Written by: Joseph Santiago

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All ye Kings and Queens, Knights and Nobles! Thou have been summoned to join in the festivities! Held in the court of Virtual Reality!

First, let me start this article with an apology: I’m sorry for the excessive and obnoxious amount of exclamation marks in my opening two lines.

Moving on, in this article I am going to evaluate the success of the following three Youtube Sensations: Gangnam Style, ISIS and Funny Turkish Cats. Please understand that you made all three of those channels famous. You. YOU. You, the people, got Gangnam Style to be performed on Saturday Night Live. You, the people, proved to the world that Turkish Cats ARE in fact the funniest type of cat. And, you, the people, made ISIS. Your clicks, streams and countless minutes of awe proceeding a barbaric beheading DIRECTLY contributed to the fame and power which ISIS holds today. Odds are you did it by accident, through your primitive pastime consisting of a 4 hour virtual vacation on Youtube (which, I can relate to). I recently took a 4 hour virtual vacation myself visiting all sorts of cool places like: Alabama where I saw a guy in a camo hat shoot himself in the dick with a paintball gun; Antarctica where I got a 360 Degree HD view of the continent; and even a brothel in Thailand where I witnessed what may or may not have been a consensual gangbang (Asians have some outside-the-box fetishes and I don’t want to jump to conclusions). On a random side note; why is an ISIS beheading video have “An interview with a single, innocent Muslim mother,” under other videos you may like? Apples and Oranges, aye? Here’s my point; if you watch ISIS videos it’s hypocritical to then bash them through social media. You can cute-ify your profile picture with a flag but you can’t undo fame. read more

Written by Gary Miller

Chicago Comedian Ricky Gonzalez is set to record a live album this weekend. Ricky is an associate producer and regular performer at Comedians You Should Know, (CYSK) a comedy juggernaut in Chicago that runs a weekly showcase every Wednesday at Timothy O’Tooles, their home since 2010, as of this year they have started a show in Los Angeles as well. Their groundbreaking weekly showcases feature the top comedy talent from Chicago and Los Angeles as well as rising stars and established entertainers from across the country. We got a chance to talk to Ricky leading up to the recording. The decision to record at their home base seemed like a no-brainer, read more

Written by Gary Miller

After a tragedy there is a sense that laughter cannot come back. There is a sense that laughter is dead, Mark Twain famously quipped that, “humor is tragedy plus time.” An interesting bit of cultural study on the subject of humor can be found in the German cinema as of late.

Who says Germans don’t have a sense of humor?

“Germans should be able to laugh at Hitler, rather than viewing him as a monster, because that relieves him of responsibility for his deeds and diverts attention from his guilt for the Holocaust,” director David Wnendt told The Guardian. “But it should be the type of laugh that catches in your throat and you’re almost ashamed when you realise what you’re doing.” read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

A warm audience is an important aspect of any comedy show. Having an opener for any type of performance is commonplace and encourages the audience to participate and build up energy. In comedy, a a warm audience means a crowd that is ready to laugh, they are open, and in a club setting more often than not a little bit drunk. When a televised show is filmed before a live audience a warm up comic is generally used to facilitate the necessity for a warm crowd. The warm up comic is the unsung hero of a great audience ready for a TV taping. The comic is usually not noticed by a larger audience, but appreciated in the entertainment industry greatly. Their job is to make the crowd feel like an integral part of the show, usually working alone and at times explaining parts of the show. read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

The New York Comedy Festival Continues with another great Friday Lineup November 13, 2015.

Kill Me Now With Judy Gold

Featuring Lauren Hennesey, Lynne Kopolitz & Steven Schirrpa

Fri 11/13 4:00pmCarolines On Broadway

Harmontown

Fri 11/13 7:00pmThe Gramercy Theatre

Joel Creasey Live

Fri 11/13 7:00pmLaurie Beechman Theater

Week at the Creek: Bonnie McFarlane

Fri 11/13 7:00pmThe Creek and The Cave

Iliza Shlesinger

Fri 11/13 7:30pmNYU Skirball Center

Norm Macdonald

Fri 11/13 7:30pmCarolines On Broadway

Homeschooled: A Comedic Lecture Series

Fri 11/13 7:30pmUnion Hall

Best of UCBT Sketch

Fri 11/13 7:30pmUCB Theatre Chelsea

John Leguizamo in Conversation

Fri 11/13 8:00pm92nd Street Y read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

Big news for fans of Patrice O’Neal, a compilation meant to be his first album will be dropping  soon. The compilation is titled the Lost Files: 2005. It was meant to be his first album but ran into production issues and was recently discovered. His family didn’t even know it existed until the discovery.

The revered Boston comedian died in 2011 from complications due to a stroke. Remembered as a fearless entertainer in comedy circles and for his many roast appearances, the compilation is heavily anticipated. read more

Written by Gary Miller

“There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.”-Erma Bombeck

Chicago comedian Sean White has walked the line night in and night out, the erudite comedian has found ways to make audiences across the country laugh doing so, highly touted in the city of Chicago by other comedians and the press, he was voted as one of 16 comics to check out by Chicago Magazine. A skilled comedian with a unique voice, Sean had been doing comedy for five years when his sister died. Then a few months later, his mom died, and then a few months later, his brother died. Then a few months later, his other sister died. In the middle of that was when he got divorced. read more

Written By Gary Miller

The holiday season is approaching like a well meaning, stalking butler in a cheaply made Santa outfit. With two outstretched hands and a gift tightly held in between two white gloves the butler brings you yuletide joy. Yuletide joy can mean whatever you want it to mean. For us, yuletide joy means Bill Burr.

Bill Burr is one of the most sought after stand ups performing today. He’s also known for his tremendously popular weekly podcast, “Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast“. Burr has a long list of credits to his name, he’s been in numerous television shows, movies, specials, and recordings. Bill Burr is everywhere and for good reason. read more

Written by Josh Rosen,

Sue Costello is an actress, comedian, writer and producer. She has starred in such television programs as the self-titled Costello, NYPD Blue, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Comedy Central’s Premium Blend.

She has appeared on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and made it to the finals of in 2004.

She can be heard on episode 172 of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.

Sue is one of the hardest working individuals in all of show business. She was Becky in The Fighter, Sgt. Kneeley in Once in a Lifetime. read more

Written by Gary Miller

Chris Hamilton is a New York based comic that is on the rise. Chris has found himself steadily working, always performing, whether it’s at comedy clubs like New York Comedy club, Broadway comedy club, Gotham comedy club, Stand up NY or bar shows in the New York area. Gifted with an outspoken personality, strong point of view, and a matching work ethic, Chris also finds the time to do a radio show for Brooklyn on BBOX Radio.

Chris worked in the media field before turning to comedy full time. In that time he has performed in the Hoboken comedy festival, laughing devil comedy festival,  ‘Ghandi is that you?’ ‘Commune comedy’, among others. read more