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“Superior Donuts” Is Taking Over the Laugh Factory for a Night (and We’re Got Tickets If You Want ‘Em)

October 24, 2017
Uncategorized
cbs, david koechner, hollywood, jermaine fowler, laugh factory, maz jobrani, rell battle, stand up, sunset strip, weho
image

Next month, the cast of CBS’ Superior Donuts (we’d hope as a TCB reader, that you’re a big fan of Jermaine Fowler) will take over the Hollywood Laugh Factory for a few hours and we have a handful of free tickets for you (i.e. all you have to do is enter the password “Williams1979“ here on Eventbrite). 

We do have more than a pair for all of you, but way less than a hundred, so get in on this ASAP.

*Laugh Factory’s 2 drink min. still applies

Nashville’s East Room Breaks World Record For Longest Continuous Comedy Show

April 28, 2015
Uncategorized
east room, guinness world record, laugh factory, longest comedy show, nashville standup, world record

(via The Laugh Button/Nashville StandUp)

They clocked in at 184 hours and 16 min.

Running longer than a calendar week without interruption, Nashville’s East Room hosted a stand up comedy show from Nashville StandUp that will now officially hold The Guinness World Record for “Longest Stand-Up Comedy Show-Multiple Comedians”.

Previously, the Hollywood Laugh Factory held that distinction for the last few years, but thanks to several local comedians as well as Rory Scovel, Hannibal Buress, and Nate Bargatze, Nashville StandUp accomplished what they deemed “The Greatest Dumbest Thing We’ve Ever Done: The Broken Record Show”.

Though usually only going for 12 hours, we’d like to see Jimmy Pardo’s Pardcast-a-Thon get in on this action. 

Laugh Factory Holding Funniest Person In The World Contest

July 30, 2014
Uncategorized
china, comedy contest, finland, hollywood, international comedy, israel, laugh factory, mark forward, Mexico, saudi arabia, scotland, south africa, south korea, spain, stand up, stefan pop, UAE, wales

The Laugh Factory has gathered submissions from around the world of comedians vying for the Laugh Factory’s distinction of Funniest Person in the World. Ranging from Israel to South Korea to South Africa, there’s stand-up to watch from all over the world featuring the amazing comedic talents of people like Canada’s Mark Forward or the Netherlands’ Stefan Pop. 

Through a few rounds of voting, any one of these people could win $10,000 and be part of a tour. So, give an international act a chance here in the States.

Morning Debriefing 7/2/11

July 2, 2011
Uncategorized
amoeba records, bankruptcy, ben schwartz, bud selig, chapter 11, cheap, comedy news, comedy shows, davey johnson, dodgers, echo park, free, garfunkel and oates, garry shandling, hollywood, hurley, irvine, jimmy pardo, jorge garcia, laugh factory, los angeles, los feliz, lost, riki lindhome, storytelling, ucb, w kamau bell, webseries, what to do

1) “@WKamauBell Comedians apologizing is the new black.”  We agree 100%.

2) Jorge Garcia from Lost apparently tried out stand-up at the Laugh Factory. [via BTNPR]

3) Davey Johnson is really one of the funniest people we know. Watch ‘What’s What?’

4) Ben Schwartz interviewing Garry Shandling over Twitter.

5) Riki Lindhome of Garfunkel and Oates lands role in “Fun Cast”.

6) MLB blocks Chapter 11 Dodger Jerseys from being sold.  Come on, Selig… that’s really funny.

 

7) ON THE HORIZON
Return to Babylon (babble on) @ Dark Horse Saloon Wed. July 6th 9PM 

8) COMEDY CRAWL
Jimmy Pardo Hosting Charity Auction @ Amoeba Records 4PM FREE
Everything is Festival: Schrab & Harmon’s Found Crap V @ Cinefamily 4PM $10
ASSSSCAT @ UCB Theatre 8PM $10 (stand by only)
Two Headed Beast @ Stories Books & Cafe 8PM FREE
Re-Animator the Musical @ Steve Allen Theater 8PM $30
Magic Bag @ Underground Annex Theater 10PM $5
The Sklar Brothers @ Irvine Improv 11PM $10/2 item min.
The Midnight Show w/James Van Der Beek @ UCB Theatre MIDNIGHT $5 (stand by only)
Tomorrow!!! Presents 5 Minutes or Die @ Steve Allen Theater MIDNIGHT $8 

9) OPEN MIC RUN
SPOT CAFE 4455 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA/Starts 2PM/feedback given at end
SAL’S COMEDY HOLE 7356 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA/Starts 6PM/$4 min./first come, first served
MARTY’S/THE OPEN MIC 7351 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA/5PM to 11PM/$5 min./multiple sets allowed/coffee & water provided
WESTSIDE COMEDY THEATER 1323-A 3rd St. Promenade, Santa Monica, CA (in alley between 3rd and 4th St.)/Sign-up (lottery) 6PM/Starts 6:30PM/no purchase necessary/4 min.  

10) So according to their posted calendars, the Comedy Store and Sal’s Comedy Hole will still be having their open mics run on the 4th of July.  Anyone else running their mics/confirming they hate their families, don’t have friends? (Because no one hates fireworks and the taste of BBQ unless you’re a pinko commie)

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Morning Debriefing 3/3/11

March 3, 2011
Uncategorized
comedy, comedy awards, comedy central, comedy crawl, comedy show, doug stanhope, hollywood, joe wengert, laugh factory, los angeles, mash-up, morning debriefing, mtv, on the horizon, san jose, santa barbara, scoomie, ucb, west hollywood

1) The closest you’ll see Doug Stanhope to Los Angeles for a while is tonight at the San Jose Improv 8PM $25/2 item min. and this Saturday Mar. 5th at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara 7PM $20.  That is as close as he’s going to get.

2) The Scoomie Awards-an award show recognizing distinction in open mic comedians in LA is coming up soon and is taking suggestions for categories.  Here are some of the best suggested categories so far–take note Comedy Awards. (Listed in alphabetical order by first name)

-The “I’m an F-18, Bro” Award for Overconfidence
Andrew N. Solmssen

-Best Post Show Karaoke Performance
Andy Peters

-Most Likely to Die Before the Scoomies
Dave Ross

-The Award for Slightly More Honest Than I’d Care For, Conversely Best Fictional Stage Life
-Best Reworking of Mitch Hedberg’s Persona
James Bruce

-The Robert Yasumura Up-and-Comer Award and Scholarship
Jeff Wattenhofer

-The “Getting the Light Means 5 More Minutes, Right?” Award
Jim Hegarty

-Most Likely to Have Killed at Flappers Prior to Attending Open Mic/Show Currently Bombing At
Joseph Larkin

-Kutest Komedy Kouple
Josh Androsky

-Best Potential Mug Shot
Julia Bensfield

-Most Likely to Sign Up But Leave Before It’s Their Turn….Award…..Good luck trying to get an acceptance speech
Marianne Sierk

-The Heavy Meta Award
-Obscure Referenciest
-The TMI Award
Matt Manser

-“Female Comic Under the Sway of Domineering, Abusive Ike Turner-like Impresario" 
Moses Robinson

-Most-sogynist
-The "When the hell did YOU get funny??” Award
Paul Jay

-The “Wait–This Person Doesn’t Look Damaged at ALL, So Why is He/She Up There? Oh, Oh Wait. Oof. Nooow It Becomes Plain. This Person Makes Me Look Like the Picture of Mental Health. This is PAINful to Watch.” Award
-The “PLEASE Shut Up About How Much Porn You Watch And Pot You Smoke You Horny Perverted Runt Troll; We Guessed Already By Looking At You” Award
Robert Buscemi

-The Saddest Bear in The Forest of Depression Award
-The Goes to More Open Mics in a Week than You Do in a Month Award
-The Most Likely To Stop Doing Standup and Start Doing Improv Award
-The Dryhumps you when Drunk Award
-Lifetime Achivement
Ron Babcock

-The “My Cat Is My Stage Time at Home” Award
Shawn Carlow

-Most Likely to Thrive at Homelessness
Vanessa Ramos 

3) Jen Kirkman’s new album “Hail to the Freaks” is coming soon.  More details to come as soon as the Comedy Bureau receives them.  Stay tuned.

4) DO NOT MISS THE PREMIERE OF MASH-UP ON COMEDY CENTRAL FRI. MAR. 11th AT MIDNIGHT W/TJ MILLER, MATT BRAUNGER, KYLE KINANE, KUMAIL NANJIANI, and HANNIBAL BURESS.  YEAH, IT’S IN ALL CAPS.  IT’S THAT IMPORTANT.

5) ON THE HORIZON
Jim Bruce’s Mustache @ The Gardenia Wed. Mar. 9th 8:30PM $5
One-Two Punch @ Benton Manor Sat. Mar. 12th 8PM $2 suggested donation (for chairs)
The Walsh Brothers Show @ UCB Theatre Mar. 26th MIDNIGHT $5

6) Tonight’s COMEDY CRAWL
Meat Art Show @ Meltdown Comics 7PM 
Continuous Comedy @ Hollywood Laugh Factory
8PM $20/$30 VIP/2 item min.
Joe Wengert’s Stages of Adulthood @ UCB Theatre 8PM $5
Piñata @ Bang Studio 8PM $14
The Josh & Josh Show @ Bar Lubitsch
8:30PM FREE
Comedy is Dead @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery 9PM $15
How to Live with Chelsea Peretti @ UCB Theatre 9:30PM $5 
Live!* at Carnegie Hall @ Hollywood Hotel 10PM FREE  

7) OPEN MIC RUN
HOLLYWOOD HOTEL 1160 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA/Starts 7PM 
THE SANDWICH SPOT 3101 Ocean Park Ave., Santa Monica, CA/Starts 7PM
CAFE ON 2ND 7 S. 2nd St., Alhambra, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 7:30PM/$3 cover/10 min. guaranteed
TKO SHOW @ 212 CAFE 212 Pier Ave., Santa Monica, CA/Starts 9PM  

8) Anyone know how to put actual code for ads on Tumblr?  It would be pretty great if this was my job and I’d keep everyone even MORE updated on everything LA comedy, wouldn’t it?  Please e-mail thecomedybureau@gmail.com if you have tips/suggestions/help/etc.

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Finally!!! It’s Saturday Night and I Need a Laugh (and I’m in LA)…

February 12, 2011
Uncategorized
comedy, comedy store, elon gold, hollywood, improv, la, laugh factory, ron lynch, saturday night, tomorrow show

To both consumers and producers of live entertainment alike, Saturday is THE prime night.  As far as live comedy is concerned, many venues want to put their best foot forward as most of the workforce wants a “good ol’ time” filled with laughter and will pay HANDSOMELY to be entertained.

On Jan. 29th 2011, The Comedy Bureau was indeed out in force to see what a night in LA comedy for those regular 9-5ers that have no idea what “alternative comedy” is or that it even exists or that comedy shows happen outside of comedy clubs.  With this mission, the Comedy Bureau went to the three big names that many “normal” people in LA and around the world associate with stand up comedy: The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, and the Hollywood Improv.  Also, as a contrast, we went to the incredibly underground, cult comedy show The Tomorrow Show w/Ron Lynch at the Steve Allen Theater.  

We paid full price.  We saw.  We shed our attitude as comics and tried to be actual audience members.   We took notes.

And with all of that in mind, this, comedy community, is what to expect if you went to see these shows because you wanted to laugh on a typical Los Angeles Saturday night:

The Laugh Factory

Lit with bright names and big faces along Sunset Blvd., the Laugh Factory in Hollywood stands on at the end of a row of beyond hip and trendy AND certainly beyond affordable night clubs and, as such, follows suit with a general admission charge of $25 and a “VIP” charge of $35 with that traditional 2 drink minimum.  According to their menu, a single order of Coca-Cola (soft drinks tend to be the cheapest things on comedy club menus) runs $8.

This means: If you were going alone and chose to park for free several blocks away from the Laugh Factory, you would be paying at least $40.  If you’re like most people, you’re probably out on a date and will probably pay for valet parking, which will put you in the realm of the night costing $100+.

For that much money one would logically think that you would get to see the biggest names in stand up comedy.  At the 10PM show, which is billed as “All Star Comedy”, the line-up included: Chris D’Elia, who just had a Comedy Central Special, but is largely still “on the rise” in regards to being a “name” in stand up comedy, Tony Rock, who is Chris Rock’s brother, Al Del Bene, who been on Comics Unleashed (broadcast network show featuring stand up comics that’s on at the same time as Last Call w/Carson Daly), Dov Davidoff, who also has his own Comedy Central Special, but is largely known for his performance in the Mark Wahlberg vehicle “Invincible” as the childhood friend of Vince Papale that reminds him of his roots,  Johnny Sanchez who I also found has his own Comedy Central Special as well as being part of the “Payaso Comedy Slam”, and a secret special guest.  Such a line-up isn’t exactly along the lines of the type of comedy that the Comedy Bureau regularly features as this is a very “mainstream comedy” line-up that talks about racial stereotypes, sex, and curses a lot, but then again, everyone has their own personal taste in comedy and I’ve seen such a line-up “kill” a club crowd before.

With that being said, we didn’t know find out who the special guest was because we didn’t see the show.  We wouldn’t pay $40 to see Louis CK much less a line-up of comics on the rise that aren’t really aren’t our “cup of tea”.

The Hollywood Improv

Several blocks away from the Sunset Strip, the Hollywood Improv rests in a neighborhood of trendy boutiques along what’s arguably the more famous part of Melrose Ave as a clear stand out with it’s old fashioned neon sign and marquee.  In that spirit, the Hollywood Improv actually runs several shows that are closer to what most traditional stand up shows around the rest of the country with openers, features, and headliners.  This is unique to the Improv as, currently, no single comic headlines the Comedy Store or the Laugh Factory, though there are several features there as opposed to the standard 1 or 2 in their line-ups and the headliner only gets to do half an hour as opposed to a full hour.  Still, this is the closest you’ll get to what most stand up shows are like everywhere that isn’t LA or NYC in LA.

We also looked forward to the sight of slightly friendlier prices.  Unlike the Laugh Factory, the cover was only $18 plus the 2 drink minimum, of which a beer, not a glass of Coca-Cola, costs $7.  Free street parking was slightly more available at the Improv and much closer to the venue than at the Laugh Factory or the Comedy Store.

Getting into the Improv, we attended the 7:30PM show w/Elon Gold, who has been on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno several times, half-packed with what appeared to be friends of host Ben Morrison, a regular at most of the clubs in the LA area.  Morrison opened the show strong, but ran the light/went over his time by about 4 minutes with typical club comic material about masturbation and going to gay bar, which was trying. 

Despite that, we were glad to see that other comics on the line-up included a few that have been mentioned, featured, or retweeted on Twitter by The Comedy Bureau: Josh Comers, who currently and deservedly writes for Conan, Jarrod Harris, who has only been on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, but is certainly funny enough for a half-hour special, Michelle Buteau, who has been on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend and has toured regularly throughout the world as far as Amsterdam.  All of them, another feature Nigel Lawrence, and headliner Elon Gold, even though he relies heavily on a vast array of voices and characters in a way that isn’t much to our liking, showed the “intimate” crowd a legitimate good time that ran around 2 hours.  

Once more, with no regard to my opinion of who was on stage and what material they were doing, people genuinely had a good Saturday night at the Hollywood Improv.

The Comedy Store

The World Famous Comedy Store.  Just process that self-proclaimed moniker for a moment and think as to what type of stand up comedy show you would see there.  With so much history literally written on the walls of the Comedy Store, many people have come to the assumption that this is the epitome of stand up comedy.

In fact, I’d wager that most people would equate a Saturday night at the Main Room of the Comedy Store, the biggest of the three rooms located there, to be the stand up comedy “end all be all”.  Along this notion, we went to the 9PM Main Room show costing us $20 for admission and a 2 drink min billed as 14 National Touring Headliners.

Looking at the posted line-up, we discovered that all the comics were scheduled to do 15 minutes, which already makes the show at least run over 3 hours.  Now many show producers have the attitude of “you may come and go as you like” to a show like this, but I argue that a show where the audience WANTS to stay the whole time is infinitely better and will be more likely to have people come back and see the show again.  

However, this show ran 4 hours. 4 HOURS.  With a line-up (in order) of Kevin Christy, Argus Hamilton, Jeff Altman, Iliza Schlesinger, Dom Irerra, Ahmed Ahmed, Chris D’Elia, Ian Edwards, Rick Ingraham, Sam Tripoli, Mike Young, and Barry Diamond, the show went 4 hours and having fulfilled my 2 drink minimum obligation within the first hour, I was plenty sober and annoyed by the end of the show around 1:30AM. 

Now, the aforementioned line-up at this particular show isn’t one that I’d normally go and see (though I did enjoy Argus Hamilton and Ian Edwards), but, in attempting to be objective about this whole report, the crowd of approximately 200 people were legitimately having a good time even when Chris D’Elia, who was getting plenty of laughs, told the audience, “Fuck you!! That’s funny!!!” all the way up until Rick Ingraham.  

Ian Edwards had a great set and consequently the show was around 2.5 hour mark, then Ingraham went up and did a very rigid style of crowd work asking anyone within his line of sight “What do you for a living?” An audience member was so annoyed that they shouted, “Tell a fucking joke!”, which was the point where people started walking out on the show.  Sam Tripoli continued to walk people as he complained that no one made a connection with him and blamed the audience for not liking punchlines. With only himself and one more comic to go, Mike Young got up and then complained about his spot being nearly a half hour later than the posted time (since most comics went over their time) as well as there being a minute fraction of the original crowd present for his set.  With the 20 or so people left in the cavernous Main Room that can actually seat 300, Barry Diamond injected some energy by singing a song and then weaving in and out interesting characters and sheer absurdities that I started to enjoy.

At that point when the show was over the 3 hour mark, Barry Diamond decided to work on his “hour” and simply just kept going and going and going and going some more, and then say he should have gotten off stage long ago, and then kept going.  I went from enjoying his act to resenting his refusal to get off stage, both as a comic and an audience member.  This isn’t an open mic.  This is the Comedy Store Main Room on a Saturday night and people have paid a considerable amount of change to be entertained rather than watch someone work on their hour.

Like I said, I perhaps didn’t enjoy the line-up for the most part, but, objectively, the crowd was having a good rollicking time up until the show was passing the three hour mark and the comics starting blaming the audience, which is when people started leaving and the people they stayed had sort of a feeling of being taken hostage (i.e. couple in front was insulted by comic on stage and was visibly shocked and confused).  Going out on a Saturday to the Comedy Store Main Room, this ordeal might be what to expect if you go. Sure, you could just pop in and pop out to see part of the 14 National Touring Headliners that people only marginally know (audience member clearly had no idea who Iliza Shlesinger, arguably the most recognizable name on the line-up, as he mispronounced her name), but do you really want to pay $20 cover, 2 drink minimum, and $15 parking because you don’t want to walk a mile for free parking to do that?

The Tomorrow Show w/Ron Lynch @ The Steve Allen Theater

Appropriately located just outside of Hollywood in Los Feliz, the Tomorrow Show represents the comedy that most people don’t know and subsequently SHOULD KNOW.  It’s alternative, indie, underground, unpredictable, and most importantly: funny.  

Independently booked, produced, and hosted by the amazing and hilarious Ron Lynch, the Tomorrow Show is a live variety comedy show that includes stand-up, sketch, music, and, on this particular night, a sword swallower.  For only $8 with no minimum of any kind (show is B.Y.O.B.), you can get to be a part of this late night madness as the Tomorrow Show appropriately starts at midnight.  

Due to the incredibly late, at least by unfortunate Los Angeles standards, start time, the Tomorrow Show remains part of the vast indie/underground/alt comedy scene that many of the “normal” people we met at the Improv and the Comedy Store have no idea exists and consequently has a much smaller turnout than that of a major comedy club.  Still, going on its sixth year, the Tomorrow Show has an incredibly loyal fan base that keeps coming back because of the bona fide good time that they have (that was made better as it was under 2 hours).

This night, or early morning, the line-up consisted of Greg Barris, Karl Hess, Robert Selander, Chuck Sklar, Barry Rothbart, Matt Kirshen, sketch group the Doorknockers, and sword swallower Brett Loudermilk.  Most of these names are just as unrecognizable to the average person as any of the other names mentioned in this article, but just like at the Improv and the first 2 hours of the Main Room at the Comedy Store, the crowd, small as it was, had a wonderful night/early morning.

 With seemingly random interruptions, jokes about zombie conspiracy theories, and absurd, off-the-wall stories, the Tomorrow Show can be categorized as chaotic, especially in the early hours of the morning, but it represents a style of comedy that is different where it isn’t just typical types of jokes about race and/or dicks.  Though, it isn’t for everyone, the Tomorrow Show is proof that there’s an alternative where comedy can be something else and even something more.  

So Next Saturday Night…

The Comedy Bureau urges you all to simply check here and elsewhere before you go out on a Saturday night to see some live comedy because it does happen outside of Hollywood and outside of a comedy club and it can be something besides overweight balding men shouting obscenities and exploit racial stereotypes AND it can be fantastic.

Special Thanks to Chris Adams, Joe Braza, Russell Corona, Courtney Howerton, and Jeremy Paul in helping making this article possible.

Laugh Factory to Have Therapy Sessions for Comics

February 9, 2011
Uncategorized
comedy, fred 62, jamie masada, la, la times, laugh factory

Laugh Factory to Have Therapy Sessions for Comics

It still cheaper to hang out at Fred 62…

Just For Laughs LA Callbacks Schedule

February 9, 2011
Uncategorized
belly room, callbacks, comedy, comedy store, hollywood, just for laughs, la, laugh factory, montreal

Keeping up with my promise, here’s a rundown of the Just for Laughs-Montreal Showcases next week with callbacks and sketches and more as LA’s best in comedy try to put an even better funny foot forward to go to the actual festival then come back here to be more famous (hopefully).

*this will be updated frequently as more information is received.  If there is showcase that’s not on here please e-mail thecomedybureau@gmail.com.

Monday, Feb. 14th
UCB Theatre 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, CA 5PM FREE
Sketch Showcase 
The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club in City Walk at Universal Studios in Universal City 8PM $5/2 drink min. 

Tuesday, Feb. 15th
Three of Clubs 1123 Vine St., Hollywood, CA 8PM FREE
w/Heather Thomson, Will Weldon, and more
The Laugh Factory 8001 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 10PM 
w/Erik Charles Nielsen, and more

Wednesday, Feb. 16th
Hollywood Improv Lab 8165 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA 7:30PM FREE
w/Claire Titelman, and more 
The Laugh Factory 8001 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 10PM 

Thursday, Feb. 17th
Comedy Store Belly Room, 8433 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 7:30PM 
w/Andrew DeWitt, Nick Rutherford, and more
The Laugh Factory 8001 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 10PM 

Morning Debriefing 12/9/10

December 9, 2010
Uncategorized
akaaba presents, alhambra, andre hyland, anna lee lawson, april richardson, artesia, bar lubitsch, comedy bureau, comedy crawl, comedy speakeasy, comicthon, eagle rock comedy festival, hollywood hotel, jason nash, jesse miller talk show, johnny pemberton, josh and josh show, la, laugh factory, megadrive, open mic run, paul oyen, persona, produce section show, ron babcock, seafood shack, smug shift, straight up, tsr lounge, ucb

1) For the sake of LA Comedy, I did 23 minutes at an open mic in Alhambra where I was only supposed to do 10, but was not given the light by anyone including the host, then checked out two shows of the 6 SIMULTANEOUSLY RUNNING shows at the Eagle Rock Comedy Festival, one of which was so rowdy that prompted the tweet, “@thecomedybureau Why can’t Lakers beat down the Clippers like their beating comedy right now?”.  I could have ended the night there, but from Long Beach to Alhambra to Eagle Rock, I felt the need to go to the depths of the shadiest parts of Hollywood for one of the best shows in town to end the night properly, “The Jesse Miller Talk Show”.  With Ron Babcock, April Richardson, Jason Nash (who brought a REAL homeless man on stage with him), Johnny Pemberton (check him out as the badass host of Megadrive tonight MTV 11PM), and the Jesse Miller Mogul Management crew (Andre Hyland as Jesse Miller, Anna Lee Lawson as Tanya Starlet, Paul Oyen as Daryl, and Matthew Cardapole as the for-hire Elf), the night was emphatically ended with a howl and “straight-up” huge laughs when, as depicted above, there was a contest to throw a real Christmas wreath in attempt to land it on top of Daryl’s head.  This comedy sojourn was all for the sake of LA Comedy, which is why at one point in the night, I yelled, “I AM THE COMEDY BUREAU!”

2) Be part of LA Comedy history with the groundbreaking comedy spectacles on tonight’s COMEDY CRAWL with Day 4 of Comicthon @ Hollywood Laugh Factory HAPPENING RIGHT NOW (going for world record for longest running continuous live comedy show) one unwrapped toy, Eagle Rock Comedy Festival @ Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock & More 8PM FREE, The Comedy Speakeasy @ The TSR Lounge 8PM FREE (call 323-568-1616 to be part of live audience), Persona @ The Hollywood Improv Lab 8:30PM $5, The Josh and Josh Show @ Bar Lubitsch 8:30PM FREE, The Produce Section Show @ 761 Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA 8:30PM FREE (say “produce section” to doorman to get in), and The Last Akaaba Presents @ The Seafood Shack (that isn’t the name of the show; it’s really their last show) 8:30PM FREE, Smug Shift @ UCB Theatre 9:30PM $5

3) OPEN MIC RUN: HOLLYWOOD HOTEL 1160 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA/Starts 7PM, THE SANDWICH SPOT 3101 Ocean Park Ave., Santa Monica, CA/Starts 7PM, CAFE ON 2ND 7 S. 2nd St., Alhambra, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 7:30PM/$3 cover/10 min. guaranteed, SIPOLOGY 448 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 8PM/must work clean and no material on religion and politics, TKO SHOW @ 212 CAFE 212 Pier Ave., Santa Monica, CA/Starts 9PM, MARTY’S/THE OPEN MIC 7351 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA (walk up Martel past Big Mama’s and Papa’s)/5PM to 11PM/$5/multiple sets allowed.

4) As suggested above, you should never miss Andre Hyland’s Jesse Miller’s Talk Show and now the opportunity to do so is now available. STRAIGHT UP!  The Jesse Miller “Straight Up” DVD is now available from Andre Hyland himself featuring over 20 different videos of Jesse Miller and his clients at Mogul Management including clips from their Comedy Central Pilot, Jesse walking around Cincinnati shouting that the Bengals are going to the Super Bowl with the tattoos to prove it, and other ‘Hard as Hell’ videos.  Go to source for the “Straight Up” DVD here.

5) Comedic force of nature Mike O’Connell has made a book of his thoughts in poetry form available to the public TO WITNESS HIS MAD GENIUS!!!  Please pick up ’Impractical Pocket Poesy’ here.

6) Rooftop Comedy National College Comedy Competition is BACK!!!  Coming in spring, the competition will scour 32 different schools to find the best in comedy (categories include Stand Up and Films) all across the U.S.  Also, submission is completely FREE! Check back at the Comedy Bureau for more details.

7) The Comedy Bureau “Tips Its Hat” today to EDDIE PEPITONE: “@eddiepepitone Twitter is God’s way of saying fuck you to the novel.”  Eddie is not only a prolific “tweeter”, but to see him live is to experience comedic brilliance like you’ve never seen before.  You can actually have the privilege of doing so tonight at Persona @ The Hollywood Improv Lab 8:30PM $5 (mentioned above) and this Saturday Dec. 11th “Tomorrow w/Ron Lynch” @ Steve Allen Theater (4773 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Feliz) MIDNIGHT $8 or vote for him as the Best Tweeter for Punchline Magazine’s Punchlist 2010 via Facebook here.  Oh yeah, don’t miss his website and, just in case I haven’t made it quite clear, FOLLOW EDDIE PEPITONE ON TWITTER right here.

8) From the “You Should Have Been There” Lagoon: Andy Kaufman “I Trusted You”

9) The Comedy Bureau Donation Box is still waiting for a 2nd donation.

10) “Be offensive.  Say some racist shit.  Be fucking offensive. Fuck it.  If someone gets pissed, fuck it.”-Real person that I met two days ago

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Morning Debriefing 12/8/10

December 8, 2010
Uncategorized
abbey londer, beer in the shower, big trouble in little tokyo, brownstone pizzeria, cafe on 2nd, coffee table lounge, comedy bureau, comicthon, eagle rock comedy festival, el cid, harlem place cafe, hollywood, hollywood studio bar & grill, if this doesn't work out i'm moving home, jamie lee, jesse miller talk show, joe wengert, la, laugh factory, library a coffee house, marty's, meltdown, next stage theatre, riot, Señor Fish, silverlake, tony sam, ucb, whitehorse, york

1) BIG THANKS to everyone who came out to cause some BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE TOKYO (there’s no intentional reference to Dec. 7th, 1941 here)!!! Thanks once again to the fantastic ABBEY LONDER!!!  Next week: We find the girls with green eyes and TONY SAM and JAMIE LEE!! WHAT!??!?!? DEC. 14TH. SEÑOR FISH. SIGN UP 6:30PM. STARTS 7PM.

2) COMEDY CRAWL COMICTHON @ Hollywood Laugh Factory HAPPENING RIGHT NOW one unwrapped toy, Joe Wengert’s Stages of Adulthood @ UCB Theatre 6:30PM $5, “If This Doesn’t Work, I’m Moving Home” A Variety Hour @ Harlem Place Cafe 8PM FREE, Eagle Rock Comedy Festival @ The York, Coffee Table Lounge, Brownstone Pizzeria, and more 8PM FREE, Meltdown @ Meltdown Comics 8:30PM $8, Riot! @ El Cid  9:30PM $10, Beer in the Shower @ Whitehorse Cocktail Lounge Inn 9:30PM FREE, The Jesse Miller Talk Show @ Next Stage Theatre 11PM $5

3) OPEN MIC RUN: HOLLYWOOD STUDIO BAR & GRILL 6122 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA/Sign up 5:30PM/Starts 6PM/1 item min., THE SPOT CAFE 4455 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA/Sign up (lottery) 7PM, CAFE ON 2ND 7 S. 2nd St., Alhambra, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 7:30PM, LIBRARY A COFFEEHOUSE 3418 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA/Sign-up 7:30PM/Starts 8PM, MARTY’S/THE OPEN MIC 7351 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA (walk up Martel past Big Mama’s and Papa’s)/5PM to 11PM/$5/multiple sets allowed.

4) Some regular readers of the Comedy Bureau posts wonder what I’m going to do as a “Year in the Review” since several other comedy news websites are already doing their “Year in Review” posts or countdowns/top 10 lists.  Again, one of the goals here at the Comedy Bureau is to get rid of “comedy red tape” and as such, I’m going to make a “Top 10 List of 2010 Comedy Lists” so you don’t have to wonder about which list to actually pay attention to.  Check back at the Comedy Bureau for more details.

5) Paul F Tompkins DVD “You Should Have Told Me” NOW available for pre-sale at AST Records.  Consider it as one of those “Christmas presents for yourself”, especially if you live alone.

6) Brand Spankin’ New Podcasts are about to drop very soon on Earwolf from none other than Howard Kremer, Drew Droege, and Paul Scheer.  I really shouldn’t have to say more than that, but you can indulge yourself in a higher word-count/more details here. 

7) The Comedy Bureau “Tips Its Hat” to today to RYAN STOUT-“@stoutryan #StoutsGuideToSuicide – Tip 396 – The best day to kill yourself is ALWAYS yesterday.”  Now having the select distinction of being one of three people to get another “Tip of the Hat”, Ryan shows why he’s regarded not only one of the fastest rising comics right now, but also why he’s one of the best joke writers in “the biz”.  Check him out at his website and follow him on Twitter or suffer the consequences (inquire at thecomedybureau@gmail.com for details on consequences)

8) From the “You Should Have Been There” Lagoon: Late World w/Zach Galifianakis-Pre-School

9) Some asked why I would do Marty’s from 5PM to 11PM and it’s not because I’m a comedy masochist.  I do it so none of you have to go through it in case you ever had the curiosity of what it may be like as you can see on Twitter (look for #martysmarathon).  That’s why I ask for donations.

10) Comedy Bureau PSA to the General Public: No comic ever wants feedback in the form of audible comments DURING their set.  THIS HAS NEVER BEEN THE CASE.  So, please, show your appreciation/disdain in uproarious laughter/silence.  This ad has been sponsored by the Comedy Bureau.

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Morning Debriefing 11/29/10

November 29, 2010
Uncategorized
1739  public house, andy peters, big trouble in little tokyo, casey's, cherry pit orange, club 705, comedy, comedy bureau, comedy crawl, comedy juice, crash test, downtown, echo park, ground zero usc, hermosa beach, hollywood, hollywood studio bar & grill, keep it clean, la, laugh factory, leslie nielsen, los feliz, marty's, open mic run, ryan stout, Señor Fish, surf ninjas, tribal cafe, ucb, What's Up Tiger Lily?

1) RIP Leslie Nielsen-Without Surf Ninjas, I don’t think I would have had a childhood.

2)  You want a ‘Recession Special Sale’?  Do you want a ‘Holiday Special Sale’?  Well, forget both of those because probably the cheapest/best COMEDY CRAWL I’ve ever posted.  So start saving with What’s Up Tiger Lily? @ Hollywood Studio Bar & Grill 8PM FREE, then Comedy Show @ The Cherry Pit 9PM FREE, then Keep It Clean @ 1739 Public House FREE, and feel like you’ve gotten your $5 dollars worth by ending the night with Crash Test @ UCB Theatre 11PM $5.

3) OPEN MIC RUN: LAUGH FACTORY 8001 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA/Sign-up 5PM/Starts 6:30PM/10-15 spots available, CASEY’S 613 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA (downtown)/Sign-up (lottery) 7PM/Starts 8PM, CLUB 705 705 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA/Starts around 7PM, TRIBAL CAFE 1651 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA (Echo Park)/Starts 8PM, GROUND ZERO USC 615 Childs Way, Los Angeles CA (on USC campus between Marks Hall, Marks Tower, and Trojan Residence Hall Dorms)/USC Student Sign-up 9PM/Non-USC Student Sign-up 9:15PM/Starts 9:30PM, MARTY’S 7351 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA (walk up Martel past Big Mama’s and Papa’s)/5PM to 11PM/$5 cover/multiple sets allowed.

4) Comedy Central just released its list of the best breakout comedians of 2010 and Comedy Bureau favorites Kyle Kinane and Chelsea Peretti (Reggie Watts too, though he’s NYC) made the list.  Congratulations to them as they will all be featured on Comedy Central this Friday. Check back at the Comedy Bureau for more details.

5) The Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Open Mic PART 4 is TOMORROW NIGHT and we have RYAN STOUT coming down to perform as a very special guest.  Yeah, that’s RYAN STOUT everyone.  Plus a happy hour w/$2 fish tacos, $3 domestic/$4 imported beer, raffles a plenty, etc. Again, TOMORROW Sign-up 6:30PM/Starts 7PM/Señor Fish/422 E. 1st St. (Little Tokyo/near downtown).

5) The Comedy Bureau “Tips Its Hat” today to ANDY PETERS–

Hailing from Seattle, Andy now, luckily for us, Los Angeles his home and is a favorite all around the LA comedy circuit from the likes of the Hollywood Improv to the Hollywood Studio Bar and Grill.  Absolutely “tearing it up” on stage with his fierce, irreverent style, one should never miss a chance to see Andy Peters perform.  Your next chance will be tonight at Anthill Pub & Grille (C-215 Student Center, UCI, Irvine, CA ) 9PM FREE and at Comedy Juice @ The Hollywood Improv Dec. 1st 10PM $14/2 item min.  Also be sure to check out his Website and Twitter.

6) From the “You Should Have Been There” Lagoon: Bill Hicks Play From Your Fucking Heart

7) So the Comedy Bureau will be at an open mic tonight, so THERE WILL BE LIVE TWEETING (oh, and it will be some fun as this open mic doesn’t have a host). I’ll be taking donations here.  I mean, please give… here.

8) Getting ready for a show that takes place after an AA meeting this week.  Somehow, I don’t think open mics help that much in this regard.

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Morning Debriefing 11/25/10

November 25, 2010
Uncategorized
battleship pretension, bureau approved, charlyne yi, comedy, comedy bureau, comedy crawl, comedy death ray, comedy store, donate, free thanksgiving dinner, hollywood, jimmy pardo, kyle kinane, la, laugh factory, meltdown comics, morning debriefing, never not funny, old lumps, original room, pardcast, shooting for third, smile train, tip of the hat, ucb theatre

1) I know you guys need to get to your friends, families, and some damn fine turkey, so I’ll keep this short… well, all of that depends on whether you enjoy reading this blog or not, which, in the case of the “Comedy Blog Reader Masochist”, prompts me to ask, “Why do you exist?”. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!

2) I almost don’t want to call it a COMEDY CRAWL for tonight, but for the sake of branding, I’ll stick with it.  Tonight’s Comedy Crawl consists of, meaning this is the only shows going on that I know about, 16 Headlining Comics @ The Original Room of the Comedy Store 9PM $15/2 drink min. AND Free Thanksgiving Dinner @ The Hollywood Laugh Factory 1PM/3PM/5PM/7PM FREE (though I think the actual show might have $20 cover according to site).  That’s it.

3) NO OPEN MIC RUN FOR TODAY: I don’t even hate myself that much to do an open mic on Thanksgiving and a third of my material is on suicide.

4) The mutli-talented Charlyne Yi finally has The Old Lumps’ (her fantastic band) album “Getting Intimate with the Old Lumps” online.  Yeah, you’ve seen her in Paper Heart or at her own one-of-a-kind show at the UCB Theatre, but check out her musical side, which is like all her artistic “sides”: a nostalgically rollicking good time that reminds you of the childhood that you might never had, but wish you did.  Check “Getting Intimate with the Old Lumps" here.

5) Jimmy Pardo is definitely kicking off the Holiday Season right with his ”Pardcast-a-Thon“ going from 6PM tomorrow for 12 hours straight having all proceeds go to Smile Train benefiting extremely underprivileged children who need cleft palate surgery regain their smile as well as the ability to speak properly, eat, and lead a normal life (not that comedians really know what that’s like).  There will be tons of big guests as well as Jimmy Pardo himself, so tune in for some laughs/charity here.

6) As it premiered yesterday, the ”Bureau Approved“ section of this blog serves as a convenient resource for the best of the best podcasts, webseries, sketches, blog posts, clips, performances, etc. of LA Comedy so you don’t have to search through any of these reports to do so.  With that in mind, I’ll start tomorrow to feature items from the ”Bureau Approved“ that I did not have the privilege to witness the inception of in a new feature I’m going to call ”From the Depths of ‘You Should Have Been There’ Lagoon“ or for you initialism-inclined FDYSHBTL.  Hopefully, with this, we’ll never forget… (what’s funny that is) 

7) The Comedy Bureau "Tips Its Hat” today to KYLE KINANE-“@kylekinane Where can I get some giant bows for all these Lexuses I’m giving out for Christmas? I’ll look like a real asshole if I don’t wrap them.” Having already been to the Just For Laughs Comedy Fest in Montreal this year and opening for Patton Oswalt, Kyle’s been hitting the road taking his ingenious and hilarious musings on life as a “simple creature” from here in LA all the way to Winnipeg as everyone is finally starting to appreciate how damn funny he is. You can see Kyle next week at Comedy Death Ray @ The UCB Theatre Tues. Nov. 30th 8:30PM $5 or at Battleship Pretension @ Meltdown Comics Sat. Dec. 4th $5 or on Comedy Central because, yeah, he has a ‘Comedy Central Presents’ special too.  Here’s his blog, “Shooting for Third”, and a link to his Twitter here.

8) For “Tip of the Hat”, I literally comb through everyone I follow on twitter, facebook, and tumblr, making it quite a tedious process.  However, if you’d like to make it a little easier on me/draw my attention for “Tip of the Hat” consideration, e-mail thecomedybureau@gmail.com with ’for your consideration tip of the hat’ in the subject line.

9) OK, I know this is running a little long, so I’ll cut it short here. I/The Comedy Bureau LIVE TWEETS here, so, for that reason and many others, you should donate to The Comedy Bureau/me here.

10) THIS IS OFFICIALLY A MONTH THAT I’VE BEEN BLOGGING EVERY SINGLE DAY and I haven’t been to therapy yet (on top of doing stand up every night/trying to make money freelancing during the increasingly small time I have day).  There should be an award for this.  

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Morning Debriefing 11/24/10

November 24, 2010
Uncategorized
alhambra, big trouble in little tokyo, bureau approved, cafe on 2nd, chain of command, come out laughing, comedy, comedy bureau, comedy juice, donate, hollywood improv, hollywood studio bar & grill, jamie lee, la, laugh factory, library a coffee house, long beach, meltdown, morning debriefing, nobody likes onions, russell corona, Señor Fish, tip of the hat

1) A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone who caused some GREAT BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE TOKYO!!! Let’s do it again sometime… MEANING next Tuesday at the same time and in the same place. (hint: Sign-up 6:30PM. Starts 7PM. @ Señor Fish, 422 E. 1st St. in Little Tokyo/next to downtown OR 1st & Alameda) Also, better directions for free parking!

2) Give thanks that you don’t have to find all these great shows for tonight’s COMEDY CRAWL. Go to Nobody Likes Onions @ The Hollywood Improv 8PM $14/2 item min., Come Out Laughing @ The Long Beach Laugh Factory 8PM $12/2 drink min., Meltdown @ Meltdown Comics 8:30PM $8, Beer in the Shower: Pilgrims & Indians-Potluck/Stand-up @ Whitehorse Cocktail Lounge Inn 9PM FREE, Comedy Juice @ The Hollywood Improv (yeah, I’d actually go to this one).

3) OPEN MIC RUN: HOLLYWOOD STUDIO BAR & GRILL 6122 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA Sign-up 5:30PM/Starts 6PM, LIBRARY A COFFEE HOUSE 3418 E. Broadway, Long Beach, CA Sign-up 8PM/Starts 8:30PM, CAFE ON 2ND 7 S. 2nd St., Alhambra, CA/Sign-up 7PM/Starts 7:30PM, MARTY’S/THE OPEN MIC 7351 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA (walk up Martel past Big Mama’s and Big Papa’s)/$5/multiple sets allowed.

4) Like I always have promised, I bring you the best in LA Comedy and now I’m making it even easier to find it on this blog. The Comedy Bureau now introduces “Bureau Approved”, which everything that pasts the rigorous test (i.e. whether I like it or not) of the Comedy Bureau Comedy Standards and features anything from podcasts to webseries to blog posts to clips of people being on the tube. Check it out here.

5) The Comedy Bureau “Tips Its Hat” today to JAMIE LEE-@thejamielee Tofurkey? Tofuck yourself. Having already been on Last Comic Standing this year, Jamie has been a real gift to LA Comedy this year during her stay in LA (OK, she’s a NYC comic, but, for now is calling LA her home). Currently, she brings her sharp, witty, and charming comedy to homes around America writing for “Ridiculousness” on MTV and can be seen LIVE on “Crash Test” @ The UCB Theatre 11PM Mon. Nov. 29th and the “Conan Showcase” @ The Hollywood Improv 10PM Tues. Nov. 30th. Here’s her website and her twitter for all the Jamie Lee you can possibly handle… and then some.

6) The Comedy Bureau adds yet another rank to its Chain of Command: Head of Karma Police Russell Corona (don’t worry he can’t actually do anything to anyone). Welcome to the Comedy Bureau, Russell.

7) If you have any suggestions, comments, remarks, just want to say Hi to make sure that I’m still doing OK, etc. for the Comedy Bureau, there is an e-mail that you can send them to at thecomedybureau@gmail.com. So simple that you almost don’t have a reason not to do it.

7) Does the Salvation Army do anything for LA Comedy? I don’t THINK SO! Donate to the Comedy Bureau here.

8) If you’ve ever wondered what a comic thinks while going from open mics to shows to coffee shops and bars to various streets to get/write material, follow the Comedy Bureau on Twitter here. I’m pretty sure a small minority only wonders that, but please “humor” me and do it.

9) Tomorrow will be the ONE MONTH mark that the Comedy Bureau has been officially running. I know it’s not “that” impressive, but I just want to thank everyone for has been following this blog/loving read it/supporting the Comedy Bureau/etc. and point out that, ironically, tomorrow has only one or two comedy events to write about. Thanks again everyone, comics and real people alike!!!

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Morning Debriefing 11/13/10

November 13, 2010
Uncategorized
b.o.r.e.d, burbank moose lodge, comedy, donate, flappers burbank, flappers claremont, garfunkel and oates, greater la open mic map, hollywood, hook-up, jim hamilton, jimmy dore, justin long, kate micucci, la, last call comedy, laugh factory, marty's, midnight madness, mike phirman, morning debriefing, nick kroll, reviews, riki lindhome, ron lynch, steve allen theater, sunset grill, tomorrow, ucb

1) The Garfunkel and Oates Hour @ UCB Theatre took me by surprise, in the best way possible, even when I expected the “unexpected”.  Having already seen the lovely and talented duo of Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome separately, I suspected farcical/risqué songs from the unassuming, almost incongruous pair (Lindhome is a foot taller and plays guitar next to the petit Micucci who plays a ukelele).  Yet, their abundant charm coupled with their cleverly worded and obscure reference-filled (John Donne and Spiro Agnew, just to name a few) songs about douchebags ruining the party, sex with animals, and the learning curve of hand jobs, was far past anything I had in mind for the evening. AND THEN… Justin Long, who, according to Lindhome, has only been in Herbie: Fully Loaded, read published poems by Michael Madsen that could be described as transcendent… via a certain, horrible, undeserving self-importance.  One of the poems is merely about watching out for “the shit” because it’s “everywhere”.  It was another thing in the Garfunkel and Oates Hour that completely blindsided me as I usually don’t expect much out of big-shot actors performing live comedy.  The Garfunkel and Oates Hour is every 2nd Friday of the month at the UCB Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave. 8PM/$10. They also perform at several other venues/dates around LA.  Check back at the Comedy Bureau for details.

2) Yeah, I know it’s Saturday and Manny Pacquiao is going to beat whatever daylights that Antonio Margarito has left in him, which is EXACTLY the point.  I KNOW THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN.  There’s no suspense left, which is why you should go see some great live comedy instead. Tonight’s COMEDY CRAWL starts off with Jimmy Dore @ Flappers Claremont 8PM/10PM $15/2 drink min., then B.O.R.E.D. Tour starring Mike Phirman @ Flappers Burbank-YooHoo Room 9:30PM $10/2 drink min., then Nick Kroll Does Comedy @ UCB Theatre 10PM $10 (stand by only), then The Twelve Shiny Nickels Show @ The Fake Gallery 11PM $5, then Showbizzle.com’s Last Call Comedy @ Hollywood Improv 11:30PM $14/2 item min., then Midnight Madness @ The Hollywood Laugh Factory 11:59PM $20/2 drink min., and then finish strong with a knockout at Ron Lynch’s Tomorrow! presents HOOK-UP! @ The Steve Allen Theater MIDNIGHT $8.

3) OPEN MIC RUN: MARTY’S 5PM to 11PM/$5 cover/7351 W. Sunset Blvd. (walk up Martel past Big Mama’s and Papa’s), SUNSET GRILL 7PM/one item min./7439 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA, BURBANK MOOSE LODGE 7:30PM/1901 W. Burbank Blvd. Call (818)-843-0284 before going as I’ve never tried this mic before.

4) Today’s Comedy Bureau’s Twitter Tip of the Hat goes to JIM HAMILTON. “@Jim_Hamilton I don’t know what to wear this time of year, because the only clothes I own are Hypercolor shirts and Christmas sweaters.” Follow him and some of the best one-liners in LA here.

5) The Greater LA Open Mic Map has been updated, specifically put in order by day and time so it’s EVEN EASIER for any and all of you aspiring/working/making-it comics wanting to find an open mic.  Any listings without details are as such because I have yet to actually go there and see how horrible/tolerable it is.  More info on each individual room to be added soon.  Check all of the above here.

6) That REVIEWS archive I promised, right here.  Everything will be re-linked tomorrow, mostly so I have something else to write about.

7) Follow the Comedy Bureau on its not-all-that-secret mission to bring great comedy out to the deserving public on twitter as it live tweets every night.  Do so right here.

8) I wonder what a Comedy Bureau jingle would sound like… support/donate and find out here.

9) I convinced someone to try stand-up last night and I can’t help but wonder if I did a bad thing…  He might have been President, but now he’ll try to be one of us wondering what angle about the President hasn’t been explored at an open mic.  Luckily, I don’t believe in karma.

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Morning Debriefing 11/10/10

November 10, 2010
Uncategorized
bay hilarea, beer in the shower, big trouble in little tokyo, comedy, comedy crawl, donate, ed galvez's punk house, garfunkel and oates, hollywood, hollywood improv, hot toddy, io west, jesse miller, jimmy fallon, la, laugh factory, meltdown, morning debriefing, music jam, next stage theatre, parking, rory scovel, santa monica, Señor Fish, westside comedy theatre, whitehorse

1) The Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Open Mic @ Señor Fish was one hell of a destructive/fun time!!! Thanks to everyone who came out and we’re only going to wreak more havoc next week (as long as we keep the building intact)! Next one’s Tues. Nov. 16th Sign-up @ 6:30PM, Starts @ 7PM. 422 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA (Little Tokyo). 

2) This edition of tonight’s COMEDY CRAWL brought to you by a brief foray into sanity as I actually got some sleep last night. Let’s RUIN that with some F’N GREAT COMEDY starting off with “If This Doesn’t Work I’m Moving Home” Variety Hour @ Harlem Place Cafe 8PM FREE, then go to Bay Hilarea @ Hollywood Improv 8PM $14/2 item min., then going to The Meltdown @ Meltdown Comics 8:30PM $8, then going to Ed Galvez’s Punk House @ Westside Comedy Theatre 9PM $8, then Beer in the Shower @ Whitehorse Inn Cocktail Lounge 10PM FREE, then Music Jam w/Garfunkel & Oates @ Hollywood Laugh Factory 10PM $20/2 item min., and The Jesse Miller Talk Show @ Next Stage Theatre 11PM $5, AND Hot Toddy @ iO West 11PM $5.  Yeah, I won’t be sleeping tonight and enjoying every minute of it.

3) PARKING. I have mentioned it before, but it’s such a pressing problem among the comedy community here in LA.  In general, LA Parking Enforcement harasses the average citizen daily with annoying parking tickets for being in a passenger loading zone at 1AM that sometimes can be the tipping point to a violent rampage (I’ve never succumb to such urges).  As performers who largely work for FREE that depend on any any and every piece of stage time they can get and largely cannot afford a collection of parking tickets, available free parking is a scarce resource.  This should not be the case and I would push for some form of a Performers Exemption Parking Permit or something to avoid driving around in circles for 30 min. to wait 2 hours to do 6 min. on stage.  SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!!!

4) Yeah.. Rory Scovel was on Jimmy Fallon last night.  Here he is again.

5) In addition to updating the Comedy Bureau Maps soon, the Comedy Bureau will soon bring all of you LA Comedy denizens a Podcast Roll and a Featured Videos so it will be even easier to find all the ridiculously, absurdly, funny stuff archived in the Comedy Bureau storage.

6) The “don’t-call-my-bluff-even-though-have-nothing-whatsoever-to-back-it-up-so-please-just-give-in-for-my-sake-cause-you-guys-like-me” angle: Donate to the Comedy Bureau or the cat gets it! Donate!

7) Never go it completely alone in comedy.  You’re suicide jokes will become too real or you’ll become fake.  Thanks to all my friends/family/supporters/fans for keeping me going. Really, with all sincerity, thank you.

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Morning Debriefing 11/3/10

November 3, 2010
Uncategorized
anna lee lawson comedy hour, back home in laihaina, beer in the shower, big trouble in little tokyo, cafe de leche, carson, Chatroulette live, comedy, donation box, ed galvez's punk house, fresh faces, highland park sing-a-long, hollywood, hollywood studio bar & grill, joe braza, la, laugh factory, lauren rochelle, lol comedy show, maria bamford, next stage theatre, nick rutherford, open mic, russell brand, santa monica, schtick or treat, tiffany king, ucb, westside comedy theatre, white horse

1) Making it to more than one open mic in LA is so hard that I can’t even think of a metaphor to relate how incredibly difficult it really is.  I missed out on the Nugget Grill & Pub at CSULB as non-student parking is about a mile away from where you’re supposed to go.  HOWEVER, I managed to make it to BACK HOME IN LAHAINA in Carson and did 35 MINUTES!  35 MINUTES! No matter how many times I write that, it won’t make it seem more plausible.  There was a crowd that mostly came there for the delicious Hawaiian Zagat rated cuisine, but I got 35 minutes.  That’s the only selling point you should care about.  Back Home in Lahaina. 2nd official “Bureau Approved” open mic.  Running on first and last Tues. of every month, starting at 6PM, 519 E. Carson St. #A, Carson, CA.

2) Chatroulette LIVE! @ The UCB Theatre proved to be one of the most innovative and hilarious live comedy shows on “the scene”.  Imagine taking Crank Yankers to the stage, then using real, AWESOME comedic performers as a panel, then going on the twisted/addicting website that is Chatroulette to “prank video chat” people around the world such as shirtless kids in Brazil asking to see tits. Chatroulette LIVE is farcical, macabre, and uproarious the whole way through.  Hosted by the amazing Allan McLeod and Dominic Dierkes, featuring Sean Clements, Harris Wittels, Kate Micucci & Riki Lindhome, and Jackie Clarke, it’s an amazing night of the hilarity/horror of social networking gone too far.  Chatroulette LIVE! $5. 1st Tues. of every month at the UCB Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, CA.

3) Post Election Comedy Crawl where you can maybe get high off some laughs: Highland Park Sing-A-Long w/Maria Bamford @ Cafe de Leche 7PM FREE, then Ed Galvez’s Punk House @ The Westside Comedy Theatre 9PM $8, then Tiffany King’s LOL Comedy Show 9PM $5, then Beer in the Shower @ White Horse Inn Cocktail Lounge 10PM FREE, then Fresh Faces @ The Hollywood Laugh Factory 10PM $20/2 drink min., and come nicely off the high with/ Anna Lee Lawson Comedy Hour @ The Next Stage Theatre 11PM $5.  If that doesn’t help with trying to stomach the election results, I can’t help you.

4) On Halloween, Schtick or Treat @ Taix was absolutely fantastic the whole way through.  This, however, was literally a tour-de-force impression of Russell Brand by LA Comedian Nick Rutherford.  Witness.

5) Please give to the Donation Box to support what is, or will be depending on your opinion, LA’s live comedy source.  Right here.

6) The Big Trouble in Little Tokyo Open Mic is PRIVILEGED to kick off its inaugural night with performances by the lovely LAUREN ROCHELLE and the one and only JOE BRAZA! Again, Nov. 9th @ Señor Fish. 6:30PM. 422 E. 1st St. DO NOT MISS!

7) No on Prop. 19 frustration and Dancing w/the Stars updates.  Two topics I don’t want to hear about at open mics, but absolutely will tonight.

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Comedy Shows

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Sat 27

Tomorrow! w/Ron Lynch (IG Live-stream)

February 27 @ 11:00 pm - February 28 @ 12:30 am
Sun 28

Stream of Blood: Vampires of Pittsburgh Lockdown (Twitch Live-stream)

February 28 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Sun 28

Syd Can Cook (IG Live-stream)

February 28 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sun 28

Groundlings Presents: Racism in Sketch & Improv Comedy Part II (Live-stream)

February 28 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Sun 28

Word of Mouth Storytelling: Fast Forward (Live-stream)

February 28 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Sun 28

Greg Proops: “Smartest Man in the World” Live Podcast Recording (Zoom Live-stream)

February 28 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sun 28

The George Lucas Talk Show (Live-stream)

February 28 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sun 28

The Spritz (Zoom Live-stream)

February 28 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sun 28

Sunday Services w/Jackie Kashian (Zoom Live-stream)

February 28 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Sun 28

Avail Yourself (Zoom Live-stream)

February 28 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Sun 28

KO Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

February 28 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Sun 28

UnCabaret Zoom Edition [LA] (Zoom Live-stream)

February 28 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Open Mics

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