feliz hipsters for completely FREE!!  AND IN THIS ECONOMY…. RIGHT?  

2) The newly minted webseries “Anne, Frankly” is, as co-creator/temporarily LA comedienne Jamie Lee would say, “FRANTASTIC the 3rd!!!”  Seriously, it’s amazing, especially if you’ve ever wondered what Anne Frank’s vlog would look like.  Brought to you by Jamie Lee & Shawn Pearlman.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK7a8g8AYCY&feature=related

3) Doing 6 minutes of stand up at an open mic in between ultra indie/hipster bands is every bit as hard as you can possibly imagine, especially when you wrote a brand spanking new 10 minutes just an hour before. 

4) The newly formed Comedy Bureau will literally have its hand, the one with the mic in it, on the pulse of LA Comedy.  So come back, comics and real people, frequently to see what’s up with what’s funny in the city with no center.

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Morning Debriefing 10/27/10

October 27, 2010
Uncategorized
abbey londer, andy peters, anna lee lawson comedy hour, barry rothbart, beer in the shower, comedy, dave ross, eli olsberg, jackie kashian, jake weisman, la, meltdown, morning debriefing, nick vatterott, Punk House, shayne michael, sweet and sour comedy

1) Last night, Sweet and Sour Comedy @ Genghis Cohen proved why you shouldn’t miss ANY of the three remaining shows produced/hosted/rocked by Abbey Londer, her theatre degree, and her “poor decision making skills” most recently on display on a trip to NYC.  Seeing Jackie Kashian, Andy Peters, Dave Ross, and Nick Vatterott performing together at a Chinese restaurant was exactly what I needed after getting a parking ticket at 1AM the early morning previous.  Next show on Nov. 9th/7:30PM/$5/free for comics/with Adam Hunter/3rd to last ‘Sweet & Sour Comedy’ ever.  Basically, don’t miss it unless you really hate being happy.

2) The nebulous, disparate nature of Los Angeles makes performing/writing about LA Comedy extremely hard (that’s NOT what she said/followed by the sound of someone playing Russian Roulette).  Fellow Long Beach comedian Shayne Michael takes on the task by giving a plethora of comedic insights and resources that are absolutely invaluable.  Please check out shayne-michael.com.

3) If your dream was to do a “comedy crawl” of seeing great shows on Wednesday October 27th, 2010, you can.  Though, it won’t be so much of a crawl with all the driving you’ll have to do.  You can start off w/ “Barry Rothbart’s Evening of Evening Comedy”, 6:30PM @ UCB Theatre, then go to “The Meltdown”, 8:30PM @ Meltdown Comics, then go to “The Ed Ghoulvez Haunted Punk House”, 9PM @ The Westside Comedy Theater, then go to “Beer in the Shower”, 10PM @ White Horse Inn Cocktail Lounge, and finish it off with “The Anna Lee Lawson Comedy Hour”, 11PM @ The Next Stage Theatre.  You’re welcome.

4) Comedy and Pornography.  That never happens, right?  Thanks to Eli Olsberg & Jake Weisman of the Morning After Podcast and special guest co-host Dave Ross for combining Comedy and LA Exxxotica 2010.

5) As of late, many comedians have been getting horribly inconsequential citations from LA Parking Enforcement or the LAPD.  Petition for Late Night Performers Parking Permit anyone?

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Morning Debriefing 10/28/10

October 28, 2010
Uncategorized
andre hyland, anna lee lawson comedy hour, beer in the shower, chris adams, comedy, comedy garage, drinking buddies, eddie pepitone, fortune feimster, halloween, jerry brandt, jerry rocha, jesse miller, la, morning debriefing, nick vatterott, open mic, paul danke, Señor Fish, shawn pearlman, tim babb

1) Despite showing up late, Beer in the Shower @ White Horse Inn Cocktail Lounge, catching Nick Vatterott and Jerry Rocha w/host Paul Danke was THE WAY to close out a Wednesday night especially if someone said about everything you’ve written a few hours earlier, “I don’t understand any of your fuckin’ shit, man.  What the hell is going on your head? I can tell you don’t sleep.  You should sleep and stop writing.”  If only I skipped my screenwriter’s group, I would have caught the hilarity of Shawn Pearlman, Eddie Pepitone, and Fortune Feimster.  Catch Beer in the Shower every Wednesday, 10PM @ White Horse.

2) Just because its miles outside of LA proper, doesn’t mean that there’s nothing funny about Long Beach.  Comedians Chris Adams and Jerry Brandt prove that in spades and THEN SOME with their weekly podcast Drinking Buddies.  This week, longtime LA comedy vet Don Barris and the hilarious Tim Babb talk everything from comedy to Disneyland to rape and, of course, drinking.  See how everything connects here. 

3) “Jesse Miller.  Straight up.” –Andre Hyland.  Every few weeks at the AMAZING Anna Lee Lawson Comedy Hour @ The Next Stage Theatre, Andre Hyland transforms into Jesse Miller and takes over with the Jesse Miller Talk Show (next one’s in November).  Check out Jesse on a Trikke.  Again, it’s straight up.

4) From the World Famous Comedy Garage, quintessential hipster LA comedian Paul Danke gives you some advice on Halloween costumes so you don’t look totally lame, unless you’re being ironic, well, then, you know what I mean….  Check it on Funny or Die here.

5) There will be a brand new open mic in town at Señor Fish in Little Tokyo starting Nov. 9th. Happy hour w/$3 beers & $2 fish tacos and more details coming soon.

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Post Brunch Update 10/29/10

October 29, 2010
Uncategorized
212 cafe, a stand up guy, amy dresner, comedy, eli braden, genghis cohen, hampton yount, kas comedy etc show, la, lizzy cooperman, long beach, morning debriefing, moving arts theatre, open mics, our secret comedy den, post brunch update, proshofosho, rape joker, rick shapiro, ron babcock, sandwich spot, santa monica, Señor Fish, silverlake, stood up friday night, tko show, ultimate free and cheap la comedy list, venice, wisepix

1) To all those pining for some decent stage time, the Sandwich Spot and TKO show open mics give you a nice run of trying out material/“build character”.  Every Thursday, you can get two spots in one go.  The Sandwich Spot @ 3101 Ocean Park, Santa Monica, CA, Sign up at 6:30PM, Starts at 7PM.  TKO Show @ 212 Cafe, 212 Pier Ave., Venice, CA.  Starts at 9PM and ends whenever no one else wants to go up because it’s a 24 hr cafe (Why LA hasn’t figured out to have more 24 hr venues?).

2) Ulitimate Free & Cheap LA Comedy List 10/31-11/6.  Enough said.  Thanks Wisepix.

3) Amongst the ranks of LA’s funniest, Ron Babcock and Lizzy Cooperman star in the short film “A Stand Up Guy” directed by Sarah Rose Bergman and written by Sarah Rose Bergman & Sara Mattison.  Part of the New Filmmakers LA Screenings @ Sunset Gower Studios. $5. 6:15PM. 1438 N. Gower St., Hollywood, CA.  If Ron Babcock and Lizzy Cooperman have anything to do with it, you will laugh guaranteed, repeatedly, over and over and over.

4) Comedy Crawl for 10/29/10.  Go to watch “A Stand Up Guy” like I told you above, then Eli Braden Live @ Genghis Cohen 8PM/w Hampton Yount, then Stood Up Friday Night @ Moving Arts Theatre 10PM, then ProShoFoSho @ Our Secret Comedy Den w/Amy Dresner & Rick Shapiro 11PM.

5) If you more of a taste for one of the longest running open mics in the LA area and a show, meaning (especially for you comics) go up, then see some free comedy all in one place, try going down to iCandy in Long Beach for the Kerry Arnold Stevens Comedy Etc. Show.  Sign ups @ 6:30PM. Starts @ 7PM.  Show from 8:35PM to 10:35PM w/ Mark Fernandez, Gina Rodgers, and music from Judson & Mary. 1708 E. Broadway Ave. Long Beach, CA.

6) Señor Fish. Nov. 9th. A big bad new open mic will be in town.  More details to come soon.

7) Though several months ago, this moment in comedy history happened.

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Morning Debriefing 10/30/10

October 30, 2010
Uncategorized
attic theatre, brody stevens, comedy, comedy etc, from the crypt: a retro horror revue, hollywood, hollywood improv, howard kremer, icandy, la, long beach, morning debriefing, ogre mage, robot seizure, ron lynch, rory scovel, shayne michael, silverlake, silverlake lounge, space boners, tomorrow show, ucb theatre, you only live twice

1) For those open mic connoiseurs, the iCandy open mic along with the accompanying Kerry Arnold Stevens Comedy Etc. Show actually achieves a rare feat by leaving you FEELING ACTUALLY GOOD after you leave as opposed to most open mics where you feel DEAD INSIDE after waiting over 2 hours for 5 minutes or less of unavoidable bombing.  With an intimate set-up, a prize raffle, and a great host in veteran Long Beach comedian Shayne Michael, iCandy open mic/K.A.S. Comedy Etc. Show is definitely worth it.  Every Friday, starting at 7PM, K.A.S. Comedy Etc. Show at 8PM w/open mic continuing after.

2) The Comedy Crawl for tonight (if you can physically be in multiple places at one time): Space Boners Halloween Show: Ogre Mage Debut @ Silverlake Lounge at 7PM FREE w/costume contest and $1 sword raffle, then An Evening with Brody Stevens @ the Hollywood Improv w/Brody Stevens, Howard Kremer, and Rory Scovel $18 and 2 item min., then Robot Seizure @ The Attic Theatre 8PM FREE w/one drink min., then, simultaneously, From the Crypt: A Retro Horror Revue @ the UCB Theatre $5 AND Tomorrow w/ Ron Lynch presents “You Only Live Twice” @ The Steve Allen Theater $8.  

3) Coming soon to the Comedy Bureau: “Bureau Approved” L.A. Open Mic Map/Calendar & expanded and infinitely more detailed Greater LA Comedy Landscape.

4) Again, remember, remember, the 9th of November…  Señor Fish in Little Tokyo is going to have a brand new open mic and, in case you haven’t guessed, I’m running it. So far, I’m going to raffle off 2, count’em just like a car salesman, 2 “15 minute drop-in spots” for the following week.  Pretty good, right?  NO!! 15 MINUTES IN LA IS F’N GOLD!!!  Again more details coming soon.

5) I thought it was a good thing if other comics referenced your act until someone referenced it by singing a song called “I’ll Never Get Laid”.

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Nightly Bulletin 10/31/10

October 31, 2010
Uncategorized
burbank, calendars, comedy, dominic dierkes, echo park, flappers, french toast, hollywood, josh fadem, la, laugh drink repeat, morning debriefing, schtick or treat, taix, ucb

1) Last night was seeming reserved for “getting material” as opposed to actually performing or seeing one of the many damn good shows around town.  Let’s just say, I got plenty of material spending a few hours in the early morning hours of Halloween at an El Tacos Gavilan… and none of it was pretty… UNLESS YOU MEAN PRETTY HILARIOUS!!!  (seriously, it was quite painful seeing, out of the corner of my eye, obese-trying-way-too-hard-to-be-slutty-girl-devil snarfing down a tray full of greasy, greasy carne asada tacos).

2) Though you’re probably already wearing your costume tour de force ready to destroy Halloween parties across LA county with how ingenious and clever it is, there is still some ghoulish-ly FANTASTIC comedy to go on a Comedy Crawl with Laugh. Drink. Repeat. @ Flappers 7:30PM $10/2 drink min., then the amazing Schtick or Treat @ Taix 8:30PM FREE, where several comedians go as several more successful comedians and do their act (sidenote: I’m on this show), then Nighttime w/Dominic Dierkes @ UCB Theatre 9:30PM $5 (stand-by only), then end the night at another late night Mexican hole in the wall taco stand because I really want this to become a bit/hate myself.

3) Ever find yourself just wanting to seeing comedy with utter desperation, but can’t really navigate through comedy club websites to find what the hell is going on? There’s a new feature from the Comedy Bureau that address that extremely specific annoyance AND it’s right here, a page w/links to every frequent comedy venue calendar in LA, except Largo’s as there site is completely Flash based, but I’ll figure out a work around. Again, this amazing innovation for all you LA Comedy denizens is right here.

4) LA Comedian/pratfall extraordinaire Josh Fadem can’t control himself on Halloween.  Funny or Die agrees.  Check it out here.

5) You should probably give the guy who says that he’s dressed up as a “happier version of himself if he could afford therapy and it actually worked” a break.  He’s probably going through something.  Maybe he can’t afford an ironically obscure costume or a costume at all or maybe he’s just trying to make up for that one year when he was 8 and dressed up as the Washington Monument and didn’t understand the phallic significance of what he was doing.  Just give him a break. OK?

6) Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Open Mic @ Señor Fish. Nov. 9th. 6:30PM. Past the point of no return, so it DEFINITELY has to be AWESOME!!!  More details will be leaked day by day.

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Morning Debriefing 11/1/10

November 1, 2010
Uncategorized
1739  public house, allen strickland williams, barbara gray, brandie posey, calendars, comedy, comedy crawl, crash test, dave ross, echo park, eric dadourian, french toast, ground zero usc, heidi hayward, hollywood, hotel cafe, hotel comedy, j-spot, jared moskowitz, keep it clean, la, los feliz, margie kment, nick rutherford, open mics, robert buscemi, schtick or treat, shayne michael, taix, tribal cafe

1) Schtick or Treat @ Taix made the word “epic” seem a woeful and paltry adjective in attempting to describe what was one of the best times I’ve ever had a comedy show.  Even though there were over 30 performers, it was the epitome of a “good ol’ time” the whole way through.  Seriously, what other show in LA can you see “Steve Martin”,“Russell Brand”, “Carrot Top”, “Eddie Pepitone”, “Sarah Silverman”, “Rowdy Roddy Piper”, “Kyle Kinane”, “Gilbert Gottfried”, “Andy Kindler”, “Weird Al Yankovic”, and “Jake Weisman”?  That’s right you can’t think of one until 364 days from now, but go to the normally schedule French Toast every Sunday 8:30PM for FREE at the same lovely 321 Lounge @ Taix.

2) Tonight’s “Comedy Crawl” is slightly more manageable, IF YOU CAN TELEPORT!!! Go to What’s Up Tiger Lily? @ Hollywood Studio Bar & Grill 8:30PM FREE, then Hotel Cafe Presents: Hotel Comedy @ The Hotel Cafe 9PM $15, then Keep It Clean @ 1739 Public House 10PM FREE, then make your last “jump” to Crash Test @ The UCB Theatre 11PM $5. BLAM!!! (if that’s the sound you make when/if you teleport)

3) Like I mentioned yesterday, there’s a new feature in a long line of innovations from the Comedy Bureau that allows you to keep track of most regularly scheduled live comedy in LA. NOW UPDATED WITH THE J-SPOT.  Other fine comedy establishments soon to follow.  Again here it is, The Comedy Bureau’s very own Calendars.

4) Unlike “real people” with “actual money”, comedians have to/should be working on our act and, as such, THE COMEDY BUREAU will be attempting an open mic run of 3 spots, which, if you know anything about driving in LA, is near impossible.  Well, IMPOSSIBLE CAN GO TAKE A DIRT NAP!!!  TRIBAL CAFE. GROUND ZERO USC. TAIX.  The Comedy Bureau’s very own Bureau Director will be live tweeting during this test of endurance/patience/more patience, so stay tuned for the play-by-play right here.

5) At least, someone likes us.  Thanks Shayne-Michael.com

6) Now it has a face.  The Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Open Mic.  NOV. 9TH.  6:30PM.  Please don’t forget, mostly because I don’t have any enforceable consequences if you do.

7) Given the impulsive notion of large scale chain retailers in the U.S., is it too early to tell Black Friday jokes?

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Morning Debriefing 11/2/10

November 2, 2010
Uncategorized
back home in laihaina, ballgame's laugh lounge, big trouble in little tokyo, carson, Chatroulette live, comedy, comedy death ray, donations, echo park, hollywood, la, long beach, morning debriefing, nugget, Red Rock, Señor Fish, this is not happening presents: vendetta, tracie walker, tribal cafe, ucb theatre

1) Don’t tell impossible to take a dirt nap when trying to do a run of an open mics.  My goal was 3 spots: Tribal Cafe, Ground Zero USC, and Taix and I only made it to Tribal Cafe as it ran too late to go to Ground Zero USC, then found out Taix no longer has an open mic since, SURPRISE SURPRISE, no one showed up, at which point the friendly bartender Tony told me, “If only found a motivated guy like you earlier…”  Anyhow, Tribal Cafe, right off the bat, has a hipster vibe through and through with shelves of kombucha and Radiohead playing in the background.  Somehow this translates into real twenty-somethings in plaid WALKING IN and LISTENING TO COMEDY.  Combined with generous amounts of time from the gracious Tracie Walker, Tribal Cafe is now a “Bureau Approved” open mic.  Every Monday @ 8:30PM 1651 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA (Echo Park).

2) The Comedy Crawl.  Do it.  Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge @ Red Rock 8PM FREE, then Comedy & Cocktails @ The Hollywood Improv 8PM $14/2 item min., then Comedy Death Ray @ UCB Theatre 8:30PM $5 (stand-by only), then This Is Not Happening Presents: Vendetta @ The Hollywood Improv Lab 8:30PM $5, then, finally, Chatroulette Live @ The UCB Theatre (again) 11PM $5. 

3) As the Comedy Bureau isn’t sanctioned by anyone at all, there is no “real” funding to run the night-to-night of bringing all you Los Angelenos dedicated to performing/seeing live comedy.  That’s why there is now a Donation Box where any support to make improve this blog for all, if you’re willing and able, is invaluable.  Please give here.

4) Calendars updated yet again.  iO West.  Spotlight Comedy Club. The Acme Comedy Theatre.

5) Having another go at an Open Mic Run at the Nugget in CSULB & Back Home in Laihaina in Carson.  The Comedy Bureau Director Jake Kroeger will again be live tweeting during the run hopefully with more success this time (i.e. finding open mics aren’t cancelled upon showing up)  Follow the tweets here.

6) This would be where the commercial break would be: Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Open Mic @ Señor Fish.  6:30PM. 422 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA. It’s all in the repetition.

7) PLEASE DONATE.  

8) Best thing about voting today: Only one more week of voting jokes.  I hope…

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Morning Debriefing 11/3/10

November 3, 2010
Uncategorized
anna lee lawson comedy hour, back home in laihaina, beer in the shower, big trouble in little tokyo, cafe de leche, carson, Chatroulette live, comedy, donation box, ed galvez's punk house, fresh faces, highland park sing-a-long, hollywood, hollywood studio bar & grill, joe braza, la, laugh factory, lauren rochelle, lol comedy show, maria bamford, next stage theatre, nick rutherford, open mic, russell brand, santa monica, schtick or treat, tiffany king, ucb, westside comedy theatre, white horse

1) Making it to more than one open mic in LA is so hard that I can’t even think of a metaphor to relate how incredibly difficult it really is.  I missed out on the Nugget Grill & Pub at CSULB as non-student parking is about a mile away from where you’re supposed to go.  HOWEVER, I managed to make it to BACK HOME IN LAHAINA in Carson and did 35 MINUTES!  35 MINUTES! No matter how many times I write that, it won’t make it seem more plausible.  There was a crowd that mostly came there for the delicious Hawaiian Zagat rated cuisine, but I got 35 minutes.  That’s the only selling point you should care about.  Back Home in Lahaina. 2nd official “Bureau Approved” open mic.  Running on first and last Tues. of every month, starting at 6PM, 519 E. Carson St. #A, Carson, CA.

2) Chatroulette LIVE! @ The UCB Theatre proved to be one of the most innovative and hilarious live comedy shows on “the scene”.  Imagine taking Crank Yankers to the stage, then using real, AWESOME comedic performers as a panel, then going on the twisted/addicting website that is Chatroulette to “prank video chat” people around the world such as shirtless kids in Brazil asking to see tits. Chatroulette LIVE is farcical, macabre, and uproarious the whole way through.  Hosted by the amazing Allan McLeod and Dominic Dierkes, featuring Sean Clements, Harris Wittels, Kate Micucci & Riki Lindhome, and Jackie Clarke, it’s an amazing night of the hilarity/horror of social networking gone too far.  Chatroulette LIVE! $5. 1st Tues. of every month at the UCB Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, CA.

3) Post Election Comedy Crawl where you can maybe get high off some laughs: Highland Park Sing-A-Long w/Maria Bamford @ Cafe de Leche 7PM FREE, then Ed Galvez’s Punk House @ The Westside Comedy Theatre 9PM $8, then Tiffany King’s LOL Comedy Show 9PM $5, then Beer in the Shower @ White Horse Inn Cocktail Lounge 10PM FREE, then Fresh Faces @ The Hollywood Laugh Factory 10PM $20/2 drink min., and come nicely off the high with/ Anna Lee Lawson Comedy Hour @ The Next Stage Theatre 11PM $5.  If that doesn’t help with trying to stomach the election results, I can’t help you.

4) On Halloween, Schtick or Treat @ Taix was absolutely fantastic the whole way through.  This, however, was literally a tour-de-force impression of Russell Brand by LA Comedian Nick Rutherford.  Witness.

5) Please give to the Donation Box to support what is, or will be depending on your opinion, LA’s live comedy source.  Right here.

6) The Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Open Mic is PRIVILEGED to kick off its inaugural night with performances by the lovely LAUREN ROCHELLE and the one and only JOE BRAZA! Again, Nov. 9th @ Señor Fish. 6:30PM. 422 E. 1st St. DO NOT MISS!

7) No on Prop. 19 frustration and Dancing w/the Stars updates.  Two topics I don’t want to hear about at open mics, but absolutely will tonight.

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