The Definitive Guide to Comedy
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, …
Some comedians don’t translate so well to online sketches, while others, such as Maria Bamford, seem made for the medium. Bamford’s Super Deluxe show allows her to bring her many voices to vivid life. It might take a couple of viewings to get used to her style. Or, if you’re …
Dane Cook rang in 2008 by performing an alleged record-setting seven — count ’em, 7! — seven hours of stand-up comedy on New Year’s Day at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood. As Cook himself wrote on his site: "I never sat down or left the stage. The show started with …
My first trip to the Comedy Cellar in 2008 turned out to be a good one, as Chris Rock walked in from the frigid night all bundled up in a parka and hat, ready to get back onstage and work out some material. Rock had just performed at Madison Square …
Some comedians already may have received word that they’ve gotten spots in the upcoming third season of Comedy Central’s Live At Gotham, but others still have to pass muster of the cable network’s scouts. Take tonight, for instance, in which stand-ups Nick Cobb, Rich Francese, Dena Blizzard, Luke Cunningham, Sean …
Early major market ratings reports from Nielsen, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter, show more people still turned to Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien — without striking writers — than to David Letterman and Craig Ferguson, who returned with a new contract with the WGA. Story here. As I wrote …
Hillary Clinton presented the cold open for David Letterman. Mike Huckabee provided plenty of time-killing filler for Jay Leno. Does that mean that the difference between Letterman and Leno really boils down to Democrat vs. Republican? It’s not that simple, although watching last night’s shows, you couldn’t help but think …
Late-night TV will definitely be worth watching tonight as David Letterman and Craig Ferguson return with their writers, while Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien return without theirs. Letterman has Robin Williams and Lupe Fiasco on tonight’s scheduled program. Jay Leno’s schedule includes Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, but his (Leno’s) …