The New Shayne-Michael.COMedy

The Comedy News For 09/03/10

Comedy Fan Corner [+]

Louis C.K. Headlines The Icehouse This Saturday: 09/04/2010

Normally I spotlight stand-up showcases on Tuesday. The reason is to make comedy a little more popular on stand-up’s slowest night. However, every now and then, there’s an upcoming show on another night the public should absoluetly be aware of. Louis C.K. recently created the critically acclaimed series Louie. The series, about a father raising his two daughters in New York City, has been called something like Seinfeld from a darker and a more honest place. The critical reviews have been uniformly exceptional. As a result, FX recently renewed up the series for a second season. In today’s short attention span dominated market, that’s no small feat.

This Saturday, 09/04/2010, you can catch the award-winning comedian at the Pasadena Icehouse for only $17 bucks.

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Posted September 1, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Stand-Up Shows for All | No Comments | Bookmark

Robert Schimmel Condition After Car Accident - Updated

HBO comedian and Howard Stern favorite Robert Schimmel was involved in a serious car accident this Thursday. According to a TMZ.com report, Schimmel's 19-year-old daughter Jessica was driving the car. When she was forced to swerve to avoid an accident in her lane their car rolled over onto the side of the Arizona freeway. Schimmel's daughter was hospitalized. But she is expected to make a full recovery. Schimmel’s 11-year-old son was released without injuries the same day. Schimmel, however, is still in the hospital and in very serious condition. Schimmel is no stranger to bad luck. In 2000, the comic announced he was diagnosed with Non-Hogkin lymphona. More recently he announced he has cirrhosis due to a Hepatitis C infection from a blood transfusion. His most recent stand-up special, Life Since Then was released in 2008 and heavily focused on the comic's medical battles. Last year the comic also released the book Cancer on $5 A Day (Chemo Not Included). The book focuses on how humor helped Schimmel survive his battles with cancer. Update: There may be good news. According to the comic's Facebook page the extent of his injuries may have been greatly exaggerated.

Posted August 31, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Celebrity News for All | No Comments | Bookmark

Three People Shot In A Crowded Sports Bar Comedy Show

Sometimes your fifteen minutes of fame begins with a mug shot. Saturday night a stand-up comedian opened fire in a crowded Marion bar. The incident took place at Yeakle’s Sports Bar in the 3000 block of Washington Street at about 2:00am. Witnesses told police that a 44-year-old Rodney Carter had been drinking at the bar. He grew upset, walked up to another man and asked him to repeat something. Carter then allegedly opened fire on that patron three times hitting him in the legs. Two women were also hit by stray bullets. The article actually says, “The man who was shot had seen Carter's act before, although police said they didn't know the motive for the shooting.” Wow, I know a lot of people who don’t appreciate my act. Never once has anyone shot at me for it. I really need to get out more. Carter left the bar before police arrived. All three victims were treated and released from Marion General Hospital.

According to his MySpace website, Carter was born on April 19th, 1966 to Thomas Bishop and Bobbie Carter. He has been trying to make a name for himself as a stand-up comic since 2002 when he he made his debut performance at a Thanksgiving Day show. Carter goes by the stage name Dirty Red. Carter has several online profiles promoting his work. I could only find his MySpace Page, which has plenty of current pictures and background information. Emcees, if you see the photo to the left of this story, you might want to let him run the light. Update: Shecky Magazine has suggested that the photo that accompanied the original article is inacurate based on a video clip. However that photo does look like majority of Carter's MySpace photos. And it is possible for someone to loose weight and grow out their hair. I also like how Shecky Magazine says Wish 8 didn't identify Carter as the shooter and then link that comment to this article which identifies Carter as the shooter. On Tuesday, police arrested Rodney Carter outside the Grant Count Complex, where he turned himself into authorities. Carter is currently being held on a $50,000 bond and now faces a charge of Battery with a Deadly Weapon.

Posted August 30, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Crime in Comedy for All | No Comments | Bookmark

The 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comic Trends

• Steve Martin: New Rank 1 +
• Richard Pryor: New Rank 2 -
• Roseanne Barr: New Rank 14 +
• David Letterman: New Rank 15 -
• Conan O'Brien: New Rank 64 +
• Jay Leno: New Rank 65 -
• Eugene Mirman: Nomination Seconded

Comedian Corner [+]

Rare Open Mic At The Icehouse Annex

I learned this yesterday from a Bobby Oliver Facebook post. It has also been confirmed through several other sources. Tonight, on 09/02/2010, at 8:00pm there will be a rare open mic at the Ice House Annex. There will be a one drink minimum to perform. Signups start at 7:30. Time will be divided the time by how many comics show up.  Open mics at the Icehouse are so rare that this is the first one I've ever seen posted. Nornally, the only way you get on stage at the Icehouse is through Dave McNary's Saturday Auditions, Bobbie Oliver's Stand-up Academy or by sending in a professional twenty minute tape to the current booker.

Posted September 2, 2010 by Shayne Michael under open mics for All | No Comments | Bookmark

World’s Funniest Marketer Contest In New York

If you’re a New York Based stand-up comic who is working in advertising, design, marketing or PR. Or, if you always thought you were funny a contest has just been announced in New York City. Drinking With Adholes and The World Stand-up Comedy Club will sponsor the contest with the grand prize being your a live performance at the world famous Fryer’s Club. The contest, dubbed New York’s Funniest Marketer Contest, will also award one lucky winner five minutes at the Broadway Comedy Club and a one-on-one training session with the club booker Aaron Haber. You will also be referred to as the World’s Funniest Marketer 2010 for the rest of your life. Wow, the best title I ever earned was the fourth funniest person in the Redlands 2006. While this contest may not seem like a big deal, a comedy contest with no entry fee is a rare opportunity. And I didn't see any entry fee when I looked at the webpage. So, if you think you have what it takes, email your name, photo and short bio to awesomecontest@theworldnyc.com.

Posted September 1, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Comedy Contest for All | No Comments | Bookmark

The Response To Stand-Up Comedy Is Not Pretty

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Posted August 31, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Comedy Bookers for All | No Comments | Bookmark

Upcoming Stand-Up Comedy Seminars

• Kurtis Mathews: San Francisco, CA on 09/08/2010 8pm / FREE / Visit The Class Website
• Joe Falzarano: Los Angeles, California on 09/13/2010 7pm / FREE / Visit The Class Website
• Greg Dean: Los Angeles, CA on 09/20/2010 7pm / FREE / Visit The Class Website

Recent Articles For Comedians [+]

New Article: What Makes an Open Mic Comedian Compelling

On any given Tuesday night, I might watch forty to eighty comedians spread over three different shows. Sometimes those comics are performing jokes I read over the internet ten years ago, as if they wrote that same joke last night. Do you have any idea how many comics I know who wrote the line, “I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not kicking and screaming like the passengers in his car?” People who are looking to try their hand a stand-up comedy usually try open mics first. The first problem with performing at open mics is that is you’re also performing around amateurs, some of whom have developed amateur habits, like lifting old internet jokes and passing them off as their own. They often walk on stage with notes, act nervous because they didn’t rehearse and then bl... [Read Entire Article]

Posted August 27, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Open Mics

Recent Biographies [+]

Tom Arnold was born Thomas Dwaine Arnold on March 6th, 1959 in Ottumwa, IA. Arnold was the son of Linda Kay Graham and Jack Arnold. While he was raised by his father, he clashed with his stepmother after his dad remarried. He had four brothers and two sisters: Lori, Johnny, Scott, Chris, Marla and Mark. Arnold attended Ottumwa High School and later earned an Associate's degree from Indian Hills Community College. In 1983, Arnold got his first taste of stand-up comedy when he performed at an open mic night at the University of Iowa coffee shop. The University of Iowa would be the same university Arnold would earn his bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, he held down a number of odd jobs including meat packer, box stacker, bartender and bouncer. In 1988, he moved to Minnesota and won the Minnesota Comedy Competition. After winning, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a stand-up come... [Read Entire Bio]

Posted 09/03/10 by Shayne Michael under comic actor

New DVD Releases, Rankings & Reviews [+]

Under The Rainbow: DVD Review

Under the Rainbow was a 1981 comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Eve Arden and Billy Barty. The plot is loosely based on the auditions at the Hollywood hotel for roles as Munchkins in the movie The Wizard of Oz. In the film, that hotel becomes a chaotic place during the 1938 filming of The Wizard of Oz, when it’s inundated with groups of midgets, secret agents, and Nazi and Japanese spies. Under the Rainbow earned $2 million on its opening weekend when it opened at #1 at the box office. It would go onto earn $18 million in the United States. But reviews were very negative. All four reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.COM are rotten. Janet Maslin of the New York Times wrote, “Mr. Rash has earnestness and a touch of eccentricity, but he doesn't have the lighthearted wit to keep this kind of comedy working.” The film earned two Razzie Nominations for Worst Musical Score and Worst Supporting Actor....
[Read The Entire Review] [Buy]

Other Recent DVDs/ Films Ranked or Reviewed

                    

Site Changes/ New Features [+]

Mailing Lists For Comics That Target By Demographics

At one point I had nearly 2,000 subscribers for my email subscription list through List Bot. It was a free, program that collected the demographics of your subscribers. You could see how many people subscribed from each state. You could see which countries your email list was popular in. But that system, which was destroyed after Microsoft bought it out, had two big problems. You couldn't use those demographics to target subscribers. And you couldn't save messages and schedule them to go out in advance. If I could have done that, I'd have had tens of thousands of subscribers. So one of the reasons I never built and email subscription list, was I wanted to build it myself, so it could do those things. Well, the first version is here. It can already target subscribers by demograhics. In other words, I can email information about shows in California, only to those people in California. And, I can save the messages, and send them out later at the scheduled time. When I'm sure the bugs are cleared out, this is a capacity I'll extend to every registered member.

By the way, this site's actually been updated over the last eight days. Comics do you want online resources that are updated daily or whenever the webmaster can get off his butt and make some extra time?

Posted August 22, 2010 by Shayne Michael under Mailing List for All | No Comments | Bookmark

• See Shayne Michael @ the Seafood Shack in Artesia, CA on Thursday/ 09/02/2010 8:00PM
• See Shayne Michael @ the Eye Candy Cafe in Long Beach, CA on TONIGHT/ 09/03/2010 8:00PM