Day: February 1, 2008

Fighting for Live At Gotham in 2008

Posted by | Feb 1, 2008 |

As we start to learn the names of those stand-up comedians picked for Comedy Central’s Live At Gotham tapings next month, we see a fairly definite pattern emerging from the early picks. To make it to Gotham, it seems, one must first have survived the battles of 2007’s Comedy Central Open Mic Fights. That’s certainly one thread that ties these comics together: Nate Bargatze, Hannibal Buress, Erin Judge, Myq Kaplan, Shane Mauss, Rob O’Reilly, Baron Vaughn and Mike Vecchione. The three other names I’ve heard confirmed — Owen Benjamin, Joe List and Matt McCarthy — all did one of the major festivals in 2007 (Benjamin at Aspen, List in Las Vegas, McCarthy in Montreal). So that’s 11 comics. Who are the others? If you know, fill us in! CORRECTED/UPDATED: One of the comedians previously listed above emailed me to say he hadn’t gotten confirmation from Comedy Central, so please continue to let me know what you know. Thanks. UPDATED 3/6/2008! I’ve posted the full lineups for this season! Click here for Live at Gotham...

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Tim and Eric’s Awesome Tour 2008

Posted by | Feb 1, 2008 | |

Fans of Tim and Eric will be happy to know that cities and dates for Tim and Eric’s Awesome Tour this spring have been lined up. So far, it looks like this… April 21: Cambridge, MA, TT The Bears April 22: New York City, Highline Ballroom April 23: Minneapolis, North Star Ballroom April 24: Asheville, NC: Grey Eagle April 25: Atlanta, Plaza Theatre April 27: Chicago, Empty Bottle April 28: St. Louis, Off Broadway Nightclub April 29, Lawrence, Kan., The Bottleneck April 30: Austin, The Parish Room May 2: Seattle, Neumo’s May 3: Portland, McMenamins Bagdad Theater May 4: San Francisco, Rickshaw Stop May 5: Los Angeles, Echoplex This is the part where I tell you to click on my Ticketmaster button on the right-hand column of this site to look for tickets at your applicable location (some might not be set up yet). And before/after looking for tickets, here are a couple of clips from recent episodes of their Adult Swim program, which airs late Sunday nights (technically early Monday mornings). This clip may remind you of another infomercial parody about the Internet. Or not. It may simply make you laugh. And here you can see an example of the many high-profile performers Tim and Eric get to participate in their...

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Behind the CCP: Eugene Mirman, Jordan Rubin

Posted by | Feb 1, 2008 | |

Another Friday, another double dose of new Comedy Central Presents half-hour specials. Tonight, it’s Eugene Mirman and Jordan Rubin (10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Eastern). Present for both tapings, I somehow managed to barely take any notes during Rubin’s set. Except for this line: "Audience loved Jordan’s ‘energy.’" That’s good, right? Here’s an interview with Rubin: As for Mirman, he taped for the same crowd as Leo Allen. Though Allen’s backdrop was sparse, Mirman went all out with set direction, installing a fake art museum with velvet rope and cartoonish paintings (done by him?). Not long after his opening, he stepped away from the mic to reveal…a second mic on his person. I wondered at the time how they’d edit out one of his ads for shapes, but saw on a teaser that they merely bleeped and blurred. Mirman flubbed an Amtrak joke but had a good TV timing joke about Karl Rove. Twenty minutes in, he dropped his fake can of goodies onto the stage — whether accidental or planned, he proceeded to kick the can and proclaim, "Now I know what it’s like to be The Who!" A bit he did a lot last year involving his suggestions for billboards finally could be read by more than the front row through the magic of TV and giant sets. And he closed with his bit about a MySpace...

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Craigslist missed comedy connections

Posted by | Feb 1, 2008 | |

(Note: If you’re looking for Nick Thune’s Missed Connections comedy song, as several readers who reach this post via Google search already have done so, then you need to click here for my report on his Comedy Central half-hour) If kids say the darnedest things, then Craigslist ads must be written by kids. How else to explain or comprehend the following two ads found this week on the New York City classifieds boards for TV jobs? Remember, these are actual ads. And they’re not kidding. Although. And yet. After reading both ads more than a few times, I’m still unclear as to deciding which one of these comedy-seekers is more hopelessly off-base. Exhibit A (alternate title Exhibit LCS): "Casting Funny/Wacky People for NBC!!!" Reply to: Ramseycasting@gmail.comDate: 2008-01-30, 3:10PM ESTWe are casting Last Comic Standing and we need more visual comedy. Casting Funny Wacky people. We want people who are going to make us laugh. Do you have a wacky thing you do? Are you funny? Are you wacky? We are casting Last Comic Standing and we need more visual comedy. Do you have a costume? Do you juggle? Do you have props or a special act? How are you going to make us laugh? Email: ramseycasting@gmail.com Name: Age: City you’re in: Phone: Photo: Email: Job: Why are you funny/ wacky? Exhibit B(ET): "Clean Comedy Needed" Reply to: job-556081676@craigslist.orgDate: 2008-01-29,...

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An Underground Brooklyn Comedy Festival

Posted by | Feb 1, 2008 | |

Did you know there’s an Underground Brooklyn Comedy Festival happening this Friday and Saturday? I almost didn’t know. That’s how underground it is. Nate Sloan (alter ego of friendly fellow comedy blog The Apiary, or is that the alter ego of Nate? anyhoosiers, let’s break out of this parenthetical device right about) tracked down the organizing sketch troupe, Murderfist, and wrote about them for the New York Press. Details: Shows at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (Feb. 1-2), The Bushwick Starr, 207 Starr St.,...

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