I met Jenny Zigrino at New Orleans’ Civic Theater the day before her Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents (her half hour premieres tonight at 12:30) taping. We were sitting on a couch in the green room having a casual chat when her phone rang. “Do you mind if I take this?” she asked. I said, “Go […]
Continue ReadingErnie Kovacs was a genius. There’s no way around that. Carson, Letterman, and Conan have all cited him as an influence, and there have been hundreds of tributes, articles, PBS clips shows, and even two, very well done DVD retrospectives of his work from Shout! Factory. Well, Shout! is about to add a third volume […]
Continue ReadingMatt Grote (@feMANism) is a human apology. He once did an impression of Michael Cera that was so spot-on that he spent half an hour holding the door for everyone at The Strand. He is a standup comedian and writer/actor with the sketch group CHUMBLE, co-host of These Are Not My Words, co-creator of webcomic […]
Continue ReadingWhen Will Ferrell left Saturday Night Live in May 2002, his final episode ended with his castmates sharing stories about their time working with him. One such story came from Chris Parnell, who revealed that after he had been fired from the show following the 2001 season, it was actually Ferrell who had convinced Lorne […]
Continue ReadingThe comedy podcast universe is ever expanding, not unlike the universe universe. We’re here to make it a bit smaller, a bit more manageable. There are a lot of great shows and each has a lot of great episodes, so we want to highlight the exceptional, the noteworthy. Each week our crack team of podcast […]
Continue ReadingA few nights before he recorded his set for Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents (which premieres this Friday night at midnight), Shane Torres dropped in at New Orleans’ 12 Mile Limit for a quick set at the Bear with Me open mic. He had been touring the South running his half hour at off nights at […]
Continue ReadingWith 28 seasons, 618 episodes (about 300 good ones), and an endless influence on society and pop culture, The Simpsons gives us much to discuss. Keeping this in mind, it’s hard to think of a show that would be better suited to the podcast format. There are a few active podcasts that discuss The Simpsons, […]
Continue ReadingI don’t like profiling videos or series rooted in “Hollywood” culture if I can help it. Sometimes I can’t help it. Sometimes the work is too strong to be ignored, even amidst the din of my “don’t profile any more series about Hollywood culture” mantra shames me. Hiatus is worth the shame for two reasons. First, creators Jasmine Elist and Michael […]
Continue ReadingBest known for his role as the foul-mouthed friend and dating advisor Zahid on Netflix’s recently renewed comedy Atypical, Nik Dodani is on the cusp of a breakout year. The 22-year-old actor and comedian has been acting since age 12 and is now starting to get some serious recognition. As a standup he’s only about two […]
Continue ReadingWelcome to our series On the Verge, where our contributors highlight comedians they feel are ready for their next big break. Whether they’re already working in television or still waiting to land their breakout gig, these are just some of the comedians we’d like to see more of over the coming years — ideally with a show, film, or […]
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