The Definitive Guide to Comedy
This is a special edition of Last Things First, recorded live during Clusterfest 2018 in San Francisco. Comedy Central was kind enough to ask me to host a series of Clusterfest panels for the media that they called fireside chats. In this session, I welcomed the Roastmaster himself, Jeff Ross, …
Comedy Central has sometimes leaned into stunt casting celebrities for its roasts. How else to explain “The Situation”? The situation for 2018’s upcoming Roast of Bruce Willis is much more legit, stacked with stars who either have gravitas and/or deep connections to the roastee of honor. Of course, Comedy Central …
The Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis is a go! Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who co-starred with Willis as a younger version of him in Looper, will serve as the celebrity Roastmaster for the event, which tapes July 14 in Los Angeles, and will premiere on Sunday, July 29, 2018, on Comedy …
“Have you ever seen a saxophone opening a stand up comedy set? I don’t think so. Anything can happen on Stand Up on the Spot!” Jeremiah Watkins, the host of Jeff Ross Presents Stand-Up On the Spot, made his entrance Tuesday night playing the sax while his sidekick, Avery Pearson, …
The Internet’s relentless, rigorous demand for content, combined with show business’s relentless, rigorous desire for cash money, has combined in 2017 to bestow us with a bounty of stand-up comedy hours and variety specials, as well as a rash of rankings by amateur and professional armchair critics alike. My two …
From door guy at The Comedy Store to winner of Roast Battle II, congrats to Frank Castillo. Castillo prevailed over Matthew Broussard in the live finale broadcast Sunday night on Comedy Central from the old House of Blues venue — reconfigured into a battle arena for Jeff Ross Presents Roast …
Seriously, though. I’ve only covered one Comedy Central Roast live in person, and that happened to be the 2011 Roast of Donald Trump, since he insisted it take place in Manhattan, instead of Southern California, where Comedy Central usually toasts its roast victims. Trump was a lousy guest of honor, …
While you’ve been enjoying the “Regionals” coverage of Roast Battles Sunday nights on Comedy Central, the series has announced the 16 stand-up comedians still in the running for the Roast Battle II title. Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle II will tape the head-to-head competitions with celebrity judges across the street …
Jason Zinoman is the comedy critic for The New York Times, and has written a new book about David Letterman which will come out April 2017 (pre-order Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night now!). But first, Zinoman joined me once again to close the book on 2016. Who was the Most …
There are two public sides to stand-up comedian Jeff Ross. There’s the “Roastmaster General” who takes on a different disguise each year for the Comedy Central roasts, turning the event into his own personal Halloween full of tricks and treats. For the Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe that aired …
