by Klaus Kinski

"Playboy & Program Signed by Patton Oswalt" (that's what it says)

If any of you have been wondering when the Comedians of Comedy will hit NYC again, I have the answer. NEVER! It was announced today (well, late last night) that Zach, Patton, Maria, and Brian (and special guests) will do their last show as a team on July 26th at the beautiful Spreckels Theater in San Diego CA. Tickets are on sale now. CoC shows were, for me, the funnest experiences of my comedy-going life. The core group is simply amazing and the friends they'd bring to the stage at each show was always awe inspiring. Obviously, the gang will probably make stops to NYC as individuals at some point in the future, but I sure am going to miss the sheer magnitude of what CoC delivered to fans across the country at each and every show. The entire farewell letter is below.

Also, I caught All Tomorrow's Parties Comedy Curator Patton Oswalt's 8:30pm show at Caroline's this past Saturday (Juen 28, 2008) and he, with the help of openers John Mulaney and Julian McCullough absolutely tore the roof off the place. Patton kicked the extremely diverse crowd's ass with huge pile of new material. It was so great. I wonder if it's only a matter of time before he has a solo show at a place like Town Hall. He should.

Continue reading "Patton Oswalt played Caroline's, Comedians of Comedy RIP"

JUSTICE, CoC STYLE (© Ryan Russell, Chicago '07)

With the holidays fast approaching, nothing makes me happier than spreading holiday cheer by giving away free tickets to two awesome upcoming shows. First up are two pairs of tickets to A Very Special Night With Fred Armisen on November 29th at The Knitting Factory. The show will also feature Chelsea Peretti and Jon Glaser - one of the most brilliant comedians alive.

I also have two pairs of tickets to attend a special Yacht Rock event at the Knitting Factory on December 27. To me, Yacht Rock are the funniest videos ever to grace the internet, and if you haven't seen them, acquaint yourself immediately. The show, hosted by Yacht Rock creator JD Ryznar (Michael McDonald), includes a screening of all 10 episodes, as well as musical guests The School of Rock playing Yacht Rock Classics. YR cast members will also be in the house.

Details on how to win either contest, as well as more phenomenal upcoming shows, at the end of this post....

But first...I always heard a lot of great things about LA based comedian Brody Stevens but never actually took the time to familiarize myself with him. However, his recent contributions to the Comedy Death Ray profile on Superdeluxe have made me a huge fan. For those who don't know, Comedy Death Ray is a weekly "alternative" comedy show in L.A. founded by former Mr. Show writers/actors, Scott Aukerman and B.J. Porter - they created one of the best comedy CDs ever by the way. Anyhow, Brody's show is called The Brody Stevens Interview Challenge and the premiere episode features Zach Galifianakis. Watch Part 1 below, and head on over to Superdeluxe for Part 2. Keep checking back as more episodes are sure to surface.....

The big news around town has to be that British comedian Daniel Kitson has confirmed three shows at Union Hall on December 2, 3, and 4. Hailed as a favorite of comedians including David Cross and Eugene Mirman, Daniel Kitson doesn't get to the states enough. Like a jerk, the last time he was around I missed every single one of his appearances. I shan't make the same mistake twice. These shows are going to sell out for sure, so get tickets ASAP!.

Bobby Tisdale, co-Host of Invite Them Up, has a new bi-weekly show at Cake Shop called Llama Toe with Bobby and Friends. Co-Hosted by Reggie Watts, this show originally took place at Caroline's and man am I glad it's been moved to Cake Shop. 5 bucks, no minimum, no touristas.

Keeeeep reading....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (11/15/07)"

Todd Barry is easily one of the greatest comedians in existence. Period. On November 1, 2007 at Union Hall Todd celebrates his 20th year in comedy on the exact date he first went on stage. Also on the bill are David Cross, Sarah Vowell, Michael Showalter, Heather Lawless, Slovin and Allen, and some surprises. Or maybe just one surprise. Probably more than one. There are a hand full of tickets left online and a few will be available at the door so buy now or get to the venue EARLY (doors are at 7:30pm). All proceeds go to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

While others were bouncing from JENS Lekman to Danzig on Saturday night, I was bouncing from (Fred Armisen's) JENS Hannemann show at Sound Fix to Comedians of Comedy at Irving Plaza. Jens came out at around 8:00pm to a comfortably crowded room . His stage was flanked with two drum kits and he began with a drum solo that was a pitch perfect caricature of every instructional drum video solo I've ever seen. From there he spoke for a short time and challenged anyone who was willing, to a drum-off. Shortly after that, the wig came off and Fred was Fred which is what I hoped would eventually happen; it isn't often that Fred Armisen does an appearance like this. He covered topics such as SNL (2 years left on his contract), Trenchmouth (don't expect a reunion EVER), and TV he likes (I couldn't agree more). He even played some melodies on the piano. He was extremely funny, gracious, and a real joy to hear talk.

From Sound Fix, I hopped on the L-Train to check out the second of two Comedians of Comedy shows at Irving Plaza. Comedians of Comedy is the one show I look forward to more than any other on the planet. And with the fear in the back of my head that this might be the last CoC tour, I enjoyed this show with maximum relish. It was one of those shows that made me feel so lucky to live in NYC as we were treated to easily the best line-up of the entire tour. The line-up included Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford, Eugene Mirman, David Cross, Aziz Ansari, John Mulaney, Jon Glaser and Jon Benjamin, and Heather Lawless. From start to finish, the show was absolutely rock-solid. Even when some douche-nozzle had the balls to heckle Maria Bamford, the show never lost its momentum. As a matter of fact, that heckler probably added to the show's velocity as the subsequent comedians worked destroying said heckler into their routines. Every single comedian commanded the room, but I have to say the highlight of the show was John Mulaney. Sure, I've seen all of his material before, but he is such an amazing performer that his bits are always funny to me. Come to think of it, if there's one comedian out there who needs to make a CD ASAP, it's Mulaney. Sadly, no Zach Galifianakis this time around.

More comedy & NYC show listings, below....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (10/29/07)"

Eugene Mirman and Arj Barker (CRED)

There's a whole heck of a lot of Eugene Mirman related news!

First of all, Eugene is on a DVD called COMEDIANS OF COMEDY: Live at The Troubadour DVD - In Stores NOW!. From Amazon.com:

It's a night of comic anarchy as 15 of today's edgiest comedians perform at Los Angeles' legendary Troubadour rock 'n' roll club! You're guaranteed to laugh, and occasionally gasp with shock, as new comic frontiers are crossed. The humor is always fresh and funny as Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Zach Galifianakis, Maria Bamford, David Cross, Sarah Silverman, Blaine Capatch, Jon Benjamin, Jasper Redd, Andy Kindler, Morgan Murphy, Bob Odenkirk, Doug Benson, Dana Gould and Eugene Mirman share their unique styles of comedy.

Stop by this week's edition of Invite Them Up at Rififi tonight (Oct 3 - NYC) - In addition to your hosts Eugene Mirman & Bobby Tisdale - Reggie Watts, Chelsea Peretti, Larry Murphy, Seth Herzog, Adam Lowitt and MORE will be there to make you laugh.

More below.....

Continue reading "Eugene Mirman comedy news - Comedians of Comedy DVD"

Glaser, Oswalt & Posehn - Comedians of Comedy 2005

The moment comedy fanatics across the country have been waiting for has finally arrived - The Comedians of Comedy fall tour dates are finally starting to get announced. NYC will be blessed with not one, but TWO shows at Irving Plaza that will feature Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford,Eugene Mirman, and SCADS of special guests. All tour dates below.....

Continue reading "Comedians of Comedy - Fall 2007 Tour Dates"

Andrew WK, Kurt Braunohler, John Oliver, Leo Allen - Aug 20, 2007 (CRED)

The UCB Theater played host to a freaking stupendous edition of Bro'In Out with Leo and Tony. The show, which featured guests Andrew WK, Jon Oliver, Kurt Braunohler and music by Sam Bisbee, may be the comedy highlight of my summer. The show kicked-off with a sedate and chill Andrew WK discussing his recent lectures and motivational speeches which I found quite interesting. I find his theme of blocking out the bad, letting in the good, and making sure you feel happy and fulfilled all the time a bit unrealistic though - for me at least. WK was followed by Hot Tub Variety co-host Kurt Braunohler who delivered a monologue about fathering thousands of children all over the country. I pretty much laughed throughout the entire monologue and pray he performs it again soon. Up next was Daily Show correspondent Jon Oliver. I should point out that at this point in the show the guests and hosts had just about finished an entire bottle of absinthe, and that the effects were totally dictating the direction of the show. When Jon Oliver hit the stage it was pretty much a free-for-all with guests and hosts talking over each other and just having a blast. One stand-out line occured during a back-and-forth between bartender Jawnee and Jon Oliver when Oliver exclaimed "Giving you alcohol is like giving a child a tambourine." Finally, Sam Bisbee came out to close out the evening with a few songs, one of which was the most touching ode to his little daughter. He was fantastic and brought the energy back down to a normal, non-manic level. I left the show sore. These pics truly capture the essence of the experience.

And speaking of shows, we're giving away a pair of tickets to the next installment of ROFL at Joe's Pub on August 31, 2007. To enter, send us an e-mail at BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: ROFL), and tell us the last thing that made you ROFL. Include your first and last name. One winner will be picked at random and contacted. ROFL! is high art, low humor, YouTube video, Myspace weirdness, flash animation, web memes, conceptual puzzles, original film and non-sequiturs galore.

A few weeks ago Stephen Colbert broke his wrist. Bid on the actual cast.

NYC comedy staple Variety Shac (featuring Heather Lawless, Chelsea Peretti, Andrea Rosen, and Shonali Bhowmik) is having a monster DVD release party on September 21st at the Knitting Factory. This evening of music, comedy, and shorts will have special guests including Zach Galifianakis, Fred Armisen, and Cory Arcangel. The show is on a Friday and tickets are only $8! Check out the sweet flyer.

Speaking of Fred Armisen.... Fred's been working on a new short video series called ThunderAnt with ex-Sleater-Kinney guitarist/vocalist Carrie Brownstein. A while back Fred and Carrie did a short called Boink! Look for the premiere of the newest video sometime soon on Stereogum.

Keep reading for more upcoming comedy shows, more news, tour dates, and just more stuff....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (08/24/07)"