Live Comedy L.A.

Line-Up:
Matty “Ballgame” Balaker
Matt Hummell
Bob Bledsoe
Natasha Leggero
Duncan Trussell
Chris Franjola

6 comedians…perfect size. Everyone kept it tight. Matty had some Laugh Lounge first timers in the line-up also which is great to see. Love it when I get to see new comedians.

Ballgame -
Matty is a good host…kept it tight this time around. Still slingin’ new jokes. But he pretty much let the other comedians have it tonight.

Matt Hummell -
First time seeing Matt…I’m gonna need to see his material again…but he kept it tight. Gotta love that.

Bob Blesoe -
Bob is a riot. Starts off the show with the joke about someone leaving a message on the wall in the bathroom about giving blow jobs…but didn’t leave a number. Hilarious! Plus his joke about the Wisconsin girl’s accent is stellar. I like Bob a lot. He was in the line-up during my debut…so it was cool to see him without the stress of that night.

Natasha Leggero -
Wow! She’s off the charts. Her stage persona is part stuck-up…part cute as hell. I loved her bit about doing comedy to get laid…it was sarcastic of course…which is her MO…but it rocked. Can’t wait to see her in action again.

Duncan Trussell -
Clearly Duncan is a sick fuck…and I love it. Little Hobo is unreal…his bit about channeling was stellar. He didn’t do “Fuck Blob” which is one of my favorite jokes of any comedian…but that’s ok. Duncan is still top 10. I love this guy.

Chris Franjola -
Franjola’s joke about watching his neighbor’s video of him fucking an old girlfriend has officially reached “all time” status. You can put it with Scolaro’s Sneezing, Jokoy’s Fighting, Dane’s Someone Shit on the Coats, and Sickler’s CAIDS and Dash of Downs. It’s a riot. Franjola is awesome…and I hope I can get him to perform at my 30th birthday party.

Line-Up:
Matt Baetz
Mark Serritella
Matty “Ballgame” Balaker
Andy Kozel
Bryan Erwin
Brian Keith Etheridge
Matt Iseman
Tom Segura

Big line-up for the Laugh Lounge. But here’s the key difference between Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge and the typical “room”. Ballgame books very good comedians up and down the line-up. Every “room” has it’s purpose…the “rooms” that put up 12 comedians are for comedians to practice…this “room”…is for top performers…and the great up and comers. Normally I say there is no reason to have more than 5 - 6 comedians in the line-up…and that’s the most. But if you’re solid all the way through…and everyone keeps their sets tight…8 is ok. 10 - 12 comedians kills an audience no matter what though.

Matt Baetz - mattbaetz.com
Hands down the best host in Ballgame Laugh Lounge history. He’s the perfect host. Great material. Tight set. Made sure he knew everyone coming to the stage…and was interested in seeing them. That’s the key right there. I was late unfortunately for the beginning of his set…but I hope Matt is getting spots at the big clubs…and going on tour. I see big things for him. He has the tools.

Mark Serritella - markserritella.com
For some reson, Mark’s set isn’t sicking with me. It was very smooth and he has his stuff dialed…I just need to see him again to get the material down.

Matty Ballgame - myspace.com/balaker
Nobody in comedy writes more new jokes than Ballgame. I’m not kidding. He prides himself on putting himself out there…and we all need to respect him for it. It’s easy to use the security blanket…Matt rarely does. That’s how you become famous…throw your balls out there!

Andy Kozel - myspace.com/andykozel
Andy had one of the best jokes of the night…his “America’s Most Wanted” bit was spot on. I always change the channel because it scares the shit out of me…but then I have to turn it back…I just have to. I thought Andy got off to a slow start…but he brought it back around with “America’s Most Wanted” and closed strong. Looking forward to seeing him again.

Bryan Erwin - bryanerwin.com
Bryan has been at Laugh Lounge a bunch…he’s polished. A little fast…but his parenting material is solid…and this guy is dirty. I’m digging it.

Brian Keith Etheridge - myspace.com/briankeithetheridge
BKE crushed it this time around. His “sucking dick” tirade at the end of his set was just awesome. He was calling out girls left and right…and the crowd was on the floor. I love when comedians push the envelope. Stand-up comedy is still the only place you can do this…that’s why it’s the greatest.

Matt Iseman - mattiseman.com
Matt has really good stage presence….loved his joke about his new girlfriend…who is smokin’ hot comedian Kris Lezect. She uses him as a scratch post when she’s having an orgasm…he just gets in the way. We should all be so lucky. Anyway…back to the blog. I’d like to see new material from Matt. He’s a solid performer and a cool dude though.

Tom Segura - tomsegura.com
Tom is hands down one of the top 10 comedians out there. I love this guy…I’ve written about him many times. He and Sickler make the best writing team in the business. Someone just needs to let them have free reign on a project. His racial, sexual, and dirty humor is off the charts funny.

Line-Up:
Beth Lapides
Lauren Weedman
The Sklar Bros.
Greg Fitzsimmons

This was my first time attending Un-Cabaret…although I’ve heard of it and have been meaning to go. And since M Bar is such a great venue and Fitz was in the line-up…we decided to check it out. The format was interesting…although the participation of the host from off stage didn’t work all the time. The show is a part stand-up…part story telling…part performance.

Beth Lapides -
Beth does not appear to be a stand-up comedian by trade. She’s a “performer” from my observation. So from an expectations stand point…I wasn’t really getting her act. Also, as the host of the show…she went on entirely too long and made it about her. Again…I have all the respect in the world for someone who takes the mic…I’ve done it…it’s impossible…but I also know there are roles to play.

Lauren Weedman -
Lauren was fantastic. Lauren just went up and told great stories…and was a riot. Not really in the set-up…punchline format…or even the “new” Dane Cook-style…but more like the Cosby-style. Just a little more spastic. Her tale of her husbands meditations was stellar. The fact that he kept coming out of the meditation to tell her things is priceless (I meditate…so it hit home). I’d love to see a club give her a shot and see how it goes over with the crowd…I think the right audience would dig her.

The Sklar Bros. -
This was my first time seeing the famous Sklar Bros. Tons of hype around these guys and they were fresh off their appearance on Entourage. I dug their style…the back and forth chemistry was really cool. I mean…I think Jimmy and Joey are funny…but their act is clearly written. The Sklars seem to just flow…they may have material…they may not…but it’s all good.

Greg Fitzsimmons -
I’ve written about Fitz a million times here…he is one of my favorites. He is a comedian’s comedian. A great joke writer. The great thing about Fitz’s last few shows is that he’s doing all new material. I love watching the process. Although…I have to say…he doesn’t seem to be fully committing to the new jokes at times. He’ll cut them off in the middle. But you know what…he’s the professional…I’m the blogger…what the fuck do I know.