Bill Maher, Seth Meyers, Bob Newhart, Al Madrigal and Hannibal Buress are among the comedians who’ll perform at TBS Just for Laughs Chicago, the Chicago franchise of the Montreal-based comedy festival. It’s slated for June 11-16 at various venues around the city. Click here for more information. Launched in 2009, TBS Just For Laughs Chicago [...]
Mini Reunion for Conan, Simpsons writers
April 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment
In his latest installment of “Serious Jibber Jabber“, Conan O’Brien reunited with former Simpsons writers Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Jay Kogen, and Jeff Martin to discuss their stint on the long-running, award-winning animation show and other topics.
Comic Genius Inspired Others and Was Beloved by Many
April 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Jonathan Winters, a madcap comedy genius who inspired many comedians and comedy writers and was loved by audiences world-wide, has died. Recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1999, Winters, 87, passed away Thursday in his Montecito, California home with family and friends by his side. Winters was also an accomplished painter [...]
Arrested Development Returning May 26
April 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Add another comedy milestone to May 26. Twenty years after Jose Canseco misplayed a fly ball that hit him in the head and bounced over the fence for a home run, Nexflix will launch a new 15-episode season of the comedy cult Arrested Development. Created by Mitchell Hurwitz and starring Jason Bateman, David Cross and [...]
Nixed Work of Odenkirk, Cross Set For Book Release
February 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
So just what didn’t make it to air on the sketch comedy show Mr. Show with Bob and David? It’s a particularly interesting question considering the cult favorite appeared on HBO, the same network behind The Sopranos, Def Comedy Jam, Taxicab Confessions and Real Sex. Fans will get a look at the rejected works of [...]
Poehler Latest ‘SNL’ Alum to Get Book Deal
February 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment
First Tina Fey, then Rachel Dratch and now Amy Poehler. It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and HarperCollinsCanada announced it has acquired the rights to the first book by Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actress Amy Poehler. The untitled inspirational biography is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2014 and follows releases by [...]
Overpowering Eclectic Flavor to SF SketchFest 2013
January 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
With all due respect, disregard the name SF SketchFest because the big-time event has a little something for every comedy fan including improvisation, stand-up, live podcasts, workshops, kids shows, game shows, storytelling and music. Now in its 12th year, SF SketchFest will be held January 24 through February 10 at 26 different venues in the [...]
Entries For 2013 Thurber Prize Being Accepted
January 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Was the release of your hilarious romantic comedy overshadowed last year by Fifty Shadows of Grey? Did a book of sample SAT questions outshine your witty collection of personal essays? If so, here’s your chance at redemption. The Thurber House has begun accepting submissions for the 2013 Thurber Prize for American Humor. Named after humorist [...]
Ball Is Just Starting to Roll For Comic Thread
January 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
A lover of irony, Nicolas DeGrazia remembers that day. There’s no specific date attached to it because like many things in life it was one of those occurrences in which the magnitude isn’t realized until years or decades later. Back then DeGrazia, Charles Turck and Matt Sheahen were 19 and, influenced by Monty Python, already [...]
Pencil In Performance or Two at Sketch Fest
January 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The 12th annual Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, the largest sketch comedy festival in the United States, opens today. More than 10,000 patrons are expected to attend the event which is being held on back to back weekends at Stage 773 located at 1225 W Belmont Avenue. There are four theaters within the building so make [...]
Amazon Greenlights Six Original Series Pilots
December 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer-Prize winner Garry Trudeau and 12-time Emmy-winning comedy writer David Javerbaum of The Daily Show are among the writers whose pilots will be produced by Amazon Studios, the original film and series production arm of Amazon.com. However, just how long the shows stay in on the Internet will be up to [...]
Seinfeld Opens Up About Writing Process
December 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The time and effort that goes into crafting a single joke varies from performer to performer and while you’d think a veteran like Jerry Seinfeld is one of the quicker writers, the stand-up comedy legend recently told New York Times Magazine that it’s taken him two years to perfect a bit about Pop Tarts. The [...]
Award-Winning Humor Writer, “TAL” Contributor
August 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
David Rakoff, an award-winning humor writer and frequent contributor to the National Public Radio staple This American Life died Thursday night in Manhattan. Rakoff, who overcame Hodgkin’s disease while in his ’20s, had been battling a cancerous tumor located behind his shoulder. The Canadian-born writer addressed both illnesses in his books, including Half Empty which [...]
Script Done, Crowe to Direct Bill Hicks Biopic
July 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Considering he referred to TV as “Lucifer’s Dream Box” and the U.S.A. as “The United States of Advertising”, and that he possessed an overall distaste for pop culture, one can’t help but wonder what late comedian Bills Hicks would think about his Hollywood biopic coming to the big screen. Although American: The Bill Hicks Story, [...]
Comedies Reflected in Emmys Shift to Cable
July 20, 2012 By 1 Comment
NBC’s Saturday Night Live and ABC’s Modern Family received 14 Emmy nominations each while NBC’s 30 Rock earned 13 to lead all comedy programs in the 2012 Prime Time Emmy Award nominations announced Thursday. After all the nominations were announced, critics to note of the inroads cable networks made in the eyes of Emmy judges. [...]
Original ‘SNL’ Writer Of Classic Sketches
July 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tom Davis, who, with childhood friend Al Franken, comprised the comedy team of Franken and Davis, and was among the first writers hired for NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 1975, died Thursday at age 59. Davis’ wife, Mimi Raleigh, said her husband died of throat and neck cancer. He was diagnosed in 2009. Davis won [...]
Borowitz Report Jumps to The New Yorker
July 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
After 11 years of mocking celebrities, politicians, world leaders, and just about everyone else in the limelight, humorist Andy Borowitz took aim at himself Wednesday, with a headline announcing that a change had come to his widely-read Borowitz Report. “Shocker: The New Yorker Acquires The Borowitz Report” blared the satirical headline followed by a brief [...]
Rare Artist Succeeded in Drama, Comedy
June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Writer, director, playwright and filmmaker Nora Ephron, a rare artist who succeeded in both drama and comedy as well as on the big screen and the printed page, died Tuesday died of complications from the blood disorder myelodysplasia, which was diagnosed six years ago. Ephron was 71. As a writer Ephron earned Oscar nominations for [...]
Lawsuit Heats Up Oatmeal, Funny Junk Feud
June 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Yes, there are instances when comedy is not all fun and games. This month the ugly side of the humor business not only reared its ugly head, but it came out of the water in the way of a lawsuit. Naturally folks working in and outside of the comedy business have taken notice. The issue [...]
Musings: Monday, June 4, 2012
June 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Before he was an award-winning screenwriter and movie director and before he performed as a standup comedian, Woody Allen was a successful author, penning numerous humorous short stories and books including Without Feathers. Written in May of 1975, Without Feathers consists of 2 one-act plays and 16 short stories including “Examining Psychic Phenomena” in which [...]
Musings: Tuesday, May 22, 2012
May 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Months after This America Life retracted an episode featuring monologist and writer Mike Daisey, who, in his latest work The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, fabricated some of the working conditions at a Chinese factory, the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi is reporting that the National Public Radio program is reviewing how it introduces [...]
Black’s Writing Shines in “Not Doing It Right”
May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A funny thing happened while reading Michael Ian Black’s new collection of personal essays. I laughed early on, particularly when Black shirks work so that he monitor Kevin Federline’s weight via paparazzi photos. Black admits it’s a “mild obsession and writes, “I do not know why KFK (Fat Kevin Federline) holds such fascination for me. [...]
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