open meg – The Comedy Bureau

Morning Debriefing 9/11/11

September 11, 2011

comedy central, comedy nerds united, comedy news, comedy sportz, floodlamp, los angeles, open meg

1) The Floodlamp Open Meg[aphone] Lives!!! (Yes, LA’s premier outdoor comedy open mic was politely cut off by the cops, but will be back next Friday!)

2) A funny thing happened while Justin Ian Daniels was at the Charlie Sheen Roast Taping for Laughpsin…

3) Not enough Paul F. Tompkins in your Sunday? Thought so…

Here’s Tompkins as a puppet in Ford commercials opposite John Ross Bowie [via CNU]

& as his infamous Cake Boss character at the Up Late with Adam Fisher show this past Friday.

4) Somehow we missed this and we sincerely apologize: Sean Green (The Comedy Garage) dropped his album The Whiskey Dick over a week ago. Please buy/download.

Sean Green : Sean Green the Whiskey Dick

5) Once again, there’s no more Ultimate Free & Cheap LA Comedy List from Wisepix.com as the site has been discontinued. For all of your comedy needs, free, cheap, and just all around great, check the calendars and numerous updates at the Comedy Bureau.

6) ON THE HORIZON
Lebowskifest @ The Wiltern & Cal Bowl Sept 23-24th

7) COMEDY CRAWL
Jeff Garlin’s Combo Platter @ UCB Theatre 6PM $2 (stand by only)
ASSSSCAT @ UCB Theatre 7:30PM FREE
French Toast @ Taix 8:30PM FREE
Big Show Hollywood @ Hollywood Studio Bar & Grill 8:30PM No cover/2 drink min.
Comedy Cooler @ Max Steiner’s 9PM FREE
Top Story Weekly w/Paul Morrisey @ iO West 9PM $5
Neal Brennan Comedy Show @ Westside Comedy Theater 9PM $10 (stand by only)
Powerviolence @ The Complex 9PM FREE
Hot Sauce @ UCB Theatre 9:30PM $5
Shitty Jobs @ UCB Theatre 11PM $5 (stand by only)

8) 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
HOLLYWOOD IMPROV 8162 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 7:30PM/3 min. spots/5 min. if “killing”
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
SUNDAY SKETCH SHOW @ WESTSIDE COMEDY THEATER 1323-A 3rd St., Santa Monica, CA (in alley between Promenade and 4th St.)/open mic for sketches/had to sign-up in advance/$5

9) As I lived in Lubbock, TX when 9/11 happened, I’ll never forget how weird it was going through the motions of feeling threatened. Also, I’ll never forget how everyone was named either Tanner or Britney.

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Really, You Should Try Jokes Out on a Megaphone Under a Floodlamp

September 8, 2011

Uncategorized

burbank, comedy, comedy news, los angeles, megaphone, open meg, open mics, verdugo park

If you are a comedian in LA (or even if you’re not and you just wanted to say things amplified and people have to listen) at an outdoor public arena on a megaphone, now you can.

Thanks to Jason Van Glass and Rob Schultz and the Verdugo Park in Burbank, the Floodlamp Open “Meg” is one of the newest open mics in LA for comedians to try out their material. According to the Todd Glass parameters of comedy venues (see: I Am Comic), “the Floodlamp” breaks nearly every rule, which understandably worries anyone thinking about trying their material at an “Open Meg”.

Photo by Megan Baker

There are no ceilings or walls. There is no stage. There is no mic or mic stand. There are passing pedestrians that sometimes have strollers with babies in them. There is passing traffic as well as kids that ride by on their BMX bikes. Also, it’s completely outside (in case you haven’t figured that out by now). The single floodlamp does, however, provide a pretty decent light for the performer.

Still, Jason and Rob have managed to put together an open mic that’s both more attentive and supportive than most. In fact, some of those kids stop riding their bikes and quietly listen to the person on the “meg”.

There is no cover, minimum, and the peaceful element of the park brings sort of a calm that isn’t often found in dive bars, coffee shops, laundry mats, or any other unconventional place where there’s a comedy open mic. Sure, a tent and a stage and more would be nice, but an attentive crowd watching the performer are the basis for a good comedy open mic.

The Floodlamp’s 5th show is at sundown this Friday around 7PM at 3201 W. Verdugo Ave., Burbank, CA. Sign-up is by lottery. Alloted time is determined by how many people sign-up. If you’re really making a go at comedy, “welcoming” shouldn’t be a word that you should always looking for, but the Floodlamp Open Meg is indeed a welcoming and safe place for comedians to expand themselves artistically.

Also, it’s really nice to be outside in LA at night, or in our case, outside in general.