Comedy News, Reviews, Videos and More
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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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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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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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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After receiving (merited) backlash to Louis C.K.’s first unexpected drop-in set on August 26th, the Comedy Cellar made a move that conveniently shifts the onus of their booking choices back onto the audience. Rather than take a stand in either direction, the Comedy Cellar’s way of dealing with the “controversy” of Louis C.K.’s return is by posting a new disclaimer sign in the club (which is also printed on tickets).
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Hello. My name is Ron Babcock and I’m a comic in Los Angeles. Last year I went on a coast-to-coast tour for three months. I hit 34 cities, did 82 shows and drove 12,023 miles in a 1975 Mercedes Benz named Harvey. (If you want to see photos, search #benzit on instagram. Or you can buy the 70 page color photobook here for $15.) I also made money. Well, I broke even.
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I will be the first to say it. I love the word “free.” Not paying for stuff gets me super wet. Sometimes I go onto the “FREE” section of Craigslist and pleasure myself to pictures of wooden pallets and piles of dirt. I will also be the first to admit that while “free” is always tempting, it is not always good. Especially when it comes to art. Artists will do
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Oh, so you know how we told you Katt Williams announced his retirement? Right. Well, I guess he was just joking? “Katt is definitely not retiring,” his reps said in a statement. “He will be moving forward with the tour.” In fact, Williams is due to perform in Houston tonight at the Toyota Center. His impromptu announcement came after he spent a rough few days in Seattle, getting arrested, being
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Tomorrow, Comedy Central will release Lewis Black’s newest stand-up comedy album The Prophet. The album is a time capsule of sorts as its a recording of Black onstage in 1990. That means you’re going to hear a lot of vitriol aimed toward the likes of George Bush, Dan Quayle and the Exxon Valdez. Think of it as a history lesson, strained through the lens of one hyper-angry, wholly hilarious comedian
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It seems every season there’s a sad departure of a comedy series that had potential. Usually it’s a slight bummer but then you find a replacement during that time slot each week and you stop mourning the loss. But a few shows have graced us in the last 15 years who were gone far too soon. Their cancellations bring firey rage to thousands of fans and their one-liners live on
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While it’s great that comedians are getting appreciated on America’s Got Talent, hearing Piers Morgan call J. Chris Newberg’s peformance “startlingly inappropriate” and Sharon Osbourne comment that his song was “just so, so wrong” is more than slightly obtuse (see video below). That’s not “wrong” at all. It’s not even close. Did Sharon forget about Black Sabbath and what they sang about? Newberg has a line in the song, “Opening
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Saturday Night Live alum Seth Meyers became the first comedian to return for a second run at hosting the ESPYs since Dennis Miller’s two-year run when the award show began. All of America’s top athletes (and several Canadians who snuck in) gathered together at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles two night’s ago to honor each other with awards voted on by the fans; it’s kind of like the Kids’
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