joke thief – The Comedy Bureau

Morning Debriefing 7/19/11

1) Paul Scheer’s NTSF:SD:SUV was interviewed by AOL TV and there’s a preview available on iTunes!!! Don’t miss the premiere this Thurs. at 12:15AM!

2) Funny or Die and/or Earwolf-FOD and Earwolf join in partnership!

3) Humblebrag’s monthly power list is out on Grantland!

4) The Comic’s Comic pointed out yet another random joke stealing accusation today. Hey people excited to be whistleblowers only for the sake of being a whistleblower, realize that there are plenty of incredibly creative and imaginative people not just in comedy, but the entirety of the entertainment industry, and that the possibility of someone coming up with very similar to what someone else came up with is very likely. In fact, it happens every single day.

If I had a nickel for every time I nearly had an aneurism when I read a log line for movie that just sold that’s basically what I’ve spend the better part of a year writing or hearing a similar joke that’s on an extremely esoteric topic to one that I have by a much more famous comedian than me, well, I would never ever work again. There’s a reason several intellectual property cases get thrown out every year because they are baseless and more often than not, the accusers care less about what they’re creating and more about the end result of trying to get rich quick.

Our advice: Think very carefully before you throw around the label of a “joke thief” around because it’s very hard to get rid of even if has no foundation in fact.

5) Watch Current TV’s Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi’s hilarious take on the Bachmann’s take on homosexuality.

Michele and Marcus Bachmann on Homosexuality – watch more funny videos

6) Kurt Braunohler’s World Wide of Animals: Seahorses. The funniest show about animal facts that did absolutely no fact checking whatsoever.

Kurt Braunohler’s World Wild of Animals: Seahorses – watch more funny videos

7) Amazing print comedy magazine RE:COM that’s distributed NATIONALLY is looking for photos from comedy happenings in the LA area. E-mail hi-res (300 dpi or better) pics to recomag@gmail.com if interested.

8) Maria Bamford interviewed in Midnight Poutine!

9) Connected Comedy interviews comedy booker Eric Yoder

10) Don’t know what photobombing is? Here’s an almost too perfect example from Ken Jeong in GQ (or from model Kate Upton depending on how you look at it)

11) Lighten up people, dark comedy is STILL comedy-a piece we wrote for Laughspin.com

12) Jesse Miller has a new client!!! (it’s his brother, Troy Miller, and he’s hard as hell with a Bo Staff)

13) Puddin’-Build-a-Bear

14) ON THE HORIZON
The 3rd Annual High School Talent Show @ Hot House Thurs. July 21st 9PM FREE (invite only)
Super Serious Show One Year Anniversary @ Smashbox Studios Thurs. July 21st 7PM $10 presale/$15 at door
Don’t Stop or We’ll Die LIVE @ UCB Theatre Sat. July 23rd 10PM $10
One Last Try for Comedy (Show) @ Fake Gallery Thurs. July 28th 8:30PM FREE

15) COMEDY CRAWL
The Good Luck Show @ Good Luck Bar 8PM FREE
Two Thumbs Way Down @ Nerdist Theater 8PM $10
Pizza Party Comedy @ Westside Comedy Theater 8:30PM $8
Comedy Bang Bang @ UCB Theatre $5 (stand by only)
Nick Thune & Friends w/Maria Bamford & Harland Williams @ Largo at the Coronet Theatre 9PM $20
Holy Fuck @ Downtown Independent Theater 9PM FREE

16) OPEN MIC RUN
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE TOKYO @ SEÑOR FISH 422 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA/Sign-up 6:30PM/Starts 7PM/6 min./first come, first served/no purchase necessary
LIBRARY A COFFEE HOUSE 3418 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA/Sign-up 7:30PM/Starts 8PM/first come, first served/no purchase necessary
WESTWOOD BREW CO 1097 Glendon Ave., Westwood, CA/Sign-up 7:30PM/Starts 8PM/lottery/first come, first served/no purchase necessary
SAL’S COMEDY HOLE 7356 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA/Starts 8PM/first come, first served/$4 min.
WESTSIDE COMEDY THEATER 1323-A 3rd St., Santa Monica, CA (in alley between 3rd St. Promenade and 4th St.)/Sign-up 9:45PM/Starts 10PM/lottery/$1 cover
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

17) Was asked if I was human last night because of constantly overloading my plate with work by somehow finishing it? To be honest, I had a moment of doubt of whether I was indeed human or not. Even at this moment, there is a twinge of uncertainty only dismissed by the fact that it’s almost 1PM when I posting the Morning Debriefing.

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THE COMEDY BUREAU/@thecomedybureau

Morning Debriefing 7/15/11

1) Comedy Legend Don Rickles on Leno Part 1 & 2.

2) It should be obvious what measures you should take if accusing someone of joke thievery, but here’s a pretty comprehensive list on Splitsider, just in case you’re the comedy equivalent of sue-happy.

3) Yesterday, NBC’s Community Showrunner Dan Harmon had a great post about meeting George Gallo, the writer of Midnight Run and the magic of trying to do anything creative. If you haven’t already reblogged it, give it a read.

4) Best 30 Minutes or Less Podcasts from the Plop List

5) If you’re not reading the fantastic daily thoughts of Matt Champagne, perhaps start now by reading a conversation wherein Princess Leia hits on C-3PO.

C-3PO: Might I remind you, Princess, that I am a droid?
LEIA: Your excuses are so cute.
C-3PO: I am fluent in nearly all forms of verbal communication.
LEIA: Oh, I can think of one form you’re definitely not fluent in.

6) Puddin’-Touche

7) Stuff that you might have missed yesterday that we really think you should watch again: the new episode of the Compatish and Ryan Hansen “pranking” the Midnight Show.

Ryan Hansen Pranks The Midnight Show – watch more funny videos

8) ON THE HORIZON

Eddie Izzard @ Hollywood Bowl Wed. July 10th 8PM $32.50-$100
Stupid Questions @ Cowboys & Turbans Tues. July 19th 7:30PM $10
I’m Not Myself @ Hollywood Improv Lab Sat. July 30th & Aug. 6th $5

9) COMEDY CRAWL
Maronzio Vance @ Flappers Burbank 8PM $17/2 item min.
Re-Animator the Musical @ Steve Allen Theater 8PM $30
The Business @ Nerdist Theater 8PM $10
The 12 Shiny Nickels Show @ Hollywood Improv Lab 8:30PM $10
Louis C.K. Working Out New Shit During a Disjointed Evening of Comedy @ Largo 9PM $20 Sold Out
Maronzio Vance @ Flappers Burbank 10PM $17/2 item min.
The Jesse Miller Talk Show @ Hollywood Improv Lab 10:30PM $5
Brave New Show @ iO West 11PM $5

10) OPEN MIC RUN
SET LIST @ FLAPPERS BAR 102 E. Magnolia, Burbank, CA/Sign-up 5PM/Starts 5:30PM/given “set list” of topics to do jokes off of/first come, first served/no purchase necessary
SAL’S COMEDY HOLE 7356 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM/$4 min./first come, first served
iCANDY 1708 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA/Sign-up 6PM/Starts 7PM/first come, first served/$3 min./mixed mic/booked show in middle around 8PM
SILVERLAKE LOUNGE 2906 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (Silverlake)/Sign-up (lottery) 6:30PM/Starts 7PM/4 min./no purchase necessary
SUNSET GRILL 7439 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA/Starts 7PM/one item min.
MAX BLOOM’S 200 N. Malden Ave., Fullerton, CA/Starts 7PM/booked show after/no purchase necessary
HOLLYWOOD HOTEL 1160 N. Vermont Ave., Hollywood, CA/Starts 7PM
GLENDALE DAYS INN 450 N. Pioneer Dr., Glendale, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 8PM/No foul language/No purchase necessary/first come, first served
TRINITY CHURCH 1015 California Ave., Santa Monica, CA/Starts 8PM/must work clean/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/first come, first served/coffee and bottled water available

11) Designer and writer David Yoon wants to make LA streets narrower so it can be Paris. If you want LA to be Paris, go to Paris and stop complaining, just like those people who hate our hot dogs here vs. their hot dogs from wherever they came from.

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THE COMEDY BUREAU/@thecomedybureau

#brainboxupdate: Met a weird guy at open mike. (not the first time that’s been said,…

May 29, 2011

Uncategorized

joke thief, stealing

#brainboxupdate: Met a weird guy at open mike. (not the first time that’s been said,…

jackiekashian:

Met a weird guy at open mike. (not the first time that’s been said, I’m sure). THEN he came up to me at ** and ask if I’d be in his webseries and then asked me if I wanted any material that he had “acquired”. I said… “don’t say acquired, it sounds like you stole it.” him, “Oh, I did.” NOT OKAY… I…

Jackie, do not feel bad for this person.

This anomaly in the comedy world not only steals jokes, but openly admits to it as if it’s an OK thing to do. They’re also the type of person that probably blackmails their way into audition for Last Comic Standing, Live at Gotham, or a major comedy club and, again, thinks all of that is OK. At an open mic, this is the type of person that shouldn’t be talking to anybody, much less pitching projects or giving advice because elsewhere they have the type of reputation of an artistic leper that everyone absolutely stays away from (and reputation travels pretty damn fast; just ask Jason Garrett).

The worst part about people like this is that they have been in comedy for almost too long. They should know better. In the years they’ve worked through in comedy, they should know how hard it is to come up with and hone a comedy act. Yet, whether or not they acknowledge the tribulations of taking a path as a comedic performer that often has no distinct direction, they stick to their philosophy of “whatever it takes” to reach a goal that they, hopefully, never attain.

So, once again, do not feel bad, Jackie. Do not feel bad at all.