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documentary

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Amazon to Do a 6 Part Documentary Series on Getting JFL Montreal’s New Faces
June 14, 2018
Uncategorized
amazon, docu series, documentary, jfl, new faces of comedy

Amazon to Do a 6 Part Documentary Series on Getting JFL Montreal’s New Faces

For decades, one of the most sought out milestones in comedy when coming up has been and still is getting selected to be part of Just For Laughs Montreal’s New Faces of Comedy. 

So, Amazon has decided to do a docu-series on the process and following comedians in trying to secure a slot on the renowned festival’s New Faces line-up, which will show how much stress and work goes in to essentially doing what’s supposed to be a life-changing set in front of members of the industry. 

As there are cameras rolling, maybe all those picked as New Faces will actually get something out of the whole thing besides just doing a few shows in Montreal and taking a few general meetings.

We’re guessing this will drop on Amazon a bit after JFL Montreal happens this Summer.

“Sklars and Stripes” Audio Documentary Series Shows How Sklar Brothers Come Up with Material for Whichever City They’re Playing
April 6, 2018
Uncategorized
audible, documentary, sklar brothers, stand up
image

Coming up with jokes will always be a mystifying, magical process. Every comedian does it differently and their inspiration can range from anything  including molecules to the entirety of the known universe.

The Sklar Brothers are fantastic comedians that definitely have a knack for the craft of joke writing itself. As such, Audible Comedy recorded an audio documentary series that followed Jason and Randy through their gigs across the U.S. Specifically, their actual observations about a place and time are juxtaposed with the distilled jokes that they tell later on. It’s a fascinating glimpse into a facet of the comedic process of two of the quickest wits in comedy.

Sklars and Stripes spans 12 chapters across 10 different cities, which includes a chapter where they had to perform the week after the 2016 election, and is definitely worth a listen. Get it all and hear it on Audible here.

Here’s the Trailer for Judd Apatow’s HBO Documentary “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling”
February 23, 2018
Uncategorized
documentary, garry shandling, hbo, judd apatow, zen diaries

One of the first really big gigs that Judd Apatow got was coming aboard The Larry Sanders Show. As such, Garry Shandling played a significant role in his life beyond just being a big time fixture in comedy to admire from afar. 

The passing of Shandling came and went quickly, without very much warning, but Garry’s life and career are something to marvel at. 

To show people how marvelous it really was, he made an in-depth documentary featuring personal journals, video, etc. coupled with conversations with those closest to Shandling.

The result is The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling. You can get a taste of how deep Apatow goes with this trailer.

Look for the premiere on Mon., March 26 at 8PM on HBO.

Hari Kondabolu’s Documentary “The Problem with Apu” Premieres Tonight
November 19, 2017
Uncategorized
documentary, hari kondabolu, simpsons, trutv, tv special
image

Tonight, Hari Kondabolu will take a cue from Adam Conover from Adam Ruins Everything and present the problematic nature of Apu, the Indian Simpsons character voiced by famed white voice actor, Hank Azaria.

The Problem with Apu premieres tonight on TruTV and, given how the last year has really hit the point home that one should listen to groups that are underrepresented, misrepresented, or oppressed, you should give it a watch.

“Too Funny to Fail: The Life and Death of the Dana Carvey Show” Now Streaming at Hulu
October 21, 2017
Uncategorized
comedy history, dana carvey, dana carvey show, documentary, hulu, jon glaser, louis ck, robert smigel, stephen colbert, steve carell, too funny to fail

Over a score and a year ago, a sketch show called The Dana Carvey Show premiered in primetime on broadcast network television. The show itself boasts some of the most revered comedic minds today including Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Louis CK, Robert Smigel, Jon Glaser, and many more. 

Somehow, they didn’t even last a couple of months, much less a full season. 

Too Funny to Fail: The Life and Death of the Dana Carvey Show tells the story of how that came to be. This documentary started streaming on Hulu today.

Get a taste of how this whole ordeal went down with this trailer.

See Jim Carrey Lose Himself in Playing Andy Kaufman in “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond”
October 19, 2017
Uncategorized
andy kaufman, behind the scenes, comedy history, documentary, jim & andy, man on the moon, netflix, the great beyond, trailer

1999′s Man On The Moon, which had Jim Carrey star as legendary comedian and performer Andy Kaufman brought Carrey to whole new level of method acting where he, seemingly, never stopped being Andy Kaufman whether on camera or off.

This documentary, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond shows never before seen behind the scenes footage from the making of Man On The Moon spliced with interviews from modern day Jim Carrey commenting on what was going in his head.

For comedians, comedy fans, film buffs, actors, and more, this documentary gives a look, like you very likely have never seen before, of what really disappearing into playing someone else is like in real life.

See for yourself in the trailer.

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond starts streaming on Netflix on Friday, November 17th.

Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary Coming in 2018
September 26, 2017
Uncategorized
a and e, documentary, freaks and geeks, judd apatow, morgan spurlock, paul feig
image

Freak and Geeks, the landmark sitcom that ended up being a launching pad for much of the comedic talent you see on TV and in theaters these days, is getting a documentary with both A&E and Morgan Spurlock on board.

More and more, 1999 becomes a distant memory, and thus, a deep dive back into Freaks and Geeks will probably be a refreshing surprise for many folks who enjoy Paul Feig, Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, James Franco, Busy Philipps, etc. etc. 

You’ve now got time between this moment and a TBD premiere date for this doc to, at the very least, watch the series that ended unfortunately far too soon.

Watch Trailer for Gilbert Gottfried Documentary “Gilbert”
September 18, 2017
Uncategorized
anthony jeselnik, bill burr, dave attell, documentary, gilbert gottfried, neil berkeley, trailer, whoopi goldberg

It really takes a special kind of comedian to be worthy of a documentary that puts their life, both on and off stage, under the microscope.

Gilbert Gottfried is definitely one of those comedians.

The upcoming documentary Gilbert from Neil Berkeley will not only looks into the long, winding, storied career of Gottfried, but show what he’s like in between being the unmistakable voice on stage and screen. In fact, you get to hear what his real voice sounds like. 

See for yourself in the trailer.

Gilbert starts playing in NYC on November 3rd and in LA on November 10th.

Watch Trailer for “Dina”, a Doc That Attempts to Be a True Life Rom Com
August 27, 2017
Uncategorized
antonio santini, dan sickles, dina buno, documentary, rom com, scott levin, the orchard, trailer

In general, most romantic comedies that hit your local multiplex are far removed from reality in almost every aspect. Such fantastical notions of how dating, relationships, love, sex, etc. are supposed to work do serve the purpose of escapism, but they don’t really reflect what a love story might work in the real world. 

That’s where the documentary Dina from Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini comes in as it’s a documentary following the real life eccentric couple of Dina Buno and Scott Levin falling in love.

See for yourself how sweet real love can still be in the trailer here, then look for its release on October 6th.

Watch Trailer for Hari Kondabolu’s Documentary “The Problem With Apu” Exploring the Problematic Nature of The Simpsons’ Character, Apu
July 28, 2017
Uncategorized
apu nahasapeemapetilon, documentary, hari kondabolu, the-simpsons, trailer, trutv

In 2017, you’re hopefully aware of the issues of cultural appropriation and diverse representation on screen.

Apu, the long running Simpsons character, is a flashpoint for such issues as he is voiced by a non-Indian actor, Hank Azaria, in a way that many Indians find offensive and belittling, especially given how revered The Simpsons is a TV show. 

So, Hari Kondabolu felt he needed to make a documentary focusing on this very subject. Thus, The Problem With Apu was made.

The trailer definitely makes you rethink how you watch The Simpsons if you weren’t already.

Look for the documentary to air on TruTV this fall.

A Documentary of Throwing Shade’s Live Tour Is Coming to Vimeo This Week
June 7, 2017
Uncategorized
bryan safi, documentary, erin gibson, michael blieden, throwing shade, throwing shade live, vimeo

Throwing Shade, the popular podcast and TV series as opposed to just the act, are adding a documentary following a recent live tour that they embarked across North America. 

The hosts, Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi, are the driving force behind Throwing Shade’s success. As such, catching them on and off stage is worth a whole documentary from director Michael Blieden. 

Get a taste of what that’s like (as well as what it’s like to tour as a podcast these days) in this trailer.

Then, look for Throwing Shade Live to stream on Vimeo-on-Demand for $2.99 this Thursday, June 8th.

Watch This Beautiful Mini Doc “Class Clown” on How Comedians Like Billy Bonnell Take Their Tragic Childhoods and Make It Part of Their Comedy
June 4, 2017
Uncategorized
billy bonnell, class clown, documentary, nick cavlier, on comedy

The notion of a dark past feeding into the material of a comedian is such well-trodden territory that the nuances and specifics of it are now often overlooked. It’s easy to say that comedians are, in some way, broken (that’s not always true by the way), but their singular experiences paint their persona, delivery, perspective in subtle, yet very powerful ways. 

Billy Bonnell, who is now a local LA comedian, had a particularly dark childhood and this touching mini documentary, Class Clown, made by filmmaker Nick Cavalier, shows how Billy specifically dealt with that pain and channeled it through to his comedy, which we happen to enjoy.

Please watch it here.

“dumb: the story of big brother magazine” Is Coming to Hulu
April 26, 2017
Uncategorized
big brother magazine, documentary, dumb, hulu, jackass, johnny knoxville

While Big Brother magazine was a trailblazing magazine for skateboarding, it was also a platform from which a whole subculture was launched. Jackass, CKY, and a sense of prankster viral videos way before YouTube was ever a thing all came with Big Brother.

‘dumb’ tells the story of this magazine and this trailer shows how crazy this story is.

Look for it to start streaming on Hulu starting June 3rd.
April 2, 2017
Uncategorized
bassem youssef, documentary, Larry wilmore, live comedy, live reading, los angeles, revolution for dummies, screening, tickling giants

This week, you can get a double dose of Dr. Bassem Youssef, often referred to as the Jon Stewart of Egypt, here in LA.

On Wednesday, April 5th 7:30PM at The Vista, Cinefamily will be presenting an off-site screening of the documentary Tickling Giants by Sara Taksler that follows Youssef’s time as a popular satirist in a turbulent Egypt. Taksler, Youssef, and Larry Wilmore will be in person doing a Q&A following the screening.

On Thursday, April 6th at 8PM at the Freud Playhouse will be having an Evening with Bassem Youssef, brought to you by Book Soup, that will discuss his book Revolution For Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring. 

Tickets for the screening of Tickling Giants are $14 and $15-$38 for the ‘Evening with’ and you can (and really should) get them here and here respectively.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Baron Vaughn Made a Documentary Special About Finding His Father, “Fatherless”
March 17, 2017
Uncategorized
baron vaughn, documentary, fatherless, fusion

When it comes to comedy, one of Fusion’s favorite things to do is documentary specials hosted by or focused around individual comedians. 

Their latest docu-special will come from the marvelous Baron Vaughn embarking on a search for his absentee father. Called Fatherless, you can get a glimpse of the long and winding road that Baron takes in this trailer

Fatherless premieres on Fusion on Sunday, April 2nd at 9PM.

Judd Apatow Is Making a Documentary About Garry Shandling
February 6, 2017
Uncategorized
documentary, garry shandling, judd apatow

Judd Apatow Is Making a Documentary About Garry Shandling

The loss of Garry Shandling last year was devastating. The reverberations of his work are still being widely felt throughout comedy, especially when it comes to The Larry Sanders Show.

To honor his legacy, writer/director/producer Judd Apatow will be making a documentary about Shandling. In fact, Apatow is looking for any photos, videos, etc. that might help in the making of said doc. 

No details as to when or where this might be released, but we will update you as soon as we can.

Matt Broussard’s Half Hour Special, Chris Gets Money, The Onion’s Election Special, and Bassem Youssef’s Muslim Invasion All Premiere Tonight
October 21, 2016
Uncategorized
bassem youssef, chris gets money, comedy central, comedy special, documentary, election 2016, fusion, matthew broussard, muslim invasion, stand up, the onion

Tonight’s a night for specials.

The latest episode of The Half Hour features the half hour stand-up special of Matthew Broussard. That airs at midnight on Comedy Central.

On Fusion, they have an entire block of specials starting with an docu-special about income inequality with Chris Cubas called Chris Gets Money at 5PM PDT. Following that, The Onion Presents Iconic Images of Election 2016 airs at 6PM PDT and Bassem Youssef’s own comedy docu-special Muslim Invasion at 6:30PM PDT.

OK, you’ve got your Friday TV watching cut out for you.

Netflix Accidentally Mashes Aziz Ansari Comedy Special Subtitles With ‘Planet Earth’ Docu-Series
August 5, 2016
Uncategorized
aziz ansari, documentary, happy accident, live at madison square garden, netflix, planet earth, subtitles

Netflix Accidentally Mashes Aziz Ansari Comedy Special Subtitles With ‘Planet Earth’ Docu-Series

Did this “accidentally” happen or is someone at Netflix just having the right amount of fun making a feature length meme montage?

Watch Mini Doc About How Henry Phillips Came Up with His ‘Cooking’ Series Henry’s Kitchen
June 25, 2016
Uncategorized
documentary, henry phillips, henry's kitchen, jash, scott moran

Without a doubt, one of our favorite web series of all time is Henry Phillips’ Henry’s Kitchen. 

The anti-cooking cooking show is one-of-a-kind and filmmaker/comedy documentarian Scott Moran got to catch the story of how the whole idea behind Henry’s Kitchen came about for JASH.

Watch it here. 

Fahim Anwar Makes a Documentary for His Alter Ego ‘Lance Cantsopolis’
June 22, 2016
Uncategorized
bobby lee, chris d'elia, documentary, fahim anwar, jeff ross, lance cantstopolis, mary lynn rajskub, neal brennan

Fahim Anwar has climbed his way up the stand-up comedy ladder over the last few years, getting to the point of getting to do stand-up on late night regularly.

At this point, Fahim also wants to bring his alter ego, the dance crazed Lance Cantstopolis to where he is. Already, he has gone on stage, fully in character, denim, dancing, and all, and has done pretty well for himself. Just look at the documentary, Outta Nowhere, Fahim made for Lance that has Jeff Ross, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Bobby Lee, Chris D’Elia, and Neal Brennan all talking him up.

Watch and judge for yourself how close Lance and Fahim really are. 

Watch Trailer for “Roseanne for President”
June 18, 2016
Uncategorized
documentary, election, eric weinrib, presidential race, roseanne barr, roseanne for president

You might have heard that groundbreaking comedian and sitcom star Roseanne Barr has ran for office of President of these United States. Compared to everything else that has happened in this election, it’s not that odd.

Director Eric Weinrib made a documentary following Roseanne on the campaign trail and it looks pretty crazy, especially when you take in the reality of a comedian actually running for POTUS.

Watch the trailer here, then look for it in theaters and on VOD on July 1st.  

“The Pistol Shrimps” Documentary Gets a Trailer
June 10, 2016
Uncategorized
angela trimbur, aubrey plaza, basketball documentary, documentary, pistol shrimps, seeso, stephanie allynne, trailer, women's basketball

Comedy and Women’s Rec League Basketball have intersected like they have never have before at The Pistol Shrimps. 

Many women in the LA comedy community have found common ground by joining in on the same basketball league including The Pistol Shrimps that could be a powerhouse comedy troupe if it wanted. 

Ultimately, this makes the game way more fun to watch. Where else are rec league games watched by a packed house and have members of Superego do commentary? 

A documentary of this whole world was made, did the festival circuit, and has gotten picked up to stream soon at Seeso.

Here’s a taste of what’s to come in this trailer.

Watch Some of the Biggest Comedians Purely Talk the Craft of Comedy in Teaser for “Dying Laughing”
June 5, 2016
Uncategorized
amy schumer, art form, chris rock, comedy documentary, craft, dave attell, documentary, dying laughing, eddie izzard, garry shandling, jerry seinfled, kevin hart, lloyd stanton, paul toogood, sarah silverman, stewart lee, trailer

Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Billy Connolly, Garry Shandling, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Hart, Dave Attell, Frankie Boyle, Omid Djalili, Kirk Fox, Eddie Izzard, Stewart Lee, Paul Provenza, Emo Philips, Bonnie McFarland, Tiffany Haddish, and more offer their take on the artistry and craftsmanship that actually goes into going on stage and doing stand-up comedy in the documentary Dying Laughing.

Directors Lloyd Stanton and Paul Toogood extensively interviewed all of the above and made what might be another documentary that showcases stand-up as being more than just a bunch of clowns rattling off jokes every night.

Watch the teaser here.

Watch Trailer for Documentary All About Norman Lear “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You”
May 31, 2016
Uncategorized
all in the fmaily, comedy doc, documentary, good times, heidi ewing, just another version of you, norman lear, rachel grady

At 92, Norman Lear stands as a giant in television who both revolutionized sitcoms and get America talking about issues that it might not talk about otherwise one half-hour at a time. 

A full length feature documentary has just been made by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, complete with interviews, clips, and plenty of conversations with Norman himself chronicling Lear’s landmark achievements including All in the Family, Good Times, etc.

Called Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, it might just be the must-watch comedy doc of 2016. Here’s a trailer.

Look for it in theaters starting July 8th.

“Hannibal Takes Edinburgh” Now Streaming on Netflix
April 8, 2016
Uncategorized
documentary, hannibal buress, hannibal takes edinburgh, netflix

Hannibal Takes Edinburgh, the documentary that tracks Hannibal Buress going through the month-long whirlwind that is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, is now streaming over at Netflix.

It will include Hannibal doing comedy across the pond as well as hiking up a mountain and dishing out the “true secret” to comedy.

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