Nightlife Events Archives - Page 8 of 23

Archive for Nightlife Events

Help Tom Cotter Win "America’s Got Talent"

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on September 9, 2012

I’ve known Tom Cotter for a long time and always admired his work. Not only his performance but especially his writing. It’s just so sharp and clever, and he works really clean, which in a business where so many comics are obsessed with “bathroom related material”, is a breath of fresh air, (not usually found in most bathrooms! LOLOL)

Tom Cotter with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV at The Comic Strip in 2003!

With all the times I’ve seen Tom perform, I still run into the room to catch his set if I know he’s going up. He’s a reliable crowd-pleaser! His lines like, ” I was the youngest in the family, but I was always beaten up by the two oldest, … Mom and Dad!” ” I used to get smacked around by these green berets in my neighborhood. Some people call them “girl scouts”, … whatever!” “The morning of my 16th birthday, the whole family tried to surprise me with a car, … but they missed!”, … make me laugh every time I hear them!(Which is not to say he’s not adding new lines all the time! Try giving a woman a compliment like that, and she’ll KILL you! “Every time I see you in that dress you look fantastic”!)

Those are just three of Tom’s jokes that helped him impress Howard Stern, Sharon Osbourne, and Howie Mandel, and pass the audition for the 7th season of the show. His material really lends itself to doing 90 second bits which is basically what you get on the show. Most comics are still adjusting the mic stand and asking people where they’re from for the first 90 seconds. Tom doesn’t fool around. He gets one laugh after the next. You can see it right here:

http://youtu.be/ug4ju_jFs70

As a long time writer, I appreciate people who punch out the jokes. One after the other. That’s why you’re out there to tell jokes and make the audience laugh, and Tom is a master at that.

Howie Mandel gave him two “thumbs up” on camera right after his audition set, told Tom he had just become a big fan of his, and that he was confident, polished and very funny. Sharon said Tom’s performance was one laugh after the next, and “really, really spot on!”, and Howard not only thanked him for being on the show but used the word “excellent” to describe his performance!

Since that time, they have grown to love him as has the audience, and you can see they’re really rooting for him to win.

Tom is married to the very funny, and very pretty comic Kerri Louise and they have 3 little kids. I remember when they were shooting their show for the WE Channel called “Two Funny” about the lives of two married stand-up comics who have baby twins. They were shooting an episode at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, which is the biggest comedy festival in the world. (I just got back from there last month, where I shot 40 interviews for Comedy Matters TV, including one with Tom Cotter which you can see below!)

Anyway, I was chasing them all over to get a photo with the help of their manager Peter Rosegarten from The Conversation Company, but I could never get the two of them together in the same place at the same time! Finally I just gave up, and as I was leaving, and waiting for my car to take me to the airport, who pulls up in their car but Tom, Kerri, and the twins Cameron and Harrison. They got out of the car and I got my photo, and I just spent the last two hours searching for it on my computer to no avail!

I found the column from September of ’05, but I can’t find the photo! However I do have the video I just shot with Tom up in Montreal where I was the official videographer this year for my Comedy Matters TV! Check it out right here:

Those twins are 7 years old now and they need their Dad to win America’s Got Talent, so he can keep them in the style they need to be kept! And that goes for Kerri Louise as well, whose nick-name according to Tom used to be “Comic Relief”! (LOL)

Tom Cotter and the lovely Kerri Louise at Danny Aiello’s comedy room Danny’s Upstairs, back in 2007! You’d never know she had 3 kids, right?

In order to get into the finals, Tom took the “ballsy” move of letting Howie Mandel choose the category of his material from a list. Howie chose “College” and Tom went on to destroy the crowd with his killer set!

So the finals begin this Wednesday, Sept. 12th, on NBC, at 9 P.M. New York time, 8 P.M. Central time(whatever that is! LOL), and the results show is the next night on Thursday, 9/13. So make sure to vote for Tom, and let a true comedic talent win. He’s not only funny, but the nicest guy you’d ever wanna meet!

The world needs more laughs and Tom is the guy that can bring it!

Tags: "America's Got Talent", "Chelsea Handler", "Comedy Matters TV", "Howie Mandel", "JB Smoove", "Kerri Louise", "Nick Cannon", "Peter Rosegarten", "Sharon Osbourne", "The Conversation Company", Comedy Matters, Howard Stern, Jeffrey Gurian, Just For Laughs, Just for Laughs Festival, Montreal, NBC, Tom Cotter, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog

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Saturday Night Live Comes To The Comic Strip

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on September 2, 2012

The cast members and writers of SNL seem to have found a home at the legendary club called The Comic Strip, in NYC. This year is the 35th year that it’s open and still going strong. SNL made it’s debut in 1975!

The Strip opened June 1st of 1976, and on June 17th Jerry Seinfeld walked in to audition. The reason we know this is that his original sign-up sheet is still on the wall. It’s also in the book that will be out Oct. 1, 2012, called “Make ‘Em Laugh” written by myself and owner/founder Richie Tienken.

Make “Em Laugh with an intro by Chris Rock will be out on Oct. 1st but is available right now for pre-order at a big discount on Amazon.com!

Recently D.L. Hughley filmed a Comedy Central special there because of it’s history with Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock. Richie was Eddie’s manager for the first eleven years of his career, from his SNL days through Beverly Hills Cop 2, so lots of big comics today grew up dreaming of someday being on that very same stage.

D.L. Hughley with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV backstage at The Comic Strip for DL’s Comedy Central taping!

SNL writer Colin Jost is a regular performer at The Strip and he’s been bringing his buddies from SNL, writers and cast members to do shows at The Strip. Recently one went down on Sunday night. The MC was Danny McDermott, currently working with Richie Tienken and Bob Wachs as his managers.

Danny McDermott MC’ing the SNL show at The Comic Strip!

The packed crowd got to see a hilarious show, with an opening set by Teddy Smith who is always hysterically funny.

Teddy Smith killin’ it onstage at The Strip!

New featured player Kate McKinnon was there and her strength is character work, which is the only way you can get on SNL. I believe her first time on the show she did a sketch with Sofia Vergara, who was the host that week, and it was a faux Pantene commercial where she played Penelope Cruz.

Sofia got all the easy words and Kate as Penelope got all the impossibly difficult scientific words to try and pronounce in her Spanish accent! It was hysterical. This night at The Strip Kate put on a bee hat with little antennaes and discussed the mating habits of bees!

SNL cast member Kate McKinnon showing very unusual but effective mic technique onstage at The Comic Strip!

Mike O’Brien came up, who is in his third year of writing for the show. He is also the host of the very funny Hulu internet show called ” Seven Minutes in Heaven” which he created with another SNL writer Rob Klein! He takes celebs into a closet and tries to make out with them! I always thought only the kids I went to school with knew that game. I had no idea it was real and that other kids knew it too!

Mike also created the sketch “Kickspit Underground Rock Festival”, where they advertise things like spraying viruses on the crowd, and a band named Mrs. Potato Dick. That sketch he wrote with Colin Jost, while both were suffering from sleep deprivation! The part I liked best was that everyone who attended got a pitchfork!

That reminded me of a short film I made several years ago called ” Men Who Take A Pitchfork To The Movies”, which was part of my “Men Who” Series, including “Men Who Enjoy Latin Dancing With Tools”, and “Men Who Dance In Traffic With The Sunday Edition of the New York Times!” Watch it here if you dare!

SNL writer Mike O’Brien, host of Hulu’s “Seven Minutes in Heaven” onstage at The Strip!

I did a video with Colin recently for Comedy Matters TV which will be up soon. We kept passing each other in Montreal at the Just for Laughs Festival last month,and we kept saying we had to sit for an interview but it never happened. I knew I’d see him in NY though so we caught up backstage at The Strip one night and got it done!

Colin Jost with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV in the luxurious, uncluttered private office of The Comic Strip!

I thought he was kidding when he announced from the stage that his parents were in the audience, because his material at the moment was not particularly parent-friendly, having focussed mostly on bj’s, but he was serious. So afterwards I told him of the first time I met Chelsea Handler, when she was performing and doing BJ jokes and her Dad was in the audience.

Chelsea Handler with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV in Montreal at the Just for Laughs festival!

In the interview I did with Chelsea in Montreal recently I reminded her of that and she said she takes every opportunity she can to torture her father! That video will also be ready very soon!

And cast member Vanessa Bayer also performed at The Strip, and she’s adorable, and very funny! We all hung out backstage while they were waiting to go on. Her celeb impressions on the show include Kourtney Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, (although now she’ll need a short blonde wig for that one!), and Hillary Clinton!

SNL performer Vanessa Bayer onstage at The Comic Strip!

The last SNL performer to go on was Jay Pharaoah. His Denzel Washington is so killer! He and Colin Jost are both in my “Make ‘Em Laugh”, and when I saw him in Montreal at the Just for Laughs festival, he read out loud from the intro written by Chris Rock, in Chris Rock’s voice which was absolutely hysterical.

Jay Pharoah of SNL, the man of so many voices, onstage at The Comic Strip!

We were all just chillin’ in the lobby with JB Smoove, his manager Rick Dorfman, JB’s wife Shahida Omar, Lou Wallach past head of Comedy Central and a bunch of other people, when Jay took the book and started reading as Chris. I filmed it and the video will be ready for you guys very soon! Jay said when Chris sees it he’ll probably just “nod his head like he usually does when he sees my ass!”

Finishing up the show were Gary Gulman, who can take one concept and run with it for an extended period of time. Like when he examines the history of Greece and how they fell as a culture. They went from one of the most educated and sophisticated cultures in the world, to focussing on salad. One day in modern times they decided to put all their efforts into salad, and they knocked it out of the park!

Gary Gulman, an expert in Greek Salad, making people laugh at The Comic Strip!

Last up was Phil Nee, one of the original Asian comedians whose parents were so avant-garde, they were Asian before it was even popular! You can always count on Phil as a strong closing act, and that’s exactly what he did. It was a great night at The Comic Strip!

Phil Nee doing what he does best, onstage at The Comic Strip!

Tags: "Chelsea Handler", "Colin Jost", "Comedy Matters TV", "Gary Gulman", "Jay Pharoah", "JB Smoove", "Kate McKinnon", "Make 'Em Laugh", "Mike O'Brien", "Rick Dorfman", "Vanessa Bayer", Chris Rock, Comedy Matters, Jeffrey Gurian, Jerry Seinfeld, Just For Laughs, Just for Laughs Festival, Montreal, Richie Tienken, SNL, The Comic Strip

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Bob Marley at Gotham Comedy Club

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on August 30, 2012

Every so often someone gets past my radar, so when I saw that Bob Marley was headlining Gotham I was like, ” I know Chris Mazzilli is amazing but to get a dead reggae star to headline his club, that’s really outdoing himself!”

Then I looked it up on Google where everyone finds everything they need to know about everything, and saw that Bob’s been performing for 15 years and has been on all the hot late-night shows, plus movies and even a regular radio spot in Portland, Maine where he lives called “The World According to Bob.”

Jimmy Failla MC’ing at the Bob Marley show at Gotham!

Jimmy Failla was the MC/host and he’s always great. I like when he talks about how men act with a woman before they’ve had sex with them. He compares them to politicians. They’ll say anything they need to say to get you to take your clothes off!

And then he talks about the Mets: “The Mets are so bad, if you get there early you can play!”

Jimmy was followed by Erin Jackson who helped warm up the crowd for the headliner.

Erin Jackson onstage at Gotham Comedy Club opening for Bob Marley!

Phil Hanley and I have performed together and his writing is really sharp. As a comedy writer for so many years, I admire people who write great, unpredictable jokes, where you can’t guess the punchline.

Like when he said he’s not gonna complain about his parents , because if it wasn’t for them he wouldn’t be here. Then he added the killer tag, “They dropped me off!”

The audience loved it when he described himself as a “stay-at-home son!” Or when he described the difference between a vegetarian and a “fruitarian”! With a fruitarian, all they eat is fruit and medication for diarrhea!

Phil Hanley entertaining the crowd at Gotham Comedy Club!

He also doesn’t kiss on the first date! He thinks women should be happy with just sex! I love jokes like that!

Mike Young was also very funny and I hadn’t seen him before. I like when he spoke about guys getting “used” by women for sex. He gave the guys in the audience a tip to know if you’re being used: ” If every line you use on a woman is working, it’s not you!”

Mike Young in a T-shirt and fedora making people laugh at Gotham!

It goes back to my concept that women never really get talked into anything. If they’re participating at all, it’s because they really want to! Not cause of your skilz!

Then Bob took the stage, and it was obvious that the audience had come out to see him. He was talking about how wives ask you to do things you would never do on your own. ” Wanna go blueberry picking?” “Yeh sure,let’s do some immigrant work!”

His wife would give him jobs just cause he had his shoes on. “You got your shoes on? Go pave the driveway!”

Bob Marley headlining the show at Gotham Comedy Club in NYC!

And talking about his Irish Catholic middle class upbringing he said, “Nothing screams financial success more than the above ground pool!”

It was a great show!

Tags: "Bob Marley", "Comedy Matters TV", "Erin Jackson", "Jimmy Failla", "Mike Young", "Phil Hanley", Comedy Matters, Gotham Comedy Club, Jeffrey Gurian

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Domesticated Primates Don’t Monkey Around ( At The PIT)

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on August 29, 2012

The People’s Improv Theatre better known as The PIT, along with UCB is like the epicenter of “hip”, alternative comedy these days. I’ve been seeing some very cool things there and the other night I got the chance to see a series of vignettes (if that word is still used anywhere!) called “Domesticated Primates”, which compares our mating habits, and ideas of sexuality to those of monkeys, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom!

This series of sexy,funny sketches starred four actors I think you’ll be seeing a lot of, Corinne Fisher, who is also a stand-up comic, and Improv performer, Kaira Klueber,(who for some reason pronounces her first name “Kara”! The “I” is silent, but if you leave it out, it makes her name too loud! It’s like the extra “A” in Aaron! LOL), the very funny Brian Berrebbi, and a multi-talented actor who goes by the name of Jonesy!

(L-R) Kaira Klueber, Jonesy, Corinne Fisher, and Brian Berrebbi outside at The PIT. Their show however was INSIDE at the PIT, (cause it’s easier to perform inside than in the street!)

All four of them are very funny and have great stage presence! And it doesn’t hurt that two of them are really pretty! With great smiles! ( Guess which two I mean!) LOL

Corinne Fisher and Kaira Kluber, two funny girls with great smiles!

The sketches examine how our male and female roles have developed in our modern day society, and whether monogamy is a natural state for human beings, since it only came about as a concept a mere 14,000 years ago. Before that it was one long party!

If you get a chance to see this show or any of the performers in this group, drop whatever you’re doing at the moment, (or put it down gently!), and run straight out of your door to see them. And make sure to tell them I sent you!

Tags: "Brian Berrebbi", "Corinne Fisher", "Jonesy", "Kaira Klueber", "People's Improv Theatre", "The PIT", "Upright Citizen's Brigade", Comedy Matters, Jeffrey Gurian, UCB

Posted in: Cabaret, Celeb Photos, Comedians In The News, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Events, Comedy Matters, Nightlife Events, Sketch Comedy, Variety Show

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Just for Laughs Video With Huge Stars-Montreal-30th Anniversary

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on August 28, 2012

Every July in Montreal, the city gets taken over by hundreds of thousands of comedy fans from all over the world, all wanting to see their favorite comedy stars. It’s the biggest comedy festival on the planet! (There may be bigger ones on other planets,but I’m not privy to that information! I no longer own the Hubble telescope!)

This year for the 30th anniversary I was an official videographer, and got to shoot around 40 interviews with some of the biggest stars in comedy as well as the up and comers! The huge stars of the future!

Chelsea Handler with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV at the Just for Laughs Awards Luncheon where she won the award for “Comedy Person of the Year”!

Marc Maron of WTF fame with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV. Marc credits Jeffrey’s hair with making him feel safe during the “dark” times in his life!

I shot for four days straight and got some amazing interviews with people like Chelsea Handler, Bob Saget, Howie Mandel, JB Smoove, Marc Maron, Adam Carolla, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, and his Dad Robert Smigel, Todd Barry, Joel McHale, and the Sklar Brothers.

Wayne Brady with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV backstage at the gala that Wayne hosted at JFL!

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog making nice to Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV after insulting him in every way he could think of! (But fortunately it was all in jest!)

Plus interviews with newer stars like Jay Pharaoh from SNL, who read an excerpt from Chris Rock’s intro to my new book “Make’Em Laugh”, in Chris Rock’s voice, Chelsea Peretti, Hannibal Buress who won for Rising Comedy Star of the Year, Myq Kaplan, Moshe Kasher, Jermaine Fowler and Lil Rel from the new In Living Color, Joe Mande, Grace Helbig from That Damn Channel’s “Daily Grace”, Kenny Hotz, the only Canadian to have two American TV shows on at the same time, “Kenny vs. Spenny”, and “Testees”, and Jessica Williams the newest correspondent on The Daily Show who let me swing her around like we were in the playground!

Jay Pharoah from SNL with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV, who’s trying to learn how to hold his fingers like that!

Grace Helbig from My Damn Channel’s “Daily Grace” with Jeffrey Gurian from Comedy Matters TV at the Comedy Conference on You Tubers at JFL!

All of this on camera! Check it out right here!

And a second shorter video with just the A-list stars and hosts of the galas, Chelsea Handler, Bob Saget, Howie Mandel, JB Smoove, Marc Maron, Adam Carolla, Joel McHale, Marc Maron, and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, with his Dad Robert Smigel!

And for a longer, more in-depth article and photos check out the previous post:

http://wp.me/p1pHIm-192

Tags: " In Living Color", " You Tube", "Adam Carolla", "Alonzo Bodden", "America's Got Talent", "Bob Saget", "Calise Hawkins", "Chelsea Handler", "Chelsea Peretti", "Daily Grace", "Dave Rath", "Deal or No Deal", "Gina Yashere", "Godfrey", "Grace Helbig", "Hannibal Buress", "Howie Mandel", "J.B. Smoove", "Jared Logan", "Jay Pharaoah", "Jermaine Fowler", "Jessica Kirson", "Jessica Williams", "Joe Machi", "Joe Mande", "Joel McHale", "Kenny Hotz", "Kim Hannwacker", "L'il Rel", "Lee Aronsohn", "Lynn Koplitz", "Moshe Kasher", "My Damn Channel", "Myq Kaplan", "Nick Kroll", "Patton Oswalt", "Paul Telner", "Rob Barnett", "Sklarboro Country", "The Sklar Brothers", "Wyatt Cenac", Andy Kindler, Andy Nulman, Ben Relles, Generate, Gilbert Rozon", Google, Howard Stern, JFL, John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Just For Laughs, Just for Laughs Festival, Marc Maron, Montreal, Robert Smigel, The Daily Show, Todd Barry, Tom Cotter, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog

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Broadway Comedy Always A Treat

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on August 28, 2012

At any given night you will find an amazing line-up of comedians at Broadway Comedy Club, on West 53rd Street, right in the heart of the Times Square area. On a recent Tuesday night when I stopped by, the place was packed as it usually is, and Dan Siegel was MC’ing.

Some of the top performers were Leah Bonnema, who recently performed at the Glascow Comedy Festival, where she was in the America Stands Up Showcase, the Huffington Post voted her one of their 53 favorite comedians to watch, … and I really meant to ask her how they came up with that number, because most news organizations stop at their favorite 51 comics!, (I on the other hand was listed as one of the top 10 comics to keep under surveillance!), and College Candy listed her as one of their top ten female comics in the country! So that’s all good!

Leah Bonnema onstage at Broadway Comedy Club!

Ricky Velez went up and killed it as usual. I just find it hard to believe he’s only 23. He comes across as much more mature than that! Not by his material, by his appearance! It’s a great time to start performing when you’re in your 20’s, but then you have to be funny for 60 or 70 years. That’s a long time. I only wanted to have to be funny for 20-25 years tops. That’s why I started so late!

A young but mature looking Ricky Velez making people laugh at Broadway Comedy!

And I was glad to see Ross Bennett on the show because he is always a crowd pleaser! Ross talks about a guy who got killed in a skydiving accident, because his parachute failed to open, and at the funeral they said that at least he died doing what he loved. Ross differs with that. Ross said the guy probably was doing what he loved up until about a minute before he died, unless what he loved was seeing small things become larger very quickly!

He talks about speaking to a young woman who was willing to share with him what men she would “do”, and he came to the conclusion that when a young woman feels comfortable enough with you to share who she would “do”, she will NEVER do YOU! (LOL)

Ross Bennett entertaining the folks at Broadway Comedy Club in NYC!

At the end of his act, he asked the audience if they minded if he did an older joke because it was one of his favorites, and when they agreed he said, ” How about that Watergate thing?”

Every night at Broadway is a great line-up, so be sure to stop by and tell ’em I sent you!

Tags: "Al Martin", "Broadway Comedy Club", "Comedy Matters TV", "Leah Bonnema", "Ricky Velez", "Ross Bennett", Comedy Matters, Jeffrey Gurian

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D.L. Hughley Tapes Comedy Central Special at The Comic Strip

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on August 15, 2012

I hadn’t seen D.L. Hughley since 2009 at a party at Comix which is no longer in existence. But I’ve always been a fan so when I heard he was going to be taping a special for Comedy Central at The Comic Strip I made sure to be there waiting backstage.

D.L. Hughley and Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV at Comix back in 2009!

Dean Obeidallah was the MC and did a fantastic job of warming up the packed crowd. Every seat was filled, to the point where D.L.’s bodyguard had to stand. He would have needed two or three seats anyway, cause he was that big! (LOL)

A kind of blurry Dean Obeidallah on stage warming up the audience for D.L. Hughley! ( Just to clarify, Dean’s not blurry, my photo is, cause the lighting was weird!)

Comedy Central execs like JoAnn Grigioni and Val Boreland were there, plus producer Lynne Appelle, joining owners Richie Tienken, Bob Wachs, and myself, and we all sat together in the balcony enjoying the show.

D.L. is always great and this night he did not disappoint! He was in rare form and the excited crowd showed him lots of love! After leaving the stage to thunderous applause, he gave the crowd an unexpected treat by returning to the stage a second time to do some material he felt like adding. Comedy Central still had their cameras set up so it didn’t present any problem.

D.L. Hughley onstage at The Comic Strip killing it for his taping of a Comedy Central special called “D.L. Hughley’s Endangered Species!”

I caught up with him backstage afterwards and shot a really cool, fun, and funny video interview with him for Comedy Matters TV which I will be posting as soon as it’s edited.

His special will be a mockumentary called “D.L. Hughley’s Endangered Species”, which will air this October 27th, I believe he said, in which he suggests that “the Black man” as a race, be added to the endangered species list. It took him eight years to find a home for it, until Comedy Central stepped up to the plate.

I told him that’s the kind of project only a Black man could pitch. A White guy wouldn’t stand a chance! We had a good laugh about that, and about using token White guys to get certain things done.

D.L. Hughley with a lighter skinned Black man, Jeffrey Gurian from Comedy Matters TV backstage at The Comic Strip! (Under certain lights a lot of people confuse me with Dave Chappelle!)

D.L. said when he has a White guy with him, he doesn’t even bother to carry a driver’s license. That’s how safe he feels having a White guy around! (LOL)

He’s also got a new book called, ” I Want You To Shut The F**k Up: How The Audacity of Dopes is Ruining America!” It’s available on Amazon.com as well as bookstores across the nation! You can check it out right here! and stay tuned for the video coming soon!

Tags: "D.L. Hughley", "Dean Obeidallah", "The Audacity of Dopes", "Val Boreland", Bob Wachs, Chris Rock, Comedy Central, Comic Strip Live, Eddie Murphy, JoAnn Grigioni, Richie Tienken, The Comic Strip

Posted in: Breaking News, Celeb Photos, Comedians In The News, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Events, Comedy Matters, Comedy Videos, General Information, New TV Show, Nightlife Events

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Heather Height: "Comedian Who Matters" At The Comic Strip

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on July 23, 2012

Comedy Matters held it’s periodic contest for “The Comedian Who Matters”, where up and coming comics win a shot at performing at the legendary comedy club The Comic Strip, the club that launched the careers of legends like Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Paul Reiser, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock to name just a very few.

Heather Height, winner of the “Comedian Who Matters” contest on stage at the legendary comedy club The Comic Strip!

Comics from all over submitted entries to the contest and we chose 6 finalists. Heather Height was the final winner, and got to perform on the late show I host at The Strip on Sunday and Monday nights.

Heather hosts an open mic at Cha-Cha’s restaurant on Mulberry Street in Little Italy every Wednesday evening with two shows, one at 8 and the other at 10:30. I’ve been there and they’re great! Cha Cha is also a well known actor, and has been in many movies and TV shows.

Heather had this to say about her Comic Strip experience: “I really want to thank the staff and Sunday night manager of The Comic Strip Jenn. Every time I’ve been there they have always been awesome, and last night was no exception. Unfortunately after my second drink, I didn’t recognize Jenn when I was leaving the club, and I asked her if she was a comic, being starved for the company of another female comedian. She just laughed and reintroduced herself. It was embarrassing, but funny, and pretty typical of how I bumble through my interactions with other humans. (but I’m gonna blame alcohol anyway, HAHA!)

Check out more about Heather Height at http://www.heatherheight.com

Tags: "Cha Cha's Boca De Lupo", "Comedy Matters TV", "David Harris", "Heather Height", "Mulberry Street", Chris Rock, Comedy Matters, Eddie Murphy, Jeffrey Gurian, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, The Comic Strip

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Steve Rannazzisi From "The League" at Gotham For Comedy Juice

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on July 22, 2012

You don’t need to be a fan of football to like FX’s The League. You just have to be a fan of good comedy shows! Comedy Juice at Gotham continues to draw the talent and last week I went down specifically to catch Steve Rannazzisi perform who plays Kevin on The League.

Steve Rannazzisi who plays “Kevin” on FX’s “The League” at Gotham Comedy Club!

Also because any friend of Nick Kroll’s is a friend of mine, .. whether they like it or not! (LOL) They have no choice. I LOVE Nick Kroll, and can’t wait for his new show on Comedy Central, which may or may not be called ” The Nick Show Kroll.”

Nick Kroll, Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV, and John Mulaney at a comedy event!

Nick called me out to LA in March to appear in a couple of sketches with him and his good friend, ( and mine!), and writing partner John Mulaney, and when I got the e-mail asking me to be on the “Nick Show Kroll”, with “Nick Show Kroll” in the “Subject” line, I just assumed that whoever had written it had ADHD, and switched the words around, so of course I corrected it! I come from that kind of family where you politely correct other people’s mistakes! (LOL)

Nick Kroll as Gil Faizon on the set in LA with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV, who came out to act in some sketches!

Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV on the Nick Kroll set in LA with John Mulaney in his character as George St. Geegland, an obviously Jewish name if I ever heard one!

But each time I got another e-mail and it said “The Nick Show Kroll” I eventually realized that I was the moron and that that was really the name of the show!

The League was created by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff Schaffer (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld) and Jackie Marcus Schaffer (Disturbia, Eurotrip) who serve as executive producers and directors, and it features an ensemble cast of young actors/comedians who seem to be in every cool project these days.

Mark Duplass (Humpday), for example, who seems to be in every movie and TV show that comes out, plays “Pete,” the perennial league champ who is really giving it his best effort to grow up. I just saw him in “Your Sister’s Sister” in which he was great, and had a cool love scene with his girlfriend’s (Emily Blunt) sister, who was a lesbian, played by Rosemarie DeWitt.

Stephen Rannazzisi (Paul Blart: Mall Cop) is “Kevin,” a happily married father, married to “Jenny,” played by the beautiful and talented Katie Aselton, who in real life is married to Mark Duplass. I told you he stars in EVERYTHING! Even in marrying Katie Aselton! (LOL)

I have a great video interview with both of them on the red carpet of the 2011 Comedy Awards, where they were up for several awards for the film ” Cyrus”, with Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei, and a few months before Mark’s film ” Jeff Who Lives At Home” came out. They both promised me a role in that film even though it was shot and wrapped at the time! (LOL) Maybe because I’m, “Jeff”??? See it right here!

MarkDuplass_KatieAselton_Laughing_IGotThePart_4_10

The fabulous couple of Katie Aselton and Mark Duplass on the red carpet of the Comedy Awards, laughing as they assure me I’d have a part in “Jeff Who Lives At Home” even though the movie was already finished and ready for release!(LOL)

Anyway, Steve as Kevin is also commissioner of the league.

Nick Kroll (Get Him to the Greek) plays Rodney “Ruxin,” a really funny character, who’s supposedly a product liability attorney married to a gorgeous wife “Sophia”, played by Nadine Velazquez. Ruxin believes he’s the smartest of the group, but is very paranoid and is always trying to figure out how the other guys are screwing him over.

Then there’s “Andre,” played by Paul Scheer (Human Giant), who is the brunt of many jokes by this group of friends, who have been friends since high school days, even though he is now a successful plastic surgeon.

And then there’s comic Jon Lajoie as “Taco,” Kevin’s little brother, who splits his time between being a musician and getting totally wasted, to the point where he doesn’t even remember who his friends are.

Anyway, the Comedy Juice show was hosted by Ross Gutin, who projects so well he didn’t need a mic, … and that’s a big room! He reminded me a little bit of a young Mario Cantone, and I mean that as a compliment!

I also got to see Louis Katz who’s had his own Comedy Central special, (as opposed to having someone else’s Comedy Central special, I guess! LOL) and he’s very funny in a way you don’t expect, judging by his outward personna, which is why they tell you not to judge a book by it’s bibliography! (I think that’s what they say!)

Louis Katz on stage at Gotham, telling about German traditions, for the Comedy Juice show with Steve Rannazzisi!

Louis commented that the tradition of the USA is to be ignorant of the traditions of other countries! For instance, he explained, in Germany it’s considered rude to leave your hat on while taking a dump on someone’s chest!

Steve Rannazzisi from “The League”, killing it onstage at Gotham for the Comedy Juice show!

Steve Rannazzisi had lots of memorable lines, but the one that stuck out for me was “the hardest part of leaving my family to go out on the road is not smiling while I’m packing!”

I was glad to see he drew such a big crowd, and I hope he remembers to give my regards to Nick Kroll, Katie Aselton, and Mark Duplass!

Tags: "Comedy Juice", "Jeff Schaffer", "Jon LaJoie", "Jonah Hill", "Katie Aselton", "Louis Katz", "Nadine Velazquez", "Paul Scheer", "Steve Rannazzisi", "The League", Comedy Central, Cyrus, FX, Gotham Comedy Club, Marisa Tomei, Mark Duplass, Ruxin

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Ladies of Laughter 2012 Kicks Off at Broadway Comedy

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on July 22, 2012

Peggy Boyce is back with the 2012 Ladies of Laughter comedy competition, and it’s stronger than ever. It kicked off at Broadway Comedy Club, and I’m proud to say I was one of the judges.

Ladies of Laughter 2012 Comedy Competition kicked off at Broadway Comedy Club!

Founder of Ladies of Laughter, Peggy Boyce onstage at Broadway Comedy, greeting the packed audience!

The very funny Dena Blizzard who actually won this contest, maybe back in 2002, was the host of the evening, and she did not disappoint! She was really great as usual, and has been doing warm-up for several TV shows including Anderson Cooper.

Dena Blizzard, host of Ladies of Laughter with Jeffrey Gurian of Comedy Matters TV,(and we match perfectly!)

There were two categories of female performers, pros and amateurs. Some of the amateurs had very little experience, like Jamie Leigh Falk who had only performed maybe twice, but were still funny.

Brand spanking new comic Jamie Falk onstage at Broadway Comedy for Ladies of Laughter, 2012!

Pro Nancy Witter kicked it off, and said she had two kids who by now ” had to be in their 20’s! They’re like family!”

Nancy Witter performing in the “Pro” category at Broadway Comedy Club!

Ellen Orchid, another “pro”, ( comic, not hooker!), did a funny impression of a TV set.

Ellen Orchid with a glimpse of how she would look on TV!

Amateur Nicci Page had great stage presence and material to back it up, and she won for best amateur comic.

Nicci Page who won for Best Amateur Comic at Ladies of Laughter, 2012!

Lisa Blythe Perlman, another “Pro” had an interesting game she played by judging women from behind, ” Asian or Skinny Jew?” She was the runner-up on the “Pro” category!

Lisa Blythe-Perlman, runner-up in the “Pro” category onstage at Broadway Comedy!

Jen Remauro, an amateur, said she got suspended from Twitter for wishing Kim Kardashian’s vagina a “Happy Black History Month!” She also said she explains away her child to prospective dates by telling them she has a 7 year old roommate!

Jen Remauro, at Ladies of Laughter! She wished Kim Kardashian what???

Sheila Smiley had good energy onstage, and was an audience favorite, but didn’t win cause that’s how these things go! Only one person can win at a time!

Marie Faustin was very cute, and had a fun hairstyle. She was in the amateur category, and said she lived in a neighborhood so bad they had a rape schedule. She was the first runner-up in the amateur category, and I think you’ll be seeing more of her!

Marie Faustin and her fun hair at Broadway! She was the runner-up in the amateur category!

Nancy Lombardo of course was in the Pro” category and did some fun character work which she excels at!

An animated Nancy Lombardo in Peggy Boyce’s Ladies of Laughter at Broadway Comedy!

The winner of the “pro” category was Maryanne Donnelly, who was very unique and reminded me of a female Ross Bennett, before he cut his hair!

Maryanne Donnelly, the winner in the “Pro” category for that night at Broadway Comedy! Finals are August 15th!

Runner-up Marie Faustin, winners Nicci Page and Maryanne Donnelly, and founder Peggy Boyce at Broadway Comedy!

It was a fun night at Broadway Comedy with lots of laughs! I would have loved to judge other shows in Ladies of Laughter (LOL- that’s the abbreviation for Ladies of Laughter, not Laughing Out Loud! LOL), but I’m heading up to Montreal this week to do celeb interviews for the 30th anniversary of the Just For Laughs Festival, for my Comedy Matters TV channel! Stay tuned!

Tags: "Al Martin", "Comedy Matters TV", "Dena Blizzard", "Ladies of Laughter 2012", "Ladies of Laughter", "Peggy Boyce", Comedy Matters, Jeffrey Gurian

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