the comic's comic

Bill Cosby's rap album?

All Hip Hop reported today that Bill Cosby would be releasing his own rap album, titled State of Emergency. They quote unnamed sources and say Cosby's rapping would be an extension of his recent speeches criticizing the black community for its failings in parenting, teen pregnancy, crime and education.

I was surprised, though to read this line in the online article: "Cosby's album will not contain any profane language, nor will it offer any denigrating comments towards women." Were they expecting something else? Were they thinking of a different Bill Cosby??? Also shocking, considering I've met the bloggers at Jossip, is that their initial reaction is to snark: "Yes, lame-o. Lame-o rhymes with Jell-O." My memory seems to recall that Fat Albert contained some early hip-hop/rap undertones, so they shouldn't be so quick to dismiss his effort, should they?

By the way, Cosby was just on Letterman the other night and I don't recall him saying anything about a rap album. Just Cosby, sitting down in a folding chair placed onstage, telling jokes and making faces.

Eugene Mirman animated!

Scott Bateman, who animated the ECNY Awards nomination reels, here illuminates a track from Eugene Mirman's CD, En Garde, Society! Mirman's Comedy Central Presents debuts on Friday, in which you can see him for real. Except he'll be on television. Which means you cannot touch him for real. Enjoy.

Assessing the Rififi/post-Rififi scene

Whether you call it the "alternative" comedy scene or the "downtown" comedy scene, and either of those labels doesn't quite fit when describing the particular crop of New York performers who tend to eschew the traditional comedy clubs -- and even that tag doesn't apply to those stand-ups who perform in comedy clubs as well as the dive bars, burlesque halls and basements of the city. Nevertheless, the main clique finds itself wondering if this is the last gasp for the current East Village scene. Mo Pitkins closed suddenly last year, and several shows migrated to Ochi's Lounge below Comix. It's a great use for that basement bar space, but not large enough for the more popular alt-shows. And now the fate of Rififi seemingly hangs in the balance. Again. Rumors of its demise have popped up every few months or so, and though the property's real estate broker assured me last fall that the club had a buyer and a closing date, that date came and passed, and earlier this month, performers were told that at the lease's end, Leap Day really would be a monumental Leap Day. If so, come March 1, where will Invite Them Up be inviting them up? What about Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy? Are they Totally J/King us? And where would all of these comedians and their friends and fans just generally hang out?

Or not so fast? Some comedians have told me that it's not all quite so finite, finis and finito just yet.

In February, then, Rififi's survival becomes a can it, should it, will it proposition. Can it survive? Certainly. Someone just needs to assume the lease and book additional popular comedy shows, and supplement with more events that attract an audience, whether it be live music, burlesque or something else entirely. Should it survive? For sentimental reasons, obviously. If you take a look at the place, though, or better (worse) yet, smell it, you wonder when this dive will at least fix the bathrooms, and then you think, isn't this place a little small? Will it survive? Perhaps. When the latest reports of Rififi's demise surfaced, a thread on A Special Thing's message board suggested (jokingly or not) that all of the comedians chip in to save it. If Rififi really is that special, that's not a foolhardy suggestion. The comedians don't need to buy the joint. But they do have to buy into the notion that Rififi is not only a performance space but also a business, and needs as much revenue as it gets in sentimental value to continue to function. Comedians do need to invest financially in the place in that respect, from getting fans and themselves to buy more drinks and even pay to see more shows there. If not...

Then where? The Green Room at 45 Bleecker could be a comedy contender, what with Drink At Work hosting its "Extended Family" there tonight, and Shoot the Messenger moving its Monday night morning-show parody and comedy series there beginning next week with guest Rachel Maddow.

But why not Brooklyn! That's where several of the scene's comedians already live and perform comedy. At some point, wouldn't be natural and even more so then to call it the Brooklyn comedy scene? (And no, I'm not going to consider Astoria just because comics live there, too) Here are those contenders, all of which are competing with music and other entertainment options for bookings:

Sound Fix. If you're on Bedford, you'd think it's just a Williamsburg record store. But walk through the store and the back door, or around the corner, and you'll find a beautiful open bar and performance space. Max Silvestri's I Like Attention debuted there last week to a packed hall, a solid lineup and great success. Even Fred Armisen took it in and smiled. Other comedy shows are on the schedule, as well. Next up: The Bump on Feb. 4 will have stand-up and improv.

Hugs. Gabe & Jenny's New Experience debuted in this submarine-shaped bar on North 6th Street in Williamsburg two Thursdays ago. It's got funky furniture near the stage, more traditional booths in the back of the bar, and skee-ball even farther back near the front door. Anyhow. They'll be there every other Thursday, which means tonight. So go check it out! It's free.

Union Hall. Park Slope neighbor Eugene Mirman and fellow Brooklynite Michael Showalter certainly have made comedy a regular feature of this bar, for folks willing to walk past the bocce and downstairs for Tearing the Veil of Maya. If they're there every week, why aren't you?

Magnetic Field. A Brooklyn Heights dive that mostly books music but also has monthly live game show re-enactments and the Pant-Hoot comedy show. Plus, if you book a show there, I'm almost guaranteed to see it due to its proximity to my apartment. Still a fairly hidden jewel, though, for comedy.

Spike Hill? The Archers of Ha free weekly comedy show just moved out of there, so that's not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Do you have a better idea? Suggestions welcomed in the comments. Thanks.

In review, better late than never

As a journalist, reaching the final page of the notebook always prompts mixed emotions. First, excitement at the prospect of starting anew with a clean, fresh pad of paper. Then, a touch of sadness, because you've held this pad literally close to the vest for months, and inside it are memories, written down and kept with you, but nevermore. And you know that even though you keep your notes around for years to come, the odds remind you that you'll likely not open this pad again, leaving it with the other memories of shows and interviews and news gone by. Was there something you'd written that shouldn't be left behind, you wonder? If you're lucky to remember, you flip back through the pages looking for important phone numbers, names and notes to self that actually became notes to self.

I found a few shows I'd seen that made my notepad but hadn't been shared yet. So let's get to it.

Goodnight, OJ: This one-woman show by Livia Scott (directed by Baron Vaughn) has its final performance tonight (Jan. 30) at the UCB Theatre in NYC. In it, Scott re-examines and performs actual letters written to OJ Simpson when he was in jail back in 1994 charged with double murder. I saw this show Nov. 29, 2007, when Simpson had just come back into the news -- and jail -- for his Vegas shenanigans. Scott and Vaughn made a conscious decision to include not only letters of dark humor but also darkly depressing notes. Wasn't expecting that. Scott told me they've shuffled the order of the letters from show to show, and believes the Simpson trial was one of the last things (9/11 notwithstanding) that brought everyone together to watch in shock and awe. I found the Colette letters as well as the notes from children to be quite funny and touching. Still not sure about including some of the darker stuff (one letter is addressed, "Hey, Sambo"), but I suppose that's what makes this more of a theatrical piece than a straight comedy.

We Kate Shelly: Sketch comedy from Kate Hess and Shelly Stover. Stover has such an expressive face and uses it to great effect. The duo has a big musical number finale. At the show I saw, their impact was lessened a bit because, without microphones, some of their scenes were more difficult to follow. They're at the UCB in NYC on Jan. 31, Feb. 4, and Feb. 18.

The Collective: There is a management firm known as The Collective. This is a diferent collective of New York City actors and comedians, and they invited me to see a comedy show they held after a play at Centerstage on West 21st Street. Fourth-floor venue. Very theatrical crowd, obviously most watched the company's play and stayed afterward, and quite welcoming to all the comedians. Amy Schumer hosted, talking to the audience as if she were friends with all of them (which heck, she may have been!). Comedians on the lineup included Mike DeStefano, Jackie Monahan, Demetri Martin, Mara Herron, Maggie Champagne and Jesse Joyce. Schumer told me later that night that they hope to produce more plays and comedy shows, just looking for the right venue.

Ritalin Readings: The Slipper Room had the feeling of a cozy living room before December's showcase of writers and comedians reading, with hosts Lindsay Robertson and Gabriel Delahaye. Delahaye opened with a bang by reading from "The Y2K Personal Survival Guide," with the helpful tips such as stocking up on two-liter soft drink bottles. Didn't hear much from Robertson but hope to next time. The show did throw me for a bit of a loop, though, when the first two performers didn't read at all. Sean O'Connor did stand-up. Elna Baker presented a story she was rehearsing for radio's This American Life about working in toy demonstration at FAO Schwartz. Both funny, but wasn't this about reading? Lang Fisher did have a letter she'd written to a potential employer in becoming an assistant farmer, while Will Leitch read from his upcoming book (now out) based on his Deadspin experiences, and show producer Jon Friedman shared an email he sent to all of his coworkers on his last day as an NBC intern. Patrick Borelli closed the show with crazy, true and quick stories.

I think that gets us almost caught up.

ECNY extra extras!

Before we move on to other issues in comedy, let's reflect one more time on Monday night's ECNY Awards celebrating the New York comedy scene.

If you think the cinematography in Cloverfield was shaky, check out this short video I shot moments before the ceremony began at a front-row table with Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy, who host the Friday night all-star comedy showcase at Rififi (at least through February). Note to self: Why do I sound out of breath? Am I that out of shape?

Larry Murphy & Greg Johnson ECNY winners!
Uploaded by thecomicscomic

Here is a much more professional video that kicked off the ceremony, shot and edited by Drink at Work's Carol Hartsell.

And here is one of many lovely photos taken at the event by actor/comedian/photographer Tracey B. Wilson:

I Eat Pandas' Glennis McMurray seems more than pleased to answer the red carpet questioning from Brooke Van Poppelen and Danny Leary. Her beau, presenter Matt McCarthy, has an expression that says, you better watch out what you ask my lady friend, lady friend. More photos after the jump, including one of Nate from The Apiary, whom more than a few comedians were surprised to see actually existed (at least that's what they said when he won his ECNY) Yes, bloggers are real people. Sometimes. More photos, after the jump!

Brett Gelman's "lil" New York lottery campaign?

Have you seen the new New York Lottery ads for Take 5, featuring the talking head of who appears to be Brett Gelman on a teeny tiny body? Now that's cracked out! The 30-second TV spot is one thing, but here is a link to the lottery campaign, A Little Bit of Luck, where you can find much more zaniness. I asked Gelman about it last night at the ECNY Awards, and he replied, "Nah, that was Marlon Wayans."

You can also download your own Desktop Lil' Widget to have him tell you that night's Take 5 numbers.

UPDATED (12:25 a.m. Jan. 30): Gelman appeared on Tuesday's Sweet show and told host Seth Herzog he wasn't all that amused by getting introduced onstage as "A Little Bit of Luck." I think he was joking. Right? Look here at this photo of him on a bus stop poster on Sixth Avenue south of West 14th Street in New York City! Note the fact that it's already "tagged."

I'd post video of the ad, but all you need to do is watch the local TV news and you're bound to see him.

UPDATED WITH VIDEO!

2008 ECNY Awards

Over the years, I've witnessed some of the uglier facets of comedy contests as both a participant and as a judge. Last night, however, I saw the sunnier side at the ECNY Awards (please don't call them the Emerging Comics of New York anymore) ceremony at Comix in New York City. Even before the showcase started, you could see something special happening. Comedians got dressed up. There was a red carpet. Small, to be sure, but still there and still red with correspondents talking to a camera in footage that presumably will wind up on the Internet. A very festive air. And so nice to see a scene -- or at least a distinctly unique scene -- come together in celebration of the art of comedy. Host Jon Friedman said they changed the name of the awards KFC-like to just ECNY to show they were rewarding all sorts of comedy, not just the emerging kind. At the same time, though, it would've been nice to really see all of New York comedy represented in the room. When the ceremony ended, several comedians had to turn around and go back to their table because they didn't have their proper receipts on hand for the door guys. We spent the night in a traditional comedy club with traditional item minimums and rules, and yet we could've used a few more traditional club comedians. Maybe next year?

Anyhow. I was saying how nice the night was, right?

Some highlights: The show opened with a six-minute video montage of the nominees speaking directly to the camera. Well-edited. And made funnier after Joe Mande said it'd be creepy if this montage turned out to be their memorial video. Friedman, not only hosting the show but also an organizer and a nominee for best host, acknowledged the conflict, quipping: "This for me is a lose-lose." Later, when he lost, he immediately asked the other "losers" in his category to play his Rejection Show. Another big laugh line from Friedman: "I was told to be very Seacresty." Scott Bateman provided professional animated videos to list all of the nominees. And most of the award presenters brought it, too. Matt McCarthy, presenting best director, opened the proceedings with a wicked Stanley Kubrick from the set of The Shining. Andres Du Bouchet delivered the opening and closing lines from Act 1 of his upcoming fictional one-man-show (100 and Me Percent?) that went over so well, he almost wasn't joking when he said, "I can tell it's going to be a big hit." The Whitest Kids U'Know went to see a psychic yesterday for help determining the best sketch group winners. Carolyn Castiglia joked: "It's great to see so many comedians get dressed up to get drunk and cry. Usually I do it naked and covered in pizza!"

What else? All of the musical comedy nominees performed during the show. Only Reggie Watts got a standing ovation. And didn't win. Eddie Brill received the first "lifetime achievement award" and really took it to heart, confessing in his speech, "I've never been more nervous." They also debuted a new soap opera parody from A.D. Miles called "Horrible People" that'll begin airing soon online on My Damn Channel. I sat next to Jordan Carlos and Andrew WK. Carlos was nice. WK was nice, but awfully quiet aside from his brief stint as a presenter. The show limited acceptance speeches to 30 seconds, but the show still lasted close to two-and-a-half hours. The afterparty at Comix lasted just as long. At said afterparty, Nate Sloan from The Apiary wanted Todd Jackson from Dead-Frog and I to dish our "hot tips." I'm no Gossip Girl. XOXO.

The winners! Congrats to all, for whatever an ECNY Award is worth, you got one! Hooray!

Best Director: Kurt Braunohler

Best Improv Group: I Eat Pandas

Best One Person Show: Nick Kroll (Fabrice Fabrice)

Best Sketch Comedy Group: Harvard Sailing Team

Outstanding Achievement in Flyer or Postcard Design: The Apple Sisters (Matthew C. Johnson, Keith Huang)

Best Technician: Pat Baer

Best Short Comedic Film: Minesweeper: The Movie (Elephant Larry)

Best Website, Original Content: The Onion News Network

Best Website, News and Commentary: The Apiary

Best Host: Eugene Mirman and Michael Showalter, Tearing the Veil of Maya

Best Variety Show: The Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy Show

Emerging Comic Award: Joe Mande

Best Musical Comedy Act: The Apple Sisters

Best Female Stand-up: Kristen Schaal

Best Male Stand-up: John Mulaney

And for those of you playing the Full Disclosure Home Game, four of the five producers of the ECNY Awards also were up for awards (the exception: Alex Goldberg). Friedman (host) and Carol Hartsell (tech) didn't win. Alex Zalben (sketch) and Nate/The Apiary (website/news) won. I was not nominated. Snub? Jackson joked to me that I was too new to New York City to get a nod and would have to wait my turn, like Barack Obama. I'll take an Obama comparison, so thanks, Todd!

UPDATED/CORRECTED! I cleaned up a couple of things in this post that weren't entirely clear when I first wrote them (thank you, commenters!). Also, if you want to see what I look like, as well as Dead-Frog's Todd Jackson, there is a lovely picture of us taken last night by Rachel Kramer Bussel!

Last Comic Standing auditions begin Jan. 29

Get ready, because Tuesday marks the official start of season six of NBC's Last Comic Standing, and Bill Bellamy returns to host. Here are the audition cities and dates:

Tuesday, Jan. 29: Los Angeles, Hollywood Improv, with "talent scouts" Angela Kinsey and Oscar Nunez from The Office

Feb. 7: New York City, Gotham Comedy Club, with "talent scouts" Richard Belzer and Steve Schirripa

Feb. 14: Toronto, Yuk Yuk's

Feb. 19: Minneapolis, Acme Comedy Club

Feb. 22: Houston, Houston Improv

Feb. 26: Tempe, Ariz., Tempe Improv

Feb. 29: San Francisco, Cobb's Comedy Club

March 3: Nashville, Zanies

For more information and rules, visit NBC's official show site. One thing you won't see there is the unwritten rule of thumb that you really need a scheduled appointment if you want to have any chance of advancing. For most of those standing in line for hours upon hours, you're just a face in the crowd. You may wow them. But most of the slots probably already will have been taken by professional comedians with agents and managers who got them around the line for a scheduled appointment. Talent scouts or no talent scouts. This is TV, remember. Don't let me stop you, though. Unless you're younger than 18. In which case, you're too young, anyhow. Them's the rules. Officially.

Robby Roadsteamer goes acoustic

More than a few people today have arrived here looking for information on Robby Roadsteamer. Perhaps that's because he has a Monday night acoustic residency at the All Asia in Cambridge, Mass., which I learned from reading my friend Nick Zaino's recent interview with the musician/comedian in the Boston Globe. For more of Zaino's writings, visit his blog, The Optimistic Curmudgeon.

And for all things Roadsteamer, click here.

Nick DiPaolo on BlogTalkRadio

Nick DiPaolo went on the Opie & Anthony show this morning to promote his new Internet talk show on BlogTalkRadio. I caught the last 10 minutes or so. An interesting return to the airwaves for DiPaolo, who had a so-called "terrestrial" radio program based in NYC on 92.3 FM in those early post-Stern, Free FM, pre-K-Rock days when David Lee Roth held court in the mornings. Anyhow. Tangent over. DiPaolo loves to talk about politics and the issues of the day, and in this new format, he takes calls and also talks back to the Internet chatters on his site.

Don't know if he plans a regular weekday schedule or not.

At the end of this afternoon's show, which you can listen to in the archives (and also on iTunes), he did announce he'll be back on the air for at 2 p.m. Tuesday and again at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Dueling Scientology video parodies

Here is Eugene Mirman's new Scientology video for 23/6, just in case you thought the Tom Cruise video that circulated everywhere last week didn't go far enough to explain his cult of personality religion.

Mirman's half-hour Comedy Central Presents, by the way, debuts this Friday, Feb. 1.

And here is Jerry O'Connell's version (with help from Jerry Minor). For once, O'Connell's goofy demeanor plays a vital and fully functional role here!

Which one do you prefer?

Late-night strikewatch

If you haven't already forgotten, the WGA strike continues without a resolution. So count this as a reminder that the late-night chat shows are all on the air.

David Letterman and Craig Ferguson remain the only WGA-approved shows. Comedians on the lineup for Letterman this week? Bill Cosby on Tuesday, Artie Lange on Friday. On Ferguson's show? Denis Leary on Monday, Ryan Sickler on Wednesday, Sebastian Maniscalco on Thursday, Al Madrigal on Friday.

Conan clearly needed last week off (they replayed his visit to Chicago) as he's really tried harder than the others to do a show without writers.

Leno? Ack. Jon Stewart seems to have all of his correspondents back on the air, sometimes with pre-taped segments that may or may not have been in the can pre-strike, but also in the studio and not always improvising. Er. Um. Stephen Colbert has been doubling up on guests to fill time.

The fact that you can watch full episodes of Leno, Conan, "A" Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report online only heighten the tension, because online plays and revenues are part of the heart of the matter in the WGA writers' negotiations with the producers at the AMPTP.

Comedy Central's Stand-Up Showdown (2008 results!)

Comedy Central's annual "Stand-Up Showdown" airs today, rebroadcasting the top 20 stand-up specials as voted online by fans over the past month. It's airing now!

The full schedule/countdown...which began at 11:30 a.m. today...(with applicable taping season)

20) Loni Love (season 11)

19) Doug Benson (season 8)

18) Chelsea Handler (season 11)

17) Steve Byrne (season 10)

16) Maria Bamford (season 11)*

15) Rich Vos (season 7)*

14) Dane Cook (season 3)

13) Stephen Lynch (season 12)**

12) Mike Birbiglia (season 10)*

11) Demetri Martin (season 8)

10) Mitch Hedberg (season 1)

9) Jim Gaffigan (season 3)

8) Pablo Francisco (season 4)

7) Kyle Cease (season 10)

6) Mitch Fatel (season 11)

5) Lewis Black (season 6)*

4) Frank Caliendo (season 8)

3) Lisa Landry (season 11)

2) Josh Sneed (season 11)

1) Jeff Dunham (his Spark of Insanity hourlong special)

* These comedians have multiple half-hour CCPs. Rich Vos has one upcoming this season.

** Stephen Lynch is the only one from this current crop of CCPs to make the list. Which, of course, is unfair to the many comedians this season who also taped with Lynch but haven't gotten on the air yet. Then again, this whole "showdown" is essentially just a test to see which comedian wants to mobilize his or her fans to vote early and often for them to get an extra TV airing. Really, that's it. No big cash prize. No trophy. But it certainly got us paying attention to Comedy Central on a Sunday in January, right? Of course, if I were one of the comedians who made the top 20, I'd probably still feel pretty good about it (while also looking at the other comedians who got listed ahead of me and behind me and wondering where I stood, which is why you have to realize and remind yourself that this isn't a "showdown" at all).

Behind the CCP: Leo Allen

Leo Allen taped his Comedy Central Presents special with the same NYC audience as Eugene Mirman (CCP taped in groups of two, two groups each night in August; in this case, Allen went first, followed by Mirman). Some pairings seemed more random than others, so audience members might've arrived really wanting to see one stand-up, not so much the other. That wasn't the case with Allen and Mirman. They often perform on bills together and generally attract the same fans. So this packed crowd was hyped up to see their guys get major TV time. Among the fans I spotted watching along were fellow performers Brian Posehn, Todd Barry, Dave Hill, AD Miles and Sarah Vowell.

But back to Leo Allen. Wait, try him on MySpace or Facebook, because he's there more recently -- in fact, I just received a Facebook event invitation to watch his CCP tonight at 10:30 p.m. EST. No worries. I've seen it already in person. And I can tell you to be on the lookout to see how Comedy Central bleeps him (he did drop a couple of profanities) or whether they edit around that. He makes use of the dramatic backdrop for his closing bit (hint: It's about being ready for any conversation). Even from the balcony, it was funny.

Here is a brief interview with Comedy Central in which Leo Allen describes New York City and its underground comedy scene.

After the jump, the opening of his CCP special!

Behind the CCP: Hard 'N Phirm

Comedy Central Presents rolls out two more new half-hour specials tonight, starting with Hard 'N Phirm, the musical comedy duo of Chris Hardwick and Mike Phirman. Certainly, more than a few of you will see these guys onstage, look at Hardwick and think to yourselves, "Hey, wasn't that guy on MTV's Singled Out, that dating show from the 1990s with Jenny McCarthy?" Why, yes. Yes he was. Turns out some people have more than one talent. And Hardwick is one of those some peoples. I met Hard 'N Phirm a couple of years ago at a national NACA conference and found them both to be charming, friendly and funny. If you haven't heard them before, you're likely to come to a similar assessment after watching their CCP tonight.

At the taping in August, they had some funny audience interactions during their opening song, and their set list included such chestnuts as "Anything" and "Pi"! There was a birthday song, the sappiest love song ever, def poetry spam, a Schoolhouse Rock-style song, that essential ode to patriotism, "American Dinosaurs," and someone got a memo to the crowd to spread that patriotism wide and proud. Which of these bits will make it into the half-hour once you throw in ads? Tune in tonight. In the meantime, here is a brief interview with the guys to get to know them better.

Related: Become their MySpace friends.

After the jump, another clip from their CCP (actually, the opening few minutes)...

Haircut week in comedy land?

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:

Letterman tonight! TJ Miller, Andy Kindler

The show is taping as I type this, but my sources have informed me that in addition to comedian TJ Miller showing up tonight to talk Cloverfield with Letterman (and maybe Carpoolers, too), that comedian and Letterman regular Andy Kindler will appear on the program, as well. Kindler closed out last night's Invite Them Up show at Rififi, told me afterward he'd be in NYC through Friday. Kindler also says he hopes to make more trips to New York City in the coming months, so keep an eye out. Here's why you might see him tonight...

UPDATED (Friday): So yes, Andy Kindler introduced a taped segment in which he tries to get a life coach, but instead learns what's so so wrong about him. That should relieve some stress! And could TJ Miller have been more excited to be on the show? It's a rhetorical question. Most comedians want a spot on Letterman, but they usually first get on the show performing stand-up. Miller skipped right to "panel" (for those of you not already in the know, that's TV lingo for sitting in the chair for chat with the host) because of his role in the movie, Cloverfield. Miller was so excited that about midway through panel, he even exclaimed how cool it was to be on Letterman. Then, at the end of the segment, Miller tried to (and eventually did) squeeze out the words that he's a stand-up comic, and you can see him. Where? "Everywhere." Actually, he did mention performing at Comix here in NYC next month. What if he'd said come to Rififi on Friday?!?!?

Eugene Mirman talks Gothamist, Obama

Gothamist has a new interview with Eugene Mirman up today, and it reminds me that the cityblog's comedy coverage just isn't the same since parting ways recently with the young and eager Ben Kharakh (or should I say, Keith Whitener?). Not that the interview is horrible, but neither is it horribly insightful. The intro to the interview, for example, notes that Mirman will be performing in a show with Aziz Ansari, and they've both performed at Gothamist shows. As the author, ahem, attempts to joke: "Guess they'll have some reminiscing to do!"

Already knew that Mirman is taking part in a funny fundraiser next week for the presidential campaign of Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. The other performers at the "Get Out The Laughs and Votes For Obama" event Jan. 29 at the Knitting Factory are Todd Barry, Aziz Ansari, Heather Lawless, Whitest Kids U'Know, Slovin and Allen, Andrea Rosen, Laura Krafft, Greg Johnson, David Rees and more, with music from Shonali Bhowmik and Marcellus Hall. Tickets, for $25, can be purchased online here.

I asked Eugene about getting politically involved, or at least indirectly involved, over on the message boards at A Special Thing.

His reply?

"I don't think anyone will vote for Barack because I like him (though he is handsome, articulate and wise), but the event will raise money (which he can use to trick people). I think if artists who are viewed as extreme (like Michael Moore) support candidates it could maybe hurt them, but I doubt it. I don't think I've ever voted for anyone because of a musician (though Aerosmith has never formally supported anyone), but I've certainly been made aware of issues because the news reports the opinions of actors and musicians (Bono, Phil Ochs and now Chuck Norris). There was a small backlash on Brooklyn Vegan about an Obama event that Stella and Craig Wedren are doing, which I find aggravating. You don't have to be politically active at all (everybody finds it a little annoying), but to be mad at people for trying to participate in democracy is a lot like being an asshole. In communist countries, you are put to death for your opinions (only very terrible ones), so I like being a small part of the process. Plus I feel like I'm helping, which I of course, am not."

Eugene

Louis CK taping, March 1, Boston

If you've seen Louis CK's stand-up at any point in the past few months, then you have been amazed to learn that he has built up a brand-new hour of stand-up since his last special, Shameless, and that this new hour is perhaps funnier than anything he has done yet. So you'll be pleased to know that he's ready to put it to tape. He'll be recording his set March 1 in Boston at the Berklee Peformance Center. Tickets go on sale Friday. Louis CK himself went on a couple of comedy message boards to spread the word to "comedy nerds" about special ticket discounts. What makes it even better, though, is that on The Comedy Studio board out of Cambridge, Mass., he tweaked his post just a tad with a phrase here and an extra line there that'll only appeal that much more to the comedy nerds.

His new special will be called Chewed Up. Go to his site for details on ticket discounts.

Here is Louis CK's current Ticketmaster page.

Meet Will Franken

When I first saw Will Franken perform last fall, the best I could come up with on my Daily News blog was this description: "manic brilliance."

Speaking to Franken at length this week over coffee amid the Williamsburg types, I realized the words really do fit this untraditional comedian. First, though, watch this portion of his most recent one-man show, "Grandpa, It's Not Fitting," which I recorded with Franken's permission during his Jan. 18, 2008, performance at the UCB Theatre in NYC.

Will Franken at UCB
Uploaded by thecomicscomic

Franken, 34, grew up in rural Sedalia, Missouri, and began his professional career as a teacher of English at Southwest Missouri State University, but he acknowledges he wasn't the best teacher. He'd much prefer taking the class out on field trips or showing Harold & Maude or listening to The Who. "I was always going to the A/V department," he said. At 24, he decided to up and move to New York City. He'd done an open mic or two in Springfield, Missouri, and felt he was ready for his big break. "I thought I was going to go to Washington Square Park and do what I do and someone would walk past and say, 'I want you to do that on TV.'"

Instead, he dabbled in horrible theatrical productions, moved to Harlem and taught school there for a year. Discouraged, he moved to Charlotte, N.C., got married, got unmarried, and randomly ended up in San Francisco, where he said he lived out of his car for three months in a Target parking lot.

In 2002, he was walking in Oakland and spotted a sign for an open mic and tried performing again. But he wouldn't do comedy shows. Franken said he'd go to folk music open mics and coffee houses, sign up on the list and spring his performances on the audiences. Turned out, Bay Area audiences dug him. "San Francisco was extremely good to me," he said.

His comedy has never been conventional, which almost made him a natural finalist for the Andy Kaufman Award -- competing in the contest last November at The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. I saw Frranken hours before the contest and he was in a slight panic. He really wanted to wow the judges and win the $5,000 prize. He rolled the dice on a bit that relied on an audience member and finished just shy of the prize. Months later, he's more than slightly unhappy about that. "I really needed that $5,000," he said. There's more of a connection to Kaufman, though. Franken said he'd read about Kaufman's career and how he didn't want to do the sitcom, Taxi. "When I read about that as a kid, I wondered: What is he doing? Get on TV! The older I get, I can understand where he was coming from." As potential managers have seen Franken's one-man show and asked him about his goals, Franken's reply is a simple one: He wants to do his show, just on TV.

About that show. Yes, you may describe it as one-man sketch comedy, but he packs so many ideas, references and voices into the sketches that you really do need to pay attention throughout. Franken's not afraid to take on religion, diversity and political correctness. He'll start off with what looks like an interview with The Beatles and wind up at Burning Man. He'll begin a scene as a marriage counseling session, bouncing around from wife to husband to therapist, whirling around and imploding the sketch into self-therapy. Sound effects poke fun at sound effects. False starts and stops. A sense that he's talking to the audience between sketches falls away to reveal he's already launched headlong into a new sketch already. This SF Weekly article goes to greater lengths to try to deconstruct Franken's act.

Where does it all come from? Franken said he truly believes there's a divine nature in art. When he's not smoking (currently blowing through three packs a day, and that's just the legit tobacco), he'll prefer to sit and allow himself to go into a trance, waiting for the voices in his head to emerge as a voice that'll become a character that'll enter a scene. And then he's off and running. Though he began his career with a four-track recorder and obviously records and edits for his podcasts, Franken said he'd rather not write or record, but rather repeat the voices and the material over and over again until it sticks. "I just shove it in my head," he said. Huh? "I've got a really strange memory. My head's like flypaper."

He boldly opened our chat by saying he wanted to debut 60 minutes of brand-new material for SF Sketchfest, where he'll be this Thursday and Friday (Thursday with The Apple Sisters and Kasper Hauser at the Eureka Theatre, Friday with The Apple Sisters and Kathleen Phillips at the Purple Onion). "I'm reckless, I know," he said. "All I have right now is an interview with the director of Stomp. And I don't even know where that's headed."

Related: Listen to Will Franken's podcast, Things We Did Before Reality, here. Also available on iTunes.