January 26 – February 1, 2009

Monday – 1/26
What’s Up Tiger Lily / Cuba Libre Bar / 8pm / Free
Still haven’t seen this show, but I will be there this week. It’s a bigger line-up than I usually like but Maria Bamford and Duncan Trussell are in the house, and I love them a lot. Plus Matt Champaign who I really enjoyed seeing at Ballgame’s last week is also in the line-up. Looks like Dov Davidoff will also be there among others.

Tuesday – 1/27
CDR – Patton Oswalts 40th / UCB LA / 8:30pm / $5
Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Karen Kilgariff, and the great Dana Gould. No wonder it’s already sold out. But hey, if you’re in the neighborhood…give it a shot.

Ignorance is Bliss / Melrose Improv / 10pm / $14 (but hit up Daryl Wright on Myspace for a discount)
Another show with a bigger line-up than I’d like to see, but Bret Ernst, Ian Edwards, Wright, and Dov are all very good.

Wednesday – 1/28
Comedy Juice / Melrose Improv / 10pm / $7 (email guestlist@comedyjuice.com)
Dane Cook and Dwayne Perkins are good to go for this one. And Ben Gleib will be there. Comedy Juice is always a great show.

Thursday – 1/29
Shang / Melrose Improv / 8pm / FREE (email shangism@pacbell.net)
Shang is awesome and a really fun comedian. I dig him and recommend checking out this show.

Check our Weekly Picks page for more recommendations this week.

I picked up the Rolling Stone Comedy issue in the Vegas airport this weekend on my way home from BlogWorld (yeah…I was at BlogWorld). If you can still grab it, it’s a good read. My biggest take away from the issue was how opinions differed on the importance of the internet to comedy.

It’s 2008 folks. This isn’t debatable anymore. The internet is extremely important to comedy and comedians. Some quotes:

Dane Cook
“It’s the most important tool any comedian can implement into their career. It’s up to you to gather your fans for your own personal personal programming. That’s powerful.”

Katt Williams
“I think it’s been wonderful for comedy – a gold rush. It happened with the comedy clubs in the Eighties and Nineties, and it’s happened again now with the internet. Whoever thinks differently is looking at it the wrong way.”

Craig Ferguson
“I think it’s actually bad for performers who are starting out. They’re not getting a chance to fail in private.”

Zach Galifianakis
“The little bit of success that I have is due to the internet. It has nothing to do with me guest-starring or being on a sitcom at all.”

Albert Brooks
“I think the internet is slowly going to take down all creativity.”

A tipster just sent us a bulletin (see bulletin below) that Doug Stanhope just posted on Myspace. Stanhope re-posted an email that he got from someone that saw Cook at the Melrose Improv. The person essentially claims Dane Cook stole a Stanhope bit. Stanhope clearly agrees. Can we get an explanation from both sides? Dane…say it ain’t so.

MYSPACE BULLETIN:

Stanhope,

I went to a show at the Melrose Improv last night, and this surprise guest comic gets onstage and starts doing this long bit about how he had to take this girl to get an abortion and how ridiculous the experience was, and then started talking about going to Heaven, and how he’d be so happy to see his grandma in Heaven, but when he got to Heaven, there was this little pissed off guy giving him shit and it was his abortion, furious at him.

And the comic was fucking Dane Cook.

Thought you should know. I got really mad. Interest is definitely waning in that douche, even in the frat crowd. I feel like people are finally realizing what a fucking joke he is and how unfunny his “jokes” are, but if he tries to make a comeback using YOUR shit so HE can get fans, I’m gonna lose it.

-Jenny

********

Good work, Dane.

I’m glad someone remembers how my bits go.

stanhope

I have not seen Dane Cook perform in more than a year and a half. Considering I saw DC perform about 25 times between 2000 and 2006, knew every word of his first two albums, and my license plate says SANGWCH – a year and a half is a long time.

I credit DC for sparking my love for stand-up comedy. He inspired me to put “Perform Stand-Up Comedy” on my 2006 New Year’s Resolutions list and to actually do it. I used to gather all my friends and take them down to the Laugh Factory to watch him perform.

But right around 2006 things changed. Other people started to get involved with Dane’s career. Other people tried to market, write, and speak in his voice. Much like what happened to Dennis Miller. Maybe it was execs at the studios, maybe it was agents, maybe it was the promotions people, I don’t really know. It just became forced and cheesy. It wasn’t authentic. It wasn’t what made Dane Cook great. It wasn’t the bond that I felt he created with his fans. So I tuned out for a while.

On Wednesday night at the Hollywood Improv at the Comedy Juice Show, I not only saw Dane for the first time since 2006…I saw something different. I saw a comedian who has matured. His material has gotten edgier and darker. His writing has gotten deeper. Yet his stage persona is still infectious. When he tells jokes about abortion, rape, and being white…you know it’s not the same as it used to be. Gone is the manic style I used to love. He has adopted a calm presence that all the greats have. It was incredible to watch.

It was so cool for me because it was like watching a friend perform. I loved it. It was just him, the mic, and a small audience in a club…making people laugh. That’s what it’s all about. Go Laugh.

Tuesday is always a big night for live comedy in Los Angeles. Tonight is no different – Dane Cook, Judd Apatow, Sarah Silver, and many more on the card.

Laugh Factory – Jay Davis Comedy:
Jay is friends with all the best comedians in the city and they all do his Tuesday night show at the Laugh Factory…including Dane Cook (who will probably be there tonight).

Info:
10pm @ Laugh Factory
E-mail Jay @ his Myspace for half of the tickets (which means $10). Get there early!!!

Upright Citizens Brigade:
UCB has two unbelievable shows tonight – Comedy Death Ray with Sarah Silverman and Marc Maron and See You Next Tuesday with Judd Apatow (yeah…that Judd Apatow).

Info:
Comedy Death Ray @ 8:30pm
$5

See You Next Tuesday @10:30
FREE

Red Rock – Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge:
I venture to say that tonight’s line-up just might be the best in Laugh Lounge history. Colona, Franjola, Pazsitzky, Segura all in one line-up? Really? For Free? Really?

Info:

Another big night of live comedy this Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Check out the run down:

8:30: UCB Theater – Comedy Death Ray – $5
*Advanced reservations to this show are unavailable. There will be a stand-by line.
Looks like a solid line-up for CDR including the Sklar Bros. and Jonah Ray…two killers.

10:00: Laugh Factory – Life of the Party – $10 if you contact Jay Davis
Jay Davis is bringing Dane Cook out for what always proves to be a great show. You have to get to this show EEAARRLY though. It can be a hassle if you do arrive anywhere close to 10.

10:00: Irvine Improv – Comedy Juice – Free
Sure…we take you down to the OC here at Live Comedy L.A. Especially for this Free line-up. Just want to highlight Daniel Kinno and Adam Devine – both stellar performers that we have written about many times before. You’ll also see Ben Gleib and Rob Delaney.

Apparently, stand-up comedy is back with a vengeance on Tuesday night’s in Los Angeles. Here’s a quick and dirty for you because it’s late you need to make decisions because you have a date in 30 minutes and you have no idea what you’re doing.

8pm: Canoga Park Bowl
The Dirty: This show is put on by Dante from Last Comic Standing…it’s for mostly up and comers…but if you want free and low key…it’s not bad. Don’t expect much though…go in with LOW, LOW, LOW exectations.

8:30: Red Rock – Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge
The Dirty: Matty Ballgame puts on the best room in the city. No cover…no drink min. and the best comics in town. Chris Franjola is in the house tonight…I’ll be there.

10pm: Laugh Factory – Jay Davis’ Life of the Party
The Dirty: Looks like Jay is bringing in Dane Cook for tonight festivities…and probably a few other rock star comedians. Get there EARLY..like EEEEARLY…and get on Jay’s list on Myspace.

For get expensive dinners…forget night clubs…forget bars…it’s all about stand-up comedy tonight people. I’ll let you know how Red Rock was tomorrow.

I have several friends who are very good stand-up comedians. Top notch, no bullshit performers. Unfortunately there are a lot of these people out there. It has been my observation that the difference between a very good stand-up comedian and a great stand-up comedian is the ability to promote oneself and to have no fear in doing so. Let’s put aside writing ability…because if you can’t write…you’re dead in the water right off the bat. If you want to become great…or even well known…you need to promote…or you will hover in the middle somewhere for your entire career. In our society, that means embracing technology at it’s earliest adoption points…and embracing every consumer touch point. This means you just can’t be a writer…you just can’t be a stand-up comedian…you have to be a business person that manages your own career. So many comedians I see seem to think writing is enough…letting other people get them a gig here or a gig there is enough. The tools are available for comedians to be known by everyone in the world.

Dane Cook and Joe Rogan are two prime examples of comedians who have embraced technology to become gigantic. These two gentleman are on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as jokes and personality are concerned…save the fact that Dane doesn’t drink and Joe gets high everyday. However, they both fully understand that the way to success in our society and economy is using the internet and technology to boost your career. And they both understand it’s an active approach…that needs to be tweaked and played with constantly. Comedians are use to perfecting something and not going with it until it’s exactly right. That’s not the world we live in…people who try new things on the internet are rewarded…and so will you.

Both have recently started using a service called justin.tv – a live video service community. Every comedian should be on here…immediately. I mentioned something to a friend about doing live shows on justin.tv and he said comedians are hesitant about being taped. I told him…great comedians embrace technology and the unknown…middle market comedians are afraid.