This past week the comedy nerd world was captivated by the most recent episode of the WTF podcast featuring Todd Glass in which he announced publicly for the first time that he is gay. It was inspiring and thought-provoking.  In this week’s episode we give our reactions to the WTF episode and discuss the importance of a comedian being truthful on stage, both with the audience and themselves.

This week we crank up the flux capacitor and look…in to the future.  Is the success of Louis C.K.’s independently released stand-up special going to be the new norm for comedians?  Could any other comedian right now really pull that off?  Will comedians be able to go completely around the networks all together soon?  Will we get all of our jokes from a pill and not even have to leave the house (but for some reason there will still be a two drink minimum)?

Last week saw the passing of one of the funniest voices in the comedy community, Patrice O’Neal.  It’s sad when anyone dies but when it’s someone who brings so much laughter and joy to so many people it hurts that much more.

In this week’s episode we look the impact of his passing and discuss several some of the many other comedians unfortunately taken too soon.

This week on the show we talk about The Muppets! With the new movie out now we discuss the power of positivity in comedy. And how much can nostalgia affect how much you enjoy comedy? Does nostalgia make you like it more, or hate it because it isn’t exactly the way you like it? And even if it make you like something more, can nostalgia make something seem funnier? Hurry up and listen to this episode so you can start being nostalgic about it!

Multiple news sources are reporting the passing of stand-up comedian Patrice O’Neal.  Patrice was one of the funniest live performers on the scene today and he will be missed by many.  Our hearts go out to his friends and family.  Patrice was 41.

This week on the show we discuss the phenomenon of backlash, the most insidious of the lashes (worse than both whip and eye combined!) Actor A works hard, does good work, makes funny stuff. The world loves him. Actor A keeps working hard and making funny stuff, and the world says “Hey, that guy keeps working hard and making stuff, now I hate that guy!”. Why does that happen? Is it inevitable? Has anyone ever avoided it? Listen and find out.

This week we are joined by Michael Hartney, as we discuss our trip to see Conan O’Brien at the Beacon Theater in New York! It was totally awesome, and guests Matthew Broderick and Paul Simon were amazing, and we’re not at all upset that we didn’t go to a different show, that had other guests and different things happening, so why would you ask such a weird question? We discuss the fine are of pre-show warm ups, the cue card mafia, and why Andy Richter has the best job in the world. And 2e say so long to Michael, as he heads off to Los Angeles. I hope you enjoy him on this episode, because soon he’ll be super-famous and will forget all about us, so great last guest spot on the Comedy Nerds, Michael Hartney!

With the upcoming release of Darrell Hammond’s autobiography, “God, If You’re Not Up There, I’m F*cked: Tales of Stand-Up, Saturday Night Live, and Other Mind-Altering Mayhem” we discuss the psychological make-up that pushes comedians to do what they do, how one could possibly handle the pressure of a job like being on Saturday Night Live, with a less than stable personal life (and apparently for Darrell it was — Hoo boy you guys, it was rough), and the differences between an accurate impression, a funny impression, and a funny and accurate impression. It might seem like a minor distinction, but it can make all the difference in the world.

The Simpsons just got renewed for two more years but should it have?  This week we look at when a beloved comedy should ride off into the sunset rather than just sort of hang out and get more and more annoying.  Was Seth McFarland right when he said Family Guy should have been cancelled a few years ago?  Or should we all just become British and only watch 8 episodes of a TV show while we eat our fish and chips?

The Emmys where yesterday and Modern Family won…almost everything!  In this week’s episode we talk about Modern Family’s sweep of everything they could possibly win, the awesomeness of the Leading Actress In Comedy nominees, and The Daily Show’s complete and total domination going on almost a decade.

Plus: A real life Weekend At Bernie’s.  Proof that we are in fact in the future.  And get ready for an Alpocalypse!

This week had so much comedy news that we had no choice but to do a full on comedy news-a-palooza. What will you learn in this episode? How about: Who’s the richest person in entertainment and what does it teach other performers? Why are there less women in today’s writer’s rooms? Why is Michael J Fox teaching us not to believe any more? Did literally anyone see Bucky Larson this weekend? What kind of jokes can you buy for a dollar? Should you trust Dustin’s law knowledge?

Find out the answers to all the questions and a like two things more!

This Sunday is the tenth anniversary of 9/11. And the day after is the tenth anniversary of the first 9/11 joke. This week we talk about about black comedy and gallows humor. Is there any value in joking about things that will upset some people. Are there guidelines about what you can joke about and when. And if so who decides what they are? And isn’t a comedian honor bound to break those rules? So what would be the point of them if they existed? I guess what I’m trying to say is Never Forget…about this podcast.

Someone once said that show business is a Hideous Bitch Goddess. I believe it was George Burns. Oh, also everyone who has ever tried to make it in Hollywood. This week, we discuss some of the details of the great new book “Writing Movies For Fun And Profit“, by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. A book not about how to write a screenplay, (there’s a lot of books about that, and they’re all great, probably), but a book about HOW TO GET A SCREENPLAY PRODUCED IN HOLLYWOOD. From what margins on the page are required for different studios to how to order at “In-N-Out Burger”, someone finally lays out, step by step, exactly what you need to do. Read the book, listen to this episode, and don’t forget about us when you’re a millionaire!

This week, we discuss the Emmy nominations. Regular cast members nominated as guest stars. A handful of shows nominated again and again. Glee is apparently a thing that is currently happening. It’s a bit of a mess. We go over who got the nod, who got snubbed (RON SWANSON!!!!!) and some thoughts on how to make the Emmys better. Can they be better? Probably not. Sorry, I’m a realist. That’s how I roll these days.

If you heart Jon Stewart like I do you will heart this.  You will probably heart him even more now.  (Fun Fact: I have never written “heart” anything before.  This will be the first and last time.  You just read history people.)

The Friars Club announced the ten finalist and alternates for their Improv and Sketch Competition and NYC comedy totally dominated the selections.  Take a look at the final groups below, then go watch them fight each other to the comedy death June 24th & 25th at the UCB theatre.  The winner brings home $5,000 to make a video appearing in the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival in October.  Think of all the wigs and fake mustaches they could buy with that kind of money.  The ridiculous hair possibilities are limitless.

The 2011 FrISC finalists are:

Improv
Big Black Car (NYC)
Death By Roo Roo (NYC)
Doppelganger (NYC)
The Mantzoukas Brothers (NYC)
Standards & Practices (Toronto)
1st alternate: Middle Age Comeback (Chicago)
2nd alternate: Brothers Hines (NYC)

Sketch
Onassis (NYC)
Paulilu: The Paul Downs Syndrome (LA)
Political Subversities (NYC)
Somebody’s in the Doghouse (Boston/NYC)
Stone Cold Fox (NYC)
1st alternate: Oh, Brother! (LA)
2nd alternate: BoF (NYC)

In this week’s episode, we celebrate 3 years of broadcasting our nonense around the world! Guests Claudia Cogan, Nick Turner and Lou Fernandez join in the fun as we play trivia games, introduce our new theme song, play a clip from our first show, and more! Come on in and join the cyber-party, as we enter our second trimester. (Trimester means three years right? That sounds right. I’m not going to look it up.)

In case you were like me last night and you were distracted by the How I Men Your Mother wedding surprise or if Chuck was going to be able to save Sarah in time from Vivian Volkoff’s remote control DNA poison devise and you missed Jon Stewart on the O’Reilly Factor here are the two clips from it.  Did Jon best O’Reilly?  Judge for yourself (and by the title of this post).

PART 1

PART 2

It is the fight of the century. In this corner, The Performer. With a desperate desire to be liked and full of enough “please-look-at-me” neediness to fill a dozen therapist notebooks, you can see it all over The Performer’s “daddy didn’t love me enough” face, they’re out for blood and laughs, whatever the cost. But in this corner, we have The Writer. Steely, calculating, and with a fully formed opinion on the Teapot Dome Scandal, The Writer comes out swinging with a one-two punch of clever notions and air-tight sketch construction. Who will win in this epic, eternal struggle. Listen to find out. If you got the guts!

It’s brother vs. brother. Neighbor vs. neighbor. Late night funnyman vs. late night funnyman.  What side are you on: Late Night Snack or Americon Dream?  There can be only one! (actually you can totally have both, but I have learned to never give up a Highlander reference opportunity)

The rivalry got pretty serious last night as Colbert pretty much scrapped the entire format of his show to settle this.  There were fights, guest stars, songs, old rich hippies and ice cream induced hallucinations.

“I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available. If you try it once, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.”

“I’m tired–I’m so tired of pretending like my life isn’t perfect and bitching and winning every second and I’m not perfect and bitchin’ and just delivering the goods at every freakin’ turn.”

“I got magic and I’ve got poetry in my fingertips, you know, most of the time, and this includes naps. I’m an F-18, bro.”

You have one more week to vote for us for the ECNY awards. Do it here.

So Charlie Sheen went f’n nuts yesterday and got his show shut down for at least the rest of the season.  Possibly forever.  Will it come back?

Hells To The No It Won’t Be Back!
Here is what he had to say about show producer Chuck Lorre on Alex Jones radio show.

“There’s something this side of deplorable that a certain Chaim Levine — yeah, that’s Chuck’s real name — mistook this rock star for his own selfish exit strategy, bro. Check it, Alex: I embarrassed him in front of his children and the world by healing at a pace that his unevolved mind cannot process.”

“Last I checked, Chaim, I spent close to the last decade effortlessly and magically converting your tin cans into pure gold. And the gratitude I get is this charlatan chose not to do his job, which is to write.”

You don’t say stuff like that unless you want to get canceled.  Sheen is almost definitely high, oversexed and a bit delusional but he is not dumb enough to say that stuff and not think this will be the result.

Yes, Of Course It Will Be Back
The show makes a bazillion dollars. That’s not a fake number. They literally make a bazillion dollars.

Let’s not forget the biggest tragedy here… the world may now never see Major League 3.  Let’s all pray to Jobu that Sheen can get his crap together.

The ECNY Awards announced their nominations this morning.  First off, we totally got nominated for Best Podcast! Thanks to everyone who helped make that possible.  Also congrats to everyone who was nominated, especially good friend of the show Nick Turner with two nominations. Feel free to start voting now.   Here is the complete list of nominees:

Best Male Stand-up Comedian
Dan St. Germain
Kurt Braunohler
Mike Lawrence
Sean Patton
Ted Alexandro

Best Female Stand-up Comedian
Amy Schumer
Andrea Rosen
Brooke Van Poppelen
Marina Franklin
Sara Schaefer

Best Sketch Comedy Group
BoF
Harvard Sailing Team
Murderfist
Serious Lunch
Two Fun Men

Best Host
Chris Gethard
Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal
Nick Turner and Jason Saenz
Sean Crespo and Dan Wilbur
Seth Herzog

Best Improv Group
2 Square
Big Black Car
Adsit & Gausas
Death By Roo Roo
Doppelganger

Best Musical Comedy Act (Solo or Group)
Adira Amram & The Experience
Ben Lerman
Fearsome presents: Grease 3: Threase
The Gregory Brothers
Stuckey and Murray

Best One Person Show
Adam Wade – Originally from New Hampshire
Jon Friedman – Bear With Me
Pam Murphy – The C-Word
Paul W. Downs – The Paul Downs Syndrome
Shannon O’Neill – Prison Freaks

Best Comedic Video (Short or Series)
Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer – BriTANick
BP Spills Coffee – UCBComedy.com
Please Give Me One Million Dollars – Craig Rowin
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp
Broad City – Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson and Rob Michael Hugel

Best Variety Show
Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen
Righteous Kill
SACAPUNTAS!
The Chris Gethard Show
Whiplash

Best Website
drinkatwork.com
juliasegal.tumblr.com
sandpapersuit.com
splitsider.com
theapiary.org
thecomicscomic.com

Best Technician
Beowulf Jones
Frank Hejl
Katey Healy-Wurzburg
Marcus Parks
Mike Cirelli

Best Flyer or Postcard Design
Broad City @ 92YTribeca – Abbi Jacobson
Heart of Darkness – Dima Drjuchin
Lasers in the Jungle – Mindy Tucker
Rubber Bullets – Scott Moran
The Paul Downs Syndrome

Best Book
Get Psyched – Rob Lathan and Will Hines
I Don’t Care About Your Band – Julie Klausner
Look at This Fucking Hipster – Joe Mande
Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk – Jason Roeder, Mike Sacks, Ted Travelstead, Scott Jacobson, and Todd Levin
Sexy Book of Sexy Sex – Kristen Schaal and Rich Blomquist

Best Comedy Podcast
In the Tank
Keith and The Girl
The Comedy Nerds
RISK! True Tales, Boldly Told
The UCB Theatre Podcast

Best Comedy Event
12th Annual Del Close Marathon
50 First Jokes
The Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival
Meatsteak Presents Your Favorite Show: TAXI
Schtick or Treat

Best Storyteller
Adam Wade
Elna Baker
John Flynn
Kevin Allison
Margo Leitman
Tom Shillue

Outstanding Achievement in the Field Of Tweeting
@chrisgethard
@elizaskinner
@friedmanjon
@joemande
@mrdavehill

The Emerging Comic Award
Adrienne Iapulucci
Ilana Glazer
Jared Logan
Mike Recine
Nick Turner
Paul W. Downs

The award ceremony will be held on March 14, 2011, at 8:30 PM at the 92Y Tribeca; 200 Hudson Street.

Are you ready for some comically-inclined representations of football?!!! This week, in honor of the Superbowl, we welcome SportsDome senior writer (and member of legendary New York sketch troupe Elephant Larry) Geoff Haggerty. We talk to him about writing for SportsDome, where sports and comedy intersect and his favorite sports comedies. So cheer on Team Comedy Nerds as we score a touchdown of podcasting. Or something. Sports!

You knew it was coming.  It happened.  Here it is.  Now lets get on the Dwight meets Gareth train.  I’ll meet you in the bar car.

Tonight is the night.  The always amazing Baron Vaughn officially joins the ranks of TV star when his new show, Fairly Legal, debuts on USA. The show stars the ultra sexy Sarah Shahi, who plays Kate, a former lawyer who starts becomes a mediator.  While not technically a comedy it looks like a typical USA show that deals with serious stuff but man are those characters quirky.

Baron plays Leonardo Prince, who is:

resourceful, unflappable, and, thanks to his vast and varied connections — and seeming ability to know what Kate needs before even she knows she needs it — invaluable. Though dedicated to his harried boss and supportive of her at times unconventional methods, Leo is neither a career assistant nor an aspiring legal climber; he’s just biding time and cashing paychecks at Reed & Reed while he works on his true passion: a Watchman-like graphic novel.

Baron is one of the funniest and nicest guys working in comedy today and we wish him super amounts of success for his show and everything else.

The show debuts tonight (January 20th) at 10/9 c on USA.  You can also catch him at at SF sketchfest.

A group in Baltimore is trying to break the record for the longest stand-up show ever.  I am assuming they mean in real time not perceived time, because in perceived time there are some open mics from the 2002 that I am still at.  (I’m looking at you Maui Taco) Do I know what the record is?  Nope.  Do I know how close they are to breaking it?  Nope.  But its fun stand-up for a good cause, the Maryland Special Olympics.  You can watch it live here.  And donate here.  Come on, what else are you going to do right now, work?

Last night Ricky Gervais totally won the Golden Globes by getting banned from them.  Apparently you are not suppose to mention that the Hollywood Foreign Press was made up by a bunch of nerds who wanted to dry hump the legs of famous people.  Oh, am I now banned from the Golden Globes also?  I win too.  Take a look at his opening monologue where he makes fun of a bunch of millionaires then forget the Golden Globes is a thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvHXzP2SpLA

Recently, comedy deity Patton Oswalt wrote an essay in Wired magazine. In it, he argues that the internet, once the bastion of the nerdy, has actually harmed nerd culture. By making it so easy to stay on top of whatever pop culture obsession you have, it has made a generation of nerds lazy, flabby and gasping for air when they get to the top of a nerd-staircase. Dan thinks this line of reasoning has legs, while Dustin thinks this is the equivilant of shaking your old man cane at the internet and telling it to get off your lawn. What do you think? Don’t work to hard thinking about it, I’ll just send you a few links that will help you make up your mind. Oh internet, you’ve done it again!

photo from flickr by bayat

You remember Pac-Man.  You remember the early 80′s cartoon version of Pac-Man?  When you were watching I it I bet I know what you were thinking. “this show is good, but it’s not true to life enough. I want to know what happens when Pac-Man stops eating dots and starts getting real “  Also you were probably thinking how hard addition was because you were like 5 years old.  Well Merv Griffin Entertainment has heard your cries and his company is shopping around a Pac-Man Reality show.  Read that again because I want you to make sure you completely understand it with all of your brain, A PAC-MAN REALITY SHOW.  Not a cartoon.  Not a sitcom.  A reality show.

A show about a circle eating circles, ghosts and pretzels.  That is throwing down the “if you will watch this bull shit you will watch anything” gauntlet.  Listen, I love the 80′s like a brother, but everybody knows that sometimes you have to take your brother out behind the shed and put him out of his misery then tell you parents he went to live on a farm upstate.  I don’t see anyone watching this… unless Dave Coulier is the host.  Then I am totally in.

I have to admit I was curious how Jon and crew were going to handle the events of this weekend especially in light of last week’s podcast.  Would he show clip after clip of people being assholes? Would he join in on the finger pointing at Palin?  Would he point out that John Boehner cried about literally everything else that happened in the universe except the shootings this weekend?  Nah, he’s not nearly as petty as me.  He took the high, albeit serious road.  It’s worth a listen.

Apparently it was us… $#*! My Dad Says won the People’s Choice for best new comedy.  Admittedly the competition was not great (I’m looking at you “Better With You” that no one ever heard of) but really?  Normally I could blame industry insiders, the press or the Illuminati* but this is the people.  The people picked this punch-in-the-ball-sack of a show.  Remember the date January 5th, 2011.  This is going to be the date that historians in the future use to prove that democracy does not work.

Other Winners:
Favorite Comedy Movie – Grown-Ups (The movie we all kind of wanted to see, on cable)
Favorite Comedy Star – Adam Sandler (What was that?  Sorry I thought I heard 1997)
Favorite TV Comedy – Glee   (this is not a comedy show people!)
Favorite TV Comedy Actor – Neil Patrick Harris (good choice)
Favorite TV Comedy Actress – Jane Lynch (I’m not mad, but I am not happy)

*They are real and they are reading your mind through your cereal box.  Wake up people!

Some in the media have called Jon Stewart the next Edward R. Murrow. Some people find this comparison apt. While others say “Seriously? Are you kidding me? You’re really saying that? Really? This is a thing that’s really happening? Really? Oh brother!” On this week’s episode, we discuss whether a comedian can and/or should step into a role like that. Is Jon Stewart perfectly suited to do it? And if he does, are other people going to be all “Seriously? This is a thing now? Come on!”

Plus! Comedy Resolutions! Christmas Loot! And Dan gets even nerdier! Yes, it’s possible. It surprised us all.

In this week’s episode we look at the work of the late, great Leslie Nielsen. Few actors are a better example of the rule of playing it straight to get even more laughs. Originally starring as a serious actor in movies with awesome titles like “Forbidden Planet” and “Ransom!”, Nielsen took a supporting role in weird little movie called “Airplane!” that just happened to become one of the biggest surprise hits in history and his career spun off in a whole new direction. Somewhere between telling Robert Hays to not call him Shirley, starring in “Naked Gun” movies, and finally making an honest woman out of Dorothy Zbornak in the last episode of “Golden Girls”, Leslie Nielsen earned his lifetime pass, and our eternal gratitude. I just want to tell you both, good luck. We’re all counting on you.

Screw you old times.  My generation is getting an animated Christmas classic.  So put that in your Model T Ford and smoke it!  I haven’t seen yet but I already know that this is going to be my time’s Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer only with a lot more pop culture references, much darker humor and some vague awareness of minorities.  Check out a clip from the Community animated Christmas special. 23 skidoo!

“Cookie joke, cookie joke, cookie joke…” Yeah, I think he’s got it.

I don’t want to say it was specifically because of this week’s podcast on The Legacy of Must See TV, although we all know it was, but NBC is crankin’ it up to 11pm on it’s Thursday night comedy block.  That means 3 hours of comedy on Thursday night and plenty of room for Parks and Rec, Community, The Office and 30 Rock!  Plus Outsourced (yeah, nobody cares) and a new show called Perfect Couples (which I know nothing about but based on the name is SURE to be canceled after 6 episodes).  Here’s the new mid-season line-up:

THURSDAYS (all beginning January 20)

8-8:30 p.m. – “Community”

8:30-9 p.m. – “PERFECT COUPLES”

9-9:30 p.m. – “The Office”

9:30-10 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation”

10-10:30 p.m. – “30 Rock”

10:30-11 p.m. – “Outsourced”

HBO has restored my faith in humanity and that people can, when presented with the chance, make the world a more beautiful place.  HBO is in the process of making a one off talk show called Talking Funny.  It will star Ricky Gervais talking with comedy Super Duper Awesome Hilarious Reason Why 90% of Comedians Got Into The Business In The First Place Amazing Crazy Cryin’ Comedy Stars Louis CK, Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld.  Here’s what you can expect:

Here’s our reaction to Conan’s first show on TBS. We recorded it live, but if you couldn’t stay awake, we have thoughtfully recorded it and made it available for download. And if you did stay up and listen, you can relive the magic again and again. Let’s do this!

On Monday November 8th we’ll be doing a live episode right after the premiere of Conan on TBS.  You can listen live right here on the website or on our ustream page.  We’ll be going live right after the episode ends.  Join in on the conversation as we breakdown one of the most anticipated new shows in a long time.  See you there…

Conan O’Brien’s warm up to his new show debuting November 8th was called “Show Zero” and it was totally a thing that happened.  That’s really all that you can say about it.  It definitely happened and it was definitely called Show Zero and I might have laughed at one point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baa-dGj2LhQ

Check out our video from the Rally To Restore Sanity…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UzYZOfnt-8

What do we want? Sanity! When do we want it? In a reasonable time frame!

We were there. We saw it happen. Someday we will tell our grandkids about it. Or someone’s grandkids. We’ll just hang around schoolyards and shout at random children that once upon a time when we saw Ozzy Osbourne, R2D2 and John Oliver all on the same day. The Comedy Nerds traveled to our nation’s capital to watch The Rally to Restore Sanity and / or Fear with our own eyes. We laughed, we cheered, we were a little confused as to why the Mythbusters were there, but they’re good guys so we’ll let it slide, and in the end, we felt a little better about the country we call home. It was a day of funny signs, banana costumes, and sketch comedy performed to an estimated 10 million people, and we’re here to tell you all about it.

photo from flickr by TalkMediaNews

On this week’s episode we do The Mash. (We do The Monster Mash, just to be clear which Mash it is that we are doing). In honor of Halloween, we take a look at some of the best horror-comedies of all time. Whether it’s full-on horror movies with a few jokes sprinkled in, or mostly comedies with just a few horror elements (and when you’re eight, the inside of Sigourney Weaver’s fridge in Ghostbusters can FREAK YOU OUT!) we take a look at what happens when you mix the sweet of comedy and the sour of horror, and pour it over the chicken of a movie.

PLUS! An honorary awkward pause is bestowed. Elizabeth Shue takes too big a slice of the “Back To The Future” pie. And Dan questions the legitimacy of Dracula’s reign as the king of the monsters.

On this week’s episode we give our initial reactions to 30 Rock’s live episode (East Coast Version). With a cast full of former Saturday Night Live cast members and hosts, it was probably the best TV show on the air to try something like this, but did it work? Plus, we look at the history of when great TV shows challenge themselves by doing a live episode. Also, Gimme A Break did it for some reason.

Thanks to the internet, you can compare the East Coast version to the West Coast versions (or you can cheat and just go here). Different jokes! Flubbed lines! Why does it make me feel so alive?!

This week’s episode is sponsored by Christian Polanco. You can find out more about his show “And Then What Happened?” here. If you would like to be the sponsor for next week’s episode, answer the trivia question on our Facebook page.

On this week’s episode, we are joined by Rebecca Trent, owner of The Creek and The Cave a fantastic bar/restaurant/independent comedy palace in beautiful Long Island City (just minutes away from Midtown Manhattan!) We talk about what makes someone want to start a comedy club, the cold hard facts of dealing with comedians and burritos, and the joys of helping to nurture comedy you like.

Plus! The power of folders! Ving Rhames crushes your face with one hand! And a trivia question that you can answer for fabulous prizes!!!

It’s coming…

And it’s gonna be sexy as hell.

I thought CNN were suppose to be the slightly less ridiculous guys, but the network’s now former anchor Ricky Sanchez cranked up the crazy on Friday when he called Jon Stewart a “bigot”.  He quickly learned that no one and I mean no one messes with Jon Stewart, or should I say more correctly, no one says that Jews control the media without everyone thinking they is craaaaazzzyyyy.  But that’s just what he did and 24 hours later Rick was out on his butt.  Here’s what he said during Pete Dominick’s satellite radio show that got him in trouble.

Gothamist:
[Referring to a boss at CNN] Cause in his mind I can’t be an anchor. An anchor is what you give the high-profile white guys, you know. So he knocks me down to that and compares me to that, and it happens all the time I think…

To a certain extent Jon Stewart and Colbert are the same way. I think Jon Stewart’s a bigot… I think he looks at the world through his mom who was a schoolteacher, and his dad who was a physicist or something like that. Great, I’m so happy that he grew up in a suburban middle class New Jersey home with everything that you could ever imagine… [When asked who Stewart is bigoted against] Everybody else who’s not like him. Look at his show! What does he surround himself with?… I think Jon’s show is essentially prejudicial. I think that Jon’s show is…[Prejudiced] Against anybody who doesn’t agree to his point of view, which is very much a white liberal establishment point of view. He cant relate to a guy like me. He can’t relate to a guy who’s dad worked all his life. He can’t relate to somebody who grew up poor.

Dominick, who once worked for Stewart and repeatedly asked Sanchez for an example of Stewart’s prejudice, disagreed with his guest’s remarks and pointed out Jews faced prejudice—to which Sanchez said, “Yeah, very powerless people. [Stewart]‘s such a minority. I mean, you know, please. What are you kidding? I’m telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart. And to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority?“

How did he not hear the crazy coming out when he was speaking?

TMZ is reporting that stand-up comedian and Last Comic Standing judge Greg Giraldo has passed away.  He was hospitalized almost a week ago from an apparent drug overdose.

A source close to Greg tells us, “Greg passed away today at the hospital in New Brunswick as a result of an accidental overdose. His family was by his side.”

No further details are available at this time.  This just sucks.  It sucks.  I wasn’t a major fan of his, but it was clear the guy worked hard, he cared about comedy, he could be really funny and everyone who I’ve heard from says he was a really good guy.  He will be missed.

If you were thinking, “Man/Woman I would love to go the Rally To Restore Sanity/March To Keep Fear Alive but I am too poor/too lazy to drive all the way down to DC” the Huffington Post has got you covered my friend/acquaintance/person I’ve never met but find strangely attractive anyway.  Arianna announced yesterday on The Daily Show that the Huffington Post will be provide buses for those people wanting to attend the rally who are leaving from New York.  That’s where they keep all them darn socialist, facist, Obama lovin’  dirty liberals anyway.  They should round ‘em all up, but ‘em on a bus and…wait a minute.  It’s a trick!!!!! Run!

They are still working it all out, but you can sign up here for more info.

There are just some movies that you kind of know are going to flop on the big screen…cough…anything with Rob Schneider…cough.  But the new coming of age comedy The Virginity Hit made Deuce Bigalow look like Will Smith and James Cameron had a 3D baby that knows how to make a good new Star Wars movie.

The Virginity Hit opened in 700 theaters, aka a pretty good number of theaters, and earned a grand total of $300,000 making it the fourth worst opening for a movie ever.  For like all time people.  McGruber is laughing at them.  McGruber! I guess all coming of age tales are not created equal, some make even less than the 15 American Pie sequel.

Listen, I get it.  You like The Simpsons in theory but you haven’t really watched it in a while.  That’s cool.  But just this once go back and watch this week’s episode.  Flight Of The Conchords sang about how awesome or not awesome it is to be an artist.  Someone give them a show again or give me money so I can pay them to perform in my living room.  What?  No that won’t be weird. Internationally famous artists perform in my living room all the time.  You don’t know me.  Anyway, watch it.  They are funny and if you don’t I will cut you!*

*with my words.  I don’t want to get sued.

Today begins the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival. You might remember, we went backstage at the Friars Club Improv and Sketch Competition, which lead up to the festival. You can listen to it here if you don’t, or you just want to relive the good times. The festival runs from Thursday 9/23 through Friday 10/1. Here’s the description from the website:

THE FRIARS CLUB COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL (FCCFF) is a star-studded celebration of the comedy genre in the heart of vibrant New York City. Known widely for its roasts and “100 years of antics,” members of the Friars Club include the industry’s top comedians and entertainers, from Frank Sinatra to Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg to Jerry Seinfeld. The Friars Club introduces FCCFF to foster the next generation of comedy filmmakers, to offer comedic filmmakers a platform for presenting their work, and to fill a void by paying tribute to a genre that often gets overlooked.

FCCFF promises four days of films, networking, parties, and laughter, and offers filmmakers the opportunity to introduce their work to leading executives, comedians, and industry professionals. The Festival’s Board of Advisors alone offers a virtual who’s who in film and comedy.

Finally comedy movies get a little respect. Check the website out to see what’s playing when and where.

Just moments ago Jon Stewart made his big announcement.  Jon is stepping up to do his part for America with his “Rally to Restore Sanity“.  I can hear the chants now…”REASONABLE DEBATE!  REASONABLE DEBATE! THERE ARE DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW.  BUT GLENN BECK IS A MORON”  It’s Saturday October 30th, 2010 in our nation’s capital (which is Washington D.C. in case you are a beauty school drop out).

Here’s how the website describes it:

Because we’re looking for those people. We’re looking for the people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat; who feel that the loudest voices shouldn’t be the only ones that get heard; and who believe that the only time it’s appropriate to draw a Hitler mustache on someone is when that person is actually Hitler. Or Charlie Chaplin in certain roles.

Are you one of those people? Excellent. Then we’d like you to join us in Washington, DC on October 30 — a date of no significance whatsoever — at the Daily Show’s “Rally to Restore Sanity.” Ours is a rally for the people who’ve been too busy to go to rallies, who actually have lives and families and jobs (or are looking for jobs) — not so much the Silent Majority as the Busy Majority. If we had to sum up the political view of our participants in a single sentence… we couldn’t. That’s sort of the point.

But if you would prefer a little more truthiness then you may want to head over Stephen Colbert’s “March To Keep Fear Alive”

Here’s how Mr. Colbert’s website describes it:

America, the Greatest Country God ever gave Man, was built on three bedrock principles: Freedom. Liberty. And Fear — that someone might take our Freedom and Liberty. But now, there are dark, optimistic forces trying to take away our Fear — forces with salt and pepper hair and way more Emmys than they need. They want to replace our Fear with reason. But never forget — “Reason” is just one letter away from “Treason.” Coincidence? Reasonable people would say it is, but America can’t afford to take that chance.

We’ll give more details as they come in.  We just wanted to make sure you had time to make your hotel reservations.

“You are aware that there’s an invention called television, and on this invention they show shows, right?”

-Pulp Fiction

Get ready! The new fall season is almost here! Dan and Dustin walk you through all the new comedy that will be coming to your TV screens this year. So much potential for ground-breaking, mind-blowing, world-changing comedy. So little of that potential will actually be realized. But hey, what else are you going to do with your life?

Plus! Dan tells a story about his balls. You’re welcome.

Photo from flickr by broc7

The only explanation for this video is that the Snuggie people are f’in with us.  Hey let’s see how awful snuggie fans are?  If they buy it after this video we know we can sell them anything, and also eat their brains while they sleep.  Did I mention the Snuggie people are brain eating aliens?  Because they are.  Now watch this video, then protect your brains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN_Ml4PKdVU

So Crocogator didn’t win last night, but it was still a blast! Thanks to Channel 101 NY for screening it.

On a happier note, this. Just watch this:

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON

Out to get you to come to Channel 101 NY this Wednesday, that is. (Boom. Nailed it.)

Dustin and Dan created a five minute pilot called “Crocogator” that will be screened at Channel 101 NY, Wednesday 8/18 at 7:30 at 92YTribeca. You have to come to the live show to vote for us, plus the show is a blast, so we hope to see you there! More info can be found here.

E! Online is reporting that 30 Rock’s Grizzwald “Grizz” Chapman just received a brand spanking new kidney.

Grizz has been battling chronic kidney disease for that past two years and now is looking at a full recovery, if that’s what you call it when someone gives you a kidney.  At least I think someone gave it to him.  It’s possible that he just got fed up and took someone’s kidney, but that doesn’t sound like the Grizz we all know and love. (Dot Com on the other hand…)

Congrats Grizz!

If you are an improv nerd then today is the bestest day of the year.  The Del Close Marathon begins today at the UCB Theater (and a bunch of other locations as well.  Visit the site for more details.)  For the uninitiated, the Del Close Marathon is to improv nerds what the Playboy Mansion Lingerie Parties are to regular nerds: fun, unbelievably awesome and leaving you feeling very dirty at the end.

DCM12 will be three days of non stop improv.  It’s a bunch of great groups, late night craziness and at least one person that stays all three days who smells like a sewer.

For more info visit the website and do yourself a favor and check out a bunch of the shows.

To prove that if there is a divine being he has a dark sense of humor and therefor is like me and therefor I am partially divine,  KGW is reporting that a bunch of people dressed as zombies got into a car crash in Portland. It’s 2010 people, why did it take this long for people dressed as zombified americans to get into a car crash? When the paramedics finally arrived they thought the wounds were way worse then they really were and I’m sure at least one dude thought that zombie apocalypse was finally upon us (which it is not, but it’s coming people.  Get your shotguns and duct tape ready. It’s gonna be a bad one.  I hear this time it’s personal).  Don’t worry.  Everyone was fine, except for the whole being the living undead.

Can you hear that? If you listen real close you can hear the faint sound of the very last part of my childhood being bound, tortured and kill by the very last person who I have who I every thought would try to hurt me, Steve Urkel.  TMZ is reporting today that police are investigation Jaleel White of “Family Matters” fame for allegedly punching the mother of his child right in the implant, which I assume means he punched her in the boob because that’s where most people keep their implants. For serious, who punches people in the boob?  Allegedly Steve Urkel does..

Here’s what TMZ had to say:

Sources familiar with the police report tell us … the alleged victim claims White allegedly punched her in one of her breast implants while they were driving on Pacific Coast Highway two weeks ago, with an infant in the car.  We’re told, she claims when they got home White allegedly slapped her, and pushed her into a toilet so hard it broke the tank.

A rep for Jaleel tells TMZ, “There was absolutely no battery … no abuse … and the incident never happened.”

The rep continues, “This is just a ploy in an ongoing custody battle over their young daughter to tarnish his name.”

He should just blame it all on Stefan, oh wait, no I mean Jafan.

Our week of Friars Club fun concludes with Boston’s own Vanity Project. (Click to listen, right click to download)

Friars Club fun continues with our interview with Free Love Forum…(Click to listen, right click to download)

On July 11th 1804, Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Two hundred years later, two improvisers imagine why.

We couldn’t fit all the Friars Club fun into the podcast so check out our interview with Code Duello. (Click to listen, right click to download)

America is so far behind the rest of the world.  We have poor a poor education system, inadequate health care and the mullet is still completely legal.  Well, according to gawker, Iran has solved at least one of those problems.  They are just the progressivist.   As of today anyone seen wandering around Iran all business in the front, party in the back is going straight to the big house (just as the good lord intended.) as are any other folks with “decadent western cuts”.  Wait, the mullet is a decadent hair cut?

If your planning a trip over to Iran and you just need to know if your flattop or your Adam Lambert glam cut will get you hard time you’ll have to wait for the Modesty and Veil Festival later this month (which I hear is totally the new Bonnaroo.  Get your tickets now cool kids).

photo from flickr by photonooner

This week we are reporting from the FrISC, which is the Friars Club Improv and Sketch Competition. 5 Sketch teams and 5 Improv teams went up against each other and the winner went home with $10,000 to make a short film that will be shown at the Friars Club Film Festival. Dan talks to Sue Constantine, executive director of FrISC, L.A. sketch team “The Midnight Show”, and (spoiler alert!) sketch winners “Harvard Sailing Team” and Sylvia Ozols and Zach Woods of the winning improv team “The Stepfathers”. And get an peak inside the famed Friars Club (well, it’s audio, so I guess that would be a whisper inside?) We have more talks with other sketch and improv teams from the competition we’ll be putting up on the website all week, so be sure to come on by and check ‘em out!

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

Louis CK kicked off his new show last night and it got it so much righter than Lucky Louis.  The two episodes that aired were funny and even at certain times touching.  To me the big problem with Lucky Louie was the chemistry that was suppose to be there and wasn’t.  Louie is all about his lack of chemistry with the rest of the world and it works perfectly.  If you are a fan of Mr. C.K. stand up then you will already be pretty on board.  The show bounces back and forth between him performing at the Cellar and Carolines (I keep seeing his tweets about being in the audience for those like 10 minutes too late) and scenes from his “life”.  While I thought the show could have been a little bit more cohesive it made up for it some heart breaking and hilarious honesty.  Also he showed his ass crack right there on the first night, so you gotta give him credit for that.

I was looking for a project for this summer and I’ve decided that I am going to read the book “Twilight” and report back to you folks here about my experience. Why am I doing this? One, I am so far away from the target audience, and I want to see what it is like to read a book that is not, and never was, intended for me. When I watched Monty Python for the first time, despite the humor being largely universal, there are still references to 1960’s British life that I had no understanding of. I maintain that I actually had a better experience,  than the people who originally watched it. The show was already so weird that these seemingly random allusions to what I assumed to be invented people, places and culture movements made it seem like it had been beamed from some distance planet. (I mean really, Stratton-upon-Avon? There was no way that was the name of a real place.) So will I find things in “Twilight” that were not intended? There’s only one way to find out.

Secondly, I am a huge fan of passing fads. Ephemeral media whose popularity burned blindingly bright, only to be wadded up and tossed into a garbage can across the room. No matter how we want to remember it now,  Kris Kross and Crash Test Dummies were just as popular as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. And there ain’t a goddamn thing anyone can do about that. So I want to jump into a passing fad as it zooms by. Am I wrong about “Twilight”? Will it be a Pet Rock or the new “Wizard of Oz”? Only time will tell, but as I dive in, I’ll talk about what I think it’s chances are of holding on.

Which leads me to what I do know about Twilight. It’s not much, I haven’t actively avoided it, but I haven’t actively avoided the latest Algerian elections and I don’t know much about those either. Both just don’t come up too much in the circles I run in. Here is what I do know:

• The books involve vampires.

• These vampires glow in the dark.

• The main character’s name is Bella.

• Bella falls in love with a vampire, but they break up, presumably due to the pressure of he being a vampire and her not.

• Bella also falls in love with a werewolf.

• At no point does she fall in love with a mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, or the Leprechaun from the movie “Leprechaun”. At least not that I know of.

So what will I learn on my journey? Will I fall under the spell of the story of a love that dare not speak it’s name or go near garlic? We’ll see. Check back here for the first installment next week. See you then!

Comedians Ben Kissel and Adam Wirtz have been hard at work at a new web series called Ben’s Shit List.  Think The Daily Show.  Think Tosh.O.  Think The Soup.  Now stop thinking and start watching because it’s really funny.

Sketchfest NYC 2010 has come and gone. You tell yourself to just relax and enjoy it, but it’s hard to stuff that much fun into a single weekend and before you know it, you are waking up a little hungover with aching stomach muscles and smelling vaguely of cigarettes and a McDonald’s dumpster and Sketchfest is over. But we did our best to capture as much of the magic as we could in our own fleeting way through the power of some microphones, a Macbook, and maybe a little something called The Power of Love (or maybe it was “I Want a New Drug”, it’s hard to remember). So sit back and listen to these interviews with sketch comedy powerhouses B.O.F., Two Man No Show, FUCT, Team Submarine, and Audience of Two and keep the spirit alive. Remember, it’s only 362 more days until next year’s Sketchfest!

Don’t forget to check out interviews with Fearsome, Two Fun Men, and Dave and Ethan at thecomedynerds.com.

Last night Sketchfest NYC came to end with a huge party of sketch, drinking and debauchery.  We tried to stay sober enough to bring you a recap of all the great comedy.  Groups included Dave & Ethan, Germans. Pangea 3000. Free Love Forum, Rue Brutaila, Elephant Larry and MURDERFIST.

Click Here to listen to our audio recap of the evening and our interview with Dave and Ethan.

Sketchfest NYC continued last night and again it was packed houses and awesome shows.

The groups included 2 Fun Men, New Excitement, 2-Man No Show, Long Pork, Fearsome, Last Call Cleveland, Dirty Jeans and Thunderchief, The always amazing Kimmy Gatewood and FUCT.

Click Here to listen to our audio recap of the entire night and our interview with 2 Fun Men.

Sketchfest NYC kicked off Thursday evening and we were there and apparently so was everyone else.  The UCB Theatre was packed for every show and the groups delivered.

The awesome line-up included BOF, Harvard Sailing Team, Audience Of Two, Sidecar, Livia Scott, Mace Bacon and a bunch of rockin’ musical comedy acts.  The highlight of the night was SNL alums Tom Davis and Chevy Chase who shared some great personal stories.

Click Here to listen to our audio recap of the entire night and our interview with Fearsome about their new show Grease 3: Threace

TMC, CKC, Beena Steena and Oasis are back at it again.  It’s called How To Make A Hip Hop Hit 101.  If you didn’t know now you know mother f’er.  Turn up your speakers, pour some PBR on the floor of your studio apartment and get ready for some Trizzle Threat.  Also, I am pretty sure they will be at the Sketchfest NYC’s Sketch Rocks music show tomorrow at 11pm so go see them live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtWu0mhuTkM

Some of the best sketch comedians in the country are coming to the UCB theater this weekend for Sketchfest NYC 2010 and for the second year in a row we will be there to cover all the action.  We’ll talk to the groups, recap the shows and babble on endlessly about our love of good sketch comedy.

Check out the line-up and get tickets here then come back here each morning to get our take.

Thursday, June 10
7pm Best of Friends WITH Harvard Sailing Team
8pm Audience of Two WITH Sidecar
9pm Live and Let Livia WITH Mace Bacon: Worst Guy Ever
10pm Tom Davis: 39 Years of Short-Term Memory Loss
11pm Sketch Rocks: The Music Show

Friday, June 11
7pm Two Fun Men WITH New Excitement
8pm 2-Man No-Show WITH Long Pork
9pm Fearsome presents Grease 3: Threase
10pm Team Submarine WITH Last Call Cleveland
11pm Dirty Jeans & Thunderchief WITH Kimmy Gatewood: 3000 Miles to Figure it Out
12am FUCT

Saturday, June 12
7pm Dave & Ethan WITH Germans GET
8pm Pangea 3000
9pm Free Love Forum WITH Rue Brutalia
10pm Elephant Larry
11pm MURDERFIST

If you are looking for a new home to raise a family have I got place for you.  It’s already getting a lot of buzz from the Wall Street Journal:

“Pristine, charming 3-story, waterfront…with beautiful views.” According to the listing agent, recent improvements include a renovated boathouse, central air and a deck and patio.

Yeah, so it’s the Amityville Horror house where a bunch of people where killed.  But hey, what house doesn’t have bleeding walls these days?  That is why the 1.5 million dollar asking price is totally fair.  Think about it.  The house has the frickin’ gateway to hell in the basement.  It’s walls talk to you in your sleep and make you want to kill your family and it’s still going for 1.5 million.  If that doesn’t say end of the recession I don’t know what does.

On this week’s episode we talk about the television upfronts. Every year the networks put on a big show and present what they have coming in next year. “It’s a family that gets super powers! Ta da!”  It’s all for the advertisers, but we peek through a hole in the fence Little Rascals-style and give you who-that and the what-for of the coming TV season. What new shows will premier? What beloved favorites are canceled? What shows will start a half hour earlier then they currently do? Can you feel it? Taste it? This is the new excitement.

Also? Tom Selleck buys a helicopter and water balloons. A talking dog with shifty eyes. And we say CougarTown a lot. I mean, like, a lot.

photo from flickr by same_same

I don’t know who made this, but if someone informs me, I will happily give them credit. I do know that the responsible person is awesome.

Word came late last night from deadline.com that the big wigs over at Comedy Central have canceled The Sarah Silverman Program.  While I have to admit in full disclosure that I stopped watching the show midway through season 2 because Sarah seemed to cartoonishly unlikable to allow for the story to have any meaning I will still miss the show.  It was good to finally have a gross female voice on TV.  We’ve had plenty of Al Bundy’s and Archie Bunker’s on TV to bring us a man saying terrible things only to learn a lesson at the end (only toforget it immediately at the start of the next episode), but Sarah was one the first female voice that I can remember to do that.  It was brave and often very funny.  Did it step over the line sometimes?  Sure, but she was breaking new ground (yes, through poop jokes) and I admire her and the show for it.  Sorry to see you go Sarah.

There are some questions that are impossible to answer:  What is the meaning of life? How do you define beauty?  Why is Betty White So Awesome?  In this episode we try to answer at least one of those questions.

Her Facebook induced SNL appearance was one of the most anticipated episodes in recent history, but why?  Could anyone else have created such a buzz?  Let us know what you think!

photo from flickr by The Enabler

The White House Correspondents Dinner was this evening and in an attempt to stay super bland they invited Jay Leno.  Although I am not sure why since President Obama is so clearly on Team Coco.  Here’s what he had to say:

“I am glad that the only person whose ratings fell more than mine is here tonight. Great to see you, Jay. I’m also glad that I’m speaking first – because we’ve all seen what happens when somebody takes the time slot after Leno”

From what I’ve heard that got a bigger laugh then anything Leno said all night.

So after everyone and their mother posted the clip of Nick Madson stealing Patton Oswalt’s material yesterday Nick posted a reply.  This was his response:

Mr. Oswalt.

I would like to sincerely appologize [sic] to you for everything that has transpired in the last couple days. It is not now, nor was it ever my intent to make a career for myself, or to profit by telling other comics jokes. I understand the work that goes into making something your own, and the pride that one takes in that.

I want to let you know that I was not trying to build a career for myself by telling jokes that you and others had written. I was trying to put together a little show for my good friend, to possibly try and raise some money for his theatre that he is still in the process of getting off the ground. Without a lot of time to prepare for said show, I decided I would pull some of my favorite bits together from comedians I admire, to create a funny performance that might raise some money for his theatre. I did not want to be taped, and I did not want to become a youtube [sic] star, and was not looking for my 5 minutes of fame (however negative). I should have informed the Hilltop Theatre owners that I was going to do a performance made up of jokes and bits from my favorite performers.

Please know that I do not travel around the country telling your jokes. This was a performance that I did as a fundraiser for a crowd of about 12 of our friends. I know this appology [sic] does not take anything back, and does not by any means make anything right. I do not know what I can say, or exactly how to appologize [sic], as I have no personal manager or any one to consult with about my first public scandel [sic]. I hope you can trust I will not go around telling your jokes, and I am sincerely sorry that all of this had to happen. I wish I could take it back and do things differently, but I cannot.

My Deepest Appologies [sic]

Nick Madson

The only problem is that the apology much like Nick’s act is a complete and total lie.  Patton checked and it turns out the it wasn’t a fundraiser, he was paid, he never told anyone he was stealing and claimed it was for a special he was taping later this fall.  WOW!  Dude.  This is bad.  You should not talk any more.  Just stay down.  Here is Patton’s full reply.  You will want to take a read because it is awesome…and frankly I want to make sure I give him as much credit as possible so he doesn’t go after me too.

A comedian stole a bunch of Patton Oswalt’s material and tried to pass if off as his own.  That’s a bad idea.  Like a really bad idea.  He’s not happy about it either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twW8GgrbWwc

Just when you thought it was dead and went out like it should, word comes out today from Deadline.com that HBO has picked up Curb Your Enthusiasm for a ten episode second season.  Love the show.  Hate the idea of them holding on too long.

This week we recorded the show live on the internet and listeners wrote in to comment. We’re going to do it again soon, so if you’d like to listen and talk to us and other Comedy Nerds fans, watch this site and we’ll let you know the next time we go live!

We welcomed Comedy Nerds favorite Nick Turner back to talk about Conan O’Brien’s decision to move his show to TBS, land of Tyler Perry and “Just Shoot Me” reruns. Is it a bad idea? Or is it so crazy it just might work? And if it does, what will that do to your DVR queue? Oh, the trials and tribulations of the modern person…

Plus! The birth of Jazz Legend, and the death of nerdy character Nick Turner. The sexual orientation of Dan’s laugh. And universality of Channel 9.

In a move that literally no one saw coming Conan is headed for TBS this November, which as you know is “very funny.” The show will start at 11pm and the super awfulness that is Lopez Tonight will move back to midnight. First reactions: Happy Conan is coming back. Second reaction: You mean the reruns of Family Guy and The Office network? I think this move represents a 25% increase in TBS’ original programing. Third reaction: Conan is going to basic cable and not going to Comedy Central? Someone screwed up there. Even Conan was quoted as saying: “In three months I’ve gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theaters, and now I’m headed to basic cable. My plan is working perfectly.” Also, the show will now be presented by Tyler Perry.

This Wednesday we are going to streaming the podcast live on ustream.tv and right here on the site.  If you’ve ever wanted to join in on the conversation, yell at us for things we missed or just ask us a question now is your chance.

We’ll be starting the show at 7:30 pm eastern time on Wednesday April 14th.  You’ll be able to comment on the site and we’ll respond to whatever you say as we go (except things that reference sexual acts and our mothers/fathers/wives) and if it works out we may even invest in a hotline to have people call in during the show.

UCB awesome dude and close personal friend of Diddy Chris Gethard has been cast as the lead in a new Comedy Central series along side Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz.  The series was originally set to star Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite fame but Heder left over creative differences.  His differences are our good fortune as Chris Gethard is one hilarious and super nice dude.  Congrats Chris!

I remember when I was a childhood performer in my elementary school we always had to perform lame songs like If I Had A Hammer and Singing In the Rain (we didn’t have plays at my school, just musical chorus crap).  My most jealous moment as a fourth grader was watching a friend’s school recital where she got to performed We Build This City by Jefferson Starship.  I always thought, why can’t we do something cool.  Something real.  Something gritty. Something like Huey Lewis and The News.  We were 10.  We were ready for it!  But this…I mean…wow!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uovMpapeCJQ

Jon did a LONG (in Daily Show terms) Glen Beck impression/parody last night and every moment of it is awesome.  No more talking.  Just watch!

Ann Carr is a super talented comedic actress and she’s making a damn good web series called appropriately enough “The Actress” and I highly recommend checking it out.  I’ve seen a lot of web series type things and this is one of the best.  So many of them turn into these loud farty, quick hitty, contrived pieces of crap.   This is not that.

This is a smart, subtle, funny and kind of real look at the struggles of trying to survive as an actress in New York City.  Below is episode 2 (you can find episode one here ) and look for episode 3 coming out mid-April.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa-4NBJbRxc

The good news just keeps on coming for Comedy Nerds favorite Baron Vaughn.  It was reported last night that USA picked up “Facing Kate” with Baron as a regular character.  If you are not already a huge fan of the dude you soon will be.  He’s one of the most talented and nicest guys in the business and I look forward to seeing him on my TV.

If you haven’t already experienced the brilliance that is Reggie Watts then stop it!  Reggie Watts is  funny and absurd and very unique and you need to letting him make you laugh.  Check out this video to promote his upcoming album and DVD “Why Shit So Crazy?”  But we warned it is just as not safe for work as it is awesome.

The comedy contingent of Bonnaroo was announced today and it is frickin’ awesome.  I would be wiling to sell a semi-vital organ to to these shows.  First off, Conan O’Brien!  Do you even need a second off?  Fine, if you are going to be greedy about it here is the full line-up including Comedy Nerds favorite Baron Vaughn:

Conan O’Brien
Margaret Cho
Aziz Ansari
Jeffrey Ross Roasts Bonnaroo
Greg Giraldo
Bo Burnham
Doug Benson
Nick Kroll
Paul Scheer
Rob Huebel
John Roberts
Baron Vaughn
Chelsea Peretti

Conan will be performing and hosting two of the nights.  Bonnaroo is June 10th-13 in Manchester, TN.  You can order tickets here.  Feel free to get tickets for me as well.

One of the most annoying things about running a comedy show (other than finding a venue, booking guests, promoting the show and finding a tech person) is keeping track of times for comedians and giving them the light.  Perhaps it’s because I am crazy necrotic but I end up getting so caught up in timing that I have a tough time enjoying the show.  There must be something someone can do to help me!

Oh wait, there totally is.  A comedian/software engineer from San Francisco named Toby Muresianu felt our pain and made an app for the iPhone called “The Light”.  Let’s be honest, it’s rare that a comedian has any other useful skill to offer society so we all really lucked on this one.

The App lets you set a a countdown timer and then reminds you at fixed times when the comedian’s time is almost up, then it lets you give them a bright light with the time left.  It’s a super convenient app for any show producers and best of all it’s free!  So click here and download it to your iphone.  And tell’em Dustin sent ya.  They won’t know who the hell that is so it will be a little awkward but fun.

The lovely Betty White has finally confirmed that she will be appearing on an upcoming episode of SNL accoring to People:

When asked by PEOPLE, “Are you doing Saturday Night Live,” she answered, “Yes,” even if she remains perplexed by the groundswell of support.  “I don’t know why or how,” she says, “but it’s been wonderful.”

Why were we all supporting you Betty White?  Because you are fun cool lady who still gets it. And lets be honest Betty, you’ve always been at your best when you are a bit naughty (don’t read anything sexual into that you pervs.  Okay maybe a little) and SNL knows that and will have you doing awesome things (I vote for making out with Jenny Slate or doing Really? with Seth and Betty).  Plus you’ve made us laugh since…well, pretty much as long as anyone who is reading this has been alive.  I can’t wait!

This week’s episode of The Comedy Nerds is filmed in front of a live studio audience. Okay, not really but we did discuss that strange beast known at as the studio audience. A group of strangers you can’t see who have been carefully primed to laugh and cheer at everything you say and do.

How do you avoid becoming spoiled by this? Can you tell the difference when they applaud for you, and when they applaud just because the “Applause” sign lit up? Oh it is a conundrum, I’ll tell you that.

Plus! I’m not out of order! You’re out of order! It’s my football now! A break in our Cold Case! And once a upon a time, someone got kicked by a pony.

photo from flickr by Your Secret Admiral

Hey, remember that void left by Conan being off the air? Remember how we all need something awesome in late night to make up for the vortex of unfunnyness that is Jay Leno?  Well, I think after a year on the air Jimmy Fallon is finally proving he can be that awesome thing we need.  Yeah, the dude kicked off his first episode paying people to lick things for money.  I remember that.  But that was one year ago.

Last night he made up for everything by reuniting the cast of California Dreams.  Some people might have forgotten about them entirely.  Others may never have known who they were in the first place.  But for the vast vast majority of us who still have a poster of The Dreams on their wall or who relentlessly try to convince people to call them Sly so they can be cool 90′s style this was moment that will be remembered FOREVER!

Thank you Mr. Fallon.  Thank you cast of California Dreams.  Thank you Peter Engel for making all those wonderful shows about teenagers getting into hilarious situations (What up City Guys and Hang Time!). Most of all, thank you nostalgia for making these shows way more entertaining in my memory then they really were.  Check out the video below of them rocking the world with the California Dreams theme song.  On an unrelated note, has anyone seen my AARP card.  I though I left in next to my pills.  Who are you again?

Stephen Colbert finished his amazing coverage of the Vancouver Olympics last night with an interview with Olympic Gold Medalist Shani Davis.  NBC’s Al Micheals said he would repeat his famous “Do you believe in miracles?” line if after winning Gold Shani Davis said thank you Stephen.  Well folks, it’s time to start believing in miracles! And aliens!  For entirely unrelated reasons! Or at least that’s what they want you to think!

Andrew Koenig’s body was found today in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. It appears he took his own life. You can read more on cnn.com and watch the press conference.

I can’t tell you how much I hate that this is how the story ends. My heart goes out to his friends and family.

First they came for Transformers and I did not speak out because the show was already ridiculous.

Then they came for G.I. Joe and I did not speak out because Marlon Wayans needs the work.

Then they came for Speedy Gonzales and I told them to go F*&K themselves because that’s a stupid f*&king idea.

Reuters in reporting that George Lopez has signed on tobe the voice of Speedy Gonzales in a new movie by New Line Cinema.  Correction the new lest racisty Speedy Gonzales.

“We wanted to make sure that it was not the Speedy of the 1950s — the racist Speedy,” said the comedian’s wife Ann Lopez, who will serve alongside him as a producer. “Speedy’s going to be a misunderstood boy who comes from a family that works in a very meticulous setting, and he’s a little too fast for what they do. He makes a mess of that. So he has to go out in the world to find what he’s good at.”

That path becomes clearer once Speedy befriends a gun-shy race-car driver.

Now before you go thinking, wasn’t the original Speedy Gonzales cartoons (which apparently won a flippin Academy Award) kind of boring as it is?  Won’t it be difficult to make such a repetitive and simplistic character into a full length movie?  Don’t worry because “Garfield scribes Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen will write the script”.   So as you can see it’s in good hands.

Also, didn’t Family guy already do this…(warning, clip is super low quality)

I guess we should have know we couldn’t have kept him for ourselves forever.

Friend of The Comedy Nerds, Michael Hartney is co-hosting a show at the UCB Theater NY along with the wonderful John Flynn. It will be this Saturday at midnight. You should go, unless you want to miss out on something awesome. It’s going to be a gay old time! The Same Sex-tacular!

You can hear Michael discuss the show on the UCB Theater podcast, which is fantastic and is hosted by the equally fantastic Will Hines and John Frusciante. You can find that here: Competing Podcast!

Fierce!

See what I did there?  Shot – Archer.  Yeah…  Anyway, the Hollywood Reporter is reporting that FX picked up Archer for 13 episodes of season 2.  I’ll admit it, I wasn’t a big fan of the first episode and almost didn’t watch on.  But I knew…I knew that H. Jon Benjamin was not going to lead me astray and I was right!  The show got a lot better.

If you haven’t checked it out (or are like me and are silently protesting FX for no other reason than that it feels weird to consider them a real channel even though they have plenty of good and popular shows) you can watch the first 3 episodes on Hulu (maybe skip to “Diversity Hire” if you are quick to judge).  I’m sure you will think Archer is a hit!  That was too much wasn’t it?  I was forcing that one and you can totally tell.  I’m sorry.  You deserve better.

On a very serious note, please read the following from Dave Holmes blog:

“Andrew Koenig (AK-47, the video guy on “Never Not Funny,” and “Boner” from “Growing Pains”) has been missing for a week, last seen 2/14 in Vancouver. Didn’t make his flight back to the US on 2/16. The Vancouver Police are involved, and lots of people are looking. Could you reblog this and help get the word out? And say some prayers or think some positive thoughts?”

Please don’t think this is a joke because of the names.  If you hear or see anything please get the word out.

UPDATE:  From the Comic’s Comic
Jenny Magenta, whom Koenig had been staying with in Vancouver before his disappearance, posted a message last night on Facebook, that read in part:

“If you have seen him, emailed him or had any contact after the 14th/15th or spent time with him during his stay in Vancouver and the police HAVE NOT contacted you yet, please call Detective Raymond Payette and his phone is 604-717-2534 and provide the information you have. Please do not call 911.”

Dude?  Sinbad is back.  No.  I’m serious.  He’s going to be on Comedy Central this Sunday.  No.  Calm down.  Calm down.  He’s not going to be in a movie.  It’s just a stand-up special.  Yeah, I think he totally realizes he’s been MIA for like a decade, that’s why he called his special “Where U Been?”.  No, he dresses like a normal person.  I agree.  I thought he would too.  He’s in like normal clothes. Yeah, I totally agree, he could be a little hack from time to time but generally he had some funny jokes.  Yeah, I’m curious to see how it is too.

I’m sorry, what was that?  Screw you.  You can’t talk to me like that even if you are a person I made up in my head.  Yes, I did make you up in my head.  No that doesn’t make me crazy.  No it doesn’t.  What?  Yeah.  So what?  Some things do need to get set on fire and yes I find the flames both beautiful and strangely erotic.  That’s normal.  Can we get back to Sinbad’s special this weekend.  Fine.  Well, I am going to watch.  And I am not crazy!  To prove it I am going to write “I’m not crazy” on my wall 3,000 times in my own blood and then we’ll see who needs to go back on him medication you stupid in my brain person.  Or are you real…  I better go.

Captain of PR stunts and hero of the US Speed Skating team* Stephen Colbert  dropped by the NBC studios last night to talk with Bob Costas. You can check out the interview here.  I’m pretty sure this is the first time I have ever seen Bob Costas actually laugh.

And listen, I’m not saying that Stephen is a witch, but at the end of the interview he climbs in the fire in the back of the studio and comes out completely fine.  Proof of lack of authenticity at the NBC studios or proof that Stephen can’t be killed?  You decide.

I personally prefer to think that Stephen sacrifices a goat to a three horned God of War every night before he goes to sleep in his footy pajamas and has been granted immortality and the ability to read women’s minds Mel Gibson style.  But that’s just me.

*because of his amazing assistant sports psychology not his money.

The ECNY Nominations were announced this afternoon Kumail Nanjiani and Kambri Crews and ran live on Ustream.tv all Oscars style.  And oh yeah, we totally got nominated for Best Website.  You can vote here (and please do).  Did I mention that all the other nominees are pro communism because they are.  F’n commies.  Here is the list of all the nominees:

Best Female Stand-Up
Claudia Cogan
Katina Corrao
Morgan Murphy
Giulia Rozzi
Brooke Van Poppelen

Best Male Stand-Up
Hannibal Buress
Pete Holmes
Sean Patton
Rory Scovel
Baron Vaughn

Best Sketch Comedy Group
BoF (Best of Friends)
Elephant Larry
Murderfist
New Exc!tement
Team Submarine

Best Improv Group
Big Black Car
Death By Roo Roo
I Eat Pandas
Improvised Shakespeare Company
Stepfathers

Best Host
Chris Gethard
Seth Herzog
Pete Holmes and Jessi Klein
Gabe Liedman, Jenny Slate and Max Silvestri
Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkel

Best Musical Comedy Act (Solo or Group)
Adira Amram
Shayna Ferm
Leibya Rogers (Mindy Raf)
Snakes
Stuckey & Murray

Best One Person Show
Big in Japan – Dave Hill
Dead Millionaire – Jenny Slate
Fag Life: A Conversation with Fred Phelps – Brent James Sullivan
Supernormal – Tom Shillue
Use It – Ann Carr

Best Short Comedic Film
DAMN (You Wish) – Carolyn Castiglia, Tom McCaffrey, Mara Herron, and Anya Garrett
Eagles are Turning People into Horses – BriTANick
Everyone Poops Trailer – Landline TV
Hey That’s Awesome!: 2012 – Rob Lathan w/Bobby Moynihan
What Do You Want on Your Tombstone? – Elephant Larry

Best Technician
Jon Gutierrez
Geoff Grimwood
Carol Hartsell
Frank Hejl
Rich Jones

Best Variety Show
Fifty First Jokes
Moonwork: An Evening of Original Works
Rejection Show
Risk! True Tales Boldly Told
Whiplash

Outstanding Achievement in Flyer or Postcard Design
Agorafabulous: Mike Wang and Lauren Goldberg
Brown Ambition: Anya Garrett
Fag Life: A Conversation with Fred Phelps: Mindy Tucker
Heart of Darkness – Dimitri Drjuchin
Swords Improv: Bradford Jordan and Eric Michael Pearson

Best Website
FRONTPAGEFILMS.COM
THEAPIARY.ORG
THECOMEDYNERDS.COM
THECOMICSCOMIC.COM
URDB.COM
VIDEOGUM.COM

Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Tweeting
@FRIEDMANJON
@JULIEKLAUSNER
@LIZZWINSTEAD
@MRDAVEHILL
@RANDAZZOJ

Best Book
All Local Bands Suck (Except Ours) – Porter Mason
And Here’s the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on their Craft – Mike Sacks
Get Rich Cheating: The Crooked Path to Easy Street – Jeff Kreisler
Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped and Cancelled – Jon Friedman
The Terrible, Horrible Temp-to-Perm Debacle: Book Two in the Just Make a Choice! Series – Bob Powers
The Will to Whatevs: A Guide to Modern Life – Eugene Mirman

Emerging Comic Award
Myq Kaplan
Mike Lawrence
Kate McKinnon
Thomas Middleditch
Dan St. Germain
Brent Sullivan

In this special late Friday night semi-drunkin’ episode we review the very last Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien ever.

Join us and guest Michael Hartney as we say good-bye to the red haired wonder that is CoCo.  Conan, you will be missed…until you return in September most likely.

OMG you guys! We’re coming at you at little early this week, because the great late night war has begun! Dan, Dustin and guest Nick Turner discuss the in and outs and comings and goings as we untangle  NBC’s talk show quagmire. Trust me you guys, this is a good one.

Plus! News From The Past reveals another upsetting fact about a beloved old comedian. And…well that’s about it, we talked about the Leno/Conan thing the whole time. And it got a little bit nuts.

Conan is not going to take it any more.  Check out his official press release regarding NBC’s offer to move him to 12:05:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

Yeah, we am totally biased and support Conan in this whole thing as you may have noticed, but I have to say that I think it is a well thought out and classy response to the whole situation.

Sad news for the comedy world, Best Week Ever has officially been canceled by VH1. The news come fresh from Bestweekever.tv:

Sadly, the show that we’ve all come to know and love, Best Week Ever, has been officially canceled. We just got word of the news about an hour ago, and have been in a mournful state since. The show that turned itself into a household phrase brought a lot of laughter into people’s lives, not to mention paved the way for many of today’s most well known comedians.

The good news is that the blog will remain to give us our daily dose of pop culture snark, but I can not for the life of me understand how VH1 could walk away from such an amazing show.  I would love to give some eloquent eulogy but instead I will just whimper, stick out my lower clip and run off into my room and cry.  Why God!  Why have your forsaken me and this show?

You gotta love The Comic’s Comic Sean McCarthy.  The dudes got a crazy good comedy blog.  But is that enough for him?  Hells to the no.  Now the dude is saving lives! (Come on man, I already feel bad about my comedy blog quality, now you’re a hero?)  Check out his updates last night from the twitter.

Picture From Sean's Twitter

Spotted man passed out in the tracks on 6 line southbound at 23rd st. Alerted MTA but still had to wave down train. Phew! Too close.

Train arrived before the medics did. Thank God the conductor saw me!

Listen buddy, it’s awesome comedy blog or super hero.  You HAVE to pick one.  (and maybe I pushed that guy onto the tracks for a reason. Did you ever think of that Mr. Life Saver?  Maybe he said my jokes are good but not great and therefor deserved to die.  Feel a little silly now, huh?)

Oh, and since it happened to Sean that makes him the news and me the person reporting the news.  That means I broke the story.  Suck on that Sean.  Suck on that!!!!!!!!!!

Click Here to listen to the episode when Sean came on the podcast to talk comedy blogging.

The internet is freak the f’ out about rumors that Leno is taking back his 11:30 slot on NBC and TMZ is saying that Conan is getting sh@t canned in the process.  First off, shame on you NBC if you treat Conan that way.  But if that’s what happens, I say bring Conan to Comedy Central and let him make the show as crazy as he wants.  Move the Daily Show and Colbert to 10pm and 10:30, but Conan at 11.  You have the perfect late night combination at a time that you have a maximum audience to watch it. If it happens I expect an Emmy.

Reports are coming out all over today that Artie Lang’s hospitalization over the weekend was the result of a suicide attempt.  And not just you run of the mill, “I’m going to take a handful of pills and fall asleep” attempt.  The dude stabbed himself nine times.  Nine times.  I know the guy has been battling demons for a while and my heart goes out to him and his family but that is a crazy way to try to end it all.  You have to have an unbelievable amount of self loathing in order to do something like that.  It’s really sad. Hopefully his friends, family and fans can help him understand all the amazing things he has in his life and how much joy he brings them.  While I have never been a huge fan of Artie my thoughts are with him today.

What a time of year.  So many things to look forward to…presents…passive aggressive family interactions…awkward time spent with friends from high school who think they are so cool now because they have jobs/girlfriends/hair…and the songs.  Oh, the songs.  They fill the streets and haunt your dreams.  None more so than Christmas Shoes.  Please enjoy this Patton Oswalt bit about the song.  It’s a little long but heck, you are blowing off work anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq10bz3PxyY

Also, check out this music video for the song and tell me there isn’t something really upsetting about that little boy.  He’s kind of got that future member of the klan feeling to him.  What?  You’re not suppose to say that about children, especially around the holidays.  Too bad.

Oh, and also check out this music video from UK comedian Tim Minchin.  It’s an actual good Christmas song that I think anyone would like, even people who don’t accept Jesus Christ as their lord and savior. (via Jason Saenz)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q

Listen folks, Grizzwalk “Grizz”Chapman from 30 Rock needs your kidney so give it up people.  He needs it.  This is serious.  Here are three good reason you should go give Grizz that pesky second kidney you got rolling around.

Weightloss – The average kidney ways over 14 pounds (I think, admittedly it could be a little less) so that’s like instant diet right there.  Why go to the gym when you can just give Grizz a kidney?  You’ll get that sexy beach body over night.

Super Organs – Without that stupid second kidney or “stupidny” your other organs will have more room and will flourish.  Some people think the appendix doesn’t do anything.  But I say it does.  I say it can help you fly if only it had a kidney size more room in the body.

Dot Com Gets Lonely Easy – He’s so sensitive.  And sometimes he needs the kind of comfort that only a hug from Grizz can offer.  It’s true.  Go ahead.  Ask him.

I will be expecting kidneys to start showing up at the Comedy Nerds offices very soon for me to take over to him.  Remember people, pack them in ice.  If the kidney goes bad it is no use for me or Grizz other than to add to my collection.

It’s only a few episodes, but you can now watch Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Hulu.  Seriously, how did this show get canceled?  It costs like $12 dollars to make and who isn’t going to watch a movie about a  “secret agent who tries to stop a drug lord from taking over the world with hallucinogenic chewing gum” (the plot of the linked episode Secret Agent Super Dragon).  I can honestly say I have never laughed harder than while watching the episode with Manos: The Hands of Fate.  Thank you Hulu!  There are a bunch more episodes here. (thanks Gawker for the heads-up)