Day: November 24, 2010

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC recently held auditions for its "Maude" sketch teams, and via mass email, let everyone know they'd decided to expand Maude nights on Mondays to include eight teams come January 2011. Before you think this post is too NYC-centric, just remember this: the UCB's sketch teams already and continue to include writers and performers that you also can see wherever you have a TV on shows such as, oh, Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, as well as plenty of commercial advertisements. Here are the new rosters, with notations as described from the UCB's mass email. Also note that several new teams have been given "starter names" straight out of Scooby-Doo. Welcome members of Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma! (NEW MAUDE NIGHT WRITERS/PERFORMERS ARE IN ALL-CAPS) (**Maude Night Writer/Performers Who Changed Teams Are Starred**) THUNDER GULCH – FIRST SHOW 1/10/11WRITERS:**Celeste Ballard**Kerry McGuireMatt PavlovichChris Schell & Alex ScordelisBrett WhiteChristopher Wilkes ACTORS:Rob CuthillCody LindquistMichael MartinLeslie MeiselShannon O'NeillZhubin Parang VELMA (starter name) – FIRST SHOW 1/10/11 WRITERS:JASON FLOWERSMARY IAMPIETROANDREW LAWDAN MCINERNEYALISON RICHMATT STARR ACTORS:NICOLE BYERAMY HEIDT**John Milhiser**ALISON RICHSTEPHEN SOROKAABRA TABAK GRAMP'S – FIRST SHOW 1/17/11WRITERS:Jesse AciniDamian ChadwickAlex KaneRachael MasonRory PanagotopulosEli Terry ACTORS:Jen BartelsEddie DunnDON FANELLIKate McKinnonRory PanagotopulosNoah Plener FRED (starter name) – FIRST SHOW 1/17/11WRITERS:EMILY ALTMANBENJAMIN APPLEFRANK HEJLDRAKE MILLERJASON SAENZMIKE SCOLLINS ACTORS:**Lauren Adams****Sue Galloway****Fran Gillespie**FRANK HEJL**Corey Johnson****Ben Rameaka** STONE COLD FOX – FIRST SHOW 1/24/11WRITERS:Evan...

Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times caught this screen cap at the very very end of last night's Tonight Show with Jay Leno — hey, look, it's musical guest Kevin Eubanks! But there it is, if you didn't blink and miss it, the small print reads: "Last night's Taylor Swift montage provided by Rich Juzwiak of fourfour.typepad.com and Kate Spencer of thefablife.com" Juzwiak told the NYT today that getting credit after the fact is a better outcome for him than had he gotten the mention upfront, saying: ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs preferable just in the sense that it gets me more attention,‚Äù Juzwiak said. ‚ÄúA lot more people cared. I feel like a few people would have high-fived me on Twitter if they had seen this thing go down. This reached people who don‚Äôt care about Jay Leno whatsoever, who weren‚Äôt watching his show any way.‚Äù Previously: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno knowingly ripped off Vh1 bloggers with Taylor Swift video montage. As a TypePad member myself, I applaud Rich Juzwiak for getting due credit for himself and...

The ECNY Awards are back for a seventh year, and this time around, the New York comedy community can have even more of a say in who gets honored for his/her/their work in 2010. That's because the ECNYs have added four new categories: Best Podcast, Best Comedy Event (one-off special show), Best Storyteller, and Best New Category. Best New Category? On the ECNY nomination form, open until Dec. 19, 2010, it says quite plainly: "Nominate Your Own Category…And Nominee." So for all of you comedians and comedy fans who think the ECNYs are overlooking part of the scene, this is your chance to fill in that blank. Returning categories include: Best Female Stand-Up Comedian; Best Male Stand-Up Comedian; Best Sketch Comedy Group; Best Host; Best Improv Group; Best Musical Comedy Act (Solo or Group); Best One Person Show; Best Comedic Video (Short or Series); Best Variety Show; Best Website; Best Book; Best Technician; Best Flyer or Postcard Design; The Emerging Comic Award; Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Tweeting.  Awards will be handed out in March 2011 at the 92Y Tribeca. New venue! So be thankful for what you've seen and heard this year, and nominate someone you...