'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
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Craig Ferguson on How Awkward it Was to Joke About Letterman's Sex Scandal (VIDEO)
Every once in a while, comedians just need to cut loose in the only format that really lets them do it still: The stage. 'Craig Ferguson: Does This Need to Be Said?' (Sat., 10PM ET on Comedy Central) allowed 'The Late Late Show' host to do just that.One of the topics he talked about was the awkward situation David Letterman put him in by having a sex scandal.
"Now the job is make fun of the people who are caught in the sex scandal, but in this case it was my boss," he explained. "Now I have to do the joke, but I'd quite like to keep the f****** job!"
'My Boys' Star Jamie Kaler Nearly Kills A Woman With Laughter (VIDEO)
Jamie Kaler's show, the underrated TBS sitcom 'My Boys,' was canceled, but luckily, he has a stand-up comedy career to fall back on. Now Kaler is back on stage with a vengeance. Do you think he blames his audiences for 'My Boys' low ratings? At a recent show at the Columbus Funny Bone, Kaler literally caused a woman to laugh so hard she began choking (see video below). It was so severe, the comedian noticed her from stage and says, "No, she's not joking." That prompted others to give the choking victim the Heimlich maneuver. Nothing popped out of her throat and everyone realized she was only laughing. Very hard.
Patton Oswalt's new comedy special is coming
Back in February, Patton Oswalt headed to DC to record his new comedy special, My Weakness Is Strong. It's set to air on Comedy Central on Sunday night (that's the 23rd, you lazy bum), with the CD/DVD coming out two days later. If you can't hang on that long, just hop on iTunes, where his album is already rapidly climbing up the charts, currently sitting at #3 and making the likes of Reba McEntire weep Internet-tears.I was lucky enough to be in attendance when Oswalt taped his special, and I was not disappointed. Since I returned home that evening so many months ago, I have been thinking about the DVD, quietly praying and hoping that the cameras did not catch me wiping tears from my eyes or awkwardly leaning too close to the person sitting next to me as I laughed. Excuse me, I have a surly image to maintain.
The comedic stylings of Sayid Jarrah! - VIDEO
Even if we've gone way beyond life on the island - with the plots literally weaving through space, time, and place - there was surely a moment when the characters on Lost got tired of swimming and putt-putt. Amid destruction and death, even the survivors of Oceanic 815 surely needed a laugh now and then, which gave Sayid - who apparently moonlights as a stand-up comic when not being awesome with guns and roundhouse kicks - the chance to demonstrate his comic chops for his new friends.Chris Rock to do his fifth HBO special in September - TCA Report
Chris Rock is returning to HBO! The network announced today at TCA that the comedian would premiere his fifth stand-up special this fall. The special will feature footage from three locations: South Africa's Carnival City Casino, New York's Apollo Theater, and the Carling Apollo Hammersmith in London. Of the return to HBO, Chris Rock says, "I wanted to do that type of stand-up special that I've never seen before, and the only place that I could see doing that is at HBO. I love HBO because they want to take chances." Also of note is that Rock set the Guinness World Record on the No Apologies Tour by playing to crowds of 15,900 at Greenwich's O2 venue. That's the largest audience for stand-up comedy performance in British history.
I'm psyched that Chris Rock will be returning to HBO. He's on the few comedians whose performance I can watch from beginning to end and not get bored. Ever.
Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger will debut on Saturday, September 27th at 9:00 p.m. ET / PT on HBO.
George Carlin dead at 71
Wow. I just got in from a very, very late flight from Denver, and the early-morning newscasts hit me with this wallop: my favorite comedian, George Carlin, passed away last night. On Sunday, he admitted himself into a local Santa Monica hospital, complaining of chest pains, and ended up dying that evening of heart failure. He was 71.Carlin, of course, is most famous for the 1970s comedy routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV." It was a bit which not only got radio stations that played it in trouble with the FCC, leading to landmark First Amendment and decency rulings by the Supreme Court, but he was also arrested in Milwaukee on indecency charges after doing the routine on stage there.
Last Comic Standing: Audience Vote Round #2
(S05E12) I can't help myself, I just need to blurt out tonight's winner: Doug Benson!You almost thought I posted a pre-jump spoiler, didn't you? Admit it, you were sharpening your commenter fingers just ready to eviscerate me for ruining the show!
Well, I did no such thing. The only person who is ruining this show for you people is Bill Bellamy, and that's the way it's gonna stay!
Let's get on with the review...
A couple bits o' comedy news
Do you like comedy? Sure, we all do. If you especially like your comedy in written and audio form, these two news items should have you clapping your hands and doing the happy dance:
First, that Comedy Death Ray CD I mentioned earlier will be out on September 12. The 150-minute CD, comprised of sets recorded during the all-night fourth anniversary Comedy Death Ray show at the UCB theater and sets from the SF Sketchfest, will feature such comedians as Patton Oswalt (King of Queens, Comedians of Comedy), Maria Bamford (Comedians of Comedy), David Cross (Mr. Show, Arrested Development), Paul F. Tompkins (Mr. Show, Best Week Ever), Doug Benson (Best Week Ever, Last Comic Standing), Brian Posehn (Mr. Show, Comedians of Comedy, Just Shoot Me, The Sarah Silverman Program), Neil Hamburger (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job), and many more.
Last Comic Standing: Challenge Round #3
(S05E10) In a lot of ways, writing my reviews of LCS each week has been very easy. By hating the mindless format, the useless judges, the stupid challenges, the lousy editing, and the dearth of stand-up comedy, I was able to construct a pretty flawless template for each of my reviews: start with a thousand words or so about why one of the things I hated was so horrible, then review the comedy while commenting on how little of it there was, and finish up with a look at what was going to be terrible next week. Hate, apparently, fuels productivity; I could bang out two thousand words an episode like I was a goth kid writing about popular jocks on my blog.Tonight is different, though. I can't do it. I'm at a loss for words. I... actually liked an episode of Last Comic Standing!
Louis CK can do anything - VIDEO
Do a search for my name on this blog and it becomes clear I have a nerdish obsession with animation. One of the things I love so much about it is that there are no boundaries whatsoever: a character can swallow a fork, get shot in the face, and decapitated by helicopter blades and still bounce back as if nothing happened. The only person in real life who could do that is Jesus Christ, and even He needed to rest for a few days afterward.
A series from Hurwitz and Oswalt? Perhaps.
Most folks probably know comedian Patton Oswalt as Spence on the recently-departed King of Queens, but us comedy fans have known him for even longer as a very funny man who stands up and does comedy. He was the mastermind behind the Comedians of Comedy tour, and he's done voice work for a few Adult Swim series, including Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Also, he plays the lead role in the upcoming Pixar flick, Ratatouille.
Celebrate Christmas with Larry the Cable Guy
Soon, Larry the Cable Guy will be as synonymous with Christmas as Frosty and Rudolph.
Okay, perhaps not, but the redneck comedian is hosting a Christmas special on VH1 this year. Mr. Cable Guy will co-executive produce the musical/comedy special, a twisted take on the old Andy Williams Christmas specials. In fact, one of the musical guests they hope to get is Andy Williams himself. Hint: check Branson, MO.
I'll admit I've never been a fan of Larry the Cable Guy, though I certainly don't fault anyone who can find success with whatever brand of comedy they choose. Still, a Larry the Cable Guy Christmas special with guests like Andy Williams and Tony Orlando makes me wonder exactly what the demographic VH1 is going for these days. Whatever it is, I'm not it.
The special will most likely air sometime in early December. It tapes in Las Vegas this August.
Rock and Seinfeld to co-host Comedy Festival
The third annual Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, which is presented by HBO and sponsored by TBS, kicks off November 14 and runs through November 17. This year, the event is being co-headlined by Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock.
Currently, the only other comedians listed on the site are Nick Swardson and Jamie Kennedy, but one assumes that, given the insane number of comedians who performed over the last couple of years (Dane Cook, Roseanne Barr, Louis C.K., Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Dave Atell, Sarah Silverman, Don Rickles, Bob Saget and others), we'l' be seeing more comedians added to the event. We do have until November, after all.
At least one special has sprung up via the Comedy Festival. TBS aired Earth to America! a comedic special about global warming that opened the festival in 2005.
Dave Chappelle does a six-hour stand-up routine
Dave Chappelle is back on the stage after his departure from Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show in 2005. On Sunday night, he took the stage at Los Angeles' Laugh Factory for six hours and seven minutes! Not much is known about what he said or did, but the owner of the joint says the audience was howling with laughter the entire time.Earlier this month, unfunny "comedian" Dane Cook set the Laugh Factory record for endurance at three hours, 50 minutes. The previous record was held by Richard Pryor, who was on stage for two hours, 41 minutes back in 1980. Does anyone else think Chappelle was trying to stick it to Cook for busting Pryor's record? I sure as hell hope so.
Hear a snippet from Joe Rogan's new comedy album
This link is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. Notice I didn't use the standard internet abbreviation "NSFW," because I didn't want some benighted person in an office thinking, "'Not Suitable For Winger?' That has nothing to do with me, I was never in that band, and I don't even like the song 'Seventeen.' Everything about that acronym tells me to click that link."
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