rory scovel – The Comedy Bureau

Pick of the Day: IN PROGRESS: A LIVE RORY SCOVEL EXPERIENCE (Goodbye LA Edition) 7/8

June 28, 2024

elysian, improvied, rory scovel, stand up

The time of Angelenos getting to enjoy the magic and majesty that is Rory Scovel and his comedy on a regular basis might be coming to a close soon. Scovel has given the LA comedy scene such revelatory comedy experiences (we will never forget when he did a set as a disembodied Werner Herzog voice and roasted the show’s house band for not accurately playing “space music”).

SO, DON’T YOU DARE MISS THIS GOODBYE LA EDITION OF IN PROGRESS SHOW AT THE ELYSIAN ON JULY 8TH at 7:30PM. Tickets are still available at $15 a pop and you best go get them right this second right here.

Pick of the Day: Microdose 2 Year Anniversary (in LA) 4/10

April 6, 2024

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curtis cook, free show, harper rose drummond, howard kremer, kelcey ayer, lizzy cooperman, los angeles comedy, mike bridenstine, rory scovel, stand up comedy

The ways of the world and how the winds of change violently shove anything and everything out of place, the prospect of anything lasting past a year is a significant feat. One Mike Bridenstine, beloved LA comedian/author (get the Perfect Amount of Wrong now)/podcaster, has not only had his weekly stand-up show Microdose, neatly perched on the hills of Eagle Rock at The Fable, but has worked it into a party of a show kicked off along with the host seemingly made out of pure hosting energy, Danny Ledsinger.

Microdose has grown into quite the contender with Bridenstine’s handpicked line-ups as a weekly stand-up showcase in LA, especially on Wednesday nights when a dearth of the LA comedy scene’s primo indie stand-up shows take place (on top of surviving through the aftermath of COVID lockdown, multiple strikes, historic rain for LA over the last two years). Microdose is crowning their two year anniversary this coming Wednesday at, per usual, 8PM, but with a gargantuan line-up including Rory Scovel, Lizzy Cooperman, Howard Kremer, Curtis Cook, Harper Rose Drummond, Kelcey Ayer, and David Jackson.

Please enjoy Microdose this coming Wednesday for their 2 year celebration (and every Wednesday after). Keep up with line-ups and more @microdosecomedy on IG.

TCB Debriefing 2/22-2/26/24: Rory Scovel, Spirit Awards, Free Time, Jon Benjamin, Free Bill Burr Tickets

February 26, 2024

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bill burr, boy kills world, comedy special, free time, jon benjamin, rory scovel, spirit awards

1. If were keeping score (and rest assured, we are) Rory Scovel has the second great comedy special of 2024. The first one goes to Jacqueline Novak capping off her years-long run of the spectacular Get On Your Knees and Scovel delivers his most evolved meta, yet completely accessible hour of stand-up with Religion, Sex, and a Few Things in Between.

There isn’t a spare moment without an aside or an aside to an aside, but no matter where Rory goes, he has a knack for keeping the hour on the rails even if it appears his actively and repeatedly taking course off of them. That’s just one layer of Scovel flexing his comedic verve and masterful skill. The gleeful dissection of religion and sex is so joyous, one might easily need a second viewing to see just how damningly good Rory’s observations are and how painstakingly crafted they are to seem so effortless. Whether it’s creating comedy out of thin air or making pitch perfect jokes seem conversational, Scovel has got all of that (and a more than a few things in between) covered and then some.

Rory Scovel: Religion, Sex, and a Few Things in Between is now streaming on Max.

2. The Film Independent Spirit Awards, one of the major awards ceremonies where comedy actually stands a chance of winning, were just awarded this past weekend. Oddly, this year’s Oscars has the most comedies nominated, perhaps ever, making it more in line with its indie cousin, The Spirit Awards.

As far as comedy is concerned, American Fiction won for Best Lead (Jeffrey Wright) and Best Screenplay (Cord Jefferson). The Holdovers took home Best Cinematography (Eigil Bryld) and Best Supporting Performance (Da”Vine Joy Randolph), Jury Duty got it for Best Ensemble Cast, and Fremont won the very special John Cassavetes Award.

See the full list of winners here.

3. Rising NYC comedy star Colin Burgess leads off what could be one of the off-beat comedies of the year with Free Time, a tale about quitting (and nailing the timing for that). Take a gander at the first trailer here.

4. Jon Benjamin has reached a new height in his career by voicing a Bill Skarsgård character in an action movie. See for yourself herewith the Boy Kills World trailer.

5. We’ll leave you with this: Anyone want Bill Burr tickets for Wilshire Ebell show this Tues. Feb. 27th? Hit us up at thecomedybureau@gmail.com

TCB Debriefing 2/8/24 & 2/9/24: I Think You Should Leave, Andrew Orolfo, Rory Scovel, Regime, Colin Jost/WHCD

February 9, 2024

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andrew orolfo, colin jost, i think you should leave, kate winslet, regime, rory scovel, stand up comedy, tim robinson, whcd

1. I think you be required to go to the I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson tour, starting this April, whether it’s coming to a city near you or not (Variety).

2. Andrew Orolfo might have the best joke about A.I. we’ve heard yet. Also, this whole Don’t Tell set is peak Andrew, in all his facets of being chill and yet subversive at so many turns. Please enjoy it here.

3. Rory Scovel elevates the art of the comedy special trailer with being meta for his upcoming Max special Rory Scovel: Religion, Sex, and a Few Things In Between. Give it a watch here, then set a reminder for Feb. 22nd for the premiere exclusively on Max.

4. Kate Winslet might have her next career defining role (one of so damn many) with a rich political satire (that is somehow NOT written by Armando Iannucci) with The Regime. Get your first full look here, then check for the series premiere on Mar. 3rd on Max.

5. Colin Jost will be the latest host of The White House Correspondents Dinner set, for this year, on Apr. 27th (Politico). If Jost has any sense, he will let Sarah Squirm interrupt him during his monologue.

6. We’ll leave you with this: What makes a comedy special “special” these days?

Pick of the Day: Will Ferrell’s Best Night of Your Life 2 (in LA) 10/21

August 11, 2023

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beck, cancer for college, greek theatre, hasan minhaj, jon stewart, los angeles comedy, maya rudolph, patti harrison, rory scovel, roy wood jr, smartless, st vincent, will ferrell

Will Ferrell is doing it again.

No, not play basically the same character he was in both The LEGO Movie and Barbie, but throwing a big, blowout night of comedy and music in support for the amazing charity that is Cancer for College, supporting young people trying to make their way in the world despite battling cancer.

It’s going to be another “Best Night of Your Life”, a sequel if you will (as that is how it’s being billed).

Thus far, Ferrell has wrangled the comedic stylings:

Jon Stewart
Hasan Minhaj
Jo Koy
Patti Harrison
Roy Wood Jr.
Rory Scovel
SmartLess with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.

AND music curated by Mike McCready including:

Stefan Lessard (Dave Matthews Band)
Beck
St. Vincent
Cindy Blackman Santana
Dogstar featuring Bret Domrose, Robert Mailhouse & Keanu Reeves
Jack Black and Fred Armisen who will perform as the one-time supergroup ‘Mike McCready and The Casual Acquaintances’
DJ White Shadow
Princess featuring Maya Rudolph

For that much show, tickets start at $80 (and go up to around a $1000). Still, at $80, that’s kind of a deal.

Will Ferrell’s Best Night of Your Life 2 is set to take over the Greek Theatre on Sat. Oct. 21st at 7PM and you best go get your tickets here.

Pick of the Day: April Fools: A Benefit (in LA) 4/1

March 27, 2023

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Though April Fools’ Day has largely been tarnished by corporations trying to live up to their legal status as “people”, not all is lost for what should be comedy’s day of the year.

Kurt Braunohler, along with The Elysian Theater, is throwing a very special, very stacked evening of stand-up in support of Glenfeliz Elementary School. There won’t be any pranks (and telling you that there would be here would ruin it, no?), but you’ll get a night of LA comedy’s best including Sabrina Jalees, Rory Scovel, Beth Stelling, Chris Estrada, and Cristela Alonzo.

This April Fools benefit show for Glenfeliz Elementary is set for April Fools Day at 7:30PM PT with tickets going for $25 a pop. Please go get your tickets here.

Pick of the Day: Whatever Show with Rory Scovel & (Return) of Loose (in LA) Mondays

February 8, 2023

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elysian theater, la comedy, mondays, rory scovel, whatever show

To say everything has changed from what it was in 2019, or even 2021, is a massive, massive understatement. While many things that we used to have pre-COVID are back or new things sprouted from after lockdown have taken root while going into 2023, nothing is really like it quite used to be.

For the purposes of this post, Monday night stand-up in LA is definitely no longer the same. Long standing Monday night comedy institution Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen moved to Wednesdays (and to a different part of a town-Cypress Park to be exact).

Don’t worry however as there is a great Monday night comedy run to be had in LA.

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The always thrilling Rory Scovel has taken over Mondays at the Elysian with The Whatever Show, which strives to be true to his name with it being a night that could just be Rory doing top flight improvised stand-up to him riffing with Conan O’Brien and everything in between. That’s been going at 7:30PM since January and you really ought to be on the ball about getting tickets because the Elysian is getting packed on Mondays now. Do so here.

We also thought beloved Monday night LA staple Loose was over (for a bit) since their long standing home Little Joy is renovating and then no longer having comedy, but they are actually going over to the newly new Lyric Hyperion and going late night for Mondays at 9:30PM with one of the most venerable hosting duos in LA, Megan Koester and Alison Stevenson, and the beautifully hilarious clowning/stand-up antics of Anna Seregina. Their first night at Lyric Hyperion is set for this coming Mon, Feb. 13th with tickets only costing you $5. Go get ’em here.

Both are close enough to each other that you can very much make both shows and have Monday be, potentially, one of the best nights of the week.

Pick of the Day: The Lyric Comedy Hour with Daniel Van Kirk and Irene Tu (in LA) Wednesdays Starting 1/18

January 12, 2023

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beth stelling, chris estrada, daniel van kirk, ever mainard, irene tu, los angeles comedy, lyric hyperion, rory scovel

As you settle into remembering to date everything with 2023, you should also remember that the Lyric Hyperion is re-reopening with both a renewed vigor and a reverence for what the hallowed theater space used to be pre-pandemic. There is so much that’s up the sleeve of new new Lyric Hyperion that you should check out (and that we’ll highlight for you here) in the coming weeks and months (and, hopefully, years).

One of those many things will be a weekly stand-up show co-hosted by treasured LA comedy staples Daniel Van Kirk and Irene Tu called The Lyric Comedy Hour. On Wednesdays at 7:30PM starting Jan. 18th, Van Kirk, Tu, and the Lyric will bring together a nice and tight round-up of the city’s very best comedians, both established and ones that you should be on the look out for.

The inaugural Lyric Comedy Hour will have one hell of a line-up with Rory Scovel, Chris Estrada, Beth Stelling, and Ever Mainard.

Tickets are only $10 and you can (and should) get them every week here.

Who Else Could Have Been Nominated (and Maybe Win) for Best Comedy Album at The Grammys Besides an Undeserving Louis C.K.?

As much as we’d love to dissect C.K.’s lack of a proper mea culpa for being an admitted, repeated sex pest, how that has soured his comedy since his return, and how he’s wholly undeserving of his third Best Comedy Album Grammy win (he’s artistically regressed with his last couple of hours), we’re pretty sure that such words would only be affirmed by those already demoralized by his latest success or tossed to the metaphorical curb by his diehard acolytes. We could even spend hundreds of words on how The Recording Academy, the governing body responsible for The Grammy Awards, has long since been out of touch with what would supposedly be the “Best Comedy Album” having largely succumbed to Netflix and HBO and the like putting out audio versions of highly produced and promoted specials that end up edging out other purely audio comedy albums from ever even getting nominated.

Hmph. We digress.

Rather than delve into that endless rabbit hole or go into the systemic issues at The Recording Academy that reduce this particular Grammy category, amongst others, to mostly a popularity contest (the voters for this category, like any major awards, have no real incentive to listen to every single album and often just go with what they know ahead of time), we’ll instead show you the folks that met all the qualifications to even be in the running to be nominated (ostensibly, who was left out of the equation against C.K.’s lackluster Sincerely Louis C.K.)

You already know that the other nominees for Best Comedy Album were Kevin Hart: Zero F***s Given, Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American, Lewis Black: Thanks For Risking Your Life, Chelsea Handler: Evolution, and Lavell Crawford: The Comedy Vaccine. One could make the argument, if you’re already OK with CK returning to stand-up, that he is most definitely in the running against the five other nominees (especially Kevin Hart’s very tone-deaf special done in his basement that’s bigger than most apartments anywhere).

However, there are plenty of folks that, because of lack of fame, prestige, etc., were already doomed to not get any recognition from the Recording Academy despite their comedic prowess (and explicit lack of sex crimes). Amongst those that could have been nominated for Best Comedy Album this year were Beth Stelling, Rory Scovel, Michelle Buteau, Chad Daniels, Sean Devlin, Ester Steinberg, Ziwe, Tim Minchin, Atsuko Okatsuka, Ben Roy, Robin Tran, Tim Heidecker, Ian Edwards, Lisa Curry, Chris Gethard, Dan Soder, Sam Tallent, Dave Helem, and Lil’ Rel. Those names represent some of the very funniest people in comedy right at this moment, but only a fraction of who could have been nominated for a Best Comedy Album Grammy this year (and possibly beat out Louis CK).

Thanks to an industry source, we’ve got a list of pretty much everyone else that was in the running for a Grammy nomination this year, but ultimately was left out for the aforementioned reasons above and many others. Even though you might think major awards ceremony are largely overly self-important and indulgent, we hope that you can get some perspective on who is left out (and much more likely has the actual Best Comedy Album of this past year).

Nicole Burch: Never Been Kissed
Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia
Colin Cook: This Won’t Work
Affion Crockett: Mirror II Society
Lisa Curry: Alive for A While
Chad Daniels: Twelfth Night
Sandy Danto: Daddy Boy
Jim David: Gay Jokes for Straight Cruisers
DC Benny: Adrift in Predicaments-Stories of Shoulda Known Better
Mark DeMayo: Bangers
Sean Devlin: Airport, Animals
Eleanor Kerrigan: Lady Like
Paul Kim: The Lion Kim
Raul Kohli: All My Heroes Are Dead, in Jail, or Touched Up Your Nan
Nish Kumar: It’s In Your Nature To Destroy Yourselves, Parts 1 & 2
Preacher Lawson: Get to Know Me
Lewberger: Live at Lincoln Hall in Chicago
Orlando Leyba: Adorable
Lil’ Rel: Humbly Vulnerable-I Said What I Said
Joe List: I Hate Myself
Ignacio Lopez: EspañYOLO
Jonny Loquasto: The In 3-D
Levin McCachen: Illuminati
Ed Hill: Candy and Smiley
Melinda Hill: Inappropriate
Katie Hughes: Queen of the Castle
London Hughs: To Catch a D***
Taylor Hughes: Chasing Wonder
Katie-Ellen Humphries: Ladyfinger
David Huntsberger: Big Nothingness
Eddie Ifft: Sweet Home Malibama
Ryan James: I’m Fine
The Jerky Boys (self-titled)
Maz Jobrani: Pandemic Warrior
Danny Jolles: Six Parts
Jamie Kaler: Homeschooled
Noah Gardenswartz: New Fodder
Arthur Gaus: Nice Jokes for Smart People
Chris Gethard: Half My Life
Harrison Greenbaum: Live at Madison Square Garden
Nick Guerra: Love Me at My Worst
Joey Guila: Ringleader
Nathan Hansen: I Was Supposed To Get Married Today
Kevin Hart: Zero F***s Given
John Hastings: Float Like a Butterfly, John Hastings Like a Bee
Tim Heidecker: An Evening with Tim Heidecker
Dave Helem: D.J. the Chicago Kid
Amy Hill: Shades
Kevin Yee: One Boy Band
Ziwe: Ziwe-A Famously Iconic Soundtrack
Kevin Doyle: 30 Year Old Virgin
Scout Durwood: Comedy Electronica Vol. 1
Jeff Dye: Dumb Is Gooder
Mat Edgar: Take the L
Ian Edwards: Bill Burr presents IanTalk-Ideas Not Worth Spreading
Mark Ellis: Dog Stepfather
Felipe Esparza: Bad Decisions
Matt Falk: Optimistical
Randy Feltface: The Book of Randicus
Adam Ferrara: It’s Scary in Here
Glen Foster: Unchecked
Jen Fulwiler: The Naughty Corner
Jerry Garcia: It’s Not My Weekend
Tryf Da Comedian: Symphunny, Vol. 1
Bill Burr Presents the Ringers
More Funny Women of a Certain Age
Ron Vaudry: Talking on Thin Ice
Joey Villagomez: Jokes, Drugs, Rock & Roll
Paul Virzi: I’ll Say This
Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang
Jeremiah Watkins: Family Reunion
Daniel Webb: Hoe’s Parade at The Rose Bowl
Aaron Weber: Shirts and Skins
Jacob Williams: Unemotional Roller Coaster
Lance Woods: Undeniable
Glenn Wool: Viva Forever
Heather McDonald: Juicy Scoop
Harmony McElligot: The Struggle Continues
Michael McIntyre: Showman
Sean McLoughlin: Hail Mary
Doug Mellard: I’m Worried About Me
Garrett Millerick: Smile
Tim Minchin: Apart Together
Ginger Minj: Gummy Together
Daniel Muggleton: Unprecedented
Atsuko Okatsuka: They Call Me Stacey
Natalie Palamides: Nate – A One Man Show
Brian Parise: Last Wishes
Eddie Pence: The (Un)Special Comedy Special
Rojo Perez: Words
Nick Rado: On-Trend
Adam Ray: I’ll Take It From Here-The Crowd Work Album
Brian Regan: On The Rocks
Erica Rhodes: La Vie en Rhodes
Erik Rivera: Super White
Shayla Rivera: It’s Not Rocket Science
Darrin Rose: Wearing a Suit
Ben Roy: Take the Sandwich
Bob Rubin: Oddities & Rarities
Amber Ruffin: The Amber Ruffin Show-Music from the Original Series
Marc Ryan: The Clean Album
Brendan Sagalow: Not Now More Than Ever
Andrew Schulz: Brilliant Idiot
Rory Scovel: Live Without Fear
Harry Shearer: The Many Moods of Donald Trump
Dan Soder: Son of a Gary
Gianmarco Soresi: Shelf Life
Ester Steinberg: Burning Bush
Beth Stelling: Girl Daddy
Fatimah Taliah: Nice to Meet Me
Sam Tallent: Waiting for Death to Claim Us
Erik Terrell: Live at Helium Comedy Club
Robin Tran: Don’t Look at Me
Jesus Trejo: Stay at Home Son
Steve Treviño: I Speak Wife

Pick of the Day: Improvised Stand-Up with Rory Scovel (in LA) 2/27

February 7, 2022

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elysian theater, improv, improvised, los angeles comedy, rory scovel, stand up comedy

There are plenty a comedian that try to do, shall we say, comedy alchemy by, ostensibly, taking nothing and making comedy gold out of it. There’s even a long running improv comedy podcast called Alchemy This that seeks out to attempt this feat.

Rory Scovel has made it a mission of his to completely improvise his stand-up sets and, for our money, we think that he has figured it out. His fearlessness in getting abjectly silly and then masterfully dissecting his own flights of absurdity is truly captivating for an hour. All told, it really feels like magic.

So, all of LA, you shouldn’t miss out on Rory’s latest trek into the comedy unknown at the end of this month at The Elysian. Improvised Stand-Up with Rory Scovel is set for Mon. Feb. 27th at 7PM PT. Tickets are only $12 and you best go get them now here.

Please Enjoy Jon Dore as Comedy’s HR Rep on “Humour Resources”

There has has to be a lot of ingenuity in making any sort of content throughout the pandemic (that isn’t over yet). Necessity being the mother of invention has led to tons of Zoom comedy, but also given us some genuinely funny shows such as Baited with Ziwe on Instagram Live.

Another such show that attempted to deal with the creative conundrum of COVID-19 and very much succeeded is the new CBC comedy series, Humour Resources starring Jon Dore and created by Adam Brodie, Dave Derewlany, and Dore. With the obstacle of so many things having to rely on the front facing cameras for any sort of human interaction, Dore stars as an alternate universe version of himself that has retired from stand-up comedy and chooses to become an HR representative for all of “Comedy” (if all of comedy was housed under one umbrella corporation).

The show is centered around Dore having HR meetings of all shapes and sizes with beloved Canadian and American comedians including Sarah Silverman, Courtney Gilmour, Dave Merheje, Nikki Glaser, Casey Corbin, The Lucas Brothers, Tom Green, Ronny Chieng, DeAnne Smith, Scott Thompson, Sophie Buddle, Eric Andre, Debra DiGiovanni, Arthur Simeon, Rory Scovel, Kyle Brownrigg, Aisha Brown, and Reggie Watts. Even though it’s technically an HR meeting, this feels like Dore’s über clever version of how he would do a late night panel interview if he were given the slot for a talk show.

Thus, there’s a delightful mix of The Office and Conan throughout, especially since Dore has to deal with a quietly chaotic suburban home life while trying to maintain the appearance of a professional member of a Human Resources department. For awhile, if you were in the U.S., you couldn’t really watch it freely, put Just For Laughs is graciously streaming episodes for free on their YouTube channel, releasing them one by one.

At the accommodation of your very busy schedule, you can (and should) enjoy Humour Resources here.

Pick of the Day: Space Babes (in LA) 9/24

September 16, 2021

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highland park, jared goldstein, lizzy cooperman, los angeles comedy, randy liedtke, rory scovel, sara schaefer, stand up comedy, the offbeat

Live comedy on the Eastside in LA grows stronger day by day. More venues and shows are either coming back or popping up (and this was the case pre-lockdown as well). The latest addition to the comedy boom on the eastside of town is a brand spanking new, outdoor stand-up show called Space Babes.

Taking the outdoor space at Highland Park’s long standing neighborhood bar, The Offbeat, the ever cleverly rambunctious Randy Liedtke will host this new stand-up endeavor and kick it off with a real barnburner of an inaugural line-up. That’ll include Rory Scovel, Lizzy Cooperman, Sara Schaefer, and Jared Goldstein (and there’s more to come!).

Best of all, it’s free to attend (so long as you have proof of vaccination).

Don’t miss the very first Space Babes on Fri. Sept. 24th at 8PM PT.

Pick of the Day: Rory Scovel – Improvised Stand-Up (in LA) 9/20

August 31, 2021

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We sincerely, sincerely hope that you’ve seen Rory Scovel: Live Without Fear, the amazing documentary comedy special that captured the very special lightning in a bottle that comes with so many Scovel performances, especially if he’s improvising the whole thing.

If you haven’t, we then hope you’ve at least caught some of Rory mixing whimsy and complete honesty in the moment in person over the last several years. For us, watching Rory is always something revelatory and hysterical and we very much don’t miss any chance we have to go watch him live.

With that in mind, Rory will be doing a very special, exclusive, improvised stand-up performance at Largo at the Coronet Theatre on Mon. Sept. 20th at 8PM PT. In case it wasn’t clear already, clear out that night and make sure you go to this. Tickets are $46 (includes service charge) and you best go get them here before they sell out.

Just a Friendly Reminder That Rory Scovel’s Daredevil-ish Stand-Up Special “Live Without Fear” Is Streaming on YouTube Now

June 24, 2021

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We’ve written extensively about Rory Scovel‘s brand new docu-comedy special, Live Without Fear, that captured six performances where Rory went up for a whole hour without anything. No prepared material, no pre-configured crowd work, and even no suggestions from the audience. Scovel only had his instincts and his penchant for mischievous curiosity, which provided the lightning to be caught in the bottle by director Scott Moran.

It was one of the funniest things we saw in 2019 and now, it might be, with its official release and convenient streaming on YouTube, be one of the funniest things we were witness to in 2021. Please enjoy Live Without Fear here.

Rory Scovel: Live Without Fear, One of Our Favorite Specials in Recent Memory, Will Be on YouTube 6/24

May 19, 2021

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800 pound gorilla, live without fear, rory scovel, scott moran

Two years ago, we were fortunate and privileged enough to get a sneak peek at Rory Scovel‘s latest special Rory Scovel: Live Without Fear (and collaboration with director Scott Moran). We were blown away at the lightning-in-a-bottle that was captured through a handful of entirely improvised stand-up sets (there wasn’t even a never-before-seen-topic as there would be with Set List or a mere suggestion from the audience).

Even though we had no idea where else it would screen or how else would people see it, we wrote about it anyway because the fly-on-the-wall look at Scovel’s daredevil-ish stand-up antics was inspiring. In fact, it was moving in a way that we hadn’t really felt in a comedy special, perhaps, ever before. In fact, it made our 100 Best List for 2019 because it was really that damn good and there was still no news as to how or where or when people could go watch Rory Scovel: Live Without Fear.

So, it’s truly thrilling news to know that 800 Pound Gorilla Media is going to release Rory Scovel: Live Without Fear on YouTube come Thurs. Jun. 24th. We’ll hold off on saying anymore for now. Until then, you can a look at an exclusive clip of the comedy docu-special over at Vulture.

Jon Dore & Rory Scovel Discuss Their Legendary Simultaneous Late Night Sets on Conan

April 23, 2021

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In the pantheon of late night stand-up sets, one set that will always stand out on the merits of its daring, execution, and sheer absurdity is the 2011 performance by both Jon Dore and Rory Scovel who do separate stand-up sets at the very same time on Conan, side by side. The sheer dedication to the bit and their flawlessness in their performance is no only a testament to the comedy of both Dore and Scovel, but daring to be as aspirational in silliness as possible.

Dore and Scovel revisit this historic set with Conan booker JP Buck on Conan’s The Set Up and break down and reveal what went into these four hysterical minutes. Please, please, please enjoy their discussion here.

Please Enjoy This Great Short “Two Pan Dan” From Sergio Cilli with Rory Scovel and Drew Tarver

November 11, 2020

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drew tarver, rory scovel, sergio cilli, short film

Even in the midst of everything that’s going on right now, there are people who still don’t want to admit that they’re having problems or maybe that they’re truly wrong about something.

This marvelous short film, Two Pan Dan, from writer/director Sergio Cilli shows how absolutely ridiculous that can be even when it comes to as simple as delivering a belated wedding gift. Rory Scovel and Drew Tarver continue to shine as they have in Robbie or The Other Two as close friends, supposedly.

There is a deftness in the writing and performance in this short that had us laughing in a way that has been so incredibly rare in quarantine. So, we highly urge you to take ten minutes to enjoy Cilli’s latest here.

Pick of the Day: Pen Pals Podcast LIVE! on Zoom 8/28

August 13, 2020

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One of the most calming, reassuring, life affirming, and podcasts that we’ve enjoyed pre- and during this pandemic (and will undoubtedly enjoy well after all of this is over) is Pen Pals. The duo of Daniel Van Kirk and Rory Scovel answering letters genuinely, though, often, with a very healthy dose of silliness is a refreshing break from everything.

For those have yet go to #F2F, you should really get into the podcast here (you’re going to want to start from the beginning if you want to know what #F2F is and, more importantly, get a chance to get in line and go #RRGT).

In any case, you really ought to enjoy the camaraderie, community, and mirth in a live-over-Zoom version of Pen Pals that will be happening Fri. Aug. 28th at 6PM PT/9PM ET. You can (and very much should) RSVP here to get specific instructions on purchasing tickets.

“Super Serious” Offers an Oral History of LA Indie Stand-Up Scene in a Gorgeous Coffee Table Book

It’s unclear as to exactly what was going on in 2010 in LA comedy, but it was the starting point of almost everything that makes it special now (well, right before COVID-19 struck anyway). The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail started around then, WTF with Marc Maron was picking up steam and kickstarted LA’s comedy podcast explosion, and even we had our humble beginnings around then. Also, so many indie comedy shows popped in and around LA giving the LA comedy scene the sort of connective tissue that it was missing years prior.

One such show is The Super Serious Show and, as they’ve kept their high flying variety show going for a decade between a handful of unique, wondrous venues around LA, they’ve seen the ebbs and flows, the new, the old, the highs, the shifts, the rumblings, the lows, and everything in between that has been going in the venerable indie LA comedy scene, especially when it comes to stand-up. Thus, Super Serious Show co-creator and portrait photographer Mandee Johnson assembled a lovely and exhaustive oral history of the comedy scene here in LA, accented by her signature polaroid portraiture of the hundreds and hundreds of performers that have stepped on The Super Serious Show stage. Contributors to this special oral history entitled Super Serious: An Oral History of Los Angeles Independent Stand-Up Comedy include Hasan Minhaj, Rory Scovel, Anthony Jeselnik, Karen Kilgariff, Baron Vaughn, Dave Anthony, Andy Kindler, Natalie Palamides, Kristen Schaal, Ron Funches, Reggie Watts, Rachel Bloom, Dana Gould, Eddie Pepitone, Cameron Esposito and dozens more.

If you’re as obsessive about comedy as we are, it’s definitely a must have for your coffee table (or whatever table you have). Super Serious: An Oral History of Los Angeles Independent Stand-Up Comedy is available for pre-order now and will be released on Aug. 18th from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Given how there are plenty of shipping delays for non-essential items these days in the U.S., best to put your order in now. Get more details and get your copy here.

Fun news alert: We have a BOOK!

Super Serious: An Oral History of Los Angeles Independent Stand-Up Comedy is available for pre-sale NOW!

Learn more: https://t.co/XRUUsXZ7Xq @mandeephoto @AndrewsMcMeel @_triangle_house #SuperSeriousShow #SuperSeriousBOOK pic.twitter.com/F9GZunTsYZ

— Super Serious Show (@seriousshow) July 14, 2020

FYI, Rory Scovel Has Been Releasing Great Morsels of His Stand-Up Every Week

June 26, 2020

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The second wave of realizing that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t gone away, which also means the prospect of live-in-person stand-up is getting put on hold for even longer. That also means brand new bits, specials, albums of stand-up are going to take on some new form (done via Zoom or at drive-in) or they’ll be never-before-seen-or-released material from yesteryear.

Rory Scovel has plenty of his past performances, that are always equal parts beautifully ephemeral and sharply crafted, taped and, since quarantine started, began releasing bits every week. Scovel is definitely the sort of comedian whose performances are so unique to themselves, as he’s always so present and takes advantage of the moment and the space, to see excerpts from his sets is like getting an official bootleg collection track by track. If a Scovel bootleg collection were up for sale from Rory, you could definitely count us in for pre-order.

So, go get into Scovel’s weekly stand-up collection here, especially this bit that was done a month before lockdown and that will probably be relevant for quite some time.

You Can (and Should) Binge All of “Robbie”

May 12, 2020

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anthony king, beau bridges, comedy central, mary holland, robbie, rory scovel, sasheer zamata, scott moran, stu jenkins

In the comedic tradition of seeing idiots not getting what they want, Rory Scovel revels in his starring role in Robbie. Akin to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the schemes of Scovel’s Robbie seem to be doomed from the start and the inevitable approach of his consequential failure is pretty damn ridiculous and fun. Also, Scovel and company (Stu Jenkins, Scott Moran, and Anthony King) have really showcased how fun it can be to watch someone who deserves to lose do so at every turn.

In fact, Robbie has the uncanny ability to screw things up just when they couldn’t be screwed up any further with Sasheer Zamata, who plays his co-parent Ava, and especially Beau Bridges who plays his dad, Robbie Sr./Coach. If you’ve ever seen Scovel do stand-up and go into one of his myriad of wild characters, we picture Robbie as a glorious, extended version of that.

We’d like to note that the hilariously offbeat-ness of the dialogue and timing shine here (accented perfectly by the jazzy, single note theme song). Several scenes get heightened in their absurdity as a result, especially whenever Robbie is arguing with his girlfriend Janie (Mary Holland) who always seems to be having a slightly different conversation than the one being actually had.

Robbie dropped online last weekend in its entirety and Comedy Central was even nice enough to let the whole series stream on YouTube here allowing you to binge all 8 episodes in one fell swoop.

Rory Scovel Has Upped the Ante on Hide-and-Seek with His Family While Quarantined

April 13, 2020

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Even as we have passed a month in being sheltered-at-home/self-isolated/quarantined here in LA (and are looking at another month at least of it), everyone has probably reached some level of going stir-crazy.

Rory Scovel has taken that energy and let it fuel his continued genius in creating comedy bits (especially now as his family has to be a part of them).

Please, please enjoy this latest bit from Rory here and we can only hope that everyone starts playing Hide-and-Seek like this.

View this post on Instagram

Hide and Go Seek at the Scovel residence is on another level right now.

A post shared by roryscovel (@roryscovel) on Apr 11, 2020 at 11:48am PDT

February 20, 2020

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ali kolbert, asif ali, beth stelling, better half, clark jones, comedy show, echo park, free comedy, jared logan, kara klenk, los angeles, rory scovel, stand up comedy

Better Half with Jared Logan and Kara Klenk were the successors to LA’s beloved, long-running Thursday stand-up show The Josh & Josh Show. They opted to relocate to a different day and a different part of town, but we’re happy that they’re back as Jared and Kara are probably one of the funniest comedian power couples that we know.

The new Better Half will now happen on Tuesday’s at Echo Park’s dark, chic (and even a little sexy?) Bar Bandini. This first line-up for their new night/venue is pretty stellar (as was always the case with Better Half).

Swing on by to Bar Bandini next Tuesday for this new Better Half and keep up to date with line-ups here.

January 21, 2020

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amuse bouche, ian edwards, kristen schaal, rory scovel

One of the most chic, epicurean nights of comedy in all of Los Angeles happens every now and again with Amuse Bouche. Artisanal food and comedy mix and mingle and the beautiful Virgil Village setting of MELODY.

This Feb. edition of Amuse Bouche, as you can see, is stacked with treats from the likes of Jonathan Whitener, Ryan Costanza, Kristen Schaal, Rory Scovel, Ian Edwards, and, of course, host Karl Hess from Yelling About Pâté.

The idea that you’re getting all of this for only $35 is pretty wild and a deal that you definitely should not pass up on.

Get your tickets before they sell out (and, trust us, they do sell out quick) here.

December 26, 2019

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comedians following tool, comedy tour, freddy scott, los angeles, nick youssef, rory scovel, stand up comedy, tool

Remember when we told you about the marvelously mischievous trio of Rory Scovel, Nick Youssef, and Freddy Scott were going on a tour that was explicitly following the current live tour of the band Tool?

All of those dates were all around the country, but didn’t quite have an LA date.

Well, that is until now.

Rory, Nick, and Freddy will be doing an exclusive preview show at the Virgil on Mon. Jan. 6th at 10PM (following Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen). Tickets are $5 in adv., $8 at door (cash only) and you really ought to go and see what sort of tomfoolery these three got planned for the rest of the country’s Tool fans.

Get tickets here.

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