the comic's comic

From comedy club to podcast hub: Kevin Smith's partnership/friendly takeover of Jon Lovitz's venue

As podcasting becomes more mainstream and popular, we're starting to see comedy clubs and theaters embracing them and hosting live broadcasts of the podcasts. Marc Maron has been doing this for his WTF show for a while now, and comedy festivals have followed suit.

Kevin Smith has taken it a step further, announcing yesterday that his SModcastle had grown popular enough to move from its original 50-seat venue in Hollywood to the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club in Universal CityWalk. Smith noted fondly that Lovitz's place, back when it was a B.B. King's, had hosted his premiere party for Mallrats in 1995.

Smith also said that his partnership with Lovitz would extend not only to hosting Smith's various podcasts, but also reaching out to other popular podcasters such as Maron and Chris Hardwick -- and one with Lovitz himself called "The ABC's of SNL," which Smith said would "reminisce with anybody who ever had anything to do with Saturday Night Live."

You can read his whole take here. Smith summed up the move thusly:

SModcastle has grown up very quickly and delivered us to the big leagues: motherfucking CITYWALK! But more than that? It’s put us into business with a guy who spent years making us laugh. As a huge SNL nerd who always dreamed of writing for the show when he was a kid, that’s pretty awesome and poetic.

And based on what it’s done to his club, Lovitz is now committed to the podcast cause. His year-old club has fast become the podcasting center of the universe, making him a Podfather of sorts – so much so that he’s renaming the club for our arrival…

Starting this June, The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club will be re-christened as THE JON LOVITZ PODCAST THEATRE!

 

Jennifer Lopez does stand-up on Lopez Tonight; same night Jon Lovitz coaches "The Bachelor" ladies

Was it Monday night amateur hour stand-up comedy night on the TV, and I just didn't see the memo? Or was 2010's weird take on Martin Luther King Jr.'s federal holiday supposed to redefine having the dream as letting any pretty woman become a stand-up comedian on TV? Either way, J.Lo looked good. Are we still calling her J.Lo? 

Jennifer Lopez "hijacked" Lopez Tonight, as the show's own site called it, by strutting onstage first and delivering the monologue instead of the Lopez who hosts the show named George. Some of the comments on the Lopez Tonight site are funny in how they're like, oh, no, no, don't replace my George Lopez. When really we should be focused on how confident J.Lo looked delivering jokes (TelePrompter or no prompter). Roll the clip!

Earlier Monday night, eight of the remaining women who are willing to be embarrassed on national television by sleeping with the same guy who'll never marry them -- aka, ABC's The Bachelor -- suddenly seemed more embarrassed by the prospect of writing a short stand-up comedy. Aha! Plus, they got to meet Jon Lovitz and have him coach them at his Jon Lovitz Comedy Club. It was just like Comedy Boot Camp, except with a TV credit and without Kyle Cease! He should sue for copyright infringement. Am I right, ladies? ABC is now on Hulu, but neither of their sites are wisenheimered up enough to give us this clip themselves, so you'll have to sit through some of the drama mellows here:

Is this all two steps forward, one step backward for women in comedy, or just a hysterical coincidence that both of these happened on the TV last night? Probably both.

UPDATED! Holy crapballs! Hulu has posted a short clip of the "Bachelor" beauties bombing something fierce in their pathetic attempt to get their bachelor's attention. Instead of, well, writing any jokes. Why did anyone have to see this??? Watch at your own risk:

 

Jon Lovitz Comedy Club opens at Universal Studios Hollywood

Jon Lovitz opened the doors last weekend on the Los Angeles comedy club that bears his name and carries a theme of a tropical beach, complete with leis for the audience members. The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club operates out of the Universal CityWalk complex at Universal Studios Hollywood, with shows booked only for weekends for now. This month's headliners: John Caparulo, Kyle Cease and Brad Williams.

Guess he got out of his "lifetime contract" with Jamie Masada at the Laugh Factory? While we figure that one out, let's see how the local TV news covered the opening, with appearances by Dana Carvey and Judy Tenuta.

Jon Lovitz opening club at Universal Studios Hollywood

Jon Lovitz talked to Entertainment Tonight about the new three-story, beach-themed comedy club he plans to open at the end of May in the CityWalk complex at Universal Studios Hollywood. He told ET that he worked on the plans with the manager from the Irvine Improv.

Phil Hartman's SNL audition

Watching Phil Hartman's audition tape for Saturday Night Live is such a bittersweet experience. Mostly sweet. To know that you don't have to be a kid to get your big break in show business -- Hartman was 38 when he joined the cast of SNL. To see the precision, vision and versatility in his audition -- even though it's hack now to do Jack Nicholson, Hartman still found a way a generation ago to make his takes seem unique and fresh, even when you watch them now. To see his friend, Jon Lovitz, lend a hand -- Lovitz joined SNL in 1985, Hartman in 1986 -- and gain a deeper appreciation for Lovitz stepping in at NewsRadio after Hartman got killed by his wife in 1998. Watch Hartman make the most of his SNL moment:

 

(originally Via TSOYA)

Related: A YouTube tribute to Phil Hartman's voice work on The Simpsons.