the comic's comic

Lovable pervert? "Mitch Fatel is Magical," the Comedy Central DVD

When you're in a comedy club with stand-up headshots framed on the wall, you're sure to notice and remember Mitch Fatel's photo. There are many. But only one has him standing fully naked, clutching a taller naked woman. Adorable? Perverted? Well, a little of both is a good thing for fans of Mitch Fatel.

And that's just one reason why his new hourlong special, which debuts tonight on Comedy Central and becomes available as a full hour-plus DVD on Sept. 22, is called Mitch Fatel: Mitch Fatel Is Magical.

This is another. Perhaps you have seen a video much like this elsewhere on the Internets? It opens with Fatel taking a bubble bath and includes a clip from his special about pre-sex warnings. Roll the clip!

The full 63-minute set (you'll only get about 40-43 minutes on Comedy Central) opens with a magic trick, and Fatel's interaction with a bikini babe allows him to get right into his main subject: Sex. From breasts to nipples, to oral sex -- "oral sex will never be a consolation prize" -- homosexuality, bestiality, anal sex, internet sex, his own methods of birth control (praying is #2 on his list of options), and a cat named Candy Cane. He addresses all of this in a soft, slow and creepy cadence, that somehow winds up sounding like a shy and naive child, just discovering all of this for the first time, and yet also sharing his newfound expertise with all of us with keen awareness. In one of the DVD extras, you see and hear Fatel in the official photo shoot with his girlfriend, and in his regular speaking voice, he says "I'm not retarded, you know," and well, now we do know. He also explains the DVD title within the special, recounting a tale of how his fame has made him more appealing to the ladies.

Comedy news that's good news

Today we have multiple tidings of joy to relay your way...

HBO has heard us and listened, granting us with a second season of Eastbound & Down. What will Kenny Powers do next? We'll find out in 2010.

Comedy Central has announced that it's next roast "victim" will be Joan Rivers, taping in Los Angeles on July 26, and airing on Aug. 9, 2009.

Comedy Central also has announced a deal with Levity Entertainment to release 12 stand-up specials over the next two years. The deal includes orders for Christopher Titus, Gabriel Iglesias, Pablo Francisco, Jim Breuer, Mitch Fatel, Pete Correale airing this year, and six more to shoot this year and air in 2010, including ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. It's all business. Longtime Levity client Dunham recorded the highest ratings ever for Comedy Central with last year's "Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special." A couple of weeks ago, the network inked Dunham individually to a deal that included not just another special and DVD, but also consumer products (his fans love to buy his puppets) and a new series(?). All of this also means the network is moving ahead with Levity on a fourth season of Live at Gotham, the showcase for up-and-coming stand-ups (also read as comedians who have yet to appear on Comedy Central in a half-hour or hour). Casting is happening now for the new Gotham lineups.

And Netflix announced it has lined up the first nine seasons of South Park for immediate streaming by its subscribers. Which sounded great until I remembered that you can watch any past episode of South Park already via the show's South Park Studios site.

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).