hot Tub

Legendary weekly comedy show, Hot Tub with Kurt Kristen, just marked its 20th year anniversary this past weekend and, for now, has come to its end. It marks the end of an era and the wonderment of what lies ahead with the new era ahead. As such, we talk with long time Hot Tub co-producer Joel Mandlekorn (shout out to his co-producer/partner Mandee Johnson as well for making Hot Tub one of LA comedy’s best shows) and pulling off one hell of a finale and where we all might go from here.

Follow Joel @cleftclips

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

Pick of the Day: Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen 16th Anniversary 2/22

February 19, 2021

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beth stelling, christina catherine martinez, hot Tub, jackie kashian, kyle kinane, langston kerman, wyatt cenac

Even without a pandemic, the idea of a weekly comedy show, especially a stalwartly funny one, going for 16 years is astounding. Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen has been one of the best shows hands down wherever it has been (including NYC, LA, and festivals all around).

Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal and their crew, currently CleftClips & HoldThePhone Comedy, have built a comedy institution over those several years, which was where we spent the majority of our Monday nights before lockdown. To keep going during the pandemic as one of the best, yet again, most reliable comedy live-streams deserves a standing ovation no matter where you are or what you’re doing currently.

To mark the occasion, they’ll be doing the show in their virtual Hot Tub: Home Edition format LIVE at HOLDTHEPHONE.TV with a brimming and bustling line-up of their personal favorites including Wyatt Cenac, Kyle Kinane, Jackie Kashian, Langston Kerman, Beth Stelling, and Christina Catherine Martinez.

You can stream it for free on Feb. 22nd at 8PM PT/11PM ET, as you’ve always been able to do during lockdown, or, you can support them and the comics and their home at The Virgil in LA by joining the Hot Tub Club at Patreon where you could be part of a limited live Zoom audience. We say do it if you haven’t already, especially for their 16th anniversary.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 40: 2020 Wrap-Up/Best of/Looking Forward (w/Joel Mandelkorn)

December 30, 2020

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

2020 wrap up, aparna nancherla, baited, comedy crossing, corporate, dana donnelly, eddie pepitone, hot Tub, how to with john wilson, joel mandelkorn, laurie kilmartin, sara schaefer, super serious, what we do in the shadows, ziwe

2020. Was it the year that comedy took a “little nap”? Was it a year where the effects of the pandemic will forever change the business dynamics and artistic direction of the art form of comedy? Were the latest seasons of Corporate and What We Do In The Shadows some of the year’s best TV?

As it’s the last week of 2020, TCB’s Jake Kroeger gets to the bottom of all these questions in a very special, year-end wrap-up episode of the TCB Field Report. He’s joined by one of the sharpest minds in comedy, veteran indie comedy producer Joel Mandelkorn to shout out their favorite/most sturdy/noticeable things in comedy in 2020 as well as what lies ahead for comedy in 2021 if the world hasn’t sunk into total mayhem at that point.

Shout outs to: What We Do In The Shadows, Corporate, How To With John Wilson, Baited with Ziwe, Eddie Pepitone: For the Masses, @aparnapkin, @danadonly, @saraschaefer1, Comedy Crossing, and Laurie Kilmartin.

Follow Joel @cleftclips & Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen @hottub_show and please get Super Serious: An Oral History of Los Angeles Independent Stand-Up Comedy

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).
Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

Here’s Our The Future of Future of LA Comedy Roundtable Discussion

June 25, 2020

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christian chavez, comedy reopening, echoes on pico, flappers, hot Tub, joel mandelkorn, roundtable discussion

Earlier this week, we assembled a panel of folks behind the scenes of LA comedy to discuss where they’re currently at with the state of the world and what might lie ahead. The panel consisted of Joel Mandelkorn (CleftClips, Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen), Christian Chavez (owner of Echoes on Pico), Joshua Snyder (Booker of Flappers Comedy Club) who stepped in for Flappers Owner Babrara Holliday, and TCB’s founder Jake Kroeger as moderator to give us all a nice strata of different segments in comedy. Thanks again to Hold The Phone Comedy to hosting this live-stream.

The discussion goes through a myriad of the crucial topics in regards to reopening, safety, sustainability, inclusion, and more and though there isn’t a specific answers to how anything is going to happen in the not so distant future, it’s a conversation that got the wheels turning and offered a glimpse of what the different corners in LA comedy are thinking right now.

You can now stream the whole Future of Future of LA Comedy Roundtable discussion here.

Handy Dandy Guide to Weekly/Daily Comedy Livestreams (While We’re All Hunkered Down))

Though it was for a terrible reason, the world of comedy has pretty much pivoted on a dime (with growing pains to be sure) into a cornucopia of live-streaming through several online platforms. Two weeks into a good majority of the major comedy hubs of LA and NYC being sheltered in home, there have already been a whole row of weekly and even daily livestreams featuring your favorite comedians and comedy folks. Best of all, you don’t have to live in LA or NYC or really anywhere to see these. Many are free or for donations and can be seen so long as your WiFi is solid. Also, that means many of the best comedians around the country will be showing up on all sorts of shows as they just have to join in on Instagram Live, Twitch, Zoom, etc.

For the time being, these livestream shows have set up shop and will be here every week or most days of the week to keep you from going entirely insane while being stuck at home. Take note that there are plenty of one-off special events that are happening as well not mentioned here. Check our listings frequently for when and where those shows will be happening.

Obviously, we’ll update this post the more that we find.

Comedy Quarantine-daily stand-up show, Monday-Friday at 7pm PST/10PM on Instagram Live @comedyquarantine, hosted by Barbara Gray and Teresa Lee, donations accepted for comedians and COVID-19 relief.

Eddie Pepitone: Live From the Bunker-live rants and guest interviews from Eddie Pepitone, Monday-Friday, 4PM PST/7PM EST on Instagram Live @eddiepep, free.

Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen (Home Edition)-same great weekly stand-up show with Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal on Mondays at 8PM PST/11PM PST at http://holdthephone.tv/, donations accepted for comedians and COVID-19 relief.

New Material Show with Maria Bamford-Maria Bamford works out 1/2 hour of new material Monday-Friday 3PM PST/6PM EST on Zoom, donate $5 or more to food bank or Venmo $1 to @maroo-bamfoo.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 247: Joel Mandelkorn & Closing Out a 20 Year Weekly Show

Pick of the Day: Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen 16th Anniversary 2/22

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 40: 2020 Wrap-Up/Best of/Looking Forward (w/Joel Mandelkorn)

Here’s Our The Future of Future of LA Comedy Roundtable Discussion

Handy Dandy Guide to Weekly/Daily Comedy Livestreams (While We’re All Hunkered Down))

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Hot Tub’s Finally Back and So Is Our Ticket Giveaway

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