wga strike – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 9/26/23: WGA Strike Ends, Rick & Morty S7, Dr. Strangelove Live, The Office, Relax, I’m From the Future Moonlighting, Brad Wenzel

September 26, 2023

armando iannucci, brad wenzel, dr strangelove, moonlighting, relax I'm from the future, rhys darby, rick and morty, steve coogan, wga strike

*before we begin, WordPress is a dinosaur and, as such, we apologize for the massive amount of “dust” in trying to make some fixes to such an old hunk of junk.

1. WGA votes to ratify interim agreement and rescind strike order. This has the return of late night, including the Jimmys, Stephen, Seth, and John as well as SNL, set in motion for the next month or so. More importantly, that means Greg Gutfeld will no longer be #1 on late night anymore.

2. Here’s your official gander at Rick and Morty season 7 with the kickoff set for Oct. 15th. Not sure if Arm Rick will be as popular as Pickle Rick, but we didn’t think that Schezuan sauce debacle would actually get out of hand as much as it did (as well as hearing the new voices of Rick & Morty because of Justin Roiland…, well, you know by now).

3. Um, Steve Coogan will star in an Armando Iannucci/Sean Foley live stage adaptation of Dr. Strangelove that is set for an Oct-Dec. run in London’s Noel Coward Theatre (Deadline). Honestly, this is kind of worth the airfare, hotel, and ticket.

4. Apparently, there is a reboot of the U.S. version of The Office in the works (Collider). Something tells us if we let this reboot fly, we’re going to have another decade of reboots. Please go watch originals.

5. Speaking of originals, Rhys Darby continues to be a one-of-a-kind with the full length feature adaptation of the critically acclaimed time travel comedy short, Relax I’m from the Future. Take a gander here, then look for it in limited release right now.

6. One of Bruce Willis‘ crowning achievements in his very long, decorated career is one of his earliest, Moonlighting, co-starring a paragon of her time, Cybill Shepherd. You’ll be able to see why soon as the entire series will be on Hulu as of Oct. 10th (Indiewire).

7. One of the best one liner comedians/artisanal joke tellers out there today is Brad Wenzel. He’s currently on the road and you really ought to go see him live. After all, you have to be a very special Brad in comedy to have the URL bradcomedy.com (where you’d go get tickets to go see at these shows).

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8. We’ll leave you with this: Seriously, we’re working on a better TCB for all of you (and us too because updating everything has been a nightmare for a long time). Once more, please pardon our dust.

TCB Debriefing 9/18/23: CCSUF, NYCF, Talk Shows Pause Return, Russell Brand, Barbie, Jonah Kills

September 18, 2023

News

barbie, bill maher, comedy central, drew barrymore, jax media, jonah kills, new york comedy fest, russell brand, stand up comedy, wga strike

1. The latest round of Comedy Central’s digital stand-up showcase, “Featuring” or more explicitly “Comedy Central Stand Up Featuring” just announced its New York line-ups for its latest taping. The likes of Ayanna Dookie, Sam Morrison, Chinedu Unaka, Homles, Randall Otis, Lucas Zelnick, Kate Sisk, Tommy Brennan, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Usama Sidiquee, Mark Smalls, Mav Viola, Asha Ward, Ethan Simmons-Patterson, and Eagle Witt will be taking the Cutting Room stage on Thurs. Oct. 5th. Admission is free so long as you RSVP to the early or late show here. Thank goodness this came along and the arrival of Comics Unleashed on CBS won’t be on the only short form stand-up you’ll see from a TV network.

2. The New York Comedy Festival, running from Nov. 3rd-12th, just made a big announcement for their line-up and schedule which includes:

Get the full schedule/line-up/tickets all at nycomedyfestival.com/schedule

3. Both Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher have paused their return of their respective talk shows, The Drew Barrymore Show and Real Time with Bill Maher (NY Times), following controversy stemming from the ongoing WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes. Considering negotiations are to resume on Wednesday; let’s hope this is a good omen for talks to pick up in earnest and bring the strikes to an end with fair deals all around.

4. Russell Brand is facing allegations of emotional abuse, sexual assault, and rape during the “height of his fame” and nearly every project and endeavor has been put on pause (BBC). We would wonder how has it taken this long for this to come out, but the story of survivors is so frequent that it’s common knowledge that it could take years and years and years for them to step forward when processing trauma.

5. Barbie has just surpassed The Avengers as the 11th highest grossing domestic release in film history with $626 million in U.S. theaters (Variety). If it makes $30 million more at home, it’ll beat the far less raved about Jurassic World to be in the top 10.

6. Showtime is lining up its ducks for when the strike ends, starting with a UK comedy from UK theater impresario Clem Garrity called Jonah Kills (Deadline). Fingers crossed that this is another sign that we’re nearing the end of the strikes, which has lasted 139 days.

7. We’ll leave you with this: Elon Musk is thinking of starting to charge for use of Twitter/X concluding that it might be the best way to combat bots on the platform. It’s also the best way to finally sink Twitter into oblivion besides trying (and kind of failing) to change its name to X.

TCB Debriefing 9/13/23: Comedy Gives Back Healthnet, Real Time with Bill Maher, Strike Force Three, Luenell, Meme Fighter Hiring

September 13, 2023

News

bill maher, comedy gives back, healthcare, luenell, meme fighter, netflix, real time, strike force five, wga strike

1. Comedy Gives Back, the 501 (c)3 non-profit dedicated to serving comedians and the comedy community, has just launched Comedy Gives Back Healthnet, a proposed low-cost alternative to healthcare (a thing that many comedians have to pay for out of pocket or, often times, just skip altogether). It’s not full on healthcare, but it’s $200 a year for:

-Smart Virtual Care ™, where you input your symptoms to receive advice from GigSafety.net’s network of healthcare professionals who check your symptoms and recommend a plan of action.
-One free telemed appointment annually (additional telemed appts vary depending on level of care needed, but start as low as $25)
-Access to low-cost and transparent pricing for prescriptions (existing and new)
-Access to low-cost and transparent pricing for Specialists, Hospital stays, X-rays, and more
-Access to virtual mental health therapy
-Access to a self-led recovery treatment program
-Access to risk-sharing health coverage (at an additional cost).

Get more details at comedygivesback.com/cgbhealthnet

2. Real Time with Bill Maher is set to return to air without its writers since they continue to be on strike. (Deadline). This means that late night will now consist of Bill Maher and Greg Gutfeld, which is almost as sad as how long the strike has gone.

3. The other hosts of late night are staying union strong for now and are opting to a live podcasting taping with the Jimmys (Kimmel and Fallon) and Colbert on Sept. 23rd in Vegas (Variety). Seth Meyers and John Oliver won’t be in attendance making it a “Strike Force Three” event though proceeds from the taping will go to the hosts’ respective staffs. If they really want to sell tickets they’ll have the majority of the conversation focused on Fallon and the past years at The Tonight Show.

4. Dave Chappelle’s name is actually not causing controversy today as his name is attached to a brand new Netflix special from the great Luenell, due out Sept 26th (Billboard). You’ve seen Luenell in countless TV shows and movies and you’ll now get to see her take center stage for her first Netflix special later this month.

5. Want to make memes as a job? Well, Meme Fighter is looking for you.

Meme Fighter is hiring for a part time MEME CONTENT CREATOR.

You read that right. We’re hiring someone to make memes for us.

Details, application instructions and more details here: https://t.co/KcKso0krSW

— Meme Fighter (@MemeFighterApp) September 13, 2023

6. We’ll leave you with this: comedy is richer when you have a life outside of it.

TCB Debriefing 8/31/23: Brooks Wheelan, Amber Ruffin, Ridiculousness, Rick and Morty S7,

August 31, 2023

News

amber ruffin, brooks wheelan, rick and morty, ridiculousness, wga strike

1. Brooks Wheelan has done some daring things for comedy including, but not limited to running an entire marathon on a whim on next to no training at the beginning of quarantine. For his latest feat, Wheelan will be taping his brand new hour special in the far reaches of Anchorage, Alaska at the appropriately named Bear Tooth Theater. To our knowledge, Brooks will have what will be one of very few hours of comedy recorded and released in Alaska (the only other one that comes to mind is Glenn Wool’s I’ll Ask Her). Go get tickets for Wheelan’s taping, if you’re up there, here.

2. While the future of The Amber Ruffin Show and late night in general is unclear, Amber Ruffin is already working on adapting the book she co-wrote with her sister Lacey Lamar (Deadline). Of course, nothing definite is set as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are still in effect. Also, isn’t it weird that Strike Force Five doesn’t include Ruffin, especially considering she is now the only non-cis-hetero-white-man in late night?

3. The writers of Ridiculousness, many of whom are comedians, are putting up the possibility of unionizing under the banner of the WGA to a vote (Deadline). One can hope that this is yet another small step to comedians having their own union?

4. Yes, Rick and Morty is such an international phenomenon that Adult Swim can make content out of just announcing episode titles, which usually don’t give almost anything away. That’s what they did here, but they better have more Rick and Morty teasers as the premiere is still several weeks away on Oct. 15th on Adult Swim.

5. If you’re legitimately exploring a comedic premise that has to do with your fondness for any time in the past being a “simpler time”, perhaps do some soul searching.

TCB Debriefing 8/11/23: Asteroid City, BIPOC Late Night/Variety Writers Panel, Hulu Price, Quiz Lady, Jackie Chan

August 11, 2023

News

asteroid city, hulu, jackie chan, quiz lady, wga strike

1. Wes Anderson‘s latest and greatest, Asteroid City, is now available digitally across several platforms. Hopefully, you have the home theater set up to make watch an Anderson’s exuberant masterpiece (read our thoughts here). If you indeed do, and are dressed in proper Wes Anderson-esque attire for the occasion, go buy the film here.

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2. The Wrap brought together an esteemed BIPOC late night and variety writers panel (Tim Barnes, Greg Iwinski, John Thibodeaux, Celeste Yim, Naima Pearce), to talk about where they’re at past 100 days of the WGA Strike and reiterate the very reasonable demands that they’re fighting for.

BIPOC Late Night & Variety Writers Speak Out: TheWrap Strike Roundtable https://t.co/bGMZWloGXA

— TheWrap (@TheWrap) August 10, 2023

3. Starting Oct. 12th, Hulu will be pretty much $18 instead of pretty much $15 (USA Today) if you don’t want ads. Fingers crossed that the new season of Futurama preemptively did a joke about this.

4. Despite the buzz and glitz of the Toronto International Film Festival being in jeopardy because of the strikes, buddy road/quiz show comedy Quiz Lady that pairs Awkwafina with Sandra Oh is still set to premiere at TIFF (Deadline). We can only promise of an Awkwafina and Sandra Oh two-hander is alluring enough to earn a release next year.

5. Anyone notice that international action comedy star/legend Jackie Chan has quietly return to the big screen? He’s a voice in the latest TMNT movie AND there’s a John Cena/Jackie Chan movie, Hidden Strike, that has snuck its way onto Netflix. For fans of 90s Jackie Chan movies, it might just be right up your alley.

6. If comedians ever tried to form a union again, you’d think artisanal chicken tenders as opposed to the paltry normal comedy club ones would be one of the demands?

TCB Debriefing 7/28/23: Emmys Postponed, Donald Glover/Lando, Curious Creators Grant, This Fool, How To With John Wilson

July 28, 2023

News

curious creators, donald glover, emmys, how to with john wilson, lando, sag aftra strike, star wars, this fool, wga strike

1. Though the 75th Primetime Emmys were slated for Sept. 18th, they have been postponed due to the double WGA/SAG-AFTRA Strike (BBC News). Whenever the next Emmys happens, we would bet people are going to go far over their time for speeches. Get ready for the most grandstanding over music that the Emmys has probably ever seen.

2. Donald and Stephen Glover are writing a Lando Calrissian series for Disney+ (Variety). We’re not sure what the Glover brothers have up their sleeve or what Kathleen Kennedy will let them get away with, but we hope that the Glovers will end up making something that’s the Legion of Star Wars.

3. If you happen to be looking for some grant money for doing comedy, why not try applying to Curious Elixirs‘ Curious Creators Grant that will award $1,500 cash to 8 artists in support of their work. Deadline is midnight ET on Sept. 8th. Get details/submit here.

4. The return of both critically acclaimed and fan favorite comedy series This Fool and How To With John Wilson are happening tonight on Hulu and HBO, respectively. This Fool premieres its second season John Wilson is bowing out with his third and final season of one of the most unique and entrancing shows in TV history.

5. Any takers on which network/studio/streaming service will do a limited series about the double strike and how long after the strike they’ll wait to do it?

Pick of the Day: Summer School: Entertainment Community Fund Benefit (in LA) 6/1

May 31, 2023

News

adam conover, andrew dismukes, jenny yang, katrina davis, los angeles comedy, mike o'brien, Sophie Delaney, virgil, wga strike, writer's strike

We’re almost at a month since this current WGA Strike began and all signs point towards it continuing for more weeks to come. As such, anything supporting the Entertainment Community Fund is crucial right now as many of those on the picket line are of humble means and are currently living off of reserves in their bank account.

There already have been a few comedy benefits supporting the ECF already in LA and NYC and there are sure more to come including the one, Summer School, happening this Thurs. Jun. 1st at 7PM at the Virgil that will double as a benefit for the ECF and People’s City Council Mutual Aid LA Fund.

The likes of such comedy stars (as well as a couple SNL folks) will be in attendance including: Andrew Dismukes, Adam Conover, Mike O’Brien, Jenny Yang, Katrina Davis, and Sophie Delaney along with hosts Aly Dixon, Elizabeth Schantz, and Jess Uhler.

Tickets are only $15 and admission is free for WGA members. Go get tickets and support the ECF/PCC Mutual Aid/WGA Strike here.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 165: Josh Gondelman & Fighting for Deserved Slivers

May 24, 2023

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

josh gondelman, wga strike

We’re in the fourth week of this Writers’ Strike and it doesn’t seem like the spirits or solidarity has wavered one bit. WGA East Board Member and beloved comedian and one of the all around nicest human beings Josh Gondelman joins TCB’s Jake Kroeger for this week’s TCB Field Report to break down exactly what’s at stake here. So many unions are joining in on the picket lines of this strike every day because this is very much becoming an overall fight for labor rights as a whole and just for the very immediate future for TV and film writers, many of which wheel and deal in comedy.

Follow Josh @joshgondelman on IG and Twitter.

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

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger
Photo by @michaelpielocik

Pick of the Day: WGA Strike/Entertainment Community Fund Comedy Benefits (in LA & NYC)

May 16, 2023

News

dynasty typewriter, entertainment community fund, los angeles comedy, new york comedy, planet showbiz, ucb, wga strike, writer's strike

All signs point towards the Writers’ Strike lasting for quite some time. Don’t be surprised if this one goes as long as the last one (more than a couple months) or even longer.

As such, more support will be needed for many TV/movie writers who primary source of income will be on, shall we say, on hiatus for quite some time. Many a comedy writer is affected in this strike and, thankfully, there are plenty of benefits for the Entertainment Community Fund that will be supporting said comedy writers and writers of all ilks coming up.

Three in mind have caught our attention between LA and NYC.

On Wed. 5/17 at 8:30PM, UCB Franklin in LA will have writers from the likes of A.P. Bio, Ted Lasso, Never Have I Ever, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Loot, and New Girl do an improvised writers room. Cast includes Beth Appel, Phil Augusta Jackson, Kassia Miller, Zeke Nicholson, Mike O’Brien, Lamar Woods. All profits go to Entertainment Community Fund. Tickets are $15.

For Tues. 5/23 at 8:30PM ET, Planet Showbiz in NYC will be putting on a special showcase of Tonight Show writers bringing you their best jokes with all proceeds goin to the Entertainment Community Fund. More specficially Mike Drucker, Martin Urbano, Kylie Brakeman, Becky Krause, Brooks Allison, Zahid Dewji, and Mike Hanford are all on the bill. Tickets are $15.

Later this month, the cast and writers of dark horse reality/game show secret Jury Duty will be assembling to do a blend of stand-up and improv for the Entertainment Community Fund. That includes Susan Berger, David Brown, Kirk Fox, Marcos Gonzalez, Pramode Kumar, Brandon Loeser, Sheedz Olayiwola, Kerry O’Neill, Ben Seaward, and Ron Song all coming to Dynasty Typewriter in LA on Fri. May 26th @ 10:03PM PT. Tickets are once more $15.

Also, on 5/26, will be a stellar showcase of fantastic NYC comics who pay their bills as TV writers including Emmy Blontick, Karen Chee, Cole Escola, Larry Owens, Jes Tom, and Jeff Wright as well as music from Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner. Called Writers… On Stage?! No Way, it’s set for 7:30PM and tickets are $25.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 163: Nato Green & The Parallels Between Union Organizing and Stand Up

May 10, 2023

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

nato green, unions, wga strike

As we’re getting into the thick of this latest Writers’ Strike, we got the perfect guest in one of the world’s only comedian/union negotiators with the one and only, amazing Nato Green.

Green has simultaneously been a long-standing and highly effective union organizer/negotiator and an equally shrewd and clever comedian based out of SF/Bay Area. This week’s TCB Field Report goes into Green’s notable work at the negotiating table and on stage and how the two are intertwined as well as his expert analysis on this current and very necessary WGA Strike.

Follow Nato @mrnatogreen on IG

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

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and Jake Kroeger
Photo by @abhayoy