Comedy Of Chicago

JFL Wraps Up and Lil Rel Rocks a Leopard Shirt

2013-06-18T14:02:00.001-07:00

Just For Laugh's is over. But this 2 minute video is forever. Watch it, should make your day, or at least put a smile on your face (other wise you might be dead inside). After crushing for his JFL performance on the last night of festival at the legendary Jokes and Notes theater in Chicago, LilRel Howery does an impromptu "rap" about leopard shirts... and happens to be wearing probably

What's Popping!

2013-06-13T16:03:00.002-07:00

Yo! Lots of Chicago comedy news happening this week. Not only are big name celebrities popping up all over town because JFL is in full swing (also NHL finals!), but there are a ton of non-festival options going on concurrently as well for you "alt fans" out there craving something different . Case in point, Zanies is producing a "10 Comedians For Ten Dollars" showcase happening all week long

JFL Kicks Off!

2013-06-12T15:43:00.003-07:00

Pete Holmes - Up Comedy Club @ JFL Festival 2013 Woah... last night was the first day of JFL Festival and it came and went like a flash. Still going through all the pics we took, most of which you can view on our FB page NOW. Caught about four shows last night, just crazy... did not get much sleep but at it again tonight. No time for a long drawn out write up today people, but do have time to

pHeel The Love @ The pH Theater - By Michael Shapiro

2013-06-11T13:30:00.002-07:00

It seems like more and more traditionally improv based theater venues are trying to get in on the standup comedy action. Second City has made itself a big player for showcasing big names, Chicago and nationwide. iO, Comedy Sportz and The Playground have also gotten in on the action in recent years. Even places as eclectic as record stores, book stores and sex toy shops have been putting on

Comedy Of Chicago's Top JFL Picks!

2013-06-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hannibal Burress @ JFL 2012 Hot damn! Just For Laughs is upon us. It's the 5th year anniversary and the festival has more Chicago based comedians performing than ever. It's been encouraging to witness over time, JFL's commitment to utilizing Chicago's talent pool and ongoing comedy renaissance. If by chance you live in a cave, let me explain why having JFL in Chicago is important. It's the

Uncensored with Brendon Burns and Bill Dawes

2013-06-08T14:26:00.001-07:00

Brendon Burns An Australian, a former soap opera star, and a black guy with a camera walk into a room. This is not the set up to a joke. This is the setup to one of the weirdest podcasts I’ve ever recorded. I sat down with Bill Dawes and Brendon Burns, two guys that need to be on everyone’s comedy radar. Bill is a veteran LA comic with background in theater. Brendan is a controversial Aussie

Three Decades of Comedy with Bob Zany

2013-06-07T13:14:00.001-07:00

“I don’t know why he’s never been a bigger household name. It doesn’t make sense to me.” That’s Ralphie May talking about Bob Zany in the documentary about his career, “Close but No Cigar.” Anyone who has seen Zany work his magic on stage would be hard-pressed not to agree with this sentiment. Bob Zany has been a working comedian for 37 years. That’s not the normal inflated number that comedians

What's Popping!

2013-06-06T15:29:00.002-07:00

Baldhead Phillips will perfrom @ Jokes & Notes, - June 7, 8 Wow. So much is happening this week it's freaking insane. JFL is right around the corner, CWFF is going on RIGHT now, clubs like Zanies, Jokes & Notes and The Comedy Bar have great acts performing this weekend... Plus like a bazillion independent showcases are rocking and have booked some solid shows as well. Now we have not

Even One Person - By: Nick Sierra

2013-06-05T13:10:00.001-07:00

Nick Sierra I’m going to be doing a few pieces here in the near future about producing a comedy show, but before I get to all that I want to talk about something similar, but altogether different. Why I put on a comedy show. Specifically, I want to share why I will put on a comedy show for even one person. The short answer here is the same as the long answer: because they came to a comedy

The 2nd Annual Chicago Women's Funny Festival

2013-06-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

Back again for another talent packed second year, the The 2nd Annual Chicago Women's Funny Festival is about to kick off with an insane amount of comedy options. The CWF Festival starts this week, running June 6th through the 9th and will feature HUNDREDS of mostly (like 97%) female comedic talent performing everything from stand-up to improv. Because of all the hectic activity with the gigantic

Beth Stelling Featured on PBS Documentary "Modern Comedian"

2013-06-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

The web series "Modern Comedian" is a collection of engaging, short documentary videos, produced by Scott Moran and is Part of the PBS Digital Studios network. The general gist is that Moran follows various comedians around with a camera highlighting elements of their life, personalities, etc., and how that impacts their lifestyle as a comedian. The result is a lot more interesting/funny

What's Popping!

2013-05-29T15:40:00.002-07:00

Gonna get right to the nitty-gritty as it were, too much going on and no time for the usual fluffy prose foreplay. Particularly this week with lots of behind the scenes shenanigans happening since the JFL Festival is right around the corner (big surprises coming down the pipe people). Suffice to say there are some insane, bananas type comedy shows happening all over town. Check out what's

Comedians Are Sick: By Clark Jones

2013-05-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Eddie Williams was a genius…may he rest in peace" This sound familiar? Too often we don't discover the "brilliance" of a performer until its much too late for them to know it. Eddie Williams is not a real comedian nor did he die a death that requires us to posthumously heap hyperbolic praise of his greatness (that I know of). But Patrice O'Neal, Greg Giraldo, Ron Shock, Yvette Wilson were

Hannibull Buress Inks Huge Deal + Other News

2013-05-24T13:31:00.003-07:00

Hannibal Buress, has just signed a HUGE cross platform deal with Comedy Central. Buress, a Chicago native and one of the hottest comedians in the country has become a prolific comedic talent. He's written for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, co-hosts Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show and has inked development deals with FOX and ABC in the past. As part of the new Comedy Central deal Buress will:

What's Popping!

2013-05-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Dang... Just found out the The Edge Comedy Club Open Mic is CLOSING. Wow, that's a little sad... The Edge was one of the first rooms I ever checked out almost 5 years ago. Used to be run by Dave Odd and was located at the Chicago Center for The Perfroming Arts but got booted out of there when the venue had to close. Then it moved to Sully's House bar & grill and is currently run by Kyle Scanlan

Weekly Top Ten...

2013-05-21T14:25:00.001-07:00

So one of the long list of features we've been trying to execute is a "Weekly Top Ten" list designed to highlight shows and/or performances that were exceptional on any given week. Since It's getting harder to keep track of the plethora of comedy showcases and standout comedian performances that are happening in the Chicago comedy scene, a top ten list just seemed like a natural extension of what

JFL UPDATE: Complete List of Chicago comics!

2013-05-17T14:41:00.002-07:00

Pow! As promised, we have compiled a "complete" list of all the local Chicago comedians performing in the Just for Laughs Chicago Festival. And let me tell you folks, the list is freaking huge. Which is sort of a relief because rumors of budgetary cutbacks had folks involved in the local scene slightly concerned about the possibility that JFL would have to scale things back and not be able stay

Whats Popping!

2013-05-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Holy shit balls... TODAY the Chicago Just for Laughs Festival added the names of ALL comics, including all the local Chicago talent that will be participating in this years festival. And folks... the list is HUGE. We were a little worried about JFL cutting back on it's budget and not being able to have the same commitment to the local Chicago comedy scene this year. But have no fear, things are

Review: "The Nasty Show"

2013-05-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Nick Gaza Whether you know it or not, The Laugh Factory has silently entered our cultural lexicon. Whenever you think of standup comedy, The Laugh Factory is always floating in your subconscious. Every comedian who is impossibly famous has performed there and all the way down to up-and-coming comedians still incredibly talented (if you can call them “up-and-coming, that’s a pretty hallowed

Hannibal Buress Gets High...

2013-05-14T12:48:00.004-07:00

Watch this video. It's part of a web series called High maintenance... yes an online video series, but don't let that deter you. It's really really good. Like HBO good. After watching it, I went to the High Maintenance site and watched every single episode back to back. This

Mike Young on Comics Vs. Crowds - By: Matt Chiaramonte

2013-05-13T12:11:00.003-07:00

Mike Young performs @ The Laugh Factory Chicago May 15-17 If you’ve ever been in a room with Mike Young (@RealMikeYoung) and Camilla Cleese (@CamillaCleese), then you're familiar with the feeling of being the third most attractive person in the room. But I wasn’t in that room to talk to them about their stunning good looks. I was there to talk to them about the relationship between comics

Just For Laughs Update - NEW shows added!

2013-05-10T15:58:00.001-07:00

Russell Brand Yo! The Just For Laughs Festival has officially announced NEW additions to 2013 Chicago Line up. At this point we will assume that most of you are familiar with JFL and know that it is one of the oldest and largest comedy festival organizations in the world. 2013 marks the 5 year anniversary of the festival in Chicago and the organizers look to make it a special year. Check

What's Popping....

2013-05-09T12:43:00.004-07:00

The Chicago comedy scene is just packed & stacked with ridiculously high quality laugh options starting tonight and going through the weekend. Some of the shows you should look out for are: Marty DeRosa @ Stand UP Stand UP Duck Duck Comedy Parlour Car Wiggle Room (comedy + burlesque, hosted by Adam Burke), Joe Kilgallon @ The Comedy Bar Ben Bailey @ The Up Comedy Club The Kates The Nasty

Review: Mike Stanley Farewell Show @ The Comedy Bar

2013-05-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

Mike Stanley I recently stopped in for a show at The Comedy Bar in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. I was unfamiliar with this particular club, so I was interested to check out how it compared to other comedy spots in Chicago. The first rule of the Comedy Bar is that you do not arrive late. It’s an intimate space. The audience seating is more wide than deep. Expect to cause a distraction

Top 9 things from last week...

2013-05-06T17:13:00.003-07:00

It's getting harder to keep track of all the comedy shows and standout performances that pop off every week in Chicago. So much so that were making a list... Here are 9 of the best things that happened in the Chicago comedy scene last week. Mike Stanley's "Farewell" show. Midwest comedy staple Mike Stanley is moving to California. Good for him, sad for us. His "Farewell" weekend show at the