martin urbano

Pick of the Day: Why Would You Ask Me That? with Martin Urbano (in NYC) 5/31

May 1, 2023

brooklyn, game show, littlefield, martin urbano, nyc comedy

Throughout quarantine, one Martin Urbano found that he had a knack for hosting offbeat, darkly comedic game shows. Who Wants $2.69? was born out of a need to do comedy virtually, but that was something outside of stand-up, Urbano’s usual bread and butter. The perfectly named game show found quite the fan base through streaming weekly on Chris Gethard’s virtual comedy community Planet Scum and even had some live shows a couple of years ago.

Urbano has gotten back into the thick of stand-up since everything has reopened, but that doesn’t mean he’s giving up his impeccable skills as a game show host with a cheeky title. He is doing yet another game show with ironically “problematic trivia” that has a grand prize of $69 called Why Would You Ask Me That? with Martin Urbano. It should be a rollicking night of awkward answers from NYC comedy’s finest including Ariel Elias, Brittany Carney, Chris Gethard, Kenice Mobley, Steven Castillo, and even someone from the crowd in attendance.

Why Would You Ask Me That? is set for Wed. May 31st at 8PM at Littlefield and tickets are $15.54. Best go get them here.

Pick of the Day: ¡Jajaja! (in NYC) 10/5

September 15, 2022

News

bell house, brooklyn, carmen lynch, charity show, comedy benefit, martin urbano, matteo lane, mixteca, nyc comedy, rojo perez, shane torres

Just in case you happen to not know, Hispanic Heritage Month just started today and runs through all the way to Oct. 15th (a two-for-one celebratory month, in a way).

As such, there will be plenty of happenings and events throughout the U.S. that are certainly worth your attention and money to go to, especially when it comes to comedy. On Wed. Oct. 5th at 8PM at Brooklyn’s Bell House, there will be a special evening dedicated to Brooklyn org Mixteca that serves Latinx immigrants in attaining a quality, sustainable life in the city. Called ¡Jajaja!, NYC’s finest including Matteo Lane, Carmen Lynch, Shane Torres, Martin Urbano, and Rojo Perez will bring an especially great night of comedy for a great, vital cause (especially since TX Gov. Abbott keeps sending immigrants from the border to NYC like they’re chess pieces).

Tickets are going for $25 right now and you really ought to get them here.

Pick of the Day: Pizzazz with Gary Gulman (in NYC) 4/18

April 13, 2022

News

emmy blotnick, gary gulman, martin urbano, nore davis, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

Gary Gulman has been and remains as one of the finest artisans/practitioners/craftsmen of stand-up comedy, especially when it comes to how exquisite and complex a single joke can be (and, of course, how wildly funny it can be the whole time). Watch The Great Depresh if you need a reminder about how great Gary is. This has been true at his home in NYC and pretty much anywhere else he plays for several years at this point, making a live appearance by Gulman a special, do-not-miss event.

Thankfully, Gary is starting a monthly show where New Yorkers will get that chance a lot more often. Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn will be the home for Pizzazz that will showcase Gulman along with a collection of NYC’s finest. Their inaugural line-up certainly hits that mark with Emmy Blotnick, Nore Davis, and Martin Urbano.

This very first editino of Pizzazz with Gary Gulman is set for Mon. Apr. 18th at 7PM ET. Tickets are $14.02 (includes fees) and you can and should get them here (and not miss any one of these).

Will Smith’s Stand-Up Series “This Joka” Will Actually Get to See the Light of Day

Well before COVID-19, there was a weekend where many of LA and NYC’s very best comedians that you needed to know were swept up to Vegas to tape a special stand-up comedy series that was entirely put up by the one and only Will Smith. Called This Joka, it was going to be a new introduction to many of our absolute favorite comedians that we personally try to highlight whenever we can here at TCB.

So, not only did COVID-19 put a pause, interrupt the scheduling of, or even outright shut down so much comedy, but This Joka temporarily fell victim to originally be at the ill-fated short form streaming service, Quibi. When the news broke that Quibi was closing up shop, This Joka was still on the docket to premiere and we were worried that this whole series would never get to be seen by you, us, and everyone else that needs to see the future of stand-up comedy.

Thankfully, Roku bought up Quibi’s library including This Joka and we will all get treated to see Will Smith’s curated stand-up series that features Baron Vaughn, Sam Tallent, Punkie Johnson, Rosebud Baker, Clayton English, Chris Estrada, David Gborie, Sean Patton, Megan Gailey, Rell Battle, Shane Torres, Vanessa Gonzalez, Daphinque Springs, Martin Urbano, Jackie Fabulous, and Christi Chiello.

Many have since gone to new heights in their career by the way. Estrada has his own Hulu series in the works, Rosebud got her own special, and Sam became an acclaimed author.

Come Fri. Mar. 4th, you’ll be able to stream This Joka for free on Roku. You can get a taste of what’s to come (and get nostalgic about comedy right before COVID) with the trailer here.

Pick of the Day: 15th Annual 50 First Jokes RESCHEDULED (in NYC) 2/18

Well, we had already highlighted NYC’s 50 First Jokes for 2022 as a #pickoftheday already, but that was when it was set for this month right as the year had started. Well, The Bell House had scheduled it before it knew how Omicron would overtake the world and spark a whole new series of outbreaks that would force the good majority of live comedy to go dark for most of December 2021 and January 2022.

Unlike some other shows that were slated for Jan. 2022 and opted to cancel altogether, 50 First Jokes is still happening, but will be doing so for the first time in its storied history in February, specifically on Fri. Feb. 18th at 8PM ET at The Bell House. That will very likely mean that everyone’s “first” joke(s) of 2022 will be much sharper than if they had only gotten a week to work on it (even though it’s a perennial good time).

Thankfully, the host is still John F. O’Donnell and the line-up is still stacked with NYC Comedy’s best and brightest including: Alison Leiby, Anthony Devito, Chanel Ali, Charlie Bardey, Devon Walker, Dina Hashem, Emmy Blotnick, George Civeris, Kate Willett, Kenice Mobley, Martin Urbano, Max Wittert, Petey DeAbreu, Rojo Perez, Sam Taggart, Shalewa Sharpe, Sonia Denis, and Tom Thakkar. More TBA!

Tickets are still available at $15 and hopefully, Omicron will have subsided enough so that we won’t have to write about this being rescheduled again. Oh yeah, it should go without saying at this point in the pandemic that proof of vaccination is required for entry.

Go snag tickets here.

Pick of the Day: One Star New York (in NYC) 1/3

December 17, 2021

News

caveat, emily winter, lindsay boling, martin urbano, new york moments, nyc, nyc comedy, ophira eisenberg, storytelling

Welp, left, right, and center, comedy shows right now in NYC are getting postponed and cancelled because of the Omicron surge of COVID-19. So, we’ll just have to look past the holidays for something that is, as of this moment, still on the books and will still be a damn good time.

With that in mind, we’d like to highlight Back Fat Variety’s One Star New York, a show that celebrates the worst of NYC as told by some of its best funny people. We’ve always thought of NYC as a place that requires Stockholm Syndrome to live there and it looks like this show revels in that notion.

Expressing their love for the Big Apple through their worst recollections of it will be the lovely collection of Ophira Eisenberg, Martin Urbano, Linsday Boling, and host Emily Winter. One Star New York will be taking place at Caveat where vaccination and masks are thankfully required on Mon Jan. 3rd at 7PM ET. Tickets are $15 right now and you ought to get them here.

Pick of the Day: 50 First Jokes (in NYC) 1/8

A gathering of 50 comedians, much less 50 audience members indoors wasn’t really happening at the start of 2021. So, it’s been awhile since we’ve had the legitimate in-person annual comedy kick-off to a new year with 50 First Jokes.

Perhaps, pending some variants, an actual in-vaccinated-person edition of 50 First Jokes will happen for 2022 in NYC. The Bell House in Brooklyn will host the bright and shiny new jokes from the best of the NYC comedy scene, which ought to have a different, more electric urgency to them considering where we are now and where will be three weeks from now.

On the bill thus far: Alison Leiby, Anthony Devito, Chanel Ali, Charlie Bardey, Devon Walker, Dina Hashem, Emmy Blotnick, George Civeris, Kate Willett, Kenice Mobley, Martin Urbano, Max Wittert, Petey DeAbreu, Rojo Perez, Sam Taggart, Shalewa Sharpe, Sonia Denis, Tom Thakkar, and host John F. O’Donnell.

Of course, as you can tell by the count of those names, there will be way more comedians shuffling onto the Bell House stage to get out their freshest bits (as we round the corner on nearly two years of this waking nightmare).

2022’s 50 First Jokes is set for Sat. Jan. 8th at 8PM ET. Tickets are $15 right now and you best get them here before they sell out.

#Pick of the Day: DeAnne Smith’s DeAnarchy (in NYC) 9/15

September 3, 2021

News

brooklyn, deanne smith, Dylan Adler, ever mainard, lgbtq, martin urbano, ny comedy, stand up comedy, union hall

The wonderful and amazing DeAnne Smith has just switched coasts from LA to NYC (and NYC, you should feel so lucky). Smith originally hailed from up North in Canada and has, for the last few years, been a marvelous addition to the LA comedy scene.

Now, she’s in NYC, New Yorkers will get the expressed privilege of getting to see the undeniable charm and warmth that Smith brings in with her finely honed humor.

She’s doing her very own show, DeAnne Smith’s DeAnarchy, at Brooklyn comedy stronghold, Union Hall, on Wed. Sept. 15th at 7:30PM ET with a fantastic line-up of guests (Dylan Adler, Martin Urbano, and even LA’s own Ever Mainard). Tickets are $12 right now (and will be $15 on the day of). Go get ’em here.

Whether it be this night or another one, please, NYC, go see and book DeAnne.

Pick of the Day: Stamptown (in NY & LA)

June 7, 2021

News

clowning, comedy shows, daniel simonsen, idiot, jo firestone, jordan temple, la comedy, Marcia Belsky, martin urbano, nyc comedy, rosebud baker, stamptown, stavros halkias, zach zucker

Before lockdown, you may have not gotten a chance to catch the madcap variety show that is Stamptown hosted by one of its fearless leader Zach Zucker, but you damn well better not miss your chance this time around. It’s a wild round-up of comedians from every corner of comedy, though it definitely leans in to comedy’s more chaotic, alternative edges.

They’re currently doing recurring shows in both NY and LA, outdoors and indoors, for fully vaccinated audiences. They’ve got a backyard show lined-up for Jun. 15th in NYC as well two indoors shows, Jun. 17th @ Asylum NYC and Jun. 23rd @ Union Hall.

Follow them @stamptown on IG for further updates on shows as they sell out pretty quick.

Line-up for 6/17:
Rosebud Baker
Marcia Belsky
Please Don’t Destroy
Aj Holmes
Steve Girard
Daniel Simonsen
Jordan Temple
& Emily Wilson

Line-up for 6/23:
Jo Firestone
Martin Urbano
Larry Owens
Daniel Simonsen
Stavros Halkias
Marcia Belsky

Pick of the Day: Best Of Who Wants $2.69 with Martin Urbano 5/19

May 18, 2021

News

martin urbano, quiz show, rushtix, who wants $2.69

Well past a year of this pandemic, Who Wants $2.69 with Martin Urbano remains one of the absolute best game shows to come out through this whole time, virtual or otherwise. Urbano’s deft and satirically clever hosting and questioning is so damn fun to watch as is any of the guests ponder/squirm/etc. in order to win $2.69.

As they’ve done dozens and dozens of editions of Who Wants $2.69 with Martin Urbano, there are favorite competitors and, as such, they’re going to do a “best of” round for a special night at RushTix. Urbano will be joined by the hysterical Usama Siddiquee and Jo Firestone and, possibly, you (if you’re up for the challenge).

This special Best of Who Wants $2.69 with Martin Urbano is set to go live on Wed. May 19th at 5PM PT/8PM ET. Tickets are only $10 and you can (and should) go get them here.

Pick of the Day: Return of Who Wants $2.69? with Martin Urbano 3/28

March 26, 2021

News

martin urbano, planet scum live, who wants $2.69

Martin Urbano has been at the helm of the best game show in the live-stream era of comedy, Who Wants $2.69. The very timely and sharply written trivia and the novel prize of $2.69 has been keeping us and plenty of other folks get through another hour of lockdown wherever we are.

Urbano took a hiatus over the last month, which, among so many other things, has made so much of March very, very hard to get through. Yet, fret not, as the second season of Who Wants $2.69 is on the horizon, specifically this coming Monday at 5PM PT/8PM ET at its home, Planet Scum.

Whether you’re a loyal follower of the best game show in virtual comedy or not, you should get ready for this Monday, which is set to be a “surprise bloodbath” edition of Who Wants $2.69.

Pick of the Day: Who Wants $2.69? with Martin Urbano

July 10, 2020

News

game show, martin urbano, planet scum

Chris Gethard’s virtual comedy network Planet Scum has added a brand new show to their weekly rotation. They now have a game show with the oh-so subversively clever Martin Urbano. Even in the name of the show, you can see how mischievous Urbano is as he’s calling it Who Wants $2.69?.

It’s a trivia show that Urbano will have comedy folks on as guests, but you can play along with the show from wherever you watching. Martin has always been so stellar with misdirection and wordplay in his comedy and that definitely figures into the trivia in Who Wants $2.69? that he’s personally come up with.

So, tune in and get into what will likely be one of the rambunctious trivia live-streams on the Internet on Mondays at planetscum.live at 5PM ET/8PM ET.

Comedy Royalty Tour to Bring Kelsey Caine, Daniel Webb, Maggie Maye, and Martin Urbano All Across America

January 8, 2019

Uncategorized

comedy tour, daniel webb, kelsey caine, maggie maye, martin urbano, national tour, stand up

The aforementioned Kelsey Caine, Daniel Webb, Maggie Maye, and Martin Urbano make up for one hell of a line-up of comedians that, honestly, should already be known in every corner of this country.

Fortunately, they’ll be touring a good portion of the U.S. starting this February 12th at Austin, TX’s North Door. If you’re in or around Austin, Houston, Chicago, Denver, Boulder, Seattle, and Los Angeles, we highly urge you to catch this Comedy Royalty tour at any of those stops.

They’ll be playing Chicago’s Hideout Inn on Feb. 18th and Dynasty Typewriter here in LA on March 8th. Please follow Kelsey, Daniel, Maggie, and Martin for more dates and details.

Please Enjoy Martin Urbano’s Late Night Debut on Kimmel

September 7, 2017

Uncategorized

jimmy kimmel live, late night, martin urbano, stand up

If you need an unfettered dose of silly (that’s kinda meant for adults), you might want to get on board with Martin Urbano.

Just see for yourself on his very first late night set on Jimmy Kimmel Live from last night.

Pick of the Day: Why Would You Ask Me That? with Martin Urbano (in NYC) 5/31

Pick of the Day: ¡Jajaja! (in NYC) 10/5

Pick of the Day: Pizzazz with Gary Gulman (in NYC) 4/18

Will Smith’s Stand-Up Series “This Joka” Will Actually Get to See the Light of Day

Pick of the Day: 15th Annual 50 First Jokes *RESCHEDULED* (in NYC) 2/18

Pick of the Day: One Star New York (in NYC) 1/3

Pick of the Day: 50 First Jokes (in NYC) 1/8

#Pick of the Day: DeAnne Smith’s DeAnarchy (in NYC) 9/15

Pick of the Day: Stamptown (in NY & LA)

Pick of the Day: Best Of Who Wants $2.69 with Martin Urbano 5/19

Pick of the Day: Return of Who Wants $2.69? with Martin Urbano 3/28

Pick of the Day: Who Wants $2.69? with Martin Urbano

Comedy Royalty Tour to Bring Kelsey Caine, Daniel Webb, Maggie Maye, and Martin Urbano All Across America

Please Enjoy Martin Urbano’s Late Night Debut on Kimmel

Pick of the Day: 15th Annual 50 First Jokes RESCHEDULED (in NYC) 2/18