the comic's comic

Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival has a partial 2009 lineup, seeks sponsors

Eugene Mirman is ready to host his second annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival this coming Sept. 17-20, 2009, in Brooklyn. As you can see, he's already got some great talent lined up to perform, and if its anything like last year -- which included canvas bags and laminates to make you feel like it was a real comedy fest, which it was -- then you should mark your calendars, and then when your calendar hits these days, then you should go to the festival.

Among some of the themed shows on the program, Mirman has announced: "Why Talented People Create Such Terrible Shows,” “I’ll Be Famous In Five Years (or a Copy Writer),” “The Comedians of Law & Order,” a reunion of the former East Village comedy staple “Invite Them Up,” and many more, including an opening night super-gala featuring the world’s first cardboard VIP room." If you'd like to help out, and by help, contribute money, food and other fun things, then Mirman wants to hear from you. Just follow the instructions in the ad pictured here.

Paul Mecurio's "Got No Game," an HBO online sports comedy series

Every Friday from now through Sept. 4, Paul Mecurio will be wading into the murky waters of sport and satirizing it weekly online for HBO in his new series, Got No Game. Today's premiere sends Mecurio to Las Vegas for a behind-the-scenes look at boxing, talking to cutmen, famed ring announcer Michael Buffer, and ringside commentator Jim Lampley. Future episodes will include a look at football referees, and a spoof about an "Interracial Summit on Athletics" in which the races divvy up the sports. If it sounds a little bit like The Daily Show gone athletic, well, there's good reason for that. I talked to Mecurio today about his new series. But first, let's roll a clip!

How'd you pitch HBO on doing sports comedy online? "I had done a sports comedy show, almost like a presentation pilot that they had seen a while ago," he said. In talking to Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, Mecurio said "he liked what I did" and helped make it happen.

If it's sunny, All Points West this weekend

Hey, if you're reading this and are near the New Jersey part of New York City, then perhaps you already are enjoying the comedy portion of this year's All Points West festival. If not, then here are some details about said comedy tent at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. I already feel like I'm missing it, because, technically, I am. There's also a ton of great musical acts lined up for all three days and nights, so check it out if you can. The comedy tent is open from 1:30-4:30 p.m., hosted by CollegeHumor.

Friday: Bo Burnham, Baron Vaughn, Eugene Mirman, MC Mr. Napkins, Jake & Amir, Arj Barker

Saturday: Jim Jeffries, Stuckey & Murray, Judah Friedlander, John Mulaney, Tim & Eric

Sunday: Todd Barry, Freestyle Love Supreme, Christian Finnegan, Pete Holmes, Janeane Garofalo

Live at Gotham's 2009 lineups, ticket info

Comedy Central will tape its fourth season of Live at Gotham in August. That's good news, not just for comedy fans who want to see some new stand-up comedians, but also, and perhaps more importantly, for the up-and-coming performers getting their first Comedy Central credits. Would you like to know who these comics are? Would you like to see the tapings live and for free? If you're going to be in New York City during the tapings (Aug. 6-9, 2009), then that's a possibility.

From my friends in comedy blogging at Comedy Central Insider, here are the instructions to get tickets to see Live at Gotham live in person:

PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST LIVE IN THE NYC AREA AND BE 21 YEARS OR OLDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR TICKETS. There will be no drink minimum at the club that night (drinks are available for purchase during the show) and as always tickets are complimentary for this event. Email gotham@broadwayvideo.com with the following information in both the subject line and body of your email: 1) GOTHAM, 2) Your full name, 3) Your email address, 4) Your phone number(s), 5) Which show or shows you can attend. If you can attend any of the shows put "ANY SHOW," 6) Note that you can get a maxmium of 2 tickets. Example: GOTHAM/Chris Rock/rocksthejoke@comedy.com/(212) 555-1212 /ANY SHOW/2 tickets. Also note that you cannot leave your seat during the taping, which should last about two hours. You'll be contacted via email if your request is accepted.

But how do you know which show you'll want to be at. Here's a handy guide. Keep in mind that the names are in alphabetical order per show, and that you may recognize a few names more than others. Comedy Central has a network policy (written or unwritten) that you have to do Live at Gotham (or before that, Premium Blend) before you can do their half-hour Comedy Central Presents and then an hour special, even if you may have the clout and material to do so.

10 Movies So Bad, They're Funny: Is "Troll 2" really the Best Worst Movie?!

Of the thousands of feature films produced every year, there are many that aim squarely for our collective funny bones. Some hit the target, such as this year's The Hangover. Others miss the mark, for one reason or another, and don't get widespread appeal (Land of the Lost; I Love You, Beth Cooper; Miss March). But every so often, a film comes along that -- whether it's a casing of trying too hard, or clearly not trying hard enough -- fails on all levels in a way that actually makes you want to watch it over and over again. Usually, these were not meant to be comedies. It just "worked" out that way.

Here in New York City, Rooftop Films is "celebrating" the awfulness that was Troll 2 with two nights of special screenings in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Tonight, they screen the actual 1990 "horror" movie, Troll 2; and Friday, they'll screen the documentary Best Worst Movie, which explored the fandom that has sprung up around the film and tracked down the people who were a part of Troll 2 in the first place. But is Troll 2 really the "best worst movie" ever made? That's something that we can readily debate.

Let's meet some of the other contenders...

Preview: George Lopez's "Lopez Tonight" on TBS; new HBO special

George Lopez was the talk of the TCA (Television Critics Association) press junket in California earlier this week, there to promote his entry into the late-night talk-show field, Lopez Tonight, which will air Monday-Thursday at 11 p.m. starting Nov. 9, 2009, on TBS. Previously, Lopez had talked up his TBS talk show in a March conference call with myself and others. Here's a clip from his pilot presentation:

There's another clip that TBS screened for critics in which President Barack Obama gave Lopez his presidential seal of approval. Lopez also told the TCA that his show wouldn't have a desk, nor cue cards, nor even a regular monolgue, per se. He also promised to throw out other rules of late-night -- the musical guest doesn't have to go last; audience members may be invited up to the panel; he wants to make sure it's a party more than anything else.

When fans get tattoos of their favorite comedians, the joke's on them. Literally.

Hey, loyal readers and Googlers! I'm exhausted right now, so before I get to some more comprehensive reviews and analysis from Montreal, I thought I'd share with you something silly to look at and forward to your friends. Al Yankovic sent out a Tweet this morning showcasing one of his favorite fan tattoos, and that got me seeking out all sorts of other tats of comedians and comedic actors that fans have permanently inked to their bodies. Freaky, but true. Some of them, even freakier freak shows. I posted a photo list of about two dozen such comedian tattoos over at The Laugh Track. Pictured here is someone's undying love of Paul Reubens as Pee Wee Herman. Enjoy!

Jimmy Carr brings his dry wit from the U.K. to Montreal's JFL, Conan's Tonight Show

Before I left for Montreal, a comedian told me that walking the streets of London with Jimmy Carr is quite the experience, seeing as fans tend to stop Carr quite often to tell him how funny he is. Carr doesn't yet have that same fame in the United States, though it's more our fault than his. Despite doing two half-hour Comedy Central specials (the most recent of the two airing this spring) and several appearances on Conan and Leno, the clever Carr remains a bit of mystery to us Americans. Why the mystery?

Jimmy Carr provided one of the stand-out performances in the John Cleese-less Britcom Gala at Montreal's Just For Laughs a week ago, and also opened up for Louis CK twice (where he met a rowdier, albeit still welcoming crowd) with his dark, dry wit. Carr flew straight from Montreal to Los Angeles after the fest to tape a five-minute set last night for the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

To me, it's funny to watch the crowd try to play catch-up on Carr's punchlines. Also: how they're split on his jokes about politics that open the set, but really eat up his more sexual material -- which must have had Carr skirting the line with NBC's standards and practices censors. He did take out tags on one joke about women's breasts, and seemed to change another line that skewered Americans to become "Scottish women." Most in the U.K. media who describe Carr's stand-up focus on him being dry, dark and deadpan. He's got a tightly written absurdity similar to other one-liner stand-ups such as Zach Galifianakis, Demetri Martin, Steven Wright or the late Mitch Hedberg, but with an outlook that manages to be both devious and disarming at the same time.

Preview a San Francisco comedy miniseries: "Welcome to the Stage"

Two things that I don't get enough of in my life -- trips to San Francisco, and funny women -- are combined in the upcoming miniseries Welcome to the Stage.

Over the course of eight to 12 episodes, each running close to 20 minutes, we'll get to follow four Bay Area comedians as they perform at a variety of venues, from open mics at laundromats to clubs such as The Purple Onion and the Punchline. "The show features me, Janine Brito, Dana LoVecchio and Marcella Arguello, and is based on an idea I had at an open mic one night to share the awful comedy OF the comedy world, so to speak," Pamela Ames told me. "I realized that we are in such a unique and fascinating position to many people, plus San Francisco is so picturesque and cool and a great place to live and film." Roll the clip!

This isn't going to be your typical documentary, though, Ames told me.

Preview: Whitney Cummings on roasting Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers got roasted on Sunday night in Los Angeles, and Comedy Central will broadcast an edited version of The Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers on Aug. 9, 2009. You'll see some of the usual suspects on the dais (Jeffrey Ross, Greg Giraldo, Gilbert Gottfried), but no Lisa Lampanelli, and the early reports from the scene all seemed to agree that Whitney Cummings made the most of her onscreen debut as a roaster. Let's roll a clip, and then we'll talk with Cummings all about it.

Hey Whitney! This was your first big roast, correct? If not, then please correct me! "I've been a writer on the roast for the past couple years so I'm very familiar with them and roast jokewriting but yes, this is my first big Comedy Central roast as a roaster. I had done a charity roast for a producer in LA named Steve Tisch. Tom Arnold was there, Pete Berg, a bunch of athletes. It was taped and Comedy Central saw it so I'm sure that played a big part in me getting a spot as a roaster."

How did you go about writing your roast jokes? What kind of tone were you going for? Were you trying to balance out the barbs among everyone on the dais? Did you write them all yourself? (I know some stand-ups who help write for others) "When I was a writer on the roast in previous years, we would start about two weeks out, but sometimes the best jokes are written the day of or the day before. The roasters are always dropping out and being added. For example two weeks prior we had Lily Tomlin, then it was Suzanne Somers, then Tom Arnold was added two days before this year. So you overwrite a ton. Last year Artie Lange dropped out the morning and Garlin was added, etc. So you're writing until the last minute. it's just crazy because when you're in roast writing mode, jokes hit you all the time. You'll be walking by Subway and you'll be like "Tom Arnold is like a Meatball Sandwich...blah blah blah joke" or I'll wake up in the middle of the night and be scribbling in a notebook and the next day I'll be trying to make it out and its just like, the words "balls" and "obama." And you're like "what was the balls obama joke?" Any L.A. comic can tell you that a week leading up to the roast I was running around to clubs and trying jokes out onstage. Everyone who ran rooms were supportive, letting me pop up in the middle of shows. When I'd come off stage comics were so supportive and throwing out tags. So, I would say I got a lot of help and support in that regard. Even comics saying "that's going to kill" is really helpful. If a comedian thinks it's funny, it's probably funny."

In other news...

Even though many in the comedy industry were in Montreal last week, the comedy world kept making news. Go figure. Here's what you (and by you, I mean, of course, me) might have missed:

• Remember when Katt Williams got arrested by the NYPD and almost missed his debut at Carnegie Hall last November, after already having missed his scheduled appearance on Conan? Turns out the guns weren't his. Whoops! Prosecutors have dropped the charges against Williams.
• Dane Cook has filed a civil lawsuit against his half-brother for allegedly embezzling more than $11 million from the comedian over the years, while he had access to Cook's money as his business manager.
• There will be a "Comedy Death Ray" anthology of graphic novels (read: adult comic books) on the horizon, with individual contributions from Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, B.J. Novak, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Scheer and Zach Galifianakis. Somewhere, everywhere comedy geeks live, their heads already have exploded.
• NBC may not have Ben Silverman to celebrate its fourth-place ratings with anymore, but it did launch a new online home for The Jay Leno Show.
• Donald Glover proved he was quite worthy of being one of Variety's "10 Comics to Watch" this July, signing a two-year holding deal with Universal Media Studios. And no, he didn't even have to show up in Montreal to get his deal.
• Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood Daily published a note that went out to prospective writers looking to submit packets for The Wanda Sykes Show, coming to FOX late-nights this fall. Doesn't sound pretty.
• A Twin Cities comedian reported that his jokes were stolen. Literally. "He's not laughing tonight." "No laughing matter." Oh, you KSTP-TV. Wait for the MySpace joke. Or not.

Kyle Cease's new "Comedy Bootcamp" video

Kyle Cease and his brother, Kevin, have refashioned the video trailer to hype their "Comedy Bootcamp" based upon our previous suggestions, comments, complaints and worries about what's really going on at the Comedy Bootcamp (you no longer can see the original video unless you have such privileges). This video now focuses on what the bootcamp can do for you, the comedian, with more insight from agents, managers, industry folk and fellow comedians -- including Bret Ernst, Brian Scolaro and Chris Porter. With all of the appearances by people in the industry, you certainly would think that this class gives you more access to people you'd want access to than other stand-up comedy classes. What are your thoughts? The next bootcamp is scheduled for October:

Aziz Ansari's "Raaaaaaaandy" documentary (part 3)

Ready to see what happens when Raaaaaaaandy, Aziz Ansari's caricature of a stand-up comedian for Judd Apatow's Funny People, gets serious? Here's the third part of the behind-the-scenes documentary, in which Ansari's movie comedian films a TV pilot, learns about tragedies and also goes on some sexual discoveries with porn star Jenna Haze.

Raaaaaaaandy - Part 3 (Funny People) from Aziz Ansari

16 Talking Points From Montreal's Just For Laughs Fest, 2009

As I sit here, living off of the boissons gratis of the 24-hour Subway restaurant and paying for temporary WiFi access in Montreal's Trudeau airport terminal, I realize that my initial plan to bring you a full slate of reviews from Montreal's Just For Laughs festival today might not come to fruition. Something about spending most of the afternoon trying to get a flight to New York City, then boarding a flight that takes off, and almost makes it there only to circle back and land in Canada, forcing you and your fellow passengers to pass through Customs even though you just left (the Customs agent had a quizzical view of the situation, as well), then spending the rest of the evening and into the morning hoping that the skies have cleared and airports reopened -- it all leaves me tres fatigue, as the French write. At least for a few hours, though, I was sitting in a chair in the sky!

With that nod to Louis CK, who put on two of the best shows (and hottest tickets) during the fest, I do want to share some initial thoughts about Montreal's annual celebration of comedy, and how it fared this summer. More in-depth reviews of the shows I saw will get published once I'm back home in New York City, to be sure. But first, a few thoughts, opinions and ideas to get you thinking about -- and hopefully talking about -- comedy.

Montreal 2009: Andy Kindler's State of the Industry

Show business loves patting itself on the back all of the time, and not just during awards season, but for the comedy industry, the past 14 or so years have included one day in which they all sit down in a room and agree to be roasted by one comedian: Andy Kindler. So it was again this afternoon in a conference room at the Hyatt Regency in Montreal. Today's "State of the Industry" address felt a little tamer, more subdued than the past couple of years. Was it the audience? Was it Andy? Was it the recession? Was it the microphone issues, blocking his face and getting great sound out of his shoulders? Probably the latter. Let's not launch an investigation into the matter.

But if you want to relive my interview with Andy Kindler immediately after 2008's State of the Industry, you can watch that here.

Marc Maron introduced Kindler. "I, like Andy, have absolutely nothing left to lose," Maron said. He reminded the comedians, agents, managers and executives in the room that they ask for this year after year, "and minutes after leaving this room, convince yourself that this has nothing to do with you." He noted how being on the road with Kindler "is like traveling with the history of the Jewish people," and gave us all his "popcorn analogy for the comedy industry." In short, Maron observed that every time you make popcorn, you wind up with kernels at the bottom of the bowl/bag. "You know why they don't pop? Because they have integrity!"

Well played, sir.

As for Kindler, he spent the first few minutes worrying about the microphones -- his manager, Bruce Smith, interrupted him to note "the microphone is blocking your face" -- and the podium's inability to serve the primary functions of a podium. "Am I getting Punk'd, or is that too old a reference? Am I getting Punk'd 2.0?"

Jim Breuer gets caught in online promotional trap

Do you remember way back when -- it feels like it was just yesterday, because it was just yesterday -- when I was telling you how the guy from e-Comic Branding was telling his industry peers and comedians alike how they reach out to "superfans" to do the heavy marketing lifting for them. Well. Ahem. This appeared in my inbox overnight. I was told that comedian Jim Breuer had filmed a special, unique, customized, one-of-a-kind greeting just for me to let me and my readers know how much he loved us and wanted us to watch his Comedy Central special "Let's Clear the Air" when it debuts on Saturday night (it comes out as a DVD with bonus material on July 28). See?

Oh, by the way, before I forget, Breuer's YouTube channel also includes similar greetings for Funny or Die, Effin Funny, Comedy Juice, General Parent, DIY Father, Ace Magazine, From the Back of the Room, AntiQuiet, Broken Headphones, Punchline Magazine, and even e-Comic Branding itself. Sausage got made! Do you like sausage? So I guess it's official. I must be a "superfan," a heavy lifter and a free marketer. But can I tell how you much it still made me smile to see Breuer look down at the piece of paper with the list of websites to hype to remember me, and then still find time in my ego to "gloat" about being the "featured" video on his YouTube channel? Silly, but true. I can't wait to see Breuer here in Montreal and then Tweet about it, then ReTweet it, and then wait for my residual check from e-Comic to show up in the mail. What do you mean there's no check?

Taming "Comedy's New Wild West" at Montreal's "Comedy Conference"

Are you looking to become rich and famous by posting your very own Internet videos? Well, good luck with that!

That's the message I could have given you before attending this afternoon's "The Web: Comedy's New Wild West" panel at Montreal's Just For Laughs Comedy Conference, and it's still the message after sitting through the hourlong chat-em-ups. At least this panel seemed a little more forthcoming than others -- listening to TV and film writers talk, you sometimes get the feeling that they have all of the secrets to success but don't want to give them away, and they also don't want to share too much and piss any of their current or potential employers off. All of which doesn't exactly lead to compelling testimony to pass along. But here are some morsels and quotes that I think you'll find interesting. You have Qs. I have As. Ready. Set. Next paragraph.

John Cleese misses Montreal's Britcom Gala with last-minute illness

John Cleese was forced to postpone his scheduled all-British comedy "Gala" last night at Montreal's Just For Laughs festival after being diagnosed with an inflamed prostate gland. Bruce Hills, COO for Just For Laughs, took center stage shortly after the scheduled 7 p.m. Eastern start time for the grand theatrical (and televised) production, telling fans: "John Cleese has fallen ill." Hills told the crowd that a late cancellation was so rare, "this has never happened before" in the more than quarter-century history of the citywide comedy fest.

After last night's Gala, which went on with Lewis Black substituting as host, fans who had spent upward of $175 per ticket to see the Monty Python legend were given cards like the one pictured here with instructions on how to exchange their ticket stubs for a pass to a new free Gala that was added to Sunday night's schedule. Hills said that Cleese had prepped his sketches and routines for this Montreal show for more than a week (in fact, Cleese had just hosted a similar gala last weekend in Toronto) and hoped to be fully able to perform them by Sunday.

Black, already in the French-Canadian city to host Thursday's Gala, also apologized, suggesting that perhaps, "What I would do is hire a French comic to speak entirely in French and use the entire time to talk about why the French hate the British." When that didn't get as much of roar as he had hoped, Lewis added: "But I'm a substitute!" Later in the show, he observed: "I'm still a little surprised that they went from John Cleese to a miserable aging Jewish prick!"

A moment later, a voice near the front of the theater called out: "So were we!"

For his part, British comedian Ross Noble, amid 10 or so minutes of nonstop riffing and meandering about the stage -- offered his own improvised tribute to Cleese by imagining he had "died" and become part of his very own version of Python's famous "Dead Parrot" sketch, with someone at the hospital arguing, "He's not dead. He's just resting."

Dane Cook duet with Chris Daughtry, "Growing Pains" theme

When Dane Cook shot into the stratosphere of stand-up comedy a few years ago, he recorded and released his own song. That didn't exactly fire up the Billboard charts the same way his comedy CDs did. But this new duet of his with rocker (and American Idol alum) Chris Daughtry -- who does have the top-selling CD on this week's charts with his second album, "Leave This Town" -- might just get your attention. It did mine. And not just because they're harmonizing with a picturesque SoCal nightscape behind them, nor because Cook is not afraid to sing louder than Daughtry, but because their choice for the acoustic duet is none other than the theme song to Growing Pains. Show me that smile again?

Cook released this song as a TwitVid (TwitVid?) to celebrate reaching more than 1 million followers on his Twitter feed @danecook.

14 Things I'm Looking Forward To At 2009 Just For Laughs Montreal

In an almost last-minute decision, strings were pulled, favors were called in, nouns were verbed, and I found my passport, which means it's time to head across the border for the 2009 Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Sure, talk to any member of the show business industry who has been around since Just For Laughs first took over this French-speaking Canadian city more than a quarter-century ago, and they'll be quick to tell you that the festival isn't what it once was. It's bigger, and yet not so big that comedians can return to the States with their dreams and pockets filled with six-figure development deals from the TV networks. No, times are different. We have the Internets now!

As I get ready to make the journey north once more, here are a few of the things I'm looking forward to seeing, following and preparing for over the next four days and nights.

1. Learning what the heck Zoofest is, once and for all. It's not part of Just For Laughs, but then again, it is. It's just the edgier shows? The shows with animals? I really don't know.

2. Seeing the industry hype machine in full effect, in both its most artificial and organic ways. Last year, I saw firsthand as NYC-based stand-up Sean Patton emerged from the "New Faces" showcase specifically because to the industry, he was a new face that they hadn't seen or heard from before, and they liked what they saw and heard. I've also read some silly things in the trades about certain comedians each year who got "buzz" and, having seen those comics, firmly believe that the trades sometimes get hoodwinked by the "buzz" comedians and their managers and agents who manufacture said buzz.

3. Speaking of which, that "buzz" machine also serves as a sad reminder of Michael Roof, aka "Chicken," the comedian who became infamous for scoring the last big TV development deal out of Montreal (the WB built a sketch show around him), only to find his career and life unravel. He took his own life last month.

4. What is Broken Lizard up to now? The sketch group made a big splash with their first independent film at Sundance, and followed up Super Troopers with a few more films, including Club Dread and Beerfest. They'll be performing new live sketches, taking questions and showing off their new movie, The Slammin' Salmon.