The Definitive Guide to Comedy
Some club owners rely on "bringer" shows, requiring comedians to bring paying audience members with them to ensure a decent turnout. Here’s another way: Book 50 comedians for your show and they’ll fill the room themselves. Heck, why not make it 70?! That’s not quite what was in the mindset …
An overflowing crowd — 320 crammed in the main room, standing room only watching on closed circuit from the bar — filled Comix last night to witness a touch of Saturday Night Live and raise money for the Writers Guild of America in their ongoing strike. Host Jason Sudeikis (Strike …
Jon Stewart returned with a unibrow and a title change: A Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He had a Cornell professor in labor relations on as his guest to talk about the WGA strike. Twas all about the strike. Stephen Colbert had no intro for his intro and no words …
Aziz Ansari has switched his blog to the newfangled hippity hoppity Tumblr format. Today we learn that Human Giant will have a best-of highlights reel from last year’s 24-hour MTV marathon included in its Season 1 DVD package that comes out March 4. That includes musical guests Mastodon, Ted Leo, …
Whom do you prefer? Are they the same thing? I’ve often told friends and acquaintances that I much prefer associating with, hanging around and talking to comedians rather than actual people. As if comedians are not actual people. Well, they’re not. At least when you spend half of your life …
While everyone was talking about Leno and Kimmel agreeing to go on each other’s shows to break the strike, or wondering how Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert would come back on the air, or buzzing about the return of The L Word, or how The Wire is the greatest show …
Comedy Central is promoting its new season of half-hour Comedy Central Presents specials by asking its participating comedians with whom they are feuding. Here, Michael Showalter playfully takes on Human Giant for not recognizing The State as their greatest comedic influence. In jest, perhaps. But Showalter sure doesn’t take all …
I mentioned seeing Chris Rock at the Comedy Cellar the other night, and while yes, that twas a highlight, twas not the only light sparkling on Jan. 2 in the basement of a beloved Greenwich Village restaurant. Mike DeStefano, whom I met a year ago in Aspen and immediately noticed …
So let me get this straight. Jay Leno writes his own jokes the first night, claiming it’s OK, when he probably knew that it wasn’t, gets a talking-to from the striking Writers Guild to remind him that he’s a Writers Guild member, too, and cannot perform writing functions such as, …