STAGE TIME Magazine: Los Angeles, Pittsburgh Comedy Beat

DVDs
Chondra Pierce - A
Piece of My Mind

Live Comedy from the
Laff House: Make
Room for Comedy

Redneck Comedy
Roundup 2 - Bill
Engvall, Jeff Foxworthy
and Ron Shock.

Southern Gents of
Comedy - Ron White,
Vic Henley, Steve
McGrew and Otis Lee
Crenshaw

Laffapalooza #6 -
Jamie Foxx, JB
Smoove, Gerald Kelly
and Wil Sylvince

Laffapalooza #7 - Rob
Stapleton, Loni Love,
Jo Koy and James
Hannah

Laffapalooza #8 -
Rodney Perry, Tony
Roberts, Earthquake

Paul Mooney -
Analyzing White
America

Russell Peters - Two
Concerts...On Ticket

Dave Attell - Insomiac
Tour Uncensored -
Dave Attell, Dane
Cook, Greg Giraldo and
Sean Rouse

Mike Epps -
Inappropriate Behavior

Jeff Cesario - You Can
Get a Hooker
Tomorrow Night

Kims of Comedy -
Steve Byrne, Bobby
Lee, Kevin Shea and
Dr. Ken

Alonzo Bodden - Tall,
Dark & Funny

Jim Gaffigan - Beyond
the Pale

CDs
Don Rickles - Speaks

Jackie Mason - The
World According to Me

Jake Johannsen - Jake
This Dot Com

Brad Montague -
Double Live

Eric Schwartz - Wimp
Pimp

Kathleen Madigan - In
Other Words

Drew Hastings - I'm
Just Like You

Jesse Joyce - Joyce to
the World

Marc Maron - Not Sold
Out

Mike Birbiglia - Two
Drink Mike

Tom Rhodes - Hot
Sweet Ass

Jimmy Shubert -
Pandemonium

Ron White - You Can't
Fix Stupid

Books
Oliver Double - Getting
the Joke: The Inner
Workings of Stand-Up
Comedy

Ed Driscoll - Spilled
Gravy: Advice on Love,
Life, and Acceptance
from a Man Uniquely
Unqualified to Give It

Brad Stine - Live From
Middle America: Rants
from a Red-State
Comedian

Sandi C. Shore - Sandi
Shore's Secrets to
Stand-Up Success: A
Complete Step-by-Step
Workbook

Judy Brown - The
Comedy Thesaurus

Movies
March 24
Health Inspector -
Larry the Cable Guy
and Bruce Bruce star in
the comedy with
support from Lisa
Lampanelli.

April 7
The Benchwarmers -
David Spade stars with
screenwriter/comedian,
Nick Swardson, Craig
Kilborn, Norm
MacDonald and Adam
Sandler in a comedy
about a three-player
baseball team that
challenges Little
League teams.

Phat Girlz - Mo'Nique
and Godfrey star in the
comedy about love and
acceptance.

April 14
Scary Movie 4 - DeRay
Davis co-stars in the
spoof comedy with
Anna Farris and Regina
Hall.

The Wild - Eddie Izzard
lends his voice in the
animated feature.

May 19
Over the Hedge - Garry
Shandling, Wanda
Sykes and Omid Djalili
lend their voices in the
animated movie
starring Bruce Willis,
who replaces Jim
Carrey as the lead
character.

May 26
Little Men - Keenan
Ivory Wayans directs
his younger brothers,
Shawn and Marlon
Wayans in a comedy
that co-stars Tracy
Morgan, Gary Owen
and John Witherspoon.

June 16
Wordplay - Jon Stewart
shares his passion for
crossword puzzles in
this documentary
featuring Bill Clinton,
Bob Dole and Ken
Burns.

June 23
Click - Adam Sandler
stars in the comedy
about a man who finds
a universal remote.

Weekend appearances at the Laugh Factory and the Ice House are also mandatory for
L.A. comics who are trying to be seen, but there is a fabric of lesser known comedy
rooms, which thrive in the shadows of the cornerstone clubs. These rooms carve out
their niche early during the work week, while the big clubs patiently wait for another
weekend to cycle around.

Comedians looking for credible exposure in L.A. have been flocking toward the Upright
Citizens Brigade Theater. This venue might be the best off-the-radar comedy find in
town. The ticket prices are always affordable, and they draw surprise performances from
some of the hippest headlining comedians in the country. There seems to be a line
down the street before every show. Often, the room is so packed that ushers will seat
some lucky audience members right onstage with the comedians.

The Monday Night Comedy Jam at 14 Below in Santa Monica is a very popular weekly
show where comics can work out new material before showcasing it in at a high-profile
club. This room is always full and the energy is electric. A rotating cast of comedians
are featured on the bill, and special guests and headliners often show up unannounced
to grab a few minutes of stage time.

On Tuesday nights, The Three of Clubs in Hollywood plays host to one of the hottest
shows in town. This classy bar has a great room with booths and an open stage area
that brings the audience right up close to the comedian. It’s a great room for comics
who like to incorporate riffing and crowd play into their act. Additionally, there are a few
big name comedians who like to make regular appearances while they check out the
new talent on the scene.

On Wednesday nights, UCB hosts the My Space Comedy Show, which is a great
opportunity for networking and exchanging information about getting work in other
rooms around town.

Every emerging stand-up comedian who works during the early part of the week hopes
to fulfill the dream of headlining a sold out Saturday night at one of the big Sunset
Strip comedy clubs, but there are hundreds of Mondays and Tuesdays on the way to
securing these coveted gigs. These three rooms have been making a lot of waves while
the comedy giants sleep off their weekend hangover. With all of the attention that
they’re receiving, these venues will stay hot and continue to produce some of the best
underground comedy that Los Angeles has to offer.

However, flying under the radar is its emerging comedy scene, from the underground
to the popular clubs featuring some of your favorite headliners and TV stars. On
Mondays, you can tune into Off Da Grill on PCTV Comcast 21 at 12am, which is a raw
unscripted comedy show, with a reoccurring cast of comedians such as Fierce, Tommy,
Crazycakes, Uncle Willy, Roc, One Eye, Levi and Howie D. Mac.

Tuesday nights are jumping at The Funny Bone where you can catch new talent and
seasoned comics work out their material. The Open Mic Night at the Improv is a hot
show hosted by morning jocks Jim Kren (WDVE 102.5) and Alan Cox (WXDX 105.9.)
When you walk through the door you can feel the energy and see comics such as Billy
Robinson, who has worked with John Witherspoon , Alonzo Boden, Lewis Black Otto&
George, and the legendary Norm Crosby.

Sitting in the wing are new comedians Mike Travers, Esther Ku, Matt Mulchen, the very
funny Gab Bonesso and Joshua Renner, the manager better known as the "The Man,"
who inspires comedians - new and seasoned - in Pittsburgh. So what does Renner look
for in comics? "The heart to want to succeed at comedy and the focus to stay with it".
He also said he is "driven by the experience to work with these comics." Renner credits
Jimmy Kren and Alan Cox with helping the Improv promote talent in Pittsburgh.

The laughs continue on Thursday at The Improv where Last Comic Standing 2 finalist
Corey Holcomb headlines this weekend. Tonight, T-Robe hosts the show featuring
Kenny Rob, who delivers a solid performance. After the show, I had a chance to talk
with Corey. He was very down-to-earth and definitely a “comic's comic.” Corey made the
rounds early Friday morning to promote his show on The WAMO Wake Up Show with Anji
and GQ.

Besides the headliner shows at The Improv, comedy fans also drop in to check out the
variety show Free Yourself Fridays at Dowes on 9th, hosted by Gene Stovall & Christina
Acousta. The show is divided into two parts: the first part is an open mic and the
second part features improv, sketch and stand-up comedy. Comics compete for cash
and prizes playing improv games like “Wild N Out” or a “Who's Line Is It Anyway?” Free
Yourself Fridays is filmed live for Uweb TV and produced by IDI Productions, one of
Pittsburgh’s hottest production companies, who often work with comedians.

The Pittsburgh comedy scene is expanding: more venues and clubs are opening their
doors to comedy. In due time, the “City of Steel” may be known for its sense of humor
as well as its Super Bowl champion football team.