The Definitive Guide to Comedy
In a live conversation on Tuesday’s episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, host Colbert looked forward to sitting down with guest Keegan-Michael Key to talk about his new movie, Don’t Think Twice, because it’s rooted in improv comedy. Of course, Colbert, like Key, got his start at The …
The annual Del Close Marathon brings the founders of the Upright Citizens Brigade together along with thousands of performers from around the world, celebrating their late improv guru Del Close by improvising comedy shows around the clock for a three-day-and-night weekend. In its 18th year, the UCB4 – Amy Poehler, …
An update to my story from last month rounding up the comings and goings of comedy clubs around America… The Atlanta franchise in the Improv comedy club chain reports today that it has found a new home in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood north of the city. Atlanta Improv representatives told …
Robert Kelly plays the Heathens drummer Bam Bam on Denis Leary’s FX series, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, which begins its second season this Thursday, and popularized the double-meal deal, Bang Bang, playing Louis CK’s brother Bobby on the award-winning FX series, Louie. He hilariously chastised me for combining the two things, Bam Bam! …
Mike Birbiglia’s winning movie about an improv comedy group, Don’t Think Twice, will get a nationwide theatrical run this summer, starting July 22, 2016, in New York City, and preceded by a 20-city “Improv Across America” bus tour complete with free improv workshops. Don’t Think Twice premiered in March at SXSW, …
South By Southwest has filled out its 2016 feature film slate for SXSW, and a Robert Klein documentary directed by Klein himself will round out a comedy bill that’s quite meta. Last year, hit flicks Trainwreck and Spy both made their world premieres in Austin for SXSW. For 2016, the comedy movies …
Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer host the popular weekly comedy showcase Crash Test at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles, and for one epic night, they took Crash Test on the road – hosting the show from a tour bus along the streets of Hollywood. Their Crash Test: With Rob …
PLEASE GO TO MY NEWLY CREATED COMEDY FESTIVALS FOR A MORE TIMELESS LISTING OF ALL OF THE CURRENT FESTS Almost nine years ago now, the seeds of The Comic’s Comic firmly planted themselves into my brain during a blizzard of snow and laughs in Aspen, Colo. Back then, you had …
Ali Farahnakian is living the American comedy dream. Born in Iran and raised in North Carolina, Ali moved to Chicago after college and fell right in with The Second City, improv Olympic and the teachings of Del Close and Charna Halpern. Saying “Yes, And” to life led him to becoming …
When Viola Davis accepted her Emmy Award last night for Outstanding Lead Actress in a TV drama series, she said: “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You can’t win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” Powerful, moving words. Even more …
