Big Terrific

I didn't check any other price points, but I was able to pull up a $1000 ticket no problem to tonight's show at Beacon Theater no problem. It's this one:

JIM GAFFIGAN, RICKY GERVAIS, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, JON STEWART, AND THE MAX WEINBERG BIG BAND JOIN FORCES WITH THE BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION AND THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL TO BRING LAUGHTER AND MUSIC TO THE 5TH ANNUAL STAND UP FOR HEROES EVENT.

Bruuuuuuce...

Tickets are much cheaper, if not already sold out, for the rest of the events comprising this year's NY Comedy Festival which runs through November 13th. Venues range from the fancy Beacon to the homes of drink minimums to more indie offerings. The official schedule lists Big Terrific at Cameo and multiple things happening at UCB East and West tonight.

Tim Minchin, Cintra Wilson & Colson Whitehead are appearing at the Greene Space today and tickets are still available.

New York Comedy Festival is returning to multiple NYC venues this fall from November 9-13. The festival features a number of comedians including Wanda Sykes, Louis C.K., Russell Peters, Bill Burr, John Pinette, Tracy Morgan, Bill Maher, Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin, Norm Macdonald, Ricky Gervais, John Pinette and Jo Koy. The festival spans venues including Beacon Theatre, Town Hall, Carolines on Broadway, 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, and BAM. Tickets are available for each show and are in various states of sale/presale. Full schedule is below.

Australian comedian/actor/musician Tim Minchin is returning to NYC this fall to perform at Town Hall on November 4. Tickets are available for Live Nation presale now (password: ELECTRIC) and go on sale to the general public today, Friday (8/12) at noon. Check out a video of Tim at Bamboozle this past Spring along with all dates below...

Continue reading "NY Comedy Festival 2011 lineup & tickets, Tim Minchin too"

Bear In Heaven is playing the Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 19th. Tickets are on sale now.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Deerhunter, Real Estate, Casino Versus Japan show at Webster Hall (you can also catch Deerhunter and Real Estate for free much sooner).

Tickets are on sale for the Thermals / Cymbals Eat Guitars show happening at Irving Plaza.

Paul Weller is playing Nokia Theatre on November 7th. Tickets are on sale.

Samiam, The Casting Out, I Hate Our Freedom, and Vs. Antelope are playing the Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 13th. Tickets are on sale now.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Wavves show at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Aziz Ansari is headlining the Beacon Theatre as part of the New York Comedy Festival on November 6th. Tickets are currently on presale. General sale starts Monday at 10am.

Other New York Comedy Festival tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster too., though the Louis CK show is on sale directly at Carnegie Hall.

Fitz & The Tantrums are playing The Mercury Lounge on September 25th. Tickets are on sale at noon.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Primus show at The Wellmont Theater

Sharon Van Etten and Kyp Malone are playing The Mercury Lounge on October 9th. Tickets are on sale at noon.

Tickets are on sale at noon for The Sword show at Webster Hall

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Phantogram show at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Black Mountain and Black Angels show at The Bowery Ballroom

Ra Ra Riot tourmates, Givers, are playing The Mercury Lounge on November 6th. Tickets are on sale at noon. It's Givers' only New York City show at the moment. They're not opening any of the four New York Ra Ra Riot dates.

Tunng is playing The Mercury Lounge on November 11th. Tickets are on sale at 9:30 PM.

Idlewild is playing The Bowery Ballroom on November 22nd and November 23rd. 2 Day Passes are also available for purchase. Tickets all on sale at noon.

Tickets are on sale Monday, August 9 for the Joanna Newsom show at Carnegie Hall

""Your father's dead," but the good news is that FX has renewed Louis C.K.'s half-hour comedy/cringe-fest Louie for 13 more episodes. Oh, joy! Rapture! Television has a brain! Way to go, FX (F--ing Xcellent). At the risk of sounding insensitive, this news makes me want to party down. (Too soon? Yes.)" [EW]

I second that "Oh, joy"! And tickets go on sale at 11am for a November 4th Louis CK show at Carnegie Hall (part of the New York Comedy Festival).

P.S. I noticed you can watch the whole first season of "Louie", free on FX demand if you have Time Warner cable. You don't even need to DVR it. Check it out!

P.S.S. Joanna Newsom is playing Carnegie Hall too

Bruce Springsteen & Lisa Lampanelli backstage @ Town Hall (Caroline's)

The New York Comedy Festival runs through Sunday. It kicked off last night at Town Hall with the "Stand up For Heroes" benefit...

[Host Brian] Williams walked onstage with a laptop and opened his monologue with the words: "Yankees 2, Phillies nothing." There was loud applause from the New York crowd missing Game 6 of the World Series.

He quipped that he wanted to be a full-service provider onstage and offer sports and weather updates in addition to covering the news. Williams also shared jokes about military food and being from New Jersey.

[Bruce] Springsteen threw in a few jokes, including one about Pepsi having created a drink that includes Viagra and that is called "MountAndDo."

One of his guitars and four Madison Square Garden tickets were then auctioned off by auctioneer Jamie Niven, the son of actor David Niven, for $50,000. "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay walked away with the goods to much applause.

Louis C.K. had the audience in stitches with edgy material about divorced life and his kids.

Colbert offered some topical humor, talking about his experience visiting the troops in Iraq, which he described as hot and dangerous, "like Texas with fewer guns." He also described a former Saddam Hussein palace as mindful of a house decorated by "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." [Hollywood Reporter]

Assuming Mariska uses those MSG tickets herself, she'll get to see one of two Bruce albums performed in full for the first time. Louis C.K. performs again during the festival at Caroline's on Sunday. Ricky Gervais was there and plays again at Carnegie Hall tonight (11/5). Andy Samberg was probably not there due to watching the Yankees game, but he will be at Town Hall as part of the festival on Sunday. More shows are listed in our original post and at the fest's website.

by Klaus Kinski

Patton Oswalt, Johnny Depp, & Tim Burton @ Comic Con - july 23, 2009 (Anime Nut)

"Some of the 3-D effects aren't going to look absolutely perfect," said Patton Oswalt, the comedian and voice actor who moderated a presentation of Disney's forthcoming "A Christmas Carol," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Tron: Legacy." Mr. Oswalt asked attendees not to blog about effects being "quite subpar." [NY Times]

The New York Comedy Festival isn't until November 4 - 8, but with the line-up just announced, Carnegie Hall tix available now, and ticket presales (and some on sales) starting on August 12, the time to mention it is NOW. This is the 6th installment of the festival and unlike NYC music festivals such as CMJ or Northside (festivals where you can wander the city for days on end catching hundreds of bands), the focus here is on having a few large-scale shows over the course of a few evenings. NYC is a place where you can catch cheap or free comedy with big name talent almost every evening, but sometimes it's nice to venture out of the back rooms, basements, and comedy clubs and see one or two of your faves at a fancy pants venue. The full schedule is below, but for me some of the better highlights include:

• 11/4 - Stand Up For Heroes - a special benefit presented by NYCF and the Bob Woodruff Foundation at Town Hall
• 11/5 - Ricky Gervais - Carnegie Hall - ON SALE NOW
• 11/5 - Mike Birbiglia - Town Hall - Presale 8/12, On Sale 8/17
• 11/6 - Tracy Morgan - Carnegie Hall - ON SALE NOW
• 11/7 - Patton Oswalt - Town Hall - Presale 8/12, On Sale 8/17

Full schedule (Andy Samberg included) and ticket info below...

Continue reading "New York Comedy Festival - 2009 dates, lineup & ticket info "

by Klaus Kinski (of Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon)

Two films I've been dying to see quickly made their way in and out of our fair city this past June. Being an idiot that cannot seem to prioritize anything, I missed them both. The films I speak of are Big Fan starring Patton Oswalt and Visioneers starring Zach Galifianakis. You may recall from previous articles that Zach and Patton are among my favorite comedians of all time; thus the eagerness to see these films and the anguish at missing them. Big Fan is the directorial debut of Robert Siegel, the man wrote The Wrestler, a film that featured comedian Todd Barry (another favorite). In Big Fan, Patton plays the role of Paul.

Paul is a 35-year-old toll booth operator from Staten Island who lives and dies by his New York Giants. When he has a chance encounter with Giants linebacker Quantrell Bishop, however, things go horribly wrong and a brutal beating at the hands of his idol tests Paul's allegiance to the team. Comedian Patton Oswalt delivers a heartbreaking, layered performance in this pitch-black comedy that reveals the disturbing side of obsessive fandom.

Thankfully, word is out that Big Fan will begin showing in theaters in New York and Philadelphia August 28th, Los Angeles, D.C, Dallas and Houston theatres September 11th and then expanding! In the meantime, visit the official website for trailers and whatnot. And definitely check out Patton's diaries from when Big Fan played at Sundance back in January. Trailer below.

Having seen the trailer last year, I feel like Visioneers has been on my radar for a really long time. It definitely looks to be a somber, Orwellian, supremely dark comedy. The film, directed by Jared Drake, stars Galifianakis as George Washington Winsterhammerman.

George lives a comfortable yet completely uneventful life, and when he starts having dreams in which he's the first President of the United States, his doctor informs him that they could be signs of impending explosion. Later, as the dreams become more frequent and his co-workers continue to detonate, George is prompted to reevaluate his mundane existence.

It looks like that June 3 screening at the 92Y Tribeca may have been my only opportunity to see it theatrically; it comes out on DVD July 21st (using Zach's role in The Hangover to reach a broader audience) and there only seems to be independently organized screening parties scattered across the US. Trailer below.

Zach did a split 7" with Ted Leo a while back, available only via Chunklet.com and only available if you purchased another item from the Chunklet store. Now you no longer need to buy a second item in order to purchase the record. This extremely limited edition 7" is only $5 and is available on four different types of wax. Get 'em while they're hot!.

In Other News........

Continue reading "comedy news: Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Zach Galifianakis, Ricky Gervais, M Showalter, ATP & more (by Klaus Kinski)"

Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter (2/3 of Stella) are playing a free MySpace Secret Stand Up show at Caroline's Comedy Club in NYC on Thursday November 6th. As you can see from the picture above, the show is affiliated with the New York Comedy Festival that kicks off today (Wednesday, November 5th).

All of Stella are touring, and playing 2 NYC shows, in December. You can watch them discuss president-elect Barack Obama in the video below...

Continue reading "Michael Showalter & Michael Ian Black - free MySpace show "

Kristen Schaal @ Sub Pop's 20th. (more by Shawn Brackbill)

The New York Comedy Festival runs from November 5-8 in NYC (not counting the November 4th show at Caroline's). There are many big comedians like Louis CK and Sarah Silverman doing shows at big venues like Town Hall and Hammerstein Ballroom, but there are also smaller and just-as-funny alternatives being hosted at the UCB Theatre. They are:

Nov 5 @ 7:30 PM - the Web Video Cram-Off hosted by Pete Holmes
(more info and reservations)

Nov 6 @ 7:30 PM - the Best Sketch in NY Showcase w/ featuring Elephant Larry, Sidecar, Harvard Sailing Team, Derrick, Dirty Jeans & Thunderchief, and hosted by Kurt Braunohler & Kristen Schaal.
(more info, no more reservations)

Nov 7 @ 7:30 PM - Time Out New York Approved comedy w/ Kristen Schaal, Anthony Jeselnik, Reggie Watts, & More!
(more info and reservations)

More info on everything @ the festival's website.

The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) and the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) unite to present the second annual Stand Up for Heroes: A Benefit for the Bob Woodruff Foundation at Town Hall in New York City at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, November 5. Regis Philbin will host Stand Up for Heroes, which will feature star performances by Ricky Gervais, John Pinette, Bruce Springsteen, and Patti Scialfa. Both Whoopi Goldberg and James Niven of Sotheby's will make a special appearance as the guest auctioneers. In honor of the United States' injured service members, the evening promises unforgettable performances, laughter, and sincere gratitude, with proceeds going to the BWF.

Tickets are on sale (soon?) at Ticketmaster.

Bruce is also performing at Obama-related events at Hammerstein Ballroom and in Philly. Ricky Gervais is in the new movie Ghost Town.

by Klaus Kinski

Louis CK suprise appearance @ Pianos (more by Bao Nguyen)

The 2008 New York Comedy Festival is not until November 5-9, but tickets for lots of the shows start going on sale August 7th. The festival boasts some pretty massive talent, but the festival also boasts some enormous venues and somewhat hefty ticket prices. Individually, the tickets prices might not be so bad. But when you want to see 4 or 5 of these shows the overall cost (with fees) is a bit crippling. Some highlights of the Festival include:

• 11/6 - Louis CK - Town Hall
• 11/7 - An Evening with Craig Ferguson - Town Hall
• 11/8 - Sarah Silverman and Friends - Hammerstein Ballroom
• 11/8 - Tracy Morgan - Apollo Theater
• 11/9 - BJ Novak and Friends - Town Hall

What really has my curiosity going bonkers is the addition of "and Friends" to the Sarah Silverman and BJ Novak (The Office) shows. When Sarah performed at Carnegie Hall last year, her friends were Todd Barry and Doug Benson. TOTALLY worth the cost of admission. And BJ Novak, hilarious in his own right, has many many many very funny friends so there's a huge chance his show will absolutely blow the roof off of Town Hall. In their own words...

"We're thrilled to celebrate the fifth year of the New York Comedy Festival with such a talented and hilarious group of performers who are on the leading edge of the comedy business," said Caroline Hirsch, co-founder of the Festival and owner of Carolines on Broadway. "We are also very excited to launch a multi-year partnership with COMEDY CENTRAL, and look forward to working with them to extend the Festival's audience even further and to provide even more content and programming through COMEDY CENTRAL's various media platforms."