Day: September 4, 2009

Back in the earlier part of this decade, I'd see comedian Michael Loftus at least a couple of times a year, coming through the Tempe Improv as a middle. Sometimes I even worked with him as the opener. But I lost touch and lost track of him for while, though I did see him appear on the short redo of Star Search by CBS. Turns out he was writing for George Lopez's ABC sitcom, had gotten married and continued to work on his stand-up. And tonight, he has his own hourlong Comedy Central special, "You've Changed." So I guess we've all changed a bit over the years. First up, a promo to watch tonight: Followed by a bunch of clips from the special. It has been interesting to see how Loftus has developed. A lot of the material that's online from "You've Changed" deal with his marriage, which in itself, isn't a revolutionary topic for stand-up, but it has affected him personally. He has a message for you newlyweds out there who think marriage is going to be a cakewalk. The first year is more like apple pie: Here's his take on how married people have to see a therapist to learn how to fight differently: And this, about sleeping naked, or not: "You've Changed": Fighting – Premieres Friday, Sept. 4th!! What about pinky toes,...

Stand-up comedian Steve Mazan has made it his life mission to perform on Late Show with David Letterman, which is a mission many stand-ups in this generation share, but Mazan's mission really has been about life or death since he was diagnosed with cancer. So he launched his "Dying To Do Letterman" project, and filmed it as a documentary. He talked to Letterman vets such as Brian Regan, Ray Romano and Arj Barker. He went overseas to perform for the troops. He got two sets on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Friends of his recommended him regularly to Letterman's booker, Eddie Brill, but it would take years of working with Brill to get his set from OK to Letterman-worthy. He would not get to win his appearance or have it granted a la Make-A-Wish. Here's a clip that Mazan uploaded to YouTube on Oct. 1, 2008: And tonight, Sept. 4, 2009, Steve Mazan will perform on Letterman. Happy ending? Tune in tonight and find out. And come back here later for the video. UPDATED: Here's the post with...