eli olsberg

90s, alex song xia, bri pruett, brodie reed, budd diaz, charles gould, dana donnelly, danielle perez, eli olsberg, halloween, Kat Toledo, Liz Magee, los angeles comedy, madison shepard, public displays of altadena, teresa lee, will weldon

If you’re already trying to make plans to keep all of October spooky, know that there’s plenty of comedy that can (and very much should fill your schedule). It’ll range from anything where comedians will dress up from comedians of yesteryear to scary storytelling to revisiting the sort of nostalgia that gives you the thing that was the cornerstone of R.L. Stine’s legacy, goosebumps.

On Friday, October 21st at 8:30PM, Teresa Lee will actually lead such a creepy journey back to the cringiest things from over 20 years ago with many of LA’s funniest folks at a new LA venue that’s both literally and figuratively “out there”, Altadena’s Public Displays of Altadena.

So far, Alex Song-Xia, Brodie Reed, Bri Pruett, Budd Diaz, Charles Gould, Danielle Perez, Dana Donnelly, Eli Olsberg, Kat Toledo, Liz Magee, Madison Shepard, and Will Weldon dare to be on this bill.

It ought to be a collective night of spooking yourself over how you might have possibly convinced that JNCO jeans were ever a good idea.

Also, if you show up in costume, you’ll get a free drink, and there might just be a 90s dance party following the show.

All of this show will only run you $10 per ticket. So go get ’em here.

Pick of the Day: Performance Anxiety (in LA) 4/26

April 21, 2022

News

adam conover, blair socci, comedy show, dana donnelly, eli olsberg, hampton yount, joe mande, los angeles, pleasure chest, river butcher, subhah agarwal

LA has had a penchant for doing comedy shows in odd places for decades, long before any sort of pandemic reached the county line.

One of those spots was the famed adult toy store, The Pleasure Chest, that featured the bi-weekly delight known as Performance Anxiety, hosted by Eli Olsberg. The last Performance Anxiety that was on the books was on Mar. 10, 2020 and it has been so long since that time that we forgot to see if it might even come back or if there would ever be anything to happen live and in person back at The Pleasure Chest.

Thankfully, it’s another thing that is confidently coming back to this side of the pandemic on Tues. Apr. 26th at 8PM PT (with the same nice price that they had in 2020, $7) and the same sort of fantastic line-up of comics surrounded by a bunch of sex toys and accessories.

This very first post-lockdown Performance Anxiety will feature the likes of Adam Conover, Joe Mande, River Butcher, Blair Socci, Hampton Yount, Dana Donnelly, and Subhah Agarwal.

Go get your tickets right now right here for one of the kinkier comedy shows that you’ll ever go to.

January 13, 2018

Uncategorized

alison stevenson, comedy show, desi jedeiken, eli olsberg, hollywood, jamie loftus, leslie, los angeles, meltdown comics, nerd makeup, sir rucifer

On top of getting a funny, but sincere look into the world of being kinky with comedians and experts from Eli Olsberg and Alison Stevenson, you won’t even have to worry what will show up on your search history (that is, unless, you’re into being kinky or know how to you incognito pages).

Get tickets here.

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

April 2, 2016

Uncategorized

bobcat goldthwait, comedy shows, eli olsberg, greg fitzsimmons, kumail nanjiani, los angeles, morgan murphy, nikki glaser, pleasure chest, rory scovel, stand up, west hollywood

Performance Anxiety celebrates its 5 year anniversary as a comedy show inside an adult toy store.

Get tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy events and open mics along with corresponding maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Eli Olsberg Will Be Joining New Found Glory on Their Tour Along the West Coast

September 26, 2014

Uncategorized

eli olsberg, glamour kills tour, new found glory, tj miller

New Found Glory is going on a big ol’ tour called Glamour Kills and, on select West Coast dates, have gotten comedian Eli Olsberg to join in.

So, if you’re catching NFG on this side of the country, then listen to TJ Miller, Dave Ross, Megan Amram, and more, and catch Eli doing stand-up.

Eli, not Elijah/Elias: Episode 42: Annie Cruz & Abbey Londer

May 3, 2011

Uncategorized

abbey londer, comedy podcasts, eli olsberg, industry, jake weisman, pornography, the morning after

Eli, not Elijah/Elias: Episode 42: Annie Cruz & Abbey Londer

eliolsberg:

Episode 42: Annie Cruz & Abbey Londer

This week, we are joined by Annie Cruz and Abbey Londer. Annie reveals the connection between being a Scorpio and sex addiction, Abbey talks about porn in a neon orange box, and Eli & Jake try very hard to keep their banter in check. The bells & whistles come…

OK, the sex stuff weirds me out a little, but there are enough hilarious people on the Morning After to make up for it.

Morning Debriefing 12/25/10

1) Unlike Judy Carter suggests in one of her bestselling books, dinner with a table full of comedians is not incredibly depressing. It’s actually the antithesis of the stereotype/notion. In fact, two tables of LA comics on a Christmas Eve in Chinatown will turn into a spirited competition of who can order first, who is having more fun, and whether to trade members of each table for another. As comedian Ed Salazar said to comedian Eli Olsberg, “Our table will be blogged about.” For the record, Ed’s table was the better table. Yes, I was sitting at “that” table. Either way, some people think we, comedians, are a depressing bunch, which has a basis in truth, but that’s not all of who we are. As obsessive, impulsive, and condescending distorted caricatures of actual people as we may come off, all of it is all in the goal of going on lit stage and getting laughs in a darkened room full of strangers. So on this Christmas morning, or whenever you happen to be reading this, appreciate comedians, not only as ones that inspire laughter when you need it the most, but also as hard-working real people that strive diligently at their craft through much personal sacrifice. Perhaps, give them a hug, if they deserve it and if they’re OK with their personal space. HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE COMEDY BUREAU/JAKE KROEGER TO ALL OF YOU IN THE LA COMEDY COMMUNITY AND JUST GOOD FOLKS THAT LIKE LAUGHING!!!

2) Just one more night without a COMEDY CRAWL as we all, in the LA comedy community, attempt to attain some sort of temporary normalcy.

3) OPEN MIC RUN: ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW? You WANT to do an open mic on Christmas Day? Try working on your material while opening gifts. Does that sound like a good idea? Of course, it doesn’t. That’s why you should just enjoy Christmas.

4) Yesterday, I wrote about James Adomian’s inspired performance that included a painfully hilarious story about opening for Joan Rivers. It’s definitely one of the better “road” stories I’ve heard and there’s actually visual proof of it RIGHT HERE.

5) Paul F. Tompkins was actually trending on Twitter both in Los Angeles and NYC last night.

All of this came about for his live tweeting during the Pope’s Midnight Mass, which, in thinking about it, IS the Christmas gift that Tompkins gives to us all. Follow @PFtompkins and read all tweets with #midnightmass2010.

6) The Comedy Bureau “Tips Its Hat” today to GOOD NEIGHBOR-“best videos contest 3” Making the thought of absurdity in of itself absurd, amazing sketch group Good Neighbor attacks your senses in the best, most enjoyable way possible at such a furious pace that it’s really unimaginable not to get a kick out of them. Featuring seasoned performers Nick Rutherford, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, and non-performer/filmmaker Dave McCary, Good Neighbor is a treat to watch and should not be missed. Check their website or back at the Comedy Bureau for details on their next performance.

7) From the “You Should Have Been There” Lagoon: Blackadder’s Christmas Carol Part 1 of 5 [on Youtube] (My favorite Christmas Special of all time)

8) Donate. It’s Christmas. Even if you don’t celebrate, it’s a pretty convenient time to donate to the Comedy Bureau.

9) Many people thank me for my personal dedication to this blog and to all of them, I heartily say, “You’re quite welcome.”. To anyone who doubts this fact, I am writing this at 2:43AM Christmas Morning.

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Post Brunch Update 12/19/10

December 19, 2010

Uncategorized

april richardson, biggest mistake, comedy bureau, dan dominguez, dave ross, eli olsberg, jake weisman, jen goldberg, la, matt braunger, morning debriefing, paul jay, take that america, the morning after, this american mistake, this american wife

1) This American Mistake @ Meltdown Comics was a spectacular showcase of why the relatively brand new form of comedy, “the podcast”, has become so wildly popular. Likened more to an actual conversation as opposed to someone telling straight jokes to you, audiences/listeners are eased into a wildly entertaining spectacle in a podcast that’s largely more relatable than straight stand-up or sketch. Last night, The Biggest Mistake,

This American Wife (featuring guests Alie and Georgia mixing tasty libations live),

and The Morning After Podcast (w/guest Gene Frucha, former porn star making a comeback/Eric Martin, the man behind This American Wife)

gave the audience at Meltdown Comics a great display as to the uniqueness and inherent hilarity, not only of the idea of a podcast, but within themselves. With interviews and funny insights into pornography in the Morning After Podcast (Jake Weisman and Eli Olsberg), a fantastic parody of NPR in This American Wife (Eric Martin et al), and the naturally hysterical dynamic between Paul Jay, Dan Dominguez, and Jen Goldberg on the Biggest Mistake, any person in LA and around the world can enjoy some laughs in a new and more personable way. Also, to my own personal delight, accessing these three podcasts will be made even easier as Jen Goldberg announced the birth of an “unstoppable force” of a podcast network, “Take That America”. More details on “Take That America” will be featured here as they come along. In addition to that “podcast trifecta” “performing” last night, this LIVE edition of these podcasts featured some early Christmas treats in special guest stand-up performances from Dave Ross,

April Richardson,

Matt Braunger,

and “the man of the hour” himself: Paul Jay.

Basically, don’t miss out on any of these podcasts and definitely don’t miss out on LIVE editions of podcasts. The Comedy Bureau will try to make sure that doesn’t happen.

2) I can’t stress enough how much tonight’s COMEDY CRAWL in however many dimensions we agree reality is actually represented in will be better than Tron 3D. Start with Eban Schletter’s Cosmic Christmas @ Glendale Planetarium 5PM/7PM $10/$5 children under 12, then Adam Carolla @ Irvine Improv 7PM $30/2 item min., then Bill Burr @ Brea Improv 7PM $20/2 item min., then Laugh, Drink, Repeat w/Kyle Kinane @ Flappers YooHoo Room 7PM $10/2 drink min., then ASSSSCAT @ UCB Theatre 7:30PM FREE, then Trick: Part Deux @ Bordello Bar 8PM FREE, then French Toast @ Taix 8:30PM FREE, then Top Story Weekly @ iO West 9PM $5, and finish with a warm Christmas hot chocolate and Last Call Comedy @ Irvine Improv 9PM $15/2 item min.

3) OPEN MIC RUN: PALMS 8572 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM, SAL’S COMEDY HOLE 7356 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA/Starts 6PM, 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.

4) In case you throw your cares about the rain in LA to the wind and missed Maria Bamford on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, it’s on the link before these eight words.

5) The incredibly popular Casey’s Open Mic on Mondays is no longer as is one of the longest running open mics in LA, Michael’s Pub, out in the valley. Please abstain from taking a moment from silence and take comedian/Ogre Mage’s bass player Jeff Watenhofer’s advice: If you do go to Casey’s [or Michael’s] again, please ask about the open mic, and upon hearing it no longer happens, put a $100 bill BACK into your wallet and leave without saying anything.

6) The Comedy Bureau “Tip Its Hat” today to STEVE SCHNEIDER-“@stvschndr My faith in humankind cannot survive the fact that people willingly eat at Panda Express.” Insightful and subversive in his writing and performance, Steve Schneider is one of the more clever comics on the LA comedy scene despite him only being booked once this year. Follow him on Twitter and check back at the Comedy Bureau for details on where you can see him next.

7) From the “You Should Have Been There” Lagoon: Harland Williams at the Yuk Yuk’s 25th Anniversary

8) “BAH HUMBUG!!! Donate already!!!”-cheap attempt #24 for donations to the Comedy Bureau. Please donate if you want the “cheap attempts” to stop.

9) Performing, writing, and writing about comedy almost forgot made me about christmas shopping, I mean… thoughtful letter writing to family because I can’t afford Christmas discount prices at Target right now.

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Post Brunch Update 12/19/10

December 19, 2010

Uncategorized

april richardson, biggest mistake, comedy bureau, dan dominguez, dave ross, eli olsberg, jake weisman, jen goldberg, la, matt braunger, paul jay, take that america, the morning after, this american mistake, this american wife

This American Wife (featuring guests Alie and Georgia mixing tasty libations live),

and The Morning After Podcast

gave the audience at Meltdown Comics a great display as to the uniqueness and inherent hilarity, not only of the idea of a podcast, but within themselves. With interviews and funny insights into pornography in the Morning After Podcast (Jake Weisman and Eli Olsberg), a fantastic parody of NPR in This American Wife (Eric Martin et al), and the naturally hysterical dynamic between Paul Jay, Dan Dominguez, and Jen Goldberg on the Biggest Mistake, any person in LA and around the world can enjoy some laughs in a new and more personable way. Also, to my own personal delight, accessing these three podcasts will be made even easier as Jen Goldberg announced the birth of an “unstoppable force” of a podcast network, “Take That America”. More details on “Take That America” will be featured here as they come along. In addition to that “podcast trifecta” “performing” last night, this LIVE edition of these podcasts featured some early Christmas treats in special guest stand-up performances from Dave Ross,

April Richardson,

Matt Braunger,

and “the man of the hour” himself: Paul Jay.

Basically, don’t miss out on any of these podcasts and definitely don’t miss out on LIVE editions of podcasts. The Comedy Bureau will try to make sure that doesn’t happen.

4) In case you throw your cares about the rain in LA to the wind and missed Maria Bamford on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, it’s on the link before these eight words.

7) From the “You Should Have Been There” Lagoon: Harland Williams at the Yuk Yuk’s 25th Anniversary

8) “BAH HUMBUG!!! Donate already!!!”-cheap attempt #24 for donations to the Comedy Bureau. Please donate if you want the “cheap attempts” to stop.

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Post Brunch Update 11/4/10

1) It’s a theory that the further you drive outside of Los Angeles proper, the more stage time you can get as a comedian. Cafe on 2nd in Alhambra gives more support to that argument as you are guaranteed at least 10 min. after $3 cover. Being a mixed mic, musicians and poets actually want to listen to your set as opposed to bitter comics trying to going over their set or figuring out a riff off of you. Though I had to pay $3 and had to drive to Alhambra, all the way in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, I ended up getting 15 min., which is indispensable to building an act/developing stage presence/making sure you don’t bomb for 5 min. when it counts. Another “Bureau Approved Open Mic” Cafe on 2nd runs every Wed. and Thurs. Sign-up at 7PM. Starts at 7:30PM. $3 cover. 7 S. 2nd St., Alhambra, CA.

2) I don’t know why I’ve never been to Ed Galvez’s Punk House before, especially knowing that he puts up some of LA’s funniest on a stage in an alley behind the 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica. With Sean Green at the reins, Eli Olsberg, Mike Holmes, Josh Androsky, Matt Manser, Erin Crapser, Ed Galvez himself, and a surprise appearance by Geoff Brousseau made for a night way more entertaining that watching people argue with the Christian evangelist on the actual 3rd St. Promenade. Running for over 4 years, Punk House is a testament to legitimately hilarious comedy shows outside of the Hollywood trifecta of the Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, and the Hollywood Improv. Ed Galvez’s Punk House @ The Westside Comedy Theatre. 9PM Every Wednesday. $8. 1323-A 3rd St., Santa Monica, CA (in the alley).

3) The comedy crawl has too much comedy tonight for a clever metaphor. There’s just not enough space in this post to tell you literally how much amazing, astounding, fantastic, phenomenal, stupefying live comedy there is tonight. That’s why I’ll get to it now, right after I finish typing this very sentence that you’re reading. Go to MB Stand Up @ Flappers Yoo Hoo Room 7:30PM $5/2 drink min., then Literally Funny @ The Last Bookstore 8PM FREE, then Piñata @ Bang Comedy Theatre 8PM. $14, then Comedy Speakeasy w/Eric Andre and Amy Dresner @ TSR Loft (call 323-568-1616 for details), then Laugh for Haiti @ The Comedy Store 8PM $25/2 item min., then Full Throttle Comedy @ The Hollywood Improv 8PM $14/2 item min., then As Seen on Chelsea Lately w/Ryan Stout & Christina Pazsitsky @ Brea Improv 8PM $15/2 item min., then The Josh & Josh Show @ Bar Lubitsch 8:30PM FREE, then “That’s My Baby” @ Barre Vermont 9:30PM FREE., then Jeff Garlin’s Combo Platter @ The UCB Theatre 9:30PM $5.

4) LA Comedian/a quarter of the Southern Comedy Quartet Jarrod Harris has a new webseries, Action Figure Therapy, which amazingly manages to be more therapeutic for anyone watching than the actual “action figure” supposedly getting therapy. Check it out here.

5) Donate. Please. Donate to support the Comedy Bureau. Please. Unfortunately, I don’t think Pavlovian response applies here, but please donate.

6) The Comedy Bureau Calendars freshly updated w/ Jon Lovitz Comedy Club, Bang Theatre, and Sal’s Comedy Hole. Doubt it? See for yourself.

7) Breaking news for the Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Open Mic. There will be a 50 ft. cable to walk around almost like it’s a wireless mic. Also, to kick off with a bang and a mic toss, there will be inaugural performances to the incomparable Joe Braza and Lauren Rochelle. Nov. 9th. 6:30PM. Señor Fish. 422 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA

8) I think there’s a PG way to go about suicide jokes. There better be… BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING ELSE!!!

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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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Pick of the Day: R. U. Afraid of the 90’s? (near LA) 10/21

Pick of the Day: Performance Anxiety (in LA) 4/26

Eli Olsberg Will Be Joining New Found Glory on Their Tour Along the West Coast

Eli, not Elijah/Elias: Episode 42: Annie Cruz & Abbey Londer

Morning Debriefing 12/25/10

Post Brunch Update 12/19/10

Post Brunch Update 12/19/10

Post Brunch Update 11/4/10

Morning Debriefing 10/27/10