Live Comedy L.A.

This movie looks incredible! God knows why people think it’s ok to heckle during a stand-up comedy show. A ton of our favorite L.A. comedians are in this one…including Greg Fitzsimmons. Check it out on Sunday at AFI Fest at the ArcLight. Here’s the blurb:

HECKLER is a comedic feature documentary exploring the increasingly critical world we live in. After starring in a film that was critically bashed, Jamie Kennedy takes on hecklers and critics and ask some interesting questions of people such as George Lucas, Bill Maher, Mike Ditka, Rob Zombie and many more. This fast moving, hilarious documentary pulls no punches as you see an uncensored look at just how nasty and mean the fight is between those in the spotlight and those in the dark.
Produced by Jamie Kennedy and Michael Addis
Directed by Michael Addis

Line-up:
Brad Stewart
Paul Goebel
Lizzy Cooperman
Murray Valeriano
Rob Delaney
Liz Feldman
Brently Heilbron
Cornell Reid
Brody Stevens

I hit up the show at Room 5 for the first time on Sunday. Brad Stewart runs the show there…I’m not gonna lie to you…he’s a good guy. The venue is really, really cool. Small room, great seating, easy bar access, good sound…and the crowd was great. Right there with 3 Clubs in terms of venues for comedy. Plus, I think Sunday night at 7pm is a stellar slot for comedy in L.A. Plus…it’s FREE and there is no drink minimum. I’m getting food in the restaurant below next time…and my girlfriend and I are making a date out of it. Cheaper than a movie folks.

It’s not a workout room…but it’s a good place to see comedians try out new material in a friendly environment…always a plus in my book. I think if Brad shortens the line-up and adjusts the comedian placement in the line-up a little better…he’s set. BTW…a disclaimer…I don’t know anything about anything…so take what I say with a grain of salt. Let’s check out the comedians:

Brad Stewart -
Brad’s wigger is stellar…I’m tired of these assholes wearing their hats to the side also. I think Brad did about 10 and he was very smooth…and clean…very tough. Looking forward to seeing him again.

Paul Goebel -
Paul seems like he’s been doing comedy forever…he’s a pro. This guy just had weight loss surgery and his ass disappeared…apparently he’s killing his tail bone.

Lizzy Cooperman -
Let me say that the audience seemed to love Lizzy…she got a lot of laughs. I would compare her style to a Robin Williams-like effort. I’m not a fan. That doesn’t mean it’s bad…I just don’t see that as stand-up. I see that as Broadway. If Lizzy was doing a one woman show…she would kill…she’s very talented.

Murray Valeriano -
For some reason nothing is sticking with me on Murray…possibly because I saw the show two days ago…and he was in the middle. I’ll have to see him again…my bad.

Rob Delaney -
I’ve never seen Rob before…and although he tried hitting on my gf (which was actually funny)…he was solid. His closer…which he actually fumbled because it was a new joke was the best. Apparently…he’s ok with his wife farting…but she’s not allowed to cry…or so his mom thinks…hilarious. Love watching comedians work out there jokes.

Liz Feldman -
Another comedian I saw for the first time…and she easily had the set of the night. I can’t wait to see her again. She’s a lesbian with scoliosis…ahh yeah…jokes abound my friend. The best was when she was talking about how the stuff you do in the shower is definitely stuff you wouldn’t do in public. She rocked!

Brently Heilbron -
Brently was workin’ hard…I mean he got up on the stage and did not stop. Like Lizzy…his was more of a performance…than stand-up…in my opinion…but talented and got laughs.

Cornell Reid -
Cornell disrespected the audience in my opinion by going up on the stage drunk…or what appeared to be drunk. It’s shit…comedians shouldn’t do it. I’m sure he’s better than his showing…but don’t go up drunk and waste our time. Not cool.

Brody Stevens -
Honestly…I love this guy. I really do. He is the most unique comedian in the city. “818 till I die!” That never gets old to me. Brody did a short set which disappointed me only because I wanted see him go longer…but he was still awesome. If you want to see a performance outside the norm…go see Brody. Why in the name of Jesus is Brody not a sideline reporter for Fox Sports…really, he’s not better than Andria Kremer or Bonnie Berstein? Somebody is screwing this one up.

No Name Comics - Every Sunday Night
Room 5 7pm
143 La Brea L.A. 90036

There are two important people in a stand-up comedy show.  Everyone knows the first one - it’s the headliner.  He’s usually the best comedian…he goes last…he leaves the final impression…he makes the most money (if there is money)…he’s the real deal.  The second…and most underrated and often overlooked is the host of the show.

Most people in the comedy world look at the host as a lowly position.  One for the newcomer.  Most clubs and promoters put the comic with the least amount of good material in this spot.  I had a comedian tell me he was afraid people would look at him as just a host instead of a no name comedian.  Really?

Let’s get this straight…the host is the point guard of the show.  If he’s not good…he can really destroy the entire night.  He needs to set every comedian up to be better.  He needs make the show run like a well oiled machine.  This is very difficult to do and requires a great deal of skill.  I’ve watched too many selfish hosts in this city.  Promoters and clubs need to start putting professionals in this position.  It makes a huge difference for those of us in the audience.

For the comedians…guess who gets more face time with the crowd than any other comedian…you guessed it smart guy…the host.  The audience remembers two people…the headliner…and the host.  Everyone else is normally forgettable.  Now…if I’m a comedian in the city of Los Angeles…where I’m making very little anyway and there are a ton of people just like me…my ass is hosting every show that I can possibly host.  You know why…name recognition.  It’s about promotion.  You need people to know your name.  When you’re the host…you can say your name…your website…your credits…anything you want…without someone else screwing it up.  How many times has a host messed up your name?  You control the action.  Call me naive…but in a business where you need to be different…and even the funniest people on earth are just hanging out at the Comedy Store…I say don’t be afraid to host.  But hey…I could be wrong.

I don’t really agree with the Improv giving away free tickets to all of their shows…but hey…I’ll write my business analysis of their clubs in a different post. In the mean…what the hell…might as well see great comedy for no cost:

TONIGHT:
Hollywood Improv - 10pm, Get tickets online and use promo code: COMIC
Bill Burr
Marc Maron
Owen Benjamin
Nick Thune
Neal Brennan
Andrew Solmssen
This is a pretty good line-up and for free…you should check it out. Especially if you can’t make the 8pm Whip It Out show. Bill Burr is hilarious…his take on black people and white people is great. I’ve only seen Maron on Comedy Central…and since you can’t judge a comedian by TV (I hope everyone knows that…that’s a cardinal rule…they censor them like you wouldn’t believe)…I won’t judge. Owen is funny…and Thune’s musings are great…”At what point were there too many birds…and a shortage of rocks on the planet. No…No…No…use one rock…and try to kill two birds.”

THIS WEEKEND:
Ontario Improv - Sounds like all weekend if you can. Call the box office and use the promo code: HILARIOUS 909-484-5411
Headliner: Aries Spears
Since it’s free…I’ll say go ahead and check it out…because he’s pretty damn funny. You remember him from MAD TV. I wish I knew the rest of the line-up. It would suck if the rest of the line-up sucked…or they threw up 10 comedians. Can someone let me know if they go…I’m not haulin’ out to the 909 for this one.

This week’s must see show comes from the folks over at Whip It Out Comedy. Sweet line-up:

Michael Kosta
Ian Edwards
Matt Kirshen
Renee Gauthier
Al Madrigal
Ari Shaffir
Owen Benjamin
Bill Burr

Info:
Thursday, October 25 @ 8pm @ Hollywood Improv
FREE - Just send an e-mail to whipitoutcomedy@yahoo.com

If you haven’t seen L.A comedian Ryan Sickler you’re definitely missing out. He’s one of my favorites. But it looks like he’s making some things happen outside of the clubs in the L.A.-area…so check it out.

Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS - Monday, Nov. 5 - 12:35am (I understand that is officially Tuesday…but for those of us who are time and date challenged…just stay-up on Monday night…or Tivo it). Sickler is performing a 4 minute set.

Cutman Screening - Thursday, Nov. 15 - 8:30 @ L.A. Center Studios.
Sickler and Tom Segura did a short about a boxing cutman. So damn good! I think it has the potential to be a series…at least a web series…if re-packaged properly. Hit up Sickler if you want to go see it. We’ll repost here.

Looks like the Fitz-Dog is in the house tonight…for FREE! His joke about sucking dick in the woods is an all timer. Greg Fitzsimmons is one of my favorite comedians ever. He’s an incredible writer. In case you don’t know…4 time Emmy winner, you hear him on Howard Stern all the time, and his son can throw a baseball better than he can…he kills it.

TONIGHT - 8PM
Jennifer’s Coffee Connection
Studio City
4397 Tujunga Ave.
818-769-3622
NO COVER
Parking in the lot or on the street

A lot of people don’t like swearing and dirty humor…fair enough. Here are some really great clean comedians in L.A. that I recommend.

Bone Hampton
Kerri Pomarolli
Ron McGehee
Bernadette Balagtas
Michael Batts

Visit their pages…they are really funny and cool people. Being a clean comedian is the most difficult thing to do in stand-up comedy. I have a huge amount of respect for these people. It’s easy to get a laugh by simply saying “fuck”. But to get people to laugh without swearing…those are what I call “mic skills”. You’ll be listening to these comedians…and about 5 minutes in…you’ll realize…they have not said a curse word once…but you are still laughing like crazy. It’s amazing.

On a side note…the best clean comedian in the country is Jim Gaffigan. HE’S UNREAL! I’ve seen him do 7 minutes on bacon at Largo.

Go see these comedians this weekend. Trust me. Juuuust trust me. Good deals to see some of the best…

Ryan Sickler - Ontario Improv: 10/19 (8pm, 10pm), 10/20 (7pm, 9pm, 11pm), 10/21 (7pm). Pretty sure you can still give them the myspace promo-code LAUGH and get into the Friday and Sunday shows free. He’s the guy. He had instant classics with Dash of Downs and CAIDS. I request these jokes…that’s how good they are. I repeat…I request these jokes.

Suli McCullough - Laugh Factory: 10/19 (8pm). Suli’s slow, deliberate, friendly style is great. It’s “Crazy Legs” people!

Sebastian Maniscalco - Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club: 10/19&20 (8pm). Sebastian has definitely launched his career to the next level. His material on cell phones, coffee, and basically how Americans have become a bunch of pussies is terrific.

Jason Gillearn - O’Brien’s (Main St. in Santa Monica): 10/20 (9pm). Pretty sure it’s free. Gillearn is a dirty bastard and is one of the most consistently funny comedians in Los Angeles. He’s not known nationally (although has appearances on Kimmel and the like)…he’s truly one of the best in the biz. The guy teaches juvenile offender kids…that’s endless material.

Andrew Norelli - Room 5 (143 N. La Brea): 10/21 (7pm). Maybe a small cover ($5-$10). Norelli is worth the price of admission…whatever the cost. He’s a big timer…no joke…see him while it’s cheap. His jokes are untouchable…he’s as good as Tosh.

Iliza Shlesinger - Hollywood Improv: 10/20 (8pm). Iliza is one of the top up and coming comedians out there in my opinion. She is very polished. I’ve said it before…she has the “I don’t give a fuck attitude” that you have to have. Watch her when a joke doesn’t work…she just powers through…one of the best in the biz at it. And it happens to EVERYONE!

Yeah…looks like L.A. has a comedy festival. This is the second time they have done this within the year. I didn’t make it last time…and I’m not so much into the musical comedy stuff…but there are a bunch of stand-up comedy shows to check out for like $12. Looks like a couple of the folks from Last Comic Standing will be there…Dante and Debra DiGiovanni. Plus Shang…who gets a lot of pub…but I haven’t seen him.

I have seen Sarah Colonna and I really like her…she performs on the 23rd and the 26th. The great thing about a festival like this is that you might discover the next great comedian.

Anyway…check out all the details at L.A. Comedy Fest.