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Jim Gaffigan would like you to see this. British television, whomever they are, think otherwise. I'm not even sure British television exists after watching this clip, but I certainly know that Jim Gaffigan exists, because I've seen him and talked to him and maybe even touched him. But don't quote me on that. Instead, just watch this interview about his upcoming summer "Sexy Tour" with Comedy Central.
A columnist at the Minneapolis Star Tribune weighed in today on the reality behind "reality" TV show Last Comic Standing, which begins its sixth season on May 22. That's right. The sixth season. A little late for a journalist to get around to figuring out what's really going on with the show. Especially since we already knew from the very beginning that NBC casts this as a TV show, and not as a search for the funniest stand-up comedian. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The funniest comedians don't need Last Comic Standing, because they already have enough exposure and certainly don't want to have to compete against each other (though that still would make for a very intriguing show), so this is more aptly thought of as the Search For The Next Comedian We Can Turn Into A Household Name, Or At Least Make Some Money From Them. Producers always have the first and last say on who made the cut each season. And all of those thousands of wannabes who stood in lines for hours each winter would see that the only times their linemates made the TV show were to be made fun of -- for all of the comedians with agents and managers bypassed the open call lines for timed auditions. This is and always has been the case.
We can start at the very beginning, in summer 2003, with host Jay Mohr and that first season's runner-up, Ralphie May. Anyone who had seen Mohr in a comedy club the previous year or on TV had also likely seen May, because the "contestant" toured with Mohr as his opening act and worked with him on his short-lived Mohr Sports on ESPN in 2002. Mohr's other opening act, K.P. Anderson, and his traveling friend, Walter Gause, also served as writers and producers on both Mohr Sports and the initial Mohr-hosted seasons of LCS. Which may put Dat Phan's surprise win into a different context for you. Or not.
Either way, Barry Katz has managed Mohr and several of the LCS contestants over the years, all while running the show. So there's that to keep in mind.
In the second season, when comedians and the industry realized that the show was enough of a hit to actually mean something for their careers, many more turned out to compete. And the small print that tells "astute viewers" of the power of the producers actually made it into the televised footage when celebrity judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler complained when their picks (including Dan Naturman) didn't make it into the LCS finalist house.
The third season, albeit bungled in the end by behind-the-scenes politics at NBC that sidetracked the finale, simultaneously revealed a great perk of prime-time TV, as the comedians began touring clubs across the country during the season in groups of three or more, and producers realized they could package tours for LCS comics. This practice continued in the fall and winter after season four, and then season five saw the final five LCS comedians get a national club and theater tour.
So we all should know the drill by now. Any professional comedian knows to weigh the potential cons (getting yelled at by a celebrity judge or edited to look like a villain) against the much bigger potential benefits (getting promoted from a club feature or showcase comedian to a national headliner, along with the elevated profile and merchandise sales and TV/film opportunities that come to anyone with prolonged exposure on prime-time network television) of trying out for Last Comic Standing. And that's why, each season, if you look closely during each city's callback audition performance shows, you'll be surprised at the veteran headlining talent that appears among the faces waiting for their names to be called from the stage.
But from the beginning to now, it's never simply been about finding the funniest comedian around. It's been about making a TV show that people want to watch and talk about the next morning (and now blog about). And that's just the reality of it.
Comedy Central is celebrating the upcoming fourth season (fourth season!) of Mind of Mencia with an hourlong special this Sunday for Mr. Ned Holness, aka Carlos Mencia. Here are a few preview clips the network made available of Mencia's "orginal" and "unique" comedy stylings. The special, "Carlos Mencia: Performance Enhanced," debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday.
First up, Mencia "tells it like it is" about his feelings on Islamic roles for women vs. their control over men.
After the jump, two more clips.
Continue reading "Preview: Carlos Mencia, "Performance Enhanced"" »
Ever wonder what's really going on inside a comedian's head? Will Franken often lets those inner voices out to play, and in "Side Two of Abbey Road", he tells his life story and his comedy story by wrapping it in and around the Beatles tunes from the final side of their final album. Franken himself says it best near the end of his 12th and final podcast in his series: "Oh, c'mon. This is too many layers. They're never going to get this!" If you listen to the whole thing, though, or if you've seen Franken live before, perhaps it'll make a lot more sense. Oh, and it's got some NSFW language and content. Just so you know.
For proof of the ridiculousness of Gelmania, Brett Gelman's Wednesday night showcase that replaced Invite Them Up at Rififi, please allow me to enter this video clip as evidence...Gelman leads Dave Hill, Eric Drysdale and Neil Casey as SMOOCH, the KISS tribute band that unfortunately had their instruments and costumes stolen an hour before the show. They did manage to get their makeup right, though! So the show must go on, and onward they go with this little rendition of the KISS song, "Deuce." Enjoy.
More than 480,000 views and counting since Sub Pop Records put this little ditty on the YouTube on Tuesday...it's "Ladies of the World," by Flight of the Conchords. The song comes from the New Zealand duo's self-titled record, which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts. In week two, it dipped only to #17, and on the May 24 chart list, it's still hanging around at #46.
Earlier: CD and tour info.
Carolyn Castiglia pointed this out today, and her words of explanation are good enough for me to simply repeat them here without additional comment: "It's a social networking site for comics. But it looks like it was made in the 80's out of throw-up."
Couldn't help but notice last night that Rififi, the East Village hotspot for comedy fans that survives death rumors every few months or so, looked a bit spiffier on the inside and the outside. There's a new bright light sign so passing pedestrians can see that there's something going on.
Fliers promote a Monday night open mic for musicians and poets, as well as a Tuesday night comedy showcase hosted by Kenny Zimlinghaus. That's in addition to Gelmania, the Wednesday night shebang that's admirably filled the gap left behind by Invite Them Up with ridiculous themed nights (last night, host Brett Gelman had Dave Hill, Eric Drysdale and Neil Casey backing him in makeup as SMOOCH, a KISS tribute band), Totally J/K on Thursdays, the Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy Show on Fridays, and Barrett and Goldman Present on Saturdays. Burlesque continues on Sundays, and new fliers also promote a late-night dance party on Fridays.
So the next time you so-called "hipsters" find yourselves outside 332 East 11th Street and say, hey, is there something going on in there? Yes. Yes, there is. Rififi remains open for business.
The end of another season of NBC's 30 Rock brought out more than a few new interviews with comedian Judah Friedlander, who not only plays a writer on the show but also writes an official NBC blog in character and contributes his own customized hats for each episode. Here's a chitty chat with a Philadelphia site, with the New York Observer, with Comedy Central Insider, and with the Neighborbee Blog. All very nice and positive pieces, to be sure. But the Comedy Central interview, in particular, dips its toes into tricky waters -- albeit unknowingly, it seems -- by referencing a recent 30 Rock plotline about professional jealousy and asking Friedlander about joke stealing. And here is how Friedlander replied: That has happened before, but I never stole anyone's bit. I've had some people come up to me and say, "That's so and so's," but I would always talk to that so and so in question, and they'd say, "No, that isn't mine at all."
The follow-up question could have, would have, should have been, oh, Judah, are you referring to how Saturday Night Live's Penelope character (played by Kristen Wiig) essentially does the same one-upsmanship conversation trickery that's a major part of your crowd work and "world champion of the world" routine? When I saw the first Penelope sketch, I thought that Friedlander had something to do with it. He didn't. You can watch and judge for yourselves.
Video of Judah Friedlander at the Comic Strip Live in NYC a couple of years ago:
Video of SNL's Penelope in her most recent appearance in March 2008:
Eugene Mirman spent some extra time last weekend in the Boston area, not only catching up with old friends but also filming a documentary about his life (thus explaining Michael Showalter following him with a video camera). Mirman told me that process will culminate next year when he travels back to his native Russia and performs a comedy show there.
In the meantime...Mirman's on a brief national tour -- Stand-Uppity -- with Marc Maron and Andy Kindler. Buy tickets for Sunday in Portland, Ore., May 20 in San Francisco, or May 22 in Los Angeles.
His weekly Sunday night show with Showalter at Union Hall, Tearing the Veil of Maya, most likely will take a month off, he tells me, returning in July to coincide with their (and the venue's) 2-year anniversary. Last year's first anniversary bash filled the upstairs and the bocce courts with guest performances by Todd Barry, Janeane Garofalo and David Cross. And don't fret, comedy fans. Union Hall doesn't appear to be closing anytime soon, despite an odd campaign to revoke its liquor license by a competing bar owner?! A community board meeting last night at Brooklyn's Borough Hall supported Union Hall.
So you want to be on the new version of The Gong Show with Dave Attell this summer on Comedy Central, do you? Well, then, you might want to know how to go about doing that. The open call specifically cites NBC's America's Got Talent as "too tame" and seeks the most unusual, absurd, bizarre, twisted and unique performers around. Sound like you?
You can email your name, phone number, type of act plus links and/or videos showcasing your act to gongshowcasting@aol.com.
You can send that info via regular mail to: The Gong Show c/o Hedda Muskat -- Casting Producer, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.
Or you can call 310-840-5721 and register for one of three open call auditions, where you'll get 1 minute to impress the casting scouts (they note they will have a "boom box" (now that's a phrase I haven't thought of typing anytime this century) for your CD playback needs):
May 19, Las Vegas (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at The V Theatre inside Planet Hollywood, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South
May 22, New York City (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton St.
May 24, Los Angeles (time not specified) at 10601 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City
David and Chris Walsh, brothers from Charlestown, Mass., known as, well, The Walsh Brothers, returned home last week from Los Angeles to perform at the inaugural AltCom fest. And they brought the show home early and large with this rendition of their proposed theme song for the Fung Wah bus company, backed by The Grownup Noise. My apologies for jumping into the song halfway through.
Myq Kaplan and Micah Sherman opened both shows at last weekend's inaugural AltCom fest in Somerville, Mass., with their harmonious rendition of the Comedians National Anthem. Here's how it looked and sounded from the wings Saturday night. Enjoy. Oh, it's also NSFW. Unless you're NBC's NYC news anchor Sue Simmons. Of course.
Soap opera comedies are all the rage in 2008, aren't they? We saw the first season of "Horrible People" earlier this year online at My Damn Channel. But how about a live production? That's where the cast of "Wasp Cove" enters the picture. They'll put on a show for you about estranged sisters in Connecticut, thanks to creators Julie Klausner and Rachel Shukert. The cast also includes David Rakoff, Chris Caniglia, Megan Stern, Ryan Karels and Jodi Lennon. First show is May 19 at Comix. Future episodes at the club on June 16 and July 28. Here's the opening credit montage to get you interested...just follow the crosses?
Even comedy bloggers need a few hours away from the computer now and then...right? Right. OK. Watch this clip from NBC's upcoming season of Last Comic Standing, which debuts May 22. It's my friend, comedian Esther Ku! I won't tell you how she does...yet. Enjoy.
