CDR: Todd GLASS, Casey WILSON, Matt BESSER's RESIDENCY!

[Scott Aukerman]

As seen in Rolling Stone magazine!

"HILARIOUS" - Spin Magazine

"INTIMATE"
"There's a certain anticipation and excitement in the air...as if Sonic Youth were playing an unannounced secret show at a small club." - Esquire

"The world's best comedy night!" - The Sound of Young America

"Billed as the world's greatest comedy night with some justification." - The Onion

"The success of Death-Ray put it on L.A.'s comedy club map." -LA Times

"BEST IN LA"
"Consistently outstanding. The best comics working today." -LA Weekly

"If you do Comedy Death Ray , you'll see that those people are comedy fans... It's great that there are people that value comedy as an art form." - Jim Gaffigan

"COMEDY NIGHT PICK"
"Throngs flock to the hot spot, so reservations are encouraged." -Los Angeles Magazine

"The best comedy night in Los Angeles... the lineups are fantastic every week." -Comedy Central Spotlight

"Will have you either soiling your drawers with laughter or from the intimidation of being in such a small space with such big names (or both)" - Defamer

"Comics come here to kill and they rarely go away without bloody hands." - LA Alternative Press

[Scott Aukerman]

MATT BESSER TO PERFORM TEN-WEEK RESIDENCY AT COMEDY DEATH-RAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

ITEM! If you thought Andy Daly’s recent Comedy Death-Ray stint would be the last time CDR allowed a comedian to perform an extended residency, you’d be perhaps the stupidest human alive, man OR woman.

Comedy Death-Ray, Los Angeles’s premier comedy show, is proud to announce that Upright Citizens Brigade founding member and the pride of Arkansas Matt Besser will be recording sets over the next few months, exclusively at CDR’s Tuesday night program, and will be releasing them the very same week on UCBcomedy.com.

Fans have delighted to Mr. Besser’s antics over the six-year history of CDR, with recent exploits including “Skittles 4 Wittels,” “The Upstager,” and “The Guy Fixing The Air-Conditioner.” Audiences have oft wondered what a concentrated dose of Mr. Besser would offer. At last the wondering must cease.

"Comedy Death-Ray is the Olympics of the alternative comedy world,” Mr. Besser replied when asked for comment. “It was a dream come true when my residency was accepted. For the last three years I have trained at CDR to be able to meet the challenge of the comedic decathalon I will perform these bits with all my heart, not just for the comedy nerds in the CDR audience, but also for the comedy nerds in the middle of America. I do these ten sets for you.”

Mr. Besser will appear at the popular comedy spot ten separate Tuesdays through October. In these ten weeks, Mr. Besser will attempt all ten disciplines of comedy in an effort to reach “the perfect ten:”

1. Topical
2. Blue
3. Satire
4. Parody
5. Multiple characters – no costumes, no props; voice only
6. Musical
7. Impression
8. Physical
9. Stand-up – one word suggestions given the week before over internet and stage
10. Improvised – crowd work, taking suggestions

"I’m neither deluded nor vain enough to consider myself the Michael Phelps of comedy,” Mr. Besser continued. “I am more like the Kerri Strug. I just want one gold night and I will give everything to get it. Even if I bomb the first nine Tuesdays, I will limp to the stage, maybe only standing on one tired old bit, but I will perform that bit with all my heart.”

The excitement starts this Tuesday, 19 August 2008, as Mr. Besser shares the bill with fan-favorite Todd Glass and Saturday Night Live’s Casey Wilson, launching his ten-night-stand with a surprise bit guaranteed to both amuse and shock the audience into convulsions of laughter.

"This is for all the comedy nerds in all the towns across this great land of ours – like Topeka, Harrisburg, Dover, Little Rock, and a few more that I can’t remember now,” Mr. Besser beamed. “God bless the Comedy Death-Ray for giving me the opportunity to achieve my dream.”

[punkdc]

Seems awesome. So now I guess is a good time to bring it up, when can we expect Andy's cd to come out?

[CHaberkern]

A Besser residency?! Best news I've heard all day

[conundrum]

That is great news

[mike]

Besser for resident 2008!

[Gene George]

I hope it's actually Andy Daly doing his new "Matt Besser" character. That'd be META-AWESOME!

[Scott Aukerman]

Seems awesome. So now I guess is a good time to bring it up, when can we expect Andy's cd to come out?

News on this coming very soon.

[gloshi]

News on this coming very soon.

Here's hoping for an Andy Daly CD release show!

[dpardue]

Casey and June back together again!! By the way, can anyone tell me if Casey's coming back to SNL next season, or was she just a featured player this season alone?

[twotickets]

Hello,

I made my reservations last Thursday and bought two tickets through PayPal for $11.80, but my partner and I have a minor emergency and cannot make it tonight. Advanced reservations are sold out, so if you need tickets, please PM me through the board. I assume I can call the UCB and ask them to change the reservation which is under my name to your name? And you can just pay me through PayPal?

[Toddler]

Hello,

I made my reservations last Thursday and bought two tickets through PayPal for $11.80, but my partner and I have a minor emergency and cannot make it tonight. Advanced reservations are sold out, so if you need tickets, please PM me through the board. I assume I can call the UCB and ask them to change the reservation which is under my name to your name? And you can just pay me through PayPal?

Wow. What an ironic twist of fate that your name is "twotickets". Trippy...

[dougbenson]

Casey and June back together again!! By the way, can anyone tell me if Casey's coming back to SNL next season, or was she just a featured player this season alone?

i hope casey is coming back. she was one of the best reasons to tune in last season.

[twotickets]

Wow. What an ironic twist of fate that your name is "twotickets". Trippy...

I figured I can use this when I either need two tickets or have an extra two tickets.

Plus, I love Eddie Money.

[punkdc]

Any word on SYNT?

[the_psychologist]

SYNT?

Also, anyone have an extra for CDR?

thanks

[sparkiepop]

SYNT is a surprise.

[twotickets]

one ticket left, going to see if UCB can take it back, thanks everyone

[CHaberkern]

How has no one else posted how hilarious this was yet.... Ok, I'll go first.

Not to take away from any of the other performers (everyone was fantastic, it was my first time seeing Shawn and Joe and loved their sets) but Besser stole the show for me. His performance tonight makes me so excited to see his full residency. Death Ray is always hilarious, but Besser always takes it to the next level for me... something about him and Andy Daly I can't explain. Kills me.

I'm terrible with recaps, so I'll leave it to the pros. But I do want to say it made my night when he gave shit to that pissy guy in the front row... he was asking for it.

[Liezl]

CHaberkern made a nice pedestal for Huanhuan.


our host, chip pope, writes theme songs for movies that have none.. including lord of the rings and gremlins. Here he is later in the set as john cougar mellencamp


shawn pearlman


matt besser as huanhuan, the olympic mascot symbolizing fire.


huanhuan fields audience questions about the olympics.. her question had something to do with poles and fighting with her boyfriend.


joe mande talks about getting high, walking to domino's pizza in the snow, then getting robbed at domino's.


casey pitches some sketch ideas for snl.


at the end of the show, as chip is thanking everyone for coming, todd glass returns on stage and accepts the applause as his own, bowing and waving to everyone as they leave. As the house lights come up, scott aukerman comes up on the house speakers, and encourages the audience to go and chat with todd or shake his hand.