the comic's comic: Live At Gotham

It's fairly well accepted that to be a great comedian, you need to get onstage as much as possible. Perform every night, multiple times if you can, to as many kinds of audiences. Learn what works, what's funny, how to adapt to situations. I bring all of this up today because last night's edition of Nightline on ABC opened with a feature on talented people and why they're talented. They talk about singers, musicians and athletes. It's something worth watching for comedians and bloggers alike. Which reminds me. Time to get us all back in the loop with the latest headlines and subplots in the comedy world:

Showtime has ordered six half-hours of a comedy called Episodes, starring Matt LeBlanc in a meta-spoof of how Americans co-opt and corrupt adaptations of British TV sitcoms. (THR)
In obvious news, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that ABC and CBS are telling their stars not to appear in NBC's primetime by supporting The Jay Leno Show.
Speaking of late-night, TBS has a new promotional spot for George Lopez's upcoming chatter, which debuts in November. Hey, that's next month!
Victor Varnado was styled and profiled by ABC's 20/20 in a recent hour dedicated to albinos.
Would you like to watch Brady Novak interview Joselyn Hughes as he drives her to and from her work at Comedy Central's Tosh.0? Elbows Up! In two parts: Watch here, then here. Spoiler alert: Bad things happen when Novak doesn't follow his own rule!
Speaking of Comedy Central, South Park -- which already lets you view its vast archives online anytime you'd like -- has included its 1999 movie, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, for a limited time offer. (via CC Insider)
New York mag caught up with one of my favorite stand-ups, Hannibal Buress, for a quickie interview about his new gig as an SNL writer.
I didn't make it to last weekend's panel from the ECNY producers about putting your clips on the YouTubes, but the Panel Nerds made it. Obviously, they took good notes. Read them and not weep!
Rooftop Comedy is accepting submissions for its National College Comedy Competition. Submit your funny film by Oct. 12.
At Rooftop Comedy's fest in Aspen this summer, Dylan P. Gadino was abuzz interviewing comedian Tommy Johnagin. You can watch that Tight Five interview, then mark your calendar for Punchline Magazine's fourth anniversary celebration with a stand-up show at Comix on Oct. 13.
Comedy Central's fourth season of Live at Gotham rolls out at 11 p.m. Oct. 16, with episodes following for the next several Fridays.
Dead-Frog resurfaced from the dead (just kidding, Todd!) with a lengthy and insightful interview with David Cross.
In case you haven't noticed yet, The Apiary underwent a major redesign and now features contributions from outside of NYC. Check it out! Tell Nate I sent you!

And while I was typing all of that, Funny or Die amassed more than a million followers of its Twitter feed @funnyordie -- so they celebrated the way you think they would. Roll the clip! (Warning: Contains actual Pauly Shore)

Twitter Surprise Party from Pauly Shore

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 [email protected] 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/[email protected]/(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.

Continue reading "Live at Gotham's 2009 lineups, ticket info" »