The Definitive Guide to Comedy
We saw a record number of hour-long stand-up comedy specials released on video in 2017. Were they all worth your time? Probably not. But I can recommend more than a few. A few dozen, in fact. These are the comedy specials from the year just passed that I’d watch with …
Before I deliver some hot, fresh episodes of my podcast, Last Things First, to ring in the new year, you really should check out my year-end episode with Jason Zinoman, the comedy critic for The New York Times. It’s our third annual celebration of the best moments and people in …
Danny Breen made his mark in front of the camera as a cast member for eight seasons on HBO’s sketch comedy series, Not Necessarily The News. But Breen also won multiple Emmys for his work behind the scenes on a producer for Ellen and The Wayne Brady Show. An alum of …
Nick Cannon’s decision to release a stand-up comedy special this year may have cost him his hosting gig on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, but have Cannon front his MTV Wild ‘N Out crew, and they can still fill arenas. And on one night last week, two arenas in two different cities …
Rose Marie, a vaudeville star at 3 and hit radio singer at 5, who performed opening night at Bugsy Siegel’s Flamingto resort in Las Vegas and is best known now for her co-starring role as TV comedy writer Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show, has died. She was …
Feral Audio, the podcast network founded by producer Dustin Marshall in 2012, is dissolving in the wake of abuse allegations against him by his ex-girlfriend. Musician Abby Weems posted this on her band Potty Mouth’s Twitter last week: https://twitter.com/pottymouthworld/status/943999966304911360 Marshall responded with a lengthy Tumblr post, in which he said …
It’s rather remarkable that most all of the funny nonagenarians profiled in this year’s HBO documentary, If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast, managed to make it through 2017 unscathed. But several other comedy legends passed away in 2017, old and not-so-old. Let us take one more look back …
When you think of spicy honey, you think of Todd Barry? I don’t know that I’d ever describe Barry’s comedic styling as sweet with fiery undertones, but that’s what he called his first Netflix stand-up special. Todd Barry: Spicy Honey. Instead: I’d call him sardonic. As I wrote in my …
For a third consecutive year, New York Times comedy critic Jason Zinoman has invited me into his home so we can tackle the year in comedy, but hopefully from a largely positive standpoint by focusing on the MVPs, the most valuable performers in comedy this year. In 2017, despite the …
Robert Kelly will make you seek out the fat riot cops in this funny performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Kelly has no time for bad friends at his age, and neither should you. Roll the clip!
