stand up comedy – Page 6 – The Comedy Bureau

Pick of the Day: 16th Annual 50 First Jokes (in NYC) 1/6

December 15, 2022

50 first jokes, bell house, brooklyn, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

Next year is just a couple of weeks away and the arrival of 2023 signals the coming of one of the best annual comedy traditions around, 50 First Jokes. Going on its 16th year in NYC, 50 (or more) of the best comedians in the city come together to deliver their very first jokes of the new year. It’s a raucous good time and, honestly, better than trying to keep your New Year’s resolution going.

This year’s edition will be back at The Bell House in Brooklyn on Fri. Jan. 6th (any takers on how many comics will have a Jan. 6th joke?) at 8PM and have John F. O’Donnell hosting and feature the brand new joke(s) of:

Alison Leiby
Andy Haynes
Anthony Devito
Asha Ward
Brittney Carney
Carmen Lagala
Casey James Salengo
Chanel Ali
Charlie Bardey
Chloe Radcliffe
Courtney Maginiss
Dan Perlman
Dave Ross
Eman El-Husseini
Emmy Blotnick
JP McDade
Jeff Scheen
Jess Salomon
Kate Willett
Kendall Ferrell
Kenice Mobley
Maria Wojciechowski
Michael Cruz Kayne
Natasha Vaynblat
Rachel McCartney
Rebecca O’Neal
Sabrina Wu
Sam Evans
Shalewa Sharpe
Shane Torres
Zach Zimmerman

…just to name a few.

Tickets are $25.42 right now and you can (and should) go get them here.

Atsuko Okatsuka’s The Intruder Is So Good That It Should Change Up Some Already Released Year End Lists

December 12, 2022

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atsuko okatsuka, comedy special, hbo, stand up comedy, the intruder

It’s kind of a grand error by several publications that year end lists often get published in late November/early December (i.e. not the actual end of the year). As such, there is always something that’s worthy of mention that gets unjustly left off and, for 2022, that glaring omission might be Atsuko Okatsuka‘s first HBO special, The Intruder.

Atsuko has meticulously and carefully honed her entire comedy act and brand as well as her audience in a way that’s pretty undeniable. Her unstoppable charm and warmth combined with a thoroughly fresh and fascinating story (unknowingly getting moved to the U.S. from Japan as an undocumented immigrant and living as such for 7 years) and perspective (and a marvelous splash of style) have led her from being a beloved LA comedy staple to headlining across the country (and then there’s her Tik Tok fame). All of these qualities are dazzlingly on display in this HBO special, The Intruder, Atsuko’s most high profile work to date.

Atsuko exudes such great magnetism in this hour that it’s clear that she has been ready for this stage of her career for quite some time now. Her presence and command of the stage holds several narrative threads involving being undocumented and getting lost in pandemic hobbies, all stemming from the main one about a home intruder and how and her husband attempt to deal with him. In fact, there’s a hopefulness, a word rarely juxtaposed to stand-up comedy, to Atsuko’s observations and stories that might be a beacon of what stand-up comedy can (and maybe should) be (rather than re-hashings of what it has been since the 80s with updated references).

Undoubtedly, it’s one of 2022’s best specials and one can only hope that the new HBO keeps Atsuko around for more to come despite being on a cancelling spree.

Please Enjoy the Socio-Comedic Research of Kenice Mobley’s “Follow Up Question”

December 9, 2022

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blonde medicine, comedy album, kenice mobley, stand up comedy

For the majority of the time during a stand-up performance, the goal of crowd work isn’t in-depth research and having an actual back-and-forth with the audience. That said, some of the magic of a live performance come in the unplanned moments of which the audience and their reactions are a critical part. Beloved NYC comedy staple Kenice Mobley leans as far as she can, with joyous success, on her new and very aptly titled album, Follow Up Question.

For an hour, Kenice thoroughly questions the audience led by her genuine curiosity of all things prurient. Mobley takes a dive into actually getting to literally know her audience and all of their own relationship and sexual proclivities, almost as if she’s conducting A/B testing, to tease out that proverbial lightning in a bottle, as opposed to a more well-worn route of asking audience members where they’re from and what they do for a living. The result of her findings are delicious reveals in of themselves, but the field-research-like approach to getting there is also its own funny and endearing journey, especially since Mobley hones in on pretty intimate questions from the get go.

Kenice cleverly reveals herself too and how nerdy and horny she is whilst comedically “gathering data” from the crowd. That trick marvelously belies the quasi-clinical ticking off of every question for her supposed research for something that’s much spicier, tingly, and hilarious.

Follow Up Question just came out today via Blonde Medicine. Please give it a listen and enjoy it here.

Pick of the Day: Hit That Track with Dylan Adler (in LA) 12/10

December 5, 2022

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Dylan Adler, los angeles comedy, musical comedy, stand up comedy, the elysian

One Dylan Adler, the newly minted Vulture Comedian You Should and Will Know and the newly added writer to Corden, has gotten plenty of ink from us and deservingly so. Once again, ever since we saw him do hard hitting jokes and songs about intersectional race issues and mental health and a backflip on the top of a parking garage, we’ve been smitten.

Adler has just moved to LA (b/c of Corden) and as such will be getting to debut his hour show for us Angelenos with (hopefully) better weather. Hit That Track with Dylan Adler is set for Sat. Dec. 10th at 7:30PM at The Elysian. Tickets are only $16 and you best go snag ’em right now here.

Andy Sandford Finally Gets to Release Terrific Latest Hour “Basket Case” After Having to Not Tape It in Spring 2020

November 28, 2022

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800 pound gorilla, andy sandford, atlanta comedy, basket case, comedy special, stand up comedy

The ripple effect of COVID-19 shutting down live, in-person performances will reverberate for years to come. Along with the rows of big time live tours and tapings for both specials and albums for comedians had to be indefinitely put on hold, there are untold numbers of small time productions of albums, specials, big time one-offs, etc. that just didn’t get to happen in 2020.

Atlanta’s Andy Sandford had slated a taping for a full hour special in 2020 right around when every single type of in-person gathering (that wasn’t grocery shopping) was prohibited. Added on top of having to pre-empt that taping, Sandford encounter non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 issues, all while the world felt as close to ending as many of us have ever encountered, leading to only getting around to having hour shot, edited, and released to just about a week ago, November 2022.

That’s all to say that the artisanal quality of Andy Sandford’s jokes were worth the wait (such was the case before the pandemic).

All of his material is remarkably balanced on almost every level, a rare quality in comedian these days. There’s complete truth, abject abursity, hard punchlines, frank vulnerability (sometimes in the form of talking head interview clips), callbacks, getting meta with old jokes, wordplay, vivid imagery, etc. etc. Andy goes to great lengths to seamlessly blend all of those elements (a lesser comedian might seem sporadic and uneven trying to check all those boxes simultaneously) into beautifully intricate scaffolding constructing the hour of Basket Case. Even when he makes his COVID jokes, they feel less like well-trodden territory (see most comedians’ COVID jokes about any number of things they ate or put in their mouth when growing up and consequently “not being scared of COVID”) and fresh, sharp jokes on what might be the most relatable topic in all of human history.

Sandford left NYC after a decade and now resides back in Atlanta, which means Basket Case, now streaming for free on YouTube courtesy of 800 Pound Gorilla, is probably your best chance to see Sandford ASAP (i.e. how you should generally go and see him).

Pick of the Day: Nick Naney: Nessun Dorma [Special Taping] (in NYC) 12/8

November 28, 2022

News

brooklyn, nick naney, nyc comedy, special taping, stand up comedy, taping, union hall

Throughout the NYC comedy scene days, there are few performers as mastered at tomfoolery quite like one Nick Naney. Through stand-up, characters, and a myriad of next level shenanigans, Nick has become quite the staple, especially if there are certain bits that require commitment in the face of sheer, unfiltered silliness.

With that in mind, next week should be very exciting for any and all in the five boroughs as Naney will be taping his very comedy special. We have a sneaking suspicion that he’ll have plenty of hijinks up his sleeve to really bring back the “special” in ‘comedy special’.

Called Nessun Dorma, Nick has set the date for Thurs. Dec. 8th at Union Hall with both an early show (7:30PM) & late show (10PM). Tickets are $11.55 and you really ought to go get ’em here.

Gianmarco Soresi Has Some Damn Good Child of Divorce Jokes in His Network TV Debut

November 25, 2022

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divorce jokes, gianmarco soresi, james corden, late late show, stand up comedy

If you’re on the side of the fence that didn’t look forward to a Thanksgiving get-together, perhaps it’s because of an atypical family situation. If that is indeed the case, Gianmarco Soresi‘s late night network TV debut might just be up your alley. Soresi spends a good half of his set on comedically dissecting being a child of divorce from the get go and it results in some of the best jokes on spending your childhood in between households that we’ve heard in awhile.

Even if you’ve had a swell Thanksgiving, reminiscent of the before times, you still probably enjoy the clever and playful joke alchemy sourced from Gianmarco’s upbringing. See for yourself with Soresi’s debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden here.

Pick of the Day: Chris Gethard: A Father and the Sun (in NYC) 12/16

November 25, 2022

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brooklyn, chris gethard, littlefield, nyc comedy, stand up comedy

Even as we near the three years since the COVID-19 pandemic started, there are still things coming back that took a large sabbatical from being live and in person. Chris Gethard doing stand-up comedy is thankfully one of those things that we can say is finally making a return to the world of the living.

Gethard, the beloved comedy multi-hypenate between TCGS/Beautiful Anonymous/Planet Scum/his own solo comedy, has a new hour he’s working on and has an exclusive date set at Brooklyn’s Littlefield just before the big, looming holiday break.

Fri. Dec. 16th at 7PM, Chris will give you the rundown on his whole world through his stand-up and you really ought to not miss out on it. Tickets are $25.35 and you can (and should) go get them here.

Pick of the Day: Steph Tolev-in the Round (in NYC) 11/30

November 21, 2022

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le poussin rouge, nyc comedy, stand up comedy, steph tolev

Thanksgiving. Whether you love it or hate it (and there are so many reasons for that), it definitely disrupts the entire week that surrounds it. What might be helpful to get through the holiday that’s annoyingly always on a Thursday (and largely white washes the treatment of indigenous people of North America) is looking towards what’s going to happen after it.

If you’re in NYC, we’d urge you to look for Steph Tolev coming through NYC to not only headline, but do so in the round at the ultra cool multi-purpose venue Le Poussin Rouge in the East Village. We’ve seen Steph has been killing since we first saw her with her alluring brashness and her immediate command of any stage and she’s now finally getting her due to really cut loose for a headlining set.

Do not miss out on this chance to see Steph come Wed. Nov. 30th at 7PM at LPR. Tickets are $24.93 and you best go get them here.

Finally, Sean Patton Has a Comedy Special Coming Out, “Number One”, on Peacock

November 18, 2022

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comedy special, number one, peacock, sean patton, stand up comedy

We have a list here at TCB that’s, well, not specifically written down anywhere, but has an ever-growing collection of names of comedians that are well past due for an hour special for how consistently and unbelievably hysterical they are. One of our all time favorite comedians, someone who we’d urge you to go out of your way to watch, Sean Patton is thankfully not on that list anymore.

Patton is simultaneously one of the best tale weavers, then also has one of the most colorful imaginations in all of comedy these days and the combination of those two qualities has been one of our favorite things to see on any stand-up stage anywhere. Listen to any of his albums or watch his This Is Not Happening ep. and you’ll hear why we’re thrilled that Peacock has given him an hour special due out Fri. Dec. 2nd.

Speaking of which, here’s the first gander you can take of Sean Patton: Number One here. Then make a reminder for Dec. 2nd to stream this on Peacock.

Billy Wayne Davis Gives Us All a Trip That We Needed in Comedy Specials with “Testify”

November 17, 2022

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billy wayne davis, comedy special, international church of cannabis, moment, stand up comedy, testify

The pacing of comedy specials churned out by Netflix and HBO and others make it seem like the majority of what an hour long stand-up comedy special will be is a well-rehearsed, considered hour of jokes done on a mostly empty stage with a mic and mic stand. Thanks to the likes of Bo Burnham, Hannah Gadsby, Hasan Minhaj, Moses Storm, Maria Bamford, Christina Catherine Martinez, Adam Sandler, Danny Jolles, Nick Vatterott, Whitmer Thomas, Gary Gulman, and more, there is a wave of reimagining what the comedy special is and can be.

Billy Wayne Davis’ brand new special Testify marvelously furthers this notion on top of Davis’ wry use of his Southern drawl and the sharp panache of his storytelling and observations.

Taped at Denver landmark, The International Church of Cannabis, Davis recounts parallel narratives of a drug trip and a trip to a parole hearing, which could be enough to account for a solid, traditional-looking special. Billy doesn’t waste the space his chosen with utilizing projected flourishes of colors that go with all the “religious” use of cannabis at that one-of-a-kind church. Soothing hip music and a dream sequence are all in the mix to distinguish Testify as a stand out special, but not to the degree where it would outshine the core of the hour (and what should be the core of any comedy special, no matter how experimental it is), Billy’s precisely whittled comedy. Davis deftly and, almost stealthily, works in differing reactions and explaining references in a way that feels less expositional and just simply part of a really funny bit.

None of how splendid Testify is should be surprising considering that one of Billy’s first recorded works was at Jack White’s hallowed Third Man Records (and only a handful of other comedians even got to record at such a rarefied stage).

Billy Wayne Davis’ Testify premiered live already, but is available to stream for replay at Moment. Go buy and watch it over and over (it’s definitely that type of special that demands that) here.

Here’s Your First Look at Atsuko Okatsuka’s First HBO Hour Special “The Intruder”

November 15, 2022

News

atsuko okatsuka, comedy special, hbo, stand up comedy

Wherever Atsuko Okatsuka goes, she is a very joyful, very stylish breath of fresh air on top of being one of the funniest comedians taking the mic these days. Okatsuka is finally getting her due this year from being such a performer with the debut of a whole hour long HBO special entitled “The Intruder”.

At the risk of tipping off too much, especially if you haven’t seen Atsuko before, we will just say that her story of immigrating to America is one of the most fascinating ones we’ve heard in comedy (and, of course, so very timely). The journey, the self-styled vibrant aesthetic, the moves, and the carefully honed observations and stories of a former undocumented immigrant turned dancer turned comedian, as you’ll see, should leave an indelible mark on this year’s comedy special landscape.

See for yourself with this first look at Atsuko Okatsuka: The Intruder here, then look to stream it on HBO Max on Sun. Dec. 10th.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 137: Hasan Minhaj & The Mise En Scène of Comedy

November 9, 2022

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

comedy special, hasan minhaj, stand up comedy, the king's jester

The look and feel of a comedy special has been largely subtle, unadorned, and stripped down for a long time. Thankfully, that is starting to change thanks to folks like Bo Burnham and this week’s TCB Field Report guest, Hasan Minhaj. Fresh off the release of his latest, fantastic special The King’s Jester, we get into the finer points of how to redefine stand-up through reimagining how a special, arguably the pinnacle of a comedian’s work, can be done.

Follow Hasan @hasanminhaj across platforms and watch The King’s Jester, streaming now on Netflix.

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

Pick of the Day: NYCF Album Tapings for Liz Glazer and Luke Mones 11/10 & 11/11

November 8, 2022

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brooklyn, brooklyn comedy collective, liz glazer, luke mones, new york comedy fest, nyc comedy, nycf, stand up comedy, the gutter

The New York Comedy Festival is well underway right now and there is literally dozens and dozens of things worth dashing to and fro from between all five boroughs. Showcases, solo shows, podcasts, and more fill the entire schedule for NYC’s annual big comedy bash.

There are also hour long tapings that are done at the festival, capitalizing on the extra excitement in the air for the week, that are the sort of special thing that you don’t want to miss. Last year, David Cross taped his latest special and, this year, both Liz Glazer and Luke Mones will be taping their albums. Glazer and Mones have both worked their way to becoming favorites in the NYC comedy scene for their warmth and very keen and crisp writing.

Liz will be doing her taping at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective on Thurs. Nov. 10th at 7PM & 9PM and Luke will be doing his a nice jaunt from there at The Gutter in Brooklyn on Fri. Nov. 11th at 7:30PM & 9:30PM. You have two chances to catch both of them and we highly suggest that you don’t waste of any of them (especially since they don’t overlap).

Pick of the Day: Ali Wong & Friends (in LA) 11/1-11/9

October 31, 2022

News

ali wong, hollywood improv, los angeles, los angeles comedy, stand up comedy

The last time Ali Wong announced a run of shows, she sold out The Wiltern several weekends in a row. The bright, shining comedy star sells tickets out quicker than nearly most headliners in comedy and you really ought to not miss a chance to see Wong work out new material and have some of her favorite comedy folks join her in an incredibly intimate setting of The Hollywood Improv Lab.

Don’t make a mistake and hesitate, this run of shows starting tomorrow will sell out as well.

Thus far, Ali has these dates slotted:

11/1 @ 9:30PM

11/2 @ 7:30PM & 9:30PM

11/7 @ 7:30PM & 9:30PM

11/8 @ 7:30PM & 9:30PM

11/9 @ 7:30PM & 9:30PM

Tickets are $35 (plus 2 item min.) and you better go tickets RIGHT NOW.

Ariel Elias and Andrea Jin Both Make a Mark with Their Late Night Debuts Last Night

October 25, 2022

News

andrea jin, ariel elias, corden, jimmy kimmel live, late late show, stand up comedy

The neat bow of Ariel Elias‘ chugging of a beer that was thrown at her by heckler was placed on her story by making her late night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night. It was a promise made good by Kimmel after she asked to make said debut on his show and Elias seized the opportunity with the undeniable chops and seemingly effortless writing that she has honed in NYC over the last few years.

It’s a happy ending to a chapter of Ariel’s ascent in stand-up, which we have no doubt will keep going and going with this being just one of many milestones to become a name that will be more than just a viral news story. Just see for yourself in her debut set here.

That said, Ariel’s debut wasn’t the only late night stand-up debut of the evening as jovial Chinese-Canadian transplant Andrea Jin had a network stand-up debut of her own on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Though many more headlines of Elias’ getting rewarded from handling a terrible heckler with the perfect comedic grace and Corden having to clear up his restaurant ban debacle, Andrea made an indelible mark with her exploration of escaping China to North America and navigating Asian stereotypes in 2022 with a very giddy cleverness.

Please also enjoy her debut on Corden here.

Pick of the Day: PGF Records Launch Show and Party! (in NYC) 11/16

October 21, 2022

News

bell house, brooklyn, eugene mirman, launch party, maeve higgins, nyc comedy, pretty good friends, record label, stand up comedy

In case you missed it yesterday, Pretty Good Friends Records is going to be the newest cool comedy record label to come around in quite some time. Eugene Mirman, Julie Smith Clem, Areti Papazoglou, and Sub Pop Records are all teaming up to venture out on what is still an exciting “wild west” of sorts in comedy, comedy albums.

To christen their operation, they’re throwing a launch party/show at the Bell House in Brooklyn on Wed. Nov. 16th at 7:30PM that will also debut their very first release, Maeve Higgins’ A Very Special Woman. PGF Records’ Eugene Mirman and their pretty good friends Bobcat Goldthwait, Marie Faustin, and, of course Maeve Higgins, will all be performing to make it one damn fine inaugural night for a comedy record label.

Tickets are $30.57 including fees. Go snag them right here right now.

Pick of the Day: Zack Fox (in LA & NYC) 11/30 & 12/9

October 20, 2022

News

fonda theatre, irving plaza, live comedy, los angeles comedy, nyc comedy, stand up comedy, zack fox

Whether it’s from Season 1 of Abbott Elementary or his stand-up or his bars or from the beautiful chaos that was Vice Live, we would hope that, by this point, you’ve become acquainted with and revel in Zack Fox‘s comedy. Fox’s unabashed, self-styled satire is one of Atlanta’s best comedy exports in recent memory and has quickly gained a cult following, which continues to grow as you read this.

He is just about to wrap up a big tour that spanned both Europe and North America, but he has two dates left that just happen to hop from LA to NYC. That’s right, Zack Fox is going from coast to coast, The Fonda Theatre in LA to Irving Plaza in NYC on Wed. Nov. 30th and Fri. Dec. 9th respectively with rapper TisaKorean opening both dates.

Tickets are going for $54 and you better get in on them before they’re all gone. Do it right now.

Pick of the Day: An Hour in 60 Minutes with “Ian” Abramson (in LA) 10/24

October 19, 2022

News

glendale, glendale room, ian abramson, live comedy, los angeles comedy, stand up comedy

Ian Abramson started off COVID-19 lockdown by livestreaming his own solo-run version of SNL from the woods. Even that isn’t that the wildest thing that Ian has hilariously done for comedy. He’s worn a shock collar on Conan that he let be operated by an audience member and done post trial interviews for Gary Busey’s Pet Judge. Yep, that’s all real, which is part of the marvel of Ian’s comedy being absurd, brilliant, and flawlessly executed no matter how unbelievable it all might seem when it’s happening.

So, do not miss him or a facsimile played by Ian called “Ian” doing an hour, which stretches, as advertised, 60 minutes at The Glendale Room this coming Monday, Oct. 24th at 9PM. Of all the unforgettable nights of comedy you could get into, this might rank among the most unforgettable.

Tickets are only $4 right now. Go get them ASAP here.

Pick of the Day: Hannah Einbinder & Friends (in LA) 10/30

October 14, 2022

News

coronet theater, hacks, hannah einbinder, la comedy, largo, stand up comedy

Doing your own “& Friends” show at Largo at the Coronet Theatre, not unlike getting your name on the wall of The Comedy Store, is one of the highest echelons you can get in the vast LA comedy scene. It’s rarefied air especially since Largo doesn’t run 7 nights a week or maintain any sort of farm system for people to work your way up. You just have to be good enough for Flanagan to hear of you on top of raising your own profile pretty high in comedy and then fit into the rustic, revered auditorium on La Cienega.

With all of that in mind, Hannah Einbinder is about to have her very first “& friends” at show at Largo as she has had a trailblazing last few years between her own stand-up and the award winning darling that is Hacks. Einbinder heartily worked her through the LA scene own her myriad of conceptual bits and very introspective observations and it’s truly something special to see her graduate to one of LA’s most sought after stages for comedians.

So, go put down $46 here to see her Largo “& Friends” debut on Sun. Oct. 30th at 8PM PT.

Please Enjoy All the Intersections of Sabrina Wu on Their Tonight Show Debut

October 6, 2022

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While there are certain people who are going to take some time to wrap their around all the spectrums that exist for identity, it should be noted that the expanding diversity of who comedians are these days had led to many deeply funny bits that we’ve never seen before as opposed to interchangeable bits about dating or taking Lyft/Uber.

Sabrina Wu is delightful, charming proof of this as shown by their set from last night’s Tonight Show. Being Chinese, trans, queer, and pretty good at sound effects amount to a very, very strong debut late night set. Sabrina managed a pretty hilarious contrast of being deeply vulnerable and silly and wove that into every bit of every facet of their identity. It’s an indelible set of, hopefully, many more to come.

See for yourself and watch Sabrina’s Tonight Show debut here.

Please Enjoy Caitlin Peluffo Making the Case for Sturdy Women on Corden

September 16, 2022

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caitlin peluffo, james corden, late late show, stand up comedy

NYC comedy scene staple Caitlin Peluffo just scored her second late night set on last night’s Late Late Show with James Corden and absolutely proved why she should be due for plenty more of them in the not so distant future.

For this set, Caitlin delivers an expertly crafted set on why one might, if you’re into women, go for a sturdier woman rather than a conventionally petite model type. Off Peluffo’s spunk alone, she’s just a riotous delight to watch and this almost six minutes is no exception.

Enjoy Caitlin’s latest late night set here.

Get Your First Look at Jena Friedman’s Special Ladykiller (Done While Pregnant After Roe v. Wade Got Overturned)

September 15, 2022

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abortion jokes, comedy special, jena friedman, peacock, stand up comedy

The precedent for abortion access in the U.S. in known as Roe vs. Wade was overturned on Jun. 24th, 2022 after essentially being the law of the land since its inception 1973. America in 2022 was already in a bizarro dark timeline that has only gotten darker with an overly activist conservative Supreme Court giving license to individual states to take away abortion access from women, which several states have done very quickly already.

Thus, abortion jokes are especially charged now, even more so than already were in decades past and there are few comedians that craft better abortion jokes than one Jena Friedman. This will undoubtedly be showed off spectacularly in Jena’s upcoming Peacock special, Ladykiller that not only will have a heavy focus on the battleground topic of the moment, abortion, but done so while she is very far along in her pregnancy. Jena has always wielded her dark sense of humor mightily when it comes to joking about the most controversial issues of the day, but this latest hour might be more special and affecting than when she seemingly risked her life to doing a satirical interview with computer-security-tycoon-turned-international-fugitive, John McAfee, when he ran for President.

Just see for yourself in the first trailer for Ladykiller here, then look for this latest hour from Jena on Fri. Sept. 30th, exclusively on Peacock.

Pick of the Day: Morality with Jo Firestone (in NYC) 9/24

September 9, 2022

News

brooklyn, jo firestone, ny comedy, stand up comedy

Throughout the last few years, you’ve seen Jo Firestone branch into a truly brilliant comedy multi-hyphenate. From being perfectly cast in Joe Pera Talks With You to stoking the fires at Ziwe to teaching old folks stand-up comedy in what might be the most adorable comedy special of all time, Good Timing, Jo has been quite busy with so many great things.

That said, getting to see Jo take the stage for a whole night of just herself hasn’t happened in a minute and one ought to know from listening to her album The Hits that Jo headlining is funny on a transformative level.

So, with all of that in mind, do not miss Jo headline The Bell House in Brooklyn this month, Sat. Sept. 24th at 7PM. Tickets for what will be called Morality with Jo Firestone are $15 and you better go snag them here right now.

Photo by Mindy Tucker

Sheng Wang’s Sweet & Juicy Keeps the Torch of Observational Comedy Burning Bright

September 8, 2022

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comedy special, netflix, sheng wang, stand up comedy, sweet and juicy

If you’re perusing Instagram and Tik Tok for stand-up, the prevailing trend that might clog your feed is crowd work videos, ultra personal confessions in joke form, or the classic heckler-crushing videos. Classic, observational comedy isn’t necessarily what’s in style right now, but, then again, great comedy, especially stand-up comedy inherently questions/bucks trends.

Cue in Sheng Wang, the dulcet tones of his deep voice, and his crisply delivered, finely tuned jokes in his first hour special, Sweet & Juicy. For several years, if you’ve been in the comedy know, you’ve hopefully savored Sheng’s painstakingly crafted material that slightly harkens back to decades past when observational comedy was king. Wang’s deliberate pacing and silky smooth voice sweeten beautifully simple reflections of the world around him.

However, it’s not akin to Jerry Seinfeld or even a somewhat similar-sounding legend, Mitch Hedberg. Wang has an uncanny ability to pick the perfect word that, in of itself, can get a hearty laugh without it being the whole of the punchline or a tag. This bit on posture is just one of many bits throughout Sweet & Juicy that exemplify Weng’s mastery in writing a classic joke and making it slickly feel as though you’re not even listening to a joke. That is, of course, when observational comedy is at its very best form.

Sheng Wang’s Sweet & Juicy is now streaming on Netflix and watching it over and over will be a great way to get through whatever natural disaster you’re having to go through right now.

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