the comic's comic

Ding Dong Meow (Cookie!), aka The Andrea Rosen Show

Andrea Rosen's current show at the UCB Theatre, "Ding Dong Meow," really should be called "Ding Dong Meow (Cookie!)"

It's neither one-woman show nor performance art piece, but rather a showcase for Rosen's variety of talents as a comedian. Want to hear her stand-up comedy about true and often embarrassing stories from her life? Ding! Want to see her portray various oddball characters such as a half-deaf bride, an embarrassed mafia don or a kangaroo? Dong! Did you know that she writes consumer complaint letters when companies and restaurants let her down? Meow! Would you like a home-baked cookie? Cookie!

Rosen life-changing revelations are funny, nauseating and downright sentimental. Thankfully more of the former and the latter than the middle part.

Did I mention her cookies!

"Ding Dong Meow: The Andrea Rosen Show" at the UCB Theatre in New York City. Shows scheduled May 6 and May 27, 2011.

If you like Childrens' Hospital, then maybe you would like Doctors With Guns

Many Internet sites now pretend like they know what you're thinking, so when you log in, they say, hey, you like this thing, so you probably would like this thing, too! Maybe you should follow these people on Twitter! Make friends with so-and-so on Facebook! Fans of this are fans of that, except when they're not!

Despite all of that, I feel pretty safe saying that if you like Childrens' Hospital, you may also be a fan of programming this hospital-based non-show show, Doctors With Guns. It stars John Gemberling and Andrea Rosen as, well, doctors. With guns. Roll it.

92YTribeca spoofs New York Times Weekender ad

If you live near New York City, or even in New England, you see the TV ad for the New York Times Weekender subscription a lot. A lot, a lot. Perhaps this ad even runs nationally? Regardless, the new 92YTribeca facility, which has been booking lots of great comedy shows (thank you, Bart Coleman), just released this new advertisement written and directed by Michael Showalter and featuring Paul Rudd and many funny stand-up comedians. How many do you recognize? If you need a hint, just look at my category tags below. Related: The 92YTribeca's comedy schedule. Enjoy!

To Do Thursday: See Wayne Federman host Todd Barry, Dave Hill, Jessi Klein and others in 92YTribeca's weekly Comedy Below Canal series (tickets and info).

Will You Marry Me, Andrea Rosen?

There will be a lot of talk today, this day after the Super Bowl, about advertising, and perhaps about the funny people who populate ads, but I'm fairly sure that few of these commercial comedians have inspired someone to write and produce a music video asking for their proverbial hand in marriage. So, Andrea Rosen for the win? Watch:

Peter Litvin is from pop band The Brooklyn Doctors. He tells me, via email: "I had just gotten done making a Michael Showalter tribute song & video and realized that I should fully propose marriage to her through art, which in my case happens to be music/video." And how have people reacted to your decision to do this? "Friends-- they all like it. All my fans are into it and generally think the song/idea is a fun time. Strangers is another story. Mostly people think it's funny and slightly creepy." Or cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs cuckoo!

I also asked Rosen if she knew about this existing on the Internets for all to see. Yes, she does. "He's a fan and he introduced himself to me. I'm more flattered than freaked."

After the jump, a couple of examples of Rosen's recent local and national ad work that inspired Litvin!

Sneak peek premiere: Season 2, Flight of the Conchords (HBO)

In real-life, the New Zealand comedy music duo Flight of the Conchords won a Grammy this year and is up for another one in 2009. In their HBO show, however, Bret and Jermaine are still trying to catch a break as the second season opens. Funny or Die gets to bring us the premiere a month before it airs on HBO, for American audiences only (sorry, not my call), so watch it now, and see what happens. Greg Proops, Andrea Rosen and Andrew Secunda make appearances, as well as season one regulars Kristen Schaal and Arj Barker. There's also a subplot for Crazy Doggs (the competing band from Todd Barry and Demetri Martin).

Watch to the end, and you'll also get a sneak peek at the HBO comedy, East Bound & Down, featuring Danny McBride, Will Ferrell and Andrew Daly. Enjoy!

Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

Gelmania! The debut

And you thought Rififi was done when Invite Them Up left the building? No. Instead, Brett Gelman has taken over Wednesdays and assumed the title of President of Comedy. His "inauguration" took place last night. In a cockroach outfit.

Let me try to explain.

Perhaps Gelman himself said it best in his opening remarks. "This is not just a celebration of me. It's a celebration of all of us celebrating me as the new president of comedy," he said. "This is a show people are going to be lying about -- saying they were at it."

As First Lady, Jackie Clarke. In dog ears. Putting down Gelman at every opportunity.

The first show included Anthony Jeselnik. A very strong joke writer, except for that one joke about jail rape, which is far too cheap and easy. Jon Daly appeared as Shirtless White Bill Cosby, with a voice that wavered between spot-on Cosby (circa 1982) and British. Here is a short clip.

Brett Gelman and Shirtless White Bill Cosby
Uploaded by thecomicscomic

I have a theory that Gelman and Daly have a standing bet to see who can be the most ridiculous figure in the comedy world, and that they're both winning, which makes me hope and pray that their Comedy Central pilot, "The Scariest Thing on Television," gets picked up for a full season. The network announced it yesterday as part of its development slate. Gelman said last night that they just finished work on the pilot yesterday, coincidentally, and are hopeful about its prospects. In it, Paul F. Tompkins stars as anthology series host Julius Darkshaft, taking us "through his vault of hilarious morality tales and gorefests."

But back to last night's show.

Larry Murphy made a guest appearance as working-class man Gene Shirley. Andrea Rosen was funny and more than slightly raunchy (ask her about her eye). MC Chris rapped! About Boba Fett! There was a final three-way scene so perverse that even Clarke had to describe it as: "This is just like a Troma film." And, lest I forget, Bobby Tisdale came onstage to pass the torch of Wednesday nights, and with it, perform the comedy presidential inauguration.

Brett Gelman: President of Comedy inauguration
Uploaded by thecomicscomic

Wait. You wanted to know how it ended? I guess you really did have to be there.

Name that talking head comedian

Years ago, living in Arizona, I turned on the TV screen and found one of them thar talking head funny funny har har shows on. You know the ones made popular by VH1 and then later on CMT, E! and elsewhere, wherein clips from the day or days gone by are rebroadcast, then commented upon and made fun of by quippy quippy people. Twas quite the novelty to love the 1970s or 1980s by mocking them. It's become part of our societal fabric now.

Back then, though, what amazed me even more than this TV mockathon was the fact that several of the talking heads were labeled as comedians, even though I'd never seen them perform or even heard of them before. How'd they get on my TV, then? Well, since moving to New York City, I've begun to learn that some of these so-called comedians weren't headlining club comics, or even regular stand-up comedians, but improv and sketch folk in NYC or LA. Still, though, some of the named comedians on your TV may throw even seasoned performers for a loop. That's what happened the other night when a stand-up comedian at the Comedy Cellar asked me who the h-e-double-hockey-sticks some of these people were.

So I figured I'd help learn him and you on your TV talking head comedians.

In this installment, we discover who got listed as "comedian" on VH1's Web Junk 40: Best of the New Crap. There's 18 commenters in all...that's a lot, don't you think. The kids from the Best Week Ever blog get face time, which is a nice courtesy. There's someone from TV.com and someone from gakcity.TV, which I'd never known existed and still don't believe actually exists. Two guys show up without any ID other than their names, which I guess makes sense because even combined, they didn't manage to say anything worthy enough to be interested in learning who they were. Ten get labeled as comedians. Who are they? In order of appearance and official identification...

Alison Becker: Actor/comedian? Yes. Hosted shows on VH1 and Fuse. She'd been a regular on MTV prank show Boiling Points. Guest appearances on several TV shows.

Andrea Rosen: Comedian? Yes. She's part of NYC comedy troupe Variety Shac. She also can be seen in current TV ads for Yoplait.

Simmy Kay: Writer/comedian? Hadn't heard of him. Google says...he was a narrator for MTV's Room Raiders, and that his real last name is Kustanowitz and that he's been in some commercials.

Seth Herzog: Comedian? Yep. He hosts a weekly Tuesday night comedy show called Sweet in NYC's Lower East Side. I've seen it more than thrice. Fun fact: He has been friends since childhood with Michael Showalter.

Jenny Slate: Comedian? Very much so. I saw her Gabe & Jenny show last Thursday in a new venue, Hugs bar in Williamsburg, and found her dazzling with comic poise and pizazzmatazz. She's also performing tonight at Rififi, according to what I know and believe to be true.

Dave Holmes: Writer/comedian? Wait. Wasn't he the guy who finished runner-up to Jesse the phony street kid Camp in MTV's first Wanna Be A VJ contest a decade ago? Yes. Yes he was. Holmes eventually did become an MTV VJ with all of his music knowledge. Sometime between then and now, he got into comedy and turned up on Reno 911! Blame/credit iO West.

Carter Roy: Comedian? Apparently. Though I've never seen him perform, he's been on The Shark Show in NYC and also listed as a sketch trouper.

Megan Neuringer: Comedian? I guess so. She's been on Channel 102 productions. She's also done longform improv and write and performed in "Megan and Bridie: Friends W/O Benefits," with Bridie Harrington.

Pete Holmes: Comedian? Yes, indeedy. Stand-up raised near Boston, known in the Chicago comedy community, now residing and performing in NYC. Funny funny. Semi-finalist in this year's Comedy Central Open Mic Fights, as well as in New York Comedy Festival's funniest stand-up in New York contest.

Jake Fogelnest: Writer/comedian? Yes. Although you're more likely these days to hear him on your satellite radio than see him perform live comedy in person.