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Doug Benson Comes Out on Top in @midnight 2017 Tournament of Champions

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Doug Benson Comes Out on Top in @midnight 2017 Tournament of Champions

In many ways, it would seem as if Doug Benson was made for @midnight. Excelling at quick wordplay and riffing on the Internet has lead to him being one of the go-to competitors for the show and, for 2017, the @midnight champ. Take note that @midnight has been on the air for over 3 years, meaning that they have a deep, deep pool to pull from for this now annual contest.

Benson won this week in the final round of The Tournament of Champions over at Moshe Kasher and Milana Vayntrub.

Paul F. Tompkins has been the only other @midnight Tournament of Champions winner.

Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Jon Hamm, and Amy Poehler Are Doing the Stand for Rights: A Benefit for the ACLU Benefit Live Stream Right Now

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Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Jon Hamm, and Amy Poehler Are Doing the Stand for Rights: A Benefit for the ACLU Benefit Live Stream Right Now

You can live stream it on Facebook Live at the link above as well as donate to the ACLU here.

Comedy Central Announces New Satirical Trump Show “The President Show” and We Have a Hunch That It’s Anthony Atamanuik as Trump Hosting a Late Night Talk Show

anthony atamanuik, comedy central, donald trump, late night, parody, president show, satire

Comedy Central Announces New Satirical Trump Show “The President Show” and We Have a Hunch That It’s Anthony Atamanuik as Trump Hosting a Late Night Talk Show

Now, there are almost no details about this so-called President Show with Donald Trump other than two twitter accounts, @presidentshow and @latenightdonald, and a press release that reads “Late night TV is broken. A TOTAL DISASTER. I alone can fix it!”

However, there being a slot where The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore used to be and Anthony Atamanuik’s fantastic appearances as Trump on @midnight lead us to believe that this would indeed be a mutation of the late night talk show format on Comedy Central with the one and only Donald Trump, as played by Atamanuik, at the helm.

In our opinion, Anthony Atamanuik has the best Trump impression out there. Between a series on Fusion, countless live shows, a nationwide tour, album, and more, Anthony knows how to skewer Trump by exemplifying his characteristics to a capital gold T.

So, if this indeed what we think it is, we’re all in for a wonderful treat that we’re guessing will start a Twitter feud between @realdonaldtrump and @latenightdonald.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Remake with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson to Be Helmed by Veep Director Chris Addison

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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Remake with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson to Be Helmed by Veep Director Chris Addison

The remake of comedy classic Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is going forward with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson taking on the roles that Steve Martin and Michael Caine once played and, just announced, Chris Addison, a director on HBO’s Veep, as the director.

Also, he script is written by Jac Schaeffer who wrote and directed the intriguing TiMER.

It’s an interesting mix and, altogether, we hope that there isn’t the nonsense that happened with the Ghostbusters reboot.

Leslie Knope and Ron Swans–, Er, Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman Will Be Hosting a Competitive Crafts Show on NBC

amy poehler, handmade project, nbc, paper kite productions, reality tv, ron swanson

Leslie Knope and Ron Swans–, Er, Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman Will Be Hosting a Competitive Crafts Show on NBC

Sure, they’ll be hosting as themselves and not their respective roles on Parks and Recreation.

That being said, The Handmade Project, just sounds like a sequel to the season 4 episode where Leslie and Ron had competing youth programs.

Also, Amy’s Paper Kite Productions will be handling this series, which, in addition to makes us believe that it’ll be much different from other competitive reality shows.

Dream Corps LLC Renewed for Season 2

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Dream Corps LLC Renewed for Season 2

The VR/dream lab/therapy center workplace comedy is coming back for a second season and making sure Adult Swim stays on brand for keeping it wonderfully strange in their time slot.

Hulu Orders Topical Weekly Show with Sarah Silverman from Funny Or Die

funny or die, hulu, I love you america, sarah silverman, satirical news show, talk show

Hulu Orders Topical Weekly Show with Sarah Silverman from Funny Or Die

We’re curious to see where this will go as Sarah Silverman is definitely politically active and will be going for a show that’s balanced inviting other perspectives, beliefs, etc. to have a conversation with her.

We’re guessing that’d go much differently than it does on Real Time with Bill Maher, especially because of the fact that it’s called “I Love You America”. Also, if you’ve ever seen Sarah do crowd work multiple times, you’d notice that her curiosity does indeed lead her down a path of trying to hear people out.

10 episodes have been ordered from Funny or Die and a premiere date has yet to be announced.

Earwolf Now Has Enamel Pins from Your Favorite Earwolf Podcasters

beautiful anonymous, cbb, chris gethard, comedy bang bang, earwolf, enamel pins, how did this get made, paul f tompkins, with lauren lapkus

Earwolf Now Has Enamel Pins from Your Favorite Earwolf Podcasters

Normally, we don’t do give a heads up on merch here, but we are also suckers for a good enamel pin and Earwolf now has a sizable collection from their vast podcast line-up.

This collection includes Lauren Lapkus, Chris Gethard, Paul F. Tompkins, Scott Aukerman, Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas, and even characters Marissa Wompler, Ronna & Beverly, Don Dimello.

Go impulse shop at Earwolf here.

Comedy Crawl and Open Mic Run All Updated for Next Week (3/27/17)

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Comedy Crawl and Open Mic Run All Updated for Next Week (3/27/17)

We’ve got all your LA comedy needs for next week and beyond covered.

Todd Strauss-Schulson, Director of Meta Horror Comedy Final Girls, Will Take His Unique Talents to Meta Rom Com “Isn’t It Romantic”

isn't it romantic, meta comedy, rebel wilson, rom com, romantic comedy, todd strauss-schulson

Todd Strauss-Schulson, Director of Meta Horror Comedy Final Girls, Will Take His Unique Talents to Meta Rom Com “Isn’t It Romantic”

Two years ago, Todd Strauss-Schulson wowed us with The Final Girls in how he expertly, and literally, turned the slasher film genre inside out.

Along the same lines, Isn’t It Romantic has Rebel Wilson finding herself in actual rom com world making Strauss-Schulson kind of a perfect choice to helm the film.

We’re imagining this will be like They Came Together, but taken to the nth degree and thus, we can’t wait to see what Todd cooks up.

Nathan Fielder to Open First Summit Ice Apparel, His Clothing Brand That Promotes Holocaust Awareness and Eduction, Pop-Up Shop

holocaust education, jackets, nathan fielder, pop up store, summit ice, taiga jacket, vancouver, vhec

Nathan Fielder to Open First Summit Ice Apparel, His Clothing Brand That Promotes Holocaust Awareness and Eduction, Pop-Up Shop

For someone who revels in off-kilter business ideas for the purpose of comedy on Nathan For You, Fielder’s actual business venture seems to be doing quite well.

Nathan Fielder’s is taking his response to Vancouver’s Taiga jackets, the company that wrote up a tribute to a Holocaust denier, to the next level. Initially, Fielder launched a rival outdoor apparel company that promotes Holocaust awareness and eduction (specifically donating to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Center).

Several thousands of dollars have been donated to VHEC and Fielder has just made a $150,000 donation. On top of that, Nathan has announced plans to actually open a pop-up store just for this Sunday, March 26th in Vancouver, the city where Taiga is based, this weekend.

A Fielder business venture wouldn’t be complete without some mischief. With that in mind, he has made this offer:

Greater Vancouver residents are encouraged to come down and trade in any Taiga jacket they have in exchange for a free Summit Ice soft-shell jacket and “Deny Nothing” pin. Donations will also be accepted in exchange for other Summit Ice clothing while supplies last. (Please note: any Taiga jackets collected will be disposed of in a manner deemed appropriate by Mr. Fielder.)

We’d be surprised if Fielder didn’t have something amazing planned for those who can walk into the pop-up shop. After all, Nathan Fielder is the architect behind Dumb Starbucks.

If you want to get your own Summit Ice gear, you can get it now without being in Vancouver here.

Lastly, here’s our other favorite part of this announcement:

If the mayor wants to give Mr. Fielder the Key to the City, please contact: keytothecity@summiticeapparel.com

20 Classic Episodes of MST3K Are Now Streaming on Netflix

joel hodgson, mst3k, mystery science theater 3000, netflix, old episodes

20 Classic Episodes of MST3K Are Now Streaming on Netflix

Leading up to the release of the new MST3K on Netflix, you can revisit some of the fan favorites from the MST3K of yesteryear more conveniently than ever.

Specifically, you can now stream the following on Netflix:

Exp 424 – Manos: The Hands of Fate (#1)
Exp 820 – Space Mutiny (#2)
Exp 303 – Pod People (#5)
Exp 903 – Puma Man (#6)
Exp 321 – Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (#7)
Exp 904 – Werewolf (#8)
Exp 821 – Time Chasers (#10)
Exp 507 – I Accuse My Parents (#12)
Exp 506 – Eegah! (#13)
Exp 706 – Laserblast (#17)
Exp 813 – Jack Frost (#20)
Exp 1003 – Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders (#22)
Exp 404 – Teenagers from Outer Space (#25)
Exp 204 – Catalina Caper (#29)
Exp 202 – Sidehackers (#37)
Exp 1004 – Future War (#39)
Exp 402 – The Giant Gila Monster (#43)
Exp 410 – Hercules Against the Moon Men (#48)
Exp 604 – Zombie Nightmare (#60)
Exp 1011 – Horrors of Spider Island (#94)

We apologize if you’ve dropped all your weekend plans to now binge watch all of these.

Kumail Nanjiani to Receive CinemaCon Comedy Star of the Year Award

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Kumail Nanjiani to Receive CinemaCon Comedy Star of the Year Award

The National Association of Theater Owners, otherwise known as NATO (we’re curious if Trump is on their case too) gives out their own awards celebrating the biz and are honoring Kumail Nanjiani, who is set for a big summer run with The Big Sick, with their Comedy Star of the Year Award.

With everything else Kumail has had going for years (i.e. stand-up, Silicon Valley, his Twitter feed, The Meltdown, etc. etc.), we’d ask Hollywood to please give more awards to Kumail Nanjiani.

Please Support the Kickstarter for Wonderful Non-Profit Art/Community Space, junior high

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Please Support the Kickstarter for Wonderful Non-Profit Art/Community Space, junior high

Since it’s inception, junior high, in Thai Town, really has lived up to its mission of emboldening and empowering marginalized voices (i.e. women, LGBTQ, POC) in Los Angeles.

Comedy in LA especially depends on indie art spaces like this and junior has provided a space for stand-up, storytelling, open mics, and much much more.

Please support this Kickstarter here ASAP. There’s only three days left, as of this post, on the campaign and they’re only at $10,498 out of $20,000.

Tina Fey’s ‘Mean Girls’ Musical to Start in Washington D.C. on October 31st

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Tina Fey’s ‘Mean Girls’ Musical to Start in Washington D.C. on October 31st

The Mean Girls musical is indeed happening as adapted by the original screenwriter, Tina Fey. The first run will happen at Washington D.C.’s National Theatre from October 31st through December 3rd.

It’s almost as if Tina Fey wants to make sure that she, on Halloween, can bother the White House, if she so wishes, in spirit.

Also, take note they haven’t found their lead who would play the role that Lindsay Lohan so famously played in the original film, but we’re guessing that Lohan isn’t in any sort of talks for the part.

Don Rickles Series “Dinner with Don” Coming Soon from AARP Studios

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Don Rickles Series “Dinner with Don” Coming Soon from AARP Studios

It seems like Don Rickles will be doing his version of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, but with coffee replaced by dinner and cars replaced by perfect zingers off-the-dome from Rickles.

Billy Crystal, Robert De Niro, Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Poehler, Vince Vaughn, Paul Rudd, Marisa Tomei and Martin Scorsese are some of the guests secured for Dinner with Don thus far.

AARP Studios will be announcing a premiere date and more details soon.

Comedy Crawl & Open Mic Run All Updated for Next Week

comedy shows, los angeles, open mics

Comedy Crawl & Open Mic Run All Updated for Next Week

The Ides of March are over. So, why not watch and/or do some comedy?

If you’re in LA, we’ve got you covered.

Comedy Crawl All Updated for Next Week (3/19/17)

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Comedy Crawl All Updated for Next Week (3/19/17)

We’ve got all the comedy you can handle/need/want/depend on listed for next week (and even a little beyond that).

Click the link for all of our listings.

The New Batch of Amazon Comedy Pilots Are Now Streaming for Free Including The New V.I.P.’s, Legend of Master Legend, Budding Prospects, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

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The New Batch of Amazon Comedy Pilots Are Now Streaming for Free Including The New V.I.P.’s, Legend of Master Legend, Budding Prospects, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The New V.I.P.S. comes from Life & Times of Tim creator Steve Dildarian and has the voices of Ben Schwartz, Matt Braunger, and Missi Pyle, Legend of Master Legend follows a real-life superhero as guided by the refined hand of director James Ponsoldt, Budding Prospects tells the story of a marijuana start-up in the 80s, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is the latest work from Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls.

These are the new Amazon comedy pilots that you can stream for free and vote on/review.

If St. Patrick’s Day isn’t your thing, we’d bet that watching these is probably a great alternative.

CBS Signs Overall Deal with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Co-Creator/Showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna

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CBS Signs Overall Deal with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Co-Creator/Showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna

We hope this means that CBS will shake things up with some new comedies that are on the order of genre-bending, high concept nature of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

If they’re letting Colbert curse more during his monologues, maybe they’ll start earnestly exploring territory beyond multi cams.

Conan Writers Dan Cronin and Andrés du Bouchet Are Doing a Live Q&A About the Nut Spoon Sketch

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Conan Writers Dan Cronin and Andrés du Bouchet Are Doing a Live Q&A About the Nut Spoon Sketch

You may say, “Nut spoon? What’s a nut spoon and how can that be fodder for a sketch?” Well, comedy legend Carl Reiner is a big fan of the ‘nut spoon sketch’ that aired on last week’s Conan.

As a result, Conan staffers Dan Cronin and Andrés du Bouchet are doing a Q&A just on that sketch alone with Aaron Bleyaert moderating. No other show would do a whole conversation on camera about a single sketch and that’s part of why we love Conan.

Watch the Q&A that’s live right now here.

HBO Renews Crashing for Season 2

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HBO Renews Crashing for Season 2

HBO has come to a decision pretty quick to renew Pete Holmes’ series Crashing for a second season.

Currently, they’re in the middle of their first season, which makes us ponder how exactly Pete will continue the premise of ‘crashing’ at other people’s places through the second season.

Master of None Returning for Season 2 on May 12

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Master of None Returning for Season 2 on May 12

Master of None was a really refreshing surprise when its first season came out, which is impressive at this time where we’re in the thick of another wave of shows being based on the lives of comedians. The writing, directing, editing, cinematography was all on another level and was combined with a succinct commentary on timely issues.

So, naturally, we’re excited for May 12th when the series returns to Netflix for its second season.

Submissions Are Now Open for 2017 Green Gravel Comedy Festival in Iowa

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Submissions Are Now Open for 2017 Green Gravel Comedy Festival in Iowa

Iowa’s Green Gravel Comedy Festival is returning for May 12th-13th as well as donating their proceeds to both the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

Comedy in the middle of the country for great causes? Sounds pretty fantastic to us.

Deadline is appropriately scheduled on April 1st.

$15 – Iowa Stand-up Comedians (Must provide verification of Iowa residency or address).
$20 – Podcast Submissions, One-man/woman Shows, Musical Comedy Acts
$25 – Out-of-State Stand-up Comedians

Get more details and submit here.

Comedy Crawl and Open Mic Run All Updated for Next Week

cheap comedy, comedy shows, free comedy, los angeles

Comedy Crawl and Open Mic Run All Updated for Next Week

Whether St. Patrick’s Day is your thing or not, we’ve got plenty of comedy to go right along with however you choose to take on this week.