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wyatt cenac

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Pick of the Day: Shouting at the Screen with Wyatt Cenac and Donwill (in NYC) 1/19
January 9, 2023
News
brooklyn, donwill, nyc comedy, wyatt cenac

With movie theater going back as much as it’s probably going to be, it’d be really great to have MST3K style screenings where cinema oddities get screened with a select panel of great comedy folks riffing every which way they can throughout the whole running time.

Nitehawk Cinema will have a dream of such an event, Shouting at the Screen, with an incomparable duo of Wyatt Cenac and Donwill diving back into the 70s Blaxpolitation filmography and providing a hysterical 2023 lens to “an important bygone era of black independent cinema”.

This first show is set for Nitehawk Cinema in Prospect Park in Brooklyn on Thurs. Jan. 19th at 9:15PM. Tickets are $17.50 and you really ought to get them here.

Wyatt Cenac Signs Overall Deal with Warner Brothers Animation and Cartoon Network Studios
August 16, 2021
News
cartoon network, warner brothers animation, wyatt cenac

Over several years, Wyatt Cenac has already had a journey of a career taking him from stand-up to King of the Hill to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to releasing the first comedy record after the 2016 election to having his own HBO Max series, Problem Areas with Wyatt Cenac that weaved comedy into socio-economic and political discourse.

Yet, we feel, even as he has just signed a deal to develop and produce animated content for all ages across WarnerMedia platforms along with Cartoon Network Studios, Cenac has still a lot more territory to cover in comedy. His love of puppets and cartoons throughout his career (he included puppets in his last comedy special) has us excited to see what comes from this deal and what Wyatt will come up with, especially as he has long been a go-to voice for being mindful about the systemic issues of our times.

The one year that his album was nominated for a Grammy, we had hoped he would win. Cenac didn’t take home a Grammy then, but, now, we hope that he could gain much more deserved accolade with the plethora of projects that are sure to sprout from this deal.

Pick of the Day: Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen 16th Anniversary 2/22
February 19, 2021
News
beth stelling, christina catherine martinez, hot Tub, jackie kashian, kyle kinane, langston kerman, wyatt cenac

Even without a pandemic, the idea of a weekly comedy show, especially a stalwartly funny one, going for 16 years is astounding. Hot Tub with Kurt & Kristen has been one of the best shows hands down wherever it has been (including NYC, LA, and festivals all around).

Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal and their crew, currently CleftClips & HoldThePhone Comedy, have built a comedy institution over those several years, which was where we spent the majority of our Monday nights before lockdown. To keep going during the pandemic as one of the best, yet again, most reliable comedy live-streams deserves a standing ovation no matter where you are or what you’re doing currently.

To mark the occasion, they’ll be doing the show in their virtual Hot Tub: Home Edition format LIVE at HOLDTHEPHONE.TV with a brimming and bustling line-up of their personal favorites including Wyatt Cenac, Kyle Kinane, Jackie Kashian, Langston Kerman, Beth Stelling, and Christina Catherine Martinez.

You can stream it for free on Feb. 22nd at 8PM PT/11PM ET, as you’ve always been able to do during lockdown, or, you can support them and the comics and their home at The Virgil in LA by joining the Hot Tub Club at Patreon where you could be part of a limited live Zoom audience. We say do it if you haven’t already, especially for their 16th anniversary.

 

 

Watch Trailer for Wyatt Cenac’s Sci-Fi Puppet Project “Yellowbellies”
August 3, 2020
News
wyatt cenac, yellowbellies

It may be a thin silver lining, but the emptying out of the archive for so many beloved artists during lockdown has been an unprecedented look into what they had up their sleeve that they were hoping to make into a TV series or a movie.

One such project is Yellowbellies from Wyatt Cenac. It’s a reimagined world of sci-fi in the vein of Star Trek that 1) focuses on the lower ranking people on the ship and their trials in having to deal with a problematically cavalier captain and 2) uses brightly colored, splendid looking puppets. It’s something we’re definitely on board and was making its way through development hell, but then got stifled there.

So, thankfully, Cenac took it upon himself to produce a trailer for Yellowbellies to show the general public what could have been (may be what still could be if the right network pays attention?). You can and should very much enjoy said trailer here. Then, if you dig like we do, spread the word so perhaps it becomes a real show?

View this post on Instagram

A little story about an idea and how it evolves over time. Almost two decades ago, I was watching an episode of Star Trek, where Scotty gets “possessed” and murders a coworker. The whole time, all I could think was “what’s happening for the rest of the crew right now? Scotty’s back at work because he’s Kirk’s friend, but he still murdered Karen.” Watching a lot of those episodes, it was hard not to wonder what the rest of the crew thinks about this militarized “peace mission” that seems to mostly consist of the captain hooking up with space ladies, while everyone else dies. A part of me thought it’d be cool to take old Star Trek episodes and add new footage of these crew members reacting to Kirk’s bad managerial skills. There was an episode of Deep Space Nine that had done a similar thing. I tried pitching the idea, which at the time was called “Redshirts,” to CBS and was told no. Stubbornly, I thought the idea could work and kept trying. The lives of the crew on a starship is an idea that a lot of people have wanted to explore. In the 70’s Buck Henry made “Quark.” @robmcelhenney, @glennhowerton and @charliedayofficial had a pilot called “Boldly Going Nowhere.” Then John Scalzi wrote a book called “Redshirts,” which got optioned for a miniseries and I was like “shit, I’ve got to figure out something to make this idea feel different… puppets.” Puppets and focusing on what makes the idealized 1960’s future of a Star Trek-like world so ridiculous to me: white supremacy still exists for Earthlings. A white guy with green blood is second in command while Uhura and Sulu just answer the phone and chauffeur. This became “Yellowbellies.” I pitched it around again and while networks liked it, they were afraid of puppets. My response was always, “people were afraid of prime time animation for a long time too.” Eventually it sold to a network but shortly after selling it, the network stopped development on all new projects. womp womp Sometimes you have an idea that you can’t let go of and so you say, “fuck it, I’ll spend my own money just to make the damned thing to see if it works.” So that’s what this is. A trailer for an idea that never quite made it to TV.

A post shared by Wyatt Cenac (@wyattcenac) on Aug 3, 2020 at 10:15am PDT

Pick of the Day: Comedy, Coping, & Change: Finding Hope in Humor 6/30
June 29, 2020
News
chris gethard, maria bamford, mental health, panel discussion, the wrap, tyler davis, wyatt cenac

Whether it’s a more traditional stand-up show or a webinar panel discussion or something else altogether, a line-up of Maria Bamford, Wyatt Cenac, Tyler Davis, and Chris Gethard is something that you should show up for.

The Wrap and Topic are bringing us all such a panel discussion entitled Comedy, Coping, & Change: Finding Hope in Humor and we have no doubt that it’ll be the sort of conversation that’s heartfelt, riveting, funny, and healing, especially with a line-up that has channeled so much of their energy and comedy towards changing attitudes on mental health, social justice/reform, and overall humanity.

This Comedy, Coping, & Change: Finding Hope in Humor panel is set for this Tues. 6/30 at 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET. All you have to do to join in RSVP here.

Both Seasons of Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas Are Now Streaming on YouTube for Free
June 3, 2020
News
hbo, now streaming, problem areas, wyatt cenac

Two years ago, Wyatt Cenac embarked on two seasons of his own pointedly, socially conscious series Problem Areas at HBO. Cenac made the show decidedly different from many other socio-political, topical comedy shows from focusing on actually going out into the street, talking to several different people on both sides of many crucial issues involving race, class, immigration, labor, power structures, etc., and actually trying to figure a solution of some sort from all those conversations.

If you’re looking for a voice to amplify and hear and see messages that you should be seeing and hearing, go ahead and give Problem Areas a binge watch. HBO was nice enough to put all two episodes on YouTube, free of their pay wall, for you to stream.

So, go get into Problem Areas here.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 10: Gareth Reynolds Right Before LA Curfew
June 3, 2020
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
douglas, gareth reynolds, hannah gadsby, protest, the dollop, what we do in the shadows, wyatt cenac

Gareth Reynolds, co-host of The Dollop, is the esteemed guest for this week’s Comedy Bureau Field Report. Getting ready to observe curfew here in LA on the date of of this recording, Mon. Jun. 1st, Gareth and TCB’s Jake Kroeger get into the state of things and the state of comedy, even questioning what’s the point of comedy right at this historical moment (and how to even go about doing it). It’s a “very special episode” in a universe of “very special episodes”.

Follow Gareth Reynolds @reynoldsgareth across platforms, listen to The Dollop, watch Ga’riffs on IG Live @reynoldsgareth at 6PM PT, and also listen to Point vs. Point.

Shout outs: Wyatt Cenac’s One Angry Night in November, Hannah Gadsby’s Douglas, and What We Do in The Shadows.

For the times we live in consider donating money to a worthy cause like the Peoples City Council Freedom Fund.

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

Watch Trailer for Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas, Coming to HBO in April
March 12, 2018
Uncategorized
hbo, problem areas, trailer, wyatt cenac

Netflix has been really piling it on in their late night/talk show line-up. 

Not to be outdone, HBO has gotten Wyatt Cenac his own mini-doc late night series, Problem Areas, which looks like it will compliment HBO’s line-up of Last Week Tonight and Real Time quite nicely. 

You can see what we’re saying in this announcement trailer here.

Look for Problem Areas to premiere on Friday, April 13 on HBO.

HBO Orders Late Night Wyatt Cenac Comedy Docu-Series
October 16, 2017
Uncategorized
docu series, hbo, john oliver, late night, wyatt cenac

HBO Orders Late Night Wyatt Cenac Comedy Docu-Series

So, three very exciting developments with this new addition to late night in 2018:
1) Wyatt Cenac will be back on television again, this time, with his own show on HBO.
2) None of this show will be done from a desk. Wyatt will take on current issues in satirical documentary segments. 
3) John Oliver is an EP.

Look for Wyatt’s late night show on HBO in spring 2018.

Please Watch Wyatt Cenac’s New Web Series “aka Wyatt”
October 5, 2017
Uncategorized
brooklyn, topic, viceroy, web series, wyatt cenac
image

Take Louie, replace Louis CK and the job of comedian with Wyatt Cenac and self-styled vigilante by night and you’ll start to get a sense of Cenac’s new series aka Wyatt.

Intrigued? You should be. 

Reward your intrigue and start watching and enjoying “aka Wyatt” at Topic.

Seeson Orders Another Season of Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, Which Will Be Shooting in Just a Couple of Weeks
January 31, 2017
Uncategorized
brooklyn, brooks wheelan, chris gethard, emma willmann, giulia rozzi, janelle james, jean grae, joel kim booster, john hodgman, jonah ray, josie long, littlefield, marina franklin, melissa villaseñor, nyc, seaton smith, seeso, stand up, tv taping, wyatt cenac
image

Seeso is wasting no time in getting the second season of live comedy showcase series Night Train with Wyatt Cenac going. The renewal announcement was made today along with the line-ups feature much of the best in NYC and around the country. The tapings are all set up all around Valentine’s Day.

What makes us most excited about this new batch of Night Train is plenty more opportunity for Wyatt to spit the fire that he did with his immediate-post-election album, One Angry Night in November (you can still get it for free here).  

You can get tickets, from which the proceeds will go to charity, here.

TBS Ordering Second Seasons of People Of Earth and Search Party
December 13, 2016
Uncategorized
alia shawkat, david jenkins, g charles rogers, people of earth, renewed, sarah violet bliss, search party, tbs, wyatt cenac

TBS Ordering Second Seasons of People Of Earth and Search Party

At this point, it’s getting harder to remember the TBS of old and that’s a good thing.

High concept ensemble sitcoms, Sam Bee, Conan globetrotting, and more have proven a great move for the cable network and we look forward to People of Earth and Search Party getting to push forward with their genre-bending premises in their second seasons.

Wyatt Cenac Releases First Comedy Album About the Election After It Happened “One Angry Night in November” for Free
November 18, 2016
Uncategorized
brooklyn, comedy album, election 2016, littlefield, night train, november, one angry night, stand up, wyatt cenac
image

Given this moment in history, comedy will play a crucial, fascinating role in the weeks, months, and years to come in both speaking truth to power and also assuaging fear. 

Much of stand-up comedy leans left and had plenty to say about Trump through this election cycle and will have plenty to say coming up.  

In fact, Wyatt Cenac made his latest set at his show Night Train, which were his musings on Trump winning while they were still fresh and raw, into a whole album called One Angry Night in November.

On top of being the first comedy album about the election to come out, it’s 16 minutes and change long and free. 

So, without further adieu, get One Angry Night in November here.

Get a 360° View of People of Earth’s Alien Abduction Support Group
October 20, 2016
Uncategorized
alice wetterlund, ana gasteyer, brian huskey, people of earth, tbs, wyatt cenac

TBS’ long-awaited alien abduction comedy People of Earth will be coming at the end of the month. 

To get a real sense of the “experiencers” that the show follows, you can now get a look at what their support group is like in this 360° video.

Spoiler alert: people who have been abducted by aliens can be a few sticks short of a bundle.  

“Night Train with Wyatt Cenac” Starts Streaming on Seeso Today and You Can Preview the First Episode on YouTube
June 30, 2016
Uncategorized
night train, now streaming, preview, seeso, wyatt cenac

One of the benefits of streaming services versus linear television is that there are no time limits or constraints.

Seeso seems to be taking advantage of this with their latest series Night Train with Wyatt Cenac that captures the majority of the actual live show, clocking in over an hour. On television, a live show like Night Train would probably be cut to a very trim 22 minutes. 

You can see the difference and what you were missing all this time in not going to Night Train if you’re in Brooklyn/NYC as Night Train just started streaming on Seeso.

If you’re not sold on that, you can preview an entire episode, which times out to over 1 hour and 18 minutes, on YouTube right now.

Here’s the First Teaser for Alien Abduction Comedy “People of Earth”
May 18, 2016
Uncategorized
people of earth, tbs, teaser, upfronts, wyatt cenac

Turner did their Upfronts presentation today and unveiled a teaser for their new scripted series at TBS, People of Earth.

While time travel seems to be a big trend this time around, People of Earth is a high concept comedy that follows a support group of alien abduction survivors and their latest member played by Wyatt Cenac.

Get a look of what TBS has cooked up with the teaser here.

Wyatt Cenac’s Furry Dumb Fighter Out Now on AST Records
February 27, 2016
Uncategorized
a special thing, ast records, comedy album, furry dumb fighter, wyatt cenac

Wyatt Cenac has a follow-up to his Grammy nominated album Brooklyn out today. Off of A Special Thing Records, Furry Dumb Fighter is available right now on iTunes.  

In this latest hour, which is just an album as opposed to an accompanying album to a special, Cenac gets looser while still maintaining his laid back persona juxtaposed with smart, cutting social commentary. In fact, Wyatt goes for an album-length running gag that nicely bookends great sections on race, class, gender inequality, etc. Cenac definitely has stepped up from Brooklyn and that got him nominated for a Grammy.

Here’s a preview of it if you’re not already enticed.

Here’s a Trailer for the New TBS
January 7, 2016
Uncategorized
angie tribeca, charles rogers, full frontal, jason jones, people of earth, samantha bee, sarah violet bliss, search party, tbs, the detour, trailer, wrecked, wyatt cenac

Once a network that you primarily just knew for Conan, TBS is looking to start anew in this ever changing landscape of TV, especially when it comes to comedy. 

So, with the likes of an entire new line-up of shows including the Steve and Nancy Carell’s Angie Tribeca, Jason Jones’ The Detour, People of Earth from Conaco, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Search Party from Charles Rogers and Sarah Violet Bliss (the duo behind Fort Tilden), and Wrecked.

From the looks of this trailer that rundowns this new line-up, they might have a good shot at finding a new niche.

TBS Ordered “People of Earth” Starring Wyatt Cenac to Series and There’s Already a Teaser
January 7, 2016
Uncategorized
conaco, conan o'brien, greg daniels, people of earth, tbs, wyatt cenac

TBS is really showing their cards this week by not only announcing that their latest series order comes from Conan O’Brien’s Conaco for People of Earth starring Wyatt Cenac, but releasing a teaser for the alien abduction support group comedy.

It’s clear to see that they’re turning a new leaf by going more into single-camera and getting weirder than they’ve ever been and we’re excited to see how far they go in that direction.

Louis C.K., Amy Poehler, Wyatt Cenac, & More Get Nominations for 2016 Grammys
December 7, 2015
Uncategorized
amy poehler, back to the drawing board, brooklyn, dick cavett, jay mohr, just being honest, lisa lampanelli, live at madison square gardn, louis c.k., wyatt cenac

It’s interesting to note that all the nominated comedy albums were album versions of comedy specials.

Out of the 83 categories that The Grammys span, two categories always have comedy offerings: Best Spoken Word Album and Best Comedy Album.

This year, the comedy nominees are:

BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM (INCLUDES POETRY, AUDIO BOOKS & STORYTELLING)
Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, And Assorted Hijinks-Dick Cavett (Macmillan Audio)
Yes Please-Amy Poehler & Various Artists (Harper Audio)

BEST COMEDY ALBUM
Back To The Drawing Board-Lisa Lampanelli (Comedy Dynamics)
Brooklyn-Wyatt Cenac (Other Music Recording)
Happy. And A Lot.-Jay Mohr (Lolflix Inc.)
Just Being Honest-Craig Ferguson (Lionsgate Records)
Live At Madison Square Garden-Louis C.K. (Comedy Dynamics)

As mentioned above, each of the comedy album nominees are albums derived from a comedy special that was released or aired over the last year or so. That hasn’t always been the case, but there are a lot of lower profile albums that were so great that didn’t have the benefit of having a televised special to accompany it like Mary Mack’s Pig Woman. That’s not to say someone like C.K. isn’t deserving of a nomination, but we just wish there was a wider seeming scope in the field of nominees.

Hopefully, that’ll change in the coming years even if they have to add another category or two.

NBC’s New Comedy Subscription Service, Seeso, Might Just Be The Shot in the Arm That NBC Comedy Needed
October 15, 2015
Uncategorized
cameron esposito, dan harmon, jonah ray, monty python, nbc, ott, parks and recreation, seeso, snl, streaming service, the office, tom lennon, wyatt cenac

(via Deadline)

For $3.99 a month, it looks like you’ll be getting quite a lot.

Starting in January, NBC will be officially launching Seeso, which will not only offer ad free access to all seasons of The Office, Parks and Recreation, Kids in the Hall, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Mighty Boosh, SNL, and more, but also feature boat loads of new content and shows exclusive to Seeso.

Starting off with 20 new series from the likes of Dan Harmon, Amy Poelher/Ian Roberts/Matt Walsh/Matt Besser, Scott Aukerman, Cameron Esposito/Rhea Butcher, Wyatt Cenac, Tom Lennon, Ben Garant, Kulap Vilaysack, Jonah Ray, they’ll feature anything from scripted sitcoms, live stand-up, travel shows with a comedian, reality show parodies, and more.

It would almost seem that the whole of all of this represents the comedy that has been missing from NBC’s line-up for awhile.

They’ll also be bringing a curated collection of movies and series into the Seeso fold as well. 

Sound good? Good. Well, make sure you start saving $3.99 a month after Christmas then.

SXSW Comedy with W. Kamau Bell Night Two Premieres Tonight
October 2, 2015
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austin tx, comedy special, joe derosa, jon huck, rachel feinstein, showtime, stand up, sxsw, todd glass, w kamau bell, wyatt cenac

11PM on Showtime.

Tonight, you can see Rachel Feinstein, Wyatt Cenac, Joe DeRosa, Jon Huck, Todd Glass, and W. Kamau Bell and all the heck of a show they brought to Austin, TX for SXSW in the second part of Showtime’s SXSW Comedy special.

So, make sure to switch whatever TV you’re watching to Showtime later tonight. 

Chris Gethard Made Live Action Duck Hunting a Real Thing on “The Chris Gethard Show”
June 11, 2015
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chris gethard, duck hunt, fusion, live action, skype, video game, wyatt cenac

If you’re wondering if Chris Gethard was up to with a bigger budget on a cable TV, just check out he how made live action duck hunt with people and Wyatt Cenac and himself dressed as ducks in harnesses playing via Skype possible .

Basically, just like when it was on public access, you shouldn’t be missing out on The Chris Gethard Show on Fusion.

Pivot Developing Topical Show with Wyatt Cenac
March 12, 2015
Uncategorized
pivot, topical show, wyatt cenac

(via Deadline)

Topical comedy shows hosted by stand-up comedians seem to be the order of the week.

Earlier this week, Comedy Central ordered a Hannibal Buress topical comedy show “Why?”. In announcing their upcoming programming and development slate for this year, Pivot has gotten Wyatt Cenac on board to develop a topical show that will explore Cenac’s take on today’s issues.

Perhaps there will be reenactments with puppets like on his comedy special, Brooklyn.

If You’re In Telluride, CO This Weekend, Forget Valentine’s and Go To The Telluride Comedy Festival
February 13, 2015
Uncategorized
cameron esposito, colorado, comedy festival, jason mantzoukas, paul scheer, telluride, wyatt cenac

Tonight through Sunday will see a gathering of Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel, Cameron Esposito, Jason Mantzoukas, Rhea Butcher, Wyatt Cenac, Neil Casey, Will Hines, Seth Morris, Troy Walker and more at Telluride, Colorado’s Sheridan Opera House all for The Telluride Comedy Festival.

We highly suggest ditching out on Valentine’s Day, especially if you’re not obligated to celebrate it with your significant other, and/or 50 Shades of Grey and enjoy yourself to some fine comedy if you’re anywhere in or around Colorado.

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