The Definitive Guide to Comedy
A reliable source informed me that these are your first five comedians advancing to the finals of the 2008 New York’s Funniest Stand-Up contest: Nate Bargatze, Esther Ku, Julian McCullough, Stone & Stone, Reese Waters They’ll join five others who advance from tonight’s semifinal competition at Stand-Up NY. Finals Nov. …
Here are your 32 semifinalists, listed in no particular order (so don’t expect this to be your slot in the lineup), for the 2008 competition to find New York’s Funniest Stand-Up, part of the New York Comedy Festival. Five comedians advance from each group to the finals, Nov. 5, at …
For the second consecutive year, Carolines and the New York Comedy Festival will stage a contest to determine the city’s funniest stand-up comedian. What you need to know? The open call for New York’s Funniest Stand-Up runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Wednesday (Oct. 21-22) at Carolines, …
It’s about time. Seriously. I long have wondered why Comedy Central had not done more to cement its branding as the central place for all things comedy, so today’s announcement by the cable network that it has created a live entertainment division sounds like positive news. The network, of course, …
The New York Comedy Festival today announced it has entered a multi-year partnership deal with Comedy Central, which means Caroline Hirsch’s annual celebration of big-name comedy in the Big Apple now will get a bigger TV presence. The deal includes an annual Comedy Central special, and perhaps more. So the …
Sometimes you really should see the Upright Citizens Brigade in the UCB Theatre. Particularly if you’re talking about ASSSSCAT, the improv show that features UCB founders Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh and all-star guests. This past Sunday night, the show moved to Irving Plaza’s Fillmore to …
Artie Lange told me just a couple of weeks ago how happy he is doing comedy since he joined the Howard Stern show. I wish I could say the same about attempting to watch him perform in front of a Town Hall crowd full of Stern listeners. Imagine hundreds of …
Back in August, I said that Louis CK had developed an even funnier hour of stand-up than he’d displayed in his most recent HBO special, Shameless. Anyone who saw CK perform Thursday night at Town Hall witnessed it firsthand. CK told me in August that developing the new hour has …
Charlie Murphy started doing stand-up comedy about 20 years after his younger brother, Eddie. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Eddie tasted superstardom success at an early age. For older brother Charlie, now 48, he’s just getting his taste of it, post-Chappelle’s Show (Murphy performs Friday-Saturday at Carolines as part of …
Damon Wayans always seems to be getting back into the game, and this week is no different. The native New Yorker popped in to the Comedy Cellar on Wednesday night for a surprise half-hour set, telling me afterward: "I’ve got to get ready for the big show." That big show …