Showalter vs. Miller: On the art of the diss

The following comedy lesson is brought to you by Michael Showalter, The Slipper Room, the F train and Road Runner Internet service… Comedians make fun of each other all the time. Most of the time, however, the comedian poking fun and the target of the poking are good friends and …

Eddie Izzard, in the moment

Got the chance Saturday night to catch Eddie Izzard’s final workshop performance in New York City before he launches a spring tour, his first in five years. So glad I got to see Izzard again. Thanks, Max! Izzard emerges without an opener or even an intro. Talk about your cold …

Matt Kirshen on hecklers

Matt Kirshen was in New York City last week (turns out he was supposed to tape Live At Gotham, but something happened with his paperwork?). Kirshen helped out fellow Last Comic Standing finalist Amy Schumer on a benefit show at Gotham, and also dropped in at Rififi on Friday night. …

Inside Joke with Zach Galifianakis

Standing room only for last week’s Inside Joke, which featured Zach Galifianakis. After an opening bit from Dave Hill about Osama bin Laden and an elephant of the same name, it was time for the show, and your host Carl Arnheiter. The title, Inside Joke, may clue you in to …

Review: Gerry Red Wilson benefit

If the lineup for the 7th annual Gerry Red Wilson Foundation comedy benefit didn’t warn me, then the crowd waiting outside Town Hall on March 5 should have…as much as the comedians onstage wanted to celebrate and honor their late friend, the audience in the seats wanted jokes about sex …

The NY Post “rediscovers” comedy

The New York Post has two staffers who double as stand-up comedians, and one regular freelancer who writes about comedy, and yet, they felt like publishing this two-page piece about New York City’s "underground" comedy scene. What? The? Insert Your Own Expletive? Did this story start as something else entirely, …

Comedy nerd fight! Shecky vs. AST

The interview with AST’s isoS that I referenced a couple of days ago has sparked an online kerfuffle between Shecky Magazine and the AST. First, Shecky called Matt Belknap’s description of comedic motivations "moronic." That certainly prompted some comments. And then a thread on AST that bashed Shecky back. Comedy …

This week’s comedic late-night guests

The late-night TV talkers are back in action this week, so let’s take a look at which comedians and comedic actors will be making the rounds, shall we? David Letterman…Monday: Jim Carrey; Wednesday: Lewis Black; Friday: Brian Regan Conan O’Brien…Thursday: Harland Williams Jay Leno…Tuesday: Bob Saget; Wednesday: Bill Cosby; Thursday: …