The day before his Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents taping, comedian Josh Johnson sat down with me in the green room of New Orleans’ Civic Theatre. One thing I noticed very quickly was that he was there to work. New Orleans is an easy city to get distracted in, especially if you feel like celebrating your […]
Continue ReadingPatton Oswalt heads to Netflix later this month with a brand new standup special, and the streaming network just released the trailer. Titled Annihilation, the hourlong special was taped at Chicago’s Athenaeum Theatre and follows Oswalt as he reflects on the death of his wife Michelle McNamara and “how he worked through the pain and […]
Continue ReadingTonight at 12:30 Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents will air a half hour that is arguably unlike any you’ve seen before. If this sounds like hyperbole, please know that the special involves giant sentient glowing crystals and excerpts from Melania Trump’s secret diary delivered by someone who refers to himself as a Space Prince. The half […]
Continue ReadingEvery so often you hear somebody say something like “Oh, I would love to do standup comedy, I’m just too shy.” And more often than not, they never do. Luckily for us, Anthony DeVito managed to overcome his shyness — so effectively, in fact, that this year alone he performed on The Late Show and […]
Continue ReadingFelipe Esparza’s story is a twisted, modern-day fairy tale: The son of immigrant parents learns English to help his parents, joins a gang, gets addicted to drugs, has his life threatened, then meets a spiritual advisor who pushes him to get clean and follow his dream of being a comedian. These vignettes make up Felipe’s […]
Continue ReadingJo Firestone spent the day before her Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents (her episode premieres tonight at 12:30) taping sitting by the pool doing Sudoku. “I like to be alone. I have some people here, so I might push them away. That’s my style, to push people away.” Alone time is important since the behind-the-scenes at […]
Continue ReadingI spoke with Casey James Salengo fresh off his return from taping his Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents, set to premiere tomorrow. From what I’ve seen of him on shows over the last few years, Salengo has never been someone to either overestimate or underestimate his own comedic talents. He’s never appeared all too concerned with […]
Continue ReadingMarlon Wayans is the latest comedian to get his own Netflix standup special. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wayans will tape a standup special for the streaming network sometime this fall in Washington DC. A premiere date for the special has not yet been revealed. Wayans, meanwhile, is currently starring in his own NBC sitcom Marlon, which […]
Continue ReadingI 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 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 […]
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