Day: July 15, 2010

In a departure from past years, Montreal's Just For Laughs actually is getting two major State of the Industry dressing-downs from comedians. That's because Lewis Black just delivered a blistering critique of the comedy industry, and particularly TV network executives, in his keynote address today to officially kick off JFL's Comedy Conference. Black opened with a bit of misdirect, claiming he was the wrong person for the gig, not only because he thought "it should be someone who knows what the fuck a keynote address is," but also because in giving a speech versus stand-up in front of the industry that has screwed him over for four decades, "I'm just too tired to give a shit" about using his opportunity to gain retribution against said industry." He disproved that theory, however, within seconds and held court for the following forty or so minutes. Black first took issue with the fact that the comedians need to seek the approval of industry people who "haven't worked on sketches or five minutes of stand-up." When he tagged that by saying, "even better, they know how to fail up the ladder," he paused. "The lack of a laugh there fails and disturbs me. You've got to be shitting me….how does a room, half of whom are comdeians, miss the goddamn joke?!?" Black cited one TV project rejected "because it was too funny for...

New York City is blessed to have a few photographers who have dedicated themselves to its comedy scene, not just in taking wonderful headshots and portraits of comedians, but also in providing slice-of-life moments from comedy shows, parties and events from all five boroughs of the city. You've seen Anya Garrett's work on this site and all over traditional media, as well. Garrett won an ECNY Award for outstanding achievement in postcard or flyer design for "JAR FULL OF ROACHES" (Sara Jo Allocco and Brandy Barber) and was nominated for another for her work with "BROWN AMBITION" (Carolyn Castiglia). Tonight, Garrett celebrates the opening of a brand-new photo exhibition — her first gallery show — at HERE Arts, 145 Sixth Ave., in Manhattan. In "The Woman I'm Afraid I'm Turning Into," Garrett photographed Abbi Crutchfield, Amy Schumer, Ann Carr, Becky Yamamoto, Carolyn Castiglia, Leah Dubie, Livia Scott, Mara Herron, Ophira Eisenberg, and Sherri Eldin, as well as herself and her co-producer ‚ÄúDr.‚Äù Lisa Levy. Levy, who ran a monthly show for the past 18 months at Comix called "Stand Up. Lie Down," performed in-depth psychoanalysis on each of the comedians as Garrett observed nearby, and drew upon those sessions for her inspiration in shooting the portraits. The exhibition also includes Levy's opinions in writing and video. ‚ÄúFascination and fear go hand in hand," Garrett explains. "Any idea is incomplete without also considering its complimentary opposite. In...