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Posts tagged as guides

Local Guides

Splitsider's Guide to Toronto's Comedy Scene

by | April 30th, 2013

Despite a sketch comedy history that rivals almost any city (SCTV, Kids in the Hall), and being the breeding grounds for a number of amazing standups, Toronto is rarely discussed among the big comedy cities of North America. But while most of the continent may know Toronto best for the shout outs it receives in Drake lyrics, the comedy scene in the city has taken off in recent years. From the birthplace of the Paul F. Tompkins 300, to turning WWE superstar Bret “the Hitman” Heart into an improv all star, to the explosion of original and alternative comedy shows springing up, Toronto has evolved into a phenomenal [...]

pilot season

The Networks Greenlit a Bunch of Comedy Pilots – Here's Your Guide to All of Them

by | February 1st, 2013

Pilot season is upon is, which means that all the major networks are currently greenlighting pilots. Although it's hard to tell at this point which will become series (aside from Seth Macfarlane's Dads and NBC's untitled Michael J. Fox comedy, which have both been ordered straight to series) much of the pilots look promising, with Ken Marino's return to television, semi-autobiographical sitcoms from Jim Gaffigan and John Mulaney, and multiple pilots from alumni of The Office, Scrubs and Parks and Rec.

Here's a look at 2013's comedy pilots:

Local Guides

Splitsider's Guide to Austin's Comedy Scene

by | March 22nd, 2012

Though I was not born in Texas, and did not get here as fast as I could, and while much of what lies outside Austin City Limits is a mystery to me, there’s one local fact I know for sure: Austin’s got an insanely great comedy scene, and it’s growing fast.

It took awhile to get the timing right. In 1997 Austin Stories premiered, an effort to introduce an emerging stand-up scene to MTV’s hip audience with the help of Howard Kremer, Chip Pope, Laura House and Matt Bearden (also Patton Oswalt, who briefly served as head writer). Decidedly Slacker-inspired, its washed-out world [...]

Stoner Week

A Definitive Guide to Stoner Comedies

by | April 5th, 2011

Ever since Cheech & Chong first took to the screen in the late ‘70s, the stoner comedy has been a popular subgenre in American cinema. Cheech & Chong set up the basic format that most stoner movies have followed ever since: two weed-loving slackers set out on a specific goal, often involving them smoking or selling large amounts of pot, as they evade the cops and have outrageous episodic experiences along the way. The two leads in a marijuana movie are usually comically mismatched; it’s the Odd Couple if Felix and Oscar spent the whole movie taking bong rips. Over the years, beloved stoner fare [...]

Survival

Your Guide to Distracting Yourself From Your Family with Comedy This Weekend

by | November 24th, 2010

It's the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which means lots of travel and lots of family time. It's a double-edged sword: it's always nice to see family, for a time. But when you're sleeping in your old bedroom for a few nights, waking up to and going to sleep after spending the day with the family with few opportunities to take a breather, things can get tense. Here, allow me to give you some things to do when you need a break from all of the forced family fun of Thanksgiving.

Local Guides

The Splitsider Guide to Boston's Comedy Scene

by | February 25th, 2013

Four hours North of New York City, Boston proper exists in the perpetual shadow of one of the largest comedy scenes in the country. Boston Proper is a smallish city but its comedy scene is spread out amongst two interconnected cities: Cambridge (The People’s Republic Of) and Somerville. There's not much of an entertainment industry in Boston, but with over fifty colleges in the greater Boston area that provide ample audiences, and a large and growing number of shows and venues, Boston is a great scene for comics to develop. It's a scene that responds to innovation, but also respects the past. Boston's audiences vary from Harvard students to [...]

SPONSORED POST

Your Summer Road Trip: Some of the Best Comedy Clubs in the U-S-of-A

by | June 11th, 2012

Content series are produced in partnership with our sponsors. This edition is brought to you by Bing.

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We all share the common problem of finding ourselves with multiple consecutive weeks of vacation time, unlimited access to a free car, and a pocketful of disposable income every summer, right?  Because June is here, and there’s no better time of year to kick-off a comedy pilgrimage to some of the greatest clubs in America! U-S-A, U-S-A! All you need is a couple of free weeks and a license to laugh.

Have we got a four-city tour for you of some of the best comedy clubs our fine [...]

Adorable Things

Get Ready For The Cutest Muppet-Based Gift Guide of The Holiday Season

by | November 14th, 2011

Are these Muppets planning on stopping their adorableness anytime soon? Their unabating, rampant cuteness is just pounding away at all of our shriveled, embittered, bronze-encased hearts. And it hurts. Their latest crime is this gift guide from the Secret Santa between Muppet and human Muppets co-stars, including Sarah Silverman, Rashida Jones, Kristen Schaal, and Whoopi Goldberg. They all love each other so much! I really can't wait for November 23 so the movie comes out and I can go back to my regular cynical, bleak existence without all this stupid joy in the way.

Podcasts

A Seriously Comprehensive Guide to Comedy Podcasts

by | January 18th, 2011

It’s official: there are now more essential comedy podcasts than there are hours in the day. We’re fully outnumbered, people. It would be an impossible, Icarus-like ambition to listen to them all and still function as a human adult person. Don’t even try — it’s not worth throwing your life away. Perhaps some of you haven’t listened to any podcasts yet, though, and merely clicked on this link to find out what your nerdy co-worker won’t shut up about. These jaded ears envy your innocence and adventurous spirit. You might not realize it but right now you’re like Jake Sully, newly arrived on the planet Pandora — except instead [...]

Local Guides

Splitsider's Guide to NYC's Comedy Scene

by | February 4th, 2013

"This is where comedy works — where people are the most miserable," Doug Stanhope lamented as he walked the streets of New York City at the beginning of his special, No Refunds. Maybe it is the misery, dirt and exhaustion that comes with life in NYC that fosters great comedic voices; an optimist would say its the city's vibrancy, diversity, and bustling energy. Either way, it's impossible to deny that no place does comedy like New York. Though in the past, we've looked at the stellar comedy scenes of both Los Angeles and Austin, I'll faithfully defend New York as the greatest comedy city in the world.

There's more comedy to see [...]

Local Guides

Splitsider's Guide to LA's Comedy Scene

by | March 28th, 2012

The City of Angels. La-la Land. Lipstick City. Tinsel Town. Hollyweird. I could list hokey nicknames for LA all day long, but maybe it’s just best to describe the town as an overcrowded mess of traffic, pollution, street gangs, broken dreams, and one of the most vibrant and active live comedy scenes in human history.

Because Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world, most of your favorite comedians from movies and TV live here, and a lot of them make it a habit to, despite their busy day jobs, continue to perform live stand-up or improv to keep their chops up. Celebrities aren’t the only ones taking [...]

Guides

How to Build the Ultimate Black Comedian

by | October 4th, 2011

You can’t get through life as a black person without a sense of humor. The setup and premises of life all too often leave you the butt of the joke. That’s why most contemporary black folk have a little “Comedy BlackPack” in them. A little Richard Pryor, a little Eddie Murphy, a little Chris Rock, and finally some Dave Chappelle: This is the Mount Rushmore of contemporary black comedy. And the future of black comedy, the ideal up-and-comer — the Black Comedian 3000, if you will — takes a little from each to form his own shtick.

Guides

A Somewhat Obsessive Guide to the Addition of SNL Seasons 26-30 to Netflix Streaming

by | January 7th, 2011

When I put together the first Somewhat Obsessive Guide to All 36 Seasons of SNL Streaming on Netflix, Netflix had yet to post seasons 26-30. That has since been corrected! So here's my guide to those five seasons, featuring Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon's first episodes on the Weekend Update desk, Conan O'Brien's hosting gig, and the first show after 9/11. All of this is being edited into the original guide, so feel free to go bookmark that for reference, as it now includes all 36 seasons. Happy streaming!

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