tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72092712008-11-19T01:39:59.757-05:00Dedicated to the glorification of standup comedy. SHECKYmagazine.com--Standup comedy...seriously! Published by Brian McKim & Traci Skene Copyright 2005 Independent Together ProductionsSHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.comBlogger2398125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-85467942579481925042008-11-18T09:09:00.002-05:002008-11-18T09:16:59.420-05:00

So says a Sumter, SC, attorney Garryl Deas whom the comedian consulted after a brief encounter with the police at the Mount Vernon Inn on Friday morning. The Item ("Serving Sumter and surrounding areas") published a lengthy story on November 14 by staffer Mary Dolan that described Williams' bizarred behavior during a weekend visit to the Palmetto State. Employees of the hotel called the cops.

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-21723195966663150562008-11-18T08:35:00.003-05:002008-11-18T08:52:23.179-05:00

British comic Frank Skinner, writing for the TimesOnline (UK), I spent the back end of last year doing a stand-up comedy tour of the British Isles-- 69 gigs over a three-month period. One night in early October, at the Cambridge Corn Exchange, I decided to conduct an experiment. The tour had been going well but, 20 gigs in, there is a danger that an act can become a bit too comfortable. Anything

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-82046576926362158102008-11-17T11:56:00.002-05:002008-11-17T12:04:09.023-05:00

Jennifer Stafford, also known as "The DomiKNITrix," runs a website devoted to knitting. One of the patterns Stafford offers (among those for Che Guevara, Malcolm X and Bruce Lee) is that of Andy Kaufman (see illustration below) This isn't actual size. For that, you must click on the above link. (It's free, so all you knitters can download it without guilt.)

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-14078611926670967322008-11-16T21:33:00.002-05:002008-11-16T21:38:27.865-05:00

The Female Half of the Staff started blogging one year ago today, setting up "Road Atlas Shrugged" as an outlet for her "profound analysis mixed with sheer idiocy." 365 days and 348 posts later, she celebrates her blog's one-year anniversay today by inviting one and all to hop on, browse around and bookmark the site.

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-40986707796781381482008-11-14T10:28:00.002-05:002008-11-14T10:35:41.593-05:00

Go here to be part of a viral marketing campaign for (and to enter to win a walk-on role in) the new Judd Apatow film, "Funny People." It's the film's MySpace profile. Go there, befriend it and, in the comments section, tell them, in 100 words or less, why you should be in the movie. It's being billed as "The third film from the writer/director of 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' and 'Knocked Up.'"

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-9182194881737685682008-11-14T09:26:00.002-05:002008-11-14T09:46:18.476-05:00

Is there a TV genre that has been pronounced dead more often than the variety show? The treatment of the sitcom is kind compared to the way TV writers and historians regard the variety show. (And both genres diproportionately benefited standup comics... hmmm... could there be a correlation?) Rosie O'Donnell will host Rosie Live on NBC at 8 PM the night before Thanksgiving. The network is

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-16367281054020546142008-11-13T16:12:00.003-05:002008-11-13T16:23:38.185-05:00

A Washington Post story, "In India, a World of Hurt Over a Perceived Obama Slight," is all about how the president-elect has spoken to 15 world leaders since Wednesday morning... but not India. What caught our eye was paragraph four:"You found time to call Pakistan," chided Azhar Usman, a visiting Indian American stand-up comic performing at a New Delhi college campus Sunday. "Why not call

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-76599687809080149402008-11-13T15:59:00.002-05:002008-11-13T16:05:12.599-05:00

Dave Blazek's "Loose Parts" is described as:A wacky one-panel for the more erudite reader (that) combines literary references with bad puns and brings together everything from nursery rhymes to '60s elevator music.We like one of the comments under the cartoon-- Someone identified as Char32 typed, "I apparently don’t get out much. Who is Shecky?" Apparently, you don't know what Google (or

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-81351021337211896822008-11-12T22:04:00.003-05:002008-11-12T22:57:58.687-05:00

"Snubbed DAILY SHOW Fan On Rampage" is the line on the DrudgeReport.com that links to an NBCNewYork.com article that details the travails of Sharilyn Johnson, a Canadian journo and FOS that got shut out of the dual Election Night taping of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Johnson made reservations seven months in advance, took some vacation days, volunteered for Obama and flew to NYC from

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-45401321475721209802008-11-12T12:59:00.002-05:002008-11-12T13:18:01.254-05:00

The Washington Post's account of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (to the late George Carlin) ceremony on Monday night contains this sweet story from presenter Lewis Black:Black recalled that he couldn't persuade his elderly father to travel to a ceremony at which Black was to receive a comedy award. Told that Carlin would be there, his father lit up. "Do you think I could meet him?" asked

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-91095823375306891192008-11-12T12:50:00.002-05:002008-11-12T12:53:37.301-05:00

Read the Chicago Trib interview with Jeffrey Ross and you'll be rewarded with such info nuggets as:My grandfather always said to me, take a banana for the ride. So there are always bananas in my house, and everybody who comes or leaves is offered a banana. Older comedians told me back in the day that if you eat a banana, it slows down your heart rate and makes you less nervous before you go on

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-11131920677589005432008-11-12T12:09:00.003-05:002008-11-12T12:48:03.473-05:00

Jonathan Takiff of the (PHL)Daily News called SHECKYmagazine.com HQ last week to get some background and a quote or two for a piece on how standup comics and musicians might be affected by last Tuesday's election results. Not all artists will "lose their mojo" Takiff writes. Some, he argues, will actually benefit.While concerns about political correctness might tie some comedians' hands now,

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-65681166767980028562008-11-10T11:11:00.005-05:002008-11-13T15:01:51.456-05:00

Legendary comedian Chris Rush will headline two Comedy Factory Outlet Reunion shows on Friday and Saturday (November 28 and 29) at the Northeast Comedy Cabaret. From the Comedy Cabaret website:For many, many years in Philadelphia, the word "Comedy" was always associated with "Factory Outlet," as the center city club played host to such comedy luminaries as Andrew Dice Clay, Tim Allen, Robin

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-76108120947041564602008-11-10T10:07:00.004-05:002008-11-10T11:10:12.327-05:00

On SixShot.com, you can read a brief summary of the recent legal trouble for Katt Williams. On Thursday, his red Escalade was parked in Manhattan with no tags. It and his nearby Mercedes Benz "party van" were discovered to contain three guns. Six weapons charges and $25,000 bail later, Williams was released and onstage an hour late for his appearance at Carnegie Hall. This also explains why

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-38269575322415756642008-11-10T09:55:00.003-05:002008-11-11T17:50:41.151-05:00

"A tough time for comics with Obama as president?" is the question posed in the title of an AP article (another one!) by Frazier Moore. This one has quotes from the Leno, Ferguson, Maher and DL Hughley. Only Hughley echoes our sentiments:If you call yourself a comic, you can't excuse the most powerful man in the world... He is the most powerful man on the face of the planet. He is The Man!An

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-15116578478677896472008-11-07T14:14:00.004-05:002008-11-07T14:43:00.687-05:00

We discovered this brief article from AFP yesterday (and two of our sharp-eyed readers sent along links to it as well). The title, "US comedians sharpen claws for Obama presidency," is somewhat misleading. The lead quotes are from "satirical cartoonist" Ted Rall, who said, "Making fun of George Bush is so easy-- it's just kindergarten stuff... Doing Obama is going to be so much more fun." In

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-19466487449873585152008-11-07T12:12:00.002-05:002008-11-07T12:21:11.260-05:00

We ventured across the Ben Franklin Bridge last night to hang with Rich Vos and Bonnie McFarlane (and their tot, Rayna) as they began their stint at Helium. When we arrived, we were told that they were around the corner at the Barnes & Noble, checking out the book signing on that establishment's third floor. When we got there, a line snaked in and around the book shelves and terminated at a

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-19198486309695357772008-11-06T14:34:00.002-05:002008-11-06T14:43:10.747-05:00

From Botswana comes this tale about two comics who have struck out on their own.Ribcracker and MOD, the two Maitisong comedy club comics who have remained active since the club's inception last year in June, have officially broken away from the club that helped cut their teeth as stand up comedians. The two have enlisted a manager and launched their own club, "Laff a lil', laff a lot" comedy

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-35335603906826859742008-11-06T00:18:00.003-05:002008-11-06T00:27:38.882-05:00

After 2.9 million votes, the contest between incumbent Norm Coleman and challenger Al Franken ended up with Coleman ahead by a relatively razor-thin margin of 475 votes. This triggers an automatic recount. Win or lose, you gotta hand it to Franken. Most celebrities wise guys merely carp from the sidelines or threaten to move to France if they find the outcome of the elections not to their

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-2176511635213560552008-11-05T12:09:00.002-05:002008-11-05T12:52:38.150-05:00

An article on msnbc.com is entitled "Standup comedy takes seat in front of computer." The subtitle of the story is "Viral humor spreads faster than you can say Numa Numa, but is it good?" It seeks (or rather, its author, Michael Ventre seeks) to answer the question, "Is the internet a good thing for comedy and is comedy a good thing for the internet?" At least that's our take. It seems that

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-3285523372901287032008-11-05T11:33:00.003-05:002008-11-05T12:08:17.218-05:00

Here's a fascinating NYTimes article from that paper's Science section. The thrust of it is that a study conducted in Boston (and detailed in a Psychology Today blog here), sought to find out which group-- self-identifying liberals or conservatives-- enjoys humor more. Hard to quantify (and the "science" sounds a little hinky), to be sure, but the researchers were surprised by their findings.

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-32346006816435668102008-11-04T23:06:00.003-05:002008-11-04T23:11:24.966-05:00

It's the first Tuesday in November of an election year. Back in October of 2001 we interviewed the man most associated with political standup (perhaps, even he will concede, after Mort Sahl), Will Durst. It won't take but a few minutes to read the whole thing. Here's an excerpt:Q. You've never been shy about your liberal political leanings. There seems to be a spirit of bipartisanship in

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-90871147559176760562008-11-04T22:51:00.003-05:002008-11-04T22:54:41.092-05:00

Good news for travelling road dogs across America. Gas (with the ethanol blend) has not been seen at this level in some parts of the country in four years, so says the Omaha Herald.Rose White of AAA Nebraska, which uses prices of regular unleaded in its surveys, said prices averaged $2.28 a gallon statewide Tuesday. Prices were lower in some places, such as Omaha, where there is strong

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-2243270306333746352008-11-04T14:11:00.003-05:002008-11-04T14:27:43.161-05:00

The Male Half just completed a week at the Borgata in Atlantic City, working with Willy Farrell (pictured at right below) and Angel Salazar. The Borgata Comedy Club still lives up to the designation we gave it in the 2005 USA Today article that listed "The Top 10 Places to Sit Down and Watch Stand-up" and the crowds were healthy and responsive all week long. (On Friday, the room was given over

SHECKYmagazine.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7209271.post-22671516527169053442008-11-04T13:23:00.003-05:002008-11-04T13:32:20.552-05:00

From an article in the Western Washington University school newspaper on a gang of crazy kids who are doing the coffehouse open mike, comes this quote from WWU junior Alex Haley:"My uncle was a comedian and I guess that's where I got my first exposure to stand up comedy," Haley said. He said when he was in the sixth grade, his teacher made a deal with him in which she would let him do stand up

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