Kumail Nanjiani did Jimmy Kimmel Live last night. Saying you live in Brooklyn sounds so much different when you're on TV in Los Angeles than it does when you're in a New York City comedy show and you say you moved to Bushwick. Also, what's so difficult about pronouncing his name? Anyhow. Roll the clip!
When I heard that Pete Holmes wanted to celebrate his 30th birthday by having his friends and fellow stand-up comedians roast him, my first thought was that he had lost his mind. And then I attended the roast last night at the UCB, and was quickly reminded that this is a rare opportunity for comedians to unleash not only their mocking jabs at one another, but also some heartfelt tender moments. But you didn't click here looking for heartfelt or tender, did you? As Holmes himself said during the show: "I want it to be meaner!"
Leo Allen, the regular host of Monday night's Whiplash, served as the roastmaster (pictured here by Mindy Tucker) -- and despite allegedly forgetting that the roast was happening, managed to find several zingers up his sleeves. The dais was a regular who's who of New York City's current crop of up-and-coming comedians, with John Mulaney, Anthony Jeselnik and Kumail Nanjiani represented. Also on board: TJ Miller, who flew in for the event, Jared Logan, David Angelo, Nate Fernald, Seth Herzog, a tardy Julian McCullough and Holmes' girlfriend, Jamie Lee. Here are a few of the many zingers I managed to jot down for posterity:
I wondered how many of the audience members knew what they were in for (there were a dozen or two other comics scattered in the seats, too), and I knew it'd be something when one young woman, when asked by Allen if she knew who Holmes was, shouted: "Security in the basement!" Yeah, that's a Greg Johnson bit. ROASTED!
The current print issue of New York magazine asked a bunch of insidery insiders in the show bidness to name their favorite funny people who have yet to make it big but coulda woulda shoulda someday, particularly if magazines such as New York would only profile them. It's like opening Paradox's Box in here. So the mag invited 10 of these comedians to perform recently at Gotham, and, spoiler alert, didn't invite an audience! Awkward styling and profiling ensued. Here's some of the video from that experiment (note: some language NSFW):
Last night's edition of The Colbert Report opened with stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani hiding under Stephen Colbert's desk as Colbert's secret Gitmo-style prisoner, Omar. Or is it Homer? That must have been weird, since he'd have to have been in there even before the audience arrived -- unless they snuck him in during a distraction. Or maybe it was magic! If you missed it, or if you just want to see it again, here is the clip:
For those of you who don't already know and love Kumail, he was born in Pakistan, came to the United States to go to college...in Iowa. He then got involved in the Chicago comedy scene, and now lives in Brooklyn. He is quite funny. Much of his life story showed up in his one-man show, Unpronounceable.
Thanks to CC Insider for posting this earlier today, but why no IDs to share the love with all of the comedians pictured here with fake funny names? I can safely identify six of the stand-up comedians done up in cartoons for the upcoming new issue of MAD magazine. How many can you name? If you need some hints, look at the tags on this post.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani got a speaking role (as in, more than a regular extra gig) on last night's episode of Saturday Night Live, as one of 50 reporters in a sketch lampooning the liberal elite of the New York Times that even FOX News will love and probably want to show a gabillion times on its TV network, which probably explains why NBC hasn't put it on Hulu yet. But let's not worry about that right this second. Kumail's part is probably the highlight of the show, which says something about how the audience didn't react to the celebrity cameos last night. So let's get to recapping!
The cold open: John McCain comes into a recording studio to personally approve each of his messages for campaign ads, which is SNL's way of skewering both how out of touch McCain is with technology as well as how insane the campaign ads are. Example: Obama supports universal health care, which must mean he supports health care for the entire universe, including Osama bin Laden. Curiously, they also use the "he fathered two black children" joke that I heard a comic use earlier last week in the Boston Comedy Festival. Not accusing anyone of anything. Just noticed the coincidence and passing it along to you. UPDATED:Politico claims Al Franken, original SNL writer and current Minnesota Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, conceived of and wrote much of this sketch!
James Franco as host? Well, he knew his lines well enough in one sketch to not even need the cue cards, but in another, he had trouble reading the cards. So a mixed report there. As for his monologue, Jason Sudeikis played off of Franco's recent enrollment in Columbia University, portraying Franco's R.A. and already losing his girlfriend to the actor. They also had a guy in the audience playing Franco's new roommate, Ken Wo, who (who knows?) may have actually been his roommate. That is, if Franco deigned to live on campus. Anyhow. Moving on.
What followed was a return of The Cougar Den sketch, including a reprise cameo by Cameron Diaz, which, this time, received absolutely no surprise reaction from the live studio audience. Interesting. Diaz's Kiki trotted out her new boytoy, an emo rock kid played by Franco, and the interplay essentially repeated last year's sketch with Ashton Kutcher. One line from Franco: "It's all about the sex," elicited a funny reaction from the cougars (Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Casey Wilson) as they all uncrossed their legs and said: "Really???" Otherwise, nothing to see here. Let's keep it moving.
After the first ad break, the show continued on a weird, safe/predictable path, as Franco (seen this summer playing a longhaired pot dealer in Pineapple Express) played a longhaired pothead of a secret agent named...wait for it...Agent 420 in a 007 spoof. Wiig sang a Bond-like theme song with background ladies in '60s go-go-garbs. Franco's spy goes to take down the evil villian, played by Fred Armisen, only his name is Dr. Wang, and that leads to juvenile jokes. And an accidental pot explosion. It's a high-concept sketch, but not so much on the payoff. Unless you're stoned. Oh....I get it now.
After the second ad break, we get to the more better portion of our evening's program. First up, a sketch about trying to find a jury for the O.J. Simpson robbery trial in Las Vegas. Casey Wilson is the judge, Kenan Thompson is Simpson, Bill Hader is his attorney, and our potential jurors include Will Forte, just out of a 22-year coma; Franco as a guy with amnesia; Armisen as living in a bomb-shelter; Wiig as a Nell-like creature that Bobby Moynihan's professor character found in the Arctic; Andy Samberg as an alien; and Sudeikis as a guy stranded on a deserted island. Your basic sketch comedy premise created and executed.
Next, an SNL Digital Short (without Samberg? really) a taped introduction to "Murray Hill," which is New York City's version of The Hills, only secretly replacing the melodrama with a guy (Franco) worried about his "small ding-dong," and Gossip Girl's Blake Lively ready to save the day with a cameo.
Quirky. Pretty simple. Am I the only one thinking that because SNL is starting the season with so many consecutive live shows, that Lorne Michaels has his cast and crew cutting corners by making safe and somewhat predictable choices in sketches and plotlines so they can get through the first couple of months? This show also seemed to have fewer live sketches, with sketches running long (one lasted 7 minutes!) and more use of previously taped footage. Hmmmm.
Oh, here's a winner! Coming soon on TNT...Penny Marshall (Armisen) as The Looker. If you enjoy Kyra Sedgwick's (Wiig) turn as The Closer, check out Marshall's staredown of criminals. They get in, they get out within two minutes. Nicely done.
Weekend Update started late, didn't it? 12:15 a.m. start time, but Poehler leads things off with a good joke about the financial crisis: "Basically, if your commercials air during golf tournaments, you're done!" Also nice: Jokes about McCain supposedly creating the BlackBerry; "Set your phasers on stunning!" Dora the Explorer voiced by Rosie Perez?! Sudeikis plays the Lehman Brothers CEO, naked in a barrel because he missed the government bailout by...that much. But Armisen steals the segment with his take on American Apparel's Dov Charnoff, facing his fifth sexual harassment lawsuit in his skivvies, and skeeving out Poehler and Seth Meyers to the point of giggling. Also, Paw & Order? OK. UPDATE:Videogum and Jezebel provide some snippets.
As the final half-hour -- always the most unpredictable and risk-taking -- begins, we get that sketch taking on the New York Times and their 50-person investigation to Alaska for Gov. Sarah Palin. Franco plays the new assignment editor giving out the orders and stumbles over his lines. Kenan wants to stay in NYC to work on the subprime mortgage crisis (nope), Hammond is nicknamed "Queens" because he once slept on the E train and ended up outside Manhattan (shockers), Forte is worried about polar bear attacks, they all think they can take taxis around Alaska, and Sudeikis as the "expert" because he spent a summer with the Anchorage Daily News is flustered. But what made me smile was seeing SNL give comedian Kumail Nanjiani a couple of lines as an Indian reporter (Nanjiani's Pakistani, but, um, close, right?). As I wrote above, this is a sketch that even FOX News can love. Even at seven minutes long. Nanjiani got called in a couple of days beforehand notifying him he'd gotten an extra extra gig. It's not on Hulu yet, so enjoy it on YouTube while it lasts...it's gone. We'll keep our eyes peeled for it, though.
Two weeks, and twice new cast member Bobby Moynihan has gotten to lead a sketch (that's some confidence in the new kid, eh?). This time, he plays Lenny to Franco's George in an alternate "lost" ending to Of Mice and Men. Lenny wises up. "Do people think I'm an idiot?" he asks. Ding, dong, plot twist!
Another quick-hitter, this time hearkening back to a previous taped bit about the closing of CBGB's, as we get Martin Scorcese (Armisen) and Rosie Perez (Poehler) to wax poetic about the end of Yankee Stadium (final baseball game is Sunday).
Time for one final sketch, and no surprises in that it's a weird one. Wilson asks Franco for his autograph in the dressing room to set up a confrontation with Willem Dafoe (Hader), who wants him to kill...Andy Samberg? It's all, flippity, floppity, laters, guys.
Come back next week for another all-new episode, with Anna Faris hosting!
Eugene Mirman has announced the planned lineups for his crazy-yet-true-because-it-is-Eugene-after-all comedy festival named for him, taking place Sept. 25-28 in Brooklyn. Mirman pretty much has it covered -- most of his usual and unusual suspects will appear over those four days and nights at two venues, Union Hall (where Mirman already hosts the popular Tearing the Veil of Maya showcase on Sundays with Michael Showalter in Park Slope) and The Bell House (a new joint the Union Hall folks are opening nearby).
Time Out NY playfully hinted at what a Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival might look like, with hints from Mirman himself.
Big weekends don't begin on Fridays, but rather on Thursdays, so that's how I found myself on a bus to Washington, District of Columbia, last week to arrive just in time for the kickoff of last weekend's DC Comedyfest.
Someone joked that night that D.C. really was hosting the Chicago and New York fest, due to all of the comedic talent arriving from those two cities, but I know I wasn't the only person excited to see the all-local District of Comedy showcase, as a few other industry types joined me in the DC Improv's lounge on Thursday night to check out some comedians we hadn't seen before. How would we know at the time -- how could we know? -- that this show would prove more worthwhile than the official industry showcase that followed on the Improv's mainstage later that night? But we'll get to that soon enough.
Jason Weems, from Baltimore, appeared on both the D.C. and industry showcases that night, performing essentially the same set twice, although he had the misfortune early in having to compete with a noisy waiter and an awkward atmosphere later. And, um, "scrotum meat?" OK. That's a phrase that certainly sticks with you...hope you didn't order the nachos. Also noticed his vocal delivery seemed to be influenced by Chappelle. Not that that's a bad thing. He's also all over that McCain joke about how his being a POW doesn't make him good at winning wars.
Aparna Nancherla claims she is an introvert, which is an odd-but-true trait for a stand-up comedian, but is quick to point out, "I watch, TV, too!" so you can relate to her. She has a good, strong stage presence. If only she hadn't gotten the silent treatment from Last Comic Standing this year, perhaps she would have been the first female winner?
Kojo Mante sees why it'd be foolish to endorse a national gas holiday, but has more to say about the foolishness of building a statue of a homeless guy, which apparently they've done there. Hampton Yount is one shiny, happy, white boy, and the audience loved his boyish boyishness (that's a not-so-hifalutin way of describing his energy), all the way through his closing bit about the energy you need to sustain to write an angry letter. Jay Hastings went to the trouble of wearing the same outfit he had on in the Post's Express spread on him, but apparently, people don't even read free newspapers in D.C. any longer. "You think when you make the Express you'd be on the showcase," Hastings ranted. Although his bit on fingering probably would not have worked there...trust me on this one. Jon Mumma closed the local parade by imagining "swirlio" guys at the gym doing calf raises, poking fun at a Brad Paisley lyric, and noticing the things kids can get away with that adults simply cannot. He sounded like a guy you hear on the radio.
So, yeah. About that "Fresh Voices Industry Stand-Up Audition Show." It'd be for the best if I left all of the names out to protect the innocent, but really, some things need to be said about this show, which went awry from the get-go and only barely got back on track for a moment or two. Comics were buzzing before the showcase about the fact that TJ Miller couldn't make it to D.C. to host because he was in New York City auditioning for Saturday Night Live (catching up with Miller later over the weekend, he said, well, perhaps I shouldn't say what he said because SNL is making final decisions this week on him and a few others as possible cast additions). But without Miller, the festival looked to Dave Hill to substitute as host. As much as I love Hill and his quirky sensibility, he's really more of an anti-host. It's more than fine when it's his own show, but he doesn't bring the kind of energy to the room that young comics looking for TV exposure are going to want or need. So that started the show on an odd foot. But Jared Logan, first up, made things terribly awkward by starting his showcase for the industry by verbally attacking Hill -- "Is that the host we're going with tonight?" -- and creating a mood where the audience was expecting a night of fights rather than laughs. Which leads me to another point of order. If you are performing for a panel of TV scouts (which this was, with people representing Letterman, Comedy Central, VH1 and E!'s Chelsea Lately), wouldn't you want to do material that you could imagine them delivering on the TV? As I texted someone later during the show: "Some odd choices to showcase yourselves to TV scouts. Crowd not great, but not their fault." Many in the lineup simply didn't bring the right stuff on this night. Kumail Nanjiani, or am I supposed to be calling him Ali now, went long but managed to engage the crowd and get everybody involved with the show again, leaving some scraps for the final two performers of the evening, Sean Patton and Brooke Van Poppelen. Patton got applause for his bit about calling in sick, and Poppelen found more than a few fans with her thoughts about brunch. You know what? It is for the best to leave out the other names from this showcase, because they'll have better opportunities to shine in the future.
On a brighter note, I managed to get some sleep on the Greyhound bus back to New York City on Friday morning without losing my head. So hooray for that.
Kumail Nanjiani's one-man show, Unpronounceable, plays at 8 p.m. April 11 and April 25 at the UCB Theatre in New York City. (Tickets: $8. Info)
Some reviews of Kumail Nanjiani's one-man show (which debuted in Chicago under the direction of Paul Provenza, and has moved with him to New York City), while very positive, nevertheless make short shrift of his work by suggesting this is where Nanjiani has relegated all of his jokes about being a Pakistani Muslim. This is far from a dumping ground or a hiding place for hack jokes or stereotypical material that somehow don't belong in stand-up comedy. Far from it. It's a very personal and quite poignant work, punctuated by powerful punchlines.
(Photo by TheeErin from 8/24/2007 performance in Chicago) Growing up in Karachi, Pakistan, Kumail Nanjiani begins at the beginning, explaining his daily rituals and how he first questioned the Koran at age 8. His family followed strict religious traditions, though juxtaposed by the idea that the children would learn English through Hollywood movies. Nanjiani jokes that this was justified as a sort of vaccination, just enough knowledge of Western culture to ultimately resist it. The going wasn't going to be easy. His dad facing very real threats of terrorism, kidnapping and death because his profession as a Shiite doctor made him a valuable asset in the ongoing battles between Sunnis and Shiites. Nanjiani also talks about the lengths Muslims go to express their faith. Stark images of violent self-flagellation at the ritual mourning of the defeat at Karbala (1,400 years ago) accompany this portion of the program. Nanjiani manages to joke that "it's kind of like a Pride parade" -- yet the imagery prompted one audience member to briefly walk out last month.
He has his own uniquely cultural take on puberty in Pakistan, and the second half of his hourlong performance shifts the focus from his homeland to his (im)migration to America, and specifically, Grinnell College in Iowa. The show's title comes from a custom official boggled by Nanjiani's passport (the more things change in American immigration history, the more they stay the same). And, of course, there is the inevitable culture shock, not only because Americans all seemed two inches taller, but also because he still hadn't ever shaken hands with a girl, or been to a college dance party, and all he had were his Hollywood pop references to guide him or put it all in perspective. He has to figure out whether or not to grow facial hair. His hint: "Shave the mustache. There's a fine line between Tom Selleck and Saddam Hussein." And he has to figure out how to tell his mother he might not want to agree to an arranged marriage. His college experience ultimately has him asking more personal and philosophical questions, and after a hit song lyric reference you can see coming but still laugh over, he brings us to the present day, with his family close by once again, this time in Hackensack, N.J. "It is the Pakistan of the United States," Nanjiani acknowledges.
Kumail Nanjiani stood out to me the first time I saw and heard him more than a year ago during auditions for Montreal's Just For Laughs Festival, and now that we live in the same city and get to see him repeatedly, I and many other comedians continue to be impressed.
Attempting to get you caught up on what everyone else is saying about comedy (you can catch up with them via the More On Comedy links on my page).
The Bastion interviews Kumail Nanjiani, who recently left Chicago for New York City.
The Coming is back in blogging business, apparently, and talks to Paul Rust about his comedy background and burgeoning movie career.
Punchline Magazine interviews the most recent winner of Last Comic Standing, Jon Reep.
The Apiary finds more examples of NYC-based comedians getting "commercial" success.
Shecky Magazine continues to get spies reporting in with results from the Last Comic Standing auditions, and by the way, the Male Half is auditioning for Montreal's Just For Laughs tonight at Helium in Philadelphia. Good luck, Brian!
Comic Vs. Audience caught Bill Cosby in action in New Jersey and filed this report.
SFstandup interviewed Al Madrigal, who appears in the new CBS midseason sitcom, Welcome to the Captain.
If you were wondering how TJ Miller would fare as a club headliner this weekend at Comix (why do I always say you when really I mean me, which means I mean I), then you may wonder less knowing that Miller will have his fellow ex-Chicago comedy friends supporting him in Pete Holmes and Kumail Nanjiani. The three amigos perform at Comix tonight and Saturday.
If you're looking for something to do tonight in New York City, and think it might be a wee bit crowded at Rififi for night two of the Invite Them Up finale, then here are three shows to consider...
1) Sweet. Seth Herzog's weekly comedy showcase at The Slipper Room on the Lower East Side is one of the more unique experiences you can find, even among the myriad of offerings in New York City's comedy scene. Herzog exemplifies the term "host with the most." This guy gives audiences more material to chew on every Tuesday night than other hosts, and you never quite know what's going to come out of his mouth next. He might dress up as Wonder Woman. He might dance up a storm. He might ramble on. You just never know. You do know, however, that you'll get to hear him chat up his mother -- who has her own cadre of comedy fans. Think of David Letterman's TV routines with his mom back in the day, then add a heaping dose of Mama Herzog reality. Seth also grew up as childhood friends with Michael Showalter, so there's that to consider. And he has a mailing list and fan base that seems to include every performer in this city. On recent visits, I've spotted actresses Natalie Portman and Kristen Johnston in the audience. Herzog also has a sidekick/DJ by his side each week, which adds some ad-libbed banter and fun to the proceedings. Herzog's guests tonight include Michael Showalter, Laura Krafft and Kumail Nanjiani. He also has some surprise guests on the agenda. Oh, and if you know of any real-estate deals, please let Seth know. He needs to move out of his infamous spot.
2) Diamonds in the Fluff. Jamie Lee (day job, Comedy Central publicist; night job, stand-up comedian and show producer) launches a new monthly comedy benefit show at Hugs in Williamsburg, with all of the proceeds helping the Brooklyn Animal Rescue Coalition. Lee's guests tonight are Diana Saez, Eric Andre, Baron Vaughn, ventriloquist and musician Carla Rhodes.
3) And in the last, but certainly not least department, Gotham Comedy Club hosts a Bill Hicks tribute tonight. Hicks died 14 years ago today. Jesse Joyce will host, with live performances by Ted Alexandro and Greg Giraldo, recorded footage of Hicks -- including portions of a new documentary in the works by the BBC -- and a live Q-and-A with his only brother, Steve Hicks. It'll cost you $20 and two drinks, but the $20 goes to the Bill Hicks Foundation for Wildlife Rehabilitation.
Something I couldn't help but notice Wednesday night at Rififi...aside from the huge crowds seeming to want to bask in this comedy's scenes last gasps of glory...were all of the new short hairdos! Aziz Ansari. Kumail Nanjiani. Joselyn Hughes. Brooke Van Poppelen. All newly shorn and clean-cut. That Hughes and Van Poppelen sported nearly identical bobs made for an even more amusing sight earlier Wednesday when they co-hosted Slumber Party at Ochi's Lounge in Comix.
Here is Joselyn Hughes, pre-cut, in the new Dunkin Donuts commercial for Milky Way hot chocolate:
Ah, life in the city that never sleeps, which for comedians, means a midnight show at the UCB, followed by a wait for the F train back to Brooklyn. Even then, though, the show doesn't stop. At least according to Joselyn Hughes, who thinks like I do, that hanging out with comedians always provides insight and amusement. So why not capture some of that on camera? Here we're waiting with Kumail and Emily at West 4th Street for a transfer. Joselyn explains...
