Day: October 22, 2009

As someone who has experienced 50 hours of continuous stand-up comedy as a patron saint of comedy blogging, I can tell you that it is a dizzying thing (see my Comic Strip Live Marathon coverage for background). There were some unexpected moments there, to be sure. The UCB's Del Close Marathon provides one weekend of madness, some of it unexpected, each August in NYC. Now to those, add this comedic feat. Tomahawk, a house improv team at The PIT in NYC, plans a 24-hour marathon of improv comedy this coming Nov. 6-7, 2009, at the Sage Theater in Midtown Manhattan. It's scheduled during the New York Comedy Festival, though I'm not sure if it's officially a part of it. Either way, it should be fun, as the team will be joined onstage by other local groups throughout the event. Here's their tentative schedule: FRIDAY, NOV. 6 8 pm: Tomahawk 8:30 pm: Audience of Two 9:30 pm: Junior Varsity 10:30 pm: Starkey and Grace 11:30 pm: Action Pals SATURDAY, NOV. 7 12:30-2 am: The Wilhelm 4-10 am: Tomahawk 10 am: DriveThru Baby 11 am: Old Enough 12 pm: Long Division 1 pm: The Pill 2 pm: Knifestorm 3 pm: The MakeOuts 4 pm: Handsometown 5 pm: Phil and I 6 pm: Centralia 7 pm: Audience of Two 7:30-8: Tomahawk And here's a promo video. Looks like a fun thing to...

Last fall, New York comedy writers Scott Rogowsky and Neil Janowitz launched a hybrid variety show that included videos, sketches, stand-up and interviews, all revolving around sports. Their 12 Angry Mascots debuted at the UCB, moved briefly to a Chelsea theater/art space, and have found a more comfortable monthly home at Comix (Related: Read my earlier interview with them). One year, later, they're happy to report that they've sold a weekly webseries to ESPN — it's ESPN The Magazine's first original comedy series (and not coincidentally, Janowitz has written for the publication before), and based on a video the duo wrote last year about the NFL having a writers room that plots out the season. Conspiracy theorists rejoice! Here is the debut episode (also featuring, among others, Adam Newman and Tom McCaffrey), in which they debated how to handle last week's Giants-Saints matchup: As for the live show, their past guests have included Christopher Higgins from the New York Rangers, David Diehl from the New York Giants, Kerry Rhodes from the New York Jets, and Matthew Berry from ESPN. Here's a brief montage Comix put together earlier this year: Tonight is their first anniversary special at Comix, featuring Darrelle Revis from the Jets and Chris Duhon from the Knicks, stand-up comedy from Mike Drucker, plus appearances from members of the Lingerie Football League. Proceeds from the anniversary show will benefit the...