The Definitive Guide to Comedy
Just finished watching my advance copy of Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, which debuts tonight at 8 p.m. on HBO (re-airing several Tuesday, Friday and several other times this month), and I’ve got to say, it’s great that director John Landis took the time to get this documentary done …
Some comedians get accused of not having punchlines. So what to make of Kathy Griffin? In one word: Snark. Jerry Seinfeld got and understood Griffin almost a decade ago when he included her in two episodes of his sitcom Seinfeld. She likes to mock celebrities. If you engage her, that …
I got excited seeing this listing on MSNBC that Tim Russert would interview Steve Martin. So I’m halfway through watching it (the show re-airs at 6 p.m. today, 2 a.m. and noon Sunday on MSNBC) and feel stymied because Russert isn’t even really trying to interview Martin. It’s more like, …
This video is silly and not at all safe for work (profanity), but it does show that Blake Lewis has a sense of humor after American Idol, as well as a sense of Seattle-area camaraderie with comedians Kyle Cease, Bob Bledsoe, Tracy Tuffs and others. Even if they’re all Hollywood …
Now that I’ve had a chance to rest and gather my thoughts, a few things still left to be said about The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. For one thing, I’m still not really sure what Ellen DeGeneres was trying to accomplish with "Ellen’s Really Big Show" at Caesars Palace. …
Just got back from a family vacation to Walt Disney World outside of lovely Orlando, Fla. They say it’s difficult for a single guy my age to meet women at Disney World, but I met plenty of them. And their kids. And their husbands. Fun times. Actually. Disney World does …
As you can see on my home page, I already highly recommend you buy and read Steve Martin’s new memoir, "Born Standing Up," if you have any inclination at all in learning what it takes and what it means to be a stand-up comedian. The back cover of my copy …
The last time many American audiences saw Eddie Izzard perform stand-up, he was wearing a dress and makeup. Ah, the life of a cross-dressing straight transvestite. Or is that redundant? Well, at least we know it’s not drag, as Izzard explained to reporters before his sold-out performance Saturday night at …
After electrifying the Las Vegas audience with his extended introductory performance of "So F–king Rock," Tim Minchin said this was his first time in America. Well. Not quite. I’d seen Minchin earlier this year when he wowed the crowds in Aspen. "Aspen’s not America, really," Minchin told me backstage after …
Through methods not entirely spelled out — although, really, anything associated with the late Andy Kaufman should go without any easy explanations — eight comedians from across America got invites to Las Vegas to perform in front of Kaufman’s dad, Stanley, and his manager, George Shapiro, for the coveted award …