Splitsider

Posts tagged as standup

Interviews

Talking to Jonah Ray About 'The Half Hour', 'Nerdist', and Zombie Jokes

by | May 20th, 2013

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup comedy as well, branching [...]

Interviews

Talking to Dan St. Germain About 'The Half Hour', Writing vs. Standup, and His New Comedy Central Deal

by | May 13th, 2013

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup [...]

Live Events

This Month's Dog and Pony Show: Abbi Crutchfield, Morgan Evans, Katey Healy-Wurzburg, and Joe Stanton

by | May 7th, 2013

This month's Dog and Pony Show, brought to you by Splitsider and Tumblr, is coming up this Friday, and it's gonna be a good one. The lineup: Abbi Crutchfield, Morgan Evans, Katey Healy-Wurzburg, and Joe Stanton, along with your host Halle Kiefer. All this is going down on Friday night at 7:30pm at UCB East in NYC for the low price of $5.

So go ahead and make your reservations now, and we'll see you on Friday night.

Profiles

Master of Ceremonies: Ardie Fuqua's Rough Road Through Comedy

by | May 2nd, 2013

Ardie Fuqua is worried that he's been too funny. “I didn’t get too many laughs, did I?” he asks, sliding into a seat next to me in the back row.

He has just finished a 25-minute set at Caroline’s on Broadway, the argyle-patterned comedy club steps from Times Square, where he is opening Tracy Morgan’s lineup of Thanksgiving Weekend shows. The sound of applause is still ringing throughout the 300-seat club, and Ardie is visibly out of breath, his forehead drenched in sweat from the heat of the spotlights.

It’s easy to understand why overshadowing Tracy would not be on Ardie’s to do list. This is one of their [...]

Interviews

Talking to Dan Soder About 'The Half Hour', Twitter, and Learning To Do Comedy

by | April 29th, 2013

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special [...]

Interviews

Talking to Colin Quinn About His New One-Man Show, 'Tough Crowd', and Being the King of Twitter

by | May 17th, 2013

There have been many chapters in Colin Quinn's career since he first appeared on MTV's Remote Control in 1987. The former SNL castmember went on to host the short-lived but brilliant Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central; more recently, his unique Twitter persona caught the eye of the New York Times. Following on the success of his Broadway one-man show Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, his "history of the world in 75 minutes," Colin Quinn's new show, Unconstitutional, aims to tackle "226 years of American Constitutional calamities." I caught up with after a preview performance of his show to talk about constitutional conventions, comedy nerds, and how sincerity infuriates people.

What was it about the Constitution [...]

Standup

Open Mic Night in Chicago

by | May 9th, 2013

They drifted in from everywhere, each riding their own current through the vast human watershed that funnels yearning and desperation into the city. They were eager and nervous or apprehensive and nervous or they came with the stoicism of the lunchpail just there to do a job. Some were new and working hard to keep their dreams from running too far ahead and some were weary and wondering if hope had run out. Some came in secret and others told everyone they knew. Not for money or out of obligation but for goals and dreams and reasons of their own all different all the same. I came too. When I [...]

Interviews

Talking to Joe DeRosa About 'The Half Hour', Web Comedy, and the Best Fans

by | May 7th, 2013

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup comedy as well, [...]

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 [...]

Begrudging Respect

Keeping it Clean: The Comedy of Sinbad

by | April 24th, 2013

Every once in a while the concept of “clean comedy” will come up, though never among those of us who are passionate about comedy because to us it simply isn’t an issue. We love comedy and whether that means listening to Doug Stanhope tell a filthy hooker story or Brian Regan talking about Fig Newtons, the only deciding factor in our enjoyment is, “is it funny?”

However, in the mainstream this is still a subject of fascination. They tend to marvel at comedians who choose to avoid dirty language in their acts as if those comics are pulling off some kind of magic trick. Unfortunately, this tends to have [...]

Interviews

Talking to Sean O'Connor About 'The Half Hour', Sketch Comedy, and Remaking 'Monster Squad'

by | May 14th, 2013

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup [...]

Interviews

Talking to Chelsea Peretti about Standup, 'Call Chelsea Peretti,' Pau Gasol and Jonathan Winters

by | May 8th, 2013

Chelsea Peretti is a self-proclaimed “silly billy.” She berates people for liking soup, routinely discusses the merits of Lakers forward Pau Gasol, and has recorded an entire song dedicated to Wolf Blitzer. And yet, she’s one of the most hardworking comedians in L.A. right now: Formerly a writer for Parks and Recreation, Peretti performs stand-up tirelessly and now hosts her own call-in podcast, Call Chelsea Peretti.

She’s also known for her irreverent, caps lock-heavy Twitter account, which ranges from helpful tips (“If ur depressed buy a can of whipped cream spray it into your hand + mash it on your face u will def feel like a [...]

Interviews

Talking to Erik Griffin About 'The Half Hour', 'Workaholics', and Visual Comedy

by | May 6th, 2013

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup comedy as well, branching [...]

Interviews

Talking to Nikki Glaser About 'The Half Hour', Her MTV Show, and Doing Standup Forever

by | April 30th, 2013

For the past 15 years, Comedy Central’s half hour specials have showcased the future stars of standup. Looking back, the early years of Comedy Central Presents included memorable sets from the likes of Mitch Hedberg, Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Dane Cook and dozens more. Re-branded The Half Hour in 2012, the series continues to feature the best up-and-coming comics in the country.

For many comedians, it’s that history that makes doing a half hour special so significant. While a half hour may once have been a comic’s first major exposure, comedians now have many ways to build an audience. Almost everyone who taped a special this year does non-standup comedy as [...]

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