Matt Jones Cast in 'Office' Spin Off

If you've ever seen Matt Jones perform at UCBLA's Harold night on the (now defunct?) Improv team 'Flap Jackson', then you know that he's a talented and hilarious human being. If you're an avid viewer of Breaking Bad, you're familiar with Walter White's pimply meth head dealer known as Badger, the slacker who gets into scraps that are more humorous than scary.  Then you'll be as happy as I am to hear that Jones has just been cast in the Dwight Schrute Office spin off as one of Dwight's cousins. Because Schrute Farm will be lousy with weird cousins.

Although the need for a Dwight spin off seem a bit 'meh' to me, it will be nice to see Matt's talents continue to flourish on a larger scale.

Source: Deadline

Comedy in Photos

Photo by Liezl Estipona

There's something I've learned in the comedy world. Comedians are nervous of photographers taking snapshots of their shows.  If you have a camera, and want to capture stills of a live performance or have the okay to photograph backstage antics of funny people about to perform, you have to earn their trust. So when photographer Liezl Estipona was given the green light to be the official photographer of the monthly Paul F. Tompkins Show at Largo in Los Angeles, plus have full access to highly popular, star studded shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade, you know she's seen as someone special.

From Zach Galifianakis to Louis CK, from Patton Oswalt to Maria Bamford, from Nick Kroll, to Jon Hamm, and from Adam Scott to Amy Poehler, Liezl brings her talent, sense of humor and love of comedy into every frame she shoots. For comedians, she's almost one of them, a tough chick who can take a joke and dish it right back at you, with a coupon for an Arby's sandwich as a bonus prize.  For fans, she's the peep hole through the walls of the L.A. comedy scene, allowing those who live in other cities to join in on the excitement onstage and off via photo uploads on www.aspecialthing.com - a website for comedy nerds.

Liezl has published a book that showcases the highlights of her work around the L.A. alternative comedy world.  Liezl Was Here (Vol. 1) beautifully lays out some of the most hilarious moments she's captured digitally. Each turn of the page provides insight into the famous and funny as they create magic on stage.

Go to www.blurb.com to purchase your own copy. It's a gorgeous addition to your coffee table book collection - and more hilarious & purposeful than that useless giant anthology on Shakespeare you're using as a door stop.

To view more of Liezl's photography, you can visit her Tumblr site, www. liezlwashere.com. Please do not post photos without permission.

And a side note - totally unrelated to Liezl: Don't video comedy shows, please. (See Patton Oswalt).

'Happy Endings' Emptied Out The UCB

ABC-TV's Happy Endings went ape shit crazy with Upright Citizen Brigade residents on Wednesday night. Of course, their talents and projects go beyond the UCB; however, my association with these guys are from the funny, intimate shows in which they participate at the little theater on Franklin Avenue, Hollywood or West 26th Street, NYC. It's meaningful to me. That's why I'm inspired to write about them here. Constantly.

So, you can imagine, with ABC broadcasting back to back episodes of this new comedy that already stars UCB alumni Casey Wilson and Adam Pally, I was pretty psyched to see other members of the theatre. Within one hour, the following UCB'ers appeared:

The funny Billy Merritt.

From Comedy Band "Don't Stop Or We'll Die"...Michael Cassady.*

Brian Huskey - who has also appeared on this blog's ultimate favorite Childrens Hospital on Adult Swim.

Seth Morris, as a concerned citizen, portraying a character that feels very close to his Bob Ducca incarnation - which you can see at UCB.

Rob Huebel, who portrayed another version of the 40 year old life guard I dated back in 2005. If only there was a scene where he takes Casey out on a date to the movies and buys a senior citizen ticket to save money...

(*Update: I plum forgot about Michael Cassady, who was in it so quick you'd miss him if you sneezed. Just added). If there were other UCB people whom I didn't mention...sorry. I may have been hitting the wine hard that night.

Babelgum Commissions UCBComedy for Original Content

This week brought some great news for original content comedy on the internet. Earlier this week, Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films announced their deal with Paramount Digital Entertainment to produce two new web series. Now, Babelgum, the multichannel platform, has announced their alliance with UCB Comedy, commissing the Upright Citizens Brigade's online comedy team to produce unique programming to run monthly on Babelgum's Comedy Channel. The benefits of streaming on Babelgum's site are huge. Not only will it provide more exposure for UCB Comedy, it will supply an ad team to sell spots against content.

Source: Tubefiller News

The Chris Gethard Show Turns into 'The Telethon of Shame' This Saturday!

If you're in New York City on Saturday, August 28th and have nowhere to go for a midnight comedy romp, stop by the UCB Theatre on 26th and 8th for 'The Telethon of Shame'. It's hosted by Big Lake's Chris Gethard. Proceeds from the event will go to the March of Dimes. Reservations are currently sold out, but if you wait on the stand by line early (well before 11pm), you might get in. Bring your dollars and an iron clad stomach. Some weird shit is going to happen to raise the dough. If you can't come that night but are in the neighborhood, please make a donation at the UCB box office any time! Thanks, comedy nerds!

Out Fishing

It's not that there haven't been any funny television news on the charts. Will Forte will not be returning to SNL - that's one. The Life and Times of Tim has been renewed on HBO, Bored to Death will be returning in September, and the Emmy Awards will occur on Sunday on NBC with Jimmy Fallon hosting. It's just that summer has taken over my brain, and seems to be pushing me to the west coast. Transitions. Decisions. Changes. So, I haven't been focusing on this blog the way I'd like to - especially since I feel it needs some changes, upgrades, and a new focus. More to come on that...

So, in the interim, I'd like to post a very funny video UCBComedy.com put up from a show called Death By Roo Roo'. It runs at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York every Saturday night at 9pm. (Friday nights at 9:30pm at UCB Los Angeles). Two members of the audience are selected to talk about their weird families (one for each half of the show), and the cast improvises scenes. Here are the very funny Adam Pally and John Gemberling whose scene work is unbelievably hilarious.

Death by Roo Roo - Picking up Chicks	UCBcomedy.com
Watch more comedy videos from the twisted minds of the UCB Theatre at UCBcomedy.com

SNL's Bobby Moynihan on UCBComedy.com

UCBComedy.com has been up and running for about a year now, hosting a library of funny sketches, improv, parodies and self produced comedy videos created by members of the Upright Citizens Brigade that are fun to behold.

In an effort to perfect it's usability, the online wizards at UCBComedy have adjusted and tinkered with the site throughout the year, changing the look around, trying to make the pieces fit; however, they may have found the right interface this time. UCBComedy.com re-launched a whole new look today with more clickable user-friendly selections, fresh new offerings and great content.

A new addition to all this funny is a newly UCB produced series called A Few Minutes With Someone Funnier Than You. SNL's Bobby Moynihan is in the premiere episode. Bobby has been with the UCB for almost a decade. Although he's been on SNL for a few years, he continues to be a member of the Harold team "Stepfathers", and can be found on a given Sunday night participating in the Mama of all improv shows "ASSSSCAT 3000".

Speaking of Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey will host on April 10th. She'll probably be awesome and funny. Perhaps she'll do a Sarah Palin impression or two. Or maybe not. I hope not. Musical guest is...Shut up!...Justin Beiber!

Speaking of UCB People...

If you happen to stumble across this blog from time to time, you'll notice that I'm rather the Upright Citizens Brigade follower these days. I've been a fan for years. Many an alumni can be found on the writing staff of Parks and Recreation, The Daily Show, SNL, Colbert, 30 Rock and the former Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Quite a few can be seen in front of the camera as well.

Despite some of the funny stuff that has been covered on this site, television has a sparse offering of interesting and alternative comedy fare lately. The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien debacle dust has settled into a malaise. Thankfully Jimmy Fallon promises to continue fresh funny humor, but I haven't become addicted to him yet. My heart races with happiness at the thought that season two of Children's Hospital is currently in production for new installments on Adult Swim. Funny or Die Presents is happening on HBO. Sarah Silverman's Show on Comedy Central is broadcasting probably their best season yet. However, I'm a bit disillusioned by the various comedy sadness out there. After twelve years off the air, Seinfeld returned with... The Ref? No thanks. Jay Leno took the Tonight Show away from Conan and is back on at 11:35pm? A pox on NBC! More reality TV? Brain deadness. At least Conan joined Twitter, giving him internet presence to keep his name and humor alive, not to mention giving me a little joy in my life, while he works on his next step.

I've been looking at TV, and in some cases film, through the looking glass of the UCB Theatre. So bear with me as I write a bit obsessively about them. They have some cool stuff coming down the pike and infuse some fresh ideas into a tired entertainment landscape.

In addition to Spike TV's Players (see blog entry below) created and starring UCB the long awaited Wild Girls Gone, created by the UCB founding fathers and mother Besser, Walsh, Roberts and Poehler, will be available for download on iTunes on March 8th.

This ever elusive movie was made a few years back and never found footing for distribution. It's a spring break romp about a fictional town in Florida called White Sands that is host to a popular Ass Contest. Thanks to the town's politically ambitious Sheriff Terry Moran, played by Matt Walsh, it faces extinction. Amy Poehler plays a former Ass Contest winner and bored housewife to Moran who musters up her wild side by keeping the competition in ass town. Ian Roberts plays a video store employee who films the antics, and Matt Besser plays his stoner friend.

Lets face it. This isn't a tidy, cute comedy. The beauty of UCB's style is that they are not afraid to shatter some windows and bulldoze walls. It looks like a lot of stupid fun. So, buckle up.

Check out a preview on the Wild Girls Gone website.

The Benson Interruption

With the Del Close Marathon about to hit the ground running this weekend at Upright Citizen's Brigade in New York, I kick started my participation as a fan by attending The Benson Interruption last night. This show is an uber popular UCB ticket. Comedian Doug Benson produces an hour-plus line up of comedian friends invited on stage to work out new jokes while he sits front row center interrupting with banter. It is beyond hilarious. The additional beauty is - the line up of comedians is a surprise, and like a box of chocolates, you never know...

Benson not only hosts Interruption, but also heads up another fave UCB show Doug Loves Movies. (It's podcasted and available on iTunes). Yes, Doug does love movies. A lot. This show brings comedy friends together to discuss the latest in cinema whether awesome or crap. Sometimes the crappy-er the better.

And Doug loves weed. It's part of his life. Inspired by his love of the stuff, and his love of film, Benson created and starred in Super High Me, a take off of Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary Super Size Me. Instead of eating mass quantities of bad ass portions of McDonalds all day every day for a month like Spurlock, Benson smoked weed each day for thirty days. It turned out that unlike Spurlock, Doug was actually pretty healthy after one month of indica inhalation. The movie also touched upon the marijuana culture in California and some political views about its legalization.

Back to last night's Interruption. The line up was Ali Wong, Moshe Kasher and Anthony Jeselnik, all funny young comedians we'll be hearing more about in years to come.

Nick Kroll and Paul F. Tomkins showed up, and I think I lost my mind. I love them as much as you can platonically love a person.

Kroll (Caveman, Bar Mitzvah Disco, Children's Hospital) is a solid stand up and comedic actor with a line up of characters such as Fabreze Fabreze and the second half of Gil and George in the Oh Hello Show, which he co-stars alongside John Mulaney( seen in video below) on stage.



Up until recently, Paul F. Tomkins was the host of VH1's Best Week Ever, which has gone into a slumbering hiatus. Tomkins himself is uncertain of when it will return and if he'll be hosting. He was a cast member of Mr. Show, he is the dapper be-suited headliner at Largo and UCB. Back in December, I attended the annual Aimee Mann Christmas Show where he directed the comedic happenings. It was a blast to see the Benson/Tomkins give and take at last night's Interruption.

Here's Tomkins and Andy Richter in a funny Best Week Ever bit:



The photo of Doug Benson above is the cover of his new album Unbalanced Load, available for download on iTunes.