Day: June 15, 2011

Shaquille O'Neal may have finished out his All-Star NBA career by retiring following this season with the Boston Celtics, but the comedy doesn't stop with his Twitter feed and antics on shows such as Shaq Vs. or Jimmy Kimmel Live. After producing Shaq's All-Star Comedy Jams over the past three NBA All-Star Weekends (available on DVD and airing on Showtime), Shaq has upped the ante by announcing the launch of his first comedy jam tour — it kicks off Sept. 9, 2011, in Memphis, and will hit 20 different cities across America. "I'm happy to present this hand-picked lineup as the first Shaq All-Star tour," he said. AEG Live is producing the tour for Shaq Entertainment, with filming produced and distributed by Codeblack Entertainment for a "reality show" called All-Star Comedy Jam Backstage Pass. Tickets for the live shows go on sale June 17 via www.aeglive.com. Here's the full list of dates and locations: ALL-STAR COMEDY JAM DATES 2011     Date City Venue   September 9 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre   September 10 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall   September 16 New Haven, CT Shubert Performing Arts Center   September 17 New York, NY Best Buy Theater   September 23 Seattle, WA The Moore Theatre   September 24 San Diego, CA Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay   September 30 Richmond, VA Landmark Theater   October 1 Washington DC DAR Constitution Hall...

Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie, The Dictator (working production title, aka Finchley Dreams) filmed during daylight hours in New York City, so paparazzi shots captured SBC in much more of his "glory" than I could the other night in my neighborhood. Never you mind why he's in such a hurry. Important plot points about plates must not be spoiled! But what is going on with this look, exactly? Crocs with socks?! I suppose it's better than that lime green thong-th-thong-thong-thong thing he sported during his Borat phase. You be the judge.   via...

Congratulations go out to Boston's sketch/improv troupe Improv Asylum, who formally announced this week that they'd earned a weekly half-hour time-slot on the Boston ABC affiliate, WCVB-TV (Ch. 5). Improv Asylum's Vanity Project will debut Saturday nights at midnight starting July 2. The troupe also has a deal with boston.com, the Boston Globe's online home, to roll out a "First Look" version of the show on Thursdays. It won't be Boston's version of SNL, exactly. More like the best sketches and moments from the troupe, put to video. Which they're already doing on a regular basis as part of their live shows and on their YouTube Channel. For example, their "Oscar-winning Boston Movie." Says the Improv Asylum's Chet Harding: "We are thrilled to bring our fans more of our brand of comedy, and reach out to a huge market that may not have yet seen us at our theater. With viral hits like Oscar-Winning Boston Movie, Brady 9-1-1, Marathon Thoughts and The College Town, we know there is a demand for our material outside the walls of our theater." The troupe's co-owner Norm Laviolette's adds that they're "excited to be doing something in this market that has never been done before. And being Bostonians, we have the attitude that we don't need permission from New York or LA. We prefer to just do it ourselves." Should this prove successful,...