Written by: Joseph Santiago

Russell Brand is Being Urged to Move to Syria!

What happens if you’re unhappy with someone’s views or comments? Why of course, you tell them that if they’re so unhappy here, why don’t they move somewhere else! Sometimes though, people take things even further. If you’re really pissed, why not start a Kickstarter or GoFundMe to help make the move a financial option for your least favorite person in the world?

Russell Brand is no stranger to controversy. Over the past few years he’s managed to ruffle more than a few feathers with his viral sensation: Trews on YouTube. With his videos, Russell claims to be the sole voice of reason in an increasingly biased world. Is he really a news reporter? Well, no. But, he has a following (1.2 million subscribers) and he certainly has become quite talented at throwing stones at glass buildings on camera. read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

Interview with William Stephenson

As a first time writer for this website, I found it appropriate and best way to kick off my inaugural post was with one of the people I’ve come to realize was there for one of my wife’s and I’s first experience at live comedy in New York City. It really is one of those moments that stick, that giddy and excited feeling someone gets as a child opening a present. That was my experience tugging on my wife’s jacket upstairs of the Comedy Cellar before their late show on a week night. Looking behind me at all the comedians that I recognized at “The Table” and looking up at the closed circuit television to see Chris Rock finishing up a set. I don’t remember every performer that night, but the MC for the evening definitely stuck. It was someone with this truly amazing energy, that of a ball busting family member. Taking shots at the audience while still remaining relatable. That was William Stephenson. It was really an honor to get to chat with him for a while, a true veteran in the New York City stand up community while remaining truly humble and doing it truly for the love of stand up and performing

My wife and I got to check out the show Saturday January 9th at Broadway Comedy Club where he closed out a great show with Chris Murphy as the MC, Russ Menev, Wali Collins, Tommy Gooch, Jerry Shack, and finally Will. Afterwards, we got a chance to step outside and have a conversation with Will where we found out this was only his second time performing at this club and has been a while performing outside of hosting.

We’ve seen you multiple times hosting in the city, where did you start and was it hosting? read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

You gotta love Jerry Seinfeld. Not only did he make an incredible, award winning TV sit-com, Seinfeld, but he keeps on chugging in the world of stand-up. Bailing out Stephen Colbert’s dismal ratings on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Seinfeld took to the stage to do an epic monologue on virtually anything and everything happening in America today.

He took on the movement to fight for emergency weight-loss measures in the United States by asking “Do we really have an obesity problem in this country?” He posits that until we’re all smooshed together, coast to coast, like a jar of olives screaming for our own space, we really aren’t facing a national emergency. read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

Key Lewis is a very talented Stand-up Comedian. He has performed, and headlined in various top venues as well as numerous appearances on television. Key Lewis is very eclectic with his comedy, and is able to connect with any audience. He has also served in the Navy, not only has he served our country, he continues to serve other Veterans by performing live stand up comedy by bringing them together in unison through laughter, and alleviating stress. He recently toured as part of a comedy team who are all veterans, The GI’S Of Comedy, the producer of the GI’S of comedy is Thom Tran. They traveled as far as Jordan, Egypt, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Italy, Japan, Korea. read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

                                                                                                             

Note From Me:

Another day of self-doubt and discontent. Another day of societal chaos. Another day of propaganda. Another day of world-wide-violence. Well, just another fucking Saturday. I’m sitting here in a touristy coffee shop, on the corner of MacDougal and Bleecker Street, with my good friend Nick Whitmer to discuss his life in the world of Standup Comedy. To set the mood for you: it’s freezing cold outside, the streets are cluster-fucked with obnoxious drunks and the barista is a fucking asshole. Ergo, this leaves a lot of room for optimism in this interview. Self-awareness is a bright disease and Nick has it. I’m excited to hear some genuine thoughts and opinions. Let us begin. read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

Emma Willmann can thank divorce for introducing her to comedy.

Kind of.

“My parents got divorced and I would watch TV at my dad’s place because he was the cool parent that had cable. I’d watch some comedy. I loved Bruce Bruce.”

The cable company, bringing comedians close to family.

Emma has a wide variety of comics she now loves to watch perform.

“I Love Brian Regan,, Cedric the Entertainer, Katt Williams, Wanda Sykes, Jerry Seinfeld, I love Seinfeld and I love urban comedy.” read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

NYC Standup Comedian Anthony Kapfer is a musician, an animator, an editor, a writer, an actor, and an Alternative Comedy trailblazer. And his new special is just the beginning.

     

 

Kapfer was never known for taking projects lightly. When he says he’s spent his whole life in the City, it means he’s lived in every borough. When he says he released an animated standup comedy special, it means it was written, directed, animated, voiced and edited all by Kapfer himself. How does one man learn to master all of these arts while performing in multiple bands throughout his childhood? Essentially, by growing up before the iPhone was invented. read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

New York City local Matt Pavich won the cities most coveted comedy prize over the weekend. New York’s Funniest is a tradition known to skyrocket the winner to fame, and 2015 is expected to be no exception.

Pavich is already successful in his own rights. The comedian will be highlighted in season two of MTV2’s Joking Off which launches next month, and he’s also the star and co-creator of the series “The Neighborhood” — which snagged awards at the 2014 New York Television festival. Now that he’s snagged New York’s Funniest, many in the industry are waiting with anticipation to see what he accomplishes next. read more

Written by: Joseph Santiago

In his hooded sweatshirt and the standard NYC comedian beard, Anthony DeVito settled into his chair at Mud, a local coffee shop which boasts the fact that Jimi Hendrix used to live in their basement. “Seems like a lot of coffee shops say Hendrix used to live there. That guy sure moved around a lot.”

It was that classic DeVito twist you could find in all of his work, including his self-described laughably popular podcast, The Rad Dudecast. DeVito’s standup is riddled with the same simple silliness, described by Amy Hawthorne of the Comedy Groupie as an “’aw shucks, oh well’ spin on the ‘Am I the only person with any reason or common sense around here, because this is crazy, right?’” 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