Between Dec. 4 and 10, members of the Arab comedy world (yes, they do exist) will gather for the second annual Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival 2009. It's a Orbit Showtime/New York Arab American Comedy Festival joint, and, according to Mr. Omar Maani, Amman's esteemed mayor, it...
The fine folks over at Comedy Central announced today that Nick Swardson - he of the cherub-faced/devilish-eye gleam comedy dichotomy - will be premiering a brand new sketch series with the network, to debut in 2010. Having already had success with both his stand-up specials...
In the wake of a few recent box office disappointments (didn't take The Invention of Lying long to go the way of the cotton gin, did it?), Ricky Gervais will be adding a more surefire endeavor to his resume: Golden Globes host. In a press statement, the head-honcho of the...
Nick Swardson likes to tell the media how eager he is to quit stand-up comedy -- he told me point blank a few months ago -- and focus all his attention on feature films. He should really reconsider. Not that a successful run as a scene-stealing thespian should be anything but...
Lenny Bruce lives! Well, at least, his stuff does. From Oct. 13 - 28, fans of the original blue-streak comedian can bid on a few of the man's rare collectibles and personal items, including, "Bruce family photos, personal letters, a type writer from his early years, his bedroom...
If laughter is the best medicine, then perhaps funnymen (and women) of all stripes make the best healers. Such is certainly true in the case of Bill Cosby, who has pledged his support for helping to heal Detroit public schools of low-enrollment rates. Cosby will lend his famous...
You might think you know crazy comedy, but chances are, you ain’t got squat. If your idea of onstage wackiness conforms to the surrealistic antics of Andy Kauffman or the melon-smashing mania of Gallagher, clearly, you have a taste for the tame. Because, my friends, these...
The natural kinship between comedy and therapy is almost always acknowledged, but never directly explored by either comedians or the fans who fund treatment for their neuroses. Enter Elizabeth Beckwith, a long-time vet of the stand-up stage who, on Oct. 6, will release her first...
Is one of America's sweethearts ready to go tit-for-tat with one of America's smartest asses? (Ok, so Simon Cowell is British). Fans of veteran stand-up comedian Ellen DeGeneres will find out this season, when the comedian will join American Idol as the fourth judge....
