Tag: Opinion

Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Superstore are basically the same show and here’s why

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Cheers, Friends, Seinfeld, 30 Rock, Golden Girls, The Office, Parks and Recreation; NBC has given us some of the most iconic sitcoms of all time and Brooklyn Nine-Nine is poised to be its newest tentpole sitcom. After being unexpectedly dropped by Fox after five beloved seasons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was picked up by NBC for a sixth season and last week’s premiere garnered 3.6 million viewers—up 71% from last year’s season

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Opinion: Comedians should be able to test bad jokes…even Louis C.K.

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The most recent Louis C.K. controversy brings up the conversation about whether or not a stand-up stage is a sacred place. Comedy clubs have policies barring recordings of their comics and bigger names like Dave Chappelle have utilized special services to ensure their material is not leaked ahead of a big Netflix release. Laughspin has asked two stand-up comics to examine each side of the privacy of the comedy club.

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Opinion: Louis C.K. should not expect a safe space on stage

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The most recent Louis C.K. controversy brings up the conversation about whether or not a stand-up stage is a sacred place. Comedy clubs have policies barring recordings of their comics and bigger names like Dave Chappelle have utilized special services to ensure their material is not leaked ahead of a big Netflix release. Laughspin has asked two stand-up comics to examine each side of the privacy of the comedy club.

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Opinion: Louis C.K. should not expect a safe space on stage

laughspin

The most recent Louis C.K. controversy brings up the conversation about whether or not a stand-up stage is a sacred place. Comedy clubs have policies barring recordings of their comics and bigger names like Dave Chappelle have utilized special services to ensure their material is not leaked ahead of a big Netflix release. Laughspin has asked two stand-up comics to examine each side of the privacy of the comedy club.

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Every 2018 stand-up comedy special: annotated

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Last week, Laughspin released our end-of-year list of 2018’s best hourlong stand-up specials (didn’t see who made the list? Go read that first!). Many likely disagreed with parts or all of my assessment. Many also didn’t watch every comedy special of 2018 like I did. To show my work, I am sharing the Google Spreadsheet containing all of my semi-arbitrary ‘scores’ and comments. Yes, you can read what I had

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Comedy Boom 2.0: Have we reached peak comedy?

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2018 was an incredible year for stand-up comedy. Thanks to Netflix’s continued persistence to flood your recommendations with new hourlong specials from a diverse array of comedians, it was impossible to be starved for laughter. Not only did we see dozens of specials this year, but we saw a surprising number of stand-up showcase series on various platforms and networks, an amount we haven’t seen since the original comedy boom.

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The American Meme: Netflix doc whitewashes meme culture (Opinion)

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I have a secret. I love Vine. When Vine shut down last year, I turned to endless compilations of six-second comedy on YouTube. In the right circles, you will hear quotes like, “Stop. I could have dropped my croissant!” or, “Can I please get a waffle?” Which is probably why I was so excited for The American Meme. The Netflix documentary from director Bert Marcus came to the streaming platform last week

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Equity in comedy: How financial struggles limit comedian upstarts and how we can help (Opinion)

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This year, more than any other before it, popular culture turned its eyes to the equity problem in entertainment. There were discussions about representation in all facets, from the imbalance of power in Hollywood based on gender to an analysis of LBTGQ roles on TV to reports about the sparse and inauthentic representation of minorities on screen. Like most sects of the entertainment industry comedy suffers from a diversity problem too. Comedy is mostly white and

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This Week at the Comedy Cellar shows off the unpolished part of stand-up comedy

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As the first season of This Week at the Comedy Cellar wraps up, the show has established itself as a true look at the craft of stand-up comedy. Sure, the show can be a little forced at times with the “comic’s table” banter, but it still illustrates a side of comedy that most people don’t get to see. On This Week at the Comedy Cellar, comedians get up and do

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The Case for Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland from Oh, Hello To Host the Oscars (No, Seriously.)

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The hunt for a new Oscars host is back on and, apparently, no one in Hollywood wants the gig. For a hot second, it seemed as though Kevin Hart would host the awards ceremony until negative backlash erupted over past tweets featuring homophobic slurs. Now the hunt has resumed and, over the weekend, the Twitter account for Oh, Hello has been claiming that Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland (played by

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