just for us – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 6/15/24-6/24/24: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, Reggie Watts, Alex Edelman, Onika McLean, Between the Temples, Elijah Wood, John Hastings, Marge Simpson/Nancy MacKenzie, Space Balls, Resident Alien, What’s Funny Fest, Murray Hill, Eric Idle, Eugene Mirman, Mr. Bean, Free Eric Andre Tix

1. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. We’re sold on just the title alone (and how charming that it’s also French). It definitely feels like part of the Last Lovers Left Alive side of the vampire comedies. Please enjoy the trailer here. If you’re digging it, it’s rolling out in limited release now.

2. It has almost been a decade since the brilliant Reggie Watts has released a proper new hour, but, thankfully, we’re not going to reach that decade mark. Watts’ new comedy special Never Mind is set to premiere on VEEPS (the new streaming service of du jour it would seem) next month. Take a gander of what sort of esoteric hijinks Watts gets into this time with the trailer for Never Mind here.

3. Alex Edelman officially won a damn Tony for his nearly unbelievable solo show, Just For Us. May this set a precedent for more stand-ups to win Tonys for their shows about how they put their lives on the line just out of curiosity amongst other things.

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4. In and around, high and low, and all around the five boroughs, Onika McLean is a name you’ll see all around the NYC comedy scene and that’s largely because she’s killing it wherever she goes with a sweetness-tinged honesty. See what New Yorkers get to see all the time with her set from Don’t Tell here.

5. Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane together and it’s not a Wes Anderson movie? Take a gander at what might be an extremely charming comedy of later age comedy from Nathan Silver, Between the Temples, here, then look for it in theaters very soon.

5. Elijah Wood spent so many years of his life in New Zealand playing Frodo Baggins in the monumental cinematic achievement that is the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and he is now set to kind of flip that experience by returning to NZ in a film where he plays a “washed up Las Vegas illusionist” looking for a mythical panther (ok, so maybe it’s kind of the same?) in the upcoming Bookworm (Deadline).

6. John Hastings has put a special that’s actually more of a fascinating documentary about how well-read and sharp he is at crowd work no matter where he is in the world. It’s almost as if there were some sort of crowd work decathlon, you might want to put your money on Hastings. See why with his special John Hastings: The Times They Are a John Hastings here.

7. The voice of Marge Simpson, Nancy MacKenzie, has passed away at 81 (Deadline). RIP and let it be known that we’re not interested in an AI generated sound alike of Marge.

8. A sequel to Mel Brooks’ landmark Star Wars parody, Space Balls, is in the works with Josh Gad set to star (Variety). What are the odds that this sequel is called Space Balls: The Foreskin Awakens?

9. Resident Alien, the current show you can watch Alan Tudyk put on a clinic when it comes to comedic character acting, is getting fourth season, though it will be at USA Network rather than SyFy (THR). This announcement will probably double as a reminder that the USA Network is still going.

10. Years before JFL Montreal had to postpone and Just For Laughs had to figure out its money woes, JFL Chicago got the axe. Thankfully, Lil’ Rel and Knowledge Beckom are bringing a big time comedy festival to Chicago, a city that more than deserves one with Whats Funny Fest this fall (Deadline).

11. Murray Hill has such a knack for stealing scenes, most recently in Somebody Somewhere, that it’s about time he got his own show. Thankfully, that process is underway with Hill developing a campy gumshoe comedy “Shorty Big Time” (Deadline).

12. Not sure if there will ever be another Monty Python live tour, but you can count on Eric Idle touring his solo hour, a familiar title of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, LIVE! that’s touring throughout the U.S. and Australia from Sept. to Nov. Go get tix here (and don’t wait for them to sell out).

13. Eugene Mirman is going on tour in September and November as well (though just the Midwest and West Coast) with his An Evening of Whimsy and Mild Grievances. Fingers crossed that he does live Russian language lessons from I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome). Get tix here!

14. There is going to be a whole channel dedicated to Rowan Atkinson‘s seminal character, Mr. Bean (Deadline). If this is the way to get folks on board with Blackadder, so be it.

15. We’ll leave you with this: Remember, we got some free tix to giveaway for The Final Eric Andre Show LIVE @ The Bellwether on July 19th. If you want in, let us know at thecomedybureau@gmail.com.

TCB Debriefing 3/5-3/8/24: Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda, Problemista, JFL Montreal, SXSW, Alex Edelman, Good One, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, Steve Martin, Something Wicked, Noah Baumbach, Murderbot, Jermaine Fowler, Kenny DeForest

1. Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda is simultaneously a concession by Netflix to make up for continuing to let Dave Chappelle to be their highest paid TERF as well as a beautifully curated showcase of comedians from all ’round the world that are both genderqueer and so damny funny and proof positive of the healing connective powers of comedy. If you sit and watch the Gadsby-handpicked line-up of Jes Tom, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith, Asha Ward, Krishna Istha, Mx. Daheli Belle, and ALOK, you’ll see a different color of the fabric of humanity in all of its comedic absurdity, but very and incredibly human all the same. The observations and issues of all the comedians in this special may not be the sorts that you encounter in your own daily life, but their jokes exquisitely highlight a sort of universal ridiculousness of life (especially when it comes to the gender binary) that any open minded, open hearted soul can get behind. Of the comedian showcases that Netflix has done, this very well might be their best (and most affecting) one yet.

Please enjoy Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda on Netflix right now.

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2. Problemista is the sort of work that has to make one wonder what sort of magic did Lorne Michaels shoot down at SNL when Julia Torres wrote there. Torres and co-star Tilda Swinton make an unforgettable duo in a magically real fish-out-of-water, coming-of-age, critical immigrant tale that perfectly showcases Julio’s penchant for the subversive nuance in everyday minutia (i.e. pitching toys that have more dramatic tension and emotional complexity). Don’t be surprised if it’s this year’s Everything Everywhere All at Once (it is an A24 movie after all) with having all the trappings of an ambitious arthouse indie comedy that’s set for wide release on Mar. 22nd. Go get tickets to see and enjoy this treasure if it’s playing in your city right now right here.

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3. JFL Montreal is cancelled this year and looking for creditor protection (CBC), which means, for the first time in decades, there likely won’t be any sort of New Faces of Comedy handpicked by Just For Laughs. That said, it has been the reality for quite some time that JFL New Faces, while a prestigious honor, was one milestone on what is usually a still very circuitous road in the career of a comedian. The fate of JFL Montreal and New Faces along with it have yet to be decided, but we now wonder what will become JFL’s stake in everything else (Moontower, London, Toronto, etc.).

4. SXSW just kicked off today and they have a comedy festival that is alive and well with the expected stacked line-up of comics and shows including:

Aida Rodriguez • Andrew Rannells • Annie Lederman • Beth Stelling • Brian Simpson •
Cazzie David • Chris Fleming • Chris Gethard • Christina Catherine Martinez • Conan
O’Brien • Courtney Pauroso • Doug Benson • Dulcé Sloan • Dustin Ybarra • Erin Jackson •
Frank Oz • Hannah Einbinder • Ikechukwu Ufomadu • Jaboukie Young-White • James
Adomian • Joe DeRosa • John Leguizamo • Jon Gabrus • Jourdain Fisher • Judd Apatow •
Leonard Maltin • Lilly Singh • Lucia Aniello • Luisa Omielan • Lynne Koplitz • Matt Besser •
Napoleon Emill • Natalie Palamides • Nathan Macintosh • Nick Kroll • Nick Thune •
Orlando Leyba • Pamela Adlon • Paul Scheer • Pete Lee • Punkie Johnson • Rich Vos •
Rick Glassman • Robert Smigel • Samantha Bee • Stuart Goldsmith • Tone Bell •
Yamaneika Saunders • Zach Zucker

A.I. Johnny Cash & A.I. Friends Hootenanny • ASSSSCAT • The Comedian’s Comedian •
Entre Nos Presents Comedy Crossroads • Comic Relief US • The Creek and The Cave •

Doug Loves Movies • Famous with a Baby (and Other Sh*t that Didn’t Work Out) • Girl
Cop: A Clown Drama • Gotham Comedy Club • Hollywood Improv • improv4humans •
Maltin on Movies • The Origins of Whatever You Call What We Did with Conan O’Brien
and Robert Smigel • Reel Funny: Creating Comedy from the Director’s Chair • Riffs and
Riff-Raff with Nick Thune & Friends • Samantha Bee Presents Wits End • Stamptown •
The Street Meat: A Comedic Celebration of Food Trucks, Grease Pits, and Sandwich
Shops • The Unfinished Orson Welles Roast of Hollywood • Vanessa 5000 • Variety Power
of Comedy • Yamaneika Saunders Presents: Maestra •

5. To say that Alex Edelman’s Just For Us is critically acclaimed is kind of understating just how much acclaim it has gotten. It’s not often that someone at Alex’s age gets to do their solo show on Broadway after doing several runs Off-Broadway then tour all over the country, yet his special and Alex himself really had something, dare we say, special with the story of him infiltrating a White Nationalist meeting as a Jew. Thankfully, you and the rest of the world that has access to HBO/Max will get to see it this April. Watch the teaser for Alex Edelman: Just For Us here, then get ready for it be released during Worldwide Comedy Month.

6. If you’re obsessed with process in the art form of comedy, you might already be obsessed with Jesse David Fox‘s Good One podcast. Mike Birbiglia is one-upping the podcast by giving an unprecedented look at how he came up with a whole new hour/special/solo show from start to finish as a Good One documentary. Take a gander at what you’ll get to see, then watch Good One: A Show About Jokes on Peacock starting Mar. 26th.

7. Ramy Youssef has More Feelings (as well as a new special) and, from the looks of it, it’s going to be quite timely (you know, Ramy’s MO as a comedian and artist especially in regards to Muslim representation in media/comedy/world). See for yourself here, then watch it exclusively on Max on Mar. 23rd.

8. If you thought Jerrod Carmichael had left it all out there with Rothaniel, just you wait to see his reality show Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show that seems to be dedicated to the actual reality part of the Reality TV genre in a way that Vanderpump Rules or Keeping Up with the Kardashians aren’t. True to his form of breaking down form conventions, it would seem Carmichael is doing a docu series of the aftermath of his special and what he hath wrought in his own life and calling it a reality show. Take a look with the first trailer here, then immediately set a reminder for Mar. 29th to watch this on HBO or Max.

9. This two part documentary for legendary comedians is starting to become a trend. Garry Shandling, George Carlin, and now, Steve Martin with Morgan Neville’s STEVE! (martin) coming to Apple TV+ on Mar. 29th. Take a gander of the latest comedy nerdery must see doc here.

10. A new witch comedy, Something Wicked, is in the works with the one and only June Diane Raphael taking the lead role and Dickinson creator Alena Smith at the helm (Deadline). Fingers crossed that there will be some witchy Hotwives energy present in this show.

11. Following being roped into the box office boffo and critical juggernaut that is and was the Barbie movie, Noah Baumbach is headed back out on his own with his next movie at Netflix that will sports a shiny, shiny ensemble cast of Adam Sandler, George Clooney, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, and Riley Keough (Deadline). Those are all the details for now, but from how much we loved White Noise, we won’t be surprised with a jocular satire that feels, perhaps, all too relevant.

12. Award winning book The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells is not only going to be adapted into an Apple TV+ series (Deadline), but going to do so with Sabrina Wu leading off an ensemble cast of Tattiawna Jones, Akshay Khanna, and Tamara Podemski. A show following a sentient android that wants to watch soap operas will do well to have Wu on the cast.

13. The very next Foot Fist Way may come from Jermaine Fowler and Zach Bornstein, though trade out Tae Kwon Do for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Deadline).

14. We’ll leave you with this: RIP THIS Bald King, Kenny DeForest. Please watch and enjoy his last Don’t Tell Comedy set here.

Pick of the Day: Alex Edeman: Just for Us (in LA) 11/10-11/26

November 3, 2023

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alex edelman, dtla, just for us, los angeles comedy, mark taper forum, solo show, storytelling

Alex Edelman’s Just For Us is probably one of the most acclaimed live solo shows of this year (and last year) considering its several extensions Off Broadway and then ascending to Broadway. Edelman’s hilarious and captivating tale of sneaking into White Nationalists meetings as a Jewish person is already shot and scheduled to be released as a special, but it’s going on the road first.

One of Edelman’s first stops will be here in LA at the Mark Taper Forum in DTLA that, as far as comedy in recent memory goes, only Mike Birbiglia has played. It’s a big run, but don’t rest on your laurels to buy tickets because they’ll likely get bought up very, very fast.

So, Just For Us is set to run from:

1/10-11/26

Tues-Sat @ 8PM PT

Sat. matinee @ 3PM PT

Sundays @ 2PM PT & 7PM PT

*Dark on Thanksgiving

*No matinee on 11/11

*Fri. Matinee 11/26 @ 3PM PT

Tickets are $40-$150 and stop reading this go get them now right here.

Pick of the Day: Alex Edelman: Just For Us on Broadway (in NYC) 6/22-8/19

April 6, 2023

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alex edelman, broadway, hudson theatre, just for us

There’s a fair chance that you’ve gotten to catch Alex Edelman‘s internationally acclaimed show Just For Us as it has played Off Broadway for a run that was extended six times (in addition to touring globally to even more praise). Still, several millions of folks live in the Greater NYC Area and have likely missed on their first chance to catch Edelman’s riveting show about what happened following Alex going undercover at a White Nationalist meeting (as Alex is a Jew and very much not a White Nationalist).

With it being such a timely story on top of winning awards and glowing reviews seemingly wherever it plays, Edelman is getting to mount Just For Us once more, but this time on one of the biggest types of stages a comedian can play, Broadway. From Jun. 22nd through Aug. 19th, Edelman will be doing Just For Us up big at The Hudson Theatre playing nearly every night of the week (except for Sunday).

Tickets start at $44 and you better snag them up quick at justforusshow.com as we’ll not at all be surprised if they sell out quick yet again.