AST Forums - AST: News

Amy Poehler to host SNL season premiere; 4 new featured players added to cast

BillBrasky — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:39:08 GMT

[RD][N]http://i52.tinypic.com/2rq10yc.jpg[/N]"Saturday Night Live" will kick off its 36th season on September 25th with Amy Poehler as host and musical guest Katy Perry. Also, making their debut on the SNL stage, Vanessa Bayer, Paul Brittain, Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah will join the cast as featured players. Jay is a stand up comic from Virginia who has honed his performing skills in community theater and at local comedy clubs. He has several Youtube videos online showcasing his many impressions, including Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, and Barack Obama.

This will be the first of 3 back-to-back episodes of SNL, with the previously announced Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") hosting on October 2nd and Jane Lynch hosting on October 9th.

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Go: FYF Fest Comedy at LA State Historic Park, Sat. September 4

Jouster — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:32:28 GMT

4x$5: Pardo, Benson, Tompkins & Kinane on sale @ Amazon

isoS — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:12:21 GMT

[RD][N]http://aspecialthing.com/images/ASTnews/amzn4sept.jpg[/N]Four of AST Records' finest have been hand-picked by Amazon's editors for inclusion in the "100 for $5" promotion. It's an honor for us, but it's a bargain for you: in the month of September, you can get Jimmy Pardo's "Pompous Clown," Doug Benson's "Professional Humoredian," Paul F. Tompkins's "Freak Wharf" and Kyle Kinane's "Death of the Party" for $5 each. This will be useful for anyone who is a little behind in their comedy album listening, but it's even better as a way of exposing your dumb friends to great comedy that they should really already know and love. So don't just horde this deal for yourself � send it to your friends and tell them that there's no better time than now to develop better taste in comedy.

Here are the links:

Kyle Kinane - Death of the Party
Paul F. Tompkins - Freak Wharf
Doug Benson - Professional Humoredian
Jimmy Pardo - Pompous Clown

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Watch: Built to Spill's "Hindsight," Directed by Bob Odenkirk

Jouster — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:56:00 GMT

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Here's Bob's take on the video: "Doug Martsch and I have been friends for a few years now. The first time I saw BTS was in Paris, opening for the foo fighters. I liked 'em then, but man they've gotten better and better with each album. When Doug asked me if I'd shoot a vid for them I jumped at the chance. The song, "Hindsight" from their latest album is a beauty. Sweet, sad, cool...another really affecting song from one of the best songwriters alive. Doug is a very humble guy, so he's going to hate that I said that about him...but listen to this song! I had the concept of a dance party (in the future) listening to Built To Spill (from now) play the song as a hologram band. So, these oldsters listening are YOU in about 40 years. Hope that's encouraging. We assembled some real dancers, thanks to great help from Brant and Hannah at Warner Brothers! They were game for anything and brought all their skills...check out those spins! Doug and the Band played the song many multiple times at varying speeds. Our lead male dancer, the lonely guy who conjures up a girl from his past to dance with, is a gentleman named GENE DEWALD. Gene is 85 f'ing years old, and he'd be REAL MAD at me for swearing just then, as he is a gentleman. The guy is in incredible shape and a great dancer. The girl from his past who dances with him was the wonderful and extremely generous--. Thank you.... Al Levine edited it. Fantastic job, Al. And the Memorator is the remote control that operates the ceiling fan in my bedroom. Thanks Doug and everyone for letting me make this bit of magic as a backdrop to this beautiful song. I hope you like it."

Out today: Doug Benson's "Hypocritical Oaf"

isoS — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:16:29 GMT

[N]http://aspecialthing.com/images/ASTnews/oaf.jpg[/N]Comedy Central Records released Doug Benson's third album "Hypocritical Oaf" today. There are a variety of ways to purchase it, but hardcore fans will want to get the physical copy from a store to receive the included DVD, which contains full, uncensored versions of Doug's two "Comedy Central Presents" half-hour specials. If you can't wait another second, there's always iTunes -- or Amazon's download market, which is offering "Oaf" in MP3 form for the mind-boggling price of $3.99. (Even iTunes has it discounted at $7.99.) Hit the links below to make that move, or join the conversation about this release, already in progress in the Comedy forum.

(PS: Peep the sweet cover photo by our friend Robyn Von Swank!)

iTunes Store | Amazon MP3

[ READ + DISCUSS ]

Listen: WTF with Marc Maron, with guest Judd Apatow

Jouster — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:32:58 GMT

[RD][N]http://aspecialthing.com/images/ASTnews/WTF.jpg[/N]Released today is the first part of a two part WTF with Marc Maron podcast, featuring a lengthy interview with Judd Apatow. While landing a guest of Apatow's caliber might be notable in and of itself, the real treat here are the tapes of Judd's conversations with comedy superstars, conducted when he was just 16 years old, working as a bus boy in a Long Island comedy club. Marc and Judd listen to and comment on interviews with not-yet-super-famous Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, and Garry Shandling. As Marc himself puts it, these tapes are like a precursor to what he himself is doing now on WTF. They also discuss what comedy meant to them as kids, and what inspired Judd to pursue comedy as a career. Highly recommended.

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Who's on What This Week

Jouster — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:12:40 GMT

[RD][N]http://aspecialthing.com/images/ASTnews/comicsontv.jpg[/N]Monday, August 30th:
Natasha Leggero on Chelsea Lately
Louis C.K. on Lopez Tonight (Repeat)
Aubrey Plaza on Last Call with Carson Daly (Repeat)

Thursday, September 2nd:
Will Arnett on The Late Show with David Letterman
Jon Glaser on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Greg Proops on Chelsea Lately

Friday, September 3rd:
Louis C.K. on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Randy Sklar on Chelsea Lately (Repeat)

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3 new cast members hired at SNL

BillBrasky — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:03:13 GMT

[RD] The Comics Comic website is reporting that at least 3 new cast members have been hired for the 36th season of Saturday Night Live, which premieres September 25th.

The first is Chicago-based improviser and sketch comedian Paul Brittain. Brittain is a performer and instructor at iO Chicago, appearing regularly onstage with house team Mike Helicopter and in recurring shows Challenger and Jim Paul Jet Paul. He has performed in shows and theaters throughout Chicago, and starred in his own one-man show as "Sex Ed."

Vanessa Bayer is a Cleveland native who also performs throughout Chicago and elsewhere, either via iO Chicago (with Harold team Revolver and puppet show Felt), Second City's Touring Company, the Annoyance Theater, and also doing stand-up at Zanies.

Finally, Taran Killam is a member of The Groundlings who has previously appeared on "Mad TV" and "Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out". Killam was also part of the Scrubs "spin-off" on ABC, "Scrubs: Interns", and is currently engaged to "How I Met Your Mother" actress Cobie Smulders.

Although the article doesn't specifically say so, one can assume these 3 are being hired as featured performers. With the recently announced departure of cast member Will Forte, this bodes well for one of the current featured players such as Bobby Moynihan or Abby Elliott to be promoted to full-time cast member.

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Watch: Brent Weinbach's "My Buddy" commercial

isoS — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:25:23 GMT

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"Party Down" producers sell new pilot to NBC

BillBrasky — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:15:31 GMT

[RD][N]http://i35.tinypic.com/14uglt3.jpg[/N] Variety reports that Rob Thomas, Jon Enbom and Dan Etheridge, producers of the recently cancelled Starz series "Party Down", are working on a new pilot for NBC called "Temps". The project is a single-camera comedy, similar to "Party Down", dealing with a group of recent college grads who are forced to take a variety of oddball temp jobs to make ends meet.

The show landed at NBC after an aggressive bidding war, and the order is what is known in the business as a "put pilot", meaning that the network will incur substantial penalties if the pilot episode is not aired. This is usually a virtual guarantee that a pilot will be picked up. It also seems like a natural fit for NBC's Thursday night lineup of workplace-based comedies. Thomas and Enbom will write the script, and Thomas, Enbom and Etheridge will executive produce along with Jennifer Gwartz and Danielle Stokdyk.

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The State's "Comedy for Gracious Living" Out Sept. 14th

Jouster — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:56:05 GMT

[RD][N]http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/pop-candy/2010/08/25/statex-large.jpg[/N]In a bit of "hell freezes over" news, The State's unreleased comedy album Comedy for Gracious Living will be released by Rhino on September 14th. The album, recorded in January 1996 in the Bahamas for Warner Bros. and shelved since for unknown reasons, features 25 tracks and appearances from the entire group, which included Kevin Allison, Michael Ian Black, Robert Ben Garant, Todd Holoubek, Michael Patrick Jann, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter and David Wain. It's up now for pre-order here: Rhino.

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"Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk" is out today

isoS — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:05:01 GMT

[RD][N]http://aspecialthing.com/images/ASTnews/OBOJ.jpg[/N]You know how every year (if we're lucky) a humor book comes out that becomes a must-have? Not a book about comedy (which no one other than you and I seems to read), but a book that is itself a work of comedy -- like The Onion's Our Dumb Century or The Daily Show's America: The Book? The kind of book that somehow penetrates the public consciousness to the point that your dumb uncle gives you a copy for Christmas?

Well, here's my pick for this year's entry into that pantheon. Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk has a comedic pedigree that will make comedy fans drool, with a list of co-authors that includes AST's (and Conan O'Brien's) own Todd Levin, The Onion writer Jason Roeder and The Daily Show's Scott Jacobson (rounding out the team is Vanity Fair's Ted Travelstead and Mike Sacks, the latter of whom you might remember as the author of the excellent book And Here's The Kicker). It also has pictures of boobs and dongs.

If the title didn't tip you off, Our Bodies, Our Junk is a parody of those embarrassing sex education books we used to sneak into our parents' room to thumb through, giggle at and, later, masturbate to (in this case, the giggling will be more intense; I can't speak for the masturbating). The book guides you through the human anatomy, dating, foreplay, intercourse, the aforementioned masturbation and much more, all with helpful photographs and illustrations that will in turn titillate, educate and haunt you forever (mushroom penis!). There's even a foreword by Andy Richter -- sure, you could read that while standing in the humor section of Barnes & Noble, but instead be cool and buy this book for yourself. Then you have four whole months to save up enough money to buy it for your nephew.

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Watch: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, "Bottled in Cork," Starring Paul F. Tompkins

Jouster — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:10:34 GMT

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - "Bottled In Cork" (Official Video) from John Hodgman

This weekend: "Delocated", "Childrens Hospital" on Adult Swim

BillBrasky — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:27:21 GMT

[RD][N]http://i38.tinypic.com/2lktd80.jpg[/N]Two shows begin their second seasons this Sunday on Adult Swim. First, at 10 PM, "Delocated" with Jon Glaser expands to a half hour for its second season. With his reality TV show picked up for Season 2, Witness Protection Program member "Jon" has little time to celebrate as the vicious Mirminsky family renews their efforts to destroy him and everything he holds dear.

Then, at 10:30, "Childrens Hospital" begins its second season of all new episodes, with a few new cast members, including Malin Ackerman ("The Brothers Solomon", "Funny or Die Presents"). The show is the creation of writer/star Rob Corddry and executive producer David Wain.

A third new show, the Conan O'Brien-produced "Eagleheart", had also been scheduled to premiere this Sunday but was recently removed from Adult Swim's schedule. A new premiere date hasn't been announced by the network yet.

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Go: see Kumail Nanjiani at Hwd Improv (for free!)

isoS — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:00:24 GMT

[RD][N]http://aspecialthing.com/images/ASTnews/kumail.jpg[/N]Sorry for the late notice, but if you're in Los Angeles with nothing to do tonight, check out Kumail Nanjiani headlining the Hollywood Improv (ably backed by Nick Thune, Rory Scovel, Nick Rutherford and Nate Craig). Show starts at 8pm, and if you email hollywood(AT)gmail(DOT)com with the subject "Kumail Show" + your name and party size, you get in for free! (Two-drink min. presumably still applies, but hey, you were going to order those umbrella-holders anyway, weren't you?) Support live comedy, y'all!

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