bill maher – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 3/12-3/15/24: Tig Notaro, The Feeling That The Time To Do Something Has Passed, Ghosts, Bill Maher, Sometimes I Think About Dying, Owen Wilson, Mark Twain Prize for Humor

March 15, 2024

bill maher, ghosts, mark twain prize for humor, owen wilson, sometimes i think about dying, the feeling that the time for doing something has passed, tig notaro

1. It has been 12 years since Tig Notaro’s seminal, groundbreaking work LIVE if you can believe it and not only is Tig still very, VERY much with us, but she is still putting out hour after hour of her signature wry, low key brilliance. Take a gander of her latest special Hello Again (directed by her wife, Stephanie Allynne, an amazing comedic force herself) here. Then, look for it on Amazon Prime beginning Mar. 26th.

2. Raunchy sex comedy can give indie/arthouse and not just be relegated to multiplex or straight to DVD/streaming. Just look at the upcoming (and wondrously titled) The Feeling That The Time for Doing Something Has Passed from newcomer writer/director Joanna Arnow here, then please make plans to go see it in whatever indie/arthouse theater is nearest to you starting Apr. 26th.

3. While Abbott Elementary seems to be the network sitcom of the moment, don’t forget that CBS’ Ghosts is that network’s top comedy (that also commands comparable numbers per episode), which is why its getting a fourth season renewal (Deadline).

4. Real Time with Bill Maher is getting reupped for its 23rd and 24th season by HBO (Variety). Only Kimmel has had as long a tenure in that realm and it’s interesting to note that Maher almost never gets brought up in the same sentence as him or John Oliver or Seth Meyers, probably having something to do with his own particular brand of sarcastic liberal humor.

5. If you didn’t get a chance to catch Sometimes, I Think About Dying one of the best understated performances on the big screen in quite some time, surprisingly delivered by Daisy Ridley, along with a wonderful biggest-role-to-date for Dave Merheje since it played in a very small window in limited release, you can now rent or buy it on digital platforms and enjoy the hilarious, the beautiful, and the absurd that are all contained within the mundane minutia, depending on who you’re talking to. Go watch and enjoy it here.

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A post shared by Dave Merheje (@davemerheje)

6. Owen Wilson is going to play a washed up golf pro in his latest comedy (Golf Digest), which, come to think of it, Wilson has kind of the perfect look for .

7. The Mark Twain Prize for Humor, while a big night in comedy, is something that’s not that easy to find to watch and often just relegated to watching the acceptance speech from the Kennedy Center’s YouTube channel well after the fact. That’s changing this year as entertainment magnate Kevin Hart is getting honored and it will be able to be streamed on Netflix (Washington Post). Odds are you’ll still watch it on YouTube if you can find it there.

8 We’ll leave you with this: LA Marathon & St. Patrick’s Day are both this Sunday, so maybe think about adding about a half hour or more to your travel time if you’re in LA.

TCB Debriefing 9/18/23: CCSUF, NYCF, Talk Shows Pause Return, Russell Brand, Barbie, Jonah Kills

September 18, 2023

News

barbie, bill maher, comedy central, drew barrymore, jax media, jonah kills, new york comedy fest, russell brand, stand up comedy, wga strike

1. The latest round of Comedy Central’s digital stand-up showcase, “Featuring” or more explicitly “Comedy Central Stand Up Featuring” just announced its New York line-ups for its latest taping. The likes of Ayanna Dookie, Sam Morrison, Chinedu Unaka, Homles, Randall Otis, Lucas Zelnick, Kate Sisk, Tommy Brennan, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Usama Sidiquee, Mark Smalls, Mav Viola, Asha Ward, Ethan Simmons-Patterson, and Eagle Witt will be taking the Cutting Room stage on Thurs. Oct. 5th. Admission is free so long as you RSVP to the early or late show here. Thank goodness this came along and the arrival of Comics Unleashed on CBS won’t be on the only short form stand-up you’ll see from a TV network.

2. The New York Comedy Festival, running from Nov. 3rd-12th, just made a big announcement for their line-up and schedule which includes:

Get the full schedule/line-up/tickets all at nycomedyfestival.com/schedule

3. Both Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher have paused their return of their respective talk shows, The Drew Barrymore Show and Real Time with Bill Maher (NY Times), following controversy stemming from the ongoing WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes. Considering negotiations are to resume on Wednesday; let’s hope this is a good omen for talks to pick up in earnest and bring the strikes to an end with fair deals all around.

4. Russell Brand is facing allegations of emotional abuse, sexual assault, and rape during the “height of his fame” and nearly every project and endeavor has been put on pause (BBC). We would wonder how has it taken this long for this to come out, but the story of survivors is so frequent that it’s common knowledge that it could take years and years and years for them to step forward when processing trauma.

5. Barbie has just surpassed The Avengers as the 11th highest grossing domestic release in film history with $626 million in U.S. theaters (Variety). If it makes $30 million more at home, it’ll beat the far less raved about Jurassic World to be in the top 10.

6. Showtime is lining up its ducks for when the strike ends, starting with a UK comedy from UK theater impresario Clem Garrity called Jonah Kills (Deadline). Fingers crossed that this is another sign that we’re nearing the end of the strikes, which has lasted 139 days.

7. We’ll leave you with this: Elon Musk is thinking of starting to charge for use of Twitter/X concluding that it might be the best way to combat bots on the platform. It’s also the best way to finally sink Twitter into oblivion besides trying (and kind of failing) to change its name to X.

TCB Debriefing 9/13/23: Comedy Gives Back Healthnet, Real Time with Bill Maher, Strike Force Three, Luenell, Meme Fighter Hiring

September 13, 2023

News

bill maher, comedy gives back, healthcare, luenell, meme fighter, netflix, real time, strike force five, wga strike

1. Comedy Gives Back, the 501 (c)3 non-profit dedicated to serving comedians and the comedy community, has just launched Comedy Gives Back Healthnet, a proposed low-cost alternative to healthcare (a thing that many comedians have to pay for out of pocket or, often times, just skip altogether). It’s not full on healthcare, but it’s $200 a year for:

-Smart Virtual Care ™, where you input your symptoms to receive advice from GigSafety.net’s network of healthcare professionals who check your symptoms and recommend a plan of action.
-One free telemed appointment annually (additional telemed appts vary depending on level of care needed, but start as low as $25)
-Access to low-cost and transparent pricing for prescriptions (existing and new)
-Access to low-cost and transparent pricing for Specialists, Hospital stays, X-rays, and more
-Access to virtual mental health therapy
-Access to a self-led recovery treatment program
-Access to risk-sharing health coverage (at an additional cost).

Get more details at comedygivesback.com/cgbhealthnet

2. Real Time with Bill Maher is set to return to air without its writers since they continue to be on strike. (Deadline). This means that late night will now consist of Bill Maher and Greg Gutfeld, which is almost as sad as how long the strike has gone.

3. The other hosts of late night are staying union strong for now and are opting to a live podcasting taping with the Jimmys (Kimmel and Fallon) and Colbert on Sept. 23rd in Vegas (Variety). Seth Meyers and John Oliver won’t be in attendance making it a “Strike Force Three” event though proceeds from the taping will go to the hosts’ respective staffs. If they really want to sell tickets they’ll have the majority of the conversation focused on Fallon and the past years at The Tonight Show.

4. Dave Chappelle’s name is actually not causing controversy today as his name is attached to a brand new Netflix special from the great Luenell, due out Sept 26th (Billboard). You’ve seen Luenell in countless TV shows and movies and you’ll now get to see her take center stage for her first Netflix special later this month.

5. Want to make memes as a job? Well, Meme Fighter is looking for you.

Meme Fighter is hiring for a part time MEME CONTENT CREATOR.

You read that right. We’re hiring someone to make memes for us.

Details, application instructions and more details here: https://t.co/KcKso0krSW

— Meme Fighter (@MemeFighterApp) September 13, 2023

6. We’ll leave you with this: comedy is richer when you have a life outside of it.

Since Bill Maher Got COVID-19, Lisa Curry Decided to Do Her Own Ep. of Real Time

May 21, 2021

News

bill maher, hbo, lisa curry, parody, real time, satire

You might have heard that, even though he has been fully vaccinated, Bill Maher contracted COVID-19 amidst shooting his award winning weekly series, Real Time with Bill Maher. Maher was asymptomatic and taping for last week and this week were postponed.

Since the voice of Real Time is so “crucial” to the national conversation on any hot button issue, comedian and writer Lisa Curry, on her own, stepped up to the plate to do her own virtual, completely safe episode of Real Time (that would be hosted by someone a little more with the times).

Curry even assembled a stacked panel of Subhah Agarwal, Maggie Maye, and Calise Hawkins to riff over the news (over Zoom) just so you could have the full Real Time experience. Go enjoy Real Time with Lisa Curry and get your Real Time fix here.

Bill Maher’s “Whiny Little Bitch” Special About the New President Elect Is Streaming on YouTube

November 10, 2016

Uncategorized

bill maher, comedy special, president elect, stand up, trump, whiny little bitch

If you’re needing to continue needing to vent your frustrations and not feel like you’re crazy that what just happened with the election was crazy, the live stand-up special that Bill Maher just did on Facebook Live is now on YouTube.

Recorded just before the election at Largo, it’s called Whiny Little Bitch and is all about the newly elected 45th President of the United States. Maher is unapologetic (even more so than he is on Real Time) and showcases really what sort of Commander-in-Chief and VP we have to spend the next four years with.

Watch it here.

Barack Obama to Start This Week Off at Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and End It at Real Time with Bill Maher

October 30, 2016

Uncategorized

bill maher, hbo, interview, obama, potus, president barack obama, real time with bill maher

With his appearance coming the Friday before the election on Tuesday, November 8th, Obama’s appearance on Real Time ought to be one of the most fascinating in the show’s history even beyond the fact that a sitting President is sitting down with Maher.

So, this week, President Barack Obama’s interview with Samantha Bee will air on her show, Full Frontal, on this Monday/Halloween. The POTUS will close out the week at another firebrand, political comedy show by finally taking Bill Maher up on his open invitation and appear on Real Time.

Few hosts as big as Maher have publicly lobbied as hard for an Obama sit down, which should make this, as suggested above, a fascinating interview.

Watch it on Friday, November 4th on HBO at 10PM.

Veep, The Big Short, Inside Amy Schumer, Silicon Valley, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Jimmy Kimmel Live Win at WGA Awards

February 14, 2016

Uncategorized

big short, bill maher, hbo, inside amy schumer, jimmy kimmel live, real time, silicon valley, veep, wga awards, writers guild of america

(via Deadline)

HBO is on a roll per usual.

Between, Silicon Valley, Veep, and Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO garnered four Writers Guild of America Awards this year. This is probably one of the few awards this awards season where the premium cable network didn’t have a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon challenging its critical acclaim supremacy.

Also, Inside Amy Schumer makes yet another victory lap with its win for “Comedy/Variety-Sketch Series”.

Here are the rest of the comedy winners announced last night:

Adapated Screenplay–The Big Short-Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay; Based on the Book by Michael Lewis; Paramount Pictures

Comedy Series–Veep-Written by Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Kevin Cecil, Roger Drew, Peter Fellows, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Sean Gray, Callie Hersheway, Armando Iannucci, Sean Love, Ian Martin, Georgia Pritchett, David Quantick, Andy Riley, Tony Roche, Will Smith

Episodic Comedy–Silicon Valley-Clay Tarver

Animation–Bob’s Burgers-Dan Fybel

Comedy/Variety (including Talk)-Series–Real Time with Bill Maher-Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Danny Vermont; HBO

Comedy/Variety-Music, Awards, Tributes-Specials-Jimmy Kimmel Live: 10th Annual After The Oscars Special-Written by Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Greg Dorris, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Bess Kalb, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Joe Strazzullo, Bridger Winegar; ABC

Comedy/Variety-Sketch Series–Inside Amy Schumer-Head Writer: Jessi Klein Writers: Hallie Cantor, Kim Caramele, Kyle Dunnigan, Jon Glaser, Kurt Metzger, Christine Nangle, Dan Powell, Tami Sagher, Amy Schumer; Comedy Centraland Jimmy Kimmel Live: 10th Annual After The Oscars Special won for Comedy/Variety Special.

Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement-Elaine May

The full list of WGA Awards winners are here.

Stephen Colbert Proves He’s a Worthy Successor to David Letterman in His Interview with Bill Maher

November 18, 2015

Uncategorized

bill maher, david letterman, stephen colbert, the late show

David Letterman always distinguished himself with his era of The Late Show from the rest of the late night talk show landscape by interviews being allowed to get testy if the conversation found its way there. Dave wouldn’t back down and usually have the upper hand with anyone who sat across his desk.

Now, with Stephen Colbert at the helm of The Late Show, Stephen not only invites a dance in his conversation that can switch between sharp quips to pure sincerity on a dime, but invites intellectual and/or challenging guests on a more regular basis than almost anyone else on a late night right now. Stephen seems to pull off tight rope walking in his interviews quite well by making the conversation engaging, playfully jabbing them, and seemingly not even breaking a sweat if things get heated.

Not that any of you really doubted Stephen Colbert would be a great heir to The Late Show legacy, but you can now see it for yourself.

Watch Colbert put all of this on display as he chats with Bill Maher about Trump and being Catholic all while keeping the laughs coming.

Morning Debriefing 7/16/11

1) Comedy Legends Jerry Seinfeld (@seintime) and Don Rickles (@donrickles) joined Twitter recently and none of them have tweeted about Carmeggedon. WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THAT?

2) Marc Maron on Real Time with Bill Maher (sitting directly across from Marc Cuban). Watch the snark fly!

Ep. 220: July 15, 2011 – Overtime

3) Jesse Miller of the Jesse Miller Talk Show visits the ESPYs!!!

4) The Ultimate Free & Cheap LA Comedy List 7/17-7/23 from Wisepix.com.

5) Witstream and BBC’s Ministry of Laughs join forces today at 6PM PST for some of Twitter’s funniest to live tweet whatever they’re doing (like they normally do) with the hashtag #ministryoflaughs.

6) ~~Drew Droege~~ Chloe Sevigny celebrates FR33DOM!!

7) Congratulations to Paul Scheer’s How Did This Get Made? for surpassing one million downloads!

8) ON THE HORIZON
Tomorrow Show Anniversary @ Steve Allen Theater Sat. Aug. 6th MIDNIGHT $15

9) COMEDY CRAWL
Enjoy a SUMMAH @ Nerdist Theater 6PM FREE
ASSSSCAT @ UCB Theatre 8PM $10
It’s A Long Way Down 8PM FREE
Re-Animator: The Musical @ Steve Allen Theater 8PM $30
The Anytime Show w/Dominic Dierkes @ Underground Annex Theatre 8PM $5
Handshucked @ Moving Arts Theater 8PM $5
Tea Time w/Heather Thomson @ Hollywood Improv Lab 8:30PM $5
The Paul F. Tompkins Show @ Largo at the Coronet Theater 8:30PM $25
Magic Bag @ Underground Annex Theatre 10PM $5
The Willie Hunter Show @ Comedy Store Belly Room 10:30PM $5
The Saturday Saturday Show w/guest Shannon Hatch @ Sidewalk Studio Theatre 11PM $5
Comedy Garage @ UCB Theatre MIDNIGHT $5
Tomorrow!!! Summer Fling w/ the Doorknockers @ Steve Allen Theater MIDNIGHT $8

10) OPEN MIC RUN
SPOT CAFE 4455 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA/Starts 2PM/feedback given at end
SAL’S COMEDY HOLE 7356 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM/$4 min./first come, first served
MARTY’S/THE OPEN MIC 7351 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA/5PM to 11PM/$5 min./multiple sets allowed/coffee & water provided
WESTSIDE COMEDY THEATER 1323-A 3rd St. Promenade, Santa Monica, CA (in alley between 3rd and 4th St.)/Sign-up (lottery) 6PM/Starts 6:30PM/no purchase necessary/4 min.
SUNSET GRILL 7439 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA/Starts 7PM/one item min.

11) Waitresses of LA diners that stay open late, if a guy is eating alone don’t make him feel like he’s wasting your time and you might get a really good tip because as much as it might look like ~~I’m~~ they’re waiting for someone, they’re not; no one wants to hang with them on Fridays. Just sayin’.

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THE COMEDY BUREAU/@thecomedybureau

Morning Debriefing 6/13/11

1) A few months ago, Joe Wengert’s character Mr. Girardi went viral with his speech about the misuse of the bulletin board at his frozen yogurt shop. Thanks to the very talented and funny Brandon Vaughn, we now have a pretty clear picture, actually a pretty fantastic one if you ask us… (watch the clip then look at the pic)

2) One of our favorite web series finally has a new episode: Anne Frankly (w/Jamie Lee and Shawn Pearlman)

3) Anthony Jeselnik is on Conan tonight. Watch or DVR or whatever you have to do to watch. 11PM/TBS.

4) Curtiss Angel, Criss Angel’s cousin… Thanks to Andre Hyland and his constant hilarity.

5) Usually, I’m tough on topical videos, but Bill Maher and Jane Lynch dramatic reading transcripts of Anthony Weiner’s posts is definitely Bureau Approved.

6) Marc Maron is doing a pilot. [via HuffPostComedy]

7) Conan O’Brien Commencement Speech at Dartmouth (yeah you’ve probably seen it somewhere else, but what are we going to do? Not post it?)

8) It’s been stirring up a lot of good buzz and we’re only giving a friendly reminder: Watch Jon Benjamin Has A Van on Comedy Central this Wed. and Thurs. 10:30PM.

9) Puddin’-“Suspense”

10) COMEDY CRAWL
What’s Up Tiger Lily @ Hollywood Studio Bar & Grill 8PM FREE
Tony Clifton: The Movie @ The Egyptian 8PM FREE (e-mail talent@thecomedystore.net for free passes)
An Evening with Jeff Garlin @ Nerdist Theater (back room of Meltdown Comics) 8PM $10
Brunch @ The Park Restaurant 9PM FREE
Keep It Clean @ 1739 Public House 10PM FREE
Stand Up Saloon @ Old Towne Pub 10:30PM FREE
Tulsa Skull Swingers @ Three Clubs (1123 Vine St., Hollywood, CA) 11PM

11) OPEN MIC RUN
SAL’S COMEDY HOLE 7356 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM/$4 min./first come, first served
CLUB 705 705 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA/Starts 7PM-ish/no purchase necessary/first come, first served
RED ROCK 8782 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA/Starts 7PM/$5 min./multiple sets allowed/first come, first served
TRIBAL CAFE 1651 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA/Starts 8PM/no purchase necessary/first come, first served
MARTY’S/THE OPEN MIC 7351 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA (walk up Martel past Big Mama’s and Papa’s)/5PM to 11PM/$5 min./multiple sets allowed/bottled water and coffee provided

12) There are so many comics in LA I’m beginning to think that we’re all “comic’s comics”.

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THE COMEDY BUREAU/@thecomedybureau

Morning Debriefing 2/26/11

1) The “insider comedian interview” format has gone viral… big time. Forget about shoddy camera work in green rooms and back alley studios that double as living spaces. Bigger names are coming out of the woodwork. First Marc Maron w/his “WTF Podcast”. Recently, Dave Holmes and “A Drink with Dave”. Most recently, Bill Maher and “12 Mile”. Did I mention that everyone should be watching/listening to these?

2) Everyone will be live tweeting during the Oscars and I will be here in our cavernous office keeping everyone up to speed as to what’s the funniest things written during the show. We hand pick our featured tweets here and I almost suggest that you don’t need to watch the Oscars because the Comedy Bureau Twitter feed will be almost more entertaining (only because you need to watch the telecast to put it into context).

3) In case you were wondering, the Tip of the Hat, this week, goes to Eddie Pepitone for the start of the Puddin’ Comic Strip. Article to follow later today.

4) ON THE HORIZON
NERDIST INDUSTRIES and ARS NOVA present: Nerdist Podcast Live: BLACK DYNAMITE! @ Meltdown Comics Mon. Apr. 4th 8PM $15
The Man with F.E.E.E.T @ Downtown Independent Theater Wed. Mar. 16th 9:30PM $20
Nick Rutherford & Friends @ Hollywood Improv Lab Wed. Mar. 30th 10:30PM $5

5) Tonight’s COMEDY CRAWL
Two Milk Minimum @ Flappers Burbank 11:30AM $10/2 item min.
Space Boners: Extra Boners Edition @ Silverlake Lounge 7PM FREE
The Swarm @ UCB Theatre 7PM $5 (stand by only)
Channel 101 Screening @ Downtown Independent Theater 9PM FREE
Harland Williams @ Hollywood Improv 7:30PM/9:30PM $20/2 item min.
The Anytime Show w/Dominic Dierkes @ Smodcastle 8PM $8
Greg Proops @ Ice House 8PM/10PM $17.50/2 drink min.
Jackie Kashian @ Flappers Burbank 8PM/10PM $17/2 drink min.
The Paul F. Tompkins Show @ Largo 8:30PM $25 (sold out)
Comedy Garage @ The World Famous Comedy Garage 10PM FREE
Magic Bag @ Smodcastle 10PM $8
The Twelve Shiny Nickels Show @ Fake Gallery 11PM $5
The Tomorrow Show w/Ron Lynch @ Steve Allen Theater MIDNIGHT $8

6) OPEN MIC RUN
SPOT CAFE 4455 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA/Starts 2PM/people usually give feedback at end of set
SAL’S COMEDY HOLE 7356 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA/Starts 6PM/one item min.
WESTSIDE COMEDY THEATRE 1323-A 3rd St., Santa Monica, CA (in alley between 3rd and 4th St.)/Sign-Up 6PM/Starts 6:30PM
SUNSET GRILL 7439 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA/Starts 7PM/one item min.
MARTY’S/THE OPEN MIC 7351 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA/5PM to 11PM/$5/multiple sets allowed

7) This is the 127th Day of the Comedy Bureau and both my arms are still here. Take that James Franco.

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THE COMEDY BUREAU/@thecomedybureau

So This Happened and Somehow I Didn’t Know About It… Must Have Not Been Promoted All That Well…

February 25, 2011

Uncategorized

arianna huffington, bill maher, comedy, hbo, huffington post, los angeles, roxy

So This Happened and Somehow I Didn’t Know About It… Must Have Not Been Promoted All That Well…

Huffington Post Comedy Live at the Roxy last night and I didn’t know about it. How about that?