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Well, Officially R.I.P. Steve Allen Theater/Center for Inquiry

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It seems so long ago that we had heard about the beloved Steve Allen Theater, where we spent many a late, late Saturday night at Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch or catching Cartoon Dump, a live show with comedians dressed as cartoons (as well as some cartoon classics), or catching Marc Maron work out an hour, or even, recently, watch the theater get propped up for Gene Cosineau’s acting class in Barry or performing in the parking lot of for Howard Kremer’s SquatMelt, getting sold off to be demolished and made into, probably, apartments with retail space on the ground floor (as is the trend these days in LA).

Actually, it has been so long since we heard about that sale that we wondered when (or if) the actual building was going to be torn down.

As you can kind of see above via a picture we took while going down Hollywood Blvd., we don’t have to wonder anymore. The Steve Allen Theater/Center For Inquiry (during the day, the theater was a center for skeptics organization) is now physically rubble, but a memory that big handful of folks get to share.

That being said, comedy in LA lives on, as you know from following us, quite vibrantly. Tomorrow! still happens every Saturday at midnight just a hop-skip-and-a-jump (sort of) away at the Lyric Hyperion.

Anyways, to any and all that enjoyed live performance at the Steve Allen, take a moment to cherish those times and then, cherish your present favorite theaters/clubs/etc. so they don’t come to the same fate.

R.I.P. Brody Stevens, 1970-2019

February 23, 2019

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As a comedian, Brody was truly fearless on stage in a way that so few in comedy get to. His energy and presence were undeniable and long time friend Zach Galifianakis even noted that he thought of Brody fondly as a “jock doing performance art”.

Just a few hours ago, TMZ broke news that beloved comedian Brody Stevens was found dead by hanging in an apparent suicide.

For our money, he was the best crowd warm-up, he did indeed have a scene stealing part in the Hangover, and his connection with any crowd was simply magical. We wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see anything like Brody ever again.

Stevens was very open about his mental health issues, joking about it every night on stage. Still, it would seem, there was something else that lead him to his end today. (FYI, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255 and they’re available 24 hours a day if you need someone talk to)

Brody was a great comedian and his passing sadly came too early. Please remember him for his great works including his comedy special at The Comedy Store, his Comedy Central series Enjoy It!, and one of our old favorites, The Brody Stevens Interview Challenge.

Also, just Google and YouTube Brody Stevens and enjoy working “YES! You got it!” into your daily vernacular in his honor.

R.I.P. Kevin Barnett, 1986-2019

January 23, 2019

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Kevin Barnett passed away yesterday at the age of 32 while down in Mexico. The cause for his death has yet to be determined and announced.

*UPDATE*-After an autopsy report, Kevin’s cause of death on Jan. 22nd in Tijuana, as reported by E! News was “Non Traumatic Hemorrhage, caused by pancreatitis”. His body has yet to be returned to his family back in the U.S.

Though he is now gone at such an early age, he did so much in comedy in such a very short time.

Between his stand-up, co-creating Rel, writing for several other TV shows, the Round Table of Gentlemen podcast, and many other things that bear Barnett’s name, there was so much more that he could have done because he undoubtedly going to have a long, thriving career in comedy.

So, if you have the time, go down your Internet rabbit hole of choice to see all of his many works.

R.I.P. Bob Einstein, 1942-2019

January 3, 2019

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Celebrated, long time comedian, actor, and writer Bob Einstein passed away today. Perhaps, you know him as Super Dave Osborne or Marty Funkhouser from Curb Your Enthusiasm or as a writer and featured player on the legendary Smother Brothers Comedy Hour or, hopefully, know him from all three and more from his lengthy career.

In any case, it’s as a good time as any to revisit one of the more daring people in comedy and revel in how funny he was for so many decades.

R.I.P. Sadiki Fuller

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R.I.P. Sadiki Fuller

This past weekend, comedian Sadiki Fuller passed away from a massive heart attack. While we only saw Fuller perform a few times around town, he definitely had more to give us all comedically had he not passed away so suddenly. Fuller had come to LA by way San Francisco, growing up in Houston before that and was far along carving out his own path (which started off with being a Golden State Warriors mascot).

In any case, you can read Sadiki’s bio here and watch a few clips of him performing on YouTube.

Meltdown Comics and Nerdmelt Showroom to Close

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Meltdown Comics and Nerdmelt Showroom to Close

It would no exaggeration to say that we’ve cumulatively spent entire days of our life hanging out the backroom of Meltdown Comics, an unmistakable LA cultural landmark on a Sunset Blvd. chock full of them, catching some of the best comedy we’ve ever seen.

Of course, that back room is more formally known as the Nerdmelt Showroom. With the just announced closing of Meltdown Comics comes the closing of that back room theater as well as the Nerdist School and the podcast studio that resided upstairs above the ecosystem of comedy, comic books, D&D, Mario Kart, comic book signings, screen printing, etc. etc. Nerdmelt specifically saw the entire run of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, the flagship show of Nerdmelt, which lead to a Comedy Central series that was shot in that very back room.

There was really something magical about the room that actually transcended the notion of it being at the back of a comic book store. At least that’s what we think that’s partially responsible for seeing one of our favorite performances of all time: Rory Scovel roasting the house band on Greg Barris’ Heart of Darkness in sheer, pitch black darkness, seemingly in the voice of Werner Herzog.

FYI, the last show for Nerdmelt is Comedians Cinema Club on March 30th and they have shows every night up until then. We highly urge you to catch one of them if not all of them.

R.I.P., albeit pre-emptively, Meltdown and Nerdmelt.

R.I.P. Barry Crimmins, 1953-2018

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R.I.P. Barry Crimmins, 1953-2018

“Helen [Crimmins] here with sad news…Barry passed peacefully yesterday with Bobcat and I. He would want everyone to know that he cared deeply about mankind and wants you to carry on the good fight. Peace.”

Comedian, satirist, activist, and all around a shining beacon of a human being, Barry Crimmins not only set a path for comedians to find their way in Boston over several decades, but also took action beyond his comedic truth that he always spoke to power (a rare thing for a comedian to do).

So, if you haven’t already, take some time to watch/listen to his one hour special Whatever Threatens You, the Bobcat Goldthwait documentary about Barry’s fight against Internet child abuse Call Me Lucky, and anything else you can find to honor Barry’s life, works, and memory.

RIP Ralphie May, 1972-2017

October 6, 2017

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RIP Ralphie May, 1972-2017

Earlier today, Ralphie May succumbed to cardiac arrest after dealing with a rough bout of pneumonia during his Las Vegas residency.

May was one of the first success stories to come from Last Comic Standing having been on the very first season of the stand-up competition reality show.

Since then, Ralphie put out six specials, a sizable body of work, and worked the road plenty.

Here’s a story that Ralphie May told on This Is Not Happening about going to a gay wedding and having a damn good time (and appreciating how he has changed his stance on gay people from when he was younger).

Watch Nathan Fielder Follow Up with “The Ghost Realtor” from 2nd Season of Nathan For You

September 25, 2017

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This is from Nathan For You: A Celebration, which visited “clients” of Nathan Fielder in past seasons of the show.

Somehow, the “ghost realtor”, which started as a prank small business plan grew into something stranger, took on a life of its own beyond the prank, and continued to get even more strange after Nathan was done with shooting the episode in season 2.

How strange? Well, see for yourself here.

Well, It Looks Like We Lost Jerry Lewis and Dick Gregory in The Same Weekend

August 20, 2017

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For his trailblazing comedy duo, Martin & Lewis, with Dean Martin, his streak of films (including The Bellboy and The Nutty Professor back in the 60s and 70s whose effect on comedy still reverberate today), and being the superb chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Lewis’ telethon for the MDA was probably one of the most recognizable telethons to this day), Jerry Lewis has undoubtedly left his mark on comedy and the entertainment business, both here in America and in Europe (where he was often times more celebrated).

This news of Jerry Lewis’ passing at 91 comes right on the heels of Dick Gregory succumbing to heart failure yesterday at the age of 84.

It should be noted that Jerry Lewis was always unapologetically himself, which has brought up his fair share of controversy (The Day The Clown Died, his very problematic opinions on women in comedy) as well as this 2016 interview he tolerated giving to The Hollywood Reporter that many people loved for how awkward he made it.

Lewis was definitely the sort of person that Sinatra’s My Way was for.

RIP Dick Gregory, 1932-2017

August 20, 2017

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Often, it’s debated whether comedy itself can actually make a difference in society. How effective a satirical joke mocking various societal establishments is nearly impossible to measure, but one Dick Gregory always made sure that he put action behind the truth that he spoke to power.

Fighting for Civil Rights in the 60s, protesting against the Vietnam War, standing for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and going on hunger strikes for several different other causes are the sorts of things that Dick Gregory did in addition to being lauded as the first black comedian to successfully cross over to play for white audiences in the 60s.

Gregory’s activism and jokes always seem to go hand in hand and that proved true throughout his entire career, which stretched to his final days (Dick was still actively performing at venues throughout 2017).

Yesterday, Saturday, August 19th, Dick Gregory passed away.

So, go down a YouTube rabbit hole, read his books, read books about him, listen to his albums of which there are several, take note that he was on Wondershowzen of all shows, and do anything else to pay your respects to one of the true comedy legends and the sort of person that might have actually given you hope about America.

Seeso Is Closing Up Shop Later This Year

August 10, 2017

Earlier today, we posted about the sale of Seeso properties to VRV.

Turns out that was foreshadowing for this post from a few hours ago on Seeso’s FB page:

Dear Seeso-ers,

We’re writing to let you know that later this year, Seeso will be shutting its comedy doors.

Though we will be departing, much of our comedy will live on – and some of your favorite Seeso Originals have already found a new home.

You can now find HarmonQuest, My Brother, My Brother and Me, Hidden America with Jonah Ray and The Cyanide and Happiness Show on VRV: https://www.vrv.co/watchnow
We’ll let you know as soon as we have further information, including where to find the exciting project “There’s…Johnny!” and other Seeso Originals in the future (in the meantime, please note that There’s…Johnny! will no longer premiere this month as previously announced. We love this show and can’t wait for everyone to see it).

If you have questions, please visit https://www.seeso.com/faq

Stay tuned for more information!

Like we said, Seeso (and NBC by proxy) had a lot of content stacked up, which will now be, most likely, splintered across various networks and streaming services in the coming weeks and months.

We’d hope that the doors closing at Seeso doesn’t reflect on the programming as plenty of their original series and specials are worth watching wherever you can watch them.

RIP Charlie Murphy, 1959-2017

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Today, comedian, actor, and writer Charlie Murphy passed away from leukemia at the age of 57.

Murphy had a long career, keeping busy with TV and movies including Chapelle’s Show, Black Jesus, CB4, Harlem Nights, The Boondocks, and more, then later with stand-up as you can see in his extensive filmography on IMDB.

Of course, Murphy will be fondly remembered for his contribution to Chappelle’s Show known as Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories. The stories and reenactments of encounters with Prince and Rick James (in two parts) remain as some of the most beloved sketches of Chappelle’s Show.

You’ve probably already watched them a few times, but do so again here, here, and here.

RIP Don Rickles, 1926-2017

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As reported by Deadline, Don Rickles, an institutional pillar in pantheon of comedy passed away at the age of 90 in his home from kidney failure.

Known as Mr. Warmth, Don was a beloved comedian by audiences from so many different walks of life, which is so impressive considering that his humor is all about quick insulting zingers. In fact, it was considered an honor to be dressed down by Rickles and many comedians would even try to meet him just to roasted by Don to their face.

Comedy and, more specifically, the idea of comedic roasting wouldn’t be what it is today without Don and he will be dearly missed. We’re betting that his upcoming series that was going to have celebrity and comedian guests have dinner with him will probably get scrapped, but we’ll have to wait and see.

In any case, go binge watch and read up all that you can of Rickles and be amazed how he sustained being so damn funny to so many people over his entire career.

RIP Gary Austin, 1941-2017

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The one and only Gary Austin, the founder of The Groundlings, passed away yesterday at the age of 75.

Austin and his company literally built The Groundlings from the ground up with their own hands and made into a world famous comedy institution that provided SNL with some of its most celebrated cast members. You can get a timeline of how the company, theatre, and school came to be here.

Austin’s legacy in comedy, as you probably already knew, is forever secured.

RIP Mary Tyler Moore, 1936-2017

January 25, 2017

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RIP Mary Tyler Moore, 1936-2017

Gee, it still feels a lot like 2016 still.

Icon Mary Tyler Moore from, of course, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show, has just passed away today.

Take time to watch whatever you can of the groundbreaking sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in honor of Moore’s memory.

Carrie Fisher’s Ashes Are in One of Her Prized Possessions, an Urn in the Shape of a Giant Prozac Pill

January 10, 2017

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Carrie Fisher’s Ashes Are in One of Her Prized Possessions, an Urn in the Shape of a Giant Prozac Pill

Though we haven’t had the chance to search what other unique urns that people’s ashes rest in over the centuries, we’re confident that Carrie Fisher has one of the best, most memorable, funniest urns of all time.

December 28, 2016

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2016 has been beleaguered with loss of beloved figures. Within the LA comedy scene, there has been another recent loss: beloved improviser/comedian/actor Gian Molina.

The Pack Theater is holding two shows in remembrance of Gian featuring many of the teams he coached, stories from people close to him, and more. Donations will be collected for his family.

The show will be held in this Friday, December 30th and you can find out more details here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps are embedded at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Vine Will Be Discontinued as Part of Twitter Restructuring

October 27, 2016

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Vine Will Be Discontinued as Part of Twitter Restructuring

For now, you can still watch your favorite Vine videos. How long that will last has yet to be determined.

Vine, the platform that allowed six second videos to be made, uploaded, and shared spawned a whole new subgenre of comedy, allowing for what could be considered “visual one-liners”. However, the arrival of Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Periscope, etc. must have made it difficult for Vine to be as popular as it once was.

So, Vine is getting a pink slip though the app and all of the Vines, as mentioned above, are currently still online.

We have no doubt that many of the most celebrated Vines will live on in .gifs and Vine compilations, but we’re not sure about the likelihood that something exactly like it will take it’s place in the near future.

RIP Kevin Meaney, 1956-2016

October 22, 2016

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Last night, one Kevin Meaney was found passed away in his home in Upstate New York at the age of 60 and, upon hearing about the news, many in the comedy world mourned at the loss of a man who was not only original and damn funny, but managed to do so for several decades.

You can see here Meaney, on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, really nail bringing talking about your mom on stage and doing an impression of her to a whole other level as well as getting a bit meta and absurd. It’s pretty amazing as is, but even more so as this set happened in 1989.

Meaney maintained that same bubbly, slightly off-kilter energy and cleverness, dabbed with some vulnerability, all the way to this set just posted 2 years ago. Keeping all of that up in the ever changing landscape of comedy is a near impossible feat and yet, Meaney pulled it off.

Oh yeah, on top of being the sort of comedian who got did HBO specials and late night routinely, did we mention he was on the very first episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and was in Big?

Yeah, Meaney did a lot and you should take your time to pay respect/really get a kick out of his vast body of work.

In Honor of C. Martin Croker, Adult Swim Puts Almost Every Episode of Space Ghost Coast To Coast Online for Free

September 20, 2016

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In Honor of C. Martin Croker, Adult Swim Puts Almost Every Episode of Space Ghost Coast To Coast Online for Free

RIP the voice of Zorak and Moltar.

One of the many precursors to the Adult Swim that so many of us know and love now was Cartoon Network’s Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The off-beat animated talk show with cartoon super heroes and villains set in space helped spark the weird fire that grew into the Adult Swim corner of Cartoon Network.

Unfortunately, animator and voice actor C. Martin Croker recently passed and Adult Swim wanted to honor his legacy by putting nearly the entire series of Space Ghost Coast to Coast online here.

If you somehow needed a reason to binge watch Space Ghost, you certainly have one now.

RIP Gene Wilder, 1933-2016

August 29, 2016

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RIP Gene Wilder, 1933-2016

Gene Wilder had a hand in some of the most iconic comedic films of all time including Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Today, he has passed away apparently due to complications stemming from Alzheimer’s disease.

Whether you’re familiar with his work or not, you should definitely rewatch or watch, discover, and be amazed for the first time by his long and storied filmography.

So much of it holds up even though this is 2016.

RIP Garry Marshall, 1934-2016

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From Happy Days to Laverne & Shirley to Mork & Mindy to The Odd Couple to The Dick Van Dyke Show to Pretty Woman to Beaches to The Princess Diaries to Runaway Bride to Brooklyn Nine-Nine to Louie to BoJack Horseman to The Simpsons and way more as a writer, director, producer, and/or actor, Garry Marshall pretty much did almost all that you could do in Hollywood over several decades.

Marshall passed away yesterday as a result of pneumonia complications after a stroke at the age of 81.

Whether you’re familiar with the work mentioned above or not, you should rewatch or introduce yourself to it as Marshall has left an indelible mark on comedy on film and television.

R.I.P. Andy Ritchie

November 27, 2015

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Another comedian has left us all far too early.

Yesterday, on Thanksgiving, Andy Ritchie, passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. Brendon Walsh wrote this on the GoFundMe page that has raised over $100K to pay for Andy’s medical bills (note: Brendon has asked for the donations to stop coming in):

Andy passed away this afternoon at Hollywood Presbyterian. His mom, Ruby, and his brother Simon were all with him.

I don’t know what else to say. He was a great guy. Listen to his album on Spotify or download it or whatever. He’s hilarious.

Thanks for everything you all did to help. Have a good Thanksgiving.

Love,
Brendon

Andy was loved by many including Daniel Tosh, who boosted the fundraising campaign by giving it national attention on Tosh.0. His craftsman like jokes and his genuinely good nature made an impression on everyone he met, especially throughout the comedy community.

We were at The Happy New Year Show, earlier this week, run by some of Andy’s best friends, Chuck Watkins and Doug Mellard, who impromptu made their New Year’s themed show a wonderful tribute to Andy even though Andy hadn’t passed on at the time.

It takes a special comedian and person for such a thing to happen at a comedy show.

So, let us remember Andy the best way we can remember any comedian by sharing his jokes with the world that didn’t get to hear them just yet.

R.I.P Sam Simon, 1955-2015

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(via TMZ)

For The Simpsons alone, he’ll be remembered forever and yet, he did so much more in and outside of comedy.

Sam Simon, the co-creator of The Simpsons, winner of 9 Primetime Emmys, writer/producer on It’s Garry Shandling Show, co-creator of The George Carlin Show, and so much more passed away today at the age of 59 after a long battle with colon cancer.

Not that you ever need a reason to watch The Simpsons catalog, but make sure to remember Simon fondly every time you see his name at the end of the couch gag.