national lampoon – The Comedy Bureau

Let’s Go Atsuko Picked Up at Quibi as Series via National Lampoon

March 2, 2020

atsuko okatsuka, let's go atsuko, national lampoon, quibi

Let’s Go Atsuko Picked Up at Quibi as Series via National Lampoon

For quite some time, we’ve been hoping that the charming, whip-smart Atsuko Okatsuka would get to host her own show on TV.

She has more proven her mettle as a host of a viable TV series format with Let’s Go Atsuko!, a “woke Japanese game show”, both as a podcast and a live stage show. The trivia series explores the complexities of social cues in this day and facing fears all while being as silly as possible.

So, since partnering up with the new and improved National Lampoon, Atsuko has gotten a series order at Quibi for Let’s Go Atsuko, which is probably the perfect thing for the 10 minutes or less, mobile only format.

Again, we’re mostly excited that Atsuko is getting her own TV (albeit, non-traditional) show.

Get Your First Taste of the Brand New “National Lampoon Radio Hour”

November 13, 2019

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The National Lampoon Radio Hour represented one of the many cornerstones of National Lampoon during their ascent into comedy history. It was a sketch comedy radio hour that reveled in National Lampoon’s devil-may-care sense of humor at the time and featured the likes of Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and more.

Now, with the revival of National Lampoon in the works as you read this, the National Lampoon Radio Hour is coming back with a grand cast of:
Cole Escola (Emmy-nominated At Home with Amy Sedaris, Difficult People)
Jo Firestone (Adult Swim, The Tonight Show)
Brett Davis (Andy Kaufman Comedy winner, Podcast For Laundry)
Alex English (The Rundown, Night Train)
Maeve Higgins (Maeve in America: Immigration IRL, 2 Dope Queens)
Aaron Jackson (UCB, The Opposition)
Rachel Pegram (The Week Of, Don’t Think Twice)
Lorelei Ramirez (Comedy Central: Up Next, Pervert Everything)
Meg Stalter (Vulture: Up-and-coming Comedian of the Week, The Meg Stalter Show)
Martin Urbano (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central)

We’re all about that line-up and this preview shows us they’ve got something real fun cooking up over at Forever Dog (where this new iteration of the National Lampoon Radio Hour as a podcast will live). Listen and get a nice, great taste of what’s to come here.

National Lampoon Radio Hour Is Getting Rebooted with Cole Escola and Jo Firestone as Some of Its First Cast Members

August 29, 2019

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cole escola, forever dog, jo firestone, national lampoon, national lampoon radio hour

National Lampoon Radio Hour Is Getting Rebooted with Cole Escola and Jo Firestone as Some of Its First Cast Members

The new National Lampoon has a lot of very fascinating things in the works (as well as taking on a new, fresh direction with renowned comedy brand that is more forward looking in 2019 and onwards). This revival of the National Lampoon Radio Hour, one of National Lampoon’s original milestones, is one such project in the works that we’re very excited about.

The announcement of Cole Escola and Jo Firestone as the first cast members (of which there will be more) has us even more hyped as Cole and Jo are particularly brilliant when it comes to playing characters and thinking outside of the box.

We’re not exactly sure what the new variety sketch radio show will be like, but we have a sneaking suspicion that it might be absurd and wonderful when it comes out.

Evan Shapiro Tasked with Reviving National Lampoon

May 6, 2019

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atsuko okatsuka, evan shapiro, national lampoon

Evan Shapiro Tasked with Reviving National Lampoon

The former head of Seeso, Evan Shapiro, has been appointed with the gargantuan task of reviving National Lampoon. The once heralded brand has switched several hands over the last few years and attempts to revive it to even some of its former glory have fallen short.

Shapiro curated quite the catalog of content, both originals and acquired, over at Seeso despite it being ultimately shuddered by NBC. Already, the adaptation of Let’s Go Atsuko (a woke Japanese game show) with Atsuko Okatsuka) into a series shows a bit of promise.

It’s yet another curious turn in the history of this brand and we’ll just have to wait and see what else Shapiro has up his sleeve that will hopefully reboot National Lampoon entirely.

Watch Trailer for “A Futile and Stupid Gesture”, The Movie About the Rise of National Lampoon

December 21, 2017

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A few things to get really excited about here is that the one and only David Wain is at the helm, the cast includes all of your favorite comedy stars (Matt Walsh, Will Forte, Jon Daly, Rick Glassman, John Gemberling, etc.) and they have Martin Mull playing a modern day Doug Kenney, the co-founder of National Lampoon, that is a bit argumentative throughout the telling of the story of National Lampoon’s rise to prominence.

See for yourself in the trailer for A Futile and Stupid Gesture, then look for it on Netflix on Friday, January 26th.

National Lampoon Bought Up by PalmStar Media for Near $12 Million to Revive Brand

July 24, 2017

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National Lampoon Bought Up by PalmStar Media for Near $12 Million to Revive Brand

National Lampoon is getting a much needed reboot as entire company and brand. PalmStar plans wants to “buy content and green light movies, TV and other platforms,” with their newly acquired National Lampoon banner operating out of LA and Philadelphia.

As to what those shows, films, web series, etc. might be have yet to be announced, but we’ll be watching closely to see if National Lampoon will regain its former glory or even surpass it.

A&E Wants to Make a Dramedy Inspired by “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead” But National Lampoon Isn’t on Board Yet

June 8, 2016

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A+E, drunk stoned brilliant dead, national lampoon

(via Deadline)

Maybe go the “unauthorized biography” route?

In this current comedy boom, there’s a particular fascination with the story behind comedy (just listen to most comedy podcasts and remember that Showtime’s doing a show about The Comedy Store in the 1970s). The documentary National Lampoon documentary Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of National Lampoon shows the glory days of the National Lampoon brand, when it used to be one of the biggest things in comedy.

It should go without saying that some network would want to adapt the documentary into a televised series.

A&E wants to be that network to make a show like that, but they’re opting to develop a series that’s only inspired by the documentary, offering up a fictionalized account of what happened at National Lampoon without referencing National Lampoon (a retro Studio 60?).

However, no one at A&E has contacted National Lampoon and this has National Lampoon rallying against the project until they’re involved.

Hopefully, they’ll settle their differences and not have to be “inspired by” as the National Lampoon origin story is plenty enticing on its own.

The Cast of Netflix’s National Lampoon Biopic Now Has Seth Green, Thomas Lennon, Jon Daly, Will Forte, Joel McHale, Matt Walsh, John Gemberling, Domnhall Gleeson, Martin Mull, and Natasha Lyonne

April 12, 2016

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a futile and stupid gesture, david wain, domnhall gleeson, joel mchale, john gemberling, jon daly, josh karp, martin mull, matt walsh, natasha lyonne, national lampoon, seth green, thomas lennon, will forte

(via Variety)

Oh yeah, David Wain is also directing.

Netflix is adapting Josh Karp’s book A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever into a full length feature biopic, which is already enticing by itself.

The ensemble cast that has been assembled has been kind of a dream team with the aforementioned Green, Lennon, Daly, Forte, McHale, Walsh, Gemberling, Gleeson, and Mull along with Natasha Lyonne being the latest to sign on.

With Wain at the helm, A Futile and Stupid Gesture is as buzzworthy as it can get before production has even started.

Here’s a Trailer for The National Lampoon Documentary “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead”

January 2, 2016

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documentary, drunk stoned brilliant dead, national lampoon, showtime

There was a time where National Lampoon was at the center of comedy in America and had some of the funniest people around in its ranks. In 2015, National Lampoon is in a much different place.

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead is the documentary that follows the outrageous rises and falls of National Lampoon through the decades and it’s set to premiere on Showtime on Jan. 22nd.

Get a look of what’s to come in this teaser trailer.

National Lampoon Is Relaunching Themselves

August 1, 2015

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(via The Hollywood Reporter)

It’s about time for this to happen, right?

In a THR interview with current National Lampoon president Alan Donnes, the announcement that National Lampoon is starting anew was made:

The Lampoon will relaunch September 1 with the rollout of the company’s website, which will feature the Lampoon’s first new writing in over four years, plus pieces from former Lampoon editor Tony Hendra’s New York Times parody The Final Edition. Quarterly “bookzines” might follow, says Donnes, but there’s no plan to revive the magazine. Film and TV projects and collaborations with YouTube content producers are in the works, he says.

While the glory days that people often associate with National Lampoon were decades ago, kickstarting the entire brand from top to bottom might offer a path to a new set of glory days.

We’ll have to wait until next month to see if that’s what is going to happen.

A National Lampoon Documentary “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead” To Be Released by Magnolia Pictures

July 6, 2015

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documentary, douglas tirola, drunk stoned brilliant dead, national lampoon

(via Deadline)

For many of us, this will be a fascinating trip through comedy history.

“Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of National Lampoon” is a documentary by Douglas Tirola that will follow the long history of National Lampoon, which was so highly regarded and launched the Vacation and Animal House movies.

There is no word on a release date yet, but expect to have this run through indie and art house theaters in the coming months.

Reunion of National Lampoon’s Vacation’s Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo Closer to Happening at ABC

September 13, 2014

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abc, beverly d'angelo, brad copeland, chevy chase, national lampoon, national lampoon's vacation

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, who co-starred in all of the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, have been working on developing a project at ABC where they would again be a married couple, but, this time, would have to deal with their grandkids.

8 months ago, when the project was announced, there was no writer. Now, Brad Copeland has been set as the writer as ABC has made a script commitment to the project.

If this gets a greenlight, we wonder if there would be any crossover or recognition of the Vacation reboot with Ed Helms.

Warner Bros. Releasing Big Collector’s Box Set of Their Comedies Over

June 30, 2013

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blazing saddles, box set, hangover, national lampoon, warner bros

Warner Bros. is delving into their vast archives to put together a nice, big DVD collection spanning almost 8 decades of comedy on film from The Philadelphia Story (1940) to Blazing Saddles (1974) to National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) to The Hangover (2009) and so much more in between. The Best of Warner Bros. 20 Film Collection Comedy has 20 films, which you can get order now for $68.99 at Warner Bros before it’s release on July 2nd.

It’ll be a great way to catch up on your comedy film history/kill this upcoming long weekend for the 4th of July.

Morning Debriefing 9/4/11

1) Yet another venue for comedy is opening up as other rooms have shut down: Dangerfield’s II in Silverlake, according to their Facebook page, is an intimate setting to work on new routines and ideas for comedians. There will be 4 performances a week including open mics and monthly podcasts. Although we at Dangerfield’s II will be booking most of the shows, we encourage performers to approach us with their show ideas. If you have an idea for a theme night, sketch show, performance art, or musical comedy, please contact us to see if we can work together. All shows are free with a requested $5 donation as we rely on these donations to keep the studio up and running.

More details here.

2) At 10:07AM PST, @allthingsbrody tweeted “Once the desire to pitch and drum returns, you’ll soon be able to see my brand of humor on the horizon. Oh, and yes, I’ll be podcasting.” Good to hear as well as seeing him tweeting right back at his usual speed. Can’t wait to see him take the stage again.

3) National Lampoon weighs in on the Katt Williams incident.

4) Baron Vaughn’s album “Raised by Cable” on AST Records drops this Tues. 9/6, but you can pre-order it right now.

5) Just in case what you were wondering what Emo Phillips performing in a tent at the FYF Fest yesterday looked like, here it is… [via Nerdist]

Sweeeeeeeet!! Watching Emo Philips DESTROY at FYF Fest! Thanks @jonahray & @kumailn!

6) One of our favorite hashtags on Twitter this week: #IfOldJokesWereAboutDepression

7) ON THE HORIZON
The Matt Goldich Twitter Talk Show @ Twitter.com/MattGoldich Wed. Sept. 7th 4PM FREE
The Good Bits @ Witzend Wed. Sept. 14th 8PM $5

8) COMEDY CRAWL
Matt Besser: The Most Offensive One Man Show Ever @ UCB Theatre 6PM FREE
First Sunday Funnies w/Jeremy Paul Headlining @ Back to the Grind 7PM FREE
ASSSSCAT @ UCB Theatre 7:30PM FREE
French Toast-Margie’s B-day Edition @ Taix 8:30PM FREE
Powerviolence @ The Complex 9PM FREE
The Comedy Cooler @ Max Steiner’s 9PM FREE
Top Story Weekly @ iO West 9PM $5
Gravid Water @ UCB Theatre 9:30PM $5 (stand by only)
Shitty Jobs @ UCB Theatre 11PM $5 (stand by only)

9) OPEN MIC RUN
PALMS 8572 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM/lottery
SAL’S COMEDY HOLE 7356 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM/$4 min./first come, first served
PARADISE PERKS 15475 Jeffrey Rd., Irvine, CA/Sign-up 6:30PM/Starts 7PM/only 10 spots available
NERDIST THEATRE 7522 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA (back room of Meltdown Comics)/Sign-up 7:15PM/Starts 7:30PM/lottery/30 spots available/no purchase necessary
TSUNAMEDY @ TRIBAL CAFE 1651 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA (Echo Park)/Sign-up 8PM/Starts 9PM/first come, first served/mixed mic
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/multiple sets allowed/bottled water and coffee available

10) After hearing stories about kidney transplants, heroin use, accidental suicide, forced cum swallowing, perhaps being “boring” and “lame” is OK.

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