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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

June 24, 2024
News
alex edelman, between the temples, carol kane, eric andre, eric idle, eugene mirman, humanist vampire seeking consenting suicidal person, jason schwartzman, john hastings, just for us, mr bean, murray hill, nancy mackenzie, onika mclean, reggie watts, resident alien, space balls, the-simpsons, tonys, veeps, what's funny fest

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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A post shared by Alex Edelman (@alexedelman)

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 4/4-4/7/24: Kyle Kinane, Jackie Kashian, Murray Hill, Legally Blonde, Babes

April 7, 2024
News
babes, don't tell, ilana glazer, jackie kashian, kyle kinane, legally blonde, michelle buteau, murray hill, stand up comedy

1. Oh, thank goodness there’s a new hour of Kyle Kinane to offer the pitch perfect solace to the high octane insanity that has been 2024. His latest hour special, Dirt Nap, is Kyle doing what Kyle does best with lengthy punchline filled stories and intricately colored observations all in service of a big comedic payoff (that, in a way, feels like a bonus since the journey in of itself is so goddamn fun). Kyle does over 8 minutes on describing Fast X here and, for our money, is more fun than the movie itself. That’s just one fraction of how much of a joy Dirt Nap is, even with being perfectly aware uncertain times we live in. Please watch and enjoy Dirt Nap on repeat here.

2. It’s kind of absurd that Jackie Kashian doesn’t have a sitcom focused around her and her dyed-in-the-woo-salesman of a dad. Kashian is and has been one of the funniest comedians working today and her bits about her dad are pretty much priceless. See for yourself here in Jackie’s Don’t Tell set.

3. Mindy Kaling’s next sitcom, Murray Hill, seems like Kaling is aiming to make her version of Friends with a logline of “…five work-obsessed twenty-somethings who strive for professional success and, if they have time, personal happiness in Manhattan’s most glamorous neighborhood, Murray Hill” (Deadline).

4. Amazon Prime has a Legally Blonde spin-off in the works (Deadline). The legacy of Elle Woods endures, but we hope that there isn’t any Kim Kardashian lawyer storyline in this project.

5. Though it would seem that Michelle Buteau/Ilana Glazer vehicle helmed by Pamela Adlon Babes isn’t about abortion, it feels like the same sort of buzz that Obvious Child got is coming up for the buddy/birth comedy. See for yourself with the first official trailer here, then look for it in theaters right after Mother’s Day on May 17th.

 

6. We’ll leave you with this: Please help out wonderful person/hilarious comedian Jen Saunderson with her mom’s battle against stage IV cancer at the GoFundMe here.

TCB Debriefing 9/14/23: Henry Sugar, Adam Sandler Tour, Diffidate delle Imitazioni, Murray Hill, Big Mouth, Mr & Mrs Smith, Our Flag Means Death

September 14, 2023
News
adam sandler, big mouth, Diffidate delle Imitazioni, donald glover, henry sugar, mr and mrs smith, murray hill, our flag means death, rai tv, wes anderson

1. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that a Wes Anderson film adapted from a Roald Dahl book would seem to be an utter delight and yet another colorful addition to Anderson’s storied filmography. We’re thrilled that it was only a few short months ago that Asteroid City came out and we’re now treated to another helping of Wes Anderson so soon. So, without further adieu, take your first gander at The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar starring Benedict Cumberbatch, due out on Netflix on Sept. 27th.

2. Adam Sandler is going back on tour from Oct. 12th-Dec. 12th (Billboard). His last tour and special were some of Sandler’s most cherished work to date, especially outside of things like Uncut Gems.

3. Diffidate delle Imitazioni (literally translated as Beware of Imitations, but will be called Fake Show in English) is a brand new Italian comedy game show, ordered by Rai, where Italian celebrities will improvise based off of suggestions and prompts generated by AI (Deadline). Though it might try, AI will not best Clive Anderson as an improv show host.

4. Frequent scene stealer Murray Hill (Live & Beth and Somebody Somewhere) is coming out with his very first memoir, Showbiz! My Unexpected Life as a Middle-Aged Man, which appears to have more than just a story of making it in the Big Apple. It’s set for 2025 release, but we’re sure we’ll get tid bits and morsels leading up to that day.

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A post shared by Murray Hill (@murrayhill)

5. Just a little more than a month of waiting before you get Big Mouth season 7 (specifically, Oct. 20th on Netflix).

6. The premiere of Donald Glover and Maya Erskine‘s Mr. and Mrs. Smith is delayed due to the ongoing strike and its prohibition of promoting certain big time movies and TV series (THR). If the studios do end up going rogue from the streamers and tech giants, we might have to wait even longer to see this.

7. This full length trailer for season 2 of Our Flag Means Death almost makes you want to go back in time to make piracy more like it is between Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby. Season 2 sets sail on Thurs. Oct. 5th.

8. Nothing Bill Maher does on this writer-less return of Real Time will top Conan O’Brien spinning his wedding ring.

Pick of the Day: Murray Hill-A Little Murray Christmas (in NYC) 12/13-12/17

December 6, 2022
News
holiday show, joe's pub, murray hill, nyc comedy, the public theater

If you’re looking for more and more holidays centric based comedy, there isn’t much better than the annual tradition that is Murray Hill’s A Murray Little Christmas. A comedy variety extravaganza spanning several nights, Murray Hill uses his clout as the universally chummy and charismatic”Mr. Showbiz” to put together several stacked line-ups of NYC’s best to make even the most Grinch-y folks have a good laugh.

Special guests have yet to be announced, but the bill will not disappoint if you go get tickets right now.

This 2022 edition of A Murray Little Christmas is set to run from Tues. Dec. 13th-Sun. Dec. 17th at Joe’s Pub in NYC. Tickets range from $25-$45 and you can (and should) go get them here.

Pick of the Day: Affirm Trans Kids: A fundraiser for families that’s bigger than Texas! (in NYC w/Livestream) 6/4

May 24, 2022
News
affirmtranskids, alan cumming, andrea abi-karam, bell house, bridget everett, brooklyn, cindy emch, dj jonny loco, ginger snap, janeane garofalo, jordan carlos, kay ulanday barrett, lambda legal, murray hill, Negin Farsad, nyc comedy, ophira eisenberg, patti harrison, sammie james, stacy cay, variety show

If you’re looking for something that will support trans folks via comedy today as opposed to old men insisting on being old as their expression of free speech, you very much might want to go to the big charity comedy variety benefit Affirm Trans Kids for TLDEF (the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund) and Lambda Legal at Brooklyn’s venerable Bell House next Saturday, Jun. 4th at 7:30PM ET.

100% of tickets sales are going to TLDEF/Lambda Legal, which should almost be reason enough for you to go buy tickets, but know that you’ll be treated to a cornucopia of variety talents including:

  • Andrea Abi-Karam
  • Cindy Emch
  • Negin Farsad
  • Sammie James
  • Janeane Garofalo
  • Jordan Carlos
  • Kay Ulanday Barrett
  • DJ Jonny Loco

as well as special messages from:

  • Alan Cumming
  • Ophira Eisenberg
  • Bridget Everett
  • Patti Harrison
  • Murray Hill

AND hosts Ginger Snap and Stacy Cay (on Zoom).

If you can’t join in person, you’ll be able to livestream via HappiTV, YouTube, Twitter, etc. Also, you can support TLDEF/Lambda Legal right here right now.

Tickets for Affirm Trans Kids: A fundraiser for families that’s bigger than Texas! are going for $50-$300. You can should buy them up right now.

For more info, go visit affirmtranskids.us

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