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yassir lester

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Get Your First Look at Season 3 of Black Monday

April 30, 2021
News
andrew rannells, black monday, casey wilson, don cheadle, regina hall, season 3, showtime, yassir lester

One of the wildest and darkest sitcoms on television, Black Monday, is set to return for its third season near the end of May as well as kick it into the 90s. Maurice and the rest of his ragtag stock market troublemakers are back together again (and so is all the chaos that follows them). They are spectacularly dressed in 90s style from head-to-toe though.

In fact, there’s never been a better time to see the absurdity of pure capitalism at work than now, which makes Black Monday kind of a perfect show for these times.

Get your first gander of Season 3 of Black Monday with the official trailer here, then look for the season 3 premiere on Sun. May 23rd 10PM on Showtime.

Pick of the Day: WORST SUMMER EVER – A comedy fundraiser of summer memories 5/15

April 27, 2021
News
alyssa limperis, asian prisoner support, Ayo Edebiri, Caleb Hearon, jinkx monsoon, larry owens, megan gailey, natalie palamides, patti harrison, rob huebel, robby hoffman, sherry colar, storytelling, virtual comedy, yassir lester

Well, we’re coming up on another summer that’s, at best, weird. At worst, well, you probably know because you lived through 2020. Join in a beautiful cavalcade of comedians recounting what their worst summer were (perhaps, a good majority will be from 2020?), which will be one hell of a night of summertime storytelling for the live-streaming event, WORST SUMMER EVER.

The likes of the following will be recounting their harrowing summer tales:

Alex English
Alyssa Limperis
Ayo Edebiri
Caleb Hearon
Dhruv Uday Singh
Grace Kuhlenschmidt
Jinkx Monsoon
Langston Kerman
Larry Owens
Megan Gailey
Molly Kearney
Natalie Palamides
Noah Findling
Patti Harrison
Rachel Sennott
Rob Huebel
Robby Hoffman
Ruby McCollister
Sandy Honig
Sherry Cola
Solomon Georgio
Sydnee Washington
Sydney Steinberg
Tashi Condelee
Yassir Lester
&
hosts Jared Golstein and Hannah Pilkes

In addition to what might be the live-stream of the Summer even before Summer 2021 kicks off, donations will be accepted for access for WORST SUMMER EVER and will go towards supporting Asian Prisoner Support Community AsianPrisonerSupport.com for their crucial work, especially at a time where so much of Asia is in upheaval (Hong Kong and Myanmar just to name a couple)

WORST SUMMER EVER goes live on Sat. May 15th at 6PM PT/9PM ET. Get more info/donate/RSVP here.

Pick of the Day: We Called Your Mom with Beth Stelling and Diane Duval 5/8

April 21, 2021
News
beth stelling, dynasty typewriter, podcast, we called your mom, yassir lester

It shouldn’t come as surprise that Beth Stelling would do something as sincerely precious as start a podcast with her very own mother, Diane Duval, where they call the mother’s of comedians/artists and talk up their children. The podcast is perfectly titled, We Called Your Mom.

Beth and Diane will be doing a very, very, very, VERY special live-stream episode via Dynasty Typewriter wherein they’ll actually be reunited in person for the first time in a year (since you know what started) and “there will be hugs, announcements, stories, songs and more.” Also, they’ll be chatting with the hysterical Yassir Lester and his mom, Vicki!

Think of this as both a heads up on what will be a truly lovely show and a friendly reminder that Mother’s Day is on that weekend.

We Called Your Mom goes live on May 8th at 6PM PT/9PM ET. Tickets are only $15 and you absolutely should go get them right this moment right here.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 50: Yassir Lester & Some Common Sense

March 10, 2021
News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report
lola bunny, space jam 2, sxsw, virtual comedy, yassir lester

This week’s TCB Field Report welcomes comedian/writer/actor/social media prankster extraordinaire (and one of our longtime favorites) Yassir Lester to go over the continually rocky times that we and comedy are going through.

That includes making some much needed updates with animated characters of yesteryear, SXSW, one of the world’s biggest festivals, doing their entire program virtually (with comedy clubs around the country offering SXSW exclusive streamed performances), how virtual writers’ room might be a little bit better than the in-person equivalent, and how he is totally fine with waiting to perform live and in person whenever that’s completely safe to do (and how other folks comedy should be too).

Follow Yassir @yassir_lester on Twitter and IG

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: Valentine’s with Yassir 2/12

February 9, 2021
News
adam pally, al corado, atsuko okatsuka, blair socci, chelsea devantez, chris garcia, christina catherine martinez, garrick bernard, jon gabrus, madison shepard, paul scheer, yassir lester

Believe it or not, there are actually a lot of great choices for comedy live-streams for this Valentine’s Day weekend. Even though that’s the case, one of the best line-ups just also happens to be a fundraiser for a crucial LA City Council.

Truly progressive candidate Al Corado is running to unseat District 13 incumbent Mitch O’Farrell on a platform of defunding the police, housing all unhoused people in Los Angeles, and in a Green New Deal. To raise money for his campaign, the hysterical and one of the all-time-best on Twitter Yassir Lester will be leading of a stellar line-up of: 

Blair Socci
Atsuko Okatsuka
Adam Pally
Paul Scheer
Jon Gabrus
Garrick Bernard
Madison Shepard
Chris Garcia
Christina Catherine Martinez
Chelsea Devantez

See how stacked that is? If you’re going in on one comedy live-stream this weekend, this should be one of your top choices if not your top choices.

Valentine’s with Yassir is set for Fri. Feb. 12th at 8PM PT/11PM ET. Tickets start at $5 and go up to $500+. Go get tickets here.

For more information on Al and his campaign, visit ALforLA.com. 

Pick of the Day: Daniel Lee Livestream Comedy Fundraiser Extravaganza 1/23

January 20, 2021
News
Ayo Edebiri, Camirin Farmer, dj douggpound, fat tony, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, jak knight, jo firestone, larry owens, nori reed, yassir lester

Well, it’s officially official in a way that can’t be more official. Trump is no longer POTUS and Joe Biden has been sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. Still, that doesn’t mean everything is solved. If anything, we’ve got a long, long way to go before problems at the federal, state, and local level are taken care of.

That’s why Sarah Squirm is co-hosting yet another grand live-stream comedy fundraiser, this time for progressive candidate Daniel Lee’s campaign for California State Senate. Per usual, Squirm has assembled a fiery line-up of folks we love watching and dearly miss seeing on stage. That includes: co-host Ayo Edibiri, Yassir Lester, Jo Firestone, Nori Reed, DJ Douggpound, Jak Knight, Camirin Farmer, Larry Owens, and Grace Kuhlenschmidt as well as musical guest Fat Tony.

Access to the live-stream this weekend is via paying what you can, leaving little excuse to not catch this live-stream. The Daniel Lee Livestream Comedy Fundraiser is set to stream on Sat. Jan. 23rd at 7PM PT/10PM ET. Get more details, donate, etc. here.

Pick of the Day: Freshair (in LA) 11/7

November 6, 2020
News
aaron weaver, allison leber, chinedu unaka, comedy shows, Dan ahdoot, echo park, los angeles, renee gauthier, ryan dalton, yassir lester

American Barbershop in Echo Park, in the before times, was home to a handful of delightful live comedy shows in their spacious, stylish interior, complete with a stage under a moose head.

Now, they’re keeping the spirit alive with an outdoor show called Freshair that’s a partnership of longtime LA comedy shows Classic Comedy and Comedians You Should Know LA. It’s outside, out back behind American Barbershop, requires masks and distancing, and we’ll feature stand-up from many of LA’s finest.

This particular edition will feature:

Yassir Lester
Chinedu Unaka
Aaron Weaver
Ryan Dalton
Subhah Agarwal

Dan Ahdoot
Allison Leber
Renee Gauthier

Freshair is set for this Saturday, Nov. 7th at 8PM PT and tickets are going for $15. Enjoy a night out and a nice break from everything this week has been by snagging some tickets here (there are discounts if you buy two or four tickets).

Also, if you’re not down to watch the show in person, they’ll be live-streaming the show as well for only $5.

Pick of the Day: OHAYO! From Inside a Monster with Atsuko Okatsuka (Live-stream) 8/30

August 26, 2020
News
aparna nancherla, chelsea peretti, ever mainard, frankie quinones, rhea butcher, yassir lester

We were so excited to see a TV version of Let’s Go Atsuko: A Woke Japanese Game Show with Atsuko Okatsuka, but it would seem that COVID-19 has put that on hold like it has pretty much everything on this planet.

Fret not as Atsuko has been plenty busy in quarantine. She has kept Let’s Go Atsuko going in a podcast/web cast format AND she has started a new variety show OHAYO! that will have a live-stream debut this weekend via Dynasty Typewriter. It would be just enough to have Okatsuka to helm the show and have a fine round-up of variety acts, but Atsuko has taken it a fun-loving step further by having broadcasting and hosting the show while in the belly of a furry monster. That is the sort of absurdist break from reality we need while we’re are actually stuck in our houses from plenty of real monsters of viruses, systemic oppression, climate change, etc.

This first OHAYO! this Sun. Aug. 30th at 6PM PT/9PM ET will have a damn good line-up of Yassir Lester, Frankie Quinones, Aparna Nancherla, Frankie Quiñones, Chelsea Peretti, and Ever Mainard.

Tickets are only $5 and you can (and very much should) get them here.

Yassir Lester Fools Internet with Fake Jersey Mike’s BLM Post to Highlight Performative Corporate Gestures

July 1, 2020
News
blm, jersey mike's, parody, satire, yassir lester

Plenty of corporations are trying to join in on the cultural uprising around the globe sparked off by the murder of George Floyd. Yet, as corporations often do when it comes to taking a stance, they fall short of the mark and often make tone deaf, performative gestures.

To point this out, Yassir Lester made a fake Jersey Mike’s post on Twitter that claimed that they would offensively rename a sandwich as a point of solidarity with Black Lives Matter. Though there was no connection to an official Jersey Mike’s social media account, plenty of people ran with it like it was a real statement from the real Jersey Mike’s.

With that being the case, Lester, 12 hours later, owned up to creating the hoax and then asked, “How bad off are we that we thought a corporation would rename a sandwich, offensively, as a statement of solidarity?” He also added, “Why is no one using Google?” as it would indeed having been easy to see that this wasn’t a real advertisement by Jersey Mike’s.

Lester went on to be more emphatic about his faux Jersey Mike’s tweet remarking that corporations of all kinds often say that they will offer support to communities in need, but, often, no one knows where that money is going. Marginalized groups are more in need of direct support through defunding police, access to health care and housing, etc. and corporations shouldn’t just seem like they’re doing enough by ill-advised performative gestures on social media. Again, this one was fake, but you have certainly received some sort of corporate/company newsletter in your inbox that actually falls short of supporting marginalized people getting what they need to live like so many of us with any modicum of privilege.

For our money, this is high level satire that is so effective that it might just open people’s eyes to yet another thing that they were unfortunately overlooking.

The tweet went viral and, despite his explanation, there is local news coverage that talks to people who still seem to miss the point.

Literally what is jersey Mike’s doing. pic.twitter.com/9XohWNOa4n

— Yassir Lester (@Yassir_Lester) July 1, 2020

It was me. pic.twitter.com/bWMsnQFlgU

— Yassir Lester (@Yassir_Lester) July 1, 2020

Here is the news covering the Jersey Mikes tweet and I can’t stop laughing. https://t.co/rIQ3uKrDeX

— Yassir Lester (@Yassir_Lester) July 1, 2020

September 26, 2019
Uncategorized
amuse bouche, comedy show, food event, joel miller, karl hess, kyle kinane, melody, sara schaefer, yassir lester, yelling about pate

The ultra epicurean comedy night from CleftClips and Yelling About Pâté, Amuse Bouche, is back once more for another round of delectable food and libations and comedy.

As you can see above, there will be delicious offerings from Steve Samson, Kronnerburger, Melody, Kyle Kinane, Yassir Lester, Sara Schaefer, and Karl Hess making for fine, fine evening. 

This night always sells out and you best get your tickets, on sale now for $35, real quick.

June 25, 2019
Uncategorized
bj novak, folar, friends of the la river, frogtown, frogtown show, james adomian, kevin christy, los feliz the podcast, morgan murphy, nick thune, yassir lester

Los Feliz: The Podcast (yes, the Los Feliz neighborhood has its own lovely podcast hosted by the funny duo of Morgan Murphy and Kevin Christy) is doing a special live taping across neighborhood lines in Frogtown. 

In fact, the lovely Frogtown Show will be hosting them in the beautiful Spoke Bicycle Cafe in order to raise money for Friends Of the LA River (FOLAR). So, they’ll be doing inter-eastside chat, stand-up, and more (with a pretty damn fine line-up too as you can clearly see above).

Donations are accepted, but you can guarantee a seat in advance for $25. Get more details here.

Chris Hardwick Is Curating and Hosting His Own Music/Comedy/Gaming/Comics/Tech/Arts Festival in Silicon Valley, ID10T Fest

March 10, 2017
Uncategorized
chris hardwick, comedy festival, demetri martin, garfunkel oates, michael che, shoreline amphitheatre, silicon valley, yassir lester
image

Though it’s in Silicon Valley and curated and hosted by Chris Hardwick, ID10T Fest is priced reasonably with single day general admission tickets starting at $65 and weekend passes going for $110. 

You’re getting Michael Che, Michael Ian Black, Nikki Glaser, Garfunkel & Oates, Brian Posehn, Yassir Lester, Hampton Yount, Demetri Martin, and Matt Braunger in addition to TV on The Radio, Weezer, Car Seat Headrest, and Crystal Castles as well as plenty of panels and interactive exhibitions. 

Not too bad, huh?

ID10T Fest is set for Saturday, June 24th and Sunday, June 25th at the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

Get more details and tickets here.

The Series Premiere of Making History Is Tonight

March 5, 2017
Uncategorized
adam pally, fox, julius sharpe, making history, yassir lester
image

Adam Pally and Yassir Lester begin messing with the human timeline tonight with the series premiere of Making History on Fox at 8:30PM. 

By the way, we have a feeling that Pally and Lester might give Bill and Ted a run for their money as far as time traveling comedies go.

With this latest creation from Julius Sharpe and executive producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Fox is, show by show, continuing to be the home of network high concept sitcoms. 

February 28, 2017
Uncategorized
adam pally, fox, free screening, julius sharpe, making history, Q&a, sneak preview, usc, yassir lester

Making History is Fox’s latest comedy and will be premiering this Sunday, March 5th.

Just a few days before that, you can catch two episodes along with a Q&A with the cast and creator for free at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. 

Attendance is free, but RSVP is required. Take care of that here.

February 14, 2017
Uncategorized
aliya kamalova, best friends show, cheap comedy, east hollywood, erin and melissa, hollywood, joe kwaczala, kim seltzer, live comedy, los feliz, shauna mcgarry, silverlake, storytelling, the virgil, virgil village, yassir lester

The Best Friends Show, the show where best friends tell stories together, is going to make its first splash at The Virgil this Saturday, February 18th at 8PM.

Real life best friends Kim Seltzer and Aliya Kamalova will welcome other best friends:
Yassir Lester & Isaiah Lester
Shauna McGarry & Celia Finkelstein
Joe Kwaczala & Anthony Gioe
Erin & MeLissa 

It’s one of our favorite shows around town and something that always gives us a bit of hope in humanity. 

Tickets are $5 and you should get them here ASAP.

Fox’s Making History Gets a New Trailer and a Premiere Date

January 13, 2017
Uncategorized
adam pally, chris miller, fox, julius sharpe, making history, phil lord, trailer, yassir lester

Phil Lord and Chris Miller continue to leave their high concept comedy mark on Fox with the arrival of Making History, written by Julius Sharpe (you probably know his work from Family Guy or Twitter).

Adam Pally, Yassir Lester, John Gemberling, Neil Casey, and Leighton Meester all join forces for this time travel comedy, which, from the newest trailer, looks like it could be a more grown-up, smarter version of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

If you’re now or already on board, Making History just got a premiere date as well: Sunday, March 5th.

October 4, 2016
Uncategorized
candice thompson, damon wayans jr, garrick bernard, hollywood, meltdown comics, nerdmelt, stand up, yassir lester

Get tickets here.

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

August 16, 2016
Uncategorized
826la, andy kindler, casey ley, chris fairbanks, comedy shows, debra digiovanni, drennon davis, echo park, echo park rising, emily heller, good heroin, jake weisman, joe mande, kate willett, kyle kinane, los angeles, new california barbershop, nick turner, party in the back, rory scovel, sabrina jalees, sauce, stand up, stories books cafe, time travel mart, yassir lester

The annual neighborhood-wide party known as Echo Park Rising will have plenty of music, but will also make sure to include plenty of comedy as well. 

This weekend, Good Heroin will be running 3 nights at Stories Books & Cafe (1716 W. Sunset Blvd.), Party in the Back will kick off Saturday night at the New California Barbershop (2203 W. Sunset Blvd.), and Sauce (typically at Hollywood’s Desano’s Pizza) will serve up an Echo Park Rising edition of their show at the 826LA Time Travel Mart (1714 W. Sunset Blvd.) on Saturday as well at 8PM with Chris Fairbanks, Kate Willett, James Austin Johnson, David Gborie, Chris Estrada, Danielle Radford, and hosts Barbara Gray, Eric Dadourian, Erin Lampart, and Jeff Wattenhofer.

Oh yeah, all these are free to attend. 

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

Fox Unveils Trailers for “Son of Zorn”, “Making History”, and “The Mick”

May 17, 2016
Uncategorized
adam pally, artemis pebdani, cheryl hines, chris miller, it's always sunny in philadelphia, jason sudeikis, johnny pemberton, katilin olson, making history, phil lord, son of zorn, sweet dee, the mick, tim meadows, trailer, yassir lester

It looks like Phil Lord and Chris Miller are really rubbing off on Fox in the best way possible.

Two of the new comedies that were announced at Fox’s Upfronts presentation have Lord and Miller’s hands involved and those just happen to be two very enticing high concept comedies.

One, Son of Zorn, puts an animated He-Man type, voiced by Jason Sudeikis, into the 9-5 grind in the real world with Johnny Pemberton as a son, Cheryl Hines as an ex-wife, Tim Meadows as the ex-wife’s fiance, and Artemis Pebdani as his boss. Here’s the trailer.

The other involves Adam Pally as someone who has a time machine and has abused it. Thus, he enlists an accomplished history professor played by Yassir Lester to fix something he might have screwed up in the American Revolution. Here’s the trailer for Making History.

Both make Fox’s live action comedy line-up have a certain high concept sheen already laid out by Last Man on Earth and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

To round out the new series, Fox has a show that is basically a Sweet Dee from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia standalone series. See for yourself in the trailer for The Mick starring Sweet Dee herself, Kaitlin Olson.

All in all, Fox has a lot of promise with this trio.

Veronica Osorio and Yassir Lester Cast in Fox Comedy Pilots

March 19, 2016
Uncategorized
chris miller, fox, judy greer, phil lord, veronica osorio, yassir lester

(via Deadline)

Two particular favorites of ours are starting to get their due.

The workplace comedy set in a NJ plastics molding plant starring Judy Greer will have Veronica Osorio, who has been a delight in numerous sketches over the years as well as a role in the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, as a series regular playing a former assistant to Greer’s Jane, who is the head of HR.

The Phil Lord and Chris Miller time travel comedy pilot will feature Yassir Lester, who we’ve enjoyed as a stand-up and one of the funniest people on Twitter even before The Comedy Bureau started (on top of now writing for The Carmichael Show and Girls). He’ll get to play opposite star Adam Pally as an ideal professor whose world becomes less ideal when time travel is factored in.

High concepts and great casts including some of fantastic people that we’ve been following for awhile make us hope dearly that both shows go to series. 

Comedy Central Is Planning on a Handful of Series on Snapchat

September 10, 2015
Uncategorized
comedy central, james davis, liza treyger, michelle wolf, nikki glaser, snapchat, yassir lester

(via Variety)

They’ve already got one going with James Davis’ Swag-A-Saurus.

The volatile media of Snapchat continues to grow in popularity and, as such, Comedy Central is getting on board with planning to do more shows soon with the likes of folks that we really dig: Liza Treyger, Nikki Glaser, Michelle Wolf, and Yassir Lester.

We’ll be curious to see if they can drive people to use Snapchat for the first time in order to see these shows.

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