On Thursday, January 19, 2017, the day before Donald Trump’s inauguration, I found myself filled with dread about the weeks, months, and years to come. His cabinet’s Senate confirmation hearings had begun, and many of Trump’s appointees appeared uninformed about and unqualified to run the departments they are slated to lead. Later in the day, […]
Continue Reading“A lot of therapists don’t write their own material,” said Jonathan Katz, onstage with David Wain at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, cracking up the audience while also summing up his 90s animated series, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and its current, live iteration. Twenty years after the series premiered on Comedy Central, those […]
Continue ReadingThe first week of Donald Trump’s presidency has begun, and one of the weekend’s biggest headlines revolved around the phrase “alternative facts” — a term used by Trump adviser and spokesperson Kellyanne Conway to defend White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s false claim that Friday marked “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration.” During […]
Continue ReadingIn 2011, comedians/writers/improvisers/friends Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi were left without a place to speak on important social justice issues after the show they were correspondents on, InfoMania, went off the air. Luckily the freedom of the internet means that nobody is left without a place to speak their minds, so Gibson and Safi teamed […]
Continue ReadingOn December 5th, Chris Rock unveiled a promotional image for his forthcoming Total Blackout tour, his first in nearly a decade. As venues are confirmed and details finalized, it appears Rock is upholding the promise he made two years ago: no more college campuses. While promoting Top Five, Rock echoed the concerns of Bill Maher, […]
Continue ReadingPod-Canon is an ongoing tribute to the greatest individual comedy-related podcast episodes of all time. Early in the Star Wars Holiday Special episode of I Was There Too, we are treated to the ethereal crooning of the late, lamented Carrie Fisher, as she performs a musical ode to Life Day, the holiday lovingly commemorated in […]
Continue ReadingHow much does Bryan Callen love comedy? Well, as he puts it, “If you said, ‘Bryan, you can either never have sex again or never do standup comedy again,’ I would probably never have sex again.” Callen’s original plan was to focus solely on acting, a job that he’s had measurable success with, considering his […]
Continue ReadingA longtime improviser, groundbreaking sketch comedy writer, skilled standup, and award-winning actor, Aziz Ansari would have to try real hard not to shine on Saturday Night Live. And in his first hosting gig, he did not disappoint (despite getting stuck in a couple of sketches that might have tanked with a less adept leader). Since […]
Continue ReadingBranson Reese is a cartoonist and comedian living in NYC. He performs weekly at the Magnet Theater and monthly as an alcoholic goose puppet in Simon’s Street at UCB Chelsea. Fans of TBS’s Search Party might remember him as Chantal’s extremely sad friend Gabe. His webcomic Crimewave will be up soon and he’ll tweet about […]
Continue ReadingIn his 2012 book, Tortured Artists, Christopher Zara examines the mental anguish that has plagued some of the most revered artists in history, from Poe to Picasso to Rowling. He also sums up a belief shared by many about the nature of creativity: “Great art comes from great pain.” Though it’s taken comedians some time […]
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