kumail nanjiani

It has been seemingly an eon and a half has passed since hundreds of folks would gather at the back of Meltdown Comics to see Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani helm one of the best weekly comedy shows in the country. While the physical space that housed The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail is now slated to be another overpriced apartment building in LA, we’re over the moon to see Kumail’s return to stand-up comedy after becoming a legitimate movie star.

You’ve might have seen Kumail in and around LA popping up as a special guest, but he’s taking over a whole night at Largo at the Coronet (a short drive from Sunset x Gardner) on Tues. Oct. 3rd. The show was just announced today and bound to sell out. So, get your tix at $46 a pop here quick.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 60: Holly Gabrielson & Pivoting (Maybe)

May 19, 2021

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

charles grodin, holly gabrielson, kumail nanjiani, series renewal

Since the good majority of folks have been (hopefully) staying safe at home, there has been plenty of time for people to get perspective on their life, drive, purpose, etc. Well, that’s the hope anyway. Former TV development executive, comedy manager, and indie comedy producer Holly Gabrielson has indeed given plenty of thought as to go from helping orchestrate a comedy variety show on gondolas to what might be next for her. Thus, she discusses social justice, healthcare, and the entertainment industry at large and how it specifically affects comedy with TCB’s Jake Kroeger. Also, “hot” takes on Kumail Nanjiani being cast as the founder of Chippendales, series renewals during this Upfronts, and the passing of Charles Grodin.

Follow Holly on Twitter @hollygabrielson.

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

Pick of the Day: Harmontown Reunion Show 2/21

February 11, 2021

News

dan harmon, emily gordon, harmontown, jeff b davis, kumail nanjiani, reunion, rob schrab, spencer crittenden

Looking back from this moment, it would seem that the last bit that you’ve heard from Harmontown was eons ago. Actually, it was just near the end of 2019, just as the before times were coming to an end.

Then, we all have had a collective lived experience of living the longest days and weeks of our lives leading up to what seems like a decade later for a Harmontown reunion. Yes, you did read that right. There will be a virtual gathering of Dan Harmon, Jeff B. Davis, Spencer Crittenden, Rob Schrab along with very, very special guests Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani later this month via live-streaming platform, House Seats.

For the uninitiated or those who it has been so long that the memory of the before times seems like a faint candle in the distance, Dan Harmon and the Harmontown gang really made an official session of Harmontown whatever they’d like, which might anything ranging from in-depth conversation the inner-workings of entertainment to the complexities and nuances of life to Dan using a vocoder to freestyle.

So, do not miss this Harmontown Reunion set to live-stream Feb. 21st at 5PM PT/8PM ET (it’ll be available to watch up afterwards until 2/28 9PM PT/12AM ET). Tickets for live-stream access are only $15 and you best get them here.

Pick of the Day: SF Sketchfest’s Festpocalypse 1/30

It’s the first day of 2021 even though it feels like 2020 is still going on and doing it’s terrible, terrible thing, you can, if you’re up for it, try to start the year anew.

In that regard, we’d like to remind you of the first real big comedy event of the year (it’s still virtual, FYI): SF Sketchfest’s Festpocalypse. Coming in at the end of January right around when SF Sketchfest, one of the world’s biggest comedy festivals would normally happen, Festpocalypse will be a virtual event at a proportion that SF Sketchfest hasn’t ever done. Just take a gander at that line-up on the flyer. Even though it’s taking place over one day only, it really is a bill that they’d have at their normally scheduled, three week comedy festival extravaganza that takes over San Francisco.

Also, you should note that Festpocalypse is a fundraiser for SF Sketchfest to keep going in the future when doing a big time festival will be allowed.

Festpocalypse is set for Jan. 30th and will begin streaming at 5PM PT/8PM ET. Tickets start at only $20, but go up if you want to snag some merch. Go get them here.

SF Sketchfest Announces Virtual “Festpocalypse” Fundraiser This Coming January

OK, so there won’t be an in-person SF Sketchfest come this January. You already knew that, right?

Just because that’s the case, doesn’t mean that SF Sketchfest, one of the world’s biggest comedy festivals, won’t forego doing anything. In fact, they’ve got something pretty big on deck, virtually of course, called Festpocalypse. It will be a special, massive one night only event that will raise money to keep SF Sketchfest alive and well and going after all of the COVID-19 pandemic is finished.

How massive is it? Well, take a gander at who they have slated for Festpocalypse:

The Kids in the Hall, The State, Mr. Show’s David Cross & Bob Odenkirk, The Upright Citizens Brigade, Parv & Pudi with Parvesh Cheena and Danny Pudi, plus “Saturday Night Live” alumni Fred Armisen, Dana Carvey, Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo, Tim Meadows, Laraine Newman, Sasheer Zamata and original writer Alan Zweibel. Sketch troupes Kasper Hauser, The Latino Comedy Project, White Women and Australia’s Netflix sensations Aunty Donna appear as well.

Festpocalypse also features top stand-up comics and writers including Brits Eddie Izzard and Noel Fielding, plus Margaret Cho, Jo Firestone, Ron Funches, Chris Gethard, Dave Hill, Joel Kim Booster, Bobcat Goldthwait, Emily V. Gordon, Dana Gould, Eugene Mirman, Arden Myrin, Aparna Nancherla, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Kevin Pollak, Greg Proops, Jonah Ray, Paul F. Tompkins, Reggie Watts and more. Also, live short film riffing with RiffTrax featuring “Mystery Science Theater 3000” alumni, fake Uptown Showdown debates, a visit with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and “Weird Al” Yankovic, a game show hosted by Jimmy Pardo, movie games hosted by Doug Benson, swift justice from Judge John Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse Thorn, and a rare reunion of The Slipnutz members Andy Blitz, Jon Glaser and Brian Stack.

Film and television stars slated for appearances include Alan Arkin, Paget Brewster, Chris Elliott, Elliott Gould, Christopher Guest, Jon Hamm, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Bill Irwin, Jane Lynch, Oscar Nuñez, Andrea Savage, and Aisha Tyler, as well as The Tenderloins, creators of the hit show “Impractical Jokers.” Cult cinema aficionado and drag superstar Peaches Christ will take a look back at the festival’s past film celebrations.

The show also features improv by Groundlings alumni The Black Version, the esteemed Improvised Shakespeare Company and festival regulars Theme Park. Musical performances will include Bill Frisell, Jean Grae, Rhett Miller, The Milk Carton Kids, Eliza Skinner, Epic Lloyd, Jonathan Coulton, Paul and Storm, and John Roderick.

How will they fit that much show into one night? We’re not really sure, but you best clear out Sat. Jan. 30th so you can watch, enjoy, and support SF Sketchfest via Festpocalypse starting at 5PM PT/8PM ET so you can pack in all of what’s listed above (i.e. all the live comedy you could possibly want from SF Sketchfest from the comfort of your own quarantine).

Tickets start at $20, which is pretty swell price. If you can’t make it on Jan. 30th, you’ll be able to watch it through Feb. 1st. Go get your tickets at sfsketchfest.com right now.

Pick of the Day: Padma Puts On a Virtual Comedy Show 12/17

We told you that there would be plenty of big time comedy benefit shows for the Georgia Runoffs and, lordy lordy, there sure are. This latest one is being put up by the one and only Padma Lakshmi that’s very explicit in this regard by being called, “Padma Puts on a Virtual Comedy Show for the Georgia Runoff Elections: An Evening to Benefit FairFight”.

Stacey Abrams’ FairFight was instrumental in registering voters and contributing to Biden’s 2020 Election win and will undoubtedly be crucial in the upcoming special Georgia Senate Runoffs.

So, they tapped Padma for a live benefit show and she, in turn, got one hell of a line-up that includes:

Hasan Minhaj, Phoebe Robinson, Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Peretti, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, Benito Skinner, Mike Birbiglia, John Early, Roy Wood Jr., Julio Torres, Michelle Buteau, Patton Oswalt, Aparna Nancherla, Caleb Hearon, Wanda Sykes, Joel Kim Booster, Tituss Burgess, Meg Stalter, Patti Harrison, Nikki Glaser, Ayo Edebiri, Jo Firestone, Amber Ruffin, Dulce Sloan, Naomi Ekperigin, W. Kamau Bell, Mitra Jouhari, Sydnee Washington, Marie Faustin, and Andy Cohen.

There will also be music from King Princess, Perfume Genius, Waxahatchee, Brittany Howard, Local Natives, Aloe Blacc, and Cautious Clay.

Lastly, the evening’s virtual festivities will be hosted by none other than the Las Culturistas themselves, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.

Reads like a festival line-up, doesn’t it? Well, we still can’t do that in person right now, but you can enjoy this gigantic Padma Puts on a Virtual Comedy Show comedy live-stream on Thurs. Dec. 17th at 6PM PT/9PM ET at youtube.com/padmalakshmi and donate to FairFight here.

Pick of the Day: Laughing All the Way to The White House 10/20

As you may well know, Wisconsin is a major swing state. As such, there are plenty of big fundraisers that are going towards making sure it swings left.

One of them, Laughing All the Way to the White House, will be one of the biggest comedy live-stream fundraisers that we’ve seen yet. Slated for this Tue. Oc.t 20th at 6PM PT/8PM CT/9PM ET, the live-stream will feature the likes of: Sarah Silverman, Sarah Cooper, Seth MacFarlane, Kumail Nanjiani, Mike Birbiglia, Hasan Minhaj, Lewis Black, Bassem Youssef, Chelsea Peretti, Whitney Cummings, Judd Apatow, Roy Wood Jr, Maria Bamford, Harry Shearer, Bradley Whitford, Sklar Brothers, Mandy Patinkin, Ahmed Ahmed, Cristela Alonzo, Greg Proops, Jackie Kashian, Will Forte, Ben Gleib, and more.

That’s a line-up worth catching in support of almost any cause. Taking Wisconsin back for the left just happens to be a really great cause to boot.

Access to the live-stream is available via donation. Do so here.

Pick of the Day: Kumail Nanjiani is Doing This Again (in LA) 10/3

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 60: Holly Gabrielson & Pivoting (Maybe)

Pick of the Day: Harmontown Reunion Show 2/21

Pick of the Day: SF Sketchfest’s Festpocalypse 1/30

SF Sketchfest Announces Virtual “Festpocalypse” Fundraiser This Coming January

Pick of the Day: Padma Puts On a Virtual Comedy Show 12/17

Pick of the Day: Laughing All the Way to The White House 10/20

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