News

Confession: I’m not the world’s hugest Amy Schumer fan. I found the jokes on her last special, Emergency Contact, to fall into the “just fine” category — solid and professional but unlikely to win her new fans. But my lukewarm response to her stand-up material is high praise compared to the vitriol that comes Schumer’s way every time she launches a new project or appears on Howard Stern.

For an example, look no further than Schumer’s new movie, Kinda Pregnant. A Netflix promotional post ignited a typical outburst of irrational anger. “So glad Netflix cancels all my favorite shows after one season to focus on making more fake movies,” tweeted one user.

“They stonewalled the production of a David Lynch series for shit like this,” spat another.

Others broke out the All Caps to yell at the streamer: “Y’all increase the prices every 6 months for This Trash?...

Plenty of big-name comics are on tour this year, and Variety figures you want to know how to buy tickets. But before you plunk down your hard-earned cash, you should do a little comparison shopping to see which shows provide the best value for your comedy dollar.

Here’s that list of upcoming stand-up tours, separated into cost-based tiers. Fire up that PayPal and let’s go buy some laughs…

The Bargain Basement $50 Tier

If there’s a no-brainer show on this list, it’s the wicked Wanda Sykes with tickets starting at only $53. She’s much funnier and more accomplished than several of the comics on this list — and what a bargain!

The $60 Glut Tier

There are more comedians in the $60 to $70 range than any other group on this list, including Shane Gillis, Brett Goldstein, Brian Reagan, Nate Bargatze, Jo Koy, Tom Segura, Patton Oswalt and the red-pilled Whitney Cummings.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

Comedians are taking the stage to embark on national tours and debut brand new material.

From Nikki Glaser, fresh off her headline-grabbing Golden Globes hosting gig , to Shane Gillis, currently midway through a nationwide tour, there are dozens of stand-up shows to see this year.

Below are the most anticipated comedians hitting the stage this year — and where to buy tickets.

Shane Gillis

When: Jan. 17 – Jun. 28

Where: U.S Tour

Price: Starting at $60

Buy Now: Shane Gillis Nikki Glaser

When: Jan. 30 – Sept. 6

Where: U.S Tour

Price: Starting at $120

Buy Now: Nikki Glaser Ricky Gervais

When: Jan. 21 – Dec. 4

Where: U.K + Tour

Price: Starting at $120

Buy Now: Ricky Gervais Kevin Hart

When: Jan. 17 – Apr. 13

Where: U.S Tour

Price: Starting at $120

Buy Now: Kevin Hart Theo Von

When: Feb.

Exclusive: Comedy Dynamics, the world’s largest independent stand-up comedy production and distribution company, has launched a 24/7 free ad-supported TV channel dedicated to stand-up on Amazon Freevee.

The Stand Up Channel will be carefully curated by the Comedy Dynamics team, and feature new and classic stand-up comedy specials, Amazon original specials, and new acquisitions as they become available. Among the comics you can expect to see highlighted are Jim Gaffigan, Tiffany Haddish, Tom Segura, Jeff Dunham, Eddie Griffin, Iliza Shlesinger, Jimmy O. Yang, Bill Hicks, Maria Bamford, Larry the Cable Guy, Anjelah Johnson, Lavell Crawford, Russell Peters, Kathleen Madigan, Gary Owen, Whitney Cummings and more.

Comedy Dynamics launches its new Fast channel following success with the Comedy Dynamics channel, the company’s first Fast channel, which similarly showcases their vast stand-up comedy library to Amazon customers. All Fast channels available on Freevee can be accessed through the Freevee app, as...

The logos of Cineverse and Spotify. (Graphic by The Desk)

Tech and entertainment company Cineverse is bringing its catalog of licensed movies, documentaries, TV shows and stand-up comedy specials to Spotify.

The pact, announced on Tuesday, helps Spotify further diversify itself as a primarily audio-driven platform to one that helps subscribers connect with all forms of media, and follows Spotify’s successful integration of more than 250,000 video podcasts.

From today, Spotify subscribers will now also have access to more than 70,000 free TV shows and movies from Cineverse, including programs like “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan,” “The FBI Files,” “Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch” and stand-up specials from Jeff Dunham, Jim Gaffigan, Eddie Griffin, Tiffany Hadish, Kathleen Madigan and Gary Owen, among others.

The partnership with Spotify is considered groundbreaking for Cineverse, which has typically offered its catalog of 70,000 movies and TV series through free, ad-supported streaming TV (Fast), ad-supported video-on demand (AVOD...

For Raanan Hershberg, this year marks perhaps the most productive of a 15-year career in stand-up.

Just a couple of weeks after the release of Brave, his third comedy special self-produced and released via YouTube, he’s taking to the internet today with It Could Have Been Better, his fourth special and his first to be produced by an outside company.

Directed by Jason Katz and James Webb, Brave sees Hershberg riff on the notion of a “brave comedian,” a label that’s been applied to him by some online trolls given his tendency to aim jokes at those on both side of the political spectrum. If there’s a theme to the special, he says, it’s “the way dogma can keep you from having a more objective sense of reality, and the ways extreme thinking can kind of lock your brain down, and how it’s so important...

Critical Role, a media company behind the acclaimed animated series “The Legend of Vox Machina,” has scored a multiyear exclusive overall television and first-look film deal with Amazon Studios.

Under the agreement, Critical Role will produce an animated television series based on its highly successful livestream campaign “Mighty Nein,” which follows a group of criminals and misfits who are the only ones who can prevent the kingdom from plunging into chaos when an arcane artifact capable of reshaping reality falls into the wrong hands. Watch a teaser trailer for the show above.

“Mighty Nein” will be executive produced by Tasha Huo, Sam Riegel and Travis Willingham alongside Metapigeon and Amazon Studios. Chris Prynoski (“The Legend of Vox Machina”), Shannon Prynoski (“Fairfax”), Antonio Canobbio (“Arlo the Alligator Boy”), and Ben Kalina (“Big Mouth”) at Titmouse will also executive produce.

The series, which will soon begin production, is slated to premiere on...

Kathleen Madigan, the award-winning comedian and TV personality, has set her first Amazon Original stand-up special, “Kathleen Madigan: Hunting Bigfoot,” set to premiere on Feb. 21.

The Prime Video comedy special, recorded at The Paramount Theater in Denver, Cololrado, explores topics including Madigan’s aging parents, interactions with millennials and — as you might have guessed — hunting Bigfoot.

Her most recent special, “Bothering Jesus,” is her fifth hour-long stand-up special and third special to be available on Netflix.

Also Read:

Sundance CEO Acknowledges ‘More Work to Do’ After Jury Walkout Over Lack of Captions

Currently on her “Boxed Wine and Tiny Banjos” tour, Madigan has risen in comedy standing throughout the years and now counts 40 appearances across late-night talk shows and multiple comedy specials, including on Netflix, Comedy Central and HBO. She also recently launched a pandemic-era podcast, “Madigan’s Pubcast,” which currently boasts more than 3 million downloads across all streaming outlets.

After news broke that “Baskets” star Louie Anderson died Friday morning, celebrities took to social media to mourn the loss of the Emmy-winning comedian. Anderson, who started the 1990s cartoon series “Life With Louie” and appeared in “Coming to America” and “Search Party,” was also a Las Vegas comedy staple, with his stand-up show “Louie: Larger Than Life” running from 2003 to 2012.

Michael McKean took to Twitter to honor Anderson and his work in “Baskets” alongside Zach Galifianakis. “Baskets was such a phenomenal “second act” for Louie Anderson,” McKean wrote. “I wish he’d gotten a third. Rip.”

Baskets was such a phenomenal “second act” for Louie Anderson. I wish he’d gotten a third. Rip

— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) January 21, 2022

Posting a photo of Anderson, Bob Saget and himself, Gilbert Gottfried wrote on Twitter, “This photo is very sad now. Rip Bob Saget and Rip Louie Anderson. Both good friends that will be missed.

Spoken Giants, the first royalties administrator for spoken-word content, is expanding its roster, announcing Wednesday that it’s signed the estates of Bob Hope and Desilu (Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz) as well as Gabriel Iglesias, Larry the Cable Guy, Elayne Boosler, Jackie Fabulous, Eddie Pepitone, Nephew Tommy, Jeff Dye, and Todd Barry.

Previously announced members include the Don Rickles estate, the Ralphie May estate, Mike Birbiglia, Lewis Black, Dan Cummins, Gerry Dee, Pete Holmes, Kyle Kinane, Kathleen Madigan, Leanne Morgan, Theo Vona and hundreds of others representing thousands of individual comedy works.

Spoken Giant was created in 2019 by former BMI executive Jim King and the founders of comedy record label 800 Pound Gorilla, Ryan Bitzer and Damion Greiman, to address the fact that online stores, streaming services and other delivery platforms don’t compensate spoken word creators as the authors of their works as they do for musicians and songwriters. The...

Exclusive: Spoken Giants, a royalty administration company for creators of spoken word copyrights, said Friday that the Don Rickles estate and comedian Mike Birbiglia are the latest to sign with the Nashville firm. CEO Jim King also applauded a large payout by digital services to music creators this week, but wondered when authors of spoken word content would also receive “appropriate compensation.”

King, a former executive at music rights group BMI, with comedy label 800 Pound Gorilla Records co-founders Ryan Bitzer and Damion Greiman, launched Spoken Giants in October for comedians, podcasters, speechwriters and other wordsmiths — whom King says have been missing out on million in royalties. Early clients include Lewis Black, Dan Cummins, Gerry Dee, Pete Holmes, Kyle Kinane, Kathleen Madigan, the Ralphie May estate, Leanne Morgan and Theo Von.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective two days ago announced that an historic $424 million in unmatched royalties have been collected from Spotify,...

Jim King, former executive at music rights group BMI, and comedy label 800 Pound Gorilla Records co-founders Ryan Bitzer and Damion Greiman have launched Spoken Giants, a royalty administration company specifically for creators of spoken word copyrights.

Based in Nashville and aimed at comedians, podcasters, speechwriters and other wordsmiths, Spoken Giants said it’s already working with members including Lewis Black, Dan Cummins, Gerry Dee, Pete Holmes, Kyle Kinane, Kathleen Madigan, the Ralphie May estate, Leanne Morgan and Theo Von, The founders announced the firm publicly Wednesday and hope to scale up dramatically, noting that “millions in royalties have been unclaimed by, or simply not paid to, spoken word creators.”

Rights organizations have long existed in music and Spoken Giants will follow that industry’s precedents “to correct the global financial oversights of the past,” they said.

Spoken Giants represents underlying composition copyrights and its revenue is based on a percentage of what it collects.

Rlje Films has released the trailer for The Opening Act. The movie stars Silicon Valley and Crazy Rich Asians actor Jimmy O. Yang as a struggling comedian. The movie is written and directed by stand-up comic Steve Byrne (Always Amazing) and was produced by Vince Vaughn. Rlje is all set to release Opening Act in theaters, on demand, and on digital HD beginning Friday, October 16th, 2020.

In The Opening Act, Jimmy O. Yang plays Will Chu, who appears to have it all - the job, the girl - but what's missing is his true passion in life. He wants to become a stand-up comedian. When he gets the opportunity he's been waiting for, the emcee slot on the road opening for his hero Billy G., the realities of life on the stage come crashing in. Between relentless hecklers, drunk comedy groupies and hard-to-impress morning radio DJs, things get off to a rough start.

Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has obtained the North American distribution rights to The Opening Act, an indie comedy produced by Vince Vaughn and starring Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley), Jermaine Fowler (Superior Donuts), Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood) and Ken Jeong (The Hangover).

Written and directed by stand-up comedian Steve Byrne, the film is slated for release October 16 in theaters and on demand and digital HD.

The plot follows Will Chu (Yang), who is stuck in a thankless job while trying to pursue his true passion in life: becoming a stand-up comedian. When he gets the opportunity he’s been waiting for, the emcee slot on the road opening for his hero Billy G., the realities of life on the stage come crashing in. Between relentless hecklers, drunk comedy groupies and hard-to-impress morning radio DJs, things get off to a rough start. Even if he can...

Rlje Films has acquired the North American rights to “The Opening Act,” a comedy starring “Silicon Valley” actor Jimmy O. Yang as an aspiring stand-up comedian.

“The Opening Act” is directed and written by stand-up comic Steve Byrne (“Always Amazing”) and was produced by Vince Vaughn, and Rlje Films will release the movie in theaters, on demand and on digital HD beginning October 16, 2020.

Yang stars in “The Opening Act” alongside a cavalcade of other comics such as Alex Moffat, Cedric The Entertainer, Neal Brennan, Debby Ryan, Ken Jeong, Bill Burr, Jermaine Fowler and Russell Peters.

In it, Yang plays a man stuck in a thankless job while trying to pursue his true passion in stand-up comedy. But when he gets the opportunity to emcee opening for his hero, the realities of life on the stage come crashing in. Between relentless hecklers, drunk comedy groupies and hard-to-impress morning radio DJs, things...

Late night show hosts Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert as well as Nicole Byer, host of Emmy nominated Netflix baking competition “Nailed It!” are among the list of names set to headline the 2019 New York Comedy Festival.

“Nothing beats being able to perform stand-up comedy in New York to some of the best audiences in the world, and that’s what this festival is,” Noah said. “I can’t wait.” Other headliners of the festival include Vir Das, Kathleen Madigan, Demetri Martin, Bill Maher, Randy Rainbow, Norm McDonald, Jenny Slate, Jay Mewes, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Nate Bargatze, Tom Segura, Kevin Smith, No Such Thing As A Fish, and U Up? Live by Betches Media.

Festival goers can expect pop-up events, panel discussions, radio and podcast broadcasts, film screenings and live improv and sketch comedy at this year’s event, done in partnership with The Female Quotient, a woman-owned and led...

The New York Comedy Festival has announced the lineup of headliners for its 16th annual edition this November, a roster including late-night TV hosts Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher and Trevor Noah.

More than 200 comedians, sketch performers, TV hosts and podcasters will perform in more than 100 shows at various venues across the city.

Other headliners include Nate Bargatze, Nicole Byer, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Vir Das, Kathleen Madigan, Demetri Martin, Norm McDonald, Randy Rainbow, Tom Segura, Benito Skinner, Jenny Slate, Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes, No Such Thing As A Fish, and Betches Media’s U Up? Live. More performers and shows will be announced in the coming months.

The Nycf this year is partnering with The Female Quotient (The Fq), a woman-owned business committed to advancing equality in the workplace. Through the partnership, the Fq will aim to increase female comedic representation both on and off the stage via its signature pop-up experience,...

Spoiler Alert: Do not keep reading if you have not seen the series finale of “Game of Thrones,” titled “The Iron Throne.”

Whether you loved it or hated it, the series finale of “Game of Thrones” was one for the history books.

After the final episode aired Sunday night, fans across the globe took to social media to share their thoughts about the grand finale of the mega-hit fantasy series. Celebrities like “Game of Thrones” alum Pedro Pascal, Stephen King, and more weighed in with their thoughts on the final installment of “Game of Thrones.”

This episode is already proving to be as divisive as the other five episodes have been in the eighth and final season. “Thrones” enthusiasts have been voicing their displeasure at the direction of the season from the get-go, a criticism that has mounted since series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss moved beyond the material...

The first night of the Republican National Convention, titled "Make America Safe Again," occurred in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday. Donald Trump made a brief appearance to introduce his wife Melania, who headlined the night with a speech that highlighted her husband's softer side. In addition, Joni Ernst, Antonio Sabato Jr., Scott Baio, Tom Cotton, Jeff Sessions and Rudy Giuliani took the stage to speak in support of the presumptive Gop nominee. Many attendees and viewers at home reacted to Mrs. Trump's speech as well as the Rnc including Adam Levine, Octavia Spencer, Josh Gad and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

The first night of the Republican National Convention, titled "Make America Safe Again," occurred in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday. Donald Trump made a brief appearance to introduce his wife Melania, who headlined the night with a speech that highlighted her husband's softer side. In addition, Joni Ernst, Antonio Sabato Jr., Scott Baio, Tom Cotton, Jeff Sessions and Rudy Giuliani took the stage to speak in support of the presumptive Gop nominee. Many attendees and viewers at home reacted to Mrs. Trump's speech as well as the Rnc including Adam Levine, Octavia Spencer, Josh Gad and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Fans of Amy Schumer might be experiencing deja vu now that the comedian is denying accusations that she steals jokes, because she defended herself against similar claims three months ago. Stand-up comics Wendy Liebman, Kathleen Madigan and Tammy Pescatelli recently took to Twitter to complain that Schumer uses other comedians’ jokes in her own act. Schumer responded that she would take a polygraph test to prove that she would never intentionally steal a joke. However, in October, a TMZ crew approached Schumer outside an airport and asked about accusations that she lifted material from late comedian Patrice O’Neal. Back then,...

Comedian Tammy Pescatelli is apologizing for accusing Amy Schumer of stealing jokes. After taking to Twitter on Wednesday to accuse Schumer, 34, of using a joke she wrote in 2006 in the film Trainwreck, Pescatelli now admits she "went too far." "I went too deep," Pescatelli said while appearing on the Jim Norton Advice Show on Sirius Xm's Opie Radio. "It went too far, and for that I'm super apologetic." Schumer denied allegations of joke theft after a video was released comparing her material to other comedians' gags, prompting a Twitter conversation between Kathleen Madigan, Wendy Liebman and Pescatelli. Pescatelli said that...

Comedian Tammy Pescatelli is apologizing for accusing Amy Schumer of stealing jokes. After taking to Twitter on Wednesday to accuse Schumer, 34, of using a joke she wrote in 2006 in the film Trainwreck, Pescatelli now admits she "went too far." "I went too deep," Pescatelli said while appearing on the Jim Norton Advice Show on Sirius Xm's Opie Radio. "It went too far, and for that I'm super apologetic." Schumer denied allegations of joke theft after a video was released comparing her material to other comedians' gags, prompting a Twitter conversation between Kathleen Madigan, Wendy Liebman and Pescatelli. Pescatelli said that...

[[tmz:video id="0_wbmqe4rz"]] Amy Schumer is fighting back against 3 other female comedians who ripped her on social media for allegedly stealing their jokes. Amy's repeatedly denied joke theft, but now she's taking it a step further after Tammy Pescatelli, Kathleen Madigan and Wendy Liebman each claimed she jacked their material. Gotta hand it to her, Amy's plan to prove her innocence should boost ratings on her Comedy Central TV show too. That's how ya bank on a conspiracy.

After a recent video surfaced comparing Amy Schumer's material to other comedians' work, Schumer went on Jim Norton's SiriusXM Radio show today to deny any allegations of joke theft. "I wanted to come and talk to you about [these accusations] and clear my name, because I would never ever do that and I never have," the comedian said, adding that she is "literally going to take a polygraph test and put it on my show this season."The video collects allegations — some of which surfaced this weekend, others older — that Schumer copied material from Patrice O'Neal, Tammy Pescatelli, Kathleen Madigan, and Wendy Liebman. Talking to Norton, Schumer said that she had not seen any of their jokes before she performed her own and that any similarities were a result of parallel thinking, not plagiarism. She previously addressed similarities between O'Neal's punchline and a line from her stand-up special on Twitter last fall.

Amy Schumer is sticking up for herself.

The Trainwreck star denied allegations of joke theft after a video was released comparing her material to other comedians' gags.

Schumer, 34, vehemently refuted the claims on Twitter Wednesday, and also defended herself during an appearance on the Jim Norton Advice Show on Sirius Xm's Opie Radio.

"On my life, I have never and would never steal a joke," the star tweeted. The video alleged that Schumer stole jokes from Kathleen Madigan, Wendy Liebman, Tammy Pescatelli, and the late Patrice O'Neal.

On my life, I have never and would never steal a joke.

— Amy Schumer...

Amy Schumer is sticking up for herself. The Trainwreck star denied allegations of joke theft after a video was released comparing her material to other comedians' gags. Schumer, 34, vehemently refuted the claims on Twitter Wednesday, and also defended herself during an appearance on the Jim Norton Advice Show on Sirius Xm's Opie Radio. "On my life, I have never and would never steal a joke," the star tweeted. The video alleged that Schumer stole jokes from Kathleen Madigan, Wendy Liebman, Tammy Pescatelli, and the late Patrice O'Neal. On my life, I have never and would never steal a joke.— Amy Schumer...

Amy Schumer is sticking up for herself. The Trainwreck star denied allegations of joke theft after a video was released comparing her material to other comedians' gags. Schumer, 34, vehemently refuted the claims on Twitter Wednesday, and also defended herself during an appearance on the Jim Norton Advice Show on Sirius Xm's Opie Radio. "On my life, I have never and would never steal a joke," the star tweeted. The video alleged that Schumer stole jokes from Kathleen Madigan, Wendy Liebman, Tammy Pescatelli, and the late Patrice O'Neal. On my life, I have never and would never steal a joke.— Amy Schumer...

Welcome to Outrage Watch, HitFix's semi-regular rundown of entertainment-related kerfuffles. Not anxious enough already? Get your fix of righteous indignation below, and stay posted for outrage updates throughout the week. Update (1/21/16 2:58 Pm Est): Tammy Pescatelli called in to "Opie" Hughes and Jim Norton's SiriusXM radio show Thursday to respond to the controversy: "It is probably parallel thinking. That does happen...I probably should have just stayed out of it and kept my mouth shut," said Pescatelli in part. "I shouldn't have accused somebody. It did seem that way, that it was a lift." You can hear Pescatelli's full appearance below: In today's edition of comics berating other comics, 2015 "It" girl Amy Schumer has been accused of joke-stealing on Twitter by three prominent stand-ups: Kathleen Madigan, Tammy Pescatelli and Wendy Liebman (though the latter has since provided less-damning context to her claim that Schumer "[did] 1 of my best jokes on her HBO special.

Amy Schumer is setting the record straight. "I'm being accused of stealing jokes and I wanted to come and talk to you about it and clear my name," she told fellow comedian Jim Norton on his SiriusXM advice show Wednesday. This week, three comedians — Wendy Liebman, Kathleen Madigan and Tammy Pescatelli — took to Twitter to discuss alleged similarities between their jokes and ones that Schumer has used in her Comedy Central series, Inside Amy Schumer, and movie, Trainwreck. The thread was quickly deleted off social media, but the conversation had drawn enough heat that Schumer wanted to

read more...

Amy Schumer is taking on her haters one by one this week, or so it seems. The Trainwreck star's latest mission is to slam the recent allegations that she's stolen jokes from three separate comedians. The Golden Globe nominee cleared the air via Twitter earlier this afternoon with the following to-the-point statement: "On my life, I have never and would never steal a joke." Well then! Comedians Wendy Liebman, Tammy Pescatelli and Kathleen Madigan took part in a Twitter conversation (which has now been deleted) claiming that Schumer had used jokes from their acts. Earlier this week, the 34-year-old actress slammed a critic on Twitter, after the self-proclaimed fan snapped a...

The web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is showing no signs of slowing down in Season 7, which kicked off with a very special guest joining star/creator Jerry Seinfeld last month, U.S. President Barack Obama. This season's fourth episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee will debut Wednesday, January 20, and Crackle has released a new trailer for this episode, revealing that Jerry Seinfeld returns to the set of Seinfeld for the first time. The comedian is joined by special guest star Garry Shandling in this episode.

This week on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Jerry Seinfeld returns to the set of Seinfeld for the first time ever with his friend and fellow comedian Garry Shandling. In the all-new episode, launching Wednesday, January 20 starting at 11:30pm Et on Crackle, Seinfeld and Shandling drive around in a Cashmere Beige 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo, reminiscing about their start in the 70s at...

Crackle has provided a sneak peek at the next season of Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Sony’s streaming platform and distributor released the show’s season seven trailer on December 21, 2015.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee season seven boasts a lineup of some well-known comedic talent. In the six upcoming episodes (the first of which debuts on Crackle on December 30), Seinfeld will ride around town in classic cars and stop to get coffee with Will Ferrell, Steve Martin, Garry Shandling, Kathleen Madigan, and Sebastian Maniscalco. The new Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee trailer boasts over 580,000 views on YouTube alone, the most views of any YouTube trailer for the series to date. The trailer isn’t faring so badly on Facebook, either; on that platform, the clip boasts 96,000 views and almost 7,000 likes, shares, and comments.

Crackle announced back in April 2014 it was renewing Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee for another 24 episodes,...

Will The Knick keep its doors open for a third season on Cinemax? It’s starting to look that way.

Although the medical drama ended Season 2 with — spoiler alert! — the apparent death of Clive Owen’s Dr. Thackery, a script for the Season 3 premiere has reportedly been ordered.

RelatedCable Renewal Scorecard 2015: What’s Coming Back? What’s Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?

“Cinemax has been in conversations with Steven Soderbergh on how we might continue with The Knick,” the network tells our sister site Variety. “When first conceived, the series was always meant to be presented in a two-year story arc,...

Following Season 6 that debuted earlier this year, Crackle is getting ready to roll out Season 7 of their hit original series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which debuts December 30 with a very special guest: President Barack Obama. Crackle also released a trailer for the new season, along with a photo of the President and Jerry Seinfeld. Here's what series star and creator Jerry Seinfeld had to say in a statement about getting President Obama to come on board for his web series.

"Growing up in the '60s my kid dream was always to be an astronaut-doing a comedy show with President Obama in and around the White House felt like going into space. 'How did I get here?' 'Is this really happening?' The President's humor and generosity are the only reasons this was even possible. He was so easy and fun to be with. Being President and just...

President Barack Obama will be the first guest on the Season 7 premiere of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, the Crackle series that now will have its season bow December 30. The episode featuring Obama was shot at the White House this month and features the president and Seinfeld driving a 1963 Corvette Stingray split-window coupe. Other guests in the upcoming six-episode season include Will Ferrell, Steve Martin, Garry Shandling, Kathleen Madigan and…...

President Barack Obama will roll with Jerry Seinfeld to start off Season 7 of Crackle digital series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” Seinfeld will also welcome Will Ferrell, Steve Martin, Garry Shandling, Kathleen Madigan and Sebastian Maniscalco during this coming run of episodes. “Comedians in Cars” returns with the Obama coup Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 11:30 p.m. Et on Crackle. If that date looks earlier than you expected the series to return, than that’s because it is. Crackle shifted the seventh season up a week, just making the very end of 2015. The episode featuring President Obama was shot at the White House earlier.

Kevin Pollak's documentary "Misery Loves Comedy" has a cute pun of a title that also draws attention to the film's primary flaw. Had Pollak just called his first directing foray "My Friends Talk About Comedy" or "White Comedians Love Misery," I probably could have just felt that this was one person polling a bunch of chums on a subject of mutual interest and accepted its limitations. But "Misery Loves Comedy" spends its entire runtime on a series of talking-head interviews with various comedians and on grand pronouncement after another, different variably famous stand-ups keep saying what "comedians" are like and what "comedy" is about. And given the composition of Pollak's panel of experts, I'm afraid that's ludicrous. With dozens of comics participating, the total number of African-American comics featured in the entire documentary? One. Whoopi Goldberg is brought in to summarize one Richard Pryor routine. She does that and nothing more.

Senator Cory Booker, Talib Kweli and Bill Burr will get "a taste of extra nightlyness" when they appear as the inaugural panel during the debut episode of Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" tonight, Monday, January 19 at 11:30 p.m. Et/Pt.  "The Nightly Show," hosted by Larry Wilmore will air weeknights following "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."  Other scheduled "Nightly Show" panelists for the month of January include Amy Holmes, John Leguizamo, Jon Lovett, Kathleen Madigan, Soledad O'Brien, David Remnick, Frank Rich, Ilyasah Shabazz, Matt Taibbi, Baratunde Thurston and Ali Wentworth. "The Nightly...

Senator Cory Booker, Talib Kweli and Bill Burr will get "a taste of extra nightlyness" when they appear as the inaugural panel during the debut episode of Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" on Monday, January 19 at 11:30 p.m. Et/Pt.  "The Nightly Show," hosted by Larry Wilmore will air weeknights following "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."  Other scheduled "Nightly Show" panelists for the month of January include Amy Holmes, John Leguizamo, Jon Lovett, Kathleen Madigan, Soledad O'Brien, David Remnick, Frank Rich, Ilyasah Shabazz, Matt Taibbi, Baratunde Thurston and Ali Wentworth. "The Nightly Show"...

Comedian John Pinette was found dead at age 52 in his hotel room in Pittsburg on Saturday, April 5.

According to the medical examiner, Pinette died of natural causes related to “a medical history he was being treated for." According to the New York Daily News, Pinette was being treated for liver and heart disease.

Pinette earned a place in history in 1998 when he appeared as Howie, the victim of a carjacking in the Seinfeld series finale, but he was also a successful and beloved stand-up comedian and was still touring at the time of his death.

Friends and comedians took to Twitter to express their grief over the loss.

The world has lost a truly funny person. Rest in peace John Pinette.

— Joy Behar (@JoyVBehar) April 7, 2014

Never worked with John Pinette; never heard a bad word about him. And he Loved being a comedian. He got dealt a good life. #Rip...

Madigan Again opens up with Kathleen Madigan palling around with Lewis Black, who also introduces her set on stage; the pairing was clearly deliberate. Black is the more famous comedian, and his presence serves to acclimate those familiar with his work to the sensibilities of Madigan. The comparison is apt (they’re both dry and cynical, though perhaps that’s simply a condition of modern comedy) but not perfect (Madigan does not scream and wave her hands throughout her set). Instead, she seems to view the world around her with something closer to bemusement than contempt.

Read more...

Madigan Again opens up with Kathleen Madigan palling around with Lewis Black, who also introduces her set on stage; the pairing was clearly deliberate. Black is the more famous comedian, and his presence serves to acclimate those familiar with his work to the sensibilities of Madigan. The comparison is apt (they’re both dry and cynical, though perhaps that’s simply a condition of modern comedy) but not perfect (Madigan does not scream and wave her hands throughout her set). Instead, she seems to view the world around her with something closer to bemusement than contempt.

Read more...

Tune in tonight to the Tonight Show as Vince Vaughn talks about his love for the Chicago Blackhawks and Jay presents Vaughn with a gift for his youngest daughter Later, Vaughn discusses filming .The Internship. at the Google campus. Comedian Kathleen Madigan performs stand-up. Musical guest Scotty McCreery performs. Jay Leno.S Monologue Monday, June 03, 2013 It.S Been Touch And Go Here In Los Angeles; This Latest California Wildfire Is Getting Pretty Scary. Did You See All The Smoke And The Ash In The Air Here? Very Frightening. Governor Jerry Brown, God Bless Him, He's Got It Under Control. He Said He Is Going To Tax And Regulate The Fire Until It Gets Fed Up And Moves To...

A host of comedians and performers will come together for The Bill Of Rights Comedy Concert benefitting the creation of America’s first monument honoring the Bill of Rights on Sunday, May 13th at Phoenix Symphony Hall in Phoenix, Arizona.

Among those scheduled to perform are Lewis Black, Chris Bliss, Bill Engvall, Bobcat Goldthwait, Dick Gregory, Kathleen Madigan, Tommy Smothers, Steven Wright, along with Little Feat musicians Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett.

“I am doing this because from what I have seen in the news from time to time, it seems that some of the folks in Arizona, and the rest of America, need a little bit of a reminder of what our founding fathers really said. Because those words in The Bill of Rights are important,” Lewis Black said. “And it’s going to be nice to see the cornerstone of our democracy on real stone. It also seems...

On Leno tonight, Amanda Seyfried talks about her recent photo shoot with co-star Justin Timberlake for her new movie, .In Time.. Later, she tells Jay about when she faked an asthma attack at a concert and the one thing she would love to do if she didn.t have a lot of time left to live. John Cho and Kal Penn talk about their new movie, .A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. and how their lives are different from Harold & Kumar.s lives. Kathleen Madigan performs stand-up. Jay Leno.S Monologue Highlights Wednesday, October 26, 2011 We Are Still On Kind Of A High.We Had President Obama Last Night. It Was Quite An Honor Having Him On...

Ron White’s “Tater Salad” story has become something of a comedy legend and if you know him at all, chances are it’s for that story about a drunken response from the past coming back to haunt Ron in the funniest way. It was storytelling comedy like that which made him a comic force to be reckoned with and he has since ridden that hot streak to a number of albums and comedy specials, which has led to his receiving a Uso tour. On that tour he took a bunch of his comedy friends, some of whom are Uso tour veterans themselves, and for one night, their show was broadcast on TV in the form of Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops. It may have a few good laughs but when we get a subpar performance from White and only 7-minute routines from the likes of Lewis Black and Kathleen Madigan,...

Image Entertainment is expanding April Fools Day to a whole month of laughs. The independent DVD supplier has discounted 48 of its comedy DVDs and Blu-rays on Amazon, including stand up by such comedians as Jeff Dunham, Daniel Tosh, Kevin Hart and Gabriel Iglesias. (Click the links to purchase.)

Most of the DVDs normally sell for around $15 but are on sale for around $7.

Louis C.K.: Chewed Up

Other comedians whose performances are included in the sale are Louis C.K., Kathleen Madigan, Katt Williams, Bill Engvall and Craig Ferguson.

Among the discounted DVDs are:

Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity, the second live-performance DVD by the ventriloquist and his puppets, including the purple monkey Peanut and the Mexican chili pepper Jose Jalapeno

Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy — Live From Bakersfield, featuring Comedy Central’s Comic of the Year

Kathleen Madigan: Gone Madigan, with the award-winning comedian talking about politics, American culture and...

Dan Abrams, whom you might recognize as the founder of this very site, visited the Dr. Phil Show to promote his latest book, Man Down. He was joined by a fellow male (Boo!), comedian Kirk Fox, and two female comedians, Kate Rigg and Kathleen Madigan, in order to test a theory often associated with the fairer sex: Women, it seems, have a higher threshold for pain. Or do we?...

Florida is home turf to some amazing comics: Brian Regan and Monique Marvez to name a few, but Comedy Central is heading to the Sunshine State with Doug Benson, Bill Burr, Adam Carolla, Kevin Hart, Gabriel Iglesias, Kathleen Madigan, Wanda Sykes, among many others to be announced. Hopefully Regan and Marvez can be added to this list. The sixth annual South Beach Comedy Festival will take place from March 2 through March 5, it was announced today by Geof Wills, president, comedy at Live Nation. Tickets For The 2011 South Beach Comedy Festival On Sale Nowsouthbeachcomedyfestival.com From Comedy Central: Now in its sixth year, the South Beach Comedy Festival continues to grow and remains the premiere...