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Posted in comedy | music on January 26, 2007
Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (01/26/07)
Tony Camin, Michael Showalter, Kristen Schaal, Jonathan Ames
@ UCB | Jan 22, 2007 (CRED - Anya Garrett)
David Cross was (unfairly) panned in a recent review of his SF Skethcfest appearance at Comedy Death-Ray. What I found truly shocking was that he actually posted a rebuttle in the comments section. If you can sift through the 125+ comments, you'll see he posted an additional two times. See Gawker's take on this, and even more at Young America.
When David Cross isn't being a hate-mongering bigot (kidding!), he's fancies himself a singer. Here's a video of him singing on stage with Canadian indie rockers Sloan at the highly controversial Onion holiday party at Brooklyn's Union Hall. Then of course there was his stint as U2 with Johnny Marr & Modest Mouse at Bowery Ballroom.
"Barclays Center" is coming to Brooklyn whether we like it or not, but that won't stop Develop Don't Destroy who are holding a benefit at Union Hall on February 20th. Comedians Baron Vaughn, Michael Showalter, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Jon Benjamin, Robin Cloud, Gilad Foss, Andrea Rosen, Patrick Borelli, and Chelsea Peretti are scheduled to perform.
More Comedy Canon news after this list of highly recommended NYC shows...
- 1/26/07, MO PITKINS: Don't Touch Me There: Hosted by Pat Stango and Blaine Perry with special guest Chelsea Peretti.
- 1/27/07: Moonwork Presents: An Evening of Original Works: Featuring Kristen Schaal, John Oliver, Sean Crespo, Shayna Ferm, Tom Shillue, Andres du Bouchet.
- 1/27/07, UCB THEATER: Let's Have A Ball: This is the LAST one!
- 1/28/07, UNION HALL: Tearing The Veil of Maya: Hosted by Michael Showalter and Eugene Mirman and featuring Tig, Pete Holmes, TJ Miller
- 1/29/07, UCB THEATER: Olde English: Their work has been featured on Good Morning America and Entertainment Weekly's "Must List", as well as CollegeHumor.com, Salon.com, iFilm, BestWeekEver.tv, Digg.com, Fuse cable network. They're now a staple of Super Deluxe
- 1/31/07, COMIX: Hot Tub Variety Show: Hosted by Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler and featuring Michael Showalter, Jon Glaser, and Jon Oliver.
The highlight of my week in comedy was catching Bro'In Out with Leo and Tony at the UCB Theater on 1/22/07. I always love Bro'In Out, but this episode was particularly engaging. The guests included comedienne Kristen Schaal, comedian Michael Showalter, jack-of-all-literary-trades Jonathan Ames, musicians the Flanks. Recently jilted bartender Jawney Conroy and hosts Leo Allen and Tony Camin seemed a lot funnier and looser than the last time I saw this show, but it was Schaal, Ames, and The Flanks that really floated my boat. Schall added a sweet and endearing presence to the all-male panel, while Ames added a humorous yet dark element to counter her sweetness. And the Flanks just blew my mind. They play this old-timey, country-folk music complete with guitars, harmonica, fiddle, upright bass, and some of the most beautifully sung harmonies I've ever heard. The unexpected greatness of the Flanks made an already incredible Bro'In Out one of the most wonderful shows I've ever seen. Anya Garrett took some amazing pictures and they can be seen here
Speaking of Michael Showalter, he now has his own little program on CollegeHumor called The Michael Showalter Showalter. The premiere episode (Jan. 16th) featured Zach Galifianakis. It is very short, but he and Zach manage to cram buttloads of comedy into the thing. Michael will also be doing shows at the Aspen Comedy Arts Festival from 2/28 - 3/3 with Mary Lynn Rajskub (Mr. Show, 24) and John Oliver (The Daily Show).
I also caught one of the Marijuana-Logues performances at Comix on 1/19. I'm not a big fan of cliche stoner humor, but I am a big fan of Doug Benson, Arj Barker, and Tony Camin. The show didn't disappoint. The stand-out line of the night was when, in reference to the film Alive, Doug blurted out "Who ate all the nuts!?" Gothamist interviewed each comedian. Doug here, Arj here, and Tony here.
Turner Broadcasting Systems launched online comedy site Super Deluxe last week. The site has everything I want - individual comedian pages, personal videos, original programming ranging from serials to short films, and more. There's also an element of personal networking which apparently a site needs to survive these days. Prominent contributers include Eugene Mirman (see above), Jonah Ray, Chelsea Peretti, Dave Foley, Reggie Watts, and several other established and rising comedians.
Rest assured the Super Deluxe roster will only continue to grow . The Apiary has a GREAT interview with Super Deluxe VP of Product Development John Buzzell and User Experience/Community Director Jim DiStefano. Oh, and for those who didn't realize it, Super Deluxe recently sponsored the Invite Them Up shows that went down at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and The Paradise in Boston.
As mentioned in a previous Comedy Canon, Sarah Silverman is doing 4 shows at Caroline's. If you haven't made a res, I think time is seriously running out. But don't worry - if you can't make it there's plenty of other ways to get your Sarah Silverman fix. Her new show The Sarah Silverman Program premieres on Thursday February 1st on Comedy Central. It has a stellar cast including Brian Posehn, Zach Galifianakis, and Jay Johnston. Sarah was interviewed by Michael Musto in this week's Village Voice. They also put her on the cover. And according to the Comedy Central Insider, the Onion AV Club was soliciting sex advice questions for Sarah to answer in an upcoming issue. Unfortunately, questions are no longer being accepted.
There is a great charity event happening at the Empty Bottle in Chicago this Saturday, 1/27/07. For those of you who don't know who J. Robbins is, or the hell his family is going through, read this and then come back. Welcome back. Anyhow, the benefit features performances by Chin up Chin up, Bobby Conn, Life & Times (Shiner folks), Red-Eyed Legends as well as an incredible raffle. However, the HIGHLIGHT of the raffle prizes is A PRIVATE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR HOME BY FRED ARMISEN. That prize sounds as awesome as it does awkward. More important details about the event and this unbelievable raffle are here.
Another Callum Robbins benefit tales place with Ted Leo at Northsix in Brooklyn tonight (1/26). I'll be there.
Here's The Thing is on it's way to being the greatest comedy showcase in New York. Hosted by Andrew Wright, Sean O'Connor, and Nick Maritato, they have moved from Rififi and begin their weekly showcases at The Pit starting February 6th. Check out who'll be stopping by in February: John Mulaney, Pete Holmes, Tom McCaffrey, Heather Lawless, Chelsea Peretti, Andrew WK, Michael Showalter, Tom Shillue, Kristen Schall, Slovin & Allen, Christian Finnegan, Brett Gelman, and many more. I shit you not. Keep checking their myspace for updates and other details. If you can't wait that long to get your dose of Here's The Thing, Here's The Thing Radio with Sean and Nick can be heard Wednesdays and Sundays from 9pm to 11pm on Click Radio starting Wednesday, January 24th.
IN OTHER NEWS
- FIRED, a film by Annabelle Gurwitch, opens 2/2/07 in New York at the Village East Theater. The film features a ridiculous cast including Tim Allen, Andy Borowitz, David Cross, Andy Dick, Illeana Douglas, Jeff Garlin, Judy Gold, Richard Kind, Anne Meara, Bob Odenkirk, Robert Reich, Jeffrey Ross, Harry Shearer, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stein, Paul F. Tompkins and Fred Willard, among others...
- I always enjoyed the bit parts Ron Carey played throughout the years, especially his roles in Mel Brooks films. Sadly he passed away on 1/22/07. "I bust my anus for you, and this is the thanks I get? Boy, you are nuts. N-V-T-S nuts!" (from History of the World, Part I) Rip Ron.
- Morgan Murphy is in this month's issue of Vice. Check it out.
- The Comedians of Comedy will be heading back to San Francisco for two shows at The Indendent. The shows are on March 4th at 6:00pm and 9:00pm. Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, and Maria Bamford will be joined by a host of surprise guests. They will also be at Coachella on April 27th.
- Zach Galifianakis is playing SXSW
- Tickets still on sale for Tim & Eric's Awesome Tour
- Dave Hill attends celebrity impersonation convention
- Todd Barry has dinner with Louis CK
- Todd Barry performed with indie rockers Beach House on the radio
- Don't believe the rumors. Bob Odenkirk is fine
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Posted on January 26, 2007 1:12 PM
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Comments (11)
I saw a retrospective of your work on IFC the other night. It made me nostalgic for your bitter ways and heartless performances of genius. You are a pathetic fool and I miss you.
Posted by Werner Herzog | January 26, 2007 1:53 PM
time already ran out on the sarahsilverman tickets
Posted by javier buchananeversonia | January 26, 2007 2:03 PM
wow im really the only person that thinks sarah silverman isn't funny at all?
Posted by wes | January 26, 2007 2:26 PM
"wow im really the only person that thinks sarah silverman isn't funny at all?"
i used to like her comedy, but recently, i haven't foudn her funny at all. not sure if her dirty-little-girl schtick got tired and her material isn't good enough to stand on its own?
Posted by Anonymous | January 26, 2007 3:12 PM
In the first photo, Kristen Schaal looks like a poor man's Chelsea Clinton.
Posted by yo | January 26, 2007 5:31 PM
seriously, what the hell happened to comedians being funny? have they ever been funny? white people will say richard pryor so they sound like they aren't afraid of black people and black people will say bill cosby so white people don't fear them. but really, what comedian is actually funny?
Posted by verner | January 26, 2007 8:41 PM
Verner, To answer your question: pretty much every single person I mention, that's who.
Posted by klaus_kinski | January 27, 2007 2:03 AM
"Schall added a sweet and endearing presence to the all-male panel"
Female= sweet and endearing, and male= neither sweet nor endearing?
What a bunch of sexist BS. Some of my favorite male comedic performers are/can be very sweet and endearing, and I can think of plenty of female comics who are strident and abrasive (Roseanne, Joan Rivers).
If Kristin brought sweetness and light to the panel, please credit her character, not her boobs and vag.
Posted by Anonymous | January 27, 2007 2:23 AM
Kinski, aren't you gonna defend yourself? Wuss.
Posted by a real man | January 28, 2007 4:54 AM
The Sarah Silverman Program is insanely good!
Posted by Farts McKenzie | January 29, 2007 12:10 PM
The Forms are also playing that Callum Robbins benefit.
Posted by TT | January 29, 2007 7:19 PM