Splitsider

Posts tagged as la

Politics

Will Ferrell Endorses Eric Garcetti for Mayor of LA with What I am Guessing/Hoping Are Mostly Lies

by | February 13th, 2013

Celebrated actor Will Ferrell ("star of Expendables 2, The Day of the Dolphin, and Harlem Nights") has just released this video endorsing LA mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti. Now, I don't live in LA, so I don't know a ton about this race. But between this endorsement and his name sounding very similar to The Wire's Baltimore mayor Tommy Carcetti, he's got my vote. My theoretical vote because, again, I don't live in LA and it would be quite illegal for me to vote in this race.

Moving

Talking with Joe Mande about the Final Totally J/K, 'Parks & Rec', and Moving to LA

by | June 1st, 2012

With Johnny Cash's "Hurt" and Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" playing over the soundsystem, the atmosphere was decidedly somber at the UCBeast last night. As the goodbye message on the chalkboard schedule read, Joe Mande was "LEAVING 4 L.A.!" As was announced on Wednesday, Mande was hired as a writer for Parks & Recreation, so after years of being a fixture of the New York comedy scene, he was moving. And as a result, Totally J/K, the stand-up show he has been hosting with his friend Noah Garfinkel for five years, was ending. Right before the final Totally J/K, I got a chance to speak with Joe about [...]

Scenes

Adam Scott on the Chummy Comedy Community in LA

by | October 12th, 2011

GQ has a new interview with Parks and Rec's Adam Scott today, and he talks a bit about the incestuous comedy scene in LA: one of the things I love about the past few years of doing a lot of this comedy, more comedy stuff is just the whole sort of community, in L.A. at least, of UCB, and there's kind of a comedy community out here that's really supportive, so we all help out with each other's stuff and do each other's shows, and little bits at UCB and stuff like that and it's really, really fun. So yeah, I love just jumping in and doing, [...]

Cities

Life After '30 Rock': Can NYC's Comedy Production Ever Compete with LA?

by | January 31st, 2013

Tonight, 30 Rock's seven-season, 138-episode run comes to an end. Looking back, it's hard to quantify the show's influence. Debuting in 2006, it helped cement the rebirth of NBC's Thursday-night lineup into one of the most consistent homes for quality comedy on network TV. Following closely in the footsteps of The Office, it further pushed the sitcom into more adventurous single-camera, no-laugh-track territory. All while being the most visible comedy production based in New York City.

In film and television production, New York has always been the true second city, sitting in a long shadow cast by Los Angeles. LA is the industry — there is no doubting that. [...]

Events

Go See TJ Miller's Mash Up for Free in LA

by | March 28th, 2012

Just in case today's guide to LA's comedy scene wasn't enough for you, here's a form to sign up for free tickets to Comedy Central's standup series Mash Up, hosted by TJ Miller. Comedians performing: Deon Cole, Nick Vatterott, Reggie Watts, Sean Flannery, Tom Segura, Chris D'Elia, Tig Notaro, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jonah Ray, Pete Holmes, Jon Dore, Jared Logan, Chris Hardwick, Hannibal Buress and others. Pretty great! You might as well go, as life is fleeting and brief moments of joy that are delivered by free entertainment are rare indeed.

Cities

Due West: A Roundtable Discussion on New York's Ongoing Comedy Exodus

by | October 11th, 2011

It was inevitable that a city so saturated with comedians would stumble onto a storyline so unexpected from their jaded ironies and hipster quips. New York is in the middle of its own romcom and, true to form, the object of its affection is the very thing it always swore it hated: Los Angeles. But if New York is all about the bookish grad-schooly dry wit of, say, Jon Stewart and LA quintessence is the vain bubblegum blather of a Kardashian, then what kind of drama unfolds when the two lock eyes? Turns out: none.

This is not drama. Drama has mystery and tension, and what’s going on with [...]

Documentaries

"Modern Comedian" Profiles Power Violence, the World's Leading Skateboard Punk Comedy Group

by | November 16th, 2012

The latest episode of Scott Moran's excellent web series "Modern Comedian," in which he makes a short documentary about a different comedian each week, focuses on Power Violence, an L.A.-based group of comedians/skatepunks who make videos and run on a terrific weekly comedy show. This is the first episode of "Modern Comedian" that's produced by PBS Digital, which is a pretty exciting development for Moran and his web series. In their "Modern Comedian" installment, you get to see the Power Violence guys' intense pre-show ritual, the giant mansion they all live in together, and some haircut tomfoolery at a Wal-Mart. Doin' PBS proud.

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 [...]

Quicklink

Attention, Depressed Comedians: The Laugh Factory Now Offers Free Therapy

by | February 9th, 2011

Because comedians all try to get laughs to mask the infinite darkness within, the Laugh Factory in LA is now offering free therapy to comedians: "On Monday, Masada will be starting an in-house therapy program for Laugh Factory comics — no joke. One of two clinical psychologists will be on hand four nights a week at the club to treat stand-ups; the free, no-appointment-necessary sessions will take place on a therapy couch that, appropriately enough, used to belong to Groucho Marx." [via]

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