The Definitive Guide to Comedy
By Caleb Synan Good comedians do stand-up every night. Sometimes a wedding, a broken-down car, or some other emergency can get in the way of this, but as a general rule, the good ones work more nights out of the year than they take off. That being said, doing 500 …
A decade ago, I recall sending in a VHS tape to Comedy Central HQ for what they called “Laugh Riots.” Oh, VHS. Oh, my own stand-up aspirations. Anyhow. Moving on, we all did. Comedy Central then presided over a similar contest called Open Mic Fights, which had comedians from different …
“It used to be the comics decided what they said, not the comic-book stores decided what they said!” — Neil Hamburger, adapting his decidedly “anti-comedy” set to the rules of “Set List,” the show that asks comedians to improvise stand-up based on what displays on screens behind them in front …
What Jealousy And Bitterness Can Do For Your Comedy Career By Andy Sanford Jealousy and bitterness exist in just about every pursuit, and especially artistic ones. I can only speak from a comedian’s perspective, but I’ve watched it ruin people. I believe that if you are going to pursue stand-up …
Crowd work, in the hands of a lesser comic, is a crutch to kill time while making the audience feel like it’s part of the act. In the hands of an insult comic, the crowd serves a slightly more vital yet just as gimmicky role. Who are you? What do …
The following is a petition founded by stand-up comedian Judah Friedlander, whom you have seen on TV (30 Rock), in movies, and live in a comedy club near you. Welcome to DontDropTheChecksDuringTheShow.org This is The World Champion Judah Friedlander. I’m a comedian. I love comedy clubs. But I hate “The …
Is 2013 the year that every famous comedian decided to get back into stand-up, or does it just seem that way? There’s definitely something in the water enticing them all to wade back into the scene. Just in the past couple of weeks, we’ve heard word of the first stand-up …
Sinbad sees what Kevin Hart’s stand-up concert films have done at the box-office in the past two years, and he’d like to be in the new wave of stand-up specials to be special enough to be seen on the big screen. Too soon? Too cute? Regardless, it’s happening as sure …
There’s more than a little bit of myth-building going on right from the start of Kevin Hart’s newest stand-up comedy concert film. But when you open with $17.4 million at the box office over the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend, who will argue when what’s mythic suddenly appears to …
Comedy Central has ordered NerdMelt’s flagship stand-up variety comedy showcase to series, greenlighting more episodes of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. Kent Alterman, Comedy Central’s original programming chief, said in the release: “I’m shocked to learn this show will be taped in the back of a comic book store, rather …
