Day: March 5, 2010

I have to admit that part of me worried that Players, the new sitcom from Upright Citizens Brigade leaders Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts, might not be very good. All of that part of me, it turns out, was worried simply because their series is airing on SPIKE. Let's just say some of SPIKE's original programming seems like it's leftovers that got passed over from other networks. The "sitcom" that airs before Players, called Blue Mountain State, didn't appear to have any actual jokes in it — merely college football jock premises and the hilarity of compromising sexual positions with Cloris Leachman, in the episode broadcasted immediately prior to the debut of Players. The page for BMS calls it a "new original comedy," and yet the reality is the exact opposite. More BS than BMS, am I right? I bring all of that up because for all of the effort that seemingly goes into that series, knowing how Walsh, Roberts and their funny friends are able to take something as basic as an Arizona sports bar and a plot outline, then weave some inspired improvisational punchlines and moments out of it. It's really great. Don't want to take my word for it? You can watch the premiere episode, "Krista's Mom" (no, not "Grand Reopening," despite what The Onion seemed to think), again tonight on SPIKE. Or you can watch...

Are you ready for the seventh season of Last Comic Standing? Dozens of would-be comedians already are, judging by the Tweets I'm reading from Chucklemonkey, who already is in line outside of the Hollywood Improv. Wait. Don't the auditions take place tomorrow? Yep. But as of four hours ago, Chucklemonkey told us there were at least 45 aspiring comedians in line at Hollywood. Yikes. If you follow Last Comic Standing on Facebook, you can learn some "helpful" tips. Not helpful enough to tell you that you'll have a much better shot if you have an agent and manager who can negotiate a scheduled appointment for you, and even better if you're repped by Barry Katz and New Wave, since they're behind the scenes of LCS. Which also means that even though LCS is only holding open calls in Hollywood and New York City, New Wave presided over local comedy showcases in recent months in both Chicago and Boston, so some stand-ups there already have gotten an initial look-see for the show. Among the tips from LCS: Auditions run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (March 6 in Hollywood, March 21 in NYC), with no guarantee on how many people the "judges" will see. No parking. Bring a picture ID and proof of U.S. citizenship. There's lots of paperwork to fill out. You get two minutes for your initial audition....